Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I think driving Ol' Rusty requires an immediate change in expectations.  I've driven some old "sports cars" from the 60s and they drive like crap.  But they can be kinda fun in a different sense.

When I moved from GA to NC, I borrowed a friend's "bread van", and old panel van, with a 4 speed transmission, which was OK except first gear was the granny gear and third gear had lost its synchros.  I made it round trip with my gear until just outside Chapel Hill it threw the water pump.  I stopped on the side of the road, it was over heating.  I drove a short distance to a gas station, they had water back then.  After it cooled some more, I added water to the radiator being careful in removing the cap.

I made it to my new apartment and unloaded and called him with the news.  He said it was no big deal.  He had a Triumph TR 6 that was fun to drive.

It's good that speed limits then were 55 on the freeways.

GM’s decision to use engineers versus a professional racer is one of the hot topics to emerge from the Corvette’s ring efforts. The top record laps at the Nürburgring have all been performed by pro racers, and in fact ZR1X driver Drew Cattell became the fastest non-professional driver at the Nurburgring to set a lap record. However, there are some voices out there saying that it cost them extra seconds. Nürburgring driver Misha Charoudin is one of those with that opinion, saying “A pro driver who does not care of crashing the car. It would have been probably 10 seconds faster.”

In the video below, Misha goes corner by corner through the full Corvette ZR1’s PDR video which was being driven by GM engineer Brian Wallace. Misha thinks the driver is being too conversative which then leads to missing opportunities for carrying more speed through the corners. In one example, Misha says the driver was intentionally avoiding the curbs and runoff aprons as opposed to a more aggressive driver who would use the curbing for greater speed. He also finds fault with the driver for braking earlier as well as not positioning the car better to take advantage of long straights after a corner.

Misha’s video is long, and he has a lot to say throughout the ZR1’s lap. He ends his analysis with the following:

So, as mentioned at the beginning of the video, with someone who is more confident with the car, with the car would be difficult, but with the track and not like just going flat out, sub-6:40 with the ZR1 is relatively easy possible, I would say. So having said that, I genuinely hope that Corvette is going to come back with ZR1 or maybe they already have done a lap time with a pro driver and going to release it later when they find it necessary to.”


https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2025/08/04/video-misha-on-the-zr1-nurburgring-time-a-pro-driver-could-have-done-it-10-seconds-faster/#google_vignette

Crashing the car would give a slower time ……

3 series is just too small. Got to get a 5 to be comfy.

I generally am a fan of smaller cars.  Maybe that comes from driving minivans for years.  The GTI fit the bill for me, fun and engaging to drive, good fuel economy, stick shift, decent room for two of us, the backseat was tight for two adults.  The two downsides is egress and the ridiculous maintenance bill the tried to tag me with.

I could have handled the bill going elsewhere of course.  My wife wanted a car easier to get in and out of, so that turned the spade.  The Tuscon is comfortable, and boring, very boring.  It's small enough to be OK in city traffic, which oddly we drive in a lot.

For guys our size, it's less about fit when you're actually in the seat--a lot of those smaller cars are fine. 

It's about trying to get in and out of the damn thing. 

2025 BMW M340i First Test Review: When the Lesser Is Better

These "tweeners" might not have much of a market, it's akin to the Cadillac V Series without the Blackwing label.  This is probably a pretty nice car overall.  Most sedans today are IMHO for the money.  An Accord would likely drive just as well for the vast majority of owners, and get better mpgs and more room inside and in the trunk.

2025 Honda Accord Review, Pricing, and Specs

I endorse the second part of this. Love my 2025 Honda Accord Hybrid. Amazing gas mileage, decent pickup, good handling in the curves, big trunk, impressively large back seat for a midsized sedan (beats many SUVs, all small ones). The car sits low--lower than my last Accord; some people don't like that or struggle with getting into a low car (it would be hard on my parents). Looks good. It's pretty long; I could live with a smaller car, but for carting four people it's fantastic. Not especially sporty by modern standards, but would beat the pants out of anything built before this century that didn't break the bank. Great car.