Definitely a nice road. People will buy the Volt to show off, but I hope they don't think they are saving money or the environment. At $40K, based on the calculated cost to drive it (made by Road & Track) it will take something like 300,000 miles to save enough money on fuel to make it worth buying over a $15K Kia or something--a standard small slow car with a fuel efficient engine. And that's assuming identical maintenance costs. We all know this car is not going to go 300,000 miles without a new battery pack. How long does a battery last in your laptop before it won't run the computer more than an hour. Maybe 2-3 years? Guess what--same battery technology. (Li Ion) Then lets not even get into the debate about emissions. Generating electricity with coal and charging a car a thousand miles away is not ZERO emissions. It's displaced emissions. I'm betting modern gasoline cars actually make less emissions/mile than a Volt running on coal power. In our country, this is a coal-powered car. I like to get in front of people in Priuses (Prii?) and give them a little smog from my 308. heh heh heh. Birdman
Sadly, we don't have those kinds of roads around here. The best curves are the freeway on-ramps. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hans - you are totally right, of course. I will admit to being one of the "wish it was quicker in a straight line" guys. But that's due to my history with US performance/competition v8 engine building and (mostly) drag racing. I have been on a couple of roads like that one with my 328 (in the US State of Virginia) and totally agree that in that environment nobody's SUV (and not much of anything else) is going to stay with the 328! Thanks for the reminder.
What about modifications? I've accepted the red light performance of a 308 but have seen kits on Ebay and on other performance sites. Do they work? Can a driver actually feel the difference or is it just crap?? Found this today while looking for some 308 parts. It states that it's design for a 308 engine... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hans!!! Something tells me that you would find a way to enjoy Southern California! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have a Boxster S (pretty much same as cayman S) and a 328. I drive both hard and I believe the Boxster S will out handle the 328. The 328 needs a stiffer suspension. I actually bought the QA-1 conversion for the 328, but haven't had the time to install them yet. With this, I think the 328 will outhandle the boxster. Though my 328 doesn't have ABS, and I think that can make a difference. An ABS car like the boxster you have a little more margin for error going into a corner since if you go in too fast, you can take full advantage of braking power even while turning. A lowly Boxster S will beat the 328 in straight line also. But it should, it is over 20 years newer. The 328 is what it is, it doesn't deserve to be compared with new cars. It still has one of the best sounding engines. Newer cars seem more muffled stock. Having a 328 for many years, I was looking at 355's and I won't be making switch. Why? Yes, the 355 is a little faster, but I don't think it has the quality of the 328. So for me, the 328 is a great ferrari and I can have other cars to fit other needs (like daily drivers or straight line power).
Believe me, I have! (with David in the passenger seat, chasing Rocco in his GT4...) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
It's a generic kit and you'll be the developer. Unless you know VERY well what you're doing, this is a sure way to some melted pistons. Run Forrest, RUN!
"A lowly Boxster S will beat the 328 in straight line also." True but as my wife said when I thought about buying a Boxter a few years back, "It's a girl's car, buy a 911." So I did. Nobody says the 328 is a girl's car. In fact, the girls pay no attention to it at all!
That is what I was thinking - I don't think there are a lot of cars that are 30 years old that are as fast as the cars of today, but it is somewhat unlikely that people will be saving Chevy Volt's in garages as pieces of art. MB
I just uploaded a couple of minutes of Italy fun to youtube. Not the kind of thing I'd see myself doing in a Prius or Volt... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO2xcEewU3s
