Hey... I've got an ugly *** turquiose Mercury Tracer that I'm fixin up to be my daily driver... The Bimmer gets 20mpg. I'd drive a Civic over this Tracer, but the Tracer is free.

 

I wish it were that simple... I've got a friend with Z31 problems (electrical?) and we can't figure it out... its been down for a month now.

 

LoL... I've got a buddy here trying to sell me his Z31 w/ electrical probs... the fuel pump won't stay on for more than 30 seconds. I told him to just hardwire the pump!

 

Sadly for the z31, you cannot buy certain parts such as the trim around the mirrors which causes big time air noise at cruise.

so.........unless you make them yourself, you will eventually run into this problem...unless you're the last lucky got who got the final pieces.

I guess if they get old enough, someone will respond to the demand which is already snowballing.

 

Seeing a snowballing demand on Z car forums probably isn't enough "real" demand to justify a manufacturing run.

People on these forums tend to be the 'enthusiasts' and not the great masses you need to make a production run really profitable on a 15 to 20 year old car that has more modern versions (Z32 & Z33) in greater demand or older versions that are arguably in even more demand (S30), many of which don't carry the emissions stigma the "middle years" carry.

It's sad but

 

Umm guys...why do you have to buy a car for a "commuter"? A second car is still expensive on gas and insurance. Hey Rod, have you thought about going this route? Hows 50-70+ mpg sound to you? How you say? A motorcycle!!! If it is just meant to be a commuter then you really cant go wrong, cheap on gas, cheap on insurance and fun as hell to ride. Get a bike with at least a 3 gallon fuel tank and your good for a while and around $10 bucks a fill up on larger tanks still isn't bad. I not talking sport bike or touring bike I am talking about a cruiser...like the Susuki S40...650cc, light and comfortable. Just a thought but a valid one. Might make it easier to save up and fix the ZX. HooWaaa.

 

Didn't I just write that one post ago?

 

I'm seriously thinking about getting me a bike for commuting purposes til I can get my Z done. My wife is getting an SUV so we can tow the Z back to VA with us. Then I could worry about doing it right instead of just getting it done.

 

Nope... and Nope.... (gas is expensive no matter what now).

If one car gets better gas mileage than another, that car will still be CHEAPER to fill up.

Also, a lot of insurance companies offer a "multiple car discount." As in: 1 driver, 2 cars.

I have 3 cars on my personal policy (one is my 280zx turbo, one is my BMW, one the wifie's Saturn) and I pay $98 per month for auto ins.

 

^ I think you took it out of context. In comparison to a bike, his assumptions are correct. And I think thats what he was basing those statements off of. The smallest 4 cylinder cars on the road are still not getting the same mileage as a bike can get. I'd rather buy 3 gallons of gas and get around for a couple weeks then buy 20 gallons and probably not make it quite as long.

 

Ah yeah! I knew that

 

The extra dollars you pay for gas on one car doesn't add up to the combined cost of another car / insurance / and then gas for that car too.
...unless you were trading one car for another, whats the savings?

...or am i missing something?

 

I just said this:

A lot of us can also find good "mechanic's specials." As in cheap good cars. that might need a quick repair before they can be driven. I got a 1995 Mercury Tracer for free from a friend... I just had to fix the ignition switch (total cost to me: $12 from the junk yard). It gets 32 - 35mpg compared to my BMW that gets ~20mpg.

 

I can buy a Hybrid that gets 50-60mpg and it'll only cost me $500 a month in payments for the next 7 years!

 

I'm not allowed to get near motorcycles anymore... At least not until all of my kids are grown and out of the house.

Readers Digest Condensed version as to why:

Me on motorcycle going 25 MPH VS. guy in 4WD Chevy truck going 75 MPH in basically a head on collision... 47 broken bones, 17 surgeries, 6 months in the hospital...

I had a bad day that day...

Rod.

 

Holy Shizat! You're one lucky guy!

 

I paid $50 dollars for insurance on my bike...for the year! At the time I had it, gas was a little over 1.70 a gallon and I could go at a minimum of two weeks on it before filling up again. I myself have been told not to get another bike. Bike going 55-60, car running stop sign in the middle of the night = Mike T-boneing the car and landing 30 feet away from the car with a broken left pinky finger, fractured and dislocated left shoulder, and shatterd right knee. I did get to fly in a hellicopter that night though. It sounds stupid but I still want another bike.

 

it's not a matter of IF you are gonna wreck on a bike, rather WHEN. but they are still fun, and great on gas.