Need some of your opinions here

todd@bsaw said:
Been the victim of [sidepipe burn]....



I had 'em (briefly) on a car back in the '70s and they got me too :o It's the sort of thing that can be a much bigger issue than people expect it to be. Clothing that melts instead of burns (e.g., ladies' nylons) could make for a mighty nasty injury. Dogs and children come to mind too...



Corey Bit Spank- Heh heh, I think he was kiddin' about the Koenigsegg ;)
 
Accumulator said:
Series1- Learning to drive a stick isn't something you oughta do in a car that's expensive to repair. Clutches and synchronizers aren't all that cheap to replace on *anything* ;) Most people get the hang of it pretty fast, but getting the double clutching and heel-and-toe work down to where you don't hurt the machinery takes a little while and I'd want to learn on something easier (and cheaper) than a Viper.



Having a car sitting in the garage never/seldom being used is hard on the car and on your mind. Gee, ask how I know :o Get something you'll put a lot of happy miles on.



IMO the single best thing you could do to take advantage of your father's largess (and I mean that in the best possible way :D ) is to do a few of the better driving schools. You'll have a *LOT* of fun, you'll learn all sorts of stuff that you could never learn on your own, and you'll not only gain skill as a driver, you'll also get a feel for what kind of car you really like. By the time you've a few on-track classes, you'll be viewing this stuff from a whole 'nother perspective.



Honest to god, having had a few radically fast cars, beastly performance cars simply aren't all that much fun on the street (great heaps of fun on the track though). There's an old saying that's very true: driving a fast car slow isn't nearly as much fun as driving a slow car fast ;) And you really do have to drive fast cars at about 4/10ths on the street or you'll end up incarcerated (or worse). No you *WON'T* behave; you'll yield to temptation, eveybody does when they're young. I was lucky; I only lost my license for forever and a day :o



I'd be pretty surprised if an insurance company would write you a policy for a Viper anyhow. For the price of that policy your dad could buy you a lot of tires and brake pads ;)



Nothing wrong with enjoying your father's generosity; get some good training and then get him to buy something you'll really enjoy driving day in/day out. I betcha it won't be a Viper ;)



Accumulator, you are a wise, wise man my friend.



I couldn't agree more. You go out to a few professional driving schools, and not only will you be more adept at handling yourself in a car, you'll also have a completely new respect for driving in general. And as long as you vent the testosterone on the track regularly, you'll have no reason/excuse/want to drive like the typical out of control teenager in an Sti that ends up on youtube or worse. I think it should be mandatory for every teen ager to attend a professional driving course (leagues above what passes for "Drivers Ed" at schools now days) before getting their licenses.



The Viper (and the vast majority of two door, extreme performance coupes) are punishing cars to drive. They are not daily drivers, by any means. Extreme performance comes at the expense of extreme discomfort. Plus, I'm sure a young guy like yourself is probably gonna want to put more than one other person in the car, right? Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the day when I'm old(er) and grey(er) and can afford to launch my new Viper at the track, but until then, the Charger offers enough bang for the buck, and comfortably holds my whole family, too. :)



As for driving a clutch.... you *will,* as Accumulator mentioned, damage a Viper if you try to learn on it.



No matter what car you get, you should honestly think about taking Accumulator's advice and attending every professional driving school you can. Not only is it great fun, you'll come out the other end a better driver in all respects.
 
OT - Accumulator, I know you own some pretty nice cars now, but I was just curious what other "radically fast cars" have you owned?
 
SuperBee364 said:
...And as long as you vent the testosterone on the track regularly..



Heh heh, the instructors who've trained my wife say she often outdrives guys because she doesn't suffer from "testosterone-induced stupidity" :D



Oh, and my apparent "wisdom" (scare-quotes are intentional :) ) often resulted from experiences involving less-than-wise decisions ;) Live (if you're lucky) and *learn*.



todd@bsaw said:
OT - Accumulator, I know you own some pretty nice cars now, but I was just curious what other "radically fast cars" have you owned?



The best example was a Mallett Cars C5 'vette, 6-spd with one of their engine/suspension/drivetrain packages. Not much fun on the street, seldom got it out of 3rd gear around town, seldom used 6th on the highway even after I got the 3.73s, was always conscious of having to restrain myself. Sold it to buy the S8 (smart move, I posted about it in the Car and Driver forum). Chuck Mallett's a great guy though, builds good stuff.



Besides that I had some Porsches, an '86 AMG W126 SEC (32V "hammer" drivetrain, etc.) and various musclecars (e.g., 440X6/4spd SuperBird with lots of go-faster mods).



Somebody somewhere will read the above and say "oh, so *that's* who Accumulator is!".
 
Not a lot of people would actually get mad. But I betcha lots would recommend that your folks get a really good life insurance policy for you. I remember the days when the 5.0 Mustangs were dirt cheap and parents who "love" their kids would buy these and forgot about getting a funeral plan.
 
Well, let's hope Series1 is more sensible than that...he ended up getting a Supra Turbo.



The car I learned to drive/took my test in had 375hp and me second one (age 17) was a lot faster than *that*...and I'm still here :D



As long as Series1 gets some training he oughta be fine.
 
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