Intrepidation

A base model feels cheaper than a range topping one? No way!

"Sir, we found Charlie Sheen dead. The cause was a cocaine overdose; how much did he have?" "Enough to kill...... *puts on sunglasses* .......two and a half men." YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

Happy Birthday!

There's List Price (most expensive), Retail Price (your price, in the middle) and the shop's price(cheapest). They buy it at their price then charge you list.

I disagree, I like it, it's different and one of the defining features of the car. The SX has plenty of go, and the suspension tuning seems to be good from what I hear, its the low grip tires that ruin the fun. Easy fix.

From what IL says the biggest issue is the choice of wheels, followed by the steering's lack of feel, which, let's face it, is pretty common on cars these days, even the sporty ones with electric assist.

I love the Optima. IMO it is by far the best looking sedan in the segment. Everywhere you look you can find interesting and little details that flow together and work with each other. Two of my favorite examples are the way the chrome trim is used and how it flows into the buttom of the rear glass, and how the shape of the upper windshield frame mimics the grill. Little things most automakers don't bother with. I forget what the designer's name is but he deserves a raise for his work. I also like the C-pillar design, which isn't something you really see on other cars. IMO the whole exterior is pretty fresh and original, something that's hard to pull off these days. I really like the driver oriented interior as well. Again, nicely detailed and I hear the materials and build quality are top notch. My only real complaint is the SX's wheels are ugly to me and the Nexen Classe Premiere CP 662 tires aren't very good. But that's an easy fix. I'd throw on a set of 18" or 19" Evos or Unos and some good tires. I'll take mine in blue!

Well, it can still take a hit. I didn't get any pictures of the damage, but my brother slid on a patch of ice in ME over the winter and hit a snowbank going 45 mph. Broke the center cap of the passenger wheel, dented up the fender more and messed up the alignment (honestly, the Oldsmobile 98 did less damage), while also breaking the muffler hanger and bended the exhaust slightly, and knocking the corner of the rear bumper on the driver's side loose (hence the zip tie). No major damage besides the alignment though.

Yep, typical of dealers. not exclusive to Honda. Shops get pretty good discounts on parts then charge the customer "list price", which can be almost or more than double their cost. What I can't stand about every shop I've ever been to is that they all use impact wrenches(!!!) to take off and put back on wheels. That can damage the wheel as well as the rotor. General rule of thumb is that a place that has low low prices uses low end parts. Of course there's shops that charge as much as shops who use high quality parts and use the low quality parts. For DIYers, steer far, far, far, far, far away from the low end brands like OE, Driveworks, NTP and Motor City. Spend the extra for TRW, Moog, Remy, and National. I'm sure this is common sense to us, but far warning just the same.

Sad but true, guess the body won't be hitting 250,000 miles like I had wanted. Best bet I think is going to be a yard, if one will sell me one.

Yeah, I dunno what's going to happen with the Shadow. Mechanically its in good shape, engine runs excellent and burns no oil, rad is fairly new, transmission is good, exhaust is brand new, new brakes all the way around. I guess one option might be to cut out severely rusted areas and weld in new parts, or if we could find a good body, transplant everything into it, which if one could be found, would probably be easier.

Frank: The victim was found with semen in her ear Horatio: Well, I guess you could say she *puts on glasses* heard him cumming YYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH­!!!!

The Grand Marquis has some rust on it. but for its age it doesn't seem too bad. The only real issue I see is a rust hole on the bottom of the passenger rocker. Finally is the Shadow, which had to suffer through a winter in Maine, and apparently slid on a patch of ice going over 40 mph into a snow bank. It's probably 90% rust now. Engine's going to outlast the body.

Makes me so angry. :rage: Had a look under the cars the other day. First and foremost, the Prizm. After only four years in NE, winter is taking its toll. The good news is that it looks like the rust is confined to those areas of the rockers and no where else important. Hopefully this year I'll be able to get that fixed (along with the rear quarter). My car only saw a few storms before going into storage. Under body looks pretty good despite living its 204,000 life up here. I would like to take care of what rust is forming though before it gets worse.

I want an Optima SX(with different wheels and better tires)

You should always torque nuts and bolts to the manufacturers specifications. Under or over torquing can cause serious problems. The only thing I hand tighten is spark plugs, everything else is to spec.

Hah! Those are the very wheels I want someday. That is if I can't get a hold of Caliber SRT4 wheels. Mille Miglia makes some great wheel designs (they're the makers of my current wheels).

GTP was is the supercharged version right? Those things are mighty quick.

Hush with your logic!

Same, that's the one car a tach would actually be useful, yet the Prizm doesn't have it.

Get some before photos, and don't forget the clear coat!

I can dig it. Something about the rear end looks off, but overall the truck looks good.

Then of course there's the prepubescent girl who goes by the name Justin Bieber.