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We all know Mercedes-Benz has some pretty amazing technology but there’s no chance they could read my mind, right? And yet the facelifted E-Class, and the E63 AMG specifically, seemed to have addressed question I’d ever enduredabout the table; I’d previously felt Mercedes could improve its steering feel and weight, handling balance and composure, plus the overall sportiness of its sedans. And would you believe the 2014 E63 AMG has addressed each issue!

Until our drive was cut short by police intervention (see Editor’s Letter in this issue), I was enjoying the experience enormously. With the 4MATIC all-wheel drive fitted standard to all US cars, the E63 was far more composed than before. And while it’s not quite the wheel-spinning traffic light champion it once was, the greater control and hard launches were greatly appreciated. In fact, we rarely saw the traction control light even flicker, which will be a novel experience for owners of the RWD E63.

It uses a 33/67% front/rear bias, making it essentially RWD for better balance though with a sniff of power oversteer to help keep it entertaining.

A-wing grille plus larger ducting to aid cooling, the new E63 has more power than before and will be identified by its redesigned front-end with integrated star. This applies to both the Wagon and Sedan, so we took an E63 AMG Wagon for a spin because we love the cargo-hauler’s proportions. It’ll simply be available in The United States in the “”””S”””” specification, which implieshelps make the Wagon incredibly flexible and contains only one drawback – it weighs a whopping 4508 lb (when compared to the 4276 lb Sedan). This dulls the -60mph sprint by only .1sec, so in real life it has every one of the performance of its sibling. Actually, we bullied our way past several Sedans on the tight roads around the Montserrat region, feeling no detrimental affects.

Everything we noticed during such maneuvers was the complete lack and stability of body roll. It really is carries itself with poise, thanks to some extent to a standard five-point IRS set-up with airbags that’s used across the entire E63 AMG range.

Regardless of this, the E63 AMG driving experience is entirely dominated by its biturbo 5.5-liter V8. In this new guise it boasts 550hp and 531 lb-ft (up from 518hp, 516 lb-ft), which happens to be close to the optional Performance Package offered together with the previous E63. The new S model takes even that to a stratospheric 577hp at 5500rpm and 590 lb-ft at 2000rpm, thanks partly to 14.5psi boost pressure rather than 13.1psi on the regular E63.

Getting a new car can be totally stressful. There’s not much you can do to avoid that stress. If you try to save money by getting a good deal on Craigslist it’s just going to cause a major headache because frankly it’s a total crap shoot and you’re most likely going to throw a 2 or 3 or 12 on the come out roll or a 7 have the point has been established. You could try to buy a car off a family member but that can cause major stress if something going wrong in the early days and Christmas will be totally awkward. You can look around at the parking lot of the super market but again if these people are trying to sell a car by putting a For Sale sign in the window, who knows what other car type things they’ve half-assed.

The best thing to do is to establish a price you want to pay and try to find something that fits in those parameters as opposed to trying to get the cheapest version of whatever car you think you want. Remember, if you do it right, you get what you pay for. So why would you want to get something that someone else has cast off as a cheap version of the thing that you want? That’s insane logic and a great way to end up regretting the decisions that you’ve made. So first set a price and then start looking.

It’s a good idea to go to a dealer or at least look at a used car situation like on www.downtownnissan.com. The reason for this is there’s a bit of accountability that can go on when the car is being sold from a reputable dealer. Also, since they have professional services to touch up the used cars, it’ll arrive in better shape than maybe a used car you get off the internet. Check it out for yourself: http://www.downtownnissan.com. All the used cars are indeed used but they look nice and clean because the people at the Nissan dealer actually put in some care polishing it up. Keep in mind the car could still be a mess, but at least you won’t have to worry about the cosmetics.

The other thing you need to do is not go for the crazy features that drive up the prices artificially. For example, leather interior is stupid and not only that, it’s more uncomfortable. So you’d be paying for something that is more expensive and less comfortable just because it seems cool. Same goes for things like built in GPS. Everyone has that on their phone now and not only that, the Google Maps app is a much better GPS unit AND gets updated whereas the in-board GPS is hard to use, and often inaccurate. Why would you spend money for something you know ahead of time is an inferior product? Come on man, use some sense, and you can save some cents.

The idea of fate is a very interesting concept. The idea that some sort of higher power controls how our lives pan out can be comforting at times. Sometimes things come together in a way that just works in the grand scheme of things , although logically it may not make sense. Perhaps this illusion of fate can be credited to your own persistence and hard work, a factor that is easy to overlook from a first person perspective. As the saying goes: Fortune favors the brave. The events leading up to the purchase and build of this breathtaking ’73 Datsun 240Z might just be considered destiny.

CA, Andrew Wong was surrounded by cars, as a young boy growing up in San Gabriel Valley. Living in the very heart of where the exciting new import car culture was taking off, seeing fixed-up Civics, Integras, and Eclipses was a daily occurrence for him. Somehow this wasn’t as exciting to him as it was to his friends, these cars just weren’t for him. His mild interest for cars didn’t show any signs of developing until he joined a racing team in high school, which sounds typical enough for a California resident in the mid ’90s-except this racing didn’t involve engines. Andrew had joined his high school’s solar-powered car racing team. As a part of this team, he helped design and build an electric solar-powered car that would go on to compete in a national championship. During his time with the team, his passion for all things mechanical blossomed, guided by his teacher’s emphasis on the importance of light weight and handlingefficiency and reliability of fuel injection. The gears started turning in his head, the insatiable need for this car growing by the minute. He was absolutely convinced that he would own his very own Z car, and have Vildini perform the engine transplant.

Around the time Andrew graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, his father’s health had been declining. His family decided to make the move to Northern California to be closer to a doctor who specialized in his father’s illness. From the day he first saw the 240Z on the road, Andrew knew that he wanted to share the experience of owning and building the Datsun with his father. After countless nights of searching the Internet together for more information and photosUsually buying a car 400 miles away is something that most people try to get over with as quickly and efficiently as possible, but Andrew wanted his father to share the experience of finally purchasing his dream car with him. They decided to make a family trip out for the occasion. When they reached Los Angeles the day before the meeting with the seller Andrew’s father became sick. They spent the next two days in the hospital. Andrew contacted the seller to explain the situation, but (understandably) the seller assumed that Andrew was simply flaking on the deal; at this point the car was the furthest thing from Andrew’s concerns. Once his father’s condition stabilized he told Andrew that as they were already in SoCal it might be worthwhile to at least see the car. The car was exactly as it had been described, well taken care of with a quality engine transplant, a perfect starting point. The sale was finalized.

Back in San Francisco, Andrew resumed his daily routine as a chef for a high-end restaurant and the 240Z became his daily driver. Working long hours prevented him from doing any real work to the car. Still, while the car was a blast to drive even on stock suspension, Andrew caught the modification bug and sourced new parts for the car. While browsing local Z and listings forums, he came across a set of Watanabe R-Types that would suit his needs perfectly. When purchasing the wheels the seller identified himself as the owner of Vildini Motorsports; these were the exact set that he had seen at Super GT. At this point there was no turning back. Now that he owned the wheels from the car that had set him on this path years ago, he was determined to see the car that he had envisioned take form before his eyes. It’s no secret that one of the most important additions to a project car is another car, a daily driver. Andrew understood this completely and started his search for a suitable commuter, finally deciding on a first-generation Mazda Miata. Now that the Z was relieved of its daily driver duties, it was dropped off at the body shop for a fresh coat of Dodge Candy Red paint. Andrew relocated back to SoCal for work, as soon as the car was back from the body shop.coilovers and Wilwood brakes. Every bit of rust was removed from the car, the underside of the body was sprayed with an insulated coating, and the rest of the car was resprayed. After one year away from his car, Andrew was finally back in the driver seat of his prized 240Z. The hunger for power is one that is rarely satisfied, even though a stock SR20DET is more than enough power in a 2,000-pound car. To feed this desire, Andrew replaced the original exhaust manifold with a Tomei piece and the intake manifold with a Greddy part, improving flow and response. A Greddy turbo elbow directs exhaust gases out of the turbine into a custom stainless steel turbo-back exhaust system crafted by Vildini Motorsports.

Andrew grew up in a family who drove only Nissans. He shared with us that his father had a very strong influence on his automotive tastes, so it comes as no surprise that he chose the S30 Z platform as the canvas for his masterpiece. Despite facing hardships in his life, Andrew saw the potential of this car and made a commitment to complete it. The decision to start the project when he did stemmed from the fact that Andrew knew he wanted his father to be as involved as possible in the build before he died. This has led to his strong connection with the car, which was essentially built to honor the memory of his father. Andrew considered parting ways with the car at times when the emotional connection may have become too much, but now it serves as a reminder of what his father taught him. Andrew plans to continue building the car, because as we all know, a true project car is never completely finished.

Tommy Fitzgibbon’s minivan weighs almost two tons, has seven seats of which five have been defiled from your likes of his brood, was originally intended for soccer-player-bearing middle-aged mothers, and is every bit as awesome as your Civic.

That’s mostly due to Super Touring-inspired H22A that sits underneath its hood, an engine descended from the series that’s influenced Fitzgibbon since he first took an interest in the Honda species nearly two decades ago. Super Touring Accords, which were powered by 2.0L, twin-cam F-series VTEC engines, traveled to great lengths to ensure superior intake and exhaust capabilities. As such, reversing the engine’s cylinder head orientation became standard procedure, resulting in forward-facing intakes and shorter exhaust paths, similar to Honda’s current four-cylinder lineup. The process is an elaborate one, and is precisely why only a handful of H-series fans have attempted the conversion beyond the professional racing circuit. After all, swapping a K-series in to the Odyssey, which isn’t greatly unlike the Accord, results in similar power and makes a whole lot of sense.

, although fitzgibbon has no delusions of earning any sense He’ll be the first to tell you that his reverse-head conversion was an exploratory one-a journey that led him to appreciate the Honda brand more than any drop-in engine swap ever could. An online classifieds offer that he couldn’t refuse soon altered his course, even though the longtime Honda owner wasn’t necessarily in the market for an Odyssey 3 years ago, either. A spare H series was included with the already H-swapped van as was a turbo system and most of the components needed for a soon-to-be-completed manual transmission conversion. Fitzgibbon elaborates on the van’s condition upon his initial inspection, detailing its barrage of battle scars, oil-stained carpet, and rat’s nest of an under-dash wiring harness: “It was perfect.”

1995 honda odyssey LX mugen rear spoiler

1995 honda odyssey LX wifes van

1995 honda odyssey LX mugen aero kit

Perfect for the fast flip which he had planned, one in which he’d make the most of his resources as part owner of Torrance, California-based Fast Eddie’s Racing to solve its faults, clean it up, and make a quick grand. Three months into the project and plans changed. The desire for any naturally aspirated H-series rebuild got the very best of Fitzgibbon, and very quickly what appeared to be an innocent engine build began. Until he got the idea to generate his own version of a Super Touring H series-a conversion that required extensive engineering, elaborate machine work, and is the last thing anybody would anticipate to find underneath the hood of car that was once lauded for its capability to stow away strollers without so much as folding them up. “I’ve always been a fan of the old Super Touring cars-British and Japanese-and my fascination with all the reverse-head F20B engines that powered them finally trapped with me,” he says. “It was time for you to stop dreaming about them and build one.”

As earnest as he was approximately assembling his very own van-destined touring car mill, its development was every bit as challenging as being the minivan-race-engine fusion is silly sounding. Consider the architecture of almost any internal-combustion engine, and the quantity of obstacles encountered once the head’s orientation is reversed is apparent. For one, the Odyssey’s H series remains counterclockwise-driven, meaning the head’s rotation occurred independent from the camshafts. This, along with reoriented oil and coolant passages and flip-flopped pistons to account for proper valve-to-valve relief clearances are simply a sampling of complications Fitzgibbon addressed. And he’ll guarantee you that it was all worth the cost, although ask him: “This one decision changed everything about how I tune cars,” he says. “It forged alliances with new friends, earned the attention of prominent folks within the industry, and attracted praise from all over the country.”

Spend some time on your favorite online automotive abyss, and you’ll quickly realize that instructions concerning how to complete a reverse-head conversion of your own are sparse. Fitzgibbon stumbled on terms with this early on and sourced the required information from English race car firm Neil Brown Engineering, the business behind those fabled F20Bs of lore. U.K.-based engine supplier Touring Car Spares also came to his aid, providing Fitzgibbon with a series of photos that allowed him to reverse-engineer his interpretation of the once race car engine. And what an engine it was, only if for a short period of time. Bungled calculations on his behalf ended in a nasty piston-to-valve mix-up once VTEC was engaged. “It been found that I had done the math wrong when adjusting the cam gears to compensate for the way the cams’ lobes would actuate the rockers,” Fitzgibbon explains. “I desired to clone myself just so I could possibly kick my own ass.” A series of mishaps and a steep learning curve led to four more engine failures, where time he decided to shelve the project for good. “I was a greater portion of a mess than the engine was,” Fitzgibbon says. “I decided that enough time and money had been used on a project which had previously only been accomplished by a team of well-financed engineers in an English race engine laboratory.”

The story of Fitzgibbon, his minivan, and his Super Touring car-inspired Prelude engine doesn’t end here. Although preparations for a more mundane H-series mill were subsequently laid out, the reverse-head idea continued to haunt him, as well as a newfound friendship with nearby RC Engineering’s John Park, who begun to take an interest in the project, helped begin to see the engine to completion. And Fitzgibbon will admit as much, despite the fact that five blown engines weren’t all for naught. “We now have the knowledge to build it right at the first try, and now we know that we’re not likely to be destroying expensive parts, we are able to experiment with higher compression, hotter cams, and port work,” he says.

The issues associated with trying to modify a seven-person family carriage for high-performance use don’t end here, either. Otherwise simple suspension mods are customized procedures when concerning the Odyssey, and because of the van’s weight, it’s severely over-geared and under-braked, according to Fitzgibbon. Says the guy who blew through five Prelude engines to meet his Super Touring car dreams: “Solutions for all of these problems are inside the works as well.”

1995 honda odyssey LX reverse head H22A1

1995 honda odyssey LX F20 valve cover

1995 honda odyssey LX individual TWM throttle bodies

Bolts & Washers

Propulsion

Reverse-head H22A1 engine

Neil Brown Engineering valve cover

Bisimoto adjustable cam gears

Modified OEM camshafts

Brian Crower stainless steel valves

Brian Crower titanium retainers

Brian Crower keepers

Neil Brown Engineering head gasket

ARP head studs

Modified OEM pistons

Knife-edged crankshaft

Balanced rotating assembly

H22A4 aluminum oil pan

Bisimoto balance shaft removal kit

Kaizenspeed manual timing belt tensioner

ITG air filter

TWM 50mm individual throttle bodies

B-Werks custom exhaust manifold

MagnaFlow primary muffler

Mazdatrix secondary muffler

SLP high-flow catalytic converter

RC Engineering 450 cc/min. fuel injectors

TWM fuel rail

Earl’s AN lines and fittings

AEM engine management system

AEM engine positioning module

K20A2 ignition coils

NGK iridium spark plugs

PRC Racing aluminum radiator

Prelude VTEC manual transmission

Prelude shift mechanism

Fast Eddie’s Racing shifter plate

Fast Eddie’s Racing heavy-duty clutch

Fast Eddie’s Racing lightweight flywheel

1995 honda odyssey LX shift knob

1995 honda odyssey LX valve cover close up

1995 honda odyssey LX recaro sport seats

Suspension

TEIN HA coilovers, front

TEIN Basic coilovers, rear

Energy Suspension bushings

Ingalls adjustable upper ball front, rear and joints

Cusco rear alignment kit

Custom extended rear shock hats

Resistance

Cross-drilled OEM rotors

Earl’s steel-braided lines

Wilwood proportioning valve

Wheels & Tires

17×9 Racing Hart Type C, 18 offset

225/45-17 Falken Ziex

Exterior

Mugen aero kit

Mugen rear spoiler

Interior

AEM wideband air-fuel UEGO gauge

Recaro Sport seats

Sony Premier head unit

MOMO Monte Carlo steering wheel

HKB controls hub adapter

Tekniq AutoSport quick-release adapter

Wilwood clutch pedal

Fast Eddie’s Racing-modified OEM brake pedal

Arachnaforms shift knob

Tuffy center console

Props

My dad, Tom Fitzgibbon Sr., for teaching me the way to think as an engineer. This project is dedicated to him and never could have been possible without everything I learned from him. My wife Renae. Harry and Arturo at Velios Machine Shop; Rick Rosales; Dennis Smith; Jim Pierce from Advanced Muffler; Beto from B-Werks; Steve Rodgers from SR Motorcars; Mitch Peterson from MP Tuning; Neil Brown along with his receptionist, Louise Wooley, from Neil Brown Engineering; Tony from Touring Car Spares; Sean Montoya; James Hsu; Mike “Monkey” Kim; my partner in crime, Kevin Hollis; Hawthorne Ngo; Scott Brasil; Kim Kovananth; Anthony Do from Infinit Wheels; Eli Sesma from Fast Forward Wheels; Millan’s Honda Wrecking; Alan and Ralph from Cali Accord Meet; Ron Cino-Cruz from Team Supastar; Ronald Wu from Aero-Duo; John Park from RC Engineering; Nate Duenes along with the boys from Kamakaze Racing; Anh from Style Over Comfort; Oscar Jackson Sr. from Jackson Racing

1995 honda odyssey LX exhaust tip

1995 honda odyssey LX engine bay

1995 honda odyssey LX TWM individual throttle bodies

Owner Specs

Daily Grind

Helping teenagers change their lives at Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy

Favorite Sites

Macross World, eBay, and Craigslist

Screen Name

656delta

Building Hondas

Since 1994

Dream Car

Whatever I plan to build next

Inspiration With This Build

Neil Brown’s famous BSTCC Accords

Future Builds

1975 Datsun 280Z, 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser, and someday a CRX

North American Touring Car Championship

Super Touring racing wasn’t just reserved for the Japanese and British. From 1996 to 1997, the NATCC (North American Touring Car Championship) was located in the U.S. and Canada, which served as a support series to CART’s road course and street course racing. Although popular among its fans, the series failed to entice a considerable number of competitors and was discontinued after its second year, although tasman Motorsports’ Honda Accord factory team and driver Randy Pobst dominated the series, winning the championship its first year. NATCC rules only allowed vehicles with production runs in excess of 2,500 units and with maximum displacements of 2.0L to compete, in which the Accords regularly produced nearly 300 hp and resulted in times comparable to or faster than today’s Speed World Challenge GT racers, making for the exciting series that arguably ended all too soon.

We are all aware of how having your motor and engine regularly serviced and maintained can help it to run smoothly and efficiently for longer, it can even extend the life of your engine, but did you know that the way you drive affects the life of an engine too.
New or even modified engines don’t come cheap, so it stands to reason that you should have your engine regularly serviced and maintained, but there are a few things you can do behind the wheel to help out too.
The Running In Period
If you’re lucky enough to buy a brand new motor fresh from the showroom at metronissanredlands.com (or similar), then this is for you. Although modern cars don’t need to be handled quite as carefully as they did a couple of decades ago it still pays in the long term if you handle them with care in the beginning. You can find lots of useful information about this in the owner’s handbook – they’ll probably advise that you don’t drive faster than a pre-determined speed for the first few hundred miles, exceed a certain RPM for a number of miles etc. This gives the new engine parts the opportunity to get bedded in and shape themselves so that they are a perfect fit.

The Warm Up
Athletes know how dangerous it is to go for a run without warming up first, and the same can be said for your car engine. When the weather is particularly cold it can be tough for a car engine, it will take more energy to get started, the battery may have a lower charge and the oil will be thicker. That’s why it’s a good idea to give the engine time to idle and warm up when the weather is particularly cold. It doesn’t take long, you only need to wait around 30 seconds but those few seconds can make a big difference.

Slow Down
You may fancy yourself as a bit of a race car driver but there are many reasons why you shouldn’t unleash this fantasy on the public roads. For one thing it is dangerous, for another you will use lots of excess fuel, your emissions will be increased and it is not good for the engine. The faster you drive the harder your engine has to work – around 55 mph is the optimum for the engine and every mile per hour you go over this speed can be detrimental to its longevity.
Ditch the Trash
Some trucks and pick-ups are designed to haul heavy weights around the roads, which is why they are designed with lots of torque, smaller cars have smaller engines and are not built in the same way. They will not have the torque and power needed to pull or carry heavy loads. All that this will do is to create excess strain on the engine and cause it to wear out sooner than is necessary. Check out the owner’s manual if you are unsure whether your car is up to the job of towing whatever you need to tow or carry. The lighter the load in your car the less strain it puts on the engine so don’t carry your golf clubs around in the trunk all week unless you genuinely might need them.

Follow those rather simple steps and you’ll be doing your best to help your engine live a long, happy and healthy life, but if you do need to replace your vehicle for any reason just check out http://metronissanredlands.com, they’ve got some great deals.

Manabu Harada has owned a Z32 Fairlady for the past 20 years. Yes, you read that correctly. This year marks two decades of dedication to this specific chassis. He purchased his first Z32 Fairlady Z, an automated 2 2 in 1992. Over the next eight years, he replaced the original equipment with parts that more appropriate his needs and goals for the car. One fateful day in February 2000 the transmission gave out. Manabu decided it was time for any new car; he removed and replaced everything aftermarket in the car with stock bid and parts the automobile farewell. It was actually a bittersweet moment, going to a chapter of his life end while looking forward to a whole new adventure by using a different car. As soon as the car was out of sight, Manabu went to the Nissan dealership for another Z32, a ’00 2 2 with a standard transmission this time around.is surely an office worker by trade, at a company in Yokohama that manufactures camera sensors–pretty much so far as you can get through the automotive industry–yet he still is able to keep his passion for cars as strong as ever. He says that he has loved cars for as long as he can remember. Inside the metropolitan aspects of Japan it is quite inconvenient to have a car, using the costly registration fees, crowded highways (that you have to pay for with every use), and parking that can be upward of the same as $100 per month first spot, it’s definitely not something you decide on without investing in some serious thought. If you don’t need a car for work, you don’t need a car, generally. Manabu, at 46 years old, understands this better than anybody, yet he continues to own a car and drive it to work every day. Why doesn’t he make use of the efficient and convenient public transportation system? Living in Kawasaki and employed in Yokohama should make for a simple and easy trip on the train, and it works perfectly for the countless other people who have the identical commute. To Manabu, it is extremely simple: He enjoys spending time with his car. It is not an appliance to him; it is actually his personal space, his territory , which he has to offer no one.

Manabu purchased the automobile brand new (bone stock). His journey to make a car that would be truly his began by adding a few parts, like the Yokohama Advan AVS Model 5 wheels, he had taken from his previous Z. Manabu is very adamant about the importance of a low ride height. One of the many reasons he continues to stay true to the Z32 platform is because of its low and wide profile, even during its stock form. Low compared to other cars, the stock ride height simply would not do, though of course. When it came time for you to choose a coilover setup Manabu decided on an Aragosta Roberuta Cup air cup over-spring system. He says that the opportunity to adjust height from within the cabin is very useful when dealing with obstacles, such as driveways and speed bumps. Now that the low characteristic of the vehicle had been plenty supplemented, Manabu widened and shaped the outside panels to his liking. The front and back bumper half spoiler are Mission products, effectively giving the car a meaner and updated profile while sitting slightly lower to the ground than the stock counterparts. The front over-fenders are Origin Lab, 20mm wider than stock and vented. The rears are modified Mission pieces; at 55mm wider than stock they give the car a noticeably more aggressive shoulder line. The Border side skirts and KPGC10 hakosuka Skyline rear spoiler may seem random, but in reality were carefully selected to complement the other aero enhancements. Finally, everything was painted Nissan Sonic Silver as well as the pinstriping was reapplied.

1 day when Manabu was hanging out with his friend Mr. Nagasaka from the popular drift team Spirant, he noticed that Nagasaka had purchased a new list of wheels for his 180SX. Manabu immediately fell obsessed about the wheel and decided that he absolutely had to have a set of his own. The Advan AVS Model 5s are no longer on the car; they have been substituted with a set of Diamond Black Volk Racing TE37s like the ones on Nagasaka’s car, however slightly larger, as you may have noticed. Manabu’s measure 18×9.5 18×10 and 12.5 15, and are wrapped in 235/40/18 and 265/35/18 Dunlop Direzza DZ101s, an ideal fit for that widened bodywork.

2000 nissan fairlady Z32 volk racing TE37 wheels 10

2000 nissan fairlady Z32 mission front bumper 09

2000 nissan fairlady Z32 KPGC10 skyline rear spoiler 08

The rest of the car, although meticulously maintained, remains mostly original. Manabu only modified what he can touch, see, or hear,. That is the interesting trend with this car. In addition to the suspension, aero, and wheels, the modifications are fairly sparse. The exhaust gases are pushed through a Be Free 80mm exhaust system paired with an A’pexi Active Tail Silencer to keep family outings as pleasant as you can, which is actually the reason he opted for the 2 2 model. For this same reason, the pair of Bride Vorga seats are reclinable for the ability to choose your own personal seating position on long trips and let passage to the rear seats. A premium Nakamichi head amplifier and unit power a set of Canton front speakers and subwoofer as well as a kind of JVC rear speakers.

This Fairlady Z may not be what you really are used to seeing on the pages of Import Tuner. It doesn’t boast astronomical power figures nor does it hold any track records, and will also most likely never take part in a car show. What does this car actually do? This car has been driven daily for 12 years by the same owner and has become an extension of Manabu’s being. In this age and day when it appears as though people are out to get their quarter-hour of fame through their car, it’s a breath of clean air to see cars like this one. And at any given time when it is considered rare to be married in excess of a decade, this car and driver happen to be together for 12 years. It’s here-a car that is certainly nothing more, nothing below exactly what the owner wants that it is at this moment in time, if there is such a thing as perfection. In Manabu’s words: When it is going to obtain 100 percent of satisfaction. This car continues to evolve as his needs change, and sometimes on account of outside forces–a few weeks after these photos were taken, this car was involved in an accident around the Tomei Expressway, resulting in what might be considered a total loss, Although it is very fortunate to make a wish into a form, it will become endless. When faced with a situation in which many people would choose first of all a new chassis or even a newer car, Manabu chose to repair his car regardless of it being a financially irresponsible choice. What else would you expect from a man who when asked how he feels about his car replied: Very happy. Although I met her two decades ago, I’m still delightedPursuit Of Happiness

2000 nissan fairlady Z32 bride vorga japan seats 05

2000 nissan fairlady Z32 nardi classic steering wheel 04

2000 nissan fairlady Z32 nardi classic steering wheel 03

Behind The Build

Name:

Manabu Harada

Age:

46

Location:

Kawasaki, Kanagawa

Occupation:

Office worker

Hobbies:

Customizing cars, automobile photography, muscle building, running, playing with his dog, listening to music, watching movies

Build Time:

12 years

Feedback:

m.harada12@gmail.com

Motivation:

And I had ideas for a design differ from that time.””, Since I had the same car for eight years before this””is really a beautiful bird that is regenerated and reborn, arising from the ashes of its predecessor. The stunning red S2000 that you see before you has gone down in flames (literally) and has arisen from the ashes of its previous form time and time again, each form being higher than the one before it.

Yuri Arts and his awesome family, planted firmly in the Netherlands, use a love affair with the Honda brand. They’ve owned multiple chassis as well as the S2, and also have modified each one. As time passes all of us grow and mature, as well as the manner upon which we modify cars is definitely an indication of that growth. In 2000, they obtained a ’98 Civic which belonged to his wife, Yvonne, and, in Yuri’s own words, “We pimped it to a pink lady monster.” styles, times and Clearly and focal points have evolved. Even still, they owned that car until 2010. It has since been substituted for a red S2000, but Yvonne keeps Yuri centered on his build as she doesn’t allow him to do anything major to her S2. So the couple scoots about town in her and his red Honda roadsters, but with regards to family time, the two needed something to transport their son in. Not surprisingly, another Honda will be added to the stable, this period a new Accord (TSX, to us here in the States) that, no matter what its being strictly a household car, has become graced with wheels, suspension, and an intake from the one-and-only Mugen. Yeah, this family has somewhat of a modding addiction.

“The S2000 was my dream car. The looks and the high-revving engine of 9,000 rpm is fantastic. It offers race car capabilities and is also a convertible. I never thought I could own one.” Nevertheless it was in 2004 that Yuri was able to find the chassis he had imagined. That same year, Yuri joined S2Ki.com, the internationally renowned S2K forum that covers essentially everything an S2000 enthusiast, new or established, could want or need to know. The following year he joined honda-s2000.be, an S2000 enthusiast site specifically for those in the Netherlands. With these two sites offering up countless ideas and inspirational S2 builds, it didn’t require much time for Yuri to begin his own build.

“The performance modifications began in 2006. I was looking more and more in the Forced Induction section of the forum and wanted some other brake horsepower as well,” Yuri says. So the decision was made that Yuri’s S2 would be powered through the use of forced induction. He then made a decision to contact a shop by the name of Supra Sport to build up a build plan. The shop focuses on Toyota, and also works onLexus and Nissan, and other manufacturers, as the name indicates. Just what the Supra Sport crew didn’t specialize in, however, were Hondas. Regardless, Yuri worked with those to develop a build plan and it has stayed using them on the project ever since. They’ve been in charge of the installation and/or fabrication of the entire build.

The car has gone through many phases from 2006 to its present incarnation, and all those involved went through hellfire along with to learn the most difficult of ways on how and where to improve the build. “With the first setup we didn’t have the cooling under control, so on long runs on the German Autobahn the engine would overheat and internal damage occurred. On the next setup, the engine blew on the dyno because of a mistake the engineer made in your computer. We needed to fix it, and then we decided to get rid of the whole setup and start over, rebuilding the engine in the ground up. This time around around the engine caught fire while cruising on the highway,” Yuri reminisces. They learned that the fuel rail broke off along with the fuel which was spilling lit up the whole bay. “We were with four cars and stopped immediately and extinguished the bay. A whole lot had to be repaired after that.” Yeah, we simply imagine. Speak about rising from ashes and flames.

What clearly stands out by far the most on this build, and the biggest reason it landed in the odd swaps issue, is utilizing a Toyota Supra gearbox. The 2JZ motor that powers the MKIV Supra is actually a phenomenal powerplant capable of holding incredible power. With that much potential, Toyota had to mate it to some capable transmission able to handle gobs of horsepower, torque, and abuse. The six-speed Getrag V160 gearbox that resulted is known to handle cars with upwards of 1,500 hp, so its strength, along with favorable gear ratios begin to make their choice to utilize it in this turbo build more and more logical. But choosing to use the transmission is one thing, which makes it all interact with each other is another. The guys at Supra Sport had to fabricate a completely custom, all-aluminum adaptor plate to mate the transmission towards the F-series mill. In addition to the gearbox, they utilized the Toyota OEM Torsen limited-slip differential.

With the knowledge gained from the previous F/I setups, the actual setup was decided upon and executed. They completely rebuilt it and stroked the very first F20C to 2.2L. A Garrett TS-GT35R turbo with a PFabrications twin-scroll manifold was chosen to handle induction duties, while a fully custom Supra Sport fuel system using Bosch 2,000cc injectors was made to quench the subsequent thirst. With everything eventually situated, the automobile was placed on the dyno, the AEM EMS connected, and the critical tuning session began. The outcome was a staggering 600 bhp and 560 n•m at 1.5 Bar utilizing 91-octane fuel.

Through bouts of overheating, blown motors, and fuel fires… each time the build was reborn and arose once again. It will seem the cycle has ended, as Yuri along with the crew at Supra Sport were able to create rock-solid numbers without any major issues. “Lately the car has performed perfectly,” Yuri says. So, when it ain’t broke, don’t correct it, right? Well, apparently, wrong. Yuri adds, “We have a new engine setup in the making. Twin scroll is certainly going out the door. We plan to use a new, simple turbo but by using an Eaton supercharger. So we’ll have way more power in the low rpm, quicker spool up for the turbo, and we’ll use E85 to bump it all as much as at least 800 bhp.” Well, it looks like one more incarnation of this beautiful red S2000 is on the way, and perhaps the highest one yet.

“The S2000 was my dream car. The looks and also the high-revving engine of 9,000 rpm is fantastic. It has race car capabilities and is a convertible. I never thought I would be able to own one.”

1306 honda s2000 F20C

1306 honda s2000 interior

1306 honda s2000 OZ racing LM wheels

Bolts & Washers

2000 Honda S2000

Propulsion

F20C

2.2 stroker kit with forged pistons

PFabrications twin-scroll manifold

Garrett TS-GT35R intercooler and turbocharger

Custom ATI crank pulley

Toyota Supra 6-speed gearbox

Toyota Supra limited-slip differential

Supra Sport aluminum engine to gearbox adaptor

Supra Sport custom fuel system with swirl pot

Bosch 2,000cc injectors

Ultimate Racing dual 3-inch exhaust

Koyorad aluminum radiator

Samco hoses

Polished valve cover

Gas hood shocks

Driveshaft Shop axles

Password: JDM carbon radiator cooling plate

Carbonetics carbon twin plate clutch

Power

600 bhp at 9,200 rpm, 560 n•m

Suspension

Modified MY07 S2000 front and back subframes

Intrax 1K2 suspension with antiroll control

Cusco reinforcement bars

Resistance

Rotora big brake kit

Grooved/drilled rotors

Wheels & Tires

OZ Ultraleggera LM wheels

Bridgestone RE-11 semislicks

Exterior

Full paintjob with extra clear lacquer

Shine bumper

Downforce side diffusers

MY04 S2000 rear bumper

Chargespeed carbon rear under caps

Password: JDM carbon front splitter

Password: JDM carbon full underbody diffuser

Seibon carbon hardtop

Seibon carbon hood

Seibon carbon wing

New Honda OEM hardtop installation components

USDM AP2 headlights

USDM AP2 taillights

Interior

Mugen rollcage

Alcantara accents on seats, door panels, and dashboard

Carbon center console

Various new Honda parts

Electronics

AEM Series 2 EMS

Racelogic traction control

Defi BF gauges with controller

Props

I would mainly want to thank my wife Yvonne, for letting me do my thing. My tuner Arnout Van Der Kamp (www.suprasport.nl), for building this unbelievably beautiful and fast car. My buddy Noud Klaver, for always being available to drive to my tuner, which happens to be 60km away, hundreds of times in the last year or two.

1306 honda s2000 seibon hard top

1306 honda s2000 side view

1306 honda s2000 garrett_intercooler

Owner Specs

Daily grind

IT programming company owner

Favorite sites

S2Ki.com and honda-s2000.be

Screen name

N/A

Building Hondas

About 12 years

Dream car

This is it.

Inspiration for this particular build

Power!

Future builds

Keep going for this one

1306 honda s2000 password JDM diffuser

1306 honda s2000 garrett turbo

1306 honda s2000 defi gauges

Honda-S2000.Be

This website is a Dutch and Belgian S2000 enthusiast online community and is well organized. Constantly involved with its members in ways that can easily be the envy of the worldwide S2000 enthusiast community, they even put together multiple trips through which members toured Europe together. In 2009, they went to Italy to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the S2000. It was there that they all met the primary designer of your car, who traveled from Japan to join them around the trip. Pretty damn cool, right?

Later that same year these people were invited by Honda Japan to come to the manufacturing plant in the Land of the Rising Sun to discover the last S2000s roll away from the production line. Even more cool! Yuri made certain to optimize on the circumstances and make the most from his visit to Japan. He took an added week to check out Rays, J’s Racing, Spoon Sports, and a lot more.

With everything eventually situated, the automobile was put on the dyno, the AEM EMS connected, and the critical tuning session began. The result was a staggering 600 bhp and 560 n•m at 1.5 Bar utilizing 91-octane fuel.

Discover more: http: //www.superstreetonline.com/features/1306-2000-honda-s2000/#ixzz3WJg95ym2

Car enthusiasts all face exactly the same conundrum when considering time to getting a family car: They suck. It seems that each and every time we get on your way in a lowered vehicle, a team of ugly, lumbering, gas-guzzling monoliths decides to surround us and obscure our vision while driving. Not only would be the average SUVs poorly designed, they also pose a real danger to everyone around them, with their blind spots and all sorts of. So, if we become some of those jackasses, we’ll be damned. But what do we buy so we subsequently don’t need to sell to the SUV/minivan franchise of America? For Brian and Pam Carroll, it was an issue that was plaguing them way back in 2007, once they realized these folks were sick and tired of the ’04 Nissan Pathfinder they had been using as being the family hauler. Sure, the Pathfinder had served its purpose as a family vehicle, but the mundane feel and look and lack of power was driving Pam nuts. So, in true enthusiast fashion, they decided to upgrade.

Pam Carroll has always had a fascination with fast, well-built cars. She loves any car that boasts having both raw speed and precise handling. At that time, her husband and coBrian and conspirator, had an ’05 Legacy GT sedan, and she loved how zippy it was around town. Since the Carrolls loved their little Legacy a lot, they opted to start their search on the local Subaru dealership by testdriving a WRX wagon. But once inside the cabin, they knew it absolutely was way too small for long family road trips, and they bailed from the car feeling a little cramped. Next up on the agenda was really a crisp ’07 XT Forester, which came complete with a sharp-looking sports package and a bunch of extras. It absolutely was at this moment the Carrolls hit proverbial pay dirt.

From the moment they hopped inside the little Fozzy to search over the interior, they knew that they had found the perfect family car. This conclusion was solidified when Pam took it out for the quick testdrive. As the turbo spooled up, the Carrolls realized these people were in love. So because of their new member of the family safe at home in the garage, the Carrolls were truly happy .Brian, day and Pam took their Subarus towards the local dragstrip for a dash of heads-up fun. If the Forester could be faster than Brian’s modified Legacy, after a few adrenaline-filled passes, Pam had a thought, How awesome would it be? ! Not being totally sure where to begin, Pam approached Brian with her idea. You see, Brian is always dreaming up new ideas, projects, and plans, so it was an easy sell. After a lot of time of online research and drooling over pictures in the JDM version of the Forester, they decided they were going to turn her Subie into an American interpretation of the JDM STI Forester.

Brian addressed the Forester’s utilitarian ride handling and height first. Local Cincinnati-based performance automotive specialists Turn in Concepts was contacted for the performance bushing kit and suspension upgrades. Larger Whiteline sway bars were then thrown into the mix, along with some aluminum STI control arms and Subtle Solutions’ fender and trunk braces. All this time, Pam was working right alongside her husband,listening and learning, and yearning for the faster Forester. So making use of their newfound connectivity, it was time to manage the Forester’s power supply.

In the following months, they swapped three different turbo-back exhausts on / off the car looking for the right style and sound. An upgraded STI -spec IHI VF48 turbo replaced the stocker, and a noticeably larger STI intercooler finished off the engine mods.

All of these parts actually finished up swapping to the car with great ease, with the turbo upgrade bringing the most noticeable results to the table. Pam was ecstatic! It sure as hell didn’t look the part, even though her Forester was really performing such as a real STI now.quite a bit from all of the other cars in traffic. To capitalize on these interesting OEM Pam, Brian and attributes decided to start things off by sourcing Canadian-spec OEM HID headlights for the little Foz, along with some seriously rare Australian-spec JDM headlight washers. They then perched an authentic JDM STI hoodscoop on top of the bonnet which not only looks good but also opens up airflow to the STI intercooler. Meanwhile, a Subtle Solutions chimney duct tucked within the hoodscoop helps circulate heat away from the engine bay. In the back, an STI undertray and rear diffuser were installed and paired with a set of ’08 USDM Forester taillights in black to better match the general theme of your car. Carbon bits just like a slick Carbotron muffler shield and Ravspec front lip, along with the Moore Performance plate delete and name tag finish off the exterior, while a set of pink STI decals in a few appropriate spots now provide the Forester its well-deserved STI status.

, even though things didn’t stop there Eventually a set of custom STI-upholstered rear seats, a complete STI pedal set, along with a one-of-two Moore Performance intercooler sprayer kit made it into the Forester. Having a Brembo big brake kit, a rotated twin-scroll turbo, and some bigger wheels already in the pipeline, things are looking great for the future of the build. If things go as Brian, intended and Pam are even thinking of ditching the stock auto trans to get a JDM six-speed.

Until then, the Forester remains a workhorse. Pam has utilized this car to orchestrate charity fundraising events for Scoobies for Boobies, benefiting the Keep-A-Breast foundation, she’s logged road trips to Canada, a cruise along the infamous Tail of the Dragon in N . C ., along with multiple autocross and rallycross events over the last few years. Pam can now put down a respectable 12.9-second pass in the local quarter-mile and after that go pick up her son and all of his gear from football practice, all without having to fold down a single seat. So provided that Brian and Pam keep sourcing parts, and Brian keeps teaching Pam how to set them up, she’ll keep the car ready for any task that falls in her lap. And since they first got The Gray Goose, in 2007, the Carrolls have purchased two more Foresters for the family since they love them so much oh. I guess that old saying was right on all along: Love. It’s the thing that makes a Subaru, a Subaru.

2007 subaru forester xt sports 2005 STI blue seats

2007 subaru forester xt sports subaru EJ255

2007 subaru forester xt sports hyperBlack rota wheel

Specs & Details

’07 Subaru Forester XT Sports

Engine Subaru EJ255

Engine Modifications IHI VF48 Turbocharger; STI TMIC; Walbro 255-lph fuel; Perrin turbo inlet; KS Tech 73mm cold-air intake; Moore Performance Parts 3-inch divorced catteddownpipe and midpipe, and custom TMIC sprayer manifold; Cobb Tuning axle-back muffler; ’05 STI Header; Grimmspeed lightweight crank pulley; Electronic boost control solenoid (hybrid system); Manual boost controller (hybrid system); Turbo heat shield; 160 thermostat & oil cap; Subtle Solutions Forester XT Chimney Duct

Drivetrain B&M Super Duty trans cooler / Group N Mounts

Engine Management Cobb Tuning Accessport Sub-003

Suspension Tokico D-spec struts; STI lowering springs & aluminum control arms; Kartboy endlinks & subframe locking bolts; Primitive Racing rear diff skidplate; Subtle Solutions fender and trunkLured to come jump on the bandwagon as it approaches your local stop? The Initial D anime craze has completely saturated the global AE86 “Hachiroku” market, skyrocketing the black market prices of the vehicles. Sometimes cars are marked up above $10K. Alternatively, almost within the general price range where a new car can be acquired. The animation successfully tainted the AE86 market having its over-glorification of the seamless archaic automobile by propagandizing on the youth that it’s a supercar, unbeatable in the mountain roads. But what these bandwagoners don’t know is the fact that there are plenty of other chassis that happen to be similar in vehicle and configuration class on the AE86, and the best part is that these vehicles come without the extra “fanboy tax”. One of the prime instances of such chassis is the Toyota Starlet. Sadly it wasn’t exactly your “weekend cruiser” or “chick magnet” form of whip, while the KP61 Starlet had its first breath in 1978 when it first came off of the production line.

In the late ’70s and early ’80s domestic muscle cars still roamed and ruled the streets, and these flimsy Japanese go-karts were virtually ignored from the public eye, where the only beneficial aspect for owning one was the great mpg. On the flip side, things were completely different overseas within the Land from the Rising Sun, where these Starlets were more modified than your average plastic surgeon’s wife and were actually pretty quick. There was endless one-make Starlet races taking place, pushing forward the Japanese motorsports technology as large corporations, such as TRD (aka Toyota Technocraft), spent millions producing parts and sanctioning these races. For your current old schoolers, they were the heyday of TRD in terms of motorsports involvement, as well as the parts that were circulated are pretty much priceless now and cannot be acquired without knowing someone.

The early KP61 Starlets were equipped with a carbureted 1.3L 3K engine, along with the later 4K versions in 1983 were transitioned into EFI in Japan. The U.S. versions came built with 4K variants that were carbureted or fuel injected according to its year. Of course, this is one of the great ingenuities that led to the prosperity of the Japanese automaker; they equipped their cars with a smaller displacement engine along with a lighter chassis in comparison with their rhinoceros-bodied Detroit counterparts. The automaker’s philosophy to the vehicle was to get the passengers from point A to B utilizing the least amount of gasoline as you can, and the marketing timing couldn’t be more perfect than the 1979 energy crisis. Currently true aficionados seek the KP61 Toyota Starlet for its extremely short wheelbase and front engine rear-wheel-drive (FR) configuration. The Toyota Corolla FX16, unfortunately, superseded the Starlet in 1985, where fuel and drivetrain efficient front-wheel-drive vehicles became more practical coming from a production viewpointDie-hard gearheads who appreciate a lightweight FR vehicle of the ’80s, such as Edward Feliciano of Southern California, still exist,. That’s the good news. Edward spruced the KP61 after seeing it sit in his cousin’s garage for 20 years. Edward needed a project car to work on and pass on to his son, like his father had accomplished for him. Eager to get he, started and his son picked up the wrench and stripped the entire shell, leaving the bare-bones chassis in the hands of none other than the premier old-school autobody expert PJ Bonifacio. Since everything regarding the factory Starlet lacked speed, looks, and elegance, plus the fact that nothing was available out of the box in terms of performance parts, Edward had to custom-fabricate everything.

The 1.3L OHV factory 4K engine produced a substandard 58 hp at 5,200 rpm. It might take tremendous amounts of custom work and finances to even get it up to today’s standards, which is an at least three-digit power figure. The economical and most efficient method for Edward was to get a transplant coming from a second-generation 2.0L MR2 3SGE engine. And since it was previously a non fuel-injected vehicle, from the fuel pump to some full chassis wiring harness had to be manufactured from scratch. The stainless steel high-rise header and minimize center of gravity engine mounts were also welded and fabricated up, as well as the oil pan to remove the KP61 front crossmember. Individual throttle bodies were mated for the head assembly along with a vacuum collector block to accumulate each cylinder vacuum pressure to channel with the MAP sensor. An Electromotive TEC 3 stand-alone ECU having a direct ignition system was artfully hidden, unnoticeable to a layperson’s eye. Now there is more than enough power to perhaps wheelie the 1,500-pound go-kart into Jupiter, though naturally, the engine internals remain stock. A 225hp engine in a 1,500-pound machine computes to some 1: 6.7 power-to-weight ratio, comparable to the omnipotent 500-plus horsepower Dodge Viper SRT10. The only thing keeping ample weight within the rear of the vehicle may be the FS Racing fuel cell. Tilton Racing master cylinder, brake booster, and calipers are in charge of both stopping and braking chores.

The rest of the machine features a mix of parts used from other Toyotas including a larger cylindrical volume AE86 shock casing/spindles to the front suspension. Cusco and TRD competition components were helpful to make up the front and rear suspension, customized of course. A full disc-brake setup from an AE86 were adopted, which had been a given as there is no way that the stock KP61 solid rear axle could withstand anything over 70 lb-ft of torque. The brake setup was then upgraded to yourfrom the vehicle exemplify that of the TRD catalog of the ’80s. Most of the components are practically rare artifacts now so they had to be purchased used; extensive restoration practices had to be implemented in order for the various components to look spick-and-span. Starting with the inside, low-back TRD bucket seats with brackets were chosen for the seating option. These seats certainly are a perfect fit for the nostalgic flavor that the machine gives, also perfect considering the vehicle’s era. A Sabelt racing harness supports the driver and passenger in place because the vehicle is steered with yet another TRD product, the leather steering wheel.

An entirely new aero kit was based off the TRD N2 widebody kit by PJ Bonifacio. This includes the front, hood and rear bumper, fender flares, side skirts, rear diffuser, and rear roof spoiler. Staggered 15×10.5 front and 15×11.5 rear Panasport wheels squeezed with 225/45-15 Advan tires were set up to come millimeters away from the fender lip, but by no means making contact. Japanese-spec fender mirrors were bolted down as being the final touch to the aggressive exterior, which unmistakably screams “old-school JDM”.

Despite the Starlet being an unpopular choice when compared to Hachiroku, the fanboys will indeed drool and break their necks trying to get a further glimpse of a KP61 with this caliber. The Toyota Starlet will keep increasing in price as time go on, but the good thing is which it will probably never have some sort of absurd popularity tax tacked onto its price,. That is the bad thing. Edward invested an overall of $30K for this taught and build his son the powerful art of son and father bonding.

Most of the components are practically rare artifacts now so they had to be purchased used; extensive restoration practices had to be implemented in order for the parts to look spick-and-span.

How many cars are there in your family? Hang on, let me guess for just a minute. I’m guessing a minimum of two, maybe even three or four if (like us) you’ve got a couple of teenagers hanging around.

The question is . . . do you really need to have multiple cars? What about that good old fashioned concept of sharing? What about re-organizing your life so that everybody and everything does not revolve around jumping into separate cars and going your separate ways every morning?
If you can possibly manage with one car there are lots of advantages . . . as well as a few disadvantages but we’ll come to those later.
Fewer Car Payments – a couple who have come together with two cars just might be able to downsize to one, pay off the car loan and come out car payment free at the other end. Doesn’t that sound inviting for a start?

Lower Insurance Costs – as well as saving money on car payment you can also save a shed load of money on car insurance costs. If you choose your car carefully (check out the choices at www.ocfiat.com for starters) then you might be surprised at what you can get.
Increased Consciousness Regarding Driving Habits – when you’ve only got one car to share then it pays to look after it properly don’t you think? Why drive like a maniac when the whole family depends upon the reliability of this one car? It also makes you plan your errands more carefully which in turn helps to save gas. Why run to the store every time you run out of milk instead of planning ahead and buying everything you need for a couple of days?
Increased Family Time – a young family with a shared car does, by default enjoy more family time. You can give each other lifts to places . . . you know, the “”I’ll drop you off at the gym, then take little Jennie to ballet class and pick you up on the way home”” . . . that sort of thing. Sitting in the car together gives you more time for talking, not about anything important, just talking. When you have two cars you spend a lot of time driving in opposite directions.

More Walking – okay, so you might say that you can walk even if you have two cars on the driveway but realistically . . . do you? Of course it does help if you have lots of places within walking distance of your home which can encourage you to walk instead of jumping into the car. If you can walk to the grocery store, the movie theater, the bank and the restaurants then why do you need to take the car at all?
Okay, so there are some disadvantages too, so all things being equal we’d better point a couple of them out. For one thing your one car will be doing many more miles than it would if you were a two car family which may mean increased maintenance costs and this car will certainly be racking up more miles but then again, why not splash out on something newer and more modern?
There are some great cars for sale at http://www.ocfiat.com, so whether you need to replace your “”one”” family car or are fed up with walking everywhere and want to go back to being a two car family . . . check out the great deals they’ve got.

Drive of sufficient length through the lush green environs around and inPortland and Oregon, and you’re guaranteed to encounter greater than a few big rigs hauling impossibly huge stacks of cigar-shaped logs in giant steel humidor cages and spewing tell-tale clouds of thick black diesel particulate matter. When you pass one in a cutting-edge clean-diesel car like the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec sedan, it works as a stark reminder of how far diesel-powered passenger cars have come, and how far diesel must go to stay relevant in ait has become ubiquitous for massive long run trucks – is the mileage/range advantage over gas-powered engines. In Europe, where stratospheric fuel prices are already the norm for years, diesels have become a major segment of the market. For example, Mercedes offers many diesel-powered choices for the newly updated 2014 E-Class in thethe alternatives are much more limited. However the Europeans have been carefully re-establishing a diesel beachhead, and Benz has been on that front line. The 2014 E250 Bluetec is the latest U.S.-market E-Class to be made available from Mercedes in the current passenger-car diesel era, and never surprisingly, the automaker says it’s more efficientfrom the GLK250 crossover), which replaces the 3.0L six that generated 210hp and 400 lb-ft of torque that propelled the outgoing E350 Bluetec. Without quite as powerful as the six at 195hp and 369 lb-ft (peak torque is available from 1600-1800rpm), Benz officials insist the 2.1L will perform at least as well as the 7.5sec -60mph and also the 15.6sec quarter-mile a 2011 E350 Bluetec sister publication Motor Trend tested achieved way back in 2010. A GLK Motor Trend just tested using the same engine as being the E250 hit 60mph in 7sec flat and 15.3sec within the quarter. We expect similar numbers from the E-Class diesel. Benz also added two balance shafts to the engine to help minimize the vibration characteristic of in-line fours in order to deliver the sort of smooth power delivery E-Class buyers cameHow do the E250 achieve the same acceleration with less overall power? Mainly thanks to a twin-turbo setup that utilizes a small high-pressure turbo mounted at the exhaust manifold in order to deliver higher boost at lower engine revs. In order to smooth out overall throttle delivery, a larger, low-pressure turbo is mounted further downstream. Mercedes says the setup reduces turbo lag and helps broaden the torque curve across the rev range. Based on Benz accomplishes the neat trick of delivering more power and minimize exhaust emissions at the same time, fuel pressure for the 2.1L’s direct fuel injection method is rated at 28400 lb per square in ., which. Benz says the system’s high-pressure setup permits the engine’s four piezo injectors being adjusted even more precisely as engine load and speedinto the exhaust to help keep particulate matter in check and the E250 as clean just like any E-Class from an emissions standpoint. AdBlue is refilled at 10000 mile intervals as part of the overall maintenance process.