Req Impressions from Steve

Hi Steve,

Now that you've had a week or so in the SAW, any initial impressions? I'm curious how many miles you've put on it, how its handling the cooler whether and if you still think it is daily driver material?

-Jeff

One thing about the seats,


I really like them they are very very comfortable, but if you go around a curve really fast you needs the dead foot pedal or you had better hang on to the steering wheel for dear life.

I had a sea shell neclace hanging from my mirror and I was going around a corner and it was being pulled straight out to the left from the lateral G force. I believe that means I was over one lateral G and the wheels weren't even making a peep!!!! But this out of shape fat ass was struggling to stay upright. It makes you relize how hard it is for the race car drivers and why they have molded seats.

I did drive it through the rain the other day, and it was mostly dry in the cockpit, in fact I had thought I would get a little more water in there then I did, it was pooring and I was going my typical 80 on the way home.

I have zero problems with engine temps and one day it was 90 and the car was running right at 180-195. Steve at SAW says it will run hotter when it gets hotter, but I was going 80 for about 20 minutes and it never did get any hotter so I can't imagine it getting over the 220 max normal range for this engine.

As with almost all new cars I drive the springs and shocks are just a little stiff for my liking, but they will get better as time goes on. The car drives very straight and there is no bump steer at all. And there really shouldn't be with this type of suspension, thats one of the reasons why people like this type of suspesion.

Oh one last thing for now, my ridiculously outrageously priced sunvisor turned out to be worth every penny. I bought them mainly to be different and to have something most people don't have, but they work really nice and have saved my eyeballs several times already. I love them!!!!

400 miles and very little to report. Daily driver, definitely, although I don't recommend any softtop car below zero and I don't think this one would be much better. It was 35 on the way home yesterday and I was very comfy after about 5 minutes of warm up. The one thing holding anyone back is that the cars look so nice that who wants to drive them on a day that they will get all dirty?

I have come up with one idea on a small improvement that Steve at SAW will be incorportating into the top on future cars. It will also be doable for the existing Cabriolet owners and I can send pictures to them when I get done doing the modification. It's a little thing and hard to explain unless you have seen the top so I'm not going to bother explaining it.

I like my car a lot and the only issue I have had was, the throttle cable bolt loosened up and needed readjusted and tightened. Steve helped me figure it out and I had it fixed in about 15 minutes. I'm not sure why the nut loosened up, but lets just say the throttle was getting a pretty severe workout the day before and I think that may have had something to do with it. I put a good amount of loctite on it when I put it back on and it hasn't budged since. I readjusted the cruise control cable because I screwed it up a little while I was fiddling with the throttle cable, but that was no biggy and the cruise works better then any cruise I have ever owned.

My exhaust makes this engine sound really good in my opinion and with the top down it is quite, but not wimpy sounding. The car with the top up is a little noisier, I think its because the sound bounces around or echoes a little. I wouldn't change this exhaust whatsoever, but if you want a car that is as quite as a subaru forester, you will need to go with the system Steve put on the silver flared car.

The tilt column is always in the up position for me as I'm a fatty, in fact I would recommend the straight no tilt column for us fat guys in the Cabriolet. When you think about it the dash on the Cabriolet extends farther down then the speedster and the tilt column is a larger diameter then the straight column, so these two things combined make it sit lower then a normal car. This is mostly irrelevant on the speedster. But I have a 44" waste and if your bigger then that, I definitely would say just put the straight column in to give yourself extra room. Besides the steering is very comfortable in that location and angle anyway.

I love the banjo, as it is very nice looking and really comfortable to drive with.

I would probably recommend trying a larger wattage bulb for anyone who wants to put the mesh rock guards on. This effects how much light gets out and you need to probably adjust the bulbs to overcome it. Or just run them on brite like I do and its just right and no one can tell you have them on brite. I plan to make the little blue light that tell me I have it on brite a little less brite or I will disconnect it. Everytime we drive at night that little tiny blue light is so brite it makes my face look blue and my wife can't stop laughing, she has even started calling me "papa smurf". As I don't really want to be called papa smurf I will do something about it eventually. Its an LED so I don't think theres much the instrument manufacturer can do, short of not connecting it. I'm going to put a small dot on the glass over it for now to deflect the light and keep my wife from making fun of me all the way home.

Hey Steve, let me know about that improvement you have in mind. I think I know what it might be if it's what my 1963 brand new-out-of-the-German-show-room VW Cabriolet had. Still can't believe I only paid $1600 for it brand new.

WELL it is high time we got driving impressions!! Still going to the car show this weekend? We will want pictures. jkl

I hope Sarah doesn't read the "Papa Smurf" comment. Yes, the high beam indicator light is really bright, but I have gotten used to it. I do like the idea of something in front of it to diffuse the light a bit however.
Go Speedracer, gooooooooo!
Hoss

I spent the entire day adding a few last details that I wanted to do tothe car for the show tomorrow.

I really like the way the horn button turned out. And no, that is not at all like they would have done an original, but I have my reasons for wanting it there.

I also got the cocomats in and installed my hula girl.

I put the satellite radio on a thin hinge and I can now have it in the down position to use it or just swing it up and velcro holds it up to hide it...it works really well.

Pictures will be taken at 7 am tomorrow morning!!!

My "bright" blue indicator was also to bright. I pulled the bulb and used some blue model paint and gave it a bit of color. I think I did this twice because the first time was not quite enough. Now things are as they should be in Dixon, CA.

Steven, that is quite an interior......

Talking about details Steve! It's great! I'm glad you're having a ball!!

WOWSERS! sharp! I love everything, especially the old look radio and the hula girl and everything else. Makes mine look like a turd. I'm glad you're in a different town,LOL.

Thanks for the suggestion Dale, its on my list of things to do, and thanks everyone else for the complements.

New photos are up under my name, and while some are just excellent some are a little off. I don't know what the problem was with some of them, but the interior is a real bugger to get in focus for some reason?

This is Scooby getting too excited!!!

Steve, Scubie not the only one that gets excited looking at your Cabrio. If my wife came in while I was looking at your latest photos she'd think I was looking at a Porn site.

Nolan, my brother, what have you done to yourself?????
We need to talk.....

Sorry Vince, that photo was before I had my hair styled and a bit of a face lift.

It looks like close families are not only a fact of life in Tennessee, eh Vince. Cousin Buford now makes his home in CA, however.

Hopefully Buford is in Northern Cal.

Wow Steve! From looking at the pictures I just noticed you set up your turn signals as parking lights also!! Looks good!

I didn't get a good picture of it but my license plate light also has red LED lights inside for a third brake light. It works really well especially when it is a shinedown license plate light.

Sooooo, have you driven fast yet???
How does Scoobie scoot?

If those are kinfolk's photos in preceeding threads, I'd be idlin' ready for a fast get away.

Well, I haven't had a chance to get a timer on it, but I did go from 0-100 on the on ramp to the interstate. I suspect it would go way, way faster then I'm willing to go!!!!! I need a track day to really see what it would do, but there aren't many around here.

The power is really just right for me. I can get on it and really have some fun and at the same time if I'm not pushing it, I'm getting over 30mpg.

I love this engine, you really get a lot of power for your money. I also don't regret the automatic transmission. When you get on it the car winds up to the 6200 rpm rev limiter and then shifts....it is a great experience!!!!!

So, has it proven to be the daily driver you had hoped for? I'm curious who else out there uses their car on a daily basis?

BTW - I had a brand new Z3 a few years ago and the top leaked a little bit too. Go figure...

-Jeff

Re: aaaaah Scoobie control yourself
What the heck are you doing back there?

He's studying the grill to decide on how to mount the new SOC badge.

perhaps he is starting to drill the hole

Daily driver won't be truly determined until next year. I just don't think its fair to say with so little mileage on it. I have to tell you so far the answer is yes, with the normal problems you have with convertible tops.

Scooby was trying to mount the car, but he has gotten old and fat, so thats the farthest he got.

Watch out Steve. Dogs tend to try and mount trophy Ducks.