The fuck are they going to do with 300HP?

6/5/2011 1:34:23 PM

300HP is slow(unless its a honda civic)

600HP is fast

6/5/2011 1:38:39 PM

They're gonna try to bang someone half their age, that's what. I'M STILL YOUNG AT HEART, JUST LOOK AT THIS FINE AUTOMOBILE!

6/5/2011 1:39:35 PM

^^ I never said 300 HP was a lot, but it is far more than what they need. What good is 0-60 in 5 seconds when they're going to do it in 20 regardless of the car...?

6/5/2011 1:42:42 PM

300HP is a lot in a sedan.

I think my escort had 92HP and that beast could scoot!

[Edited on June 5, 2011 at 1:50 PM. Reason : .]

6/5/2011 1:49:25 PM

it's when they can finally afford one

6/5/2011 2:30:04 PM

^

6/5/2011 2:37:53 PM

you got a faaaast car

6/5/2011 2:45:22 PM

My grandfather used to have a twin turbo z32 back in the day. Ill never forget when we go to a stop light with some ragged camaro. The kid in the camaro was all like you why you got that shit old man. He just replied with" cause I can afford one and you can't"

Cool story I know

6/5/2011 2:59:21 PM

But he was old and was close to death anyway.

6/5/2011 3:31:56 PM

the cars are getting heavy, 300hp is slow poke son

6/5/2011 3:48:22 PM

Quote :

"MID LIFE CRISIS"

6/5/2011 5:36:19 PM

My uncle just got a Tesla....0-60 in 3.7 seconds. He justified it because he has not bought any nice toys, is single at 42 years old, and it was less than one month's income for him...it is all relative. There are other reasons too, nbut I don't feel like going into it...

[Edited on June 5, 2011 at 6:07 PM. Reason : ]

6/5/2011 6:06:16 PM

Have you ridden in it? And if so is it cool?

6/5/2011 6:10:32 PM

^^less than one months income???

jesus

6/5/2011 6:11:46 PM

they buy fast cars because they are the ones who can afford them.

[Edited on June 5, 2011 at 10:38 PM. Reason : 300 horsepower is nothing now. 500hp is what 300hp was 20 years ago]

6/5/2011 10:37:43 PM

idk if it's fast or not, but my 2nd cousin just bought a BRIGHT yellow honda s2000. he's 47 or so. he looks ridiculous in it.

Quote :

"MID LIFE CRISIS"

6/5/2011 10:43:52 PM

I'm gonna wait until I'm 45 and then buy a supercharged corvette.

6/5/2011 11:25:01 PM

Affordability. Young guys buy them if they can afford them.

6/5/2011 11:39:57 PM

The real question is why do old people buy big as fuck cars. I watched a lady today take 3 minutes to park today (i fucking stood there and timed/watched)

I'm AstralAdvent and i approved this message.

6/5/2011 11:41:15 PM

my dad bought a miata (ok not a super fast car but it's a "sportish" car) over 10 years ago and he's only got like 12k miles on it

[Edited on June 5, 2011 at 11:43 PM. Reason : .]

6/5/2011 11:43:11 PM

tell your single uncle I say hay

6/5/2011 11:43:19 PM

u jelly?

6/5/2011 11:52:36 PM

Why do people get married?

6/6/2011 12:30:00 AM

so they can get divorced

6/6/2011 12:33:26 AM

Why do people get divorced?

6/6/2011 12:34:08 AM

getting divorced to get back to where they started before they were married.


But that begs the question.


Why do people get married?

6/6/2011 12:35:55 AM

Old people buy really fast cars because if they ever get really really tired of the inevitable deterioration of age and decay that awaits them in the twilight of life, they can just keep pressing that pedal, and I am not talking about the brake.


see: Sartre

6/6/2011 12:40:05 AM

I'mma do the kyle busch in my corvette when I turn 50. Bet I get locked up tho

6/6/2011 12:42:15 AM

I'm going to get y mid life crisis car in a couple of years, buy I'm trying to run everything about 10 years ahead of schedule (except marriage).

6/6/2011 2:45:37 AM

Quote :

"^^less than one months income??? jesus"

+1

6/6/2011 7:24:42 AM

Regarding the Tesla, I have not yet ridden in his Tesla, as it just arrived last week. It had a scratch on the carbon fiber roll bar, so it had to get replaced.

I did, however, get to drive the model car in the Washington DC showroom. It is candy green and was loads of fun to drive, however, it is a unique driving experience.

The car demands attention, as it looks bad ass. Anywhere you go, people will eye-fuck the shit out of the car and I am sure you get a bonus point or two.

When you turn they key, nothing happens. It is silent, like a golf cart, as it is 100% electric. There is no shifter, simply a Drive, Neutral and Reverse button that will light up when you press it. There is only 1 gear that will turn 14,000 RPMs and will go from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds.



It is a shit ton of fun to drive, however, I was surprised by a couple of things. The steering wheel is not adjustable. The side mirrors can be adjusted by hand, but are not automatic. I am tall, so I could not see the speedometer well, however, there is an on board computer, much like a navigation unit, that can display the speed, RPMs, etc. in the center of the car. It has a good sound system, but is relatively plain on the inside. While driving, there is enough room. As a passenger, it is cramped, but worth the ride. I am 6'5" and would not be comfortable on a 2+ hour ride as a passenger. The seats are extremely comfortable and the car is sporty as hell. It also has regenerative braking, meaning, as soon as you take your foot off the gas pedal, the car starts slowing down as if you are pushing the brakes 35% down. This recharges the battery and makes you feel as though the car wants to get up and run.

It is by far the fasted accelerating car on the market. It has traction control so that you don't burn out your tires, but I don't believe that any car can match the initial acceleration off the line and still gain traction at the tires. Another downside is the top speed is 125 MPH. You won't often go above this, but in a car like that, especially with the price tag, I'd want to be able to go faster if I wanted (I hit 118mph in my old Volvo stationwagon).



Since the electric motor can spin very fast and has a lot of torque at low rpms it is possible to just have one really tall gear. However this is also why it has a (relatively) low top speed of 125 mph.

I believe my uncle is bringing it down...it may come through Raleigh on the way to our beach house over the 4th of July...

Check out their website - http://www.teslamotors.com/[image]

http://www.teslamotors.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/large-960/_jl78196.jpg[/image]







[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 7:54 AM. Reason : ]

6/6/2011 7:51:43 AM

Quote :

"I am 6'5" and would not be comfortable on a 2+ hour ride as a passenger"

does that thing have the range to go 2+ hours?

6/6/2011 8:02:45 AM

^it's range is around 250 miles; probably significantly less if you've got a passenger with you too. And it's probably measured at peak efficiency around something stupid like 28mph. Either way I think 2 hours is more that safe at highway speeds.

6/6/2011 8:07:34 AM

Those teslas are everywhere in California. Saw more of those than porsches, specifically in the palo alto area

6/6/2011 8:10:15 AM

Easy. So they can try to outrun death.

6/6/2011 8:12:14 AM

Quote :

"It is by far the fasted accelerating car on the market. It has traction control so that you don't burn out your tires, but I don't believe that any car can match the initial acceleration off the line and still gain traction at the tires. Another downside is the top speed is 125 MPH. You won't often go above this, but in a car like that, especially with the price tag, I'd want to be able to go faster if I wanted (I hit 118mph in my old Volvo stationwagon)."

Incorrect. There are lots of cars on the market that can outaccelerate it for a simliar price. Nissan GT-R takes 2.9 seconds to hit 60. Porsche 911 Turbo, 2.8 seconds (2.6 for the Turbo S). Either the the Corvette Z06 or ZR1 will beat it. Nevermind that all the cars I just mentioned will exceed the Tesla's top speed in a 1/4 mile.

The Tesla's a fun toy, but if you have the kind of money where you're pulling in over a million a year there are better options.

6/6/2011 8:42:05 AM

I can't tell you why other people buy them, but for me it was 2 fold - I love how muscle cars sound. The exhaust note that 5.0 Mustangs had when I was coming of driving age in the 90s was and still is a thing of beauty. The 5th gen Z28s were also some of the best looking muscle cars available at the time. The biggest reason was that I wanted to, and did, take it to the track in Rockingham just about every Friday night for several years and had more fun with it than most people do with their clothes off.

To each their own. Those were my reasons.

6/6/2011 8:59:39 AM

don't they have fast cars so they can stay in first gear and still be doing 35 under the speed limit?

6/6/2011 9:08:18 AM

6/6/2011 9:11:57 AM

Quote :

"The exhaust note that 5.0 Mustangs had when I was coming of driving age in the 90s"

a 90's era Mustang left a lifelong mark on your automotive tastes?

6/6/2011 9:18:03 AM

dude the sound of a small block ford is better than any other V8 short of ferrari.

The car may not be awesome, hell that version of the engine didn't make that much power. But with headers x/h pipe and straight through mufflers, its one of the best sounding cars ever made.

and 1k can get you heads,cam and intake manifold for 350-400hp.


that being said,
after i have kids, get to be a senior engineer etc. you're damned right i'm finally getting my porsche/ferrari/GT-R i want.

its the responsible way to finally get the car you've always wanted and luckily its when you don't have hormones and shit making you drive it like a jackass on the street.

i know plenty of 50 somethings with fast cars.. .

Hell i know a 72 year old with a 1000+hp dodge cornet with a 4 speed that runs a mid 8 second 1/4 mile, if you know anything about drag racing you'll know a manual transmission car with over 500hp is a beast to drive fast.

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 9:28 AM. Reason : .]

6/6/2011 9:24:13 AM

Because they are Tracy Chapman

6/6/2011 9:25:17 AM

I'm not sure that the cars mentioned above can actually accelerate 0-60 in under 3 seconds. I don't think that they are not capable, but they can't gain traction at that speed. You'd have to have the engine turning 5-6,000 RPMs before you drop it into gear and possibly destroy the clutch.

I think the Z06 and other cars perform in wind tunnels and on frictionless rollers when they say they accelerate at that speed.

I may be able to test this out as my father in law has a 2009 Z06 with the 504hp engine. Perhaps we'll be able to have a short drag race in the country...

6/6/2011 10:39:29 AM

^dude, what I stated are facts. I wasn't making up those figures, which are real world figures tested outside. Nothing hypothetical here, lol. You might have also noticed that the GT-R and 911 Turbo are AWD which helps for traction off the line. In fact both of those cars launch so hard that they almost exceed 1 g of acceleration off the line.

Nevermind that they come with more performance oriented tires than the Tesla (i.e. grippier) and have a LOT more horsepower.

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 10:51 AM. Reason : also, the 4k+ lb Porsche Panamera Turbo S can hit 60 in 3.5, so that full sized sedan is faster too]

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 10:51 AM. Reason : s]

6/6/2011 10:47:53 AM

Quote :

"It is by far the fasted accelerating car on the market"

6/6/2011 11:13:29 AM

And ahhheeeeeeyiiiiiiiii had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

6/6/2011 11:31:04 AM

Quote :

"Incorrect. There are lots of cars on the market that can outaccelerate it for a simliar price. Nissan GT-R takes 2.9 seconds to hit 60. Porsche 911 Turbo, 2.8 seconds (2.6 for the Turbo S). Either the the Corvette Z06 or ZR1 will beat it. Nevermind that all the cars I just mentioned will exceed the Tesla's top speed in a 1/4 mile. The Tesla's a fun toy, but if you have the kind of money where you're pulling in over a million a year there are better options."

Yeah, there are a ton of cars that will crush the Tesla for about the same money or less.

Also, who gives a shit about 0-60 these days? 1/4 mile is the metric.

6/6/2011 12:35:37 PM

If I want a Tesla, I'll just save money by getting the regular version of it... the lotus elise. It's not exactly that bad on gas anyhow. Besides, if I was going for fast acceleration, I'll pick some go kart car like the Atom.

6/6/2011 12:44:28 PM

^^ people driving on the street....

just cause i can get to 135 in 10 seconds doesn't mean dick on the street really.
especially if slicks, VHT and a prepped track are required.

6/6/2011 12:54:45 PM