#econobox

[kply-industries]

The liberty of a convertible geo metro!

[seat-safety-switch]

Some cars have a very loyal following. Mustangs, for example, are owned by people who really like Mustangs. You might not think that this kind of loyalty is unusual if you also own a Mustang. Consider the following: does Aunt Ethel get super frothy on the internet about her Hyundai Elantra?

You can find groups of folks for any car, thanks to the almighty oddball-collecting power of the internet. Only something special will produce the real perverts. Real perverts like my neighbour, who only drives Saturns. Hold on, my phone is ringing.

"Not just any Saturns," he wants me to add, because he has somehow sensed that I am talking about His Brand and wishes for me not to impugn his reputation with the Saturn fanboy squad, "only the real ones. No Ions."

In case you are unfamiliar, Saturn was a sub-brand created by GM to take the fight to the imports. Rather than make their existing cars better, they instead spent billions of dollars producing an entirely new series of cars that then competed with those cars. They were made out of beige plastic, had zingy four-banger engines, didn't immediately fall apart, and were therefore just different enough to give their owners a superiority complex. Uniqueness plus smugness: a winning combination for conspicuous consumption. If you own one Saturn, statistically you actually have seventeen. People got rid of their first Saturn, went back to the dealership, and bought an identical car when it was time to upgrade.

So what happened to Saturn? Well, they got boring. General Motors came back and demanded that they instead build the same car as everyone else, but with a different logo and fenders on it. Save costs by using all the same cheap-ass parts. Perhaps you are familiar with this technique from all the other cars that GM failed to defeat the import menace with. As soon as this happened, all the uniqueness came right out of the brand, and the frothing-at-the-mouth loyalists instead hoarded even more Golden Age econoboxes.

"Stop typing about the Ion so loudly," now barks Ted, who I think worked for the government at some point. He then went into a tirade about how it was actually the sub-prime housing crisis that destroyed Saturn, and how if only everyone would only use Saturns as currency, this could all have been avoided, but conveniently that model of economic theory would make Ted the Saturn Guy the new king of the world, so I hung up. I'd heard this theory presented many times on CNBC and I recommend you not give it any credence, either. Still, to be on the safe side, I think I should probably buy two or three SC2s.

[gasgasdaily]

The little French car that could, the Renault 5. Top to bottom: Normal Renault 5 - Renault 5 Turbo - Renault 5 Turbo Maxi

After the Alpine A110's string of victories during the rallies of the 1970s, Renault wanted to make a car to compete in the newly established WRC rules but the A110 is too old to compete in the new rules so Renault went and scour for their new machine and the Renault 5 landed on their tables.

The Renault 5 was initially built to replace the Renault 4 as the econobox concept so it was built as a FWD car and a hatchback, just like the Mini. It launched in 1972 to the general public and even came with a variety of engines from the 782cc i4 NA for the entry model to the 1.3L NA i4 for the top range model.

However, Renault still didn't have anything to compete with and after watching the short wheebase Lancia Stratos shred its competition to bits during the 1970s, Renault decided to copy Lancia but they had a massive problem as the standard Renault 5 would be impossible to compete against the Stratos as its FWD thus they couldn't pump that much power into the drivetrain even if they wanted to. To remedy that, Renault asked Gandini who was at Bertone for help and Gandini stepped up to the task.

He instantly took the basic Renault 5 and ripped it apart. He instantly widened the wheel arches by alot and swapped the drivetrain from a FWD to a RWD and to add a little more "spice", he even asked Renault to put the engine in the rear, behind the driver rather than at the front. Renault did that and then to add even more "spice" added a new 1.4L turbo i4 into the new shell and called it the "Turbo 5" and set it ready for homologation.

By 1980, Renault started to build the Turbo 5 for sale to the general public and it was tuned to 160hp which doesn't seem like alot but it was the most powerful of the Renault 5 variants. In race form, Alpine/Renault pushed the car to make 180hp and did well. By 1981, Renault had upgraded the design with more aggressive aero packs to homologate it for the new Group B rule and to increase the engine displacement to 1.45L for smoother power delivery and named it the "Renault 5 Turbo 2". By 1983 and with everyone being quicker, Renault upped the power of the 5 Turbo 2 the Turbo Maxi where it went to 250hp-350hp depending on courses.

But, despite how well the Renault did, by 1982 and with the oncoming of the domination of Audi with their concept of AWD, all the 5 Turbo can do is dominate on tarmac courses like Tour de Corse or Monte Carlo but that's it as on the dirts, the Audi dominated. Regardless, Renault kept pushing and trying but by 1984, Renault knew the gig was up and everyone went towards AWD and by 1985, pulled the plug and not issue factory support anymore and let privateers do their work with the Renault 5 Turbo Maxi. Despite Renault's Group B failures and gradual loss of footing into rallying even for privateers, some of them took it to the circuits and they actually performed rather well and in 1987, even clinched the French Supertouring Championship.

It might not be the best rally car built nor was the right car for the wrong time, it is still a legendary vehicle.

[nitefinder]

Ask game!

tagged by: @psygull

Last song: tv off by Kendrick Lamar. GNX is possibly the most hype I've ever been for an album, at least since Lorde's sophomore effort. dodger blue and wacced out murals are my favorite songs off the album, but tv off is so goddamn good. MUSTAAAAAAAAAAARDD

Last album: GNX. See above. I'm so excited for the superbowl this year just for Kendrick. I've been thinking about going out to a sports bar just so I'm not the only person at home screaming along during the show, lol.

Last movie: Ummmmm. Probably Porco Rosso? I haven't had the mental energy to sit down and watch a movie for a while, but Porco Rosso is a comfort movie for me. Great vibes, dead fascists, and a plucky female deuteragonist. What more can a girl want?

Last show: Very Important People on Dropout. Vic Michaelis is fucking hilarious and season 2 has not lost any of the momentum of S1. Dropout is so worth the subscription, even if you're not into Dimension 20.

Last google search: I... I don't know? I haven't used Google Search in a long time. (I know this isnt technically what the question is but i wanna talk about search engines so whatever.) DuckDuckGo has been my daily driver search engine for years now, and it's honestly better than Google these days. "Downside" being that it doesn't save your search history, but IMO that's a point in its favor. I did realize this year that about half of my web searches were for Wikipedia articles, so I decided to cut out the middle man and just download the Wikipedia app, and I strongly recommend it. The built in search is excellent (my last search was "rover 216." Weird little British econobox built on a Honda platform).

Favorite color: Pink! Tragically underrepresented in my wardrobe compared to my toolbox and weed paraphernalia.

Relationship status: Single 🥺

Current obsession: I'm kinda in a rut right now on the obsession front. I feel a Homestuck re-read coming on. Maybe I'll finally crack open those print editions and lose my mind over the author commentary. Apologies in advance for posting cringe if I do.

Looking forward to: HRT! I found a clinic nearby that will work with my insurance (and they should be able to get me a referral for electrolysis! I thought i was gonna have to sell my miata to cover that cost but i might not have to!)

Tagging: @1990mx5 @1988nissanbe-1 @trombone-minivan @grrlferrari @unconventionallyunconventional

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Working on a new fic. Join me on my journey to present Song Lan as someone who has muscles that he uses and looks like it.

About two weeks after the first message from TD, Xue Yang went for a walk to get lunch and saw The Guy. Which sounded like a generic descriptor, but the thing was: goddamn.

He'd walked from the Jin Amalgamated building to the nearest Starbucks, because it was a nice enough day to grace the general public with his cute ass for fifteen minutes. He'd gotten his Frappuccino, grabbed a sandwich and a couple of lollipops from the deli next door, and then stopped in his tracks at the sight of someone coming out of the hardware store down the block carrying two fifty-pound bags of fertilizer like they were nothing, and what was more, holy shit was he big. He was loading the fertilizer into a big, beat-up panel van, so he was probably a landscaper or something, but Xue Yang was too distracted by the sight of his biceps shifting under his tattered hoodie to think about that too much.

And then.

His stuff was put away; he was stopping to talk to someone else whose car was also parked at the curb. She'd parked like a dumbass and gotten one of her rear wheels stuck in one of the city's many potholes, and as Xue Yang stared in something like awe the guy stripped off his hoodie, dropped into a crouch, grabbed the back bumper of the woman's car, and lifted.

Xue Yang did, in fact, whistle.

The guy's eyes flicked to him and then back to the bumper of the car, as in the driver's seat the woman put the whole thing in neutral so he could push her forward. Once her wheel was out of the pothole she turned the car off again and jumped out to thank the guy profusely, while Xue Yang took the opportunity to look at his biceps and his ancient, washed-thin Greenpeace t-shirt and his pecs and his patched-up cargo pants and his stomach (not flat but no visible abs either, kind of a gut actually, those were go muscles) and the little stud in his earlobe and the chest hair peeking out from his collar. And eventually the woman drove off in her stupid little econobox and the guy turned to look at Xue Yang and said, in a deep voice that Xue Yang was maybe going to jerk off about later, "Can I help you with something?"

Xue Yang lowered his sunglasses (heart-shaped, mirrored lenses, made him look like he was starring in "a cyberpunk remake of Lolita" if you asked Jin Guangyao) and said, "I've got something else here you can pick up if you're in the mood."

(fic-in-progress based on this post by @disaster-fruit which makes some really excellent points about fun things to do with a SongXueXiao modern AU)

[baffstamablr]

Inchtchi has grown into an adult! She looks a lot like her mom...

I spent about a day with her before marrying her off on Mixing Meets with Mofumofutchi and ending up with twin boys!

I once again consulted the random word generator for names, and this time it gave me "Econobox" and "Governor." I have to admit Econobox was a new one on me, but I definitely think it sounds like a beautiful name for a beautiful boy!

[identifying-cars-in-posts]

What would you say is a great starting car for someone who just got their license

toyota corolla, hands down. you really can’t go wrong with a corolla, cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, forgiving, reliable. even the “bad” years of corolla are leagues ahead of most of the rest of what’s out there

the same honestly applies to the toyota camry, honda civic, and honda accord. if you just need a basic point to point first car that’s what you should keep an eye out for

if you need something with more space, check out honda crvs and toyota rav4s. toyota tacomas, chevy s10s, and ford f150s are good if you need a truck. if you want something sporty get a mazda miata, acura integra/rsx, or maybe a toyota celica

i’m basing all this on how cheap they are, how cheap they are to maintain, how easy they are to get parts for, and how reliable they are. im also based in the US so that’s the market im familiar with. obviously individuals of any of these models might have issues, a car is only as reliable as it’s been well maintained, but all the above generally can take enough abuse to where even slightly neglected ones can still go for really high mileage

when in doubt though, toyota will rarely let you down, especially their econoboxes. corolla, tercel, echo, yaris, all great little cars that’ll go forever and cost next to nothing

[hileynoteson]

Going 110 on the freeway blaring caramelldansen on max volume in my econobox with the windows down and the engine going VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE as it struggles to keep going this speed like god intended

[kevinsreviewcatalogue]

Review: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

Rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material

<Originally posted at https://kevinsreviewcatalogue.blogspot.com/2023/11/review-hunger-games-ballad-of-songbirds.html>

Score: 3 out of 5

The Hunger Games was my jam in my college years. Even being just a bit older than its target demographic of teenagers, it was a series of books that I readily embraced as an antidote to the big young-adult literary sensation of my own high school years, Twilight. No sparkly vampires or Mormon abstinence messages here, no, these books were dark satires about teenagers forced to kill each other, like an American version of Battle Royale or a post-apocalyptic version of The Running Man, and what's more, they were actually shockingly well-written. Even if you were the kind of guy who'd never otherwise pick up a YA novel, there's no denying the appeal of that basic premise. And then came the film adaptations, which ranged from good to damn close to classic, even if splitting the last movie into two parts was kind of a dumb idea, and all the commercialism that got attached to the series was quite ironic given the messages in the books. It's those messages that are the big reason why I'm still nostalgic for the series today, long after the YA dystopia boom has passed us by. Suzanne Collins may not have been a subtle writer, but she was a smart one, and her books, for all their pulpy sci-fi flair, were fundamentally about how difficult it is to organize a revolution against even the most obviously unjust system, and how people you think of as allies may in fact have very different goals that stand opposed to your own -- a lesson that a lot of young people raised on the series and other teen-lit wastelands had to learn themselves as they organized against real-world injustices later in the decade.

Naturally, with the 15th anniversary of the original novel having recently passed us by, somebody decided that the time was right to revisit it. Three years ago, Collins, after having held off for years, wrote a prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (a title evocative of the trend of epic fantasy novels that took over YA literature after the sci-fi dystopia boom), about the main villain of the series that explored his youth, the early years of the titular Games, and how they intersected to turn him into the bastard he became. I haven't yet read the book, but if the movie is any indication, I want to. It's a big and bloated movie that I thought could've stood to be trimmed down in some places and padded out in others, but it's one that boasts a star-making performance from Rachel Zegler as its heroine, an interesting new twist on its series' setting, and the same thoughtfulness that elevated the original trilogy above its peers. It had my attention from start to finish despite its length, and I'm not at all disappointed by my return to the world of Panem after all these years.

Set about 64 years before the events of the first book/movie, this one is set around the time of the 10th annual Hunger Games -- which is to say, ten years after the "Dark Days", the brutal war between the Capitol and the Districts for control of Panem, the post-apocalyptic wasteland formerly known as North America. The Capitol won the war, but ten years on, the scars are still visible. The film's retro-period setting was designed to evoke the 1950s with the technology and aesthetics on display, and in practice, it specifically evokes '50s Europe on both sides of the Iron Curtain, a time when the British were still winding down their wartime rationing, the cars were tiny econoboxes, the soldiers carried G3 rifles and traveled in Unimog trucks, the new construction replacing the bombed-out ruins was mostly shit-ugly brutalist monoliths, the old elite sought to maintain an appearance of propriety by dusting off old prewar fashions, and the scars of the war were still fresh in the minds of the younger generations. It's how I imagine a post-apocalyptic world that hasn't completely forgotten 21st century science would actually look once it had the time to start rebuilding itself, retaining some elements of modern technology (color TVs, certain plot-relevant biological weapons) but lacking the means to rebuild past a mid-20th-century level of technology, infrastructure, and industry; that would have to wait for later.

It was a creative choice that highlighted not only that this film is a prequel, but also the continuity between Panem's history and what it had become in the original trilogy -- because if "modern" Panem is an exaggerated parody of 21st century Western society, then it stands to reason that "historical" Panem might resemble a similarly grotesque version of what that society looked like seventy years ago. The world of Panem has always been part of the appeal of The Hunger Games, and this film did a lot to flesh that world out, showing us not only what it once looked like but also, more importantly, how it came up with the sick idea of the Games in the first place and how it might have possibly thought it a good idea. Watching the prologue set during the war, it took no time to realize the deprivation that the citizens of the Capitol experienced, and how pissed off they probably were when they finally won their hard-earned victory and peace, the future consequences of such be damned. The Capitol looks down on the Districts the way that Europeans at the time looked down on their colonies, or the Soviets looked down on their "fellow workers' states" in the Warsaw Pact (above all else the German "Democratic" Republic).

If the film's aesthetics look backwards, however, then its themes look forward, specifically to the life experiences that a lot of the books' readers in the years after their publication. Coriolanus Snow was, in his youth, a student at an elite academy competing with 23 of his classmates for a university scholarship, with the recipient of the scholarship decided by having the students each mentor a tribute in the Hunger Games, the winner being the one who puts on the best show for the citizens of the Capitol. Again, Collins wasn't subtle, and neither is this movie. The students' struggles may not be as life-or-death as those of the tributes, but direct and obvious parallels are drawn from the start, highlighting how the Capitol's system grinds down even the children of its own elites and turns them into the worst possible versions of themselves as they compete for favor and stab each other in the back. We see Snow, initially motivated by a desire to provide for a family that lost everything in the war, slowly but surely shed his morals as he comes up with a number of what would become the Games' signature concepts (particularly making the tributes into celebrities) and develop a star-crossed romance with his mediagenic, hot-headed tribute, District 12's Lucy Gray Baird. I liked Tom Blyth as Snow, watching him transform from a naive but well-intentioned rich kid into somebody who's willing to throw everybody and everything around him under the bus to advance his own interests, such that, by the time he finally, triumphantly returns to the Capitol at the end (not really a spoiler in a prequel telling the villain's origin story), even his own dear cousin Tigris barely recognizes what he's become.

The real MVP in the cast, though, was Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray. Implied to have been thrust into the Games thanks to a corrupt mayor in District 12 and her getting on the wrong side of a love triangle involving said mayor's daughter, from the moment she made her grand "screw you" entrance I was immediately rooting for her. Zegler gave the kind of "star in the making" performance that Jennifer Lawrence had for Katniss Everdeen, albeit playing a very different sort of character who has to learn the opposite things that Katniss later would. If Katniss was an outdoorsy survivalist who the Capitol turned into a glamorous romantic figure, then Lucy Gray is a theater kid (specifically, part of a group of traveling musicians known as the Covey) who has to learn how to fight, but one whose charisma and presence become an asset, especially once Snow realizes their potential to sway the audience to her side. Zegler carried a lot of this movie on her shoulders, from her multiple musical performances (putting her background in musical theater to great use) to her being the one who initially forces Snow to confront the ethics of the Games, with the breakdown of their relationship marking the last straw in his descent into villainy. Mark my words, Zegler is going places.

The supporting cast, too, was filled with standouts. Viola Davis devoured the scenery as the loopy scientist Dr. Volumnia Gaul who helps design some of the Capitol's bioweapons, Hunter Schafer had a small but memorable presence as Snow's cousin Tigris who watches his transformation, Jason Schwartzman played the Games' host Lucky Heavensbee like a snappy yet flippant '50s game show host, Ashley Liao made Snow's rival Clemencia such an obnoxious and cocky jackass, and Peter Dinklage playing Snow's dean at the academy as basically Tyrion Lannister as a bitter prep school headmaster, but I'll forgive it because there aren't a lot of people who play "I drink and I know things" better than him. Josh Andrés Rivera in particular got a lot to do as Snow's friend Sejanus, somebody with roots in District 2 who, even after his family got rich enough to become citizens, never forgot where he came from and voices the loudest objections to the morality of the Games. When it came to the tributes in the arena, the film sadly didn't take a lot of time to flesh out the ones not named Lucy Gray, but there were still highlights like the butch District 4 combatant Coral, Lucy Gray's District 12 partner Jessup, and the District 11 guy Reaper whose scary name turns out to be not at all indicative of his personality. The action was up to par with some of the best scenes from Catching Fire, director Francis Lawrence having lost none of his touch since the last time he worked on these films, with the bloodbath that opens the Games in particular being a hell of a one-take action scene shot largely from Lucy Gray's perspective.

Where this film ultimately let me down was its structure. It is a big movie, and there eventually comes a point where it rapidly shifts gears into something completely different, pulling Snow out of the confines of the Capitol and out into District 12. And if I'm being honest, it felt like a completely different movie from the one I'd been watching until then. It was still a good movie and an interesting story, but it felt like a whole new chapter of Snow's life where the problems he'd encountered in the first two acts, while still there, got pushed into the background as new characters and problems were introduced and Snow got sucked into the personal drama of District 12's inhabitants. I would've liked to see another scene of him interacting with his friends and family back home and keeping tabs on what's going on in the Capitol, as well as, more importantly, an scene or two in the first half of the film establishing some more of the people in Lucy Gray's life before she's chosen as tribute instead of throwing all of them at us in act three, especially given how it's all but stated that some of this drama was why she wound up in the arena in the first place. It would've been a minor change that likely would've added only a few minutes to the admittedly long runtime, but it would've alleviated a big problem I had with the third act of this movie, suddenly being asked to care about people I'd only just met knowing that there isn't a whole lot of movie left and there isn't much time to flesh them out.

The Bottom Line

This movie has a lot of, well, movie to cram in, and I'm not sure it entirely stuck the landing, but overall, it's a welcome return for a series I love, elevated by an outstanding lead performance by Rachel Zegler. Whether you're a diehard Hunger Games fan who was one of the first to snatch up the book this was based on the day it came out or a total newbie to the series who only knows it from memes, I recommend this movie.

[powerrcp-g3]

After the Bandito has been banned from purchasing Japanese and European cars by the Gran Turismo Council for his aggressive driving behaviour and cheating tactics, he decided to buy an American car to start out the game with. The idea is based on How to Win Races in Gran Turismo 3 with only American Cars and I wanted to expand the idea further in Gran Turismo 2 by trying to beat the game by only using American cars. I will start out by racing in a econobox and then working my way up to the bigger and more powerful muscle cars. What kind of muscle car would I get in the 2nd part? Tune in to find out!

[gasgasdaily]

Instead of talking about rally cars and literal race cars, we're gonna talk about the favorite cars of all boy racers, the Honda Civic Type R. However, we're not gonna jump straight into it first but go thru the process from the start.

Pics from top to bottom, left to right in a zigzag pattern: EF Civic SiR -> EG6 SiR -> EK9 Type R -> EP3 Type R -> FN2 "Type R" -> FD2R -> FK2 Type R -> FK8 Type R -> FL5 Type R

Honda Civic has always been built as a cheap but efficient economy hatchback vehicle for the markets since the 1st generation. Despite that, racers will be racers and throughout the 70s, people have been modifying their Civics for grassroots events and to an even more extreme method of racing, street racing. Honda also got the gist of it and they wanted to go back to racing also but they still haven't fully dedicate themselves back into it yet, not until the 80s at least.

Honda launched the 4th gen EF Civic in 1987 but as any other Honda Civics before that, it was basically made as a cheap but efficient econobox. Honda would try to improve the performance by slotting a 1.6L inline-4 D16A SOHC engine into the hatchback model that makes 120hp and labelled the model as the Si. However, Honda this time wanted to go racing and since touring cars were at the peak, they needed a nimble car and light car to do it and they found the Civic to be suitable so they got to work. Using their know-hows in their F1 domination, they made a new engine, a B186A unit which has two cams now and named the new valve control unit the now-infamous "VTEC". With the new engine now producing 160hp, it also reved higher than the D-series unit and with the Civic already light in weight, it was a pocket rocket and for that power figure in the 80s it was no slouch and by 1989, Honda would release the new model and engine as the SiR and became a street racing favorite.

1991 would see Honda launch the new 5th gen Civic coded as the EG. Honda would not change the recipe much of the EF that the very same B16A unit would be used in the new chassis SiR but this time, instead of selling it overseas, it's only a Japanese model and only sold overseas as gray imports. The EG, same as the EF, would be used by street racers and this time, more on the race tracks becoming a more feature vehicle in series such as the BTCC and the JGTC and Super Taikyu series. The EG would also spawn some famous tuners that became synonymous with Honda tuning like tuning houses like Spoon, Mugen and Seeker.

Honda would yet again upgrade to their new 6th gen Civic coded as the EK in 1995 but this time, Honda would give the Civic the full Type R treatment and also, the 1st Civic Type R to be made. After the success of both the NSX and Integra, Honda saw the popularity of the Civic for racing still thus using the formula of the DC2 Integra Type R, they used it for the EK9. They stiffened the chassis even further, stripped off the sound deadening, swapped the stock brakes and suspension to more race-developed units and ported the B16 unit to make it produce more power and rev even higher and now called the new engine the B16B. Honda also accidentally created one of the most powerful engine per-liter during that time as the B16B was only a dinky 1.6L but it produced 185hp. Figure might not look high but with a base car that does not weigh over 1,000kg, it was superbly fast in twisty roads and circuits and instantly became an icon. Honda would yet again only sell the EK9 Type Rs in Japan only.

Honda would update the Civic once again to the 7th gen EP in 2001. However, unlike the previous SIR or Type R models, the EP3 Civic Type R isn't made in Japan but this time, it was made in the UK's Swindon plant, being a first. Honda would this time do the same as what they did with the EK9 that they'll use the recipe used with the now-DC5 Integra Type R, slight modify it and use it for the Civic. However this time, instead of using a separate engine, the Civic Type R would use the same engine as the DC5 Integra Type R. Honda would slot the 2L K20A unit into the Civic hatch and mated it to a new 6spd gearbox. What was odd with this model is that the treatment wasn't any different from before as they still used race-prepped suspension and brakes which could not be found in the base models and also extra chassis bracing but what was different was its varying power figures depending on markets. Both the JDM and Euro-spec Civic Type R sees different tunes and engine spec. For the Euro version, it used the K20A2 which has 200hp and the car features no limited slip-diff/LSD whereas the JDM variant uses the more powerful K20A which has 215hp and LSD. What was even more ironic is that Honda had to send the JDM spec engine and LSDs towards the UK for it to be assembled then sent the finished project back to Japan to be sold. Honda would soon realize the hassle and would change the recipe yet again for the upcoming model.

Honda would launch the 8th gen Civic in 2005 and started building the Civic Type R in 2007 but this time, things were different. Two different Type Rs would be built with the FN2 being built in the UK for the UK and international markets whereas the FD2R would be built in Japan for the Japanese market. The two models would also see contrasting views as the FN2 would be built as a hatchback coupe whereas the FD2 would become a sedan, a never seen before move for the Civic Type Rs. The FN2 would be mated to a K20AZ unit making 200hp and a 6spd gearbox. What was weird for the FN2 was that Honda UK this time around did not do any lightening effort and instead put all the creature comforts with the car like aircon, sound deadening, radio and even cruise control which would never be found in the old Civic Type Rs or any Type Rs in fact. This in fact compromised how the car felt and many would dislike the FN2 and even going as far as to denounce it as a proper Type R. On the other spectrum, the FD2 once again used the more powerful engine, the K20A which makes 215hp and despite the FD2 being a sedan, it had extreme chassis strengthening and following the old recipe of stripping things that doesn't need to be in the car to keep it as light and still drivable on the streets. Despite both cars weighing about the same, the FD2 would drive and feel miles apart from the FN2 and the irony of it all is that the sedan actually feels more like a Type R than the coupe FN2 and was actually faster in almost any tracks both versions were tested on. Despite being labelled as a Japan only model, the FD2 would see tons of gray import sales overseas, especially in Southeast Asia which would overshadow the sales figure of the FN2.

Honda would update the Civic to the 9th gen FK in 2011 and would launch the Type R in 2015. This time, the recipe changed again. Instead of keeping it as NA, Honda this time fixed a turbo to the K20A and put it into the FK chassis and turned it to the FK2 Civic Type R which makes 310hp, the highest it has ever seen. Not only did the engine see a drastic change, the FK2 also opened new gates as it became the first proper Civic Type R where it was universally sold as just the same model instead of splitting up the models for different markets like the Acura and Honda Integra or the FN2 and FD2R. This was also the first time that a proper Civic Type R was ever sold in the US and to honor the deal even better, Honda had the American sector to build the turbocharged K20 unit before shipping it to the Swindon plant in the UK to complete the car. When the car launched, the performance was great but the car was also criticized for being odd looking and looked rather childish. Old Civic Type Rs to many, looked really like a sleeper car that you wouldn't notice that it was fast till its too late. However with the new FK2, the outlandish wing and the triple exhaust tip made it look like it was conceptualized by a kid instead. It didn't help either that the car was rather squeezed up like a squatted frog despite being a 4dr sedan hatchback. Regardless of the odd design choices, the car performance indeed shocked everyone. It corners like any Civic Type R would feel like and now with better LSD, it handles even better and with the now powerful engine, Honda decided to take it to the Nurburgring to further develop it during its prototype stage. It, against all odds, broke the record time for FWD by clocking a 7min time of 7min 50sec. Sales would rise after the clip of the run leaked.

Honda, having received feedbacks from customers decided to "flatten" the car abit to lengthen the car by abit to improve stability and cornering capability to create the FK8. Honda would launch the car following the 10th gen style and would also up the power to 320hp. Honda would once again take the pre-production FK8 Type R to the Nurburgring and once again, it smashed the record with a 7min 43sec, a whole solid 7sec against the FK2. Emboldened by the Nurburgring record, Honda would throw the car to other racing tracks to take the FWD records which the FK8 did easily with tracks like Estoril, Spa, Silverstone and Barthurst. Despite having a small change in the body style, people still hated how it looked for whatever reason but it didn't shatter what people think of the car as the performance would rival even the best sportscars of Europe.

Honda would update the Civic Type R to the FL5 in 2022 which is based on the current 11th gen Civic. The design of the car this time was completely toned down which made the appeal of it rise even higher. Not only that, the car did beat the Nurburgring record again with a 7min 44sec and would also take the FWD record of Suzuka. The FL5 would this time be assembled in Japan once again and the engine would see no change from the old model and that simplifies things more.

A Civic might be an econobox but if it has a red badge, get the hell out of its way as its a silent beast just waiting to pounce on its victim and that, is the legend of the Civic Type R.

[cars4starters]

Forward-looking Ford scratches Puma News that Ford has decided to ditch its Puma SUV, or at least the petrol version — is hardly surprising. We can’t remember seeing a single, solitary advertisement for this car, let alone driving one of the tiddlers, which suggests Ford Australia and its dealers had little appetite for the econobox. Launched here in 2020, Puma was a replacement for the small EcoSport SUV (which we did drive). “The fun-to-drive Puma is a new-generation compact SUV created for Australians looking […] https://cars4starters.com.au/forward-looking-ford-scratches-puma/?feed_id=30534&_unique_id=65c55e80de7cb

[identifying-cars-in-posts]

Thoughts on Miatas? c:

there’s a reason they’re a go to for first enthusiast car. fantastic little cars! simple, fun to drive, great power to weight ratio! i’ve never driven one but i would love to, and i’ve had my eye on them while shopping for a new cheap car. i hate how expensive they’ve started to get though, drift tax is hitting them hard. i think they’re gonna be the next nissan s-chassis in terms of sporty econoboxes made expensive by the enthusiast market, wouldn’t be shocked to see beater miatas selling for like $10k within the next two years

[casebutt007]

Car trouble

So I had this car that I absolutely love literally besides my family my boyfriend my pets this car was me as a car It was so perfect It got good gas mileage It had enough room for a little econobox It was perfect

Until... It had been having electrical issues two batteries nothing wrong with them suddenly died and were reading as bad batteries Also I had a touch screen in the car and it would go white and my radio would turn off for a few seconds and then it would come back up like nothing was wrong sometimes my radio would reset I would have to change the time back to normal It was obnoxious but it didn't happen very often

So then my backup camera starts to go out It gets flipped over like a mirror and then it just doesn't work so my boyfriend and his dad took it apart they had to solder it open because it was in a sealed box nothing wrong with it put it back in it works perfectly fine so what the hell we didn't check the connector because we're smart.... And it worked sometimes and then sometimes it wouldn't work we thought maybe it was because I listen to my music too loud and the connector was finally starting to come loose because it's right next to the stock subwoofer in the back because my car came with a premium sound system with surround sound

Well that was a few months ago fast forward to last week and my gauge on my dashboard lost power That's not good thankfully it was not my speedometer because I would have been too scared to drive my car but thankfully later that night it regained the power and it was fine but that was the last straw my dad was like this car is unsafe this electrical gremlin in the engine is affecting bigger systems and that's not safe for you to drive

And I'm thinking oh great you want me to get rid of this car that I have had for 3 years It has been in two wrecks and I owe more on it than the tax value...GREAT!!!! So this past weekend I went to some dealerships and as expected they did not want to offer me anything near what I owe and in my head I'm like fuck I'm going to be paying $400 a month on a not new car and that's ridiculous or I can continue to pay 200 on a very not new car and possibly crash in the middle of the highway involving multiple other people and other vehicles and die a really painful death.... One guy actually even insulted my car I think he knew from the look on my face he was not going to be able to sell me a car that day

Also you have to know my extremely patient boyfriend with letting me drag him around to dealerships and listening to sales people all day and there's only so far that everyone's patients can go and he hates inconveniencing people so when I said hey let's try one more dealership he looks at the clock and he says hun they close in half an hour and I said no babe that clock is wrong they close in 20 minutes thankfully most of the time no matter how hair brained my schemes are he will go with me

So we walk into this dealership 15 minutes before they close probably closer to 13 but who's counting this come to find out amazingly desperate guy and his manager stay with me until about 10:30 to give me this holy crap deal on this basically new car... Come to find out they needed this sale to make their quota for the day so it worked out for me they gave me about 200 under what I owed and they dropped off a few thousand on the car so that I could qualify for a loan for this car now let me tell you if you crunch the numbers and go by what my car was valued because of the parts that had been replaced from the two wrecks it had been in and the value of this 1-year-old car with a few thousand miles on it they cut out about 5,000 or more dollars out of their side of the deal!!!!! Now I know this happens a lot on new cars because that's not really where dealerships make their money most of the time because they can give you really good deals on new cars but they really make a lot of money on used cars cuz they can buy them for so cheap But man did they bend over backwards and help me buy this car and I'm so grateful because I'm not driving a possible death trap anymore I am driving a nice sleek Phantom Midnight <3

And yes it has been extremely stressful getting rid of my baby but she was not safe and I'm learning to like my new car it's not my dream car by any means but it is the car that I need right now and yes my payments are going to be higher than the nice little 200 I was really comfortable paying But this car is still basically new and I can refinance next year and right now I have the budget to pay more than my monthly payments so that also helps

[moving-vehicles]

Giugiaro had a major influence on econobox design

Fiat Panda 4x4 Offroader Concept, 1980, by Italdesign. Presented at the Turin Motor Show, this was Giugiaro's first prototype for an all wheel drive Panda. The patent for the transverse engine 4x4 mechanism was licensed to Fiat immediately after the show allowing them to start making the car in 1983. The concept's sophisticated padded leather interior did not make it into the series production version. During the first 4 years more than 70,000 panda 4×4s are sold

[randowrites]

Econobox Philosophy

The disposition of the common econobox owner is one of responsibility and frugality. They are likely to minimize activities such as their water use and to follow new technology they could leverage to both decrease their carbon footprint by the pound and their overhead costs attributed to survival. It may seem trivial to some, but pound for pound, some day it will be worth it. By continuing to track  their progress and assess their activities impacts on the surrounding environment, their efforts will compound. In the short term, these efforts may seem excessive, however their preferences over the long term can contribute to formative change.

Thank you randomwordgenerator.com