Behind the wheel...

[hoover1060]

I thought Matt's pics of his new Honda were very cool, so I will share this experience, kind of a landmark of sorts for me, even at the tender age of 43!
I spent 4th of July at Michael's, we hit the pool and then hosted his family for a cookout. Everyone was gone by about 7pm, and Michael suggested we go for a driving "lesson" in his "dream car"
Now you must remember I've pretty well had the same car over and over again since I've been driving: a full size, rear drive V8 sedan.
Yeah boring...
Michael has way better taste in cars, I love driving his Mini Cooper, but was kinda afraid of the other car.
First, just for the record is my car, a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis GS

 

[hoover1060]

This is what he wants to teach me to drive ***GULP***

a 2002 Pontiac Trans Am, 6-speed manual on a 5.0 V8

 

[hoover1060]

mean looking isn't it?

no comments on the license plate either

 

[hoover1060]

I stand corrected, its an LS2 Corvette engine, 5.7 Litre!

Here is the interior...

Yes thats a Betty Boop steering wheel cover

 

[hoover1060]

Off we go...

I'm a little apprehensive, I'm not all that experienced with manual shifting, I am thinking I will be lucky to find reverse!
Good thing the driveway rolls downhill some!

 

[hoover1060]

well, not nearly as bad as I thought

I did pretty well driving this thing, in spite of the fact that I tend to give it too much gas. The gas pedal was not as sensitive as I feared, and it shifted smoothly.
I could get use to this!

 

[hoover1060]

Fun!

Ok so I am hooked...
Maybe just maybe I could drive a manual car every day and enjoy it.
First I'd have to get use to having the shifter on the floor instead of on the steering column.
AND, starting from stop with a manual going uphill scares the bejesus out of me!
I need some more practice I think!

Michael bought the Trans Am new, last year they made them, it has 9000+ miles on it now.
Here's the view from the drivers seat

 

[petek]

Nice car, looks like fun. You'll get the hang of it and it soon becomes second nature, even starting up on hills. I grew up riding motorcycles and my BIL's old VW was the first stick I ever drove when I was around 14 before I had a licence, just round the block and stuff for fun. In 82 I traded my 76 Delta 88 in for a standard Volvo and boy was my other half pissed off cause he couldn't drive it. Said I did it intentionally LOL Anyways, I had to teach him, back in Vancouver where there's plenty of hilly streets with lights. He eventually got the knack and loved it, bought himself a standard Nissan pickup after that. I gave up on standards when my back and sciatica flared up and it was too painful some days to even push the clutch in. But then that Volvos clutch was extremely stiff.

 

[scott55405]

Looks like fun Jeff! I always wanted a car from that group (Camaro/Firebird/TransAM/any I'm forgetting?) when I was in my 20s but never did. I guess we'll let my BMW next car make up for all that, LOL

Manual shifting is fun, though I wouldn't recommend it as a daily driver if you spend a great deal of time on the freeway stopping and starting when you go to work.

I don't think even the Grand Marquis/Crown Vic offers the column selector anymore, so next time yours will probably be on the floor regardless of what you get. Either that, or a floor style shifter on the dash, which seems to be becoming increasingly popular.

 

[red_october]

Column selector...

Is still on the GM/Crown Vic. I worked at a Ford Dealership until the laid me off last week... (For the record Ford is not healthy these days). All the advertising literature (even the salesman's handbooks!) just shows the floor selector, though, probably to make them look more "modern", in spite of the fact that most of the buyer group WANTS old land-yacht style cars that have gobs of power, steer-with-a-pinky effortless steering, and room for six plus three stiffs in the trunk!

I love manual shifting AND big boat cars, just a shame the two come together so rarely.

 

[fnelson487]

Well dear

Methinks it's just a bit too butch for you Agnes.

Love Ida

 

[fnelson487]

Well dear

Methinks it's just a bit too butch for you Agnes.

Love Ida

 

[appnut]

Lookin' good Jeff. And no, it ain't too butch, in fact it suits ya!!

 

[brettsomers]

no comments on the license plate either

what could anyone possibly say? namby-pamby it's not!

 

[oxydolfan1]

Cool cars. I had a Camaro and loved it.

Just be advised...not the BEST on ice and snow!!

(Just remembering the snowy photos from your office window, Jeff!)

 

[exploder3211]

LoL.. Back in my car selling days i drove many of these.. I just don't like sitting on the ground.. I wanna sit up. Although the grand marquis is way to big for me.
I did own a 2005 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V.. 180 HP in a 2950 lb car.. 6-speed manual.. An ok car, but had to give up due to my bankruptcy and the insurcance was $900 every 6 months for me...

 

[swestoyz]

Burn Out!

If Michael would have let ya! Nothin' like driving around in a TA, one of the greatest feelings. Hopefully he holds on to it - that is a car to be proud of.

Ben

 

[exploder3211]

Heres a car i sold.. Don't recall the year but the thing was like 18 or 20 ft long.. It was bigger than a suburban.. HAd like 34,000 miles when i sold it

 

[hydralique]

So long as cops buy Crown Victorias, they'll be available with the column selector because cops don't like console-mounted selectors at all - this has been cited as a reason that very few police departments have bought the Dodge Charger, in spite of it having better performance in many respects than the Fords. Chrysler's appalling parts and service support may have something to do with this too, but the console selector is a stated reason.

Column selectors seem to be making a comeback in big land yachts anyway. A friend of mine came by three days ago with a brand new M-B S550, and it had a column selector. He was kind of tickled that you just push the end in for "park" instead of having to move the lever all the way up. The BMW 7-series has had one for awhile too.

Frankly, I don't care where the lever is mounted so long as it's not an automatic. I've never owned one and just prefer a manual box, even in LA traffic. If I HAD to have an automatic, I would want someone to bring back pushbuttons - so VERY cool it would almost make putting up with a shlushbox tolerable!

Starting up a hill with a V-8 Firebird ought not to be a problem because that is a very torquey engine and should not be at all picky about clutch engagement. Cubic horsepower is your friend in that situation! Oxydolfan is right about it not being great on ice, although my experience was as a passenger. A good friend of mine owns a similar very late V-8 Firebird, and it has a big bump in the passenger's floor, right in front of the seat - I've never seen anything like it in another car, and according to my friend it is supposed to be there. First time I ever got in the car one icy night at the El Paso airport my left heel snagged that bump as I lowered myself toward the seat. That threw me off balance and my right foot slipped on the icy parking lot paving and I took a nasty spill. Now when I visit (always in the winter) I'm very careful if he brings the Firebird and not the Lincoln. He really loves the Firebird because it is fast and sexy looking, although in his experience the Lincoln wins in reliability.