About ppointer

ppointer

Any time I see article by Rob Siegel, I read it. Always worth my time.

ppointer

Wagons with Manual transmissions. The SUV craze never went anywhere in my household.

ppointer · ‎07-04-2022

We bought a new Altima in 2008 for my wife. While that car had a lot going for it, the CVT zapped too much of what should have been a reasonable driving experience. Switched brands after that. Several subsequent Nissan rental cars confirmed we made the right choice.

ppointer · ‎07-04-2022

Good for you to start early. I didn't start track days until I was 40, and then on one of my street bikes. Enjoyed improving my skills a dozen days per year for a few years. The real fun started when I built a dedicated track bike out of a one-year-old CBR600RR. Once I had a no-excuses track weapon and not too worried about damaging it, the fun quotient and skill level went way up. Looking forward to more of your articles.

ppointer · ‎29-03-2022

Still the best stories around. Thank you for writing and posting.

ppointer · ‎24-02-2022

Didn't Lotus help tune the performance version of generation 2 of the Supra?

ppointer · ‎08-02-2022

Sounds like SMG with a pedal. One of the criterion of the TPO is that a patent application cannot be obvious. Wonder how this one got by.

ppointer · ‎26-01-2022

My wife and I stumbled across a public-road hill climb event in Cortona, Italy, around 2017, and there were at least of dozen of these entered in the race. To me they looked like an 3/4 scale 1963 Corvair. Through my broken Italian and their limited English, I learned about the "NSU" that had somehow morphed in to Audi. Every one of these little racers were in pristine condition, and these guys threw caution to the wind to run flat out from the valley floor to Cortona. What a great memory!

ppointer · ‎24-01-2022

The Bose system in our Infiniti is acceptable, with adequate clarity and satisfactory bass. The stereo in every BMW we have owned has been crap. Luckily the BMWs make some decent noises on their own to offset their awful sound systems.

ppointer · ‎21-01-2022

Love Jay's writings and his videos.

ppointer · ‎17-01-2022

Hmm, I ran across this article because, even though I have no intention of selling my Z3M, I have lately been thinking about a '70-'72 C3. As always, Rob writes great articles.

ppointer · ‎02-01-2022

I definitely agree with the C4 / LT5 endorsement. These pop up almost weekly on BaT with low mileage. I think the prices are reasonable for a 400hp OHC Vette. Will be on my radar when I am ready. Surprised the E36 M3 didn't make this list. Most of those cars come with the S52 240hp motor and MT. Great analog experience and are not too expensive to maintain, compared to other BMWs. Tougher to find low mileage examples because these cars get driven. But isn't that the point? Anyway, an E36 M3 is way cheaper to purchase than an equivalent E46 or E92.

ppointer · ‎28-12-2021

Another great article. I have a few older BMWs ranging from 2001 to 2011. Yes, they are expensive to maintain. But I like how they drive, and they are still cheaper overall than going with something new.

ppointer · ‎06-12-2021

Nothing but Diet Dew for me on that 16 hour trip from South FL to middle of Ohio.

ppointer · ‎23-11-2021

Some great rivalries in motorcycle racing. Collin Edwards and Troy Bayliss. Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. Rossi and Max Biaggi. Rossi and Marc Marquez.

ppointer · ‎19-10-2021

I couldn't stop reading until the end. Nice work!

ppointer · ‎16-10-2021

I liked the old VW Rabbit commercials that included the Beach Boys little GTO translated to German and GTI. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zcm4oS9IaM What about their da da da commercial? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmQvOT1Sxkg

ppointer · ‎05-10-2021

Thanks for another great story!

ppointer · ‎04-10-2021

I see the same thing from Uber drivers and those driving videos on BringATrailer. 95% of them have the seat set back in the straight arms position. And speaking of BaT, it is also obvious that 95% of them don't make it a habit of driving with a manual transmission.

ppointer · ‎04-10-2021

Any 3-series, e-91 (wagon) with RWD and MT from the years 2007 - 2013. Little over 400 imported during that time. Problem is we can't stop driving them. Any with less than 100k miles are easily worth double their sedan equivalents. Find one under 50k with m-sport and you're talking $30k(!). Find a nice one with AT? Convert it to MT and flip for a profit.

ppointer · ‎28-09-2021

Never want to miss an article by Rob!

ppointer · ‎22-09-2021

My favorite bike aesthetically. And I say that as a former owner of three other Ducatis and current owner of a 996. If you can afford this bike, might as well grab it. It will only appreciate through the years.

ppointer · ‎05-07-2021

Love Jay Leno's Garage and love your articles!

ppointer · ‎30-06-2021

I owned a 1987 non-turbo 5-speed, bought in 1988 with low mileage. Loved it. A friend, who was a 928 owner, borrowed it for a week. His conclusion was that even though the car only had "90% the power of the 928" (his words), it otherwise was very similar. That was a compliment coming from him. He traded the 928 for the first NSX in town, so I got to put a few miles on that. Anyway, I'm not nostalgic enough to look for one now, but I have great memories of that '87 Supra.

ppointer · ‎26-06-2021

We have an M Roadster that sees about 1500 miles per year. Why so low? It's no fun with the top up and I'm only 5'11' - or I was 20 years ago. Also, we are just north of Fort Lauderdale, so six months of the year it is too hot to drive with the top down. Third-world issues, I know.

ppointer · ‎21-06-2021

I was about to write something scathing about having the Laguna S3 on the list without a similar Grand Am. Then I scrolled down a little further. Anyway, as a teen I bought a well-worn '73 Grand Am coupe with 4-speed. It was even more well worn when I had to get rid of it because i was a starving college student. I have seen less than a handful of the 4-speed's since then (mid-80's). Really like the Can Am, which are not too difficult to find today, but they are all automatics.

ppointer · ‎16-06-2021

Your articles are the best! Who else can make automobile AC an interesting topic?

ppointer · ‎13-06-2021

Little GTI is the one I always think of when it comes to VW commercials -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zcm4oS9IaM

ppointer · ‎09-06-2021

Love these stories. Thank you for all of the research and the great article!

ppointer · ‎20-05-2021

A friend had one of those Firebird Sprints. 4bbl, 4-speed. Very cool.

ppointer · ‎14-05-2021

I see a lot of belly aching on an e91 thread (BMW 3-series wagons, 2006-2013) about a particularly successful, multi-time BaT dealer that is adept at finding and re-selling e91s. I don't think the belly aching is warranted, however, as he cleans up the cars and addresses short-comings. The descriptions appear to be honest, and I would be confident buying any of his offerings. Like @OptimusPrime says, no one is twisting your arm to buy. Perhaps it is just jealousy that someone found a deal with money to be made.

ppointer · ‎29-04-2021

I had an e46 touring for 14 years. Currently have an e91. Long live the wagons!

ppointer · ‎27-04-2021

Your articles are the best.

ppointer · ‎13-04-2021

Thank you for another fun article!

ppointer · ‎10-03-2021

Or maybe a BMW Isetta. Anyway, great article!!

ppointer · ‎10-02-2021

Back in the late '80's I had a '74 Corolla, 1100cc, 52hp, 4-speed and armstrong steering, plus an '87 Supra, 200hp, 5-speed. Supra roughly 2x the weight and 4x the horsepower, but the Corolla was hands down more fun to ring out than the Supra, itself no slouch at the time.

ppointer · ‎05-01-2021

Greyhound!!

ppointer · ‎02-01-2021

When I saw a Dodge Magnum in 2004, it had a vanity plate on it -- "Man Wgn". From then on, my BMW '00 323i touring was known within the family as man wagon. So, too, is its predecessor, an '09 328i touring. For as long as possible I will own a wagon, and I won't be buying a crossover. You hear that BMW?

ppointer · ‎28-12-2020

There is no crossover out there on which I would ever spend money.

ppointer · ‎03-12-2020

I miss new seasons of Pure Vision's TV show. His versions of customized muscle cars are great to see, both during construction and at reveal.

ppointer · ‎20-11-2020

A '54 Chevy is so bulky. Yours, especially in the rear, looks so sleek and completely different. I love it.

ppointer · ‎11-11-2020

I have been a MotoGP and WorldSBK fan for two decades. Last couple of years could only watch their races on my laptop for a small subscription. I was a motorcycle track day hack for 14 years, giving me a taste of the athleticism required for peak motorcycle racing. Each race may last less than an hour, but easily pack 10x the amount of excitement of a typical Nascar race. Thank you for remembering #69 and thank you for this article.

ppointer · ‎16-10-2020

The Isuzu Impulse was beautiful. Probably not to the degree of the above cars, but maybe deserves a mention.

ppointer · ‎09-10-2020

My favorite was a 2001 QX4 I owned from new for many years. In AWD, the power solely went to the limited-slip rear, and would bring in the front with about a 2 second delay on detecting wheel spin from the rear. So you could fishtail out of a 90-degree turn from a stop sign, and then the fronts would bite and on you would go. Great fun. 4WD was a button away if the crap was really deep.

ppointer · ‎22-08-2020

Every one of these cars is still striking in appearance, in my opinion. Wish I could pick a favorite. I had MkII and MkIII Supras that didn't make the list, but I don't think it is wrong to leave out all of those 80's cars with hideaways....

ppointer · ‎12-08-2020

Thank you Philip Roitman for putting passion over fiscal sense. You car is beautiful. I had a '73 Grand Am with 4-speed while I was a teenager and thoroughly trashed it. Glad yours is preserved.

ppointer · ‎16-07-2020

Love that Corvair. Maybe not Panasports? but what a look! Thanks for your articles.

ppointer · ‎19-06-2020

I blew a bunch of money at Malibu in Columbus one summer in the early '80's. The understeer was very frustrating, as was getting yelled at by the attendants for climbing the curbs. Hated stopping for every lap. Then, one evening Bobby Rahal set the lap record probably 3 seconds better than my best, and I never went back after that. I eventually became a trackday junky with a CBR600RR, finding that sport to be more about ability than size of checkbook when compared to tracking a car. Loved this article. Thanks for bringing back those memories.