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PaperclipPerfector  18d ago (text post)   2762 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 12, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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(1) Buy an ordinary fuel-efficient hatchback

(2) Have a body shop cut out the back half of the passenger compartment and weld the rest of the car back together

(3) Get a super-fuel-efficient two-seat car

Real-life example (pre-modification fuel-economy comparison)

Would you do it?

My hatchback already gets 60mpg, so I think the storage is more valuable than marginal increases.

I would not do it since a 2-seater should ideally be an all-wheel or rear-wheel drive. There is no point in looking like a cheap 2 seater vehicle anyway. I drive a fwd hatchback and like it but making it something it is not makes it neither a good 2-seater nor a good hatchback. The point of a hatchback is a cheap, reliable, 4 seater that is fuel efficient.

Why not just buy this little guy instead? Same price, low miles, only ten years old, intentionally designed to be that size, and it's even kinda cute. Come to think of it, I ought to buy my wife one of these.

The two-seat ForTwo gets worse fuel economy than the five-seat Mirage, and requires premium gasoline to boot.

I'm not arguing that a ForTwo is a particularly good vehicle, I'm saying that getting a 30 year-old chopped up Geo Metro to simulate a ForTwo is a stupid idea.

With regard to a ForTwo relative to a Mirage, it is simply inconceivable that you're going to save enough money on gas to make up for the initial price difference. If someone wants a cheap, economical two-seater, a $4K used ForTwo is a legitimate option, a new Mirage isn't a competitor to that in any meaningful sense.

I used the Metro only to show that the idea was realistically possible to execute (e. g., on a new Mirage). I wasn't suggesting that the Metro was comparable to a new Mirage.

OK, then my answer is that I would not pay an extra $15K to get a chopped-up Mirage instead of just buying a used ForTwo.

No. I need to ferry around lots of people and things; having less space in the car makes it borderline useless.

Besides, this is retarded. There are many very small cars to choose from, without any of the extra hassle and just as fuel-efficient as the end result of that hack-job. And if all you want is to drive around yourself, no passengers and no cargo, then you may as well get a motorcycle or one of those scooter-sized cars that barely have an enclosed cabin.

There are many very small cars to choose from, without any of the extra hassle and just as fuel-efficient as the end result of that hack-job.

Maybe in Europe, but not really in the US, I think.

And if all you want is to drive around yourself, no passengers and no cargo, then you may as well get a motorcycle or one of those scooter-sized cars that barely have an enclosed cabin.

Those aren't very convenient in winter.

but not really in the US, I think

"Miata is always the answer" is a meme for a reason.

Maybe in Europe, but not really in the US, I think.

Are you sure importing one isn't going to be cheaper than going to a body shop?

Cars younger than 25 years can't be imported to the US.

Sounds like a 90's VW Lupo is just the thing for you then!

Zero to sixty in 18 seconds sounds inadequate for merging onto a highway with posted speed of 65 mi/h. Even the unmodified Mirage can manage an 11-second time.

Also, it's my understanding that obtaining parts for imported cars often is difficult and expensive. That goes double for imported cars that are 25 years old.

Where's the post-modification economy? I can't seem to find it.

No fuel-economy measurement is given on the for-sale page. But it seems obvious that reducing the car's weight in this manner will improve its fuel economy by reducing its rolling resistance. (I admit that the worsened aerodynamics may cut into that improvement somewhat.)

Not questioning the logic, just wanted to get a sense of bang for the buck. The idea feels a little galaxy-brained to me, but if it doubles the fuel-economy, then I can see the reasoning behind it. If you get a 10% icrease, it doesn't feel worth it.

Beyond financial considerations (depending on your lifestyle): You get the satisfaction of no longer being forced to lug around three extra seats that you literally never use. Parallel parking on city streets becomes easier. And you may be able to fit more cars into your house's driveway.

I use them for storage all the time.

My point exactly:

  • Pea brain: Buy a normal car with a decent fuel economy.

  • Normal brain: Buy a small car. Pick a diesel if you really want low fuel usage.

  • Galaxy brain: Buy a normal car and cut off it's back, hoping it will reduce fuel consumption.

Absolutely not, because although I'm not a car nut in the least, I still want a ride that won't scare the hoes.

based af. I myself would not do this, either I can afford an aston martin vantage in the future or I drive a hatch in shame when hoes are around, no point in making my hatch into a hackjob vantage.

It's going to be 7+ years till I have the dough for an Aston Martin, and by then it'll drive itself lol.

But yeah, that thing is an abomination, and I wonder if it even delivers on its promises. I'd rather import one of those toy Japanese cars if I'm that crazy about fuel economy.

I hope I can own one in like 3. But girls do not care about bad cars, they are not actively repulsed by the car but you being insecure about the car. Sure driving an Aston Martin (future me, please get your startup to a point where you drive one) will add a lot but driving a bad car is not a complete deal breaker in most cases, though if you feel insecure about it, it will tank your chances. Plus I can get away with it since I am 23 (almost 24 now) and do not visit nightclubs, in case I do get money soon, I would just stick to cabs, problem solved.

An AM is frankly excessive unless you're trying to pickup supermodels or the daughters of multimillionaires (in USD). Even a humble BMW will more than suffice for signalling purposes after one point, it's not like most girls have the prices and desirability of cars memorized right?

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