GreenFrog
Stylish Dinosaur
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2008
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STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.
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Doesn't the corkscrew drop 3 floors or something.
59 feet, with an 18 percent gradient in the middle of it, and the turn is blind (meaning you can't see the end of the turn) when you enter it. The turn itself is not that hard --- it's just a rhythm thing --- but it sets you up for turns 9 and 10, both of which are very fast and are done well when the 3 turns are thought of as 1 complex. Turn 9 can be especially treacherous because it's fast and the terrain changes quite a bit underneath you, and it used to be blind before the latest renovation. The run-off at the outside of the track there has big ditches, and if it's been raining, it's pretty soft and muddy out there, so if you run off the track, you can flip your car. And the entry to 9 isn't as big as you'd like it because the camber of the road falls away near the outside, so you can't take a wide entry into it. The two turns I'm most afraid of at Laguna are 9 and 6.
There is one scary thing for me about the Corkscrew: you are supposed to be hard on the gas (like foot to the floor) from almost the top of the turn to the bottom because the camber comes back at the bottom and catches you. It's very hard to do this when your stomach has fallen away from you.
The story behind the Corkscrew as told to us by the current architect/designer of Laguna is that the original designer walked around the park following his plans with a bulldozer following him carving the ground away. At some point, the designer had to leave to do something else, and he was at the top of the hill. He just told the bulldozer to get down the hill without any specific instructions. Bulldozers being bulldozers, it went straight down the hill, and thus the Corkscrew was born.
I always think I'm missing something with Porsche. Given the cost involved (Say £80,000-£110,000) I simply can't understand why someone would buy one over a Ferarri or Aston Martin. They are ubiquitous round my way; on a street of 25 houses there are 4 911's and two Boxters. Maybe they are cheaper/easier to run? Maybe they are easier to insure? I don't know what it is but I couldn't see myself forgoing the hand made luxury of the Italian or Brit in favour of the German.
Wanted: Used highway cruiser with lots of thrust, hand of god brakes, quiet cabin, smooth shifting auto and above average handling dynamics. Preferably hit badly by depreciation. Sub $45k budget. Go.
Thanks.
Now. Question for everyone here.
I'm getting married later this summer and for my honeymoon I will be spending about 36 hours in LA (on the way to somewhere a little more tropical). While I'm there I'm thinking it would be fun to rent something "interesting". Was originally thinking Lambo, but that's going to run about $3k all told for a day and a half, which is a little steep. Likewise, the 'rari is that much for a 430 and the 458 or California is 4k+. So I'm looking for suggestions. I want a cabrio so I can enjoy the weather. Some thoughts that are in the only silly bucket as opposed to the totally insane - Merc SL550, 911, Audi RS5 (if I can find one for rent anyway), maybe a Corvette, maybe a Camaro if I can find one of the high powered ones. Basically I'm looking for something fun to drive, that's kind of cool and won't look out of place in Beverly Hills. Any thoughts? Also if anyone has any experience with any of the rental companies in LA, I'd much appreciate any thoughts on that too.
Cheers all
Get the newest E63 you can find within that budget
2007/08 M6s are in that price range as are 2010 650s. I dunno why M6 prices are so low or why 650 prices are so ambitious.
A8 4.2L or S500 or 750i? Pick em up cheap and old and scrap it in favour of a new one every three years.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Anyone have experience with the D3 S8?This is slightly over your budget, but demonstrates the last criteria well: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merc...0075040?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item51ac1f2c20 An E65 Alpina B7 fits all the criteria really well, but is a little old at this point. Hard to come by, but they exist.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. Anyone have experience with the D3 S8?