Veloce Raptor

In which alternate universe is this true?

roberga

must pay more attention to the DP, P class and not GTs.

Nizer

Savy: You should take this. It's really not fair for me to do it.

SSST

To put this thread in perspective... Some of you guys sound like what you really want is a 996 GT2. Save yourself some money and get one. Or buy a 996 TT and do the GT2 conversion. A few thousand on performance mods and you have a beast with MT and all the rawness you could want.

I personally like the older cars better for most of the reasons stated above. But the reality is the technology (extra weight, luxury conveniences, and all) will probably get around the track faster than anything that preceded it.

Isn't that the point of a track oriented car?

Carrera GT

I stopped in Sacramento and had a sit in a 2013 Laramie Longhorn (oh brother, the corny naming ...) with the air suspension, 8 cylinder with deactivation, 8 speed, active aero shutters, cargo boxes in the side of the bed. It seems years ahead of the Ford F150 (that out-sells it about 1000 to 1 ...) Quite impressive all round, though the silly cabin decorations are bit off. Reviews give it "near luxury car" ride quality and cabin NVH. That sounds lot better than a Super Duty! The claim to fame of the luxury $65K Super Duty is "you don't have to wear the kidney belt for short trips."

The only problem being, they just don't have too many Dodge/RAM dealers around here and the few new RAM 1500 things that have made it to the local dealers, are low end equipment spec. I think most RAM buyers look at $40K+ as astonishingly expensive.

The pickup segment is the only thing keeping the US auto makers alive and it's by far their fattest margins and least knowledge customer paying through the nose, not Internet price shopping.

SSST

The sheet metal on a Ram bed is so thin it only has one side. No one who actually uses their truck as a truck buys a Ram. Look at the fleet buyers of work trucks. You don't see many Rams in commercial fleets. It's not because Fords are cheaper than Rams. It's because the TCO over the useful life is lower.

Carrera GT

Chev says the same thing about Ford, Ford says the same knock-offs" about everyone. It's all garbage.

What speaks to me is the local aftermarket Ford diesel specialist shop that services all diesels, including tow trucks and fleets. According to him, if you want durability and mpg, get the Cummins in a Dodge. I guy I used to ride with runs a roadside diesel service fleet, working on anything from big rigs to VW Jettas. He says he was loving it when Ford built their own diesel.

I've owned most Ford and Chev. They're all built to 80's standards with 60's parts. It's as if they'd still have carbs and get 10 mpg if it wasn't for $5 gas and smog laws.

MM3.9GT3

Here is a review by Dan Neil. Get a pair of Lucchese boots to go with the Longhorn edition.

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/20...-crew-cab-4x4/

Z356

I got the Lucchese...to go with my R8 Spyder! It had deviating stitching. I don't own or want a truck. Where did I go wrong?

Saludos,
Eduardo

mooty

u need to drive more. 3.5 years 95000 mile 09 duramax. zero problems.
beside chev/gmc, i would do dodge over fordie.

btw, i love p cars. but they are facing some very serious competition. i dont know much much about viper. but a stock 2012 z06 is not slower than 4.0RS. add 10k for brakes and 10k for shocks. i am not sure the 4.0RS has a chance.

in florida appraently z06 blows up. but here in nor cal, the z06 are just fine.

the boss 302S/R are also bloody good.

savyboy

Personally I am not a fan of the "Longhorn" edition, I ordered the "Laramie" which loses the crazy stitching and saddlebags, and all the crap while keeping a high-level interior trim. With that said the review was more about "Hey I am Dan Neil, watch me pretend I know something about reviewing vehicles". This is another of his screeds high in BS and low in quality and objectivity.

Folks shopping for a pickup truck would be well served to dig deeply on researching the new RAM trucks. The 1500 is a real Cayenne alternative (for some of us) for 1/2 to 1/3 the price of a Cayenne.

Eduardo, you have really been hitting the ball out of the park the past few months on the forum Another gem!

Manifold

But should we have to get an older used car to get things as basic to fun track driving as manual transmission and proper seats?

I really think we need to make the distinction between a non-racing track car (eg, GT3) which enables us to enjoyably learn and practice the classic art of driving, versus a race car (eg, cup car) aimed by definition at winning races.

And I don't understand what Porsche is implying by developing a car which can hit almost 200 mph and lap the ring about as fast as an RS 4.0, yet offering only seats which are inadequate above ~100 mph.

RR

I'm with you with the seats but I guess that's why there are still HAM radio clubs for people who enjoy the classic art of making a connection with people through radio waves vs the quick down and dirty way through a cell phone connection.

stevecolletti

I think that's more about redundancy and (lack of) trust in infrastructure for many.

SSST

We can all agree on Lucchese boots. I have a closet full.

I will also concede that the Cummins is the best of the LDT diesels. That said, I've had two Powerstrokes that I put about 100K each on and never had a single problem. About half of that mileage was towing a 15K lb 5th wheel. The rest of the Super Duty is absolutely brilliant for what it is.

Don't need the SD anymore so I currently have an 07 F150 KR which has also been flawless, but is getting long in the tooth. I looked at the new Dodge a few months ago. It's nice, but still feels a little flimsy compared to my Ford, and that Laramie interior is just too over the top for me.

I've decided to wait and see if the rumors are true about a new F150 this Fall. If not I'm going with an F150 Platinum. That's a nice truck.