Seeping Matter

This month marks one year since I bought my 2003 Nissan 350Z (heretofore “the Z”).  I’ve learned some interesting things about it, about cars, and about myself this past year.

First off, I bought the Z because I like hot cars.  I like horsepower, speed, handling, and great looks.  I didn’t buy the Z to impress anyone or to try to be cool.

I know that sounds like an excuse, but after a number of comments from friends hither and yon, I really did think inwardly about why I bought that car.  I can honestly say that I did it for myself, not to impress people or try to be someone I’m not.  I’m relieved to find that out.

That being said, one of the first things I learned about the Z was this:  You get noticed.  People look as you drive by them on the freeway or as they drive by you.  They will comment, “Nice car, man,” or some such, when you park near them in the parking lot, or you’ll catch them walking around your car looking when you come out of the convenience store.

Not most people, but some people.  This never happened with my Grand Prix.

Another thing I noticed:  It’s kind of a chick car.  I had it parked there at the Roosevelt Car Show next to my brother’s Mustang GT and I spent a fair part of the day sitting there while people walked by.  When people were walking up, girls would walk to the Z and guys would walk to the Mustang.  Guys would look at them both and comment to each other on how they liked the Mustang better; girls would comment to each other on how they liked the Z better.  In the latter case, some variant of the word “cute” was overheard a number of times.  This was pretty much a universal thing.

So if a Mustang is more of a guy’s car, maybe I should’ve bought a Mustang instead.  Except my wife really likes going out on dates in the Z.

A good thing I learned:  If you buy a sports car, you need some time to get used to it.  Learning where the clutch engage point is, how long it takes for the engine and transmission to warm up, how strong the brakes are, etc. took a while.  The friction limits for turning are particularly important.  I’ve almost gotten myself into trouble trying to turn with too high a g-load.  After a year of driving and about 15000 miles, I’m still learning, so if you buy a sports car, be prepared to settle in and get to know her slowly.

300 horsepower can get you into trouble in a hurry.  This is a long-term relationship, not a fling, so get to be friends first.

Now that I’ve had the Z for a year, I can tell you about some of the bad points:

• The blind spot.  Holy cow, do the 350Zs have a blind spot.  That spot off the left rear corner is completely out of my vision.  This is especially true a) if the sun is shining into the driver side window, or b) if it is dark.  Now you know — 350Zs have a serious blind spot.  If a Z is merging onto the freeway and he cuts you off, just know that he probably can’t see you there and it was most likely unintentional.
• Alignment.  You have to be very careful with a Z’s alignment so you avoid tire problems.  This means I end up having the tires rotated a lot – every 3000-5000 miles.  It’s annoying.
• Expensive repairs.  Since I bought it about a year ago, I’ve spent over $4000 in repairs.  Here’s what I paid for:
  • $1100 – New tires.
  • $2600 – New fan, water pump, and thermostat.  (Yes, really.)
  • $100 – New battery.
  • $300 – New serpentine belt and tensioner.

Of course, those are minor in comparison to the good points, some of which are:

• Handling.  The Z is like the ideal child:  Whatever I tell it to do, it does.  Immediately.  Turn here?  Okay.  Stop here?  No problem.  Jump into that small opening in traffic?  Yes Daddy.
• Power.  The Z has a weight-to-horsepower ratio of just over 11 (lower numbers are better).  Compare that to 19 for my wife’s Durango and my old Grand Prix, or 18 for my CRX.  Or compare it to 11 for a Mustang GT, 7.5 for a Corvette, or 9.2 for a Porsche Cayman S.  The Z can push you back in the seat and as you climb through the gears it just keeps grabbing at the pavement and lunging you forward.  I have no idea how fast it will go.
• Sound.  The Z comes with an excellent sound system:  The Nissan VQ35DE, an awesome 3.5L multi-port-fuel-injected V6 with variable valve timing.  If you romp on it hard enough to cross the variable timing threshold you will be rewarded with an awesome sonic wonder as the engine climbs toward the 6600 RPM redline.  And if you don’t like that sound system, or are in a place where you can’t really experience it, the Kenwood/MTX/Rockford Fosgate setup in my Z is a pretty decent substitute.
• Look and Feel.  It looks awesome from nearly every angle.  It feels awesome when you are sitting inside it.  The ergonomics would make Steve Jobs proud.  And when you strap into those bucket seats and close those high-sided doors, it feels like your car is giving you a big old man-hug.  Sorry, but it is true.

So, am I glad I bought it?

Yes.  And no.  But mostly yes.  I love driving it.  Love love love driving it.  Even when I’m not speeding, which truthfully is most of the time, I really love to drive it.  I love to look at it, and then drive it some more.

I love the thought of owning it.  The reality of owning it is less great.  It’s expensive to maintain.  My other car was fully paid for, and when I sold it there wasn’t a thing wrong with it.  Now, every time I make a payment on the Z or have to get something fixed, I think about how the Grand Prix was running excellent and was fully paid for.  Maybe I should have just stuck with the Grand Prix instead.  Inside my mind, it will forever be running perfect with no flaws.

But it will never be as much fun.

matt Cars 350z, CRX, Introspection

I’m on a Ranger quest.  Well, or a Bronco II.  Or maybe something else.

But Rangers and Bronco IIs are primarily what I am questing for.  Now that I’ve got the 350Z and I’ve sold my Grand Prix, life is mostly great except I’m concerned about winter.

Fact is, there are just too many people around here who are praying for snow all the time.  I’ve been trying to tempt them into grievous sin in order to keep the roads nice and dry but they aren’t giving in.  I don’t want to risk trying to drive the Z in the snow, with all that horsepower going just to the rear wheels.  So I’ve been looking for a little truck or SUV.

Here are the basic requirements:

• Must run
• Four wheel drive must work
• Must pass inspection, or be able to pass with minimal investment
• Must not be completely gutless
• Must not be a complete pile
• Ideally should be fuel injected, not carbureted
• No more than $1500

I found a candidate not too long ago.  It was a 1990 Bronco II with a little bit of extras done to it for only $1300.  It looked like just what I wanted.  Here’s the chronology of events:

• See the truck online for sale.
• Text the owner to say I’d like to look at his truck.
• He texts me back to say after work will be fine.  He lives in Salt Lake; I live in Spanish Fork and work in Lehi, so I want to go see it before I head the opposite direction home.
• As I’m preparing to leave I call to make sure he is around, nobody answers.  I tell him to call back within the hour because after that I’m heading home.
• An hour and 15 minutes later he calls to say, “Now is a good time.”
• When I get home I text back and say, “Sorry I missed you; maybe tomorrow.”
• The next day I try to see if he will be home that night for me to look at it.
• About midday he says, “Sorry, I just sold it.”

Dang.

The next one was a slight deviation from my quest:  a 1990 GMC S-15 Jimmy for $1000.  The ad online says, “It runs great, no problems.”  I stopped by to look.  It was admittedly in pretty straight condition — good exterior, clean interior, good upholstery.  Then I noticed the front right tire is worn down to the cords on the outside edge of the tire.  Bad suspension?  Bad alignment?  Who knows.  I open the hood and it is a carbureted V6.  Hmm.  Then I asked, “So, how does it run?”  “Oh it runs great.”  “No transmission problems?”  “No.  Well, it won’t stay in first gear.”

That doesn’t sound like “no problems” to me.

I took it for a test drive.  GUTLESS.  You have to start in second gear all the time, which makes matters worse.  Feels like it is about to fall apart all the time.  Moving on.

The next candidate is a black 1990 Ford Ranger extended cab.  Stopped by to take a look the other day.  Paint job is the old driveway special (several cans of spray paint) over what looks like some bondo work.  Interior is THRASHED.  This one is at a dealership.  The dealer says, “I just took it in on trade.  It runs, but it makes a weird noise when it runs.  I have no idea if the four wheel drive works or not.”

Still, that one has some potential.  But an engine that makes a weird noise makes me pretty nervous.

The next candidate is another black 1990 Ford Ranger, which is also red and white — it was wrecked and had some body panels replaced.  Sounds like it runs pretty good and that the four wheel drive works.  I’ve heard this before though.  Will have to take a look shortly.

A running, four wheel drive, non-pile Ranger or Bronco II for under $1500?  It sounds like a grail quest.  I’ll keep you updated.

matt Cars 350z

Last Saturday me and my Z went to Roosevelt, Utah, to participate in the annual car show there, because that’s where my family lives, and my dad and my brother and I all thought it would be fun to put our cars in the show together.

It was fun, too, even if none of us won anything.  It was fun just being there with my dad and brother and having people walk by and wonder why I parked my 350Z there.

My 2003 Nissan 350Z, looking her best.

Here’s my car parked in between my brother’s Mustang (background) and my dad’s Econoline (not pictured).  I washed and vacuumed and scrubbed and detailed that car for about three hours before the show, and I must say it looked really fine.  Oddly, right after the show ended, it rained for about 30 seconds, just long enough to get my car dirty again.  Oh well.

My dads 1961 Ford Econoline van

Dad just started working on this 1961 Ford Econoline van. It is pretty sweet. I love the all white paint with the black accents and the very subtle gray pinstripe all around. He’s got a 302 in the doghouse inside the van and plans to redo the interior next.

The story on those wheels is pretty cool. He was looking for those exact wheels by American Racing, Torq Thrust IIs, and looked all over for the sizes he needed (two different sizes, front and rear). The fronts, 14×6s, were nearly impossible to find. Then he called one place who just happened to have two of them left, along with six of the size he needed for the rears. So he took two of each, and the dealer was thrilled to get rid of his two 14×6s and even himself out with four remaining of the other size.

My brothers 2009 Mustang GT, my 350Z, and my dads Econoline

In the foreground is my brother’s 2009 Ford Mustang GT. He’s added a Roush bodykit and Shelby Super Snake wheels and a lowered suspension so far. He wonders if it is weird to have Shelby wheels and a Roush body kit, but I think it is cool to make your own Mustang that has your favorite components from each builder.

Original Roosevelt City Fire Truck

My dad is mayor of Roosevelt, so I went with him to drive this to the show. If you lived more than a half mile from the fire department and had a fire back then, there was really no point in calling the fire department. It’s a neat truck though.

Early 30s Ford Coupe

I want to say this is a ‘32 Ford but I’m really not sure. I do know it belongs to my dad’s friend Mike Mahoney, who has like 30 cars.

Another early 30s Ford Coupe

Another Ford coupe, ‘31 or ‘32 (I really should learn to tell the difference). This one belongs to another of my dad’s friends, Dennis Peterson. Dennis restored this car himself, repairing all the rust and pounding out all the dents and smoothing out the whole body by hand. He is incredibly talented. He also did all the body work on my dad’s Econoline and is currently working on another project which will be pretty awesome when it is done.

Early 70s Dodge Dart

When Dad and I brought the fire truck into the show we followed this ‘70 or ‘71 (again, can’t remember) Dodge Dart. I wondered to myself if it belonged to my cousin Joe Gardner. I was right. As long as I can remember Joe has restored a number of really cool Mopar cars – Chargers, Challengers, Darts, Superbees, etc.

Award-winner for Best of 80s and Newer

This mostly stock gray 2007 Mustang GT beat my brother’s 2009 Mustang GT somehow, which goes to show that the people who judge the shows don’t always know what they are doing. I mean, it’s a nice looking Mustang, but doesn’t have nearly as much done to it as my brother’s does.

White 3DCarbon Mustang GT

If any Mustang there was better than my brother’s, it was this white 3DCarbon Mustang pictured here.

Award-winning 30s Ford Coupe

This blue ‘31 or ‘32 Ford coupe won some award, maybe for best 30’s car? Or most unique? Can’t remember. Take a look at this engine though, for a clue as to why:

Now that is a sweet engine.

Flathead Offenhauser

The roadster carrying this sweet litttle Offy won Best In-Progress Car. Which seems kinda like a weird award, since pretty much all the cars there would be considered “in-progress.”

Beautiful 50s Chevy

This is a beautiful car. Look carefully and you can see the well-done ghosted flames along the side. It won Best 50s Car and, since the owner drove it all the way from Riverside, California, it also won an award for furthest distance traveled to attend the show.

Best Of Show 2010 - 1937 Ford Coupe

This 1937 Ford Coupe from Vernal, Utah won Best Of Show and definitely deserved it. Which is much better than the week before, at another car show in Vernal, where this car was beaten for Best Of Show by a bone-stock straight-off-the-showroom-floor 2010 Camaro. This car is a beautiful work of art from every angle and no detail is left undone.

Just check out the beautifully done interior:

1937 Ford Coupe custom interior

1931 Ford Vicky

This beautiful chopped and dropped ‘31 Ford Vicky had to sit next to the ‘37 Ford above, so it had a rough go. It definitely deserved to win something, so I’m glad my dad chose to give it the Mayor’s Choice award.

matt Cars 350z, Hobbies

As long as I’m doing the post of ten motorcycles I need to be happy, I figure I might as well round that out and post ten cars I need to be happy also. Same situation applies: I can’t definitively say that having these cars will make me happy, but I obviously can’t be happy without them. Necessary but perhaps not sufficient, in other words.

Luckily for me, I already have one of them.

Nissan 350Z (source: seriouswheels.com)

1st Generation COPO Camaro (source: arkansascamaro.com)
This is a Yenko, but I'd also take a Dana, Nickey, or Baldwin Motion

Corvette Z06 (source: wallpaperstock.net)

Lotus Exige (source: nicewallpapers.info)

Ferrari 458 Italia (source: textually.org)

Aston Martin V12 Vantage (source: carclub.ru)

RUF RT12 (source: carsoftheworld.eu)

Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (source: netcarshow.com)

Ferrari FXX (source: seriouswheels.com)

McLaren F1 LM (source: protopage.com)

matt Cars 350z, Corvette, Ferrari

I’ve been wondering if the VDC (essentially traction control) on my Z works.  So, since the roads are nice and wet today, I thought I’d test this by turning it off, then putting the hammer down to see what happens.

Well, I’m happy to say it works, really quite well.

Just thought you’d like to know.

matt Cars 350z

I mentioned some time ago that we are doing the Dave Ramsey dance this year. I cannot tell you how many e-mails people have sent me, all saying basically the following:  ”Matt!  I mean, Mr. Ryan!  How is the Dave Ramsey dance going?  We’re dying here!”

I cannot tell you this, because, inexplicably, none of these e-mails actually arrived in my inbox.

Still, I’m sure they are out there, floating around in the interwebs, looking for a home.  There are questions that need to be answered, and someone’s gonna have to do it.  And since I’m the only one authorized to post on this blog, I guess I will have to do it.

Most interesting comment thusfar was when Amber said, “This really bites.”  I agreed readily.  But after I thought about it for a bit, I added, “The thing is, though, it’s funny how we blame the pain on getting out of debt, when that isn’t the cause of the pain.  The cause of the pain is getting into debt in the first place.”  Weird.

The first step for us was establishing the emergency fund.  Ramsey says that once you decide to start the dance, something unkind will happen to you that will tempt you to quit.  For us, it was suddenly needing to replace the tires on my Z.  I really wanted to leave that emergency fund alone and I was really tempted to just put all of that expense on a credit card.  But instead we used the emergency fund for what we created it for, to pay for an expense that we didn’t plan, to keep us from accumulating more debt.

I realized soon after how important the emergency fund really is.  It isn’t just about avoiding more debt.  As I type this, about 45 days after having bought the new tires, I can look back and see that what mattered, more than anything else, was knowing as we came through that setback that we hadn’t lost any ground on our progress toward paying off the debt.  That was big for us.

I remember distinctly one day contemplating this on the way to work, wondering if this is ever going to end.  We’d had a major family event in January that cost a lot of the money we would have put toward debt, then in February we had to replace the tires on the Z.  I wondered if the initial progress we’d had was just an illusion; it seemed at the current rate we’d never be done.

Then I remembered Uncle Sam owed me some money.

I quickly did the math.  I realized the difference the tax return would make, not only in attacking the deficit, but also in monthly cash flow.  Then I went on through the rest of the year and saw the debts just falling away.

It’s too early to say, but I wonder if the first part of the dance is the hardest part.  You know, the part where you think you’ll never, ever learn the steps.  Then suddenly, something happens and you make some major progress.  Suddenly you think maybe you’ll learn this dance after all.

Time will tell, but after gutting it out and having some recent wins, it seems like things are a bit brighter.

matt Finance 350z, Introspection

The game Forza Motorsport 2 took a step towards greatness tonight when it helped me answer that question you and I have both been wondering about our whole lives:  What would it be like to drive a 700HP blown Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in a demolition derby?

Answering difficult questions is one of the main things that great video games do.

As far as I’m concerned, a great video game is supposed to allow you to make virtual people do things that you would never do personally in real life.  By this I don’t just mean “fight aliens” either.  I also mean things like “fight aliens using only a chainsaw.”  Fighting aliens using only a chainsaw is not a recommended activity for a living person, because the aliens are likely to shoot you with too many fireballs before you can get close enough to saw them.  But I think it is a great thing for a virtual person to do.

Some people disagree with this assertion.  They want video games to resemble actual life.  These are the kind of people who do not have a real life and so they obtain a Second Life.  They grade games based on how “realistic” they are.

Not me.  The point of playing a video game is to escape reality, not create more reality.  The point of playing a video game is to answer difficult questions, the kind that cannot be answered in reality.

Here are some very key questions that, thanks to video games, we have the answers to:

• Is it possible to obtain victory in a military conflict without actually harvesting any vespene gas or training any combat units?
  • Answer:  Yes — at least if you are a Protoss.  Simply build a forge and then overwhelm the enemy with a plethora of photon cannons.  (StarCraft)
• What do you do when a new neighbor moves in next door, paints the entire house black, and goes about the neighborhood wearing a black fisherman’s poncho and sporting a handheld fish hook, looking eerily exactly like the villain in “I Know What You Did Last Summer”?
  • Answer:  You walk over, greet him, and invite yourself inside.  (The Sims)
• What happens when you run into oncoming traffic in a firetruck going around 80 mph?
  • Answer:  Most cars go flying out of your way.  (Grand Theft Auto 3)
• Can Chad Reed win Glen Helen on my KX 250?
  • Answer:  Yes; in fact, he has done so in convincing fashion many times, despite some pretty wicked crashes.  (Motocross Madness 2)
• What is the shortest possible street circuit of any consequence that you can have in London?
  • Answer:  Start in front of the National Gallery.  Drive as fast as you can around Trafalgar Square, back in front of the National Gallery again.  This circuit is known as “Tinier Tim.”  (Project Gotham Racing 3)

I’ve said before, and reaffirm here, that some characteristics of good computer games are to a) allow user generated content and b) allow you to play the game in an alternate way.  These traits, along with c) CHEAT CODES, are very helpful if a video game is going to help answer difficult questions.  As examples, consider the Project Gotham Racing series.  PGR3 includes a track editor.  PGR4 does not.  So, despite having many more tracks and cars, PGR4 will never attain the level of excellentness that PGR3 has attained.  And consider The Sims, an otherwise horrible game.  But it is possible to create neighborhoods with rich coeds and mass murderers and really pathetically poor people, and then run their lives in evil, twisted, masochistic ways.  And Sim Survivor, don’t forget!  Finally, let’s not underestimate the significance of the phrase “give us a tank” to the success of Grand Theft Auto 3!

Forza Motorsport 2 is a driving simulator, and it seems pretty intent on achieving a high degree of realism.  This isn’t exactly a sin, but why would I be interested in driving a Ford Focus in a simulation?  Driving a Ford Focus cannot possibly be fun in real life; how could it be fun in virtual life?

This is a major drawback, until you start winning and earning credits.  Suddenly, you can do some fun things, like buy a virtual car that looks exactly like your real 2003 Nissan 350Z, but then add every upgrade so now your Z is a 215mph race car.

Or you can answer the question that’s been plaguing you for ages, “What would it be like to drive a 700HP blown Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in a demolition derby?”  Since, admirably, Forza Motorsport 2 allows you to drive backwards (unlike some ultra-lame racing games), you can easily answer this question for yourself.

(If you are confused, “backwards” means “around the track in the opposite direction”, which is something that is obviously awesome, not “driving in reverse”, which is something that is only arguably awesome.)

True, it lacks cheat codes and user-generated content.  I’m not allowed to really excellent things, like drive my car into the grandstands (all possible in Motocross Madness 2).  So Forza Motorsport 2 may never achieve true greatness.  But the ability to drive backwards is definitely a step in the right direction.

matt Humor 350z, Gaming, Hobbies, Microsoft, Motocross

Front end alignment is a well-documented problem with 2003 Nissan 350Zs; I knew this when I bought my Z.  This can be slightly exacerbated when you have a lowered suspension, like my Z has.  I knew this too.

I have been intending to have an alignment done for months.  Really.

Last Tuesday I was driving home from work at, uh, 66 miles per hour in that level of traffic that is just before it gets so heavy that it starts to back up.  I had been noticing this slight vibration when driving over the past couple of days, and had been thinking, “I’m going to need to get that looked at pretty soon here.”  I was coming through the chute into East Bay in Provo and this vibration started getting quite a bit worse.  And worse.  And worse.  I had this feeling, “Maybe I’ll just pull off here in East Bay and take it to the Les Schwab dealer to have them take a look at it.”

So I started slowing down and pulling over into the exit lane.  I kinda figured the vibration would mellow out as I slowed down, but it just kept getting worse even as I brought it down below 30 and even 20 miles per hour.

Having already taken the off-ramp and turned onto University Parkway, I felt a pretty solid thump as I crossed a tar strip and decided to just pull over and take a quick look.  When I got out, I immediately noticed my driver’s side front tire was completely flat.

My Z has 19″ custom wheels so I really didn’t want to drive on the rims, even just the ½ mile down to the tire dealer.  Changing the tire was a brutal ordeal, with me having had surgery on my right knee 2 months ago and surgery on my left knee less than two weeks ago.

When I pulled the wheel off, I saw the problem:  Against the inside edge along the rolling surface of the tire, a two-inch-wide wear strip had worn right through the tire and threads around the entire circumference of the tire.  There were several large holes, a half inch wide and up to three or four inches long, along the innermost edge of the tire.

Apparently, that is a large enough hole for the air to escape.

I put the spare on, tried to cram the wheel in the back with the subwoofer box (fail), and set out down the road toward the tire dealer.  I hadn’t gone 100 yards when I heard a loud BOOOOM! in the front right corner.  I pulled over again and took a look:  The passenger side front tire had gone flat also.  This one didn’t go flat gradually, though, like the driver’s side tire, but was a sudden burst.

I don’t carry two spares so I didn’t have much choice other than to limp in to the tire dealer on the flat front.  The new 235/35ZR19 Toyo Proxes 4s will be installed tomorrow, only 220 bones apiece.

Novell Provo is right there in East Bay so I called one of my old Novell buddies who was still at work to give me a ride home.  I’ve been driving the old Grand Prix in the meantime.

I dread to think what might have happened if that right front tire had blown out like that while I was still going 80-er, 66 on the freeway.  With the traffic density I almost certainly would have wrecked into someone else, like the big semi that was riding along my right side at the time.  I’m really grateful I listened to that prompting to slow down and pull off the freeway when I did.  I’m convinced that the Holy Ghost was whispering that thought into my mind to keep me from becoming seriously injured.

Which is how I know that it is not a sin to speed.  Since I was exceeding the posted limit at the time (by one mile per hour), if it were truly a sin there is no way I could have heard that still small voice.

Sweet.

matt Cars 350z

A while back I challenged both of my readers to do something hard this year and mentioned that there were some important, hard things we were going to do this year.  Well, I’m fessin’ up.  One of the hard things we’re going to do this year is get out of debt once and for all.

Well, mostly.  Hopefully.

A few months ago a friend of mine mentioned that he and his wife were reading this book by some guy named Dave Ramsey.  I’ve read a lot of finance books and maybe I’ll even recommend some here one day.  The book sounded interesting so I went and picked it up.  Amber and I have been reading it together.

Then I had that epiphany a couple of months ago.  I realized that I would thank myself for the rest of my life for being willing to tackle such a difficult challenge this year.  I actually started getting excited about getting out of debt, thinking how awesome it would be to overcome this massive challenge and to have so much free cash every month.  I put together a two-page spreadsheet, one containing a budget plan with a leftover total at the bottom, the other containing a list of our debts, the interest rates of each, balances of each, and a debt snowball.  This way I could tweak the budget and see how it would affect the debt snowball.

With a little work and some sacrifice I could see how we could have every one of our debts, except our home, paid off in a year.  Or so.  And, I could even keep the Z.  (Insert big sigh of relief here – whew!)

So we’re doing it.  All in.  We’ll have our first debt paid off within a week or so, and we’ll be moving on already to the next one.

It is really hard.  That’s how I know it will be totally worth it.

matt Finance 350z, Introspection

(Warning:  I’ve realized that when I wrote about that Ferrari before, I felt no guilt because it was not my Ferrari.  Now, even though a 350Z is no Ferrari, I feel guilt writing about it because it is mine.  So here’s the deal:  I’m going to write about my 350Z, because this is my blog and I want to.  I’m not boasting about it.  Okay, maybe I am.  I don’t care.  If you don’t like it, don’t read it.)

I said this already, but Project CRX is dead.  Or at least very, very dormant.

I had a CRX before.  I loved it.  Nobody else loved it but me.  The faded, chipping paint with the peeling clearcoat.  The black body with the contrasting white driver’s side door.  The rust spots that marred every body panel, discriminating against none.  The threadbare, torn seats and carpet.  The 200,000+ miles.  Yes, it was a car only it’s owner could love.

One of the best things about my 350Z is that it reminds me of my old CRX.  Or rather, what my old CRX would have been like if it had good paint, no rust, matching body panels, nice interior, and 300 horsepower.  Anyway, now that I have this 350Z, my yearning for a CRX has suddenly disappeared.

Cars are like people:  You love them more when you serve them.  This is why project cars are dangerous.  But I’m a man in touch with my inner feelings, and I’m not afraid to love my car.  So I’ve been doing some work to fix a few minor things here and there.  I’ve put an amplifier and subwoofer in to fix the pathetic lack of bass.  I bought an Escort Passport 8500 x50 and installed it discretely by hiding most of the wiring behind the dash and tapping directly into the stereo wiring for power.  I downloaded PDF copies of the stereo owner’s manual and the 350Z owner’s manual because the car came with neither.  I bought a brand new remote on the Internet to arm and disarm the security system that came with it.  I found an excellent site to help me with my project quest.

But now I have a problem.  My car came with some really sweet 19″ Carré CS-2 wheels, but two of the wheels are missing center caps.  I’ve been looking around trying to figure out where I can get some, but I’m not finding any good leads.  I finally went to a Les Schwab dealer nearby who does not sell them either, but gave me a phone number of a place that carries them.  I contacted this dealer with high hopes, but they were dashed.  Carré is out of business.  He has no extra wheel caps and cannot get them.

So now it is up to you, dear readers.  Find me my two Carré wheel caps.  If you help me, I will reward you greatly by mentioning your name on my blog, which is sure to bring you fame, fortune, and an abundance of babes.

matt Cars 350z, CRX, Ferrari