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Geeks, Computers and Cars? 85

Posted by Cliff from the shared-interests dept.
bray asks: "Its come to my attention over the years that my fellow geeks all seem to share the same habits I do. Lots of caffine, little sleep, long nights of tweaking my PC, etc. But what I really want to know is how many of my fellow Slashdot readers are also classic car buffs? I've noticed that quite a few of my friends have brought some old beast back to life and are driving it around. I own a 1962 Thunderbird and recently aquired a 1955 Thunderbird. So how about it? How many Slashdotters out there have bought a classic back to life? "
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Geeks, Computers and Cars? More

Geeks, Computers and Cars?

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  • Actually, my father was always the one who into cars. He used to do the drag racing thing and car hotrodding when he was young.

    Then recently, I was reading Popular Science and saw a car I really want. I showed my dad, and he was impressed.

    It's a very geek car. It's extremely configurable so should appeal to those, like me, who use Linux for that reason. It's not terribly expensive. It's aesthetically pleasing. It's actually an unlikely hybrid of many cars. A 20's roadster with a future "space" look. It's small and big at the same time. It's smaller than a minivan, shorter than a station wagon, larger than a compact. It's quite funky looking.

    Most importantly, I can fit stuff in it, because I happen to be a musician. Great for lugging computers around, too.

    Check it out at www.chryslercars.com [chryslercars.com].
  • I agree. I have never been 'into' cars, actually, quite the contrary; I had an intense fear of cars for the longest time. I wouldn't drive or even ride in them. I would ride my bike all over the place instead. Now I drive though.

    I have no urge to own a car, new or classic. They are so expensive.. especially while I am saving for school. Not to mention that anything as inefficient as a combustion engine (especially classic muscle cars) is silly.

    With all that aside, I don't think it is an intreset in classic cars that geeks share.. it is classic anything that we are interested in. And I'm not talking about stamp collecting either.

    How good does it feel to find an old copy of 'Programming Perl' or a commodore 64 in the original box at a swap meet? I have a fetish for old clicky keyboards (I am always amazed that 'soft, silent keys' are listed as a feature on modern keyboards).

    Who hasn't riffled through their own (or their parent's) record collection turning those songs into mp3's? For me, finding cheesy 80's pop still in the wrapper at liquidation world is a thrill.

    I have my own horde of strange computer equipment that is older than I am and doesn't seem to have any purpose or standard around it (like a stack of serial hubs I found once), but it intreges me and that is why it is still in my house.

    And I think that is it. As 'post modern geeks' we look at old things and are amazed that they were created without all the modern marvels we use to create today; it is hard to imagine designing a 747 without CAD, but it was done*.


    * I think I remember hearing that they designed it with 'pencils and paper', but I may be wrong.
  • I am a general car enthusiast. Classics are very nice, but I am also into the newer models. Offroad trucks is one of the things that I am into, but performance at the same time a lot. Oh yea, if anyone would have a tip on a manual transmission (that can handle quite a bit of power) to put into a 1991 GMC Sierra without a great deal of modification I would appreciate it. I can appreciate the classic cars a great deal though. I enjoy working on them and restoring them.
  • I used to have a '75 Firebird, and I dumped more money into that rustbucket than I ever thought a person making minimum-wage at a fast-food joint could. Engine swaps, transmission kits, tires, new sheetmetal, and did I mention tires? :) I worked to own a car, and I owned a car to go to work. Nasty cycle. :P

    I eventually got rid of that car, however, as I needed something more reliable to get me to a real job on a daily basis. (Growing up sucks.) Ever since I got rid of that car, though, I have found myself wanting an old car or truck again, I still want a nice place in the country with a big ass barn to put all my cars in. :) And.. i've also been collecting old stuff non-car related as well.

    I'm a big collector of old MaBell stuff... back in the days of step central offices and *real* desk phones that actually rang with a bell. I'm intrigued by sites like Phone Trips [wideweb.com] that have managed to put the era into a sort of modern-day time capsule for everyone to reminisce in.

    There's definately something about slashdot 'geek' types and old stuff. I too have been amazed when I get to some new place at work and find a stack of arcnet hubs taped to the top of a 1981 key telephone system.. and it's all still in use... with a note to "Bang here if network is down" taped to the front.

    It all seems to be related... as the other post here about BBS's [slashdot.org] says... I used to run a BBS system too, and miss those as well.

    Guess this pegs me as a product of the 80's. :-)

    -Steve
    --
    Windows: Boring and mundane, even at 3am with little sleep.
    Linux: A rewarding challenge.. even at high noon!
  • I have owned several older cars, but it all grew out of a Volkswagen addiction I have overcome.

    I drove a 1958 VW Bus (Type II) for a long time).

    I loved that I could get into my bus, with my standard-sized toolbox, a five-foot breaker bar, and drive anywhere I wanted and fix anything that went wrong with it. And I could sleep there too!

    Now I drive a Honda Accord. It starts everyday, under every condition. And I don't need that toolbox.

  • Oh boy (Score:2)

    by jfunk ( 33224 )
    Old stuff... Where to begin :-)*

    I too, collect old computers. I have actually put old character cell terminals into use. Tomorrow I should get a brand new 13w3 cable so I can get my new-to-me Sun 3/80 up and running as an X-terminal. Add to that all of the old TRS-80s, C64s, etc. that I don't actually use, but I have. I can't bring myself to throw them out. I seems such a waste.

    I also have a collection of old video game consoles. Coleco, Intellivision, 2600, 7800, etc.

    Old music gear, too. I have a late 60's Ampeg B-15N which is always what I play bass through. It's funny because the younger kids look at it and say, "what a piece of crap." While the older guys (especially sound guys) make large offers on it (no sale, don't bother trying) and fawn over it. I played one time and went over to the sound guy who had never done sound for us before to tell him, "Ok, no DI (bass goes directly to board, amp is only used for monitor). That amp will either be miked or, if you prefer, run into the board *after* the amp (got a nice output jack on the back, great for recording)." He said, "An amp like that? There's no way I'm letting you go DI."

    Yes, Virginia, there are geeks in the music world, and they are just as nostalgic.

  • Re:I used to drive an old car... . (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I drove a 1958 VW Bus (Type II) for a long time).

    The original poster mentioned classic cars. I'm sure he didn't think of VW Bus's when he wrote that ;). Seriously, VW Bus's seem to me to be the core of what a hack would drive. Easy to fix air cooled engines and interiors with plenty of space for lots of computers, monitors, and radio equipment. My uncle (geek extraordinaire) has driven VW minibus (as he called it) since he bought his first car. In 1980, I went to a local HAM users group meeting with him. Out of the (wild-guess from old memory) 75 cars in the parking lot, over half were VW vans. Amazing. A good portion of them had interesting features. More than a few had replaced the seats in the back with bean bags, mattresses, or small couches. A few had generators or Winnebago-style airconditioners on their roofs or on the ledge above the engine. A small portion had more than a dozen fans spread around the interior (this was in southern GA and most of the bus's were made before air conditioning was available). Many had huge roof racks (for carrying what? an apartment worth of furniture?). More than a few had snow tires on them (for what, this was in GA?). Almost all of them had plenty of antennas on them. The vans were as different from each other as the geeks (err, members) were from each other. Man, mention of the minibus takes me back. When some people mention "old time hackers" on slashdot, people follow-up with stories about BBS's. When I think of an "old time hacker" I think of a VW minibus stuffed to the roof with crap.

    Now I drive a Honda Accord.

    That's unexpected. A /. poster who picks their car not for technical reasons, but because of superior marketing. Bah!

  • Case in point: last week I was talking to a fellow sysadmin about ideal vehicles and it was interesting how close our interests were. He wanted something like a VW Eurovan with a tdi engine and a 40 gallon fuel tank and 4wd. He has a Suburban with 4wd (not full time) and two fuel tanks (just under 70 gallons) and a 6.5 idi turbodeisel. I got an Econoline with a 7.4l tdi V8 and a 38 gallon fuel tank, and I want 4wd. His fiance has a Jeep Gladiator with a Cummins 5.9 in it (no, it didn't come that way). My fiance has an old Jetta deisel that she will not let go of for love or money. Observations (probably only relevant to sysadmins -- programmers always want weenie cars, like RX-7s): 1. deisels are well like, largely because they cannot be killed by conventional weapons if properly cared for and have lives measured in decades 2. everyone needs 4wd, ABS *that*can*be*disconnected*, and locking diffs sometimes -- and when you need them, you REALLY need them 3. same with a 200:1 low range (in case you need to climb a telephone pole) 4. sturdy bodies are nice, as are roll cages 5. all BOFHs have a serious emergency kit, including a fire extinguisher (when was the last time that an engine fire was cheaper than a fire extinguisher?) 6. BOFHs keep the beast for a long time (they take care of their tools) I, for one, want a UNIMog (sp?) with a modern deisel (I could have gotten one with a 2.5l I6, but that didn't seem torquey enough, and it blew up for the new owner, too), and human skulls on spikes on the front of it, just to give the right impression when I drive into work.
  • My poison currently is a `73 Chevy C10 Stepside. Just got it back from the paintshop two days ago. We're putting in a 400hp V8, four barrel carb, electronic ignition, power steering, oak & stainless steel decking kit, reupholstered seats, aluminum header, got - everything. It's really facinating to see how computers have become the cars of yesterday. Think about it - everyone in the 60s and 70s grew up working on cars. Everyone I know today has grown up working on computers. 30 years ago, if your car broke down, you fixed it. By yourself. Today, when my computer crashes, I fix it. By myself. What's more interesting, it's next to impossible to fix a car today. There's way too many electronic parts involved. Short of a simple mechanical problem, you have to take your car to the shop to fix *anything* wrong with it. I think the same thing will happen with computers - in 30 years no one will have a damn clue what is going on with them, they'll be so complicated. And pervasive. If your toaster or wall crashed tomorrow, would you know how to fix it? No.
    --
    "Some people say that I proved if you get a C average, you can end up being successful in life."

  • Re:Not only classics here... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Offroad trucks is one of the things that I am into, but performance at the same time a lot

    Offroad trucks? I'm still waiting for someone to build the ultimate geek/weekend repairman offroad vehicle. It would have an easy to repair engine. Preferably, it would be air-cooled like an old VW or some of the awesome newer offroaders from the Czech Republic. As you can see from all of the backyard maintained VW's and 911's, they're pretty simple to keep going. That's important when you're miles from civilization. Ever try to find a water pump for a newer Chevy in Central America or even find a way to plug a busted radiator in the middle of nowhere? You won't have either of those problems with an air cooled engine. I'd even be interested in an air cooled 2-cycle. I've driven a couple of trucks with 2-cycle engines and they build-up power at an amazing rate, so you don't have to use gearing that is quite as low. I've seen too many busted differentials to not wonder if having those huge/expensive low-ratio gears contribute to the failures. Also, I've seen a backwoods Mexican blacksmith make a rod for a 2-cycle 4x4 engine. A guy who made horseshoes and fixed pots could fabricate parts for the damn thing, amazing. It would be a refreshing change from my friends new Toyota 4x4 that has a DOHC engine. Imagine trying to get help fixing that monstrosity when you don't speak the same language as the mechanics where you break-down, and Toyota parts (or hell any package) could be a week or two coming.

    I'd also prefer something rear-engined to give more room for the front suspension. It's hard to get decent suspension travel with the engine in the way (well, unless your 4x4 is as wide as a damn humvee, of course then it can't go on many trails because the rocks or trees are too close together). A good friend of mine just moved the V8 in his Toyota pickup to the back, and with some major mods (can you say, hood cut-outs), he now has almost 30" of suspension travel up front. In addition, it gets some of that horrible front-end weight off that seems to get you in trouble when it comes to approaching mud or wet sand too fast (or is that just me?). Also, not cluttering-up the front-end means that the suspension components are easier to get to, to inspect, and to fix. On a baja bug a few years ago, I was with a friend of mine when he noticed a crack on the front suspension arm. He couldn't have done that if there was an engine in the way. We could have been stuck 40 miles from the nearest phone when it broke (or run over on the interstate on the way to the woods, that might have been worse). Also, there's not the immense space problem under the hood that forces most manufacturers to compromise on space for a good suspension over the space for the engine.

    Most importantly for a "geek" truck, would be simple to reproduce (== repair) body components. Tube steel frames with flat sheet metal body parts. I'd love to be able to cut a piece of sheet metal (can you imagine a paper trace kit like a seemstress would use to cut cloth for a dress?) to replace the driver's side fender I keep ruining on my van (yes, I have a 4x4 full-size chevy van) rather than buying a used one from a junk yard. It shouldn't take a multi-$K machine all day with an experience/expensive operator to recreate simple sheet metal body parts like it does for the 4x4's sold in the US today. Even the damn wheel wells are plastic or if they're metal, then they're hard to recreate curves. Also, I want to be able to take a cut-out piece of sheet-metal to replace the grill rather than replace 9 plastic and metal pieces like I did on my van recently to replace damage done by a limb 0.5" in diameter (small limb pokes grill == $300 worth of repair parts, sigh). The body repair costs on 4x4's sold in the US today are insane. I want to be able to fabricate my own body parts using raw sheel metal, screws, and a hack saw!

    a manual transmission (that can handle quite a bit of power) to put into a 1991 GMC Sierra without a great deal of modification

    Can't help you there. Last GMC pickup I drove off-road didn't have a transmission. The (crazy) owner claimed he got the idea from driving his brother's Sprint car. 0-40 Mph with no gears, no clutch, no reverse, and no park! If you came to a complete (or near it) stop, then it'd stall. The starter accelerated the damn truck when you engaged it. If you got stuck so that the wheels were hard to spin or the truck couldn't move forward, then the starter wouldn't start the truck. He built it to keep at his house on the coast of Nicaragua and claimed that it would save him a lot of trouble time and expense on transmission repairs. Some people are really hard-core. Why spend money of a trans when you can bolt the damn engine (basically) to the wheels?

  • 383HP, 4 barrel Halley carb...

    Man, did that thing have power! Well, compared to my current car, a 1988 Ford Escort. Unfortunately I had to sell the beast. I had bought the thing when I was 19, and had dreams of restoring it. Then reality set in, I had to pay for university...

    I do take pride in the fact the I did rescue it from certain death. Rumours tell me that it's almost fully restored...



  • Ack! In Columbus OH (USA) there's a dealership with only classic mustangs. Talk about a room full of 30 year old chrome!

    Here's my dream car. [karmustang.com]

    And here's a car [infinet.com] I had the good fortune to own for about three weeks. And then sold it. ... don't ask
  • What a kick ass car. I would LOVE to own/drive a Supra Turbo. DAMN.

    I had an encounter w/ one back when I had a 96 Mustang GT (1st year for new engine, 'nuff said). I got passed doing 100 mph on an onramp. I was doing 100, he just came from behind and KICKED MY ASS. (We were playing around before; I do not drive 100mph for my own benefit). In my heart of hearts, I have to believe it had major mods internally, because of the small and tasteful (!!!) TRD sticker, 18" chrome wheels, shiny exhaust, etc.

    I just sighed and remembered when a Miata tried to cut me off earlier that day. Ha ha ha!
  • Like a majority of the posters, I've got my 77 El Camino, 80 Caprice, and 85 3/4 ton truck, all with far-too-powerful V8's and all with a signifigant amount of non-stock parts attached. The caprice even has a computer inside to play mp3's and show all my car buddies that I'm a geek at heart. :)

    As far as the guy with no room for working on a car and no time to find parts - If you really love cars you'll find time to work on them, and you'll find a way to work on them. I know I'd never give up my current home for an aartment with no place to park an extra car. With regards to reliability, well, snce I've got room to work no my car, I've got room to make it reliable. All cars can potentially break down, but the cars I've built can also be fixed on the side of the road. Just like any car built by somene with a love of the "sport".

    Of course, a large part of my time's spent hotrodding my computer too... :)

  • You ever see the rail style of dune buggies? They sound like what you would want.... Mid engine, they run on air cooled vw type engines, and they are very simple. Check out dune-buggy.com . They have some stuff about them... if nothing else then pictures.
  • Back in high school, I owned a '76 Trans Am. Fun, fun car to drive: 455 cubic inches, bored to 462, 4 speed manual tranny, 3.53 positraction rear end, quarter-ton racing clutch... Not too great in rush hour, but fun none-the-less.

    (When the clutch on the Trans Am went out, I ended up getting a '76 Chevy Monza. Picture a car a little bigger than an Escort with a 5.0 liter V-8. No positraction, but a fun car nonetheless. Made it easy to find the mid-late 70's Camaros with the same 305 engines, and just slaughter 'em off the line, since they're toting another 500lbs of weight)

    I ended up having to get rid of it since I couldn't afford to keep fixing it, and driving 30 miles to and from work getting 10 mpg just wasn't feasible, and I had a second car (Mazda 323) anyways. I missed that Trans Am for a long, long time, until I got my current car:

    1991 Eagle Talon TSi AWD. It absolutely rocks. The amount of support available on the internet is unmatched by any other car, period. And the potential for upgrading the 1990-1999 Talon/Eclipse/Laser (They're all basically the same car, referred to as "DSM's" for Diamond Star Motors,a collaberation between Mopar and Mitsubishi) is just amazing. All-wheel drive absolutely rocks in the winter (especially after driving that Trans Am..) I've spent about 500 bucks upgrading the Talon, and it's _easily_ faster than my Trans Am ever was, all out of 2.0 liters and 4 cylinders. If there's a car for hackers, it's a turbo DSM. (The old Trans Am did a standing quarter-mile in about 14.2 seconds, my Talon's best is 13.70. Half a second doesn't sound like much, but in drag racing, it's an eternity). 500 bucks (new exhaust, and a boost controller to raise the turbo from 9psi to 15, or 19-20ish on race gas) and I've taken a 190 horsepower 4-cylinder up to about 275.


    I recently picked up an '85 Audi 5000S turbo for an amazingly good price for the purpose of restoring/rebuilding most of it. Turbo cars are just too much fun.

    Maybe if I didn't live in Wisconsin I'd be more inclined to pick up a 'classic' muscle car to work on again, but after 2 winters in the Trans Am, I'm a little hesitant to do it. Still, if one popped up for the right price, I don't think I could turn down a '72 Trans Am Super-Duty. Drop $800 on a GOOD set of tires, another $1500 for a supercharger.. Mmm.


  • Tricked out Firechickens, ill-handling Mopars, and "yet another" Mustang do not geek vehicles make.

    Check out the Death Wing. A 1981 Honda Interstate. Four different colors, body parts from at least two different bikes. And let's not forget the sidecar.

    For 'reliable' transport (something some of you seem to need) there is the 1999 BMW R1100R with ABS. Fuel Injection. Yeah, not a big deal with autos, but serious high tech stuff for bikes. And let's not forget that bone stock, this rather slow and lowly bike is still capable of pulling ~12.25 in the 1/4.

    But I must admit that I have a 1996 Mercury Mystique (5 spd, V-6) for most transport, and a 1981 Olds Diesel Wagon (Why??? Because I can swap in a 455 without pissing off the emissions inspectors in MD:)

  • My first car was a '77 Olds Cutlass, no rear bumper when I bought it, a rust bucket that you'd have had to see to beleive. Wound up bolting a 2x6 on as a bumper after the cops threatened to impound it. The rear axle was held in place with bailing wire; the little bracket on the spring that was supposed to have a hole that the axle fit into had a slot, so the wire kept the slop down.

    It was so rusted out that I lost a spare tire out the side of the trunk one day, taking a curve a bit hard. We bungeed the trunk lid down, punched holes in the top, and called it a "speed sensitive spoiler".

    It had a Rocket 350 engine in it, we only ever lost one stoplight drag race, to a Porsche, IIRC. The car became unstable over 90MPH or so but it never took long to get there. It was a bit loud as the exhaust system ended just after the Y joint. No need for neon to make the underside of the car glow at night.

    It had a little plastic skull for a hood ornament, half inch steel mesh for a front grille, and little stick figure people, dogs, mailboxes, baby carriges, etc painted on the doors. When it pulled out of a parking space it left it's mark: an outline of little rust chips and the occasional small suspension part. Never did leak any oil.

    To meet it was to fear it, to pass it was near impossible, non-vital repairs were unthinkable. Who needs the front brakes when the rear still work?

    I miss that car.



  • The SR-71 spy plane was designed with slide rules. Mach 4+ was it's top speed, which is the world record air speed.

    (I was told this at an air show when I was in my early teens and don't have a reference)
  • Perhaps you can reengineer the sensors. Had an 80's LTD that refused to run right after I fitted it for a hotter cam and a Holley. The air flow sensor, which the computer would not function without, thought the measurement it had was screwy and retarded the timing. Replacing the distributor with an aftermarket (or older) points-type unit wasn't feasable, nor was an aftermarket computer; No money left in my pocket. The sensor was simple enough, supplying a variable resistance to the computer. I simply added my own resistor to the sensor loop, and tweaked away.
  • I've owned quite a few 'classic' cars: 68 Mercedes 280SE/8, 1976 Ford LTD, 1979 Camaro Berlinetta, etc. I think it comes down to the 'tweak' issue. Geeks like to tweak. 1970 Nova == tweakable. 1990 Mercury Sable == tweak_it_and_it_dies. If I wanted to, I could walk out to my Camaro and adjust a few hundred run-time parameters easily, from raw timing to how far the reverse position on my Hurst is from the tuning knob on the radio. About the only thing I can adjust on my 1992 Topaz is the radio station presets.

    On a related subject. I've noticed that geeks often go for the '400hp rustbucket' over the less involved 'visually stunning stock'. In my case I can attribute it to my horrible lack of skill in body work. (I can rebuild a FMX, yet Bondo eludes me). I'm sure that isn't the case for all of us. What's the deal?

  • I don't work 80 hours a week (I work 40), I'm paid fairly well, I anticipate being able to afford my own house with its very own driveway once I'm out of college, and my life generally tends to suck a whole lot less than it sounds like yours does. Why on earth do people torture themselves by getting jobs in Silicon Valley, where the poverty line is $65K a year, the traffic is horrible, and property values per square foot of land are the highest on the planet? It sure as hell can't be for the job benefits -- working 80 hours a week, even for dubiously valuable stock options, doesn't sound like my idea of fun. Is crack cocaine cheap there or something? Because I'd need some sort of psychotropic substance to alter my reality enough that I'd consider living and working in Sunnyvale worthwhile.

    Sorry, but I fully anticipate having my own, nice car(s) in a couple of years and not having to worry about making the month's rent.

    - A.P.
    --


    "One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad

  • I was very suprised that some many /.'ers drove big, innefficient beasts! I had (have) a VW fetish, and drover around in a beautiful but floorless 78 SuperBeetle Convertible. Practicality got to me, and now I drive a 3 cylinder 97 Geo Metro. I drive it from Winnipeg, Canada to New York City at least twice a year (just under 2k miles each way) and the odometer is just about at 30k miles. Very effecient, extreemly reliable, fun to drive. Mechanically simple like all cars should be...

  • I still drive the same vechial I had in high school, and my goal is to show up at my 50th reunion in my daily driver, the same S10 I drove in high school.

    I can afford a new car, I seriously considered one, but have you been to a new car lot lately? JUNK us all I can find, and if I'm gonna drive old junk it may as well be what I got. I need clearence. I need 4wd, with lockers, and the 200:1 gear ratio because I do get into situations that I need those. (Its always fun to pass a stuck 4wd in my 2wd, but the lack of traction means I have to both plan a head, and be lucky. Helps that few people know how ot drive 4wds though) And you should see the look salemen get when I tell them flat out I refuse to even look at an automatic transmission. If I didn't have better things to do I'd spend more time going dealer to dealer.

    Although I've been considereing buying my friend's 74 corvette. I figgure that it would only cost twice my income to drive it to work every day. (although 1000 horsepower is nice to have on call all the time) 1-2 mpg, $7.50-8 a gallon (anything less then the highest grade 109 octane gas will knock the engine to pieces quickly(, 25 miles to work. Or, better add in someplace to stop half way to work cause some days traffic is bad enough that I'd not make it on a tank, it is a given that I store fuel at work)

  • I'm going to fall in the minority here, but I for one tend not to like cars, for many reasons, including environmental reasons. I'm into cycling, but I'm not a freak about it. That is, I don't have to have all the high-tech, high-buck$ equipment; I just have a good bike and like to ride. Last year I put more than 2000 km on my Trek.

    However, I do agree that we (geeks in general) tend to be nonconformists with society at large. Often, in defiance of society, we end up choosing the same things as other geeks. Whether or not we choose the same things out of conformity with each other, or just by chance, is not clear to me. In my case, I just try to be myself. I don't try to fit what society expects of me as a "normal" person, nor what it expects of me as a "geek."
  • I'd have to agree that I've noticed the same thing pretty much. Although classic cars aren't my hobby (I very much appreciate their beauty and all, I just don't find them effective rock crawling or getting through a bog), I do spend more time tinkering with my Jeep than could be considered healthy. There is also a very large Jeep community on the net, and I've noticed the same for other makes of vehicles. It's nice to see that I'm not the only geek that spends a lot of time outside in the sunshine. :)

    My Jeep (and other trucks): http://red.muddy.tj/ [muddy.tj]
    The 4x4 club I belong to: http://www.mudnuts.org/ [mudnuts.org]

  • Up here in rainy Seattle, the geeks ride motorcycles. Easy parking, you can use the diamond-lane, and gals think you're something other than a pasty-skinned misfit.

    Anything old and Japanese turns my crank, but I'm starting to think Moto-Guzzi. Ducatis and their clones are what I dream of, but I like my license, my savings and shaft-drive.

    Most biker geeks I know ride Harleys or other V-twin cruisers.

    As a side note, the bike of zealots seems to be BMW. When the weather gets cold and wet, the BMWs keep riding while the cruiser cream-puffs and sportbike dilletantes get back in their cages. For rice-queens like me, it depends on whether the bike with good brakes is running.

  • As an owner of both a 93 Eagle Talon TSi AWD and a 95 Eclipse GST, I would have to say the reliability of these cars has been pretty high for me. Having owned several Hondas before purchasing these cars, I have something to base my opinion on.

    A lot of people think they're unreliable because the internet DSM mailing list seems to have a lot of posts about problems and how to fix them. However, you have to understand that a DSM owner fixes their own car in their garage, rather than the average Honda owner who drives it to their local dealer. They're lot like Linux users - find what's broken and hack till it works. My cars have never had any problems at all and the 93 has 108k miles on it now.

    As far as the comparison to the GSR, a non-turbo DSM is no match. Buy a turbo if you're gonna buy one and you'll thank yourself later. My 93 has been slightly modified (exhaust, air intake, boost set to 14psi) and can do 0-60 in 4.9sec on normal everyday street gas. There aren't many cars that can compete in a race from a red light (just ask any V8 owners where I live..haha). AWD is awesome! I would highly recommend it.

    For the ultimate guide on DSMs in general go to Club DSM [dsm.org]. I don't think there's a more knowledgeable group anywhere else on the internet.

    Brian
  • Hah!

    Same story here, except mine was the '80s version of the same model. 1980 was when they introduced the 'aerodynamic' version of that model, which basically meant nothing, except that they all seemed to leave the factory with bad paint jobs.

    That damned engine had to be rebuilt after about 60,000 miles. My father (yeah, he 'let me use' the car) rebuilt that damnable engine twice.

    Funny you should mention speed--that machine started this crazy, deadly oscillation after it passed the 80mph mark. It was like at that speed the car just hit the perfect harmonic frequency with the road and started vibrating itself to death. I never passed 85, for fear of my life.

    Man, I miss that car, though. It was perfect for pimpin'!

  • Here in France a bunch of geeks are riding motorcycles too. Harleys are not very popular among geeks here, japonese mixers are when it's hot and sunny :).

    Wealthy geeks rides BMWs. A few buys Buells. Many Ducatis (my favorite is the 888). More and more Guzzis (the fun bike of the moment is the V11 Sport). A few Triumphs.

    If only I had enough money I would buy one of the last Cagiva Gran Canyon (they are replaced by the Navigator, with the TL1000's engine).

  • Some might not call them classics, (I beg to differ) but the Mazda RX-7 is the car I have a passion for. I got my first one 4 years ago, and purchased another one last fall, and fixed it up, gave it a new life.

    THe Rotary engine is a marvle of simplicity and efficency of design (not fuel, gas guzler..) means out of 1.3 Leters, you can get 280 HP. (Current Design, older designs can get 180HP)

    Sadly they don't import the RX-7 anymore to the US, but there is hope, read Rotary News [cep.net] for more info.
  • I am third generation car nut, and definitly a geek. Unfortunatly being a college student has made me too broke to be able to afford a classic car myself. I'd love a '73 Porsche 914 2.0 [dgi.net](perhaps the most underated sports car europe ever made). I currently own an '86 Audi 4000 Quattro, which if I had the money to fix it up could be one hell of a car (the european coupe version w/ a turbo is a potential "car of the century" [cotc.com]). My grandfather just sold his late '50s Ferrari (sorry for the spelling) a few years ago. Out in the garage at home is a '47 MG TC. I could go on and on when it comes to me and my family and cars. Our only problem is that they're too cheap to do much and I'm too poor.

  • VOLVO! (Score:2)

    by snack ( 71224 )
    I personaly drive a '89 Volvo 240 with 156,000 miles on it. Nothing added on except for the nice Aiwa stereo and speakers. I don't really care much for Horse Power it's got 114. Thats enough for me. The thing that matters is that 4 cars back can feel my music. :)


    -Tim
  • Agreed, not all Geeks live in the valley which is a great place to visit...

    I wax nostalgic about the BMW 2002's that I owned when I was in college so when someone local put a 1988 BMW M5 for sale in need of some TLC I hmmm, this would look nice next to my Saab 9K Turbo...
  • My cars are like my computers, cheap, slow, old and fully depreciated.

    I have an 88 Escort wagon that was totaled a few years ago, with a RedHat sticker on the back. 100k+ miles on it.

    My wife drives an 88 Subaru Wagon that reminds me on NT on a P90, lots of neat dohickeys, but too underpowered to do much (it overheats if you try to run the a/c in temps over 70 F).

    Computerwise, I have a few 386's in parts, a 486dx33 FreeBSD server, a 386/486 cyrix box that barely runs Linux, a 486slc50 laptop for email, a P90 that needs to be put together, and my flagship is another P90 with a CD burner.

    George
  • IMHO, cars and computers are very similar in that they both are complex systems running on simple pricipals. Computers, ones and zeros, switches on or off. Cars, it's fire, one of the oldest techs, used to move things. Anyway, my Dad and I work on cars and sell many of them. We do have a bunch that we keep for fun. Our current project: a 1973 BMW 3.0CS (black of course). Beautiful car, a geek's dream with all the power options, leather, and, of course, a stick shift. It kinda looks like the old Batmobile...
  • Oh, come on...take a look at the new Honda S2000...2.0 litres, 240 HP-at the back wheels! Plastic maybe, but that six speed manual is like a rifle bolt. And we were giving M3s, Boxters, and Audi TTs a run for their money. I personally did my fastest lap at Waterford racetrack in that S2000. And don't forget the Preludes, with four wheel steering. How cool is that?

    And I'm a BMW guy...
  • I'm a pseudo-classic car buff even more of an efficent car buff. I want to travel from point a to point b as fast as possible (Does this relate to download times?). Currently, I'm in the market for a new car that will make me an accomplish driver like I am in Gran Turismo 2 so I can compete in real-life time trials.

    Honda's S2000 and Toyota's MR-Spyder are two hot cars that I love to have. Neither are "classic" cars however the MR-Spyder is an ode to the "classic" sports car of the 60s which is a great trend.

  • I love old cars. I Have a 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner and a 1971 Dodge Charger. This might sound odd coming from a computer lover, but I HATE the fact that everything on new cars is computer controlled. They always talk about how the "computer" gives you better gas mileage. Let me explain something to y'all

    4000lb car, big block v8, quarter mile 13.5 seconds
    2000lb car, 4 cylinder, quarter mile 16.5 seconds.
    Am I the only one that sees that it's not the computer improving the gas mileage?! Come on its half the weight and half the power, of course it is going to get better gas mileage. Just hope you never have to get out of the way of a semi in any kind of a hurry cause whatever you saved on gas mileage you'll be spending on hospital bills
    Whats that? your still not convinced. Let's try some more numbers.

    My friend's 1997 Dodge Ram 3" Lift Kit 360 cubic inch motor. 13 MPG.
    1971 Dodge Challenger, 426 Hemi Motor, 13.1 second quarter mile. Totally stock. 12 mpg.
    There not a big difference there. The truck has a computer, shouldn't it be getting alot better gas mileage? NO!

    If one of my cars breaks down on me, it is very simple to fix, no computer it's all mechanical, grab some duck tape and your hooked up. But with a computer controlled car you are SOL if something goes wrong. I swear my father once worked on a car that cut off if you turned right!

    Now, lets examine the facts again.
    Non-computer cars have mechanical failings to worry about. Easy to fix.
    Computer cars have mechanical AND computer failings to worry about. Mechanicals not easy to fix cause all the stupid electronics are in the way of the motor. Computer is impossible to fix without parts.

  • The thing that matters is that 4 cars back can feel my music. :)

    Oh, great. And in a few short years, those of us four cars back can pay for your hearing aids, job training, SSI, etc. due to you having fried your eardrums.

    That ringing your hear at night? Get used to it.

    (Lest of course you were joking.)

  • Do a little research on this engine...rather clever design. Great torque for a small size. I have a 98 Jetta with this engine and I love it. It rattles a bit, and I've had to upgrade the suspension so it could keep up with the motor. I think I will keep this car for a long long time.
  • I do love classic cars... my lady and me are just finishing the restoration of her 1973 MGB GT. My next project might be a BMW 3.0CSL..??

    As it stands I have a 1991 VW Polo, with factory fitted supercharger... ;o)
  • I have a 1969 Z28 Rally Sport Super Sport.
    I bought it after the owner had blown up the engine and the car caught fire. I have done a little bit of the fixing (sanding, finding all the parts, praying) but it has been almost two years and I can't even see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I thank my mechanic and his drug dealer because he's been doing all the work virtually for free. It runs. I REALLY miss my 1972 Corvette Stingray with a 454 in it. I got an offer I couldn't refuse.
  • Classic cars are American cars. Or was my history teacher wrong and it wasn't an American that invented them?
  • A '74 isn't that good of year. Go '72 (if you can find one) or '76. If the engine is a 350 you will be able to drive it worry free for quite a while.
  • My first boyfriend had a '76 Trans Am with posi-traction and a nitrous kit. This is the first car I really drove around in before owning my own. Of course I was only 15 and learning how to drive.
  • 1969 CUDA 318 cpe. Daily driver. No rust, and she's pretty fast. I can't drag the REAL musclecars (like the HEMI-CUDAS), but she'll toast all those little mustangs and every japanese import.
  • I drive a 1982 Honda Civic 1300 with 145,000 miles (I gave my 96 Nissan to my wife - don't want her breaking down). I must say, I really like the little Honda. It is a hacker's dream - very easy to work on, well built (far, far better than my sister's 1998 Cavalier - what a POS!), great on gas, but most of all FUN. Hell, it's almost an antique. Classic cars are beautiful, but for a daily driver you can't beat the Big 3 RiceBurners: Toyota, Nissan, Honda. Now, with the soon-to-be-installed MP3 jukebox...
  • I think computers on cars are there more for emissions control reasons than for power or efficiency. Emissions laws have ruined the internal combustion engine! I'd like the oldest Toyota pickup I can find (pre '72). Notice how when you watch National Geographic Explorer these guys (and gals) are trekking through the Amazon in 12" of mud? Invariable they are driving either a Land Rover Defender or and old Toyota pickup! I think geeks most of all are practical, and for me a tough truck is very practical. Note: any truck or other vehicle that cost over $15,000 is NOT tough...it's something that you don't want to get dirty...for pansies! A real man's vehicle should be able to take abuse and run reliably and not cost so much that you have to baby it. What does this have to do with classic cars? Nothing, honestly...
  • Small, efficient, fast car. Great for the geek on the run. Pricey for a used car, but definately worth it. Im hoping to get one very soon.
  • Maybe it takes a tinkerer's brain or maybe we just won't give up our toys. Could be the same thing...hmmm. I suppose the Rolls is somewhat like UNIX. It was well thought out, in some respects state of the art at the time. Both are very robust. Until Linux came out, both were very expensive to purchase. I've worked on mine for years and I find it to be a lot like UNIX in other ways as well. I usually spend about 6 hours reading for each hour of wrench turning (much like man pages). The Rolls is like UNIX in that the engineering gets more refined and simple as the cars are produced. The simplicity reduces failures. This is unlike other cars and other operating systems that continually add more and more junk that breaks.
  • All the coders here (UK) have or have had a bike, usually sports mines a GPZ 500s, old but not too old. never found a car that can pass me yet in the way to work !!. N
  • I had a car - a real nice little clapped out Nissan 200SX. I drove it from Toronto to Vancouver Island, where, in the midst of a drug frenzy, I gave it away to a hitch-hiking hippy chick. You ever tried giving your car to a hitch-hiker? It takes more persuading than you think. Anyway, now I don't have a car :(
  • I've noticed that two people I work with, as well
    as myself, and my fellow geek roommate all drive
    new vws.. I see vws in my area with freekevin stickers, with redhat stickers, I eve saw an old
    bus with a copyleft shirt draped over the seat
    in a parking lot.. and this is a very non-geek
    town..

    has anybody else noticed the geek-vw connection?

    someday they'll fnd that geek-vw connection, though
    I know it's probably maaaaaaaaagic
  • It amuses me to see the kiddies talk about 454 v8s with 12 and 13 second response times for the quarter...... checkout the RZ500. [rzrd500.com] The best of the lot (IMHO).
    Two wheels good, four wheels bad......
    one wheel even better
  • There seems to be too much of a bias toward folks that only sling code on slashdot. At the risk of ticking some folks off, I'm going to claim that you can't really claim to be a master of technology unless you play with all of them you can get your hands on - that includes elctronic/computer hardware, complex mechanical systems like cars, control systems, robotics, etc.

    I hacked on cars before I hacked on computers - somewhere, I've got a notebook with dozens of quite completely thought-out dream cars and the modifications that would get me from stock to awesome. Cars are expensive, but they're a heck of a lot more fun than fast CPUs - I'd much rather run with 1-2 year old computer technology and drive a Ferrari than throw all that money (more, really, since the Ferrari has been paid for for 8 years now) at the latest quad K8 and VooJoo 2000 3DFx++ graphics card.

    I've had a number of really fun cars, and that does not necessarily correlate to expensive - it's quite possible to come up with a really good hacking platform at a very reasonable cost. Although it's fun just to build a car to build a car, consider some form of amateur racing like brackets at the dragstrip or SCCA Solo II autocross - these are really fun, and relatively affordable events, and you'll be surprised how many guys and girls like you are out there. A short list of the contents of my garage over the years:

    1972 Buick GS 455 - First car, bad example of the breed, but got me hooked - my *Mom* left twin stripes in the Safeway parking lot with it! There's an old racing saying that you can win with cubic inches or cubic dollars - this car took the cheap but effective route.

    1975 Ford Torino GT - Much more reliable, but the 351 Windsor was uninspiring. Still it beat the crud that Detroit was selling new at the time.

    1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme - Itty Bitty 260 V8, but the highway gearing meant I could lock the auto tranny in first gear and leave it there for an entire autocross course. This was the first car that went beyond "keep it alive" spending and actually benefited from significnat improvements, mostly in the handling department, since I was in college: Bilsteins, Delrin bushings, Pontiac Grand Am suspension parts, BF Goodrich T/A's and later Goodyear Eagle GTs. This car is responsible for the shelf full of trophies in my garage - it ruled F-stock autocrossing until well after the new 1982 Z-28's and Trans Ams were common.

    1974 Fiat X-1/9 Really, really fun car. Sometimes called a Ferrari trainer, and there's a bit of truth to that (my current 308GT4 even shares a number of parts with the X-1/9!) These can be had cheap, and offer a lot of hacking potential. Mine became severely modified, with 7x14 wheels (enormous on that car!), T/A's, stroker crank, cam, big-valve heads, ANSA exhaust, and a pair of Weber downdraft carbs. Best power/weight ratio of any car I've ever owned, and has a number of really serious design features: mid engine, four wheel disks, relatively light weight, removable top (yeah!), etc. Plus, girls think they're cute, especially with 240 HP.

    1985 Chrysler Conquest (Mistubishi Starion) - Really killer car, but mangled by dealer and Chrysler refused to fix it until the warranty finally ran out. Don't expect me to buy another Chrysler - they can give 20 year warranties, because they simply refuse to fix things. nice car, though, but be wary of used ones.

    1987 Mazda RX-7 Turbo II - Heck, there's hardly anything left to hack on one of these gems. These 2nd generation RX-7s can be had quite reasonably still - the rotor motors are just tough as nails, and if you do trash one, you can rebuild it on your kitchen table. I love RX-7s, and their fundamental toughness makes them a much better risk than other Japanese sports cars, many of which make Ferraris look cheap in comparison over the long haul. I'd still have this car if I hadn't traded it for the dream car:

    1975 Ferrari Dino 308gt4 - Only one listed here I still have (would *you* sell your Ferrari?) It's true: there's just nothing else in the same league as a Ferrari. I've driven (seriously, not looky-loo with a salesman) Porsches, Corvettes, Lotii (Loutuses?), etc., but nothing even approaches the fun of a Ferrari. The gt4 is an especially nice driver, and it's a 2+2, so I can even squeeze the kids in the back in a pinch. This was my daily driver from 1988 to 1994, and it's slated to return to duty by Christmas. My wife let me have it because she decided she'd rather not hear me talk about wanting one for the rest of my life (besides, she loves it too!) These are actually fairly easy to work on, since they have minimal electronics, and a lot of good used Ferraris are still less than many new cars. A good 308 can be had for around $20-25K if you shop carefully. The bottom end of the motor is absolutely bulletproof, and if you make REAL sure you never break a cam belt, the top end will serve you well, too. I like the older carbureted cars - avoid the early fuel injected models. Maintenance is not cheap, but a lot less than many of my friends pay for maintenance on their Boxsters, M3s, and Z3s, and I can actually do a lot of the work on mine, which they can't. If you buy a Ferrari, find a good machanic and get the car checked out first to avoid making a very expensive mistake.

    1991 Alfa Romeo 164S - Traded this in a couple of years ago. Big mistake. This car is awesome - it's actualy *more fun* to drive than the Ferrari, but is a big four-door luxury car with lots of room. Absolutely the most stable car I've ever driven at speed. Suffers from the usual Italian car foibles (electrics are truly weird, but seem to work much better than most Italian cars), but is worth it. Go for the "S" model, which is not just badge-engineered - it actually shares surprisingly few parts with the garden variety 164s.

    I will offer one caveat: you'll notice many of these cars are Italian. Italian cars are a sickness from which many never recover. After driving Italian cars anything Japanese will seem cheap and flimsy (OK, except the NSX, which is really just a Honda Ferrari Dino), anything German will seem heavy, sterile, and without character, and anything American will seem crude and awkward. They can be a pain in the butt, but they have *brio*, and they make really cool mechanical symphony noises that I promise you are more moving than anything your graphics card can do...

    Try hacking cars, why don't you?

  • Never being 'into' cars, I never pictured myself driving a car like i do (Here's a pic [schematic.org], and yes that's real smoke *grin* - my first car btw). However, these days i couldn't imagine driving anything else.

    Classic cars rock. They're smoother than new cars, they're bigger than new cars and they even smell better than new cars. They're faster than new cars and above all, they're fun to work on. Although they need more work and attention than new years, they deserve it. A geek wouldn't be content with windows, why should one be content with a car that can't be hacked a bit?

    I'm afraid i'll have a bit of a delimmia for the rest of my life... After driving a car like mine as my first car, i'll never be content with anything else.

    Geek on!
    schematic
  • I have a 1976 Firebird Formula. Back in high school, I used to spend weekend after weekend tweaking it. Now, I spend weekend after weekend tweaking my Linux box. :P Go fig.

    I still have plans for it though (the car), like putting a 6 pack on it, Borla exhaust, Ram Air kit etc... and I also want to get my hands on an old GTO, or maybe a Charger with the 426 Hemi... paint it orange and just be a Duke boy for a while...

  • I was messing around with PC hardware long before I got into cars, but many of the skills involved crossover. Often the same mindset is involved (how can I make this computer/car go faster?), except that working on cars requires more brute force-- since most computer case screws are not torqued to 170 lb-ft. Now I'm getting "the bug" and I'm looking at air compressors, impact wrenches, and a full set of Snap-on tools!

    I currently drive a '93 Corvette 6-speed, and this is the second vette I've owned. A unix sysadmin friend of mine has a '94 vette.
    My roommate has a '94 as well, and he's a geek. Somebody said there's a VW trend for geeks?
    Corvettes are fun to work on, not very expensive if you look around, and the insurance is much lower than a Z28 or T/A of the same year.
    If you get one, and you know how to turn a wrench (and you have decent tools), you can do almost all common repairs yourself. Unlike classic cars, they're also very reliable as daily drivers.
    Not a whole lot of cargo space though, but I've still got a beater '85 minivan as a family hand-me-down for hauling stuff.

    Having a car you like to drive and work on is a great way to enjoy this "real world" thing. Sometimes, whipping around the tight turns at breakneck speed through the mountains can be as much fun as an intense UT CTF game, you know.
    I have some pics of my vette and road trips on my page (link in the header, duh.) Whatever kind of car you have, make sure you find a club to join-- you'll get lots of advice and cheap parts!
  • I am intrigued at the paucity of foreign cars... Go for something exotic! I have a neat little Toyota Sera (www.carimports.com.au), 1994. This is the car for a geek, -straight from a manga film. Next year's project is to whack in a turbo. My aim is to run it in the Targa Tasmania (www.targa.org.au)in 2001. Another little project: I am about to get my hands on a 1977 lotus Elite (www.csinet.net/rio). Cast-aluminium engine, Plastic body... How Can I afford these toys? I ride a bicycle to work...

  • No, your history teacher was wrong. Ford just perfected the assembly line.
  • I would have to fall under this category, I own a '73 Karmann Ghia and I've worked on my mom's '73 Beetle. I mostly stick with engine stuff, but I've have rebuilt brakes also.

    I think the beauty of VWs is the same beauty that Linux has. It was designed to be simple to understand and tinker with. Not like the cars today (Saturn I think is the worst) that makes everything so ass backwards that you have to take it to the dealer to get anything fixed.

    Give me a copy of "The Compleat Idiot's Guide To Keeping Your Volkswagen Alive" and an afternoon and I can fix most anything.

  • Ugh. Saturns... when my father was @ EDS, he headed up a team that designed the SMART system. just a database/controller thing that runs the assembly robots.. was kind of neat.. too bad the cars are ugly, never change, slow, etc.. but at least "saturn was the company so innovative that they created a 3 door coop"...

    ghias look really cool. i live close to lehigh U.. and all the little boys and girls drive jeep cherokees ( green jeep cherokee = lehigh U standard issue), ford explorers, etc.. typical boring yuppy car.

    Give me a car that lets me feel the road (in a ford explorer you don't even feel the house you just ran over), that handles well and doesn;t look like a minivan, and I give you a happy geek.

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