I actually hated the textured look of my 94. So much so, that I wanted to paint it. Can’t paint the textured components, so I found someone who had 93 pieces and had them painted with automotive paint. Together with the clear coat. 20yrs and she still looks pristine. One of the best things I did to the interior.

 

The conventional forum wisdom that 1994+ plastics > 1993 plastics is not quite the whole story.

The 1994+ fix the flaking problem it is true, but only because they are a single molded piece of hard plastic with no rubberized coating. The smooth 1993 plastics contrast better with the coarser texture of the dashboard, and they feel better when in good shape. All IMO of course.

 

Agreed I thought the 94 plastics seemed like the texture of like every cheap auto meter a pillar gauge mount. The new 93 replacements are a satin paint not the film, they hold up better to temp and such but I'm very gentle with them not to scratch em. I have had good luck matching it on refinished pieces with an SEM rattle can paint.

 

.....the problem is, they're never in good shape

(this from a guy with a 1200 mile '93 FD)

 

Love the look!

 

Thanks!
It’s really hard to convey on camera, but it’s got a nice sparkle finish to it. Not over done, but just enough to make it look special.

 

SCHIESSA, das ist it!!

2022 BMW 230i Coupe: A Little Engine That Could - WSJ

 

Same price range as the GR86 Premium for MSRP. About 5k more, 8k more than the base trim.

Heavier, but is turbocharged. Still think I prefer the GR86, just excited to have a modern sports daily soon. Want to test drive that 230i though, would be cool.

 

So 2 interesting cars have joined the game...

The new Nissan Z (just "Z" now, no number) is, on paper, interesting. RWD, twin turbo v6 making 400hp, doesn't have a lot of extra junk on it, available in a manual, and reasonably priced.

The Supra will now be available with a manual trans option as well which makes that more interesting.

One thing that time will tell on the Z is how it responds to mods. Any factory turbo car always has good potential for easy horsepower - hell, you can bolt on near 100hp on an FD without trying too hard. But I think the Supra is already responding nicely to mods.

Dale

 

The Supra part is what I don't get. Everyone wants a manual, but the trans that is in it is awesome. Bunch of us FD guys are trying to get dual clutch From BMW going but the 8HP that's in the Supra is just as good and replaced the DCT in the latest M3/M4. It's like people want new cars to go backwards and old cars to go forwards haha

 

Indeed, THE Steve Kan has been modifying the new Supra since it came out with a lot of success. Certainly not the 3X stock power of the MKIV, but easily 100+ equines of gain.

 

Speaking as an admitted "old guy", I still want a manual trans in my sports cars. Didn't want PDK in my Cayman and wouldn't want any version of an auto shifter in a Supra. The day will come soon when everything is electric and there will be no choice. I say get 3 pedals while you can.

 

You sir have just not driven a DCT. Or high end auto. Look at a formula 1 car. No clutch pedal. Still bad *** and fun to drive (if I ever got a chance). Has nothing to do with old school or new school.

 

Uh, no.

I also understand the pleasure of learning how to do something myself and then that feeling of satisfaction when I pull it off nearly flawlessly.

Whether its building/tuning my own car or heal/toe downshifting.

I can buy a faster stock car with warranty I never have to work on that shifts (or not- Tesla) , brakes, accelerates and turns better than I could without its help-

But thats not what I want... from my FD.

Its not what a 1993 Mazda RX-7 represents in 2023 and that is another part of why its so hard to "replace" the FD with another car.

We are driving classic cars now.

________________
TLDR version- I feel like a bad-*** when I manage a passable downshift.
_________________

Let's play racecar driver!

 

Ok... but race car drivers now have paddle shifters and no clutch and would never go back.... The whole argument for manuals is nonsense. You drive DCT FD and you will not think twice.

I get it, the auto that came with the FD sucks. The DCT and the 8HP auto are not that.

 

The arguement for manual car is not based on performance, but an individuals (obviously not you own) driving enjoyment.

You can make your FD faster with a DTC.
You can make your FD faster with a V8.
You can make your FD faster with a Tesla swap.

Im not saying someone shouldnt do any of those things, just that its not what I want for my FD.

When I say lets play racecar driver, Im playing at being the racecar drivers I grew up idolizing (Options/Hot Version crew).

Im like that old guy in a leather jacket and scarf driving his little 1950s British POS, except im in my little Japanese 90s POS.

 

Ah, I own 2 DCT cars now, have owned 2 Audi S4's with their s-tronic DCT and have driven a Cayman like mine and a 911 with PDK. Most would tell you that Porsche's PDK is the best DCT on the market. I'm not interested. You're making the case that it's faster and still fun. Yup, it is faster and still fun, just not as fun as a manual IMHO. If I was a track junkie I probably would have gone with the PDK on my Cayman S. But I'm not and for a street driven car I much prefer the engagement of a manual. This is a never-ending discussion/debate on the Porsche forums and there is no right or wrong answer, it's all personal preference. I'm firmly in the "save the manuals" camp.

 

Ok well to each their own. Having had manuals most of my life I'm in the DCT is better camp. I have an M5 (e60) with V10 and 7 speed SMG trans. It's definitely not as good as the DCT that followed, but I even like that over the 6 speed that came in the US market after the save the manuals complaints came in. I personally don't see what is missing from the driving experience, still shifting just not needing to push the clutch pedal.

I really don't understand when people complain that it can't be a sports car without a manual trans. It really has nothing to do with that.

 

I prefer the third pedal but in no way will I argue a pdk or dct "auto" is not a true sports car. The ones out today are pretty amazing and obviously quicker.

Having a manual is purely an engagement experience for me.

 

I'd take a good DCT/auto box over a manual that isn't well calibrated. Since DBW came to be, seems more manual cars than not have a bit of rev hang, throttle delay, or throttle being non linear to some degree.

 

Yeah, a bad manual is not much fun. DCT's are great, there's no denying their technical superiority. Porsche also makes a great manual so it was a no brainer for me, but I totally get the appeal of a really good DCT. I've driven 911's with PDK on track on 2 occasions and they are really impressive. The only "problem" is the software is so good there's really no need to shift it manually, the computer is usually smarter than the driver.

 

DBW is deliberately tuned with a bit of delay from the factory. Also, the non-linear tuning of the throttle curve is a feature not a bug, although it can feel unnatural coming from driving a car with mechanical throttle cable.

 

I'll be that guy and agree that the ZF8 is worth the transition away from three pedals. I plan on buy a New Supra in the next 12 months, but I will not be getting a manual. But I also wouldn't swap a DCT or auto trans into my FD. The fact is Toyota had to lower the final drive in order to compensate for the loss of acceleration in the manual trans car. I still think they should make manual supras, and new cars with clutches, but I have all the manual cars I want already. I'm ready for my first car with flappy paddles. Side note, I briefly had to own a VW CC with the DCT, that thing was a huge pile of garbage.... just calling out there are really poor implementations of a good idea.

 

I got the DSG for my Golf R and wish I hadn't. No problems with it ever, but I miss that third pedal. Like the guy in a 356 Porsche that just got smoked at a stop light by a tuned Hyundai, I'd rather have an engaging, fun experience, than a super quick toaster with an automatic transmission, whether it has paddles or is .02 seconds quicker to 60mph, or whatever.

Soon the third pedal will be the theft deterrent.

 

Let's not forget the markups on anything desirable or in demand.I am looking for a replacement for my fd and found anything that offers a similar driving experience is in my opinion overpriced and/over msrp.Like the Supra but almost a guarantee it will be marked up in today's market.What is the best sports/performance vehicle out there now w/o a markup over msrp ?