Yep. Everyone else in my little area drives some family crap people carrier thing even though there's only 3 or 4 people in the family. I can understand wanting one of them for a big familly but really? Japanese families are small yet these things are so popular.
Last night I went out on another mountain drive and got lost but I did see some deer and some sort of sloth/ferret type creatures. I took a video which is now up online - http://www.segagagadomain.com/videos/nightdrive-aug-2010.htm If streaming is a little slow then you may be better downloading the file then playing it on a video player. Worked fine for me though. Here's a screen grab of a section from the video. Yakumo
Man, a lot of those turns, when the camera was swaying, made it feel like you were about to run into walls, poles, etc. I kept gripping the arms on my chair, "J....eesus CHRI...". Another great jaunt! That area looks incredible; it reminds me of some of the best mountain-ey camping areas from when I was young.
I do get really close yo the sides. The roads are very narrow so it pays to keep attention on the road. I'm lucky enough to have pretty good driving skills but even so I wouldn't attempt any power slides on those roads. One mistake and you're dead. Next time I'll take a daylight video so you can see better. Problem then is that I'll have yo drive slower. Well, I'm originally from Liverpool in the UK. But after 11 years in Japan my accent has really gone strange but not that bad, I thought. Nice car. If I wasn't in Japan I'd have an Audi as well but buying one here is crazy due to the cost.
I'm too lazy to drive manual. I can drive it, but going from a long drive on 5th gear and then getting back into city driving where there's a lot of shifting and I start to mess up. I'm just not that ambidextrous with my feet and hands and timing of switching gears.
To some people timing of the hands and feet is a bit tricky while to others it's second nature. I'm not even aware of changing gears. I just do it automatically. The sound of the engine and power to the wheels are enough to let me know. No need to look at the rev' counter. Saying that, when I first started to drive I was always looking at it Yakumo
My rev counter doesn't work so I have to use the sound of the engine whether I like it or not!!! Whoever had the car before me put a white dial kit in it and it creases up when the car is cold making all the needles useless, even the speedo, luckily there's no speed cameras on the way to work . I'll get round to taking it out eventually. I don't really use any of my meters/dials apart from the fuel gauge anyway, unless I spot a police car. BTW, anyone who thinks automatics can be driven as well as manuals is insane. Before my current car I had an auto MR2, which was fine for normal driving or even straight line driving, the power button made it change gears at higher revs. But get on the corners at decent speeds and the car was all over the place. I spun the damn thing all the time, you just couldn't control the amount of revs you were firing back into the car if you got a bit of oversteer, and you get a lot of oversteer in MR2's. My missus has a C2 VTR with one of those flappy paddle gearboxes, and again, it's alright in straight lines as well as speeding up and changing 'up' really well, but try slowing down, for a corner and the car just revs its nuts off while decided what gear it should be in. It's that bad that if you pull up for lights but don't completely stop, the car drops you from 2nd to 1st but won't let you set off for a few seconds leaving the car pretty much uncontrollable. I've got a manual again, and TBH I can't see me buying another auto ever again, I only bought the MR2 from a practical POV as the missus only has an auto license, but stuff her, if she wants to drive my cars ever again she'll have to learn to drive properly. My driving experience isn't suffering again . Got a 92 XR3i cabrio now (I only really like old cars) BTW, it's a right chav mobile!!! I'll tone it down eventually but for now the red fluffy dice are staying on 'The Phantom'!!! Pay special attention to the chrome badges on the rear wing that read 'PHANTOM', they finish the car off nicely I think !
Now where have I seen that Ford before I do like that car but if I was to drive it I'd have to d-chav it first and change those wheels. By the way, did you see Sierra Cozzy that they did on Wheeler Dealers a few months back? Very nice motor. Showing it's age a little but still a cool auto to own. Yakumo
I really regret not being able to drive a stick but nowadays in the states it's really a catch 22. Almost all newer cars are automatics now and those that aren't are usually too expensive to want to teach a person on. The days of teaching someone here on the family beater are quickly coming to an end.
I'm so glad my new girlfriend drives a manual. Now, it doesn't matter who drives to the bar as long as only one of us gets pissed!
All new video is up on YouTube in anything from 240p to 1080p, NICE! This relaxing drive in my Impreza STi ended up taking a very narror road up to the top of the highest mountain in Yamaguchi. Fantastic views but a nerve wrecking drive to the top. Part 1 of this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVg2QyzXZcc Part 2 of this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJTkE4Ivl80 Part 3 of this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe2Byt16iV4 Yakumo
Part two was still processing the higher resolutions for me (saw the 1 and 3 earlier today, but 2 hadn't appeared yet!). Wow, what a view. Can you map out now where you were and figure out the elevation from there?
I don't think I've asked this before, but: For those who drive a manual transmission, do you keep your clutch-foot heel planted on the ground (so the pedal slides on your foot a bit) or do you lift your entire foot/leg when releasing the clutch? I slide, and though it's definitely more stable and controllable in day-to-day driving (I'd see someone racing wouldn't do this), I figure it's wearing my clutch pedal rubber down (it is worn). Thoughts? If I drive barefoot (which I do sometimes), I definitely don't slide since that's impossible. My way is definitely more comfortable for me.
Hmm, I tend to keep my foot rested on the clutch at times with my heal on the floor because of the amount of gear changes needed in the city drive. When I'm on the motorway though I use the foot rest. Anyway, for your question, I push the clutch down with my whole foot. You have to in an Impreza. The clutch is too heavy / stiff to slide it. In my wife's shit box though, you can't even rest you foot on the clutch because it will drop down. By the way, over at NTSC-UK we're posting our car's cabins to see who's got a sexy den and who's got a chav's (red neck) shame pit. I like this 1999 Alfa 156 2.5 interior. It all started by one user posting that he has or is buying many quality cars. Photo evidence was requested which brought life to this idea. Anyway, Here's my entery. The Impreza is a very nice car to drive but it's defiantly not the most beautiful thought out interior. Functional, yes but pretty ?well......... I'll let you decide. You'll notice two buttons missing near the wheel. These should be the headlight rotation dial and front fog lamp switch. I don't have front fog lamps but I do have the rotation head lights. However, the car was an ex-display model from a Tokyo Subaru dealer (500 odd miles from where I live) and since I got it cheap they wanted me to pay for extras such as the stereo system, and light controls. 60 pounds they wanted for the for the light control dial!! Stuff of interest are the foot pedals which never slip and the Dolby Digital Pioneer sound system and DVD display with home made iPhone/iPod dock. The seats which need cleaning or at least the drivers side does. My son's official Subaru booster seat It's probably a cheap Chinese effort with a Subaru label stuck on at the factory
I don't like Manual at all. I can't see the damn thing in the dark unless I turn on the interior overhead lights which is not good driving etiquette. I have to many other things to do with my hand, like switch CD's and air conditioning. Plus people who like racing get a bit carried away at times when using Manual, such as my dad.
Baww! You don't have to see the stick to use it. (insert some dumb lewd reference) You don't switch CDs and play with the AC constantly while you drive, and you only shift while accelerating so most of your time driving is spent in 5th gear. Unless you drive right through the center of a busy part of town exclusively.
