Back in one of my favorite places to be: in the market for a new car. After my NSX was totaled by a buddy of mine, I had all the parts pulled off and started looking for another one. And then the insurance money hit my bank account, and I realized that even though I have a solid amount of savings, it doesn't make sense to buy another pure toy due to my impending marriage. My soon-to-be-wife has been driving a beater since she's been in school (she'll be making the big bucks shortly) so I wanted to buy her a car (my other car, a supercharged Maxima, is running like a top). We test drove a bunch of cars, and she really fell in love with the new Porsche Cayenne. That said, I'm not in the market to spend $80K on a new car. Instead, we decided that I'd get the car I really want, she'd take my Maxima, drive it for a few years, and we'd get her that Porsche once good examples start hitting the used market. I'm either going to get a 2002 or 2003 E39 M5, in gunmetal gray, with the black interior. I've loved these cars ever since I drove one back in the day, and fantastic examples can be had for a song (24K-26K). The only problem with buying a low volume car is finding the right one, but I've got until August to find a great one. Wish me luck!
If you want all the fun of the Cayenne, without the kick to the nuts that is the price, go for a Taureg. Unless you're talking about the Cayenne Turbo or Turbo S, it's almost identical. Having driven both of them, I actually prefer the Taureg.
It's in the cards. She also likes the Audi Q7, but prefers the looks of the Cayenne. Only the new one, though, she hates the older ones. We'll see. It'll probably be two years or so until we start seriously shopping for her.
Would never do that. Ever. Just thinking about selling the Miata and using some savings on a toy. But right now I think keeping it and putting down more money on a home is better. Sidenote, Nettdata I just bought an E30 325e with a friend for ice racing, runs well and only $400. We just need to get off our asses and prep the motherfucker.
Nice! There's a hell of a Pro 3 series up here in the PNW. All E30's, all the time. Last year's championship race at the end of the year had almost 60 cars in the field in Seattle.
Check out the Pro3 website: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.pro3-racing.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.pro3-racing.com/</a> Stupidly cheap racing... cheaper than your Miata. And the competition is insanely fun. Usually there are groups of 10-15 drivers that form at hte front of the pack, mid pack, and in the ass end, and they basically race against each other without regard for the overall finishes. Check out this in-car footage from a friend of mine: By the way, this is Pacific Raceways, in Kent, Washington, just outside of Seattle. It's where I've done the vast majority of my track days, and is a hell of a track. The elevation change is sooooo much fun. Not quite like the corkscrew, but close enough. If you ever get a chance to go do a DE there, jump on it.
Just figured I'd finally say something in this thread. I am a huge jeep and off road vehicle enthusiast. I am an owner of countless lifted trucks and jeeps. Right now while going through millwright school I only own a car but any questions that need answers that pertain to the off-road crowd I feel I can give an answer on. If I don't have an answer I'm more than happy to find the right answer.
What kind of car? Front or rear wheel drive? Standard or automatic? Is your driveway on an incline? Do you set the parking brake when you park? Or do you leave it in gear? Have you tried backing into your parking space so that you pull out going forward instead of backing out, and if so, does it still do it? What are the temperatures/weather like when this happens? Could it be that you're parking the car when it's warmed up, snow melts, and then stuff freezes when you leave it parked for any period of time? Is it every time you park, or is there a kind of minimum time of it being parked before it'll do this? Basically, before you pull out next time, I'd get under the car and take a look and see what's going on. Sometimes setting a parking brake, or a buildup of ice can cause that kind of noise until it breaks free and loosens up.
Being that it's cold out, maybe it's a combination of things. 1. Your parking brake cable/grease probably gets thicker and less viscous in the colder weather causing the pads to drag ever so slightly (since the cable may not release completely). 2. The caliper pins bind slightly - from that grease solidifying with the cooler temps. 3. Or just bad brake pads My $0.02
I've also seen hubs freeze up and take a bit to break loose, and make a hell of a racket until it loosens up. The worst, and most unlikely, was a differential that had water in it. The diff would freeze while it was parked, freezing the water in the diff, and then once the car got moving, all hell would break loose until the ice broke down or warmed up enough to stop making noise. Yep. Could also be that your parking brake, if you're using it, doesn't fully retract when you release it because it's all gummed up and frozen. It'd be interesting to have you try and audio record the sound on your fancy smart phone and post it, just to see what kind of sound it is.
Try not setting the parking brake and see if it happens. In an automatic, unless you're parking on a huge incline, odds are you shouldn't need to set it. If you need to, put a rock or brick behind a wheel as a safety measure.
What make/model/year of car is it? "Low baritone gumbling" sounds like it might be a wheel bearing, but it's strange that it'd only be in reverse, and only last for a bit. How long does the sound last for? If they checked things, though, odds are they checked for play in the wheel for it to be a wheel bearing. If you want to, jack the car up a bit, then grab the wheel at 12 and 6, and try and rock it along the 12-6 axis to see if it's "loose" or there's any play in it. If there is, that's not good.
I would go with Nettdata opinion of checking the parking brake. In 08 the Mazada 3 has 4 wheel disk brake and the parking brake actuator is part of the disk brake caliper so something could be failing there. An unlikely option might be that the brake hose itself is starting to collapse and only allowing fluid through part of the time, but if it is that you probably would get the sound randomly. I really dont think it would be a bearing noise because you would get the noise all the time.
My Mazda 6 used to do this at random times but I always thought it was coming from the front wheel as I was going in reverse and turning when I backed out of a parking space. It sounded like when someone runs a wet finger around the rim of a crystal glass except very amplified and a lower tone. It normally happened in cold or wet weather, but not every time. When I did a brake job on all four corners, the sound went away for a long time, but did eventually come back. I always chalked it up to ice/rust getting between the rotor and pad and causing a vibration when dragged backwards instead of forwards--against the normal directional grain on both surfaces (I never could get it to make the sound going forward, so I figured that was the case). My girlfriend has an 08 Mazda 3 and also uses her parking brake all the time, so I'll ask her if she's ever gotten a similar noise.
Stupid question... Have you looked to see if something is hanging down from the body of the car and possibly interfering with the wheel? Being a front wheel drive, there isn't much back there to screw up.
Talked to my gf about her '08 Mazda 3 last night to see if she's had the same problem. She said that it's never made the noise you're describing. Her uncle is the parts and service manager at a Mazda dealership and her cousin is one of the mechanics there. I'll see if I can get in touch with them and ask if they've gotten similar complaints.
Since this is our most popular motorsports thread I'm sticking this here. Anyone know a bit about snowmobiles? Specifically if a 1999 Arctic Cat Z370 is worth $1,000?