Posted: Oct 20 2009 at 11:22am | IP Logged

Welcome to the forum

What I would give to bring a Navara back to the states.  Heck all I want is the diesel and transmission out of it.  The diesels are not offered at all here. 

And being from Austria I have a feeling your english is a little more proper than ours here.  In fact I hate to say it but I speak american, not english, with a tad bit of Deutsch to boot.  Not very much, not even most of the basics I'm sad to say.  I never did pay much attention in class. 

Posted: Oct 22 2009 at 12:44am | IP Logged

It wasn't till 04 that diesel trucks here started being brought into our emission laws.  I had a 2000 Ford F-250 with a 7.3L diesel that had no emission equipment on it. 

The great thing about the states is that there's a tons of companies here offering tons of aftermarket goodies.  One being upgraded clutches.  A stage 2 Zoom clutch would have no problem handling all that torque. 

I feel as though our strict emission laws are what are giving us our horrible mileages, that and the love for big cars.  It's sad when my old 90 Nissan Maxima V6 is getting 28 MPG and my wife's I4 Chevy Cobalt barely get's 26 MPG.  And I've got twice as much room than she does.  American's want good gas mileage, but they don't want a slow car. 

Posted: Oct 23 2009 at 12:30am | IP Logged

I know how it is in europe, my job takes me through there now and then.  Tight streets and parking lots.  And you're right our cars aren't built for the autobahn or those streets.  And gas prices that make you want to cry at the pump everytime you fill up.

I would love to take my Toyota X-Runner over there though.  When I get the supercharger on there the top speed governor will be removed.  And oh what I would give to take it around the Nuremburg Ring a few times.  American's love their 1/4 mile big block motors.  Their 180 MPH races around the ring.  I love the twist and turns, of pushing you and your vehicle to the limit.

Manuals are slowly dying here in the states, but there are a enough of us to make a demand still for them to be offered my wife being one of them actually.  She just refuses to drive an automatic. 

Dodge has been trying to slip away from them.  Only their low level entry cars (Caliber, Avenger) even offered a manual.  The Dodge Ram had a 6spd if you got the Cummins Diesel.  In fact, when their new Challenger came out they did not even offer a manual at all.  There was enough lag in sales and complaints that they started offering 5spds with the V6, and 6spd with the V8s. 

Chevy and Ford have started overpricing their vehicles.  There's a F150 on the market now that costs almost $60,000 US.  I can buy a fully loaded F-350 1-ton for cheaper than that. 

Posted: Oct 23 2009 at 9:37am | IP Logged

I used to have a 2002 XE, 4x2, 2.4L KA24DE motor, Automatic.  Had custom stereo with 2 Pioneer 6.5" speakers, 4 Memphis M-Class 12" Subwoofers.  The truck you see in my signature block was it.

I paid $18,500 US. 

But I've come to notice that I have car ADD.  I see a new vehicle and I just have to have it.  Currently I'm driving a 2005 Toyota Tacoma X-runner.  4.0L V6 6spd manual.  It says 125 MPH on the speedo, and I've had it up to 115 already.  The computer limits it to 119MPH, but when you buy the supercharger you have to reprogram it and it removes the limiter.