dkmura

iTrader: (64)

..on a fine fall weekend. We've been having some terrific weather on the front range of Colorado. Today I stopped for lunch in the busy LoDo (lower downtown) district of Denver. Parked my '03 track on Larimer street and walked across for lunch. I noticed a late model GT-R parked in front of the Denver Central Market and went over to check it out after a fine meal.

I know my R35s and this had to be a '14-16 Black edition in Regal red. Problem is, was hard to tell the color due to the heavy deposits of road grime on the flanks and stern of the supercar. Worse yet, the Rays forged alloys were caked with brake dust, and looking through the black spokes it was easy to discern heavy brake wear. Those humongous Brembo rotors were deeply dished and probably at, or past the 2 mm wear limits.

Now, I'm the last one to say you shouldn't drive your R35 HARD and use it the way it was designed to be driven! But it was clear from the dried-on deposits that this GT-R had been driven hard and put away wet far too many times. I looked across the street at my (relatively) pristine Z33, with clean paint and relatively polished BBS wheels, and felt a twang of pride. Certainly, after 14 years and 94K of driving, there's been plenty of washing, cleaning and detailing to do. It's been a pleasure to keep a shine on the Z and I can't imagine it wouldn't be any less a pleasure to wash and wax that poor GT-R.

On the ride home on I-70, there was a plethora of cars on the highway. Predictably, there's an older flat black Eclipse who blasts past and wants to race. I ignore the idiot and his plastidipped ride. After awhile, my cruise takes me past a yellow and black '73 Mach I Mustang and I admire the spotless chrome and paint on that classic model. I take a glance over at the driver and predictably, it's an older enthusiast out for a drive. And while it wasn't quite an epiphany, the thought does occur that clean, well-maintained Z33s are NOT an ordinary sight in my town. Maybe in SoCal or Florida, but not here. As more of them get crashed, cut-up or just plain abused, ALL of us should realize the pool of good, clean and well-maintained Z33s is shrinking. In the meantime, I'll be on the lookout for a smoking' GOOD deal on a well used red R35 that could use some TLC.

jhc

David, when I saw you at Road Atlanta your car was STILL very clean in spite of the rain. Some of us still do have passion and pride in whatever we drive.
All the best, my friend!

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Thanks, John. You saw my Z33 racecar last year at Road Atlanta, here's a quick shot of my '03 street Z:



But you're absolutely right about the passion and pride bit! My only question is how could you NOT have a lot of passion and pride in driving Nissan's $100K+ supercar?

MicVelo

"Older enthusiast".... I can relate to that. Laff...

But yes, while I don't necessarily obsess over the cleanliness of my cars, lawdy, when someone doesn't take any pride in ownership of a GTR (or any car for that matter), I just gotta shake my head and mutter, "What a waste of a fine automobile.....

...f'n dips**t."

Colorado04Vert

Fact:

My lexus and my 350z... have been washed once since i moved to new mexico from colorado 4 months ago



....then again ive put 500 miles on them between both, and they are dirty as ****

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Mic, it was a study in contrasts between that GT-R and Mustang. Knowing your penchant for fine wheels, you should had seen the brake dust caked on the lips of those R35 Rays! Made them almost blend into the black spokes of those wheels. Likely, you'd have had the same reaction I did: amazement mixed with disgust. There's simply no reason to allow that amount of buildup! While I don't obsess over the cleanliness of my cars either, this was beyond not giving a damn.

No_name

There's a clean 08' roadster sitting over here in Roxborough Park. And today was a day to get out [again] on the front-range...and I did. heh heh

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

No doubt we all have different standards for our cars. I also have a Titan (tow vehicle) and Versa HB that I don't have room for in my garage and they are definitely not as clean as the cars kept inside. Still, for me, part of the joy of owning a vehicle is keeping it in good condition.

fast.bandit

See guys, the car culture is not for everyone. What David describes, is most probably a guy that wanted to get a fast car to look good in it, or to get some love from the females. Could be just someone that's bored of their car or doesn't know better. Be it as it may. the owner, is sadly not into cars that much. Because part of the fun of owning a performance machine such as the r35 or any other performance car, is working on the car to keep it nice, shiny, and mechanically sound. But that's just my 0.2

MicVelo

Agreed and concur but hey, I don't use it very often but I keep my Kitchen Aide and all my pots and pans FTM, nice and clean too. Pride of ownership is good, no matter what it is.

You should see my instruments.... ever see our own reflection in spotless non-gloss Koa? Laff...

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Beyond pride in ownership (nice musical setup there, Mic), there's also the functional side to detailing. When I clean the wheels on my race or street cars, it's a good opportunity to inspect them for cracks, bends or other damage. It's why I like silver painted wheels rather than the very popular black ones- I can see damage to the alloy surface better as I clean the brake dust off!