RedHotMark96
Well-Known LVC Member
... to my Mark.
I got back to Michigan the other weekend from a spring break trip down to New Orleans, and effectively my first ever real road trip. I went down there with a campus organization to do reconstruction work as a volunteer, and I opted to be a driver with my 13 year old car; the oldest car to make the journey.
I was kinda nervous about taking the Mark, in case something went wrong, she racked up over 2300 miles without a single major problem. I feel like this is sort of a rite (sp?) of passage for the car, and now I trust it a lot more.
New Orleans has a ton of pot holls, and the road surface is pretty uneven in places. I scraped my mufflers twice, caught my doors on the curb three times, and damaged a [stabilizer bar??], which I had checked out, but it isn't anything I have to have replaced soon. I also blew a tweeter and a speaker.
Driving around new orleans is insane, and not something to be undertaken by anyone suffering from high blood pressure. It also made me seriously reconsider whether I want to convert the car to the 1.5" lower coil kit this summer.
I was also worried that the exhaust drone would drive my passengers nuts (had two females), but in fact it didnt bother them, and they even liked the car and the vehicular stunts (long live RWD) we did on occasion.
The car is a good highway cruiser, and the people in the back seat slept well. The trunk had just enough room for 4 people's bags, including sleeping bags. Overall it was a good experience, and Im proud of the car.
I averaged 25mpg on the trip, generally driving at 75-80mph.
And while I have my own thread here, Id like to ask whether you guys think its worth it to get an Xcal tuner + tune if I'm thinking about keeping the stock 3.07 gears? I'd like more oomph, but is the tuner worth it w/o a gearing upgrade?
For anyone thinking the Mark VIII isnt a capable road trip car, I encourage you to try it.
I got back to Michigan the other weekend from a spring break trip down to New Orleans, and effectively my first ever real road trip. I went down there with a campus organization to do reconstruction work as a volunteer, and I opted to be a driver with my 13 year old car; the oldest car to make the journey.
I was kinda nervous about taking the Mark, in case something went wrong, she racked up over 2300 miles without a single major problem. I feel like this is sort of a rite (sp?) of passage for the car, and now I trust it a lot more.
New Orleans has a ton of pot holls, and the road surface is pretty uneven in places. I scraped my mufflers twice, caught my doors on the curb three times, and damaged a [stabilizer bar??], which I had checked out, but it isn't anything I have to have replaced soon. I also blew a tweeter and a speaker.
Driving around new orleans is insane, and not something to be undertaken by anyone suffering from high blood pressure. It also made me seriously reconsider whether I want to convert the car to the 1.5" lower coil kit this summer.
I was also worried that the exhaust drone would drive my passengers nuts (had two females), but in fact it didnt bother them, and they even liked the car and the vehicular stunts (long live RWD) we did on occasion.
The car is a good highway cruiser, and the people in the back seat slept well. The trunk had just enough room for 4 people's bags, including sleeping bags. Overall it was a good experience, and Im proud of the car.
I averaged 25mpg on the trip, generally driving at 75-80mph.
And while I have my own thread here, Id like to ask whether you guys think its worth it to get an Xcal tuner + tune if I'm thinking about keeping the stock 3.07 gears? I'd like more oomph, but is the tuner worth it w/o a gearing upgrade?
For anyone thinking the Mark VIII isnt a capable road trip car, I encourage you to try it.
. Thats odd.. my girlfriend also drives an aveo.. hmm.. lol! Ya.. my girlfriend likes my car.. she says it rides good and loves the.. well likes the sound! Now if she'll stop complaining everytime I have to work on it.. we'll be just fine!!