Need help making the right decision

Flusher

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And then, this happened...

My wife picked the car and was very supportive in making it happen.

Quincy and Tiffany at Downtown Oakland Toyota and Subaru Autocenter were incredibly helpful, particularly in my situation.

Obviously this isn't an MPG car. Cruising at 70-75 MPH, I got 265.7 miles out of the first tank of 13.8 gallons. In comparison, my wife's '14 3.7L manual used just under 10 gallons. Of interesting note: RPM for the GT500 was ~1800 in 6th gear. The V6 was in 5th gear at ~2400 RPM to keep it happy at 70-75 MPH (I feel it lugs the engine too hard at RPM below 2100).

My wife and I will work out the logistics for who takes which car, limiting the GT500 to short distances as much as possible.

The GT500 was absolutely immaculate inside, outside, underneath, and engine compartment. Apparently the car came from an estate sale of a private collector who had passed away. It's so perfect I'm nervous to drive it. In fact, it almost got taken out twice between the dealership and the freeway.

The only issues that I have with the car, first is the K&N. I don't want to be in the same situation I am now, where I can't pass smog. Again, about the primary deciding factor in buying this car, I don't want to dance around tampering with the emissions systems to make more power.

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Flusher

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"It needs a smaller pulley"? Wh... What?

Well, it is supercharged, it always needs a smaller pulley! ;)

I haven't really looked at these blowers before looking at these two cars, but I see the difference between the pulleys. This must be what the salesman was talking about. I have a feeling that the first car I looked at has had a tune and blower pulley swap and has probably had a hard life. I think they had the stock tune reflashed and that's why they can't drive it. Below are pictures of the smaller pulley of the 1st car vs. mine.

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MrAwesome987

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Indeed... I have an m122 on my car and it came with the pulley yours has on it. Makes sense now!
 

Flusher

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Your V6 definitely isn't worth fixing so you could junk the engine/tranny and keep the rest of the car for parts.

Your V6 would then come in handy as a donor for parts that are common to the GT.

What parts would you recommend saving? I can't store another car carcass.

I'm definitely going to pull my brakes and rims. I was thinking about keeping the fenders and hood. Maybe the tail lights.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

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What parts would you recommend saving? I can't store another car carcass.

I'm definitely going to pull my brakes and rims. I was thinking about keeping the fenders and hood. Maybe the tail lights.

Fenders, doors, trunk, hood, taillights, seats, electric cooling fan, and any other pieces that can swap over to a GT.
 

Oliver Vigil

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As someone that dailies a standard transmission 2007 GT, I would recommend looking else where to accomplish what you need. Gas is pretty costly when driving this vehicle every day. To be completely frank it sounds like you may need to sacrifice the longing of a V8 S197 and make a more economical decision for the mean time. However, if you really are set on the V8, they are reliable and more exciting then your average commuter. Best of luck!
 

Flusher

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As someone that dailies a standard transmission 2007 GT, I would recommend looking else where to accomplish what you need. Gas is pretty costly when driving this vehicle every day. To be completely frank it sounds like you may need to sacrifice the longing of a V8 S197 and make a more economical decision for the mean time. However, if you really are set on the V8, they are reliable and more exciting then your average commuter. Best of luck!

Definitely feeling like I fraked up when I gassed up that 2nd time. After fueling this morning, MPG was 21.7. That's doable for me. Not much different than my beater. I was primarily trying to see how far out of the realm of reality I would be with with a V8.

I spoke with the dealer again Sunday I learned that the car hasn't been driven in two years. I'm going to attribute the substantial difference to possible old gas until I can gather more data.

Then, it's all about making public transportation work for me.

Sometimes smiles per mile take higher priority over miles per gallon. ;)

Indeed!
 

gbstang

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Nice car.. I never worry about Mpg, if you want MPG you get a Jetta TDI like my wife has- 45MPG on a bad day..
Now that Blue truck is my daily driver 25MPG Yup its a Diesel If it were gas I would see maybe 10-12 going down hill with a tail wind.
That third car is a Mercury Marauder (its Blown) gets about 25MPG but is very streetable.
That last one is my Mad Money car, but my SC doesn't look like yours LOL...
MPG?--Who cares...

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Norm Peterson

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The only issues that I have with the car, first is the K&N. I don't want to be in the same situation I am now, where I can't pass smog.
First thing to check would be to see if the K&N has a CARB EO number. If so, you shouldn't have any smog inspection issues.

I think you've been driving relatively low- and under-powered cars long enough that you're associating operation at anything under 2000 rpm with not having enough power. That shouldn't be the case in this car, but it may take a while for it to start feeling right to you.


Norm
 

Pentalab

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Car traffic is way down, and they are still worried about smog.
 

Norm Peterson

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As far as I know, there is no "wiggle room" built into any of the smog regulations. At best, you might see a waiver or extension approach taken via DMV or executive order at the state level.


Norm
 

Macman45

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Nice car.. I never worry about Mpg, if you want MPG you get a Jetta TDI like my wife has- 45MPG on a bad day..
Now that Blue truck is my daily driver 25MPG Yup its a Diesel If it were gas I would see maybe 10-12 going down hill with a tail wind.
That third car is a Mercury Marauder (its Blown) gets about 25MPG but is very streetable.
That last one is my Mad Money car, but my SC doesn't look like yours LOL...
MPG?--Who cares...

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Damn I miss the hell out of my Silver Burch Marauder
 

Iceman62

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Wow...looks like you made the right decision & got yourself an Awesome new-to-you ride - huge congrats & she's a 'beaut!
 

Flusher

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Thank you all again. Sorry for the late reply, been crazy busy with my day job and putting out fires trying to get my own machine shop online.

I know that K&N is going to come back and ruin my life next smog inspection. I will try to deal with it before my next inspection is due and hopefully I won't procrastinate until the very last second.
 

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