Jason Camisa dives into his latest acquisition, a 1996 Volkswagen Cabrio, sharing the story of how he came to own it and his plans for a VR6 conversion. The episode features humorous anecdotes about tires, including a mishap with Grenada tires that led to a breakdown during a road trip. Jason and co-hosts discuss the Cabrio's surprisingly premium feel and performance, while also reminiscing about past VW models. The conversation is filled with camaraderie and car culture insights, making it a fun listen for VW enthusiasts.
There is never a such thing as owning too many Volkswagens...
...or so they say. Is that really true?
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The Carmudgeon Show Sponsor, Vredestein Tires:
https://www.vredestein.com/
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Bidding farewell to his Honda Beat to make room for another topless driver, Jason's newly acquired 1996 Volkswagen Cabrio finally makes it home after much anticipation - but not without the drama that comes with a 1000 mile roadtrip home in a 29 year old Volkswagen arising from a low-mileage slumber. Fear not - the Mk3 Cabrio doesn't replace the Mk1 Cabriolet, rather, it will supplement the Cabriolet and the Scirocco with a few extra creature comforts and soon-to-be VR6 power.
Jason's journey begins in Washington, where he picked up the Cabrio just freshly serviced at Griot's Garage for some pre-roadtrip services. The first stop at Techtonics Tuning in Sheridan, Oregon reveals the opportunity to get the Cabrio on the dyno and see just how few horses remain in the original 2.0L ABA engine. A worth bonus - the entertainment value of watching various Volkswagen burnouts and engine explosions amongst a live audience.
Jason & company are not without misadventures - including but not limited to several roadside tire repairs (thanks, Granada Tires) and a crank(y)shaft position sensor that threatens to leave them stranded on more than one occasion. But it's the friends you make along the way that make it worth it - most noteworthy, a random mid-route encounter with Tom Hale who drove his Maserati 4200 GT all the way from Connecticut.
All that and more, on this episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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"...most recent vehicular acquisition, which sits behind us, or I guess, tell them that. It is a 1996 Volkswagen Cabrio, not lay. People will call it a Cabrio, o-lay, like, o-lay. But it's not organic..."
The Volkswagen Cabrio is a small convertible car that was popular in the 1990s. The 1996 model is part of a series that was made from 1992 to 1999, and it's known for being fun to drive.
The Volkswagen Cabrio is a convertible version of the Golf, known for its compact size and fun driving experience. The 1996 model is part of the Mk3 generation, which was produced from 1992 to 1999.
"...it's not organic. It's built in Osnabrück in Germany. These are not the other mark threes are Mexican built..."
Osnabrück is a city in Germany where some Volkswagen cars, like the Cabrio, were made. It's important because it shows where the car was built.
Osnabrück is a city in Germany known for its automotive manufacturing, particularly for Volkswagen. The Cabrio was built there, distinguishing it from other models produced in different locations.
"...mage and Show is sponsored by it's definitely not Granada tires, and you'll find out why also probably not ..."
The Ford Granada is an older car that was made for families, providing a comfortable ride and plenty of space inside. It was popular during its time for being practical.
The Ford Granada was a mid-size car produced by Ford in the 1970s and 1980s, known for its comfort and spacious interior. It was aimed at the family market and offered a range of engines and trim levels.
"Yeah. My Julietta Spider-Veloce had ancient Freda Stein sprint classics on that. And I was like, I should get new tires. These are like 15 years old, and then I started driving it."
The Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce is a classic sports car that has a convertible top. It's known for being fun to drive and has a stylish look that many people love.
The Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce is a classic convertible sports car known for its stylish design and spirited performance. It is part of the Alfa Romeo Spider lineup, which has been celebrated for its driving dynamics and Italian flair.
"Congratulations. It might be the fault of this podcast, but I mentioned to you on this podcast that maybe I should sell the beat."
An automatic car is one that changes gears by itself, so you don’t have to do it manually. This makes it easier to drive, especially in busy traffic.
An automatic car is a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, which shifts gears automatically without the need for the driver to manually change gears. This makes driving easier, especially in stop-and-go traffic.
"...But I did sell the Honda Beat. Congratulations, my condolences. Thank you. Thank you."
The Honda Beat is a tiny sports car from Japan that was made to be fun to drive. It's very small and light, which makes it easy to handle.
The Honda Beat is a kei car produced by Honda from 1991 to 1996. It's known for its small size, lightweight, and fun driving experience, making it popular among enthusiasts.
"...Shouldn't we talk about tires now? Do you want to talk about tires now?"
Tires are the round rubber parts on cars that touch the road. They help the car move and stop safely, and they need to be in good shape for the car to drive well.
Tires are the rubber components that provide traction and support for vehicles. They play a crucial role in handling, safety, and performance, affecting how a car drives and stops.
"And it's got 71,000 miles on it. And I have all books and records."
Miles are a way to measure how far a car has been driven. Generally, cars with fewer miles are considered to be in better condition.
Miles refer to the distance a vehicle has traveled, which is a key indicator of its usage and potential wear. Lower mileage often suggests less wear and tear, making a vehicle more desirable.
"But yeah, it's a very pleasant, nicely made thing that it was nice to interact with. And it made me want like a Mark III VR6 GTI or something because it like would be the same thing..."
The Volkswagen GTI is a fun and practical car that many people enjoy driving. The Mk3 version was made in the early '90s and had a powerful engine that made it more exciting to drive.
The Volkswagen GTI is a sporty hatchback known for its performance and practicality. The Mk3 generation, produced in the early 1990s, features a VR6 engine option which enhances its sporty character.
"An eight valve single overhead cam, 115 horsepower, 100 and I think 32 pound feet of torque."
Horsepower tells you how powerful an engine is. The higher the horsepower, the faster and more powerful the car can be.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power, commonly used to quantify the power output of engines. In automotive terms, it indicates how much work an engine can perform over time.
"An eight valve single overhead cam, 115 horsepower, 100 and I think 32 pound feet of torque."
Torque measures how much twisting force an engine can produce. It's important for how quickly a car can speed up, especially from a stop.
Torque is a measure of rotational force, which in automotive terms refers to the engine's ability to do work. It's crucial for acceleration and pulling power.
The VR6 is a special type of engine made by Volkswagen. It's designed to be powerful but takes up less space than a regular V6 engine.
The VR6 is a type of engine configuration developed by Volkswagen, combining the characteristics of a V6 engine in a more compact design. It features a narrow angle between the cylinder banks, allowing for a shorter engine length.
"this car doesn't want to actually make it to redline."
Redline is the highest speed at which an engine can safely run. Going past this speed can hurt the engine, so drivers need to be careful.
Redline refers to the maximum engine speed, usually indicated by a red zone on the tachometer. Exceeding this limit can cause engine damage, so it's important for drivers to know their vehicle's redline.
"I'd like to find a GTI VR6 or a Jetta GLX VR6, Mark III, ideally one that just got tagged in the back and is totaled."
The Volkswagen Jetta GLX is a fancier version of the Jetta, which is a compact car. The Mark III means it's from a specific time period when this version was made.
The Volkswagen Jetta GLX is a higher trim level of the Jetta, offering more features and a sportier driving experience. The Mark III refers to the generation produced from 1992 to 1999.
"because I will do a double subframe swap. I'll start off the front subframe, which will then include suspension, brakes, steering, engine, transmission, all of it."
A subframe is a part of a car that holds important pieces like the engine and wheels in place. It helps the car stay strong and work well on the road.
A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle that supports various parts like the engine, suspension, and drivetrain. It helps to absorb shocks and maintain alignment.
"The Carrado was 178 in the US. But the Carrado VR6 got a 2.9 liter with 190 horsepower in Europe."
The Volkswagen Corrado is a small, sporty car that was made in the late 80s and early 90s. It has a unique look and is known for being fun to drive.
The Volkswagen Corrado is a sporty compact coupe produced from 1988 to 1995. It is known for its distinctive design and performance, particularly the VR6 variant.
"But the Carrado VR6 got a 2.9 liter with 190 horsepower in Europe."
A 2.9 liter engine means the engine can hold 2.9 liters of air and fuel in its cylinders. Bigger engines usually produce more power.
A 2.9 liter engine refers to the engine's displacement, which is the total volume of all the cylinders in the engine. Larger displacement typically allows for more power and torque.
"So remember, I had a Mark III, four-door VR6, and I modified the fuck out of that car."
The Volkswagen Mark III is a version of the Golf car made in the early '90s. It's known for being sturdy and having different engine choices.
The Volkswagen Mark III, also known as the Mk3, refers to the third generation of the Volkswagen Golf, produced from 1991 to 1997. It is known for its solid build quality and variety of engine options, including the VR6.
"...there's like a rubber lip under the car, under the front air dam."
The front air dam is a part at the front of the car that helps it move better through the air. It can also make the car look cooler.
The front air dam is a component located at the front of a vehicle, designed to improve aerodynamics by reducing air drag and increasing downforce. It can also enhance the car's visual appeal.
"And, you know, I'll do a headlight upgrade in terms of LEDs and senons."
LEDs are a type of light that uses less energy and lasts longer than regular bulbs. They're often used in car headlights to make them brighter and more efficient.
LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, are a type of lighting technology that is energy-efficient and long-lasting. They are commonly used in automotive lighting for headlights and interior lights.
"And I am a bit concerned about adding 50% horsepower to this car because it does definitely have cowl shake. I don't know what you're talking about."
Cowl shake is when the front part of a car shakes or vibrates, especially around the windshield. It's more common in cars that don't have a solid roof, like convertibles.
Cowl shake refers to the flex or vibration in the car's body, particularly around the windshield area, often noticeable in convertibles or cars with less structural rigidity. This can be exacerbated by increased horsepower or performance modifications.
"No, I will put structural bracing on it. So I'll do the upper..."
Structural bracing is when you add extra parts to a car's frame to make it stronger and less wobbly. This helps the car handle better and reduces shaking.
Structural bracing involves adding components to a car's chassis to improve rigidity and reduce flex, which can enhance handling and reduce issues like cowl shake. This is especially important in performance vehicles or convertibles.
"Well, the upper shock tower upfront, which we'll get rid of probably half of the cowl shake."
The shock tower is where the car's suspension connects to the body. Strengthening this area can help the car handle better and reduce shaking.
The shock tower is a part of the car's suspension system, located at the top of the strut assembly. Upgrading or reinforcing the shock tower can improve handling and reduce body flex, contributing to a more stable ride.
"Cabrio is the Mark III terminology. Correct. And as I understand it, there was a facelift on the front half of this car later on in production."
'Mark III' is a way Volkswagen labels its car generations, similar to saying 'third version' of a model. It helps identify which version of a car you're talking about.
The term 'Mark III' refers to the third generation of a specific model in Volkswagen's lineup, often used to denote significant design and engineering changes from previous generations.
"... it was given a facelift to make it look like the Mark IV cars. So the weird thing about the Mark I, what ..."
The Jaguar Mark I is an older luxury car known for its beautiful design and smooth performance. It helped Jaguar become famous for making stylish cars.
The Jaguar Mark I is a luxury sedan that was produced in the 1950s, recognized for its elegant design and advanced engineering for its time. It laid the foundation for Jaguar's reputation for producing stylish and high-performance vehicles.
"Yeah. They made the beetle beetle and then the Audi A3 eventually. Yeah."
The Audi A3 is a small luxury car that offers a nice interior and good technology features. It's popular for people who want a stylish and comfortable ride.
The Audi A3 is a compact luxury car that combines performance, technology, and upscale features in a small package. It is well-regarded for its refined interior and advanced safety and infotainment systems.
Car
Mercedes-Benz Evo II Cosworth
"So they did an Evo II Cosworth Mercedes."
The Evo II Cosworth is a special version of a Mercedes car that was designed for better performance, especially in racing.
The Mercedes-Benz Evo II Cosworth is a high-performance variant of the Mercedes 190E, known for its racing pedigree and enhanced performance features.
"Have the guys do a PPI for you. And I'm like, I don't need it. And he's like, you need it."
A PPI stands for Pre-Purchase Inspection. It's when a mechanic checks a car to make sure everything is working well before you buy it. This helps you avoid buying a car that might have hidden problems.
A PPI, or Pre-Purchase Inspection, is a thorough examination of a vehicle conducted by a qualified mechanic before a purchase. It helps identify any potential issues or repairs needed, ensuring the buyer is making an informed decision.
"...they even pulled the cover off and looked at the timing belt. And I knew the timing belt was 17 years old. But it only had like 3,800 miles on it..."
A timing belt is a part of the engine that helps keep everything moving in sync. If it gets too old or worn out, it can break and cause serious engine problems.
The timing belt is a critical component in an engine that synchronizes the rotation of the crankshaft and camshaft. It ensures that the engine's valves open and close at the proper times during each cylinder's intake and exhaust strokes. A worn or old timing belt can lead to engine failure if it breaks.
"...ing on some pretty cool stuff there, including an E30 touring in Poiple. That's cool."
The BMW 3 Series is a small luxury car that people love for its fun driving experience and nice interior. The E30 version is an older model that many fans admire for its style and performance.
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car that has been in production since 1975. Known for its sporty handling and luxurious features, the E30 variant is particularly celebrated among enthusiasts for its classic design and driving dynamics.
"So a double E30M3 subframe swap. So a full M3 wagon, which is pretty cool."
The BMW E30 M3 is a special version of the BMW 3 Series that is designed for performance. It's known for being lightweight and fun to drive, which makes it popular among car fans.
The BMW E30 M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, produced from 1982 to 1994. It is renowned for its lightweight construction, sporty handling, and powerful engines, making it a favorite among enthusiasts.
"... also did an E30M3 shooting break and red with an S60. No, M60."
The Volvo S60 is a fancy car that focuses on keeping you safe and comfortable while driving. It's known for being reliable and having a lot of space inside.
The Volvo S60 is a luxury sedan known for its safety features, comfortable ride, and stylish design. It has a reputation for reliability and is often praised for its spacious interior and advanced technology.
"...we then left and went to go drive a C63 AMG that had been manual swapped."
The C63 AMG is a fast and powerful car made by Mercedes-Benz. It's designed for people who love driving and want a mix of luxury and speed.
The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG is a high-performance version of the C-Class, known for its powerful V8 engine and sporty handling. It's popular among enthusiasts for its blend of luxury and performance.
"...opy of my minivan. Like at 20, it turns out, 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan with the hood up and seven kids around it..."
The Dodge Grand Caravan is a big family van that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It's great for parents who need to drive kids around and have space for everything.
The Dodge Grand Caravan is a minivan that has been a popular choice for families due to its spacious interior and versatile seating configurations. It offers practical features for everyday use, making it ideal for transporting kids and cargo.
"and then find an enterprise and we rent an F-150 and we're just telling the shit home. Like, we're never gonna make it."
The Ford F-150 is a big truck that many people use for work or to haul things. It's popular because it's tough and can carry a lot of weight.
The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck that has been one of the best-selling vehicles in the United States for decades. Known for its durability, versatility, and strong towing capacity, it is often used for both work and personal purposes.
"...out our friend Rachel's there at racing her spoon civic. So we say hi to Rachel."
The Honda Civic is a small car that many people like because it's dependable and saves on gas. It's also available in sportier versions for those who enjoy driving.
The Honda Civic is a compact car that has been a staple in the automotive market since 1972. It is known for its reliability, fuel efficiency, and sporty variants, making it a popular choice among drivers of all ages.
"and doesn't have any tires. And I'm like, well, there's Miata's all over the place. Like somebody in a Miata will have a 14 inch tire."
The Mazda Miata is a small sports car that is really fun to drive. It's light and has a simple design, which makes it popular with people who love driving.
The Mazda Miata, also known as the MX-5, is a lightweight two-seat sports car that has been praised for its fun-to-drive nature since its introduction in 1989. Its rear-wheel-drive layout and balanced handling make it a favorite among driving enthusiasts.
"And I look and I'm like, oh shit, shirako, cabriolay, cabbie, e-golf, and the beetle on the front yard."
The Volkswagen e-Golf is an electric car that looks like the regular Golf but runs on electricity instead of gas. It's good for the environment and great for city driving.
The Volkswagen e-Golf is the electric version of the popular Golf hatchback, offering a practical and eco-friendly alternative to traditional gasoline-powered cars. It combines the familiar Golf design with electric efficiency, making it a great choice for urban driving.
Select text to request an explanation
Really leaning into the VW thing. You know what that sound is. Nope. Mike does, he's laughing. Yeah. That is the sound of a stoner. Yeah. That's why I said leaning into the VW thing. Hello, and welcome to this episode of The Carmage and Show. My name is Jason Camisa, and that is Derek Tim. Hi, Vince Scott. And on this episode we talk about Jason's
most recent vehicular acquisition, which sits behind us, or I guess, tell them that. It is a 1996 Volkswagen Cabrio, not lay. People will call it a Cabrio, o-lay, like, o-lay. But it's not organic. It's built in Osnabrück in Germany. These are not the other mark threes are Mexican built. This episode of The Carmage and Show is sponsored by
it's definitely not Granada tires, and you'll find out why also probably not loud fan tires, but definitely by Freda Centires, which make tires that hopefully don't Granada at
19, 2900 miles, whatever. Yeah. My Julietta Spider-Veloce had ancient Freda Stein sprint classics on that. And I was like, I should get new tires. These are like 15 years old, and then I started driving it.
Like, kind of an asshole, and I was like, they're fine. I've never released the tires on that car. And then the subsequent owner wanted to do a California road trip, and he took it on the California road trip and did, like, a thousand miles in it, and they were fine too. So I think properly stored the those ones at least on that particular car lasted quite well. I was impressed. But I was like all set to buy new tires and decided it wasn't necessary after using them. You demanded more. You demanded a better tire.
Yeah, I demand to never drive a car on a thousand mile road trip with Granada's on it again. Well, hopefully that dream can come true.
Okay, stay tuned. You're going to clap. We are going to jingle. And then we'll be right back to tell the story.
I thought that one was good.
Okay, we're going to have a funeral here. What died? Who or what died? I did the unthinkable. And it's you were fault once again.
You bought an automatic car. Oh, God, no, don't be stupid. I sold a car.
Congratulations. It might be the fault of this podcast, but I mentioned to you on this podcast that maybe I should sell the beat.
And you met someone who said, I'm looking for a beat. And you stupidly, stupidly gave that person my number.
And next thing, you know, I'm beatless. Jason is not beating.
It happened so fast. I couldn't even think about it because it was right before car week. I showed the car to the buyer. He was like, all right, I'm interested.
I just need to arrange some logistics. I went to car week and during car week, he's like, okay, you want me to send you a deposit?
I'm like, I can't even think about this. And the day I got home today work. And I was like, okay, forgot to give him like the binder with all the receipts.
He's like, he's local, so it's fine. But I did sell the Honda beat.
Congratulations, my condolences. Thank you. Thank you.
Is this potentially related to the elephant in the room?
Shouldn't we talk about tires now? Do you want to talk about tires now?
Well, it's going to be about tires, but not in the way that anyone thinks it is. And I'm not sure I've told you what happened on.
Oh, yes. So the red elephant in the room, not pink, is a 1996 Volkswagen cabrio that I think I mentioned the possibility of buying on the show.
I think I actually look like it functioned.
Oh, it functioned. It happened. It is flash red, which is flash red.
Yeah, seriously, this is not tornado. It's not tornado, which makes me realize that all of my Volkswagen's, my Volkswagen's are flash red, flash silver, flash silver.
So it's my triple flash. And then you're anus, right? Or whatever?
No, you're an aeroto gray. That's the color that my eagles was.
Yes. I don't even know the color of my own car. Whatever, don't care.
It's an eagle. It's fucking great. And I wish it was the previous color, which was ground, which was a grayish brown, but I like much better.
Yeah. So this happened. It was someone who, I think I mentioned this, contacted me on LinkedIn.
But hi, I got your name. Jason is doing card deals on LinkedIn now.
I think it's really word, his word has gotten out that I'm a whore, and then I like old VW's in this gentleman was like,
Hey, I am the original owner of a 1996 Volkswagen cabrio, and I would like it to go to a good home.
And I responded, this was six months ago, eight, nine months ago.
And I responded, sure, okay, I hope you find a good home for it. Send me pictures. Here's my email address.
And it took him more than six months. And so I randomly get this email. And it's like,
Hey, as per our conversation in LinkedIn, and I'm like, whoa, VW, VW LinkedIn.com, like the last messages, search, found it.
And he said, here's a picture of it. Here's two pictures of it. And it's got 71,000 miles on it.
And I have all books and records. And I took one look at the picture and literally set out loud fuck.
Yes. I haven't done that before. God damn it. I have to buy.
And you just knew immediately from the picture because the paint is red, the fuck red,
that all of the trim is black, the fuck black, the leather is perfect.
And the car just looks like, I don't know, 20,000 miles to your old car in pictures.
And so, yeah, I had found it a good home.
You were on my, well, the call was coming from inside the house.
I don't know if technically I'm allowed to call my own home a good home.
And I have plans for this car. The garage. The garage comes from a good garage.
Comes from a good garage. Yeah.
So, the whole point of this car, which I have not said to the owner so if any of you guys know
the previous owner of this car, keep your mouth shut.
Oh, no.
Well, when I can't tell him, he wants it to go good home, and I'm going to hack it apart.
You're not going to hack it completely untrue.
Well, okay. You drove the car. What do you think?
You know, these cars were supposed to be sort of cheap cars when they were new.
That's the Volkswagen position, right? They're supposed to be people's cars.
It was 23,000 dollars. It was a lot of money.
What is that? That's how much was a Miara at the time?
I don't know.
15.
15.
17.
So, when I was driving it, I mean, A, it's a really great example.
It's very cool to see one that's in nice shape because you almost never see them in nice shape.
But as my experience driving is, this does exactly what the consumer would have expected it to do.
And it's kind of a nice place.
It feels sort of premium to be in there, which I was probably not expecting.
Like the top of the shift knob thing is exactly the same as a Porsche ones that immediately
like sets a good sort of mood for me or like an impression of expensiveness.
Like a lot of the switch gear and headlights switches and stuff like that are like evoke outies of this era,
which also made it feel expensive.
So, this is like a young professional with a bit of money or like a wealthy daughter of some, you know,
like kind of first car type of car.
Yes. I did not feel extremely heterosexual when I was driving this car to be fair.
But yeah, it's a very pleasant, nicely made thing that it was nice to interact with.
And it made me want like a Mark III VR6 GTI or something because it like would be the same thing,
but more sporting intent in terms of...
Those are built in Mexico and there I don't remember my Mexican built Mark III Ford
or being this nice interior wise.
I'm sure it's all the same crap, but that car was had 29,174 miles on it when I got it.
It was eight years old and already had two hatches replaced for rust,
and it lived in an air conditioned storage facility in Florida.
They were not high quality machines.
This one's like...
This feels...
It's built at Carmen in Osnoblok on the same line that built my Shorako and my other cabriolay.
For the record, the cabriolay, the bitch basket, the 16 valve is not going anywhere.
We've discussed this.
I think the most fun car I've ever driven.
Possibly. Possibly you too.
You've still had...
It made me laugh at or with.
Yes.
Good.
My impressions of this car I cannot believe how fucking slow it is.
You had told me that it was going to be very slow and so I wasn't as offended by it
because you had set the bar very low, but it is definitely...
Leisurely.
It puts the slow and two-point slow.
The slow and two-point slow, yeah.
As I drive this thing around, I think this is the exact powertrain and this is the exact car that is a GTI.
In the US, from the Mark III, a GTI was this two-point slow.
An eight valve single overhead cam, 115 horsepower, 100 and I think 32 pound feet of torque.
It was available with the VR6 as well.
It's at the trim level, right?
A GTI had this powertrain and all I keep thinking is the product planner who did that should have been shot.
There is nothing...
If you take my 16 valves, which were the predecessor in the Mark II, that was the GTI 16 valve.
How much do those cars weigh?
A two-point slow GTI, Mark III.
26, 27.
That's quirky.
About the same as this.
Because you would say when the first GTI came to the United States, didn't they have like 90 or 110 horsepower or something absurd?
Yeah, 112 in Europe.
That's pretty sporting in that thing because it weighs so little compared to 600 pounds.
But then, this is 27 and change, apparently, I haven't weighed it yet.
But I just keep thinking, it's not even how slow it is.
It's the complete and total lack of character.
Yeah.
The engine just...
It's got a bassy note, but it's so quiet and it's so never wakes up and this car doesn't want to actually make it to redline.
Yeah.
I just think...
No, if you drive...
I'm sorry, anyone there who drives a Mark III GTI, two-point slow, just sell it.
I don't think...
I've driven these cars with cams.
You can make...
You know, put cams in them.
You can wake them up.
But stock?
No.
It's an opposite of GTI.
Yeah, well, this is not a GTI.
Or a shit is not.
But it's got beautiful leather and it's the perfect donor car to make a Cabrio VR6, which is the plan.
So again, speaking of those at home, if anyone knows of a good...
Especially a low mileage.
I'd like to find a GTI VR6 or a Jetta GLX VR6, Mark III, ideally one that just got tagged in the back and is totaled.
And I can buy it for the driveline because I will do a double subframe swap.
I'll start off the front subframe, which will then include suspension, brakes, steering, engine, transmission, all of it.
And the rear, for the, for exactly the same equipment, minus the engine and steering.
And I'll...
And this will be a factory...
As close as you can get to a factory, Cabrio VR6 cabrio.
And I did this because I don't want or need another Cabrio layout or another convertible.
But I need a VR6 in my life.
And a 12-valve VR6.
It's tempting to go to a 3.6 liter or a 3.2 and go get two 300 horsepower.
But I don't care, I just want the...
So if I ever wanted a GTI with a VR6, was that available in Europe?
Yeah.
So that would be the ticket if you didn't want one of the Mexican built ones?
They're 25 now.
I guess you can get a German built...
And you can get a Ford or a GTI VR6 in Germany.
I don't think I need a Ford or a...
A car like that, the charm.
With a backseat that's big enough to fit real humans should have back doors, I think.
Yeah.
And then the Eurocar is off and gone.
I bet there's like six of them that are left in their 30,000 euros because there are none left.
And they had more horsepower than ours.
I think they're 172 here?
72.
The Carrado was 178 in the US.
But the Carrado VR6 got a 2.9 liter with 190 horsepower in Europe.
Oh, I think...
Am I crazy?
No, I may be crazy.
I think the Mark III, they were all 172 horsepower, 175 or 6PS.
Anyway.
So, yeah, that is the future donor car of...
It's not the donor, it's the doni.
It's the doni, yeah.
The future recipient of a powertrain and...
Okay.
Once you find the right VR6 with five lugs and all that stuff.
Yeah.
You're going to leave it stock visually?
I think so.
So the Cabrio's on...
You want to put smoked rear lights, the factory smoked rear lights.
I can do that.
I can do that.
If the goal here is to make a factory Cabrio VR6,
I'll replace the Wolfsburg badges that are in the front fenders with VR6 badges
that were on the cars that had that.
And I will probably do full-width fog lights if they're aftermarket.
So remember, I had a Mark III, four-door VR6,
and I modified the fuck out of that car.
And it was great to exist.
It was a little bit.
I mean, it was a little too low and it was a little bit too...
I mean, I tracked the hell out of it.
I did a lot.
But visually, I love the way that car looked.
So there's a Euro.
There's like a rubber lip under the car, under the front air dam.
And the VR6 is deeper.
The ISLIP is deeper.
Yeah.
So I'll do the VR6 lip fog lights.
And, you know, I'll do a headlight upgrade in terms of LEDs and senons.
But otherwise, and just GTI wheels.
I don't think I need to go to something enormous.
I don't want to ruin the ride quality, which is spectacular.
Yeah.
It's really cushy.
It's unbelievable.
Yeah.
It does have substantial cowl shake.
And I am a bit concerned about adding 50% horsepower to this car because it does definitely have cowl shake.
I don't know what you're talking about.
I just ignore it.
No, I will put structural bracing on it.
So I'll do the upper...
Well, the upper shock tower upfront, which we'll get rid of probably half of the cowl shake.
Half.
Yeah, they make a big difference.
I mean, only can speak about my Cabriot.
So my Cabriot lay.
So I went back and watched a motor week.
And John Davis is like, and this structure is a full 20% stiffer than the outgoing Cabriot lay.
And I'm like, 20% of nothing.
Nothing.
Zero is nothing.
But it does feel quite a bit stiffer.
Structure of that car.
Yeah.
But it is slower than the Rover than the Rover was with its stock horsepower.
It's 10.4 to 60, according to the magazines back in the day.
It feels like 31.4.
There's a big difference between 10.4 and 15.4.
I mean, actually.
Why?
No, I mean, there's a big difference that adding that five seconds on.
You think of both of those as slow, but 15.
15 to 60 is like...
This car's borderline undrivable.
And the weird thing is that bad.
But you do have to use the throttle like a light switch, which is either it's 100% or 0% and nothing in between.
You probably also didn't go on the highway.
I went on for one exit.
Okay.
There are oftentimes when you're matted in fifth on not much of an uphill and it's losing speed.
And you don't have to go down to fourth.
And I'm just not used to that.
Even in the Rover.
Barely.
I mean, I made it up the grapevine as we know all know because I crashed my Rover.
Don't forget to go to jasonsetme.com for insurance.
I made it up that hill on fifth gear.
I don't think this would do it in fifth.
I don't think you'd have to be down in third.
Doesn't have the cubes.
Doesn't have the cubes.
But it is almost identically three times the displacement of the beat.
Almost twice the horsepower.
Because that put 54 to the beat.
You got a lot more car.
That's what I was saying.
Yeah.
And it seats twice as many people and probably has twice as much crash space.
It's faster too.
I don't know.
It's the one thing I did.
I definitely think this is faster than the beat.
The beat and the Rover were pretty neck and neck.
And I don't know.
It's quicker to like 35 or 40.
I don't know.
We'll see.
I will get the beat back for a race.
How about that?
I will ask the new.
We also know other beat owners if we need.
In fact, we know someone was a red beat.
There we go.
A red beat and a red strawberry.
So this is a cabrio.
Not a cabrio lay.
Correct.
Is that right?
Cabrio is the Mark III terminology.
Correct.
And as I understand it, there was a facelift on the front half of this car later on in production.
The back out of two.
Yeah.
So they call that the Mark in Volkswagen terms.
It's referred to the Mark III in half.
So it is a Mark III is a mechanical identical to this car.
But it was given a facelift to make it look like the Mark IV cars.
So the weird thing about the Mark I, what we call a cabrio lay.
But technically it was originally called the rabbit cabrio lay or the golf cabrio lay depending on market.
And then it was a cabrio lay.
And it was renamed just cabrio lay later in life.
Mine is a cabrio lay.
It was an 88.
And that was based on a Mark I.
But its production went all the way till 1993.
Because they never made a Mark II cabrio lay.
Correct.
Functionally.
And they facelifted it a couple times.
Mine is what it's called.
But it still reads as a Mark I.
Kind of.
It looks like a Mark II.
At the end, my car, if you think about it, the Mark II and the Mark I looked so similar.
But it's got Mark I rear lights and it's got Mark I front lights, right?
The Mark II GTI 16 valve had the same biggie little headlights.
So and that got the clipper kit, which is the body kit.
Yeah, which is the body kit.
That's the very 80s looking tuner hot boy stuff.
With world bumpers.
So, you know, one bumper for the whole world.
That's what paint did.
And so Mark I cabrio lay spanned both Mark I and Mark II.
And then Mark III, spanned Mark III and Mark IV.
And was never made again.
Yeah.
They made the beetle beetle and then the Audi A3 eventually.
Yeah.
Which is.
And now the T Rock.
Is that it?
The T Rock cabrio lay is the only open Volkswagen you can buy now.
I love how you know that.
I didn't know that.
The T Rock is dead to me.
Oh, sorry.
It's dead to me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Anyway.
So this is a Mark 3.0.
And I've already put it on the dyno.
Okay.
So the whole story of it's not my fault.
So who's break your previous record for the lowest number of horsepower ever on that dyno?
No.
Well, it was the lowest of the day.
So.
All right.
I flew a body of ours decided he was stupid enough to say, yes, when I said,
road trip.
Let's go to Koma to get this car.
So we flew into Koma.
Um, ubered over to Grille's garage.
Now, Grille's garage is the car care product.
Please.
And Grille Motors is next door.
Grille Motors is a restoration shop.
I did not know they existed, but they exist.
And same family, same move as Philip, Richard Grille.
Richard Grille started Grille's garage.
His son, Philip, started Grille's Motors as far as I understand.
And it's my guess that he did that because Richard, his father,
the most amazing cars and need somebody to work on them.
And in, inside of Grille's, Grille's garage, there was a team of mechanics working on restoring
it.
So they did an Evo II Cosworth Mercedes.
Um, and they've done two hot Mark one, uh, GTIs.
They've a US rabbit that they put a turbo diesel in that makes like 200 and something horsepower.
And it's 50 miles per gallon.
It's fun.
Fun as fuck.
And then he did a Euro car.
I think it's a Euro car with an ABF motor.
A-B-A.
And so this is the two liter 16 valve with modern fuel injection, the sort of peak 16 valve
was 150 horsepower.
Uh, so I have an ABF motor Mark one, GTI, all, all custom interiors.
The cars are gorgeous.
Um, so I was talking to Rich Grille.
And I'm like, hey, I'm coming up your way.
This is the week before car week.
Are you going to be around?
And I'd love to stop by and say hi with my new ship box.
And he was like, no, no, no, I'm already going to be in Monterey.
But stop by the shop or in even better.
Have the guys do a PPI for you.
And I'm like, I don't need it.
And he's like, you need it.
Don't be stupid.
You're 900 miles from home.
Like, just let's get eyes on it and make sure this is why Rich Grille is a fucking seat.
So we, it turns out the owner is five minutes away from Grille's motors.
So he drops off the car and they do a PPI for me.
And I think the, uh, the first adjective in the email that I got from them was exquisite
about the condition.
And I was like, yeah, I'm going to squeeze it to motica.
And while we were there, they, they even pulled the cover off and looked at the timing belt.
And I knew the timing belt was 17 years old.
But it only had like 3,800 miles on it.
Some, some small amount of miles.
Of course, barely been driven in the last 20 years.
And so they very professionally advised immediately doing the belt.
But they have, I think he said the three certified VW master texts,
all of whom said, fuck it, we would just drive it.
Like it's totally fine.
You don't have anything to worry about.
But I just started having nightmares about what the tow truck bill would be
when this thing pops an engine in the middle of like fucking Oregon.
And I have to tow it a thousand miles home.
So I called them and I'm like, I know it's the week before Corey.
And I know I'm not giving you any time.
And you have three days to do this.
Can you guys slap a belt on this for me?
And he's like, uh, yeah.
And they just put a timing belt on it for me.
Amazing that they did that.
And they did it quickly.
I mean, I remember what book time was versus what they did.
But you know, I said, we don't need water pump.
We don't need anything else.
Just slap a belt on it so I can make it home.
So it was a reasonable amount of money.
They did not charge me a ridiculous markup on the belt.
Because I think the belt retails at 200 bucks when it's like $31 for whatever.
They were amazing.
So I go pick up the car.
In the parking lot, swap in that power acoustic head unit with Apple CarPlay.
Because there's no way I'm doing a 900 mile drive without CarPlay.
Stare is fucking really got on the car also.
And so we got a tour of the facility and some of Richard's cars,
which are all just ridiculous.
He's the person I want to be when I grow up and become wealthy.
And they were working on some pretty cool stuff there, including an E30 touring in Poiple.
That's cool.
That was they were doing a full S14 swap.
So a double E30M3 subframe swap.
So a full M3 wagon, which is pretty cool.
They also did an E30M3 shooting break and red with an S60.
No, M60.
I think it was a regular V8.
Yeah, that was they called out the detail wagon.
They did that for SEMA, probably almost 10 years ago now.
It was a red E30 that they flared, box flared.
Yeah, it looked like an A30 coupe, but it was a shooting break.
Yep.
That car's gorgeous.
And if I remember correctly, it's got a sub like a 15 inch sub in the back or something.
Like it's just fucking, these guys are awesome.
Yeah.
So huge, huge thanks to Grills Motor.
Because as I realized later, things that sit get sititis.
So.
Okay, so how was the drive?
It was a series of running into people that I randomly didn't know that I was going to run into.
Like it turns out, we then left and went to go drive a C63 AMG that had been manual swapped.
And we'll put his Instagram handle below whatever this guy's super sweet, super nice.
Does really great work.
So we drove that around and had had a little bit of fun.
Turns out I was like three miles from a friend who lives in Germany, but has a house in Seattle.
And we want to like having a barbecue.
Like it was just this like great series of running into people.
And we left there and went to tectonics tuning.
Tectonics is in his outside of Portland, basically, we're out of Salem.
And they do this is the third.
I think the time they're doing an open house, which is basically just a big party weekend, a Volkswagen fuckery.
In like come there, you camp out in the field and they did an engine blow, which is a, you've never done that.
It's a VW show thing.
You never done that.
Never heard of this.
Okay, so back east, we used to go to like all these VW shows.
And one of the things that would happen was they would push a car up, drain all fluids out of it.
And then you do raft by raffle tickets for like five bucks or whatever.
And guess how long the car would stay running before it exploded?
And start it, rev it to red line and just let it go.
And there were days, there were times when it was 48 seconds.
There were times when it was like 40 minutes.
And it was, oh my god, it's the best shit ever.
Do not do this with cheap cars.
You would never do this with a Porsche.
Oh, that's true.
Imagine you would have an engine blow at the Mura festival.
This one was the craziest one ever.
Because Colin, the guy who founded tectonics, is imaginious.
Like he's just the man I've been buying parts from him from 28 years.
And he's always the best advice.
And they make really good shit.
And I see this engine and it's a 16 valve.
And I'm like, why are you blowing up a 16 valve and not an 8 valve?
He's like, well, the bottom end is actually an 8 valve.
But it doesn't matter because this head was kind of done.
And so we'll see what happens.
And then everyone's kind of looking around.
And he's like, and it should be pretty fun.
And I'm like, why?
And he's like, well, I have, I don't remember what cams he had put in it.
But standalone engine management with no rev limit and crazy cams.
And he's like, oh, and then it's got, I said, no oil in it.
Right?
He's like, oh, no, no, it's oil.
There's two courts of oil in it.
I'm like, that's it.
And he's like in two courts of gasoline.
No.
Because he went to the fireball.
And the joke was it wasn't in a car.
It was on a pallet basically with like a little chicken wire fence around it.
And I'm like, you're out of your fucking mind to slash your my new best friend.
And so what was the observation distances?
Is this like when they've detonated the first nuclear weapon on Earth
and everybody's in a bunker across the field?
Or pretty much that, yeah.
I mean, I think the closest people were probably like 20 feet away.
Not far.
I was behind the crowd.
Yeah, I was ducking down with my phone held high because I'm like, well,
I was left handed.
Because I literally thought if I lose a hand, it should be my left hand.
So I can still shift.
Right?
I mean, and it was 10,000 RPM.
That was it.
Collins estimate was it would sit around hang around 10 grand.
And unfortunately, it lasted only, I didn't measure it.
I have video.
We'll put the video in.
It's probably only 30 seconds or so.
And the flywheel exploded.
The motor was fine.
So he was so mad.
And I'm like, Colin, you got it.
You have to put a rev limiter on it because you needed to get to last long enough to get so
hot that it can ignite the fire when the rod comes flying to the side.
And then you have to, yeah, you have to ignite the fuel.
So maybe next year it'll be.
He's refining technique.
But I saw so many of these backies.
It never, I never saw a flame.
We never saw anything.
If anything, it would just go bark.
And like a little piece of block would go right out and at the end of it.
So that was fun.
But as soon as I pull up, he's like, oh my God, that thing's gorgeous.
You're putting it on a dino, right?
And I'm like, well, it's got a lot of piston slap when it's closed.
When it's cold.
So I don't know if this motor's all that healthy.
And he was like, hey, they have short skirts on their pistons.
So they all make a little bit of noise when they're cold.
And B, we don't care.
It makes 87, it will make 87, 97 horsepower on our dino if it's healthy.
And I'm like, okay, he's like, throw it on.
So there's a crowd gathered around.
And everyone's watching these like turbo VR 6s cars that are making the most amazing noise ever.
VR 6s, I just can't wait to have one again.
And so they're, and then this comes up.
And you just don't hear anything except for people.
You hit the rollers.
You hit the dino rollers.
Which are barely moving because the car doesn't have enough power to get out of its own way.
And it's just,
and the guys like, all right, you know, Jason, what's your comfort level?
I'm like, blow it the fuck up.
Colin says he's got five motor and five spare motors inside.
We can have a new one in in two hours.
And he's like, okay, I'm like, just give me a dino run from idle to the limiter.
Like no problem.
So it's just,
it was pathetic thing in the world.
And everyone's laughing.
So when it finished, it put 97.8 horsepower.
Colin pronounced it.
High performance.
Very healthy.
It does have a can in it.
I didn't do it.
So it is a very healthy two point very slow.
And so, yeah.
So we left tectonics,
like on top of the world,
we're in the world's nicest and most powerful stock cabrio.
And we're like, I don't know, an hour away.
And I'm like, man, it's really windy isn't it?
And somebody's like,
well, I'm like, it's pulling to the left like a motherfucker.
And he's like, well, yeah, and we do.
There's a lot of wind noise.
We're doing like 161 kilometers.
100 kilometers an hour in the middle of nowhere.
And I let go of steering wheel.
And the thing makes a fucking left turn.
It's not pulling to the left.
It's like, okay.
And I'm like, let me slow down to like a reasonable 60 miles an hour just from my,
I was not cruising at 100,
but I was cruising at 80.
And as soon as we slowed down a bit,
there was a little bit of vibration that had formed.
And it went from bad to I've never felt anything like this.
And I'm like, we're losing a wheel or something's about to blow.
So we get, we get, we just coast off this exit.
And as we're slowing down, the vibration's going through phases as it resonates
through the whole lack of structure.
And as we're slowing down to the stop sign,
I've never seen anything like this.
The wheel is doing 180 degrees left, right, left, right, left, right.
Like 180.
Like, oh, fuck.
We're going to lose a wheel.
Something's really hardly wrong.
So we go across the highway and we pull into this gas station with like,
I don't know how to describe this without being mean to America,
but like the most scary place I've ever broken down in my life.
And there are three, two guys there,
clearly residents of Little Meflaham,
and no teeth.
And then there's a carbon copy of my minivan.
Like at 20, it turns out, 2018 Dodge Grand Caravan with the hood up
and seven kids around it.
So we pull in and they're all looking at us,
like two guys in this cabriolay.
I'm like, oh no.
But Little Meflaham guys are going to shoot us.
The kids are going to beat us up.
Like it's just knocking in, well.
And so we get out and look and the tires are fine.
Like what?
How?
There's no way this is vibrating this bad.
And tires are okay.
So I go and look at the tire iron and I'm all of the lug nuts are tight.
And everything looks totally fine.
I'm like, well, let's just jack up the driver side of the car.
High enough, hopefully, that we can get the rear wheel off as well
and swap it front to rear.
And then we know exactly, we know it's not an axle,
it's not something else drive line.
It's just a wheel or tire or something.
So we get it up on the little,
the little widow maker, Jack, that came with the car.
Just high enough that if you pull up on the rear fender,
you can get the back wheel off the ground.
And it looks fine.
And then I notice the top of it doesn't look fine.
The tread is, you know, when you're sort of looking at the top of the tread
would be flat across a radial tire.
The inside is bowed up about an inch.
So the inside circumference would be an inch times two times pi.
So six inches longer circumference than the outside.
And I'm like, well, that explains why it's pulling to the left, right?
The tire had failed internally, whatever.
Some things slash everything had failed internally.
What kind of tires were they?
And what model here?
They were Grenada.
That tire was a 2011 with 3,800 miles on it.
That should be sufficient for survival.
You one would think.
So we've swapped them for Grenada, Grenada.
Because it Grenaded was the joke.
And I've never heard of this.
Have you?
No.
OK.
Do you think?
I mean, a lot of people hadn't heard of Fredestine.
But I guarantee you, Fredestine makes a more high quality tire than Grenada.
So we get everything sorted out.
And the kids are like laughing at us.
And I'm like, all right, you guys, what the fuck are you doing here?
And they're like, oh, we blew the motor in the minivan.
I was like, what?
I can't blow a motor into a star.
And they're like, well, it's got 270,000 miles on it.
It's a rental.
I was like, oh my god.
That's a very long term rental.
By the way, we're at the top of a mountain.
And I'm like, what happened?
It started overheating.
And we pulled over and it locked up.
So we're waiting for a tow truck.
And we've been here for hours.
And I'm looking at Little Metham.
And Little Metham too.
And I'm like, oh, god, are you guys OK?
Yeah, fine.
They were super cool.
They were all fresh out of high school.
And so we had a bunch of laughs.
He was like, hey, do you guys do you watch car videos?
Yes.
And he's like, have you heard of what's his name?
The guy from Donut.
I'm like, I'm free.
James.
He's like, yeah.
And I'm like, yeah, I know.
I'm like, have you ever heard of, oh, man, what's his name?
He's in Florida.
I'm like, Freddie.
And he was like, no, I'm like, Tavarish.
He was like, yeah, I'm like, yeah, that's Freddie.
I know Freddie.
And he's like, well, how are you using his first name?
Because I know Freddie.
He's like, how do you know Freddie?
Never heard of me.
Never heard of us.
Never heard of anything you do.
Which is awesome.
It's better that way.
So he's like, can I follow you on Instagram?
So he follows me on Instagram.
And I'm like, you know what?
We be funny.
Why don't we stage a photo where you guys are just pointing and laughing at me at my new
car.
And that'll be my intro to the world on my Instagram.
Like Jason bought a car that's not embarrassing at all.
And I wanted to lean on the car, but I'm not going to lean on paint.
So I popped the hood.
And I realized that my mistake when I said, oh, this is going to make it look like the car
broke down, but whatever.
This car speaks English.
This car understood me.
And this car is a vindict of little bitch.
So we take the picture.
Everyone's having a great time.
Fist bump guys.
If you, you know, like, good luck with the tow truck.
You know, I hope you guys get out of here safe and whatever.
Go to get in the car.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
Root.
smack on the fuel tank, nothing.
Like, okay, fuck.
So I go into the hood and I have,
my buddy turned on the key and crank
and I don't feel any vibration at all on the fuel line.
And I'm like, we have a dead fuel pump.
So I went through it through 700 fucking fuses.
Everything's fine.
And I'm like, well, let me check for spark.
Pull the spark, spark for wire, crank it, no spark.
No spark and no fuel.
Of course, I did the pfft thing of the exhaust pipe
to see if I can smell fuel.
No fuel, no spark.
ECU, well, I thought three things.
Number one, alarm failure, most likely thing,
the alarm went off.
Like, and it's malfunctioning.
Number two, ECU, or number three, crank position sensor.
So I'm like, let me just, I unplug everything,
unplug the battery, plug it all back in,
lock the car, unlock it, whatever, no change.
But during the course, this whole thing takes about a half an hour.
During which everyone's laughing at me.
And finally, I turn the truck around.
No, not for, we hadn't called for them.
No, a tow truck didn't arrive ever at them.
At 10.30 that night, they found a taxi,
two taxis that would come and get all of them
and bring them to a hotel.
Like those kids could have been killed.
Yeah, scary.
But one, I just reached in the car and I was looking,
I was listening in the back seat.
I'm surprised you didn't kill the battery by this point.
I know I never let it crank for more than like 10 compression
strokes because I don't have a jumper box.
I don't have anything.
And it just, I'm like, get in, go.
And like everyone just looked at me like, I was crazy.
I'm like, beat it.
Let's go.
Let's get the fuck out of here.
My buddy's like, what are you doing?
I'm like, we're getting on the fucking road
and coasting down the other side of this mountain
and winding up in a town that has cell service
and not meth.
Like, I just want to break down somewhere nicer.
So we get, as soon as we get pretty quotable,
we should put that on the back of your next chase
and set me down to calm.
I just want to break down somewhere nicer.
I mean, you've been there, right?
Yeah, yeah.
There are places you want to not spend the night
and you're in your car on the side of the roadway.
What time of day is this?
6 p.m.
Yeah.
We're running out of light.
Yeah.
So I might have even been late.
Yeah, probably six.
So we get, as soon as we get moving again,
the car goes, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Like, oh, it's the front right tire.
God damn it.
The vibration is coming from the front right.
But then we get up to highway speed and the pull's gone.
And I'm like, motherfucker.
Bulls?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I couldn't, I was trying to go as slow as possible.
But 55, there was so much vibration
that I couldn't see out of the mirrors
and like the shifter was, like it was bad.
So I'm like, immediately, I'm like, get on the phone
and find the closest you haul.
So we can rent a flatbed trailer
and then find an enterprise
and we rent an F-150 and we're just telling the shit home.
Like, we're never gonna make it.
And you know how that hysteria sort of builds.
And like he would find a trailer,
but then there would be no truck.
And then the next city, there would be a truck
but no trailer.
And then this, Hertz was closed for the weekend
and this enterprise wasn't open in this you haul.
It was just, he was like panicked
on the two different phones the whole time.
Like, no, I need a trailer.
No, I want a flatbed.
It doesn't matter what I'm fucking towing with it.
Just tell me if you have one available
because you know the you haul thing.
It's like, you need to know the year-make model engine,
trim size and everything of the vehicle,
you're towing with.
It has a billion pound towing capacity.
Just tell me if you have a fucking trailer
but they won't tell you if you're a trailer first
until you tell them which app.
So this is all happening and finally,
I'm like, we gotta get this wheel off
of the front of this car because it's bad.
So we coast into another gas station
down at the bottom of the hill
and I'm like, not turning it off
because I've never had a crank position sensor fail.
While running.
And they fail when they're sitting like this one did.
So jack up the car on the other side
and swap the front to rear on the right side.
This one failed internally in exactly the same way
but only for about a third of the circumference of the tire.
So that's why it was vibrating like that.
So through that on the back
and then put gas in it with it running
which is something I have never done.
I was waiting for 62 check engine lights and a fucking.
I've done this before in a car with that weak battery.
In an OBD2 car?
No.
Yeah, that's what I was worried.
I was worried that it was gonna start sucking in air
or like, you know, it's gonna start doing some stupid
vacuum self test.
It was fine.
Long story short, we get on as soon as we start moving
the back of the car goes boom, boom, boom, boom, it's twerking.
I mean, those tires were so out of round
that the car was visibly twerking
and you could see the whole thing at 70 miles an hour
it was pretty smooth.
At 55, undrivable.
So I just did like 67, 68 miles an hour
for we got, my goal was get into the state of California
because then the one way rentals
from wherever the fucking California to wherever the fuck
we were going in California,
San Francisco seemed much cheaper.
So like if we get across the border into California,
we will get, I think we're redding was the first big town.
We'll just stop in redding, we'll get a hotel room
and tomorrow morning when the car doesn't start,
we'll just walk over a uber over to a U-Haul.
And so we check U-Haul's open, they had trailers,
I found a pickup truck, da, da, da, da, da.
And so we get to the hotel like 10, 30 a night,
like just twitch it.
Frazzled?
Frazzled.
Get up the next morning, start try it up.
Like okay, let's get out of here before it dies.
And Thunder Hill Raceway was 87 miles away.
And I'm like well we only have to make it 87 more miles.
So we pull up to Thunder Hill,
like buzzing from the vibration.
We go to sign in, there's a track day going on.
And I'm like all right, so when,
what time's your tire guy get here?
Cause it was early in the morning
she's like, oh, the tire shop closed.
Hmm, what, you know, what do you mean closed?
You can't not have a tire shop at a racetrack
and she's like, yeah, no, we don't know why they closed.
I'm like, well someone will have a fucking tire for me.
So we drive in, turns out our friend Rachel's there
at racing her spoon civic.
So we say hi to Rachel.
I find a tire, mobile tire guy that's over there.
And I'm like, hey, any chance you have a 14
and he was like, no, I'm like two 14s
and he was like, no, no.
And so he goes and checks his warehouse
and doesn't have any tires.
And I'm like, well, there's Miata's all over the place.
Like somebody in a Miata will have a 14 inch tire.
No, every Miata had a 15 on it.
So then I had to pee and I was like walking back
and I'm like, let me take a walk past all the roll ups
and there's the shops in the warehouses.
And there's a door that's open
and there's no one in it
and there's two NA Miata's on lifts and no one around.
So my sneaky ass fucking sneaks in
and I look and there are 15s on it.
In the back of the shop, there's a stack of tires
and I'm like, look over and I pull there's a floor mat
on top and the first one is an original NA wheel
with a fucking 1856014 on it.
It's like, yes, success.
Now there's another one, three or four tires down
and they're all covered in spider webs and nasty
and I'm like, I'm not getting a black widow bite
and getting arrested or shot.
And there are also from like 1999.
Doesn't matter, you know what, they were around.
So those were around when you started.
Yeah, but we only had, at this point we're 600 miles in.
Like we only have, you know, actually I know this.
It's 147 miles from Thunder Hill to my shop
and I know this because Hagrid Roadside is 150
and I never worried about blowing up a car at Thunder Hill
because I could always roadside at home.
So I don't know who shopped this is.
I just started looking around, there's a desk
and I'm looking through paperwork
and I finally see art in invoice
and it's like a plus race rentals or something.
So I go to the website, there's a phone number,
I call it leaf of voicemail and then send it a text
and somebody texts me back 20 minutes later
and he's like, oh, Brandon's at the shop.
Like okay, so I go back to the shop
and there's Brandon and he hands me two Miata wheels
with 2022 Lauffense on.
He's like, yeah, well, 30 bucks each for the tires
but the boss wants the wheels back.
No problem, go over to tire guy.
Hi, found two tires, he's like, get the fuck out.
I'm like, yep, can you pull these off?
So we put the old but still good-ish tires
on the back of the golf and put the Lauffense on the front
and drove home like it was nothing.
Here we are.
With mismatch tires.
With mismatch, well, on the front's are 18560,
the rear's are 19560.
Okay, so you have extra grip in the back
to help you put down all that high horsepower in the back
or extra rotational force up front
to shorten the gear ratio
and make it less than dangerously slow.
Uh-huh.
So there is the full story of this.
So quite the adventure for misadventure.
I think when I told you that we had broken down
your response was something about the rover, do you remember?
Oh, yeah, for all of the distress that you had
about the rover that it was more reliable than this thing.
So far the rover has done total of combined
3,000 miles of road trips probably
and not so much as a fucking hiccup and this thing.
I mean, I can't blame it.
Other than the crank position sensor.
I mean, so did you do any subsequent diagnosis
or replacement?
I brought it in for smog.
It had a pending code for crank position sensor.
So it was just back.
And have you replaced it?
Yeah, it is in the shopping cart of my FCP Euro shopping basket.
So you were just every time you try to start this thing,
it's like, oh, I say a little bit of a Hail Mary.
Hail Mary, holy fuck, please start the fucking car.
That's or something there.
Really?
Yeah, I didn't tell you this one.
Yeah, when you sent me out to drive it,
and when we took it to lunch,
I mean, it's walking distance back to the studio.
It's hot today, but it's very hot.
But the AC is cold and we could have pushed it.
That's the work of it's not running.
Yeah, it does if you push the car down a hill.
There is none.
Yeah, no.
I'm going to try not to drive the car.
I have teardrops from the bitch basket
that I will burn this.
That's a type of wheel to clarify to the audience
as opposed to a state of Jason's mind.
I'm also crying for the loss of my masculinity
in this car.
I'm going to authorize it, set it to your drops on it.
So at least the tires are not unsafe.
And then I'll do a couple little maintenance things.
I don't want to do the crank position sensor.
It's a pain.
Well, then you have to find a VR6 in short order here.
I suppose.
Yeah.
They're around.
I don't feel comfortable putting a 200,000 mile motor
in a 70,000 mile car.
Yeah.
And you don't want to cut up a nice car.
You don't care.
If it's a Jetta, I'm not too concerned.
And the other thing is, if I have the time to do it,
I will probably swap this drive train
into whatever the donor car is.
Unless it's been bonked.
Yeah, terminally bonked.
But if I find like, honestly, if I found a 75,000 mile Jetta
GLX VR6 and it was in nice shape,
I'd swap this motor back in.
And now it's a one-of-one incredibly rare Jetta GLX VR6
two-point slow package.
I don't know.
I mean, I don't.
I didn't sell it with a new crank position sensor
in a baggy.
Oh, well, one of the engines out.
It's easier to do.
I think you had to pull the starter on these motors.
I just don't.
And the first timing belt.
Look at what a nice guy I am.
OK.
All right.
Or a VR6 is timing chain or timing belt.
Chain chains.
And they all need chains at high mileage.
So of course, while I'm in tectonics, everyone's like,
well, you're going to VR swap that, right?
Of course, obviously.
And the guy who does the engine builds.
And you didn't find any VR6s through that conversation.
It was one that was an hour away.
And the guy didn't respond.
But I had said to one of the guys there
and who does the engine does the headwork.
And I'm like, there's one an hour away.
Maybe if it drives, people get it
and will drive both of them home.
And he's like, no, no, no, no, no.
Roadside it here.
Like, just have it picked up and put it on truck
and roadside it here.
And I'll punch it out to three leaders and put cams
into some headwork for you.
Mine, it's what I did to mine.
And it puts 204 horsepower out of the wheels.
And I was like, hmm, you know the guy reply?
Thank God not.
But I, you know, their point was,
just go buy a really high mileage car.
We'll just pop it out to three leaders
and build it for you.
And if anyone was going to be building me
of Volkswagen engine, it's tectonics.
Like no question about it.
I just don't know if I want to go to that level of,
like I'd love to get a low mileage car
and just a low mileage donor and throw everything in.
And instead use that money to pay Colin
to build me the world's most amazing 16 valve
and put that in the shirako.
So I don't, it's oil anymore.
But good luck.
Yeah.
We'll see.
We'll see it's back in the Fauve saddle.
The VW saddle.
No longer, I have now, if you count
the rotting carcass of a beetle in my front yard,
which I probably should count
and I have five full seconds, it's a problem.
Is it, or is it a blessing?
It's, I'm becoming like you with Mercedes.
I've too many VWs and even the guy,
like I had guys at the house the other day
because I'm getting solar installed
so I can not pay for electricity anymore.
And they're like, oh, so are you into Volkswagen's?
And I look and I'm like, oh shit,
shirako, cabriolay, cabbie, e-golf,
and the beetle on the front yard.
And I'm like, no, I swear,
oh, if you look down on the street,
there's Beatrice, the ship oxy-30s.
Look, I have other,
fuck, also German cars.
Yeah.
But I, Jason has a type.
Yeah.
And let me tell you,
after hearing all those VRs,
it's front wheel drive,
you shut your whore mouth.
No, hearing those VRs on the dyno,
I just can't wait, like nothing at car week.
Nothing I heard at car week sounded
anywhere near as good as those VRs on the dyno.
It's top five best sounding engines of all time.
And you've never really spent any time in one, have you?
Yeah, I've just driven the Carrotto stock.
Yeah.
Which sounds amazing, right?
Yeah. That sound good.
Yeah.
So there you have it.
I have traded in a beat for shockingly another Volkswagen.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
You heard it here first, probably.
And to know, no one is surprised.
How many soccer benses did you buy this week?
I mean, I'm trying to divest.
Really?
Mm-hmm.
I'm going to sell the Purple Wagon.
I don't like that.
Yeah, I know.
I really don't like that.
And we'll see.
In the midst of the big shuffle as we have discussed
on our previous episode, but...
Too apparently.
Yeah.
Trading and everything and getting Volkswagen's.
Yeah.
Me too.
But it's Porsche's.
Same thing.
Same.
Yeah.
Well, do you have anything that you have technically the Mura?
Do you have anything else that's also not German?
The Jag.
Oh, that's right.
Okay.
And I had the Citroen before, and I've had three Alfa Romeo.
That what you've had doesn't count.
This is my problem is now I have one Brit in one Italian, the Rover and the Ferrari, my
two oldest cars.
But that's it.
Everything else is German.
It's easy.
Oh, they're not.
Compared to British and Italian.
I mean, my British car doesn't have an engine in it.
That's easy.
It's been it's not leaking oil right now.
No, I bet it's still pouring off the frame rails.
There.
The car is a little leaky.
But yeah.
So the whole, the biggest surprise on this car to me is those fucking tires, because one
of the ones that failed was a 2013, and the other one was a 2011.
So three of them were 11s, one was 13.
They were all installed on this car in 2013.
And I cannot believe they failed.
They still held there.
Well, it sounds like you should demand better tires.
Keep going.
I think you should probably demand Fredestine.
Maybe I just don't think I've never hesitated to drive on 15 year old tires.
Yeah, me either.
Right.
But you did say you were going, you were in Mexico at speed.
I did.
I hit 100 for one photo up.
Like, you know, just because, well, they showed you you should have done it when you were
four miles from home instead of 400,000 miles.
I think it was the Dino.
So we had a, so my friend, our friend, you know, as well, that I was with, is a super nerd.
And he was like, it was the, the Dino finished it off.
And I'm like, I don't think so.
And he's like, well, the roller's only 24 inches.
And so the contact patch, I'm like, the roller is 48.
And he's like, no, chat GBD says it's 24.
And I'm like, it's a 48 inch roller.
It's a Dino jet 248, whatever.
And we did have chat GPT do a shit ton of calculations about what happens to the size and
shape of the contact patch, i.e. how much more load is there, concentrated on a small area.
And it really shouldn't be much at all.
But his theory was that the Dino finished it off.
And I mean, they did a, the runs were third gear.
So that was only 80 something miles an hour.
I have no idea how fast score goes in third probably 82 something like that.
So it wasn't all that fast.
So it doesn't have an idea how fast it goes in third.
It's a, it's a guess.
I don't know.
Let's go max it out.
Let's find out.
I'm not interested in that.
Well, there's a lot of fans on the front.
I think that's how it's pronounced.
I don't know what the fuck there.
And they're 2022 date code.
But no, I mean, whatever it is, they failed in kind of a surprising way.
And I, I think that.
Well, don't buy Granada tires.
That's the take away from today's episode.
You think that was, I mean, all seriousness.
So well, I don't think that, I mean, I have driven faster on older tires before without incident.
I mean, the tires on the cause worth when I got it in Germany, where I think 12 or 13 years old.
And I had that car maxed at 143 miles an hour for quite some time.
And now I think back on that going, oh, wait a second.
Maybe there is something to this like, I'm not going to ever replace tires at five years.
I think that's like doing a timing belt at five years.
I'm glad we did the timing belt on this because if, when I think about the length of time
that car must have been sitting at, you know, for a period of time,
it probably, the belt probably looked fine 80% of the way around and then was kinked somewhere else.
And maybe that's what happened to the tires too.
Maybe the car sat at one point for two or three years.
I don't know.
Yeah.
And just, and with like 12 pounds of air on the tires and just crinkled everything inside.
But I find it really strange that both fronts failed sort of at the same time.
And it was within an hour of putting on a dyno.
So if there are tire engineers, we would like to know what you think about this.
Jason would like to.
Well, don't you, what would you like to know when you should really actually get rid of that?
The tires looked brand new.
They had no treadwear whatsoever.
The full tread, not so much as a crack or a dry spot, they were deep dark black.
Cards sat in a clearly mild garage.
So that's scary to me.
Yeah.
Or maybe it's we have Grenada to thank.
Who knows?
Grenada.
Grenada.
That was the other thing.
I ran into Tom Hale on the road.
So Tom came up in a previous episode.
He's the one that showed that is Adora Duncan X.
Is Adora Duncan.
What's the ML car?
ML car.
So after running into my buddy in Seattle and then running into the tectonics people
and then running into the friend at Thunder Hill, I said to my buddy,
I'm like, hey, this is really funny.
I feel like this whole trip has just been one and the kids in the parking lot.
We just had a bunch of really fun social interactions.
Isn't that great?
And he's like, yeah, and then not shedding 20 minutes later.
We're driving along and the two highways merge and I have a lane and they have a lane.
The one up next to me and this guy starts honking.
I'm like, what fucking moron is?
I'm not merging into you.
And I sort of glance over to my left and it's a gray Maserati GT.
And I'm like, oh.
About 200.
And there, huh?
42 hundred.
And I'm like, oh, that looks just like the car that Tom, oh my god, that's Tom Hale of
yelling at me.
Had just driven 4,000 miles from Connect to Kit for car week.
Max did out on the salt flats.
Did 100 and some 130 miles an hour off road.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Did 130 miles off road.
Oh, yes.
Posted all of this to his Instagram.
I'm like, you are a fucking hero.
Also, what are you doing in Sacramento or whatever the hell we were?
So we had lunch.
He's like, where are you?
I screamed, we're going to Texas Roadhouse.
And he's like, what?
So I texted him.
We went to Texas Roadhouse six miles down the road.
Join us for lunch.
So he did.
That was really fun.
Side by side, he's like, you know, 4,000 miles on the highway.
And I see this fucking flaming red Volkswagen Cabrio coming towards me.
And I'm like, no, there's no way.
But there can only be he had seen the one post I made.
There only could be one of those in that condition.
And then he saw the temporary.
I had no license plate on it and a temporary permit.
And he's like, that's got to be Jason.
Sure, shit.
That's wild.
Crazy.
And you had just done 1,000 miles.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Not almost.
We're old collide.
Can almost.
Almost collide.
Thank God, there were no collisions.
Yes.
Yes.
So ladies and gentlemen, change your tires.
Certainly before, if they're granadas, certainly before they granada on you.
And shortly after you die, no, test them.
Or just don't.
There's your lesson today.
I will say, so this put 97.8 horsepower of the wheels.
The last eight valve Volkswagen that I owned was my mark one cabriolet, which was a 1.8
valve.
And that was before the six.
It was the other car before the 16 valve cabriolet came along.
And that was rated at 90 horsepower.
And this one's rated at 115.
So there's 25 horsepower spread between the two of them.
That car put 87.8 horsepower of the wheels.
Exactly 10 less.
Which meant that that 230,000 mile.
It was underrated.
That I bought for $600 was clearly underrated.
Which is why this feels so mungent.
Oh, well, you'll soon rectify that.
I hope someone, someone says, I just got re-rended in my, in my jet of geolux VR6.
I'll keep the interior.
Will you take the motor?
So we'll see.
Well, we're putting the energy out in the university or however all that stuff.
The last time I said something, the beat just poof went away.
So that's your fault.
It's easier to find a buyer for a beat.
I suspect that it is to find a wrecked GLX Jetta.
For me wrong, world.
You found a buyer for the Lotus.
And I guess that's, you do have your OTS showed on.
I guess that's why OTS is so successful.
Because I merely think about something and the cars disappear.
Yeah.
We're happy to help.
All right.
Thank you for joining us for this episode of The Car Mountain Show.
I'm going to go.
Let us know about your VR6 options.
Thanks.
Isn't it pretty?
It's lovely.
I need to come up with an nickname for it.
Because I can cabriolay, cabriolay.
It doesn't want cabriolay, cabriolay.
I mean, that's the bitch basket.
The red car.
That's serious.
That's literally what I've been calling it all day.
The red car.
I'm going to go get gas in the red car.
But I mean, it could also be a beer copian, which is the German bitch basket, which is strawberry basket.
Yeah.
And it is red like a strawberry.
There's your plate.
All right.
In the comments, give us, give us funny nicknames.
Okay.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
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