Congratulations on the purchase and your commitment on the car.

What are going to do about the narrow seat?

 

Thanks to you and the others for the kudos! As far as the seat issue, I am going to do a few things:

1. Try to loose a few pounds
2. Make sure I have nothing in my pockets when in the car
3. Have the seat modified after delivery

I can't imagine that I am the first person to comment on this issue. For crash rating reasons the factory can't change it. It is the same reason that the seats have not changed substantially in the Corvette as the car would have to be re-certified. It is truly the one big shortfall of the car. On a side note, someone thought the dash looked old school or haphazardly put together (I am paraphrasing). Yes there are some odd placed locations for a few key things on the dash, and the seat adjustments are on the seat on the left hand side by your leg (similar to the adjustments on the seat of the Infiniti G35 and G37), but once you set these things up, you don't usually have to mess with them again so who cares if things are not set up like a air plane dash board.

Also I have an architect coming to the house to give me some ideas on how to restructure the driveway. I may have to completely change the look of the front of my house to change the entrance. It might be more expensive than I expected. My wife said "Hey this gives us an excuse to make things look different. The driveway needs to be repaved anyway." She has the right attitude. I told her that if she is going to ride in the car with me, she has to dress appropriately (tank top, short skirt, heels and jeweled up)! I could never do this without my wife's support, even though I have earned the money to buy this ridiculous toy. This will be very cool in every way. I can't wait!

Last unrelated item of note: I got a call yesterday evening from some left wing political faction where their thesis was that the rich were the enemy in our political system. I'm not intending to expand on my comments to the caller, but I intelligently educated her as to the truth about the involvement of the "rich" in our economic, social and political system because she was simply reading from a script and had no real understanding of what she was pitching. What was funny was she said that the "rich" buy fancy jewelry, fancy homes and fancy cars and if the funds to purchase those things were donated instead to others less fortunate, our country would be better off. When I told her I just bought a $400,000+ car, she just about thew up. She did not have a comeback to that. I told her she should quit her job, invent something, market it, and make her own wealth. I told her that I donate at least 15% of my annual income to various non-profit organizations of MY choice. She did not know what to say to that either. She said that the government "owed" her a job, a car, a college education and a house! I had to hang up before I got more irritated. That is FUBAR!

 

^Wow, that's nuts. Some people just want everything handed to them without giving any effort.

 

Must be nice to buy anything you want. Grats on the car, one of my favorite new supercars. If it was me I would be buying a f40 and mclaren f1 instead tho.

For the person saying why buy a fast car over a bike, it is simple. It is called safety. I see stories of motorcyclists dying from being hit by bigger vehicles. I have actually seen in person 2 deaths occur by where I live in last few years. One was stopped at a red light and a female in an suv was putting on nail polish and rear ended the bike. If that was a car they would still be alive.

 

 

Wow, you ended up buying one. Congrats, man.
Funny...I can understand both sides of the coin as far as that wealthy thing. Some people want it handed to them and some people work for it (or get lucky with family or right place right time). BUT, I don't agree with telling someone how they should spend their money or using guilt to get a donation.

 

How long will it take to build the car? When is the anticipated delivery date?

Take some before and after pics of your driveway project. It would be cool to see what you had to have done.

 

wow congrats! i did not know you were looking into buying one when you first started the thread. i just thought you somehow got a chance to drive one and was posting your thoughts and review on it. did you end up test driving a gt-r? if so, how would you say the two compare? both supercars are awesome but LFA is so exclusive that i've never seen one in person yet. have seen gt-r's and love it. still turns my head.

definitely keep us up to date on the production of the car for you. it's soooo awesome. in for more pics and vids once you get it. eargasm on that engine for real.

 

Sorry if I was too subtle at the beginning of the thread. I am a car nut and also fairly new to the forum world so I am still learning the etiquette thing. I don't understand most of the lingo that many of you have been posting at various times so forgive my ignorance. It is not my thing.

Regarding the GTR, I did drive it last week when I went out to see the LFA one last time about the seating issue. I did not discuss that in previous posts so I will now. In short, that car is wicked fast (nod to you Bostonians out there). Is it easy to drive at felony speeds? Very. It is a very confidence inducing automobile because of the AWD, torque vectoring and brakes. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, the steering is too isolated for my tastes. I saw some reviews where some liked the steering, and others agreed with my assessment. It seems to be a personal choice as to how you feel about it. Also I did NOT like the intake and exhaust sounds when I compared them to the LFA. It was the same feeling when I drove the 911TT. The steering feel on that car is absolutely spot on. It was clearly developed on a track. The brakes on that car are also bulletproof. I guess my personal taste is such that I like the naturally aspirated engine more than the boosted one. It seems more linear and pure. I felt the same way when I drove the 458 on the track back in the winter time.

Now in order to not sound like an elitist as I am just a regular guy who has made a few bucks (not inheriting it or getting lucky buying a penny stock that went up by 5,000,000%), attempting to purchase a car like this is like choosing a French or California fine wine. Every car I have looked at are unbelievable by themselves. If someone dropped off one of them at my door and said "it is all yours", I would be happy as a pig in mud, regardless of which one it was. However, when you are looking at cars at this altitude, getting one that fits your particular eye, specifications, needs and feel is more important than brand. Did you know that Costco sells one of the best drinking wines in the US? Would I put a Kirkland bottle on my dinner table for guests? No chance. But if they asked me what it was because they enjoyed it, talking about the corporate culture and marketing process that Costco utilizes would make for interesting dinner conversation. If I relate this concept to the selection of one of these cars, being unique is actually more important than a 0-60 time, 1/4 mile performance or potential top speed that nobody will ever see on the North American Continent.

There is a big difference in attitude when you are looking to make a purchase like this. One of my friends was looking to buy a property in Sagaponack, NY which is part of the Hamptons Long Island scene, and when he was negotiating the price, the increments were in $275,000-$300,000 per offer. He was buying a $8,000,000 property so that would make sense from a percentage stand point. That is out of my league. In some places you can buy up an entire neighborhood for what he paid for this house, and this one was the least expensive in the area! It depends on what you are negotiating for that changes how you look at things. I would never in a million years buy the house he did as it is a second home for him that he will rent out 10 months of the year, and enjoy for 2 months of the year. I would never tie up that amount of money that he did and have the liability too. Now in reality his transaction is actually better than mine as there is a chance that the value will remain around what I paid for it just because there are so few of them. The cash flow on his house is such that the rent will cover his expenses for 10 months of the year, plus he has the potential appreciation. I will have non of that so in relation to his purchase, my cash outlay is much greater than his on a net basis. BUT, I will have much more fun than he will. Big difference.

Another friend of mine who is very wealthy, who could buy anything, bought a 370Z and absolutely loves the car. He had a 240Z back in the 70's when he was in high school and wanted to try to relive some of those memories. I think he paid about $42k for the car, and that is a rounding error in his check book. He told me that the sales person asked him how much he could afford in a monthly payment. My friend just looked at him and said that he would write a check. The salesman thought he was talking about a deposit. My friend then told him that he could come to his house to complete the paperwork and then deliver the car when it was ready. The sales manager told him that everything would have to be completed in the dealership. 5 minutes later the owner of the dealership came down and shook his hand apologizing profusely and said that they would accommodate what ever he wanted. The owner knew my friend and understood that he could buy the dealership in a second if he wanted too. He wouldn't because they are very difficult to make any real money on the trade. I am sharing this with you so you can get a glimpse of how these kinds of purchases are rationalized. The cost is not the factor. The feeling that the purchase emotes is the primary one. That is not a factor when buying a Toyota Corolla. Make sense? Sorry for rambling.

 

I think it takes about 2 months to build the car and the anticipated delivery date is sometime in February as of right now.

Once I finalize the driveway modifications I will do the before and after shots.

 

This thread is inspiring in a different kind of way. To go from a TL to an LF-A is insane. Congrats on your purchase. What other cars do/will you have? Also I liked the line about the wife dressing appropriately... lol.

 

The TL is the daily driver. It never gets dirty longer than a few hours as I am completely OCD about keeping it pristine. My wife drives the Pilot (I hate it but she loves it). I'm thinking about getting her an MDX if she will go for it. She isn't into cars like I am, but we have an understanding that I can have my choice of cars, she gets her shoes. What ever works for her.

My wife tends to dress conservatively unless she is going out of her way to doll herself up. When she does that, all I can say is Yeee Haaa! You know the deal, librarian on the outside and.........

I really don't want anything else to drive. Maybe a boat? Nothing ridiculous. Honestly I would like to set up my garage with a polished floor, nice sheet rock walls, built in shelving and stuff like that. I may do that when I reconstruct my driveway. Maybe put all of this together as one project. I thought initially that I could do what I was imagining for about $10,000. My landscaper this morning thought that with the stonework, it could hit $30-40k. It will be what it will be. That will be a project for the balance of the summer.

 

Congrats on your purchase! Can't wait to see some pics of it!

 

and you are a special breed of stupid. Please go and take your crap elsewhere.

 

OP- congratulations on your purchase! LFAs are awesome, and owning one will be awesome. I have a serious love for these cars, and you know why.

 

 

Nice, and best wishes to you and your potential exotic car.

BTW..MB black..meaning mercedes benz amg black edition?

 

Thanks and yes respectively.

 

Something isn't sounding right to me here...
And please don't take this as an attack and I'm sorry if I'm wrong.

1) Someone that says that spending $400K on an exotic car where money isn't an issue, but then says they're not in a bracket to purchase an $8 Million dollar property.

2) Then, currently drives a $40K TL and wife drive $30K Pilot...but didn't hit the lotto and isn't JUST coming into wealth. You're into cars and have worked hard to be wealthy, we all love Acura, but the TL wouldn't be your first pick.

3) Then, vague on how you have that kind of money, and the super rich friends and the whole "forum thing is new to me".

4) Pictures of the car originally posted were of another car, and not the one test driven. If I had test driven the car of my dreams that I'm on the fence about buying because my love handles make the seat uncomfortable...you'd see a picture of me standing in front of it with a smile and hard on.

I just feel like I've heard this one before, maybe in a different form.

 

Let me address your concerns one by one.

When I said that buying an $8,000,000 house was not in my league I was referencing a second home at that value. My home is in the $1.5MM range and I am very happy with it living beneath my means. My choice about driving a TL and my wife with a Pilot, I wanted AWD and just love how the car rides and looks. If it cost $75,000 I would think it was a bargain. It doesn't so it is just that much more reasonable. My wife wanted AWD too and she did not like the Sienna AWD, so we went with a Pilot. That is the car that the kids make a mess of and getting something very expensive that they would scratch and make it look like a disaster, would only piss me off. I look at the Pilot as expendable. Regarding your comment about rich friends and the forum thing, my friends are not unusually wealthy for the New York area. We are certainly not middle class from an economic front, but none of my friends or myself are what I would call wealthy from New York standards. I have not been on this or any forum very long so compared to others I am a rookie still. Lastly, the car I drove is the one I saw in Greenwich CT at the car show. If you are confused in some way I don't know how to help you. In the videos those are of me driving, that is my voice and in one of them you see me driving it. What else could one do to prove it further? I don't understand the scepticism about hearing this before so I am at a loss as to how to respond to that.

What else can I say? Enjoy your evening.

 

Trust me, if you stay on the forums long enough, you'll understand the skepticism. It would not be the first thread where people come in and give all sorts of kudos and it turns out to be a fluke. Why people do it, I couldn't tell you.

Like I said, if I was wrong, I apologize.

So you have a $1.5M home, drive a TL, wife decided on a Pilot although she liked AWD too, you'd be willing to pay $75K for the TL and "live within your means" but just decided to pull the trigger on a CAR that is worth 1/3 the cost of your "modest" home?
I'm just making sure I have my facts straight...skeptic or not, doesn't sound right to me.

 

Why not just wait and see before making an issue of it?

 

Oh, no issue for me, man. Whether it's true or not, it'll be no sweat off my back, that much I assure you. Just reminds me eerily of another thread that went a similar route.

J.

 

So if I am reading this correctly, because I don't live in a very expensive home (actually about $1.2MM-I was quoting old numbers that are out dated - sorry), you are making an assessment that I do or don't have a certain amount of money? Am I reading you correctly? I live in a nice neighborhood, drive reasonable cars for everyday use, and because my business partners and I sold off one of our commercial properties a couple of months ago that provided a very nice check for this year, you are skeptical about how I am funding this expenditure? I don't know what you are referencing about a thread that went in a similar route?

Moving on, here is a picture of my driveway as promised. The issue is about 6 feet in where it gets very steep (may be hard to appreciate how steep it is by the picture). You can't get past that point on an angel (in the LFA) as you have to be head on. For a point of reference, the TL gets to within about 1/2 inch of the bottom of the front bumper at the same point even coming in on the right hand side. It is steeper than it looks. The picture is a little deceiving. Thus the regrading that will have to be done.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66802449@N08/7543346400/

 

I wouldn't worry about that - You are probably one of the nicest and most respectful people on the 4G side. Your review of the TL at Montecello was awesome - I know I enjoyed it.

Congrats on your successes and your car purchase. I learned early in life that if you work hard, you can make money and buy cool stuff. I like stuff, so I try to work by butt off everyday.

Can't wait to hear more of the build and delivery process. This is definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

 

Thank you! I truly don't understand the skepticsm.

 

One thing about the internet and forums - do not publicly post personal information.

I can see your address in the photo.

 

I meant no harm in it...even prefaced it with an apology if I was wrong!!!

Yeah, that driveway looks brutal to enter/exit. And I doubt parking the LFA on the street will be a viable option!

 

Shit! I will pull it down now. I forgot about that. Thanks!

 

I could live in a basement but drive an LFA i dont freaking care.... lol one of my dream cars

 

No problem.

I could park it on the street as it is very private, but I would never do it. My intent is for the car to ONLY get wet when I wash it. I would have a shit-fit if a bird pooped on it.

 

I fixed it I think. I put it back on Flicker.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66802449@N08/7543863518/

 

That's going to be quite a project. Very intrigued to see what can be done with that.

 

Thought you might like this.

 

 

All good man...just had an inkling, but I guess I misjudged. Hang around here long enough (especially Ramblings) and you'll see things in a different internet light.

Yeah, no rain, no bird poop, no driveway scrapes...such a beauty but such dedication to keeping her perfect, which is so hard for a car.

 

No problem my friend.

Keeping the car clean keeps me happy. Simple pleasures.

 

Indeed...simple pleasures indeed! So much work, but it's rewarding to have someone ask if your car's paintjob is original on a 9 year old car!

 

Agreed.

Quick question: What do you think of the Mothers Synthetic Wax? I was looking at it in an Autozone and was thinking about using it. Pros/Cons? Also what is Zaino? I know it is a wax, but what is all the hub-bub about?

 

In my opinion, and not because you can't get quality over the counter, but it would be a travesty to put that sort of thing on a car that expensive. I would spend the extra cash or at least take at look at the wash/wax section of the forum.

I KINDA know what I'm talking about, but I am still very unskilled in comparison to some of the members on the forum.

I will say that I've used griot's garage and it is great, but hard to come off, recently used some Wolfgang Concourse which I was SUPER impressed with (see pic below) and even Zaino. The hub bub around all the other Zaino stuff can be ignored, if I were you, I'd make sure you're up on your 2 bucket cleaning method and NOT putting any swirls into the paint, and maybe just clay to remove anything from the production process that might have stuck, then give it a coat of Zaino Z-2 every 6 months and maybe when you dry it off spritz and wipe off some Zaino Z-6 once a month.

The polymer stuff is a chemical bond that sticks to the paint...longevity is better than traditional waxes but of course purists say it's not as deep a gloss etc.

Below is the result of Wolfgang Concourse I was given a sample of by Autogeek (a vendor on here). I think it looks pretty darn deep!