Author Topic: Sorry Volkswagen - another day maybe... (Read 2741 times)

ViperMan · « **on:** July 27, 2011 - 10:44:28 AM »

I drive 2.4 miles to work through 10 stop signs... Gets boring real quick (especially when The Man decides to camp out a few intersections...)

My other option is about 4-5 miles through a few traffic lights. Usually preferring to avoid stupid people, I tolerate the stop signs!

But yesterday I decided to take the main road. At the second light I punched the throttle a bit in my 2001 Dodge Stratus R/T Coupe with it's 3.0L V6 and 5-speed manual. Sometimes you gotta feed some speed to your ride, right?! I didn't really pay much attention to the VW next to me - I'm guessing a Passat or similar 4-door, probably betwen an 04 and 06 model year. Well apparently, he noticed me.

At the next light we stopped. I was in the left lane which ended barely 70 yards ahead. Light turned green - he took off. It's amazing how quickly your mind can adapt to what's going on. Almost instinctively my foot went to the floor, though I hadn't quite tacked up the engine before dropping the clutch, so my launch was...

His rear bumper quickly entered my field of vision.

But in the sweet-spot of the RPM band I slammed the aging 5-speed into second and chirped the tires - yeup, she still does it! I slid alongside his car with surprising speed and pulled all the way ahead before slipping into his lane at the merge. By the time I returned to non-jail-time speed, I had 100 yards on 'im.

She might be 10 years old, but she can still mover 'er ass when I need 'er to!

ViperMan

burdar · « **Reply #1 on:** July 27, 2011 - 10:51:01 AM »

I miss mine sometimes. It was just sitting in the garage not getting used though. I'm sure the kid who bought it has it trashed by now. I wish they would have been offered with the Eclipse GTS engine in the later years .

ViperMan · « **Reply #2 on:** July 27, 2011 - 11:28:08 AM »

Burdar - were you ever on 2GStratus.org...? I can't say I recognize that car from that site but I haven't really been on there much in the past few years...

I notice the Viper emblem on the front bumper. I could just never convince myself to do that.

burdar · « **Reply #3 on:** July 27, 2011 - 11:34:27 AM »

When I first got the car I was on that site. I think RIPP MODS was putting the Viper emblems on the front of their cars. That emblem looks so much better then the rams head. I had to put a new bumper cover on the car so I thought...why not. I bought a flat carbon fiber hood for it and had all but the center section painted body color. That was probably my favorite mod I did to that car. I've still got the original hood in a box in the garage.

ViperMan · « **Reply #4 on:** July 27, 2011 - 11:39:14 AM »

RIPP MODS wasn't putting the emblems on, but they were designing the "SDS" kit using a silver Stratus (can't remember the guy's name) and he added that emblem along the way.

I never did too much - cold-air intake, some interior paintwork here and there, and of course the "JS Customs Fog-Light kit" that I designed and sold on the site. I crunched my front bumper a long time ago and got a replacement from a friend on the site, but even IT needs replaced... She's in sad shape these days, but still runs pretty well for 150 thousand miles!

I'd definitely buy her all over again.

hpe600rt · « **Reply #5 on:** July 29, 2011 - 03:19:09 PM »

very cool i like them cars to