which car is sitting in your listening room?



Hello all!

given the expense competent, high value, upper range performing, top flight, and no holds barred SOTA audio systems costs  lately, which car in terms of your ssystems  overall retail price  is waiting for you to rev its engine the next time you fire it up in your listening room?


Ford Escort, Toyota Corolla, Chrysler Mini Van, Camaro Z28, BMW M series, Dodge Viper,Tesla, ‘Vette, Lambo, McClaren, or Bugatti?


Or… ?


where-ever your audio system lands price wise, you choose the relative cost equivalent vehicle as it is now, and or which one you hope to eventually have on the ‘show room’ floor.


Enjoy.


blindjim
the only other quite noteable former chicken rancher that comes to mind was Heinrich Himmler. .

well him and my Aunt Doretta., although she did not have the infammy Hmmler did, but she had way more birtds!

funny thing... Alfred Hitchcok's 'The birds' was on TV and I watched it.

two dayhs later while visiting my aunt's hone later and not knowing she had a going chicken farm I ventured  out to the enormous barn and slowly eased the door open.. suddenly 6 0,000 chickens errupted in unison!

for a kid of 9 years old, this was more than a startling event! I slammed the door shut an ran back into the house.

apart from a dozen or so loose wandering birds on the grounds one would never suspect so many birds could have possibly been there.    
There is another failed ex-chicken farmer, who became, well ...not famous, but quite infamous.
as for Mr. Shelby… saw a Netflix Doc on him called Shelby American last night. very good! it revealed every nook and cranny Carrol ventured into. including his stint with Aston Martin as their #1 driver, and his eventrual disgust and feud with Enzo F.

curiously, if his venture as a chicken farnmer had proven worthy and he had not lost everything and needed a new path to make money, who knows if he would have kept on his ideas for motor sports racing?

building.

all too soon Carrol Shelby’s failing heart put him out of racing, at least as a driver..

the cobra became his ambition to depose Ferrari and Chevy;s Corvette. although his 289 V8 Cobra blew it off the Ricverside race track and had it down by 3 laps before he blew off an axle and lost.

ala the Cobra applied the theme he had learned and used to win so many races with Aston Martin novel idea of weight to HP ratio. in fact he got frames from them for his new ‘super car’.

as well, given fate has many faces and detours, if Lee Iacoca then with Ford and he had not hit it off, and his cobra venture not been successful, the Ford GT 40 would not have come about and later on unseated Ferrari at Le Mans.

the 427cid ford motor was not the first power plant for the GT40 as I recall.

the funniest part of the doc was how Carrol who was the winningest road racer in the early fifties in the world, was ‘in’ with all theCar mags then. once his first and then, only 289 V8 cobra was ready for trials he had one after another car mag/tester come out to drive it. it was thereafter repainted for each magazine review so every car rag saw a different color and hence thought he had many models. lol

shelby’s success was the direc t result of him surrounding hinmself with some exceptional people like Mickey Thompson and Bob bondurant who drove for him.

like some of the pundantws in this past time’s manufacturring and design process the cream often takes more than time to raise to the top.

I/ll revise the ‘car’ cost equivalant currently residing here… its between a ’62 Dodge Dart and a ’67 Ford Falcon Sprinbt perhaps.

BTW A friend of mine just acquired a McClaren. had to sell one of his other cars to get it,his Vette I’nm pretty sure. . whoa.
Should I have mentioned: the GT in that vid, was a later 427 version(NOT small block)?
Glupson.

You mean there was something worse than a Yugo???
Makes me break out in a cold sweat just contemplating the thought.

Course an old air cooled Beetle was also a terrible car to ride in although you could fix most problems on it with just a hammer, crescent wrench and screwdriver including dropping the motor out.

Yes that will offend a lot of lovers of those God awful things but they were/are horrible drivers. 
I don't know what car is sitting in my listening room, but I can say that the listening room in my car (truck) is amazing. I'm finding the sound quality of the system I installed there difficult to match in the home.
Kenwood (high-end model - nothing special there) head unit to Phoenix Gold MS250 (high-current from the 90's) to 3-way Morel (8-3/4" bass) separates in the doors, and Orion HCCA250 Digital Reference (also from 90's) powering two 12" Digital Designs subs in a custom enclosure (I built). I'm amazed how good it sounds every time I get in the truck. How can the system sound that good with the drivers 90deg off axis! Think it has something to do with the massive hex-core magnets on the mids and tweets. I have considered getting a second set of Renaissance Audio SR-8.3 and build some home speakers with proper air volume for the bass driver.
@glupson - "Yugo, in comparison, was roomy, comfortable, and relatively modern."    There’s wasn't much else, that a Yugo was a step up FROM(to end a sentence with a proposition).
@blindjim - Those GTs were small-blocks too AND; some are still out there kicking butt(ie: even in the Quarter): https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=ItLJoKTfWPw What a gorgeous piece of automotive sculpting! "all show and no go? nope. / ....blew the head off racing. sold it broken for half what I had in it."     Ever ridden a bored and stroked Shovelhead? A buddy of mine owned a big-bore kit KZ and a majorly customed Sporty. He let me take the KZ through the park. It was fun, but- zip and splats always put me in mind of BIC lighters(compared to Zippo)! Then there’s the comfort on a cross-country thing(even chopped). Different strokes for different folks(so many applications, for that cliche’).
uberwaltz,

"Thankfully Google told me it was the fantastic Yugo ( that was the name in England)."
Yugo was made by the same company as rodman99999's Zastava 750s choice, but it was not the same car.

Yugo, in comparison, was roomy, comfortable, and relatively modern.

Either way, looking back from 2019, you have not missed much. However, it did have certain charm.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1983-zastava-750/
" which car is sitting in your listening room?"

It is not exactly "sitting" in my listening room but it is hanging on the wall... A large picture of a Ferrari Prototipa. Kind of cool, an orange silkscreen on white paper with acoustic dots on the glass covering it. 

@rodman99999d>
in.
Never was much for Ford, but- ALWAYS drooled over Caroll’s Cobras(ACs, that is)! He had his fingers in the Ford GT/GT40 leg-wetters too. AHHHH, the Sixties(high octane/compression, no cats/emission controls and lead rocked)!


I can dig it! and did. albeit mostly on two wheels.

loved both the small block ver and the big block which ran zero to 100mph annd back to zero in less than 12 ticks. whoa.

two seater and no roof! how do ya beat that?

living for a while in Californialand, I bought a honda 750 new. rode it back to Fla. and had a Yoshimura racing kit installed. nice but should have gone with either a Turbo or SC.

the true humbler was a KZ 900 with a RC Engineering 1130cc all race kit. that one gort the works so it would be streetable... somewhat. tons of cosmetics as well. blew the head off racing. sold it broken for half what I had in it.
never rode again. wel, once I rode a friends new 80cid Harley across town during a 'repo' for a personal debt another fella owed him.

I could never see me owning Milwaukee's finest. Ducati, BMW, and assorted Rice burners? yep. all show and no go? nope.


@motown>
a 2009 Ford Focus with about 125k miles. The A/C still works!

congrats! Good call. keeping it real.


@wspohn
Whenever I see threads like "What turntable should I buy for $2000?" my response is always 'What someone else paid $4000 for not long ago.

ditto! or better!

though time does add into the equation.

growing up in the middle of last century I became enamored with Detroit steel. the Plymouth Hemi Cuda 1971 was and has ben my all time fav. under $5300 then, it ran an 11 second Quarter mile at 120mph, boxz stock off the show room floor.

Mopar big blocks then were the real deal!


@clearthink
Audio has nothing to do with cars


correct.

it does however have to do with money. and people who buy audio gear also buy cars. Well, mostly.

so you've never given any thought to what sort of automobile you could have for the price of your stereo rig?

often a past time surpasses financial prudence and folks wind up with a lot more invested into their past time than makes for good sense. though most audio nuts keep their systems evolving so the sticker shock is easier to swallow, until you are well into the deep end of the pond, as it were.

this is a simple thread. aimed at realizing some things about the hobby. such as how important the quality of the sound is to someone. perhaps too how deep some pockets are, but mostly towards opening eyes as to where the passion of devotion in audio ends up in a popular and more relatable vein, e.g. Cars.

and yes it is a bit silly but applicable and on a lighter side, appropriate.
But to the actual topic.

I would say at prices I have paid , not counting the money wasted on false starts, about the same car as actually resides in one of my garages.

Ford Focus RS.
I was wondering what the heck a zastava was?

Thankfully Google told me it was the fantastic Yugo ( that was the name in England).

True story time.

Back in 1979 my friend was a bus driver.
He drove mostly the single decker Leyland City buses.
It was a quiet night and I was riding along just for laughs as we did often.
We pulled up next to a Yugo at some lights.
The kid in it was revving up ready to charge off.

Our Leyland bus beat it off the mark and to 60mph quite handily.

Truly awful vehicle( cannot bring myself to call it a car!).

mantaman,

"86 Porsche 928, 2000 Porsche 911, 63 Stude Avanti (R-2) 2018
Chrysler Pacifica, 2015 Chevy Volt, As mix and match as my Stereo gear......"


And none of them a Manta?

Audio has nothing to do with cars this is so silly there used to a be an audio web site that called itself "sports cars for you're living room" and that didn't make any sense either!
I have three systems that are fairly serious.   Don't think I paid retail for anything in any of them.

Ditto for all but one of my cars - anyone that buys new retail is a dope unless there are supply issues that support that decision. (Current fleet = 09 Solstice coupe, 07 BMW Z4M coupe, 71 Jensen Interceptor, 62 MG, 58 MG, and 56 MG.  Recently sold 65 Jensen, 69 MGC and 69 Lamborghini. None of these cars except the Solstice were bought new.

Whenever I see threads like "What turntable should I buy for $2000?" my response is always 'What someone else paid $4000 for not long ago.

Had I paid full retail my bill for power amps in one system would have been about $12k and the speakers in another system would have set me back ~$60K. Have to be crazy to do that.

If pushed to compare systems with cars, I suppose my main system would be an (old) Lamborghini, another would be BMW M car and the third would be something like vintage Jag (sorry, can't relate to American cars as I've never lusted after them, with only two exceptions.
86 Porsche 928, 2000 Porsche 911, 63 Stude Avanti (R-2) 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, 2015 Chevy Volt, As mix and match as my Stereo gear......
The car in my listening room would be a 2009 Ford Focus with about 125k miles. The A/C still works!
@blindjim - Never was much for Ford, but- ALWAYS drooled over Caroll’s Cobras(ACs, that is)! He had his fingers in the Ford GT/GT40 leg-wetters too. AHHHH, the Sixties(high octane/compression, no cats/emission controls and lead rocked)!
@glupson- Southeastern Europeans: Gotta love ’em. So easy to entertain! Though; playing in all that mud, does look like a lot of fun. But- my ’79 Super Glide weighed 44 lbs less than a 750S and had almost twice the ponies(58 HP), when it was stock. It wasn’t exactly quick(then), either.
@jond  Dude, you paid $90K for your gear?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-volkswagen-bus-6/

My stuff cost about what I paid for a beat up Fiat 600. It did have suicide doors.
rodman99999,

Zastava 750 was a well-known race car. Yep, you read it right. Check around 3:30 and onwards for some "eye candy". It is from the movie about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgTr2lsZJUQ
Dudes the only VW bus to own is the classic 21 window split windshield. Running or not she's a beaut! :)
SORRY!  Small as my listening room is, the choices for a dream car(as requested), were either Zastavas or Isettas, though- I probably COULD buy a few of each, for what I have in my system. If fitment weren’t an issue, I’d have mentioned a nice, low mileage, stock, ’87 GNX.

FYI... and just because for clarity sake....

the car you post is the supposed equivilant of the cost of your stereo rig.

Clear?

yeah.. I did say what would or could you shoot for, figuring on reasonable real world expenditures you can and will make going forward to escalate your current outfit.

otherwise, in I ain't ever gonna get there land, I'd opt for a buggatti or McClaren.

... and renting some track time at 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd, just up the road from here a bit.

About 45 minutes ought to be enough to remove most of the right side of the body and frame from hugging the wall for 2 and a half miles.

check that. maybe only 15 minutes would work.

naw... I'd rent the track for a whole hour and have someone drive the ??? as fast as it could go first.

then... I'd slide into the drivers seat and find the wall.. suddenly.

hmmm. Bonneville is looking much better.

no walls. just a long walkk back. lol

then too if I'm still on the Fantasy Salt Flats, wonder if I could rent Mr. green's Thrust SSC. in '96 he revved it to 763 + MPH!!! that record stands yet today for steerable land driven vehicles.

however, I've always had a penchant for the Shelby Cobra 427CID ' Super Snake. there is only one all original model left, and I hear a bit over 5mil takes it home.

of course then 5 mil should fill out half a dozen uber 'spensive CNO audio systems.
@an10490413 - Nothing can beat the bass immediacy and dynamics of a good explosion!
@glupson - The 750S’ added 5HP(over the base model) was a already a scary step, with all that blistering performance. It’s been my experience, as vehicles get fancier/more luxurious, they put on weight(hubcaps, chrome, carpet, etc). Performance being about power to weight ratio; I want to avoid that, or I might add some aero-effects. ie: https://barnfinds.com/1979-zastava-750-abarth-wannabe/  Looks slippery, no?   I WAS considering eyelashes, just for the aesthetic value.
It was just my way of saying I’m officially off the grid. Eat my dust, suckers! 
I worry that some may think that means his stereo is worth the same as a VW electric bus. But no. He actually has a VW electric bus sitting in his living room. Dude.
I'd say Tesla model 3. Not based on cost but rather on technology and performance balanced with style!
Random redneck: that thing got a hemi? 

Me: nope 😅
 I guess I have a set of alloys and some tires in my listening room. And I'm pretty happy with them 😃

expensive bicycle lol
Excellent!!

I began with a pr of BW towers a Sony Carosel CD changer and a Sony ES HT receiver, or essentially a 1981 F150 300ci straight six PU.

once I landed here things improved.

some BAT gear, Von S towers and a Sony SCD xa 777 or IOW, a 2000 Crown Vic loaded.

a while later it ended up pretty much as a loaded 300 series BMW, or a used 500 series, also loaded, i.e., $35 to $40K. MSRP

now its back to basics and a very well and often used Hundai that smokes a little bit. lol

I could live quite easily with something in the $75 to $100K MSRP area. An Audi A6? Dodge Charger Hell Cat? nope. maybe a lux SUV. if it has a trailer hitch of course. gotta be able to pull some kind of water craft, jet ski, bass boat, hmmm, horse trailer?

given how Integrated amps are progressing, maybe a whole lot less! perhaps a brand new Subaru Outback.

I don't know what the future holds, but I do know who holds it. gonna have to wait and see what He has in mind.

I was just thinking  about this the other day. I’m going to have to go with a new Alpha Romeo.

rodman99999,
"1979 Zastava 750S(the performance exhilarates)"
You could not stretch for Luxe?

Exhilarating performance-wise, I know a man who used to tune his and everyone was making fun of him. Then he got caught (radar) and police claimed he was going 205 km/h. At first, he wanted to argue as it was impossible, but then he agreed to pay as long as they gave him a written proof that was his speed. It was a small price to pay for bragging rights.
List price new, a nice Camry, in context, we have a couple of E Class Mercedes, so my audio spending is not over the top in terms of proportion to our lifestyle.
In my garage ... Ferrari F430 gated manual (old school stick shift) 

In my listening room ... Ferrari F430 gated manual (old school tubes and TT) 

I can't afford a LaFerrari ... in my garage or listening room ... although I'd like to rev one! ;)