063 | 5 Longest-Running Cars Still Made Today! Ford Mustang, Corvette, Porsche 911, BMW 3 Series & Mazda Miata

[00:00:00] Hey, what's happening? How are you doing today? Thank you so much for being here. I am Chris of, you guessed it, the world famous Cool Cars with Chris. Yeah, imagine that. And joining us, joining us, like always, we got the amazing YouTuber himself. This guy's big time. He's got, you know, he's got millions of views on all his YouTube channels and millions of subscribers. And he's Mr. Big Time, traveling everywhere. Courage himself. How you doing, anybody?

[00:00:26] I like that you're manifesting this for me, because that's where I want to be. Well, I just read the script, man. The script said, Courage is a Big Time YouTuber. Did you get the $20 bill underneath? Is that what that was? Oh my goodness. Thank you so much, by the way, you know. That's been great. I spent it on some, you know, a few drinks. Yeah, I was going to ask you, don't spend it all in one place, but it seems like the damage is done. Well, the $20 don't get you very far these days. So, let me spend it on my gas tank, really.

[00:00:55] But it was, and I got a gallon or two of gas or whatever it is. But how you doing today, buddy? I'm good, man. We got us some rain here in SoCal, so. Oh, we deserve it, though. I think we've been blessed with heat and like humidity and hot and like summer kind of extended into October here. And, you know, it's like people are saying like, when's like fall going to be here, you know? And I think maybe it might be here. Maybe. Yeah. We'll see, you know? We shall see, you know.

[00:01:25] Are you a fall guy? Are you like summer? What's your season you like? I mean, I like summer. I like being outside doing things. I don't like like, you know, peak summer where it's just hot and, you know, you're just kind of miserable. I think it's hot in your place, like 100 degrees and stuff. Like, you know, I like summer a lot. Like, I just feel like, you know, a lot of what I like to do is conducive to that. But I also like, I like winter time.

[00:01:50] So, but like that time, like during the holidays and everything, which comes along with it. Like, you feel like you're in winter when, you know, when it's a little gloomy, like rainy, like, you know, you kind of feel like you're in that type of season. So, I would say that. Well, I think with winter too, like, I think of like, like getting darker, like way earlier. Yeah. You know, like it's all sun is out. Which I don't, I'm not the big, that's not the biggest fan. Right. Like all of a sudden it's like, it's like one of the afternoon and you feel like you see the sun kind of like starting to crash down the horizon. Like what is going on?

[00:02:19] That's such, that is like when it first, when you first go through like the daylight savings, like when we lose, is it, we lose the hour coming up. Right. Yeah. When we first go through that is the, the day of that is the weirdest thing where you're just so used to, you know, five, six o'clock, you know, still sun's out to, you know, it's like four o'clock and it's like creeping on, you know, getting dark. Like that's, that's, I just feel like, you know, I'm in the twilight zone kind of thing, but. Yeah. It feels so weird.

[00:02:48] I mean, that's people get like crazy on the roads too, because they're not used to it. Like the time change at this time of year feels like really screws up the highways because everyone's like, holy crap, it's super late. I got to get rushed to get home. It's already dark, you know, and stuff. But, but really it's only like four o'clock or five o'clock or whatever it is. But they're kind of used to being able to leave their job at five and get home at like six or whatever. And still be like sunny to like seven or eight or whatever.

[00:03:16] And so, and so they're kind of used to that. You use that kind of stuff, which is kind of, it's kind of neat, neat thing to experience. I always wanted to see what it's like in Alaska where you get longer days like that. I was going to say like, it was the one cool thing that I remember a while back was I was in Portland a handful of years ago. And this is somewhat car related because I was actually, I rented a smart 4.2, one of those little smart cars.

[00:03:44] And I still think those things are cool because they actually have like, they have a three cylinder engine. And even though they're automatics, they have this weird way that you kind of have to, you'd still sometimes have to like shift it. And it has like a sequential kind of like shifting mechanism when you put it in manual mode. And so it was like a quirky driving experience, but I enjoyed the thing. But the coolest thing I remember is I was driving around, like it was eight o'clock, maybe 8.30 in the evening up in Portland.

[00:04:12] And it was still just like, it was bright outside. Like, you know, I was cruising. I remember I was listening to like some incubus, you know, or whatever. Nice. You know, windows down and everything. And it's 8.30 and it's still sunny outside. And really it didn't actually get fully dark until like 9.30 or so. Wow. And this was during summer around that time too. So that was a cool experience because I like, you know, I've been in the Bay Area, in Oakland my whole life at that point.

[00:04:37] And, you know, the latest, you know, would be light outside is probably about that time, like 8 or 8.30. So it is interesting the further you go up north, like, you know. I didn't think about that. Yeah. You experienced that. So. What a trip though, you know, like I think what would suck though is if you had to be up super early. Like I remember when I used to work day shift, you know, and you could work super early, wake up super early. Which you had to go to bed super early. And now you can't go to bed because it's like, it's daylight still. It's, it's, it throws you off.

[00:05:04] I mean, that's why people who live in Alaska have like insomnia and stuff because they're like, it's daylight all your day long. You got that one period. Yeah. Or whatever. And then just the opposite. When it's like nighttime, that would totally throw me off. Totally throw me off. Like seasons in me don't mix at all. I have allergies like crazy. And I'm like a barometer. I change with the wind, man. So if it's like totally changing seasons, I am a wreck, man. A total train wreck here. And so, but not, you know, it's not, hopefully not a train wreck.

[00:05:32] Speaking of cars, hopefully you don't, you know, try to jump the tracks and do Dukes of Hazzard and whatever crazy type of stuff. Or Fast and Furious ending. Oh yeah. Fast and Furious kind of stuff. You know, I've seen a lot of train wrecks and stuff. And I've watched lots of videos on Instagram where people like had semis that make the tracks or cars that make the tracks or get stuck or whatever situation is. But yeah. So cool cars tonight. Cool cars with Chris. You know, speaking of cool cars, you were talking about these particular cool cars you want to showcase tonight.

[00:06:00] And why would you want to showcase these particular cars, Courage? Yeah. Yeah. I was just kind of on a little thought journey and was like, you know, I'm curious, like what the most longest running, you know, car models are, you know. Okay. So like a car that they made this car from way back in the day and today they're still making this car or fairly close to today. They still make this car kind of deal. Correct. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:23] Like what, what, you know, I want to say what generation, but what car, yeah, as model has been, you know, has like a starting point and a current point that's like the longest, like what was the top five basically? Well, I think some of the pickup trucks would be on the list too. Like the Chevy. Well, no, they think the original Chevy pickup trucks weren't called Silverados. They were called like. Yeah. They had the C10s. Something like that. Right. Even the F-150 wasn't called the F-150. It was called like F-100 or something like that or whatever.

[00:06:53] So, so I think it's funny how like F-150, when you buy one, they have a sticker that says like, you know, the F-series trucks have been like the number one selling for 50 years or 40 years or whatever it is they say, you know. And so like, I could kind of been making the F-series trucks for like so long, but that includes the F-250, F-350, 450. And I don't think it includes the Ranger. I don't think it's sort of F-series, but like everything else or whatever kind of deal.

[00:07:20] But these particular cars, these are definitely cool cars that you gave me tonight. And these cars have definitely been running around for a very long time. Yeah. And, you know, I mean, they're all very cool cars. And I think kicking it off, I think we have to kick it off with a classic car that like, when you think of like cool cars or classic, let's just say classic cool cars.

[00:07:45] One, you know, car always seems to come to mind that everybody kind of thinks of and kind of gravitates to is got to be the classic Ford Mustang. Like this one right here, we're showing on the screen. If you're listening in an audio podcast, we'll try to explain things best we can. But just imagine a 64 or 65 Ford Mustang Convertible. I'm sure you've seen one before. I'm sure you've seen one on a poster or on a t-shirt somewhere in your life. You've seen this car. It's somewhere in person.

[00:08:13] It's like iconic everywhere. And the Ford Mustang, in fact, guess what? They still sell them today. Yeah. Yeah. It has continuously. And that was a criteria for this list, actually, which maybe we'll touch on a particular car that isn't on this list for a very interesting reason.

[00:08:33] But the Mustang has continuously been, you know, in production, you know, had models, you know, as new cars for, I think they said 62 years now at this point. Was there a gap in the Mustang? Do you know, was there a time where they like, I thought they were to make that stupid Ford Pro be the Mustang and stop making the Mustang during that early 90s ish, mid 90s time.

[00:08:57] They had a, the funny thing about the Mustang is I've been reading this book about like Mustang and, and actually like Camaro history because of, you know, the Camaro is not on this list for the reason that I'm bringing up for another car. You know, it's hot tease. But yeah, the Camaro is not on the list because it's, because it did have a, like a noticeable gap in production. When you say noticeable gap, you're talking like more than one year? More than, I'd even say more than two years. Cause like there's some cars that like, you know, they floated it around.

[00:09:26] We still have inventory in this car. I think the Mustang did, I do, I do believe that the Mustang never had a gap. It did not. Yeah. It had the Mustang too. Yeah. Even from like the, the, I think the, the fourth to the, the retro fifth gen was, was like the point where they could have easily, like if it would have gone. Cause I think there were a couple of years, like, I don't think it came out right. You know, 2004 to 2005.

[00:09:53] Like, I think you had like the old three and then I don't really know if you had, like, it was like a new model per se in 2004, but they were transitioning to the old five. They did. Okay. So check us out. I know for sure. Cause I was at the, uh, Carson coffee. I said, like I had one, they did make a, that newer style where they had that retro bubbly style of like the 94, 95 Mustang. Right. 96, 97. There was a version that had the 5.0 motor in there.

[00:10:22] And I believe that might've been the first gen of when they transitioned from the 93 Mustang and the Fox body Mustang into that next style Mustang. And I think when they transitioned, they, they just moved over the 5.0. I saw one at the Carson coffee, the hood was up. It had that Fox body 5.0 engine in that, in that style.

[00:10:40] So I think there might've been one or two years where they kept the 5.0 before they went to that new 4.6 and that 4.6, like the power, like, like, I think it went down to like 220 or 215 hours, which doesn't sound like much. Yeah. And, um, you know, before they went to the three valve, um, you know, in the, I think 05 it was, but anyways, yeah, Mustang's been around forever. Super cool. Super iconic. And it's, it's one of those cars. They just, they just can't kill it.

[00:11:09] In fact, they really can't kill it because they made an electric version of this version, you know, uh, nameplate. They've cemented the name now beyond. Um, yeah. And they all, don't forget, they also made a Mustang too. So they made a Mustang too. And so I think any, any car company that makes like a part two of any kind of car, um, is either they're doubling down on it or they order something. It's like, they, they really like found the niche within this car. People like this car.

[00:11:37] Let's make another version of that because people already love the car. You know, why would they love a part two or same thing with a Bronco too. And, um, yeah, the Bronco, the Bronco too. And so the thing that's interesting too, about the whole Mach-E versus the regular Mustang now and the current generation is a lot of times I feel like that when, when like a company decides like, oh, we're going to take this car and this name and a new direction.

[00:12:04] They'll stick to that new direction and start to phase out the, the old version. Yeah. But they've been pretty clear and it's still pretty evident obviously now that they've got the GDT and the new, the new dark horse SC and like that whole range of gas power Mustangs that keeps building on while they're also, you know, still making the Mach-E. It shows that they're like, they're just creating these two derivative paths and committed to it.

[00:12:33] What if they brought back the Mustang too, but made it like a compact car? Hmm. For a little drive. For a little drive. Like a small, you know, like something that's like a, the Ford, the Focus or something or something like that. Something that's like civic size. You, I mean, to be told is, you know, people, some people were just sitting there like thinking what kind of interesting situation and that, but that's actually not that in this day and age. I feel like that's not that outlandish because it's like borrow the name that they know works.

[00:13:02] They're already putting it on a stupid SUV, electric SUV. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's like, how far would it be? Like how far would it be? Like put on a, put on a truck, you know, like the Mustang truck or whatever. But I, but I think like, I remember I said a while ago how the, the, the Z, Nissan Z, I thought they'd be kind of cool. They brought back the 240 SX, which I was almost like a, like a Z2, you know, not like a Z also, but like a Z part two, you know, kind of thing. Like a baby Z or whatever. But Mustang is super cool. I've always loved Mustangs. They've always kind of cool.

[00:13:32] I think everybody, everybody think of cool cars. Mustang has got to be like on that list somewhere because they've been making them forever. And they are super, super cool cars, you know? Like, I mean, I dig them, you know, I would drive one, you know, Sun's got one. I've always loved Mustangs, all years of Mustangs for the most part, you know? They're super cool, you know? They're super high tech now these days.

[00:13:55] If you got inside one of the new ones, they're all like screens and like, they've got the 10 speed transmission and multiple drive modes and multiple screen modes and multiple gauge modes and like launch control and all the things, you know, they got built into them. They are quite sophisticated cars. Now, another- But they still got that same recipe. That same recipe. You know, for an engine rear drive. Yeah. Sports car, tight, you know?

[00:14:22] Speaking of sports cars, these are all sports cars I think about. But the next cool car that I think is also iconic has been around for a very long time and recently decided to go kind of like change their entire platform to a new recipe. And we were talking about the Corvette. And this has got to be the original Corvette. I think the 53 Corvette.

[00:14:48] Now, if you look at this Corvette, the 1953 Corvette, it looks so like 50s. The white walls on the tires and like the white trim on the side. And it's cool. You know, what do they sell for today, by the way? You think like this? Like this? Yes. Like an original one? I have no idea, honestly. It just couldn't even.

[00:15:10] Because it's just one of those cars that just, you know, whoever's trying to buy one nowadays, it's like, you know, it had a specific meaning to them probably like when they were younger or, you know, something just sentimental around it where they would- They probably have the ability to pay whatever they want to get that experience again. And so I would imagine it would command a whole bunch of these dudes kind of things you probably see at like, you know, a Sotheby's auction or something like that going for insane money. Millions?

[00:15:39] Or Barrett Jackson, like was what I was thinking about. What million do you think? It depends. It would have to- Okay, what is this one of one off the assembly line, first one they ever made? Oh, yeah. Well, that was probably in GM showroom or the GM headquarters. Are you sure it's not in J. Little's garage? Yeah. Yeah. I would be even surprised if they let him have it. Or maybe Jerry Seinfeld, you know? Yeah. Did he just buy the most- Did he buy like the first Porsche ever made?

[00:16:07] I heard he bought the first Porsche 911, he bought it or owns it now or something like that. I heard something like that. I'm not 100% sure, but he is a big like Porsche guy and, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if something like that crossed his table and he pulled the trigger on it. Well, I like how in this showroom here, if you're listening on audio podcast, you're going to see this, but there's a sign that says London pointed that way, like behind the car.

[00:16:35] And so I'm like, huh, interesting, you know? And I guess it opens up a little something. It must be like, this picture might be taken like an auto show or something.

[00:17:10] Yeah.

[00:17:42] To things like the Corvette and like the Jaguar, the E-type Jaguar, like, you know, cars like that where they weren't really that far apart in terms of when they were built. But they literally back then probably looked like straight spaceships when, you know, everybody's driving around in these big, huge carriage-like cars. And then all of a sudden you start seeing things like this.

[00:18:06] It was like, it was really cool to see them literally right next to each other, size difference, styling and everything. And it just really kind of put into perspective why these cars were so popular back then because of how different they were. They probably were cheaper too. They probably were. I think the new Corvette, like this Corvette when it came out, I don't think they have very much money. I mean, there probably were a lot, but I don't think they were like, I mean, if you want to compare like with inflation and stuff, I don't think they were compared to what they are today. Inflation, I don't think they were.

[00:18:35] They were probably compared to like, I mean, I don't know what the prices were, but I can imagine. I think they're probably, you know, maybe Mustang prices be a little more. I don't, I have no idea, you know. I had it up in front of me. It was saying like they were about three, about $3,500 when they first came out. So what would that be inflation for today? Yeah. I'm doing a little quick search. Okay. Yeah. Probably 25 grand, 30 grand, 40 grand. I don't know. You know, like I always find that kind of fascinating.

[00:19:02] When you see some of these cars that were like sold for 3,500 bucks, like a Corvette back in the day. And then what they do with inflation, do the math on it. You're pretty close. It was about, it's about 40. 40 grand. Yeah. Yeah. Which we think about it. Like if you're by used, you know, you don't use CM, you see seven, maybe with high miles, you probably can pick one for 40. You would think. Probably around there. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, definitely could pick up like, you know, like a C5, you know, for less than that with high miles or whatever, for less than that.

[00:19:31] But the Corvette's been around for a very long time. It's iconic. 73 years in total. And they've never missed a beat? Never. No gaps. No gaps. Wow. Well, check that. That's super impressive. You know, I'm sure there might have been years where they kind of slowed down production. Like did it make as many and some years made more or whatever? This was another like, you know, car model that I read like, you know, some. There's this one like book manufacturer, book publisher that, you know, writes these books

[00:20:01] that are super detailed about like certain car like lineages and car histories. And I was reading about this one, particularly with Corvettes. And there was a real strong likelihood when the first generation was coming to an end that they weren't going to make a second gen because they were struck. Like the initial ones actually like came with straight sixes. They didn't even have V8 straight out of the gate. What? For real? Yep. They started with a straight six. Well, so did Mustang too, I think. Yeah. Yep. They had, you know, they had those straight six versions.

[00:20:31] And, you know, they didn't handle very well either. Like they were kind of quirky around that. And to put it in comparison, kids, like the straight six engines were not like a 2JZ kind of straight six. They were not. They were like ripped out of a truck tractor or whatever kind of motor, you know? And so, but I think they made torque though. I think they made, because they did put those like the F-150 had like a straight six in there and that sort of thing. So I think they made, yeah, they made decent power, I think, but they were not like a 2JZ

[00:21:00] or even an RB or whatever, you know? You know, they were not like these modern high performance straight six engines you hear about today. You know, they were like literally like tractor engines or whatever. But I think another cool engine, speaking of straight sixes and a car company that uses straight sixes in most of their stuff, you know, I'm going with this. And that would be the Beamers. And so the one we have here is a classic BMW 3 Series. Now the thing. Kidney grill.

[00:21:30] Yeah. Yeah. Look at that thing. You know, that thing. It literally looks like a, like a, like a Halloween skeleton in the front. Oh really? With like, with no, like not having a nose, just having like the hole for the nose and then the eye. Obviously the eyes are like not next to your nose on the skeleton, but I just, I don't know. When I looked at that right now, I just kind of just pictured like the holiday, Halloween skeleton that we're going to probably put outside the house. Yeah. The, the, the body, like the skeleton rib cage and stuff, you know?

[00:21:59] I, I guess I, I definitely noticed it until you told me that just now, you know, it's funny that there's a meme going around where it's like how the BMW is front grill started getting bigger and bigger. So great. Like the, the, the last generator, the, the current M5 that's out right now, the five series is like, it's taken it to a whole new level where it just, at this point, like everybody's just saying like, yeah, they hear, they hear what we're saying and what we're joking about it.

[00:22:29] And they're just like, we're just going to show you that we can do it even bigger. We can write. It's all grill the front, you know, whatever kind of thing. But this has got to be like a 1970 something. Um, I don't know. Yeah. Something set seventies, 75, maybe. Um, BMW, uh, three series. And, uh, now the thing about the three series is that if according to my calculations are correct, what you're saying here is that this three series has been around the entire time. Yeah.

[00:22:58] They, they've all, you know, from, from their start, they've always had a three series in production. You know, they, they haven't always had an M car M three. I don't even, I was looking it up just now. I was like, I was trying to, I'm pretty sure the M series, like the M's I think, well, that came out later. Not maybe eighties. Maybe. Um, M three. First M car.

[00:23:24] It had to be, it had to be a good amount into like this generation. I, I think it was eighties. I believe. Well, they were probably racing with them. I believe in some circuits they were using and they had an M series. That's probably all got started with the M series version of the, of the three series here. And, and these cars are probably pretty tiny. The original three series. They're probably, I mean, they're bigger now. Of course, all cars have gotten bigger now. You know, I mean, look at a Honda civic for God's sakes. It's like, it's big. Yeah.

[00:23:52] I mean, you, you, you compared this to a, to a modern three series and you know, yeah. Well now they have crumple zones and like all the different plastics and stuff. So the cars physically are shaped bigger. Maybe the cockpit might be very similar sized. I think back then, like this guy probably had an inch of like metal between the himself and, and the car that hits them. Yeah. Or whatever from the side kind of deal. But yeah, I did look it up in the, the M three didn't actually debut until 1985.

[00:24:22] So that was right. Eighties. There you go. Yeah. In the eighties. And so probably some racing circuit they were trying to do, or they needed a car for whatever race they were trying to do, whatever. I'm sure they, they did that and built that and designed that. Now this, these cars, they all had street sixes in them. Right. And it's still through today, but like they had them back then too. I'm assuming. Yeah. I think. Or four cylinders. I think the M the original M three actually had a, had a four cylinder, I believe. Wow.

[00:24:51] And, and I think some did, I think some base model, most of them had a base version with a four cylinder. They didn't really start to commonly, I think kind of go with the three, the straight sixes until later, I think. But, but yeah, I'm pretty sure they actually probably more of them have like four cylinders than they actually had the straight sixes later on. But again, I've been, I've been pretty good on, on just kind of fact checking myself on

[00:25:18] that, but I'm pretty sure that, especially the M three, I remember, you know, had a four cylinder and then obviously now like the M cars, most of them have had straight sixes. Right. But they're probably like this one here, like, I guess it's kind of hard to tell size wise. I mean, it looks like it's kind of crisscross across the road a little bit. So it's kind of hard to, you know, there's something back there behind it. I can't tell what it is, but like, you know, I mean, I know these older cars, like these older ones were smaller cars.

[00:25:45] Like these things were, these things size wise, you're probably thinking this, this, you know, BMW three series from the seventies is gotta be like, I mean, I would say the size of mini Cooper, but you know, I mean, it's probably width wise, maybe. I don't know. You know, Yeah. They, they're a lot of those cars are, yeah. The equivalent mini from this generation was, you know, was definitely way smaller than it. I would say, but yeah. Put it in the trunk.

[00:26:15] But yeah. Yeah. You could just like tow that along with you, but yeah, like these were small cars for sure. And the rear wheel drive, you know, like all these cars were back in the day and super cool, but still make them today. Three series. Now of all the BMWs, would you say the three series are their most popular? Like if you went to any BMW dealership and said, I want to buy, you know, a sedan, you would think the majority of the lot will be filled with three series. You think?

[00:26:44] That's a good question. I mean, now like lots are probably full of like their SUVs and things now, like, but if you were just talking about the cars and sedans, like I would say you probably would like, I mean, five series do tend to seem like they're, you know, selling pretty well too. Yeah. They're like a good middle ground. They're like the five series. I mean, of course they've got seven series, but the, but the five series is like a full size car size, right?

[00:27:14] Like compared to like, compare it to like, if you're compared to like a Camry side, no, it's bigger than that. Isn't it bigger than the Camry size? It's bigger than the Camry. Um, it's, you know, it's, it's definitely is like what they would call like a full size sedan. Yes. That's what it is. Versus compact sedan, meaning sedan. Like your, your car is considered a compact sedan. Compact sedan. Yeah. And like a three series is considered, yeah, like a, uh, I guess they say midsize sedan, I guess. But okay. So three series.

[00:27:43] So then the five series would be full size. What's a seven series? Like ginormous size. Yeah. Yeah. It's like a weird thing now. Cause it's like, it really doesn't have to be bigger than the positive, but it is still anyway. They do look very, I wonder if they're much bigger though. Like physically bigger. Cause I, I think we can tell you like seven to five. They look very similar in size wise. I mean, maybe one's an inch bigger or longer. I don't know, but, or one could be have a bigger motor than the other. And maybe that's what it is. Yeah. A lot, a lot of them base wise, like the seven series is bigger motor.

[00:28:12] They are, they are bigger cars. Like when you, it's, it's insane to kind of say that like they're bigger cars when the M five is as big as it is right now. And you think something even bigger than that, but yeah, like it's, it's bigger. And a lot of times they, they do come with just like a larger base engine as well. Like they, you know, the, the, the seven series is still like kind of a really appealing car to like some people that just want something big, luxurious. It sounds cool too. I drive a seven series. Yes.

[00:28:43] I drive a seven series. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a dream car of mine. Like I, because I would not want to own that car and have to deal with trying to take care of one. But, um, they, they had the, um, Alpina Alpina was like a, you know, kind of manufacturer that did like extra like add-ons kind of like Roush. Like they played that same, you know, kind of role would be, they weren't owned by the company. They weren't owned by, yeah, by BMW.

[00:29:09] They were kind of a third party and, um, and the Alpina B seven is like one, whenever I see people that just drive, it's, I call it like certain cars are like a subtle flex where it's like, you see somebody driving like an Alpina B seven, like that person kind of knows like, okay, either, either they got really upsold on something or they really know like, okay, this is like, nobody's going to really notice this, but this car, but they notice because

[00:29:36] they, they had a bunch of performance upgrades, you know, they, they had like particular wheels that were just for the Alpinas. Um, and those, I like, every time I see one of those, I get excited because they're just think they're super under the radar. But again, I would not want to own one like, you know, and have to maintain it on my own. Oh my God. Like they get another loan from the bank just to like do your oil change kind of a thing. Okay. Okay. So moving on to the next car we got, that's been doing cars since forever and a day.

[00:30:06] See which one I put on here. Let's see. We haven't done yet. Let's see. Let's do this one here. Oh, speaking of like cars that are like, you know, I say German, you know, like the, uh, the BMWs, you know, I would say the next best thing would probably be the Porsche 911. Now this is a cool picture. It is a cool picture. Shout out myself. Check that out. You know, you know, I had to borrow the car, you know, I mean, the owner does not borrowed it by bar of the car and it's kidding.

[00:30:34] But no, the, uh, uh, as well, I was looking at pictures of a old Porsche, uh, not 11s. I think it says from like the seventies, maybe. Yeah. I think it seems like pretty early. Yeah. You know, it's hard to tell, but maybe the seventies Porsche, I think it is. I can't really remember like the first, cause I, I do know some of the later Porsches by there, like actual like naming codes, like 993, 964. And like some of those, but I don't, I don't remember exactly what this one is, but, um,

[00:31:03] but yeah, these, these have this interesting fact about these is that these have been in production the same amount of years as the Mustang 62 years, both the 911 and the Mustang continuously. So, wow. Well, look at that. And I know that the thing with the 911, it's like Porsches, like they're designed for everything else they make. Like everything else they make is copied directly from the Porsche 911.

[00:31:29] Like everything they do, the front net front end of this car, it goes, the design from this goes directly into every vehicle they make from here on out. And even to today, like from their SUVs to their big cars, to their, all their different sports cars, they all from the front end all look the same. And so people like that. Some people are kind of like, well, could you be something different? You know, but I don't know if they, if they made something totally different, like a different car in their lineup that looked totally different. I don't know if anybody would buy it.

[00:31:58] I don't know if anybody would trust it was a Porsche. Yeah. I say they're like, you know, again, the Cayenne, the early Cayennes definitely were like that where you, it would, it looked like a, like a straight, you know, a stretched, you know, heightened, you know, 911, like it looked like a Porsche SUV. Um, but you know, the, the, some of the later things like the, you know, more of the electric stuff they've been doing, like the, the sport tourismos and some of those, like they've

[00:32:25] started to kind of still look like Porsches, but have like a different kind of feel to them. But Porsche is definitely one of the ones that have understood how to like make their design language translate over whether they've done it well for everything is definitely in question, but they've always kind of stuck with, this is, this is our look, this is our design language and we're sticking to it kind of thing. So I mean, I've always loved it. I thought it looked fantastic. I think, I think these portions look fantastic. 9-11s look great, you know?

[00:32:53] And so I know they run the price point all over the map. Like what would one like this go for? An older one, you know, decently. I mean, it's not the original classic ones, I don't know if this counts, but like say what's, what's a cheaper end Porsche 9-11 going to go for if you're going to buy one? Again, it, this, this is a weird one because you, you, the older ones, you know, tend to

[00:33:18] in a, in really good condition, it can command like a really, I'd say sometimes unreasonable price just because they're Porsches, you know, especially kind of the air-cooled Porsche era where, you know, they're, they're cool from like the respect of like, yeah, these are air-cooled. They, you know, they, they, they're mechanical, all of this, but like performance wise, they, they're, they're slow, like everybody, people, they'd own them and they're, they're, they're slow. They, they handle well, but that's like, that's really all there is.

[00:33:48] And you could pay similar price for something that, you know, now gives you not only the handling, but obviously the performance to back it up too. But again, it's a totally different experience, but to be honest, like some of the later 9-11s are the ones that you could probably find for a better deal. Like the, the proverbial, like the, the, the 996 generation, like the early 2000s, 9-11s, those you can tend to find for a deal because that was kind of considered the low point of

[00:34:17] like 9-11 history in terms of design. But you, which is silly because those things are, a buddy of mine used to have one and you know, the, the 9-11 turbos of that generation were awesome cars. And even just like the base 9-11s are great cars, but they just kind of get overshadowed by the 993, which everybody loves and will pay insane, crazy money for. And then the newer generation, you know, ones that obviously they're expensive just because they're newer and they got all this tech and everything.

[00:34:45] So it's a weird, it's a weird situation. Cause you'll have these older ones that are air cooled, that are super mechanical that people will pay a whole bunch of money for. And then you'll have like the intermediate generations that they'll pay a bunch for. And then you have the random ones that people were like, yeah, we don't like that one as much. So you can have that one for a little bit more of a deal. Do you think this one's air cooled in this picture here? I think so. Yeah.

[00:35:10] Like, I don't really, I can't tell you like when the transition of that was like, I'm not that clued into Porsches, but yeah, the earlier ones were like, they were, we joked about it. I think maybe we were talking about something else, but I mean, these, these things were very, very close in terms of ethos to the, to the beetle in terms of air cool, you know,

[00:35:36] just the way they were manufactured, like all their history was very much intertwined with the beetle for a, for a long time. It's a pretty cool car, cool car that's been around for a very long time. And I think, I think when you're, if you're buying a Porsche, your first Porsche and you've got money to buy a Porsche, you're going to go 911. I think you're going to go 911. I mean, you might go Cayman. I mean, you might, you might, I mean, if you're in the SUV, you might grab one of the SUVs or you might do that. Or what was it? Was it a Panama?

[00:36:04] What are the big giant, the big giant guy? Yeah. So you might get something like that, but I think, which are cool cars. They're very cool cars. But I think if you're going to get a sports car, pure sports car, and you're going to get a Porsche and you have the money to do it, you're going to go 911. Maybe GT3, maybe. But those are like, those are the, the trims. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, even like the intermediate GT3s, like of like, say, say that generation to like 996

[00:36:33] and all, like if you find a GT3, like they're insane money because of the performance they have and still like being analog to even like the mid 2000s, having a pretty analog car. But yeah, these older ones definitely still are just, they're special in that sense of like kind of a rite of passage of like getting the experience, you know, a 911 in that sense. And I did, I looked it up too. And I think the, the transition from air cooled to, you know, traditional water cooled or like,

[00:37:01] you know, what we have now, radiators, all of that was, was 1998. So from 64 to 98 were, you know, they, I think there was maybe like a blend at a certain point in the nineties maybe, but, but officially beyond then you were out of the air cooled era and in the like early 2000s. So yeah, pretty long heritage of sticking to your roots. Yeah, definitely, definitely in design for, for sure too.

[00:37:28] Like, I mean, the design for, you know, a 2026 version versus a 1960s, whatever version. I mean, you could tell that they're the same car. I mean, you could tell that they kept the same design since forever. Now, what else do they have on here? There was, uh, I think there was one more and let me think and find it in here. Um, oh, I know, I know. Now we're going across the pond the other way. We're going to go Japanese.

[00:37:58] And so this, one of my coolest cars, I love these cars. I test drove these cars. I want to pick one up. And they're talking about the Mazda Miata little sports. Then this is an original one. I believe in this picture here, it's probably like when they first came out, had that classic, like bubble shaped like a bullet, pop-up headlights, you know, front engine, rear drive, two seat roadster came in a stick shift. I think you get them in automatic, but I don't think you can hard to find one in automatic. Most of them are stick shifts.

[00:38:28] One of the few, you know, few cars where it's like the hardest to find an automatic versus like finding a manual. But maybe today, I bet you the today's ones are probably like half and half, half manual, half automatic. I'm sure there are. Of course, I haven't been, I haven't shopped Miatas, but I'm sure you're sure you can find an automatic somewhere. But anyways, yeah, they are super cool cars. Stick shift, convertible. They had hard tops. I think you can get, but they use some of their like soft tops. You kind of like crank over and I don't think they have like a motor.

[00:38:57] I think you just kind of like, you literally lifted it over your shoulder. Yeah, I drove a like current gen Miata with the rag top and you literally just twist the top, put it back, put your arm back and drop it down and then lift it right back up. And I thought that was just, I mean, it fits the ethos because it's like, you know, the weird thing about it, that same generation that you do have a like a full on power retractable

[00:39:23] RF model that has like full on all the mechanisms and everything with a whole top drops into the back. But with the same model, the same generation, you also have something that you operate by hand. So I felt like that was always kind of funny about the new generation Miata, but it's a, you know, a car that size, like the roof is like the roof line right there is right behind you. So there's no reason that you can't reach over and just open it up. Oh, correct. It's like put your seatbelt on. Really? It's like reach over and get your seatbelt on. It's like reach over. Same deal.

[00:39:53] Yeah. You had to get the roof and like put it up or whatever. But these had like, I think they had a 1.8 liter. They were just under, maybe it was two liter. It wasn't very big. I don't think it wasn't above two liter. I know that. They were under two liters. Maybe 1.6, somewhere around there. That's kind of, I don't remember exactly, but I think that was 1.6 kind of. Yeah, I know. Because I think that 1.6 is what Honda was using in their Civics. I know the Civic SI I test drove had a 1.6 liter.

[00:40:22] It was a big deal because that engine had like, it was like 100 horsepower per liter. So like 160 horsepower, 1.6 liter kind of deal. I don't think this had that kind of power. This thing's probably had closer to like 120 horsepower, maybe 130, which sounds like a lot for a car that's this size. You know, it's fun to drive. They're not super fast cars, I remember. But it might have felt fast because you got this open cockpit, your convertible, stick shift, short wheelbase, very light car.

[00:40:51] So it might feel fast. For someone who's never driven a fast car and they get into this, it might feel real fast to drive this. And it's probably what it was for me when I test drove these things or whatever. But the coolest thing ever is we can rip that engine out and drop in a V8, you know, LS swap. Or I've seen them do it. You know that. And who was I talking to about that, doing that? But someone's saying, was it this car or another car?

[00:41:18] They're saying that the, I mean, the only one that it was, it was a classic 240Z. I was talking to the guy who had a classic 240Z. And he's saying people LS swap those and the weight, it doesn't change the weight that much. Yeah. Because those, yeah, the 240Zs and their straight, the straight stakes was still kind of like a heavy, a heavy motor. Right. That's what he was saying and stuff, how it doesn't change the weight that much. But something like this, definitely. Something like this. It's like, yeah, you're offsetting that 50-50 weight distribution a lot with a big old V8 in the front.

[00:41:47] But it's super common. Like, you know, I remember I was at a random, you know, car meet in the evening at a spot over in San Marcos area. And this girl, like, parked next to me with the, you know, pretty decked out Miata. She did some cool interior stuff and everything. And I was just chatting with her. And she's like, yeah, like my, the car is probably going to be down like for, you know, probably like a handful of months here soon. I was like, oh, you know, getting some work done. I said, yeah, I'm getting a V8 swap. No way.

[00:42:17] Did she just say where she was getting done at? Like what? No, I don't, I can't remember exactly. But there was a place in San Marcos that was doing them. I saw years ago. I don't know if they're still in business or not. But they would do a full-on build for you. But you got to supply the car and you got to supply the engine. And I think they would do all the work and they've built a bunch and put all together. I figured what the price tag was on it. But like, I mean, it's not cheap. It's not free. I get that, you know. But I think when you're all said and done, for me, it's like,

[00:42:47] because I've always loved the classic Shelby Cobras. Which are V8s, you know, convertible, two-seat roadsters with a big V8 and those things. All that kind of stuff. There's some similarities to that ethos though, I feel like. Right. When you drop a V8 in this, you can make it like kind of like a Cobra kind of deal, you know. Because the British versions, like just the AC, you know, the AC cars didn't have, I don't think they had V8s. Like when they were. Oh, the original, original. Like the original, yeah.

[00:43:15] Just the ones that they brought over originally. Like those, I think, had smaller, way smaller engines than those V8s that, you know, they started putting into them when they started doing the Cobras. Yeah, those 289s, I think at first, back in the day or whatever. But still, and then, as I said, I mean, I saw one at the, you know, one of the cars and coffees had an LS engine in one of these.

[00:43:39] And so, I think people were putting, I know back in the day they were putting the old Mustang 5.0 engine, the Fox Body 5.0s were going to these things. I see them do that. And so, those are big cast iron heavy engines. I think the new ones are all aluminum now. Like the Coyote's aluminum. But the Coyote's got the big white heads because they're a double-overed cam. It's got really white heads on there. And I don't know if that would fit because of the bay. I don't know. I'm sure, I mean, it will always away. I'm sure they'll figure it out or whatever. It is. Dude, I'm telling you. Like, I mean, when it comes. I mean, again, it will be labor.

[00:44:09] But, I mean, you know, I've been looking at a lot of like 510 content and everything. And those dudes that have slapped V8s into those things. And I'm like, what in the world? Like, those things. And do you think that the 510 engine bay is no much bigger than the engine bay in this thing? That I would say they have to be pretty similar. Like, you know, the 510 was even like boxier. So, I would say it was probably more space in the 510 because it's just like a nice square little like box shape.

[00:44:39] Yeah, but all the roundness you see on this Miata, it's all crumple zone. That's true. And like extra like fluff and flair and stuff like that. You know, you don't use all that space, that bubbly, you don't have all that room and stuff. So, it's probably, you open the hood, it's like a nice square little section there. And you got the struts and all that stuff for the suspension, all that kind of stuff too. So, you need to worry about that too. But I like the Miata. I think they're super cool. They've been running the entire time since like 1990 or 89, I think. I think it was 89. It was, yeah, 89. 89 to now.

[00:45:10] So, about what was that? I had my list up and I went away from it. But yeah, continuous. I think it's 37 years total. And they haven't broken a cycle yet. They've been doing it the entire time? Been doing it the entire time. And to just put it out there, I was surprised that the Z lineage was not on this list.

[00:45:33] And apparently, that gap that we have from the 300ZX to the 350. Correct. Which was, I think it was about three or four years, give or take. Well, actually, it was more. Yeah, it was more here. But I think in Japan, it was less. I think in Japan, they ran all the way up to like 2000. All the way to 99. Yeah. I think they did have 2000 model 300ZXs in Japan. Yeah. But here in the States, I think it cut off at like 96 or whatever it was.

[00:46:01] And so, and then 03, I think. Oh, 203 was when the 350 came out. And so, you know, that's good, you know, five, seven years or whatever. Yeah. And so. Sadly, it's enough time to maybe forget that it's coming back. And then all of a sudden, you get surprised. And the same thing with the Super, too. The Super, you know, I mean, kind of came back. Thank you, BMW. But it came back, you know, years late. That was a big gap.

[00:46:26] Like, you're talking, you know, mid-90s all the way to like, you know, late 2010s when the. No, I think it was. I think it was the new one. You talking about the new one? Yeah, the new Super from the Mark 4. Oh, Mark 4. I'm thinking like the new one, like today's Super. Yeah. No, I was saying from the Mark 4 ending to. Oh, right. Like brought out that new, that new Super. Yeah. That came out. Yeah. Like 20 years, 10 years, maybe 20 years. It was the 90s. And then like, and like it was 90s.

[00:46:56] And then like the new one didn't come out to like recently, like 2020 or something like that. I mean, it was 2019, something like that, but real long time. And, but that's super cool. The Miata. What's super cool though, is like a car like this, like a Mazda Miata. If you think about it, the most impractical car you can own, you know, from like, from like usability standpoint. Yeah. I got it. I drove one around for like a couple of days as a tour rental. And I just, I had anxiety about like anything.

[00:47:24] Like, you know, do you, do you get in a situation where I can't fit what I need to fit in the trunk? Do you know what happens to me? You know, like, like trying to get stuff like, I'm like, Oh crap. I got the Z today. I can't buy. I have to remember what car I'm driving. I can't load the car up with stuff. I mean, the car can fit like water bottles in the front seat, the back seat, a case of water bottles there. I don't ever put a case of water bottle. I'm sure I have. I'm sure I've done a pretty hefty Costco trip with the Z, but it was like by myself, back

[00:47:52] was packed and the front seat was packed kind of, kind of stuff, you know, but, but nothing like a TV, not like I'm putting like a flat screen in the front seat or whatever kind of thing. But I'm saying like, what I mean by that is this, is that like from, from like a car that's been around this long and then sell it. Obviously they're selling them. Otherwise we wouldn't make them right. They wouldn't be making them every year if they weren't selling them. So who's buying these things.

[00:48:18] And then like, you know, because, because in a day and age where everybody's got bigger families, need bigger cars, need cars. They're bigger with more performance and stuff like that. Like who's buying a car that's definitely not high performance. Definitely not big, you know, small. It's fun to drive. I get it. It's fun. It's tight and fun. I get all that, but I just kind of wonder like who's buying these drifters. Oh, maybe use ones. Like, yeah, use. Yeah.

[00:48:45] You, but to your point to the new, the new ones, cause they're like, you know, cause they are making these things every single year. There has to be like, there has to be people buying them. Yeah. Every single year for the last, how many years? Someone's going to be buying this. Especially for Mazda to be still making it. Cause Mazda is not really doing much in a way of anything like cutting edge right now. Like, you know, but they're still doing this. Like they're, they still got a line item for sports cars. They also have the RX-8 and the RX-7 at the same time. They had this car. Mm-hmm.

[00:49:14] Like two sports cars in their lineup. Like. Did they no longer make any, you know, the. The RX-8 anyways. Yeah. And so, but they are making this, which is kind of ironic. You know, that this must be like, they must have like a factory just spits these things out. Like it's nothing. Like it's nothing, you know, no big deal or whatever. And they. It's just so like seamless that they just kind of forget. Oh, we still got that thing going over there. Like. Well, just get them out the door since. Since you guys got the tooling and everything. But it is a super cool car. I think them.

[00:49:44] I think the Mazda Miata is super, super cool. And like ones like this, especially if you drop in a V8 or even. I mean, I don't know. I don't know if you could fit in there. What if you can fit a VQ in this thing? Like a, like a, you know, ripped out of a Z. You know, like I say a 3.5. If you could fit a V8, I would assume you could fit one too. Yeah. Yeah. Rip. Put a VQ in this thing or whatever. I don't think that does. I think it's go straight for V8. Straight LS swap this thing. You wouldn't want to go long block, like a straight six, like a super engine like that.

[00:50:13] It would stick out the nose. I got the front or whatever, but, but definitely, you know, it's weird thing is too, because I'll tell somebody that, that these cars fit a straight four cylinder in there. Like the four, the base engine is, is cause rear wheel drive is a straight four cylinder from the nose to the back, a straight four cylinder. So that's four cylinders in a row. A V8 is the same thing. Just another set of cylinders next to that set of cylinders. So the length is the same. The only thing it's over is the width. Yeah. Is how wide.

[00:50:43] And if the car sits wide, that's probably why the V8s fit in these things because the, the, the eight cylinders are the same like dimensions, I guess. You're just wider. Yeah. Right. Just wider. And if you go like Coyote, you're definitely wider because you got the heads and stuff and, and things like that. But, but yeah, I mean, I think they're super cool, dude. I think this car is super cool. And like I said, it'd be cool to get like a V8 version, you know. And make it sound like a rocket ship, you know, loud pipes and all that stuff. And just have it rumble at the intersection.

[00:51:13] Just like, there's just brevet. And as you brevet, all the torque just like shakes the car next to the guy. He looks over and says, what's up, dude? Want to go? Let's go right now. And he's burning like tires, just lighting tires. And he's like shred the tires down to the rim and just smoke the guy out. You know? They always say, they always say there's certain cars that have certain distinct features that, you know, not to mess with them because of those things. And it's like, if you, I feel like if you ever see like a Miata on with like wider, like pretty wide tires, especially in the rear.

[00:51:43] And like lowered, it's lower. Or definitely track tires. You can see like the tight end of the rim, like fat, wide tires. Like definitely track tires or whatever. And they've got like a parachute. Roll cage. Oh, here's the thing. If you had one of those Miatas, would you do, if you were doing the V8 and those things, would you put the roll cage on? Yeah. That's like, that's your, your life insurance. To have the, you gotta have a roll cage.

[00:52:13] It's like, you probably should do that. Like. You gotta live crazy, dude. No sleep ill. You know, just, just, just, you know, crazy. You gotta live, live, live a life. You're not living life, dude. Or whatever. I think, I think a new ones have like built in roll cages. I think the new ones do. I think they've got like a little arch or something on the new ones. Yeah. Kind of like the little, little arch thing with the. Black window or whatever. A little back, black glass window that kind of came down behind the two seats or something like that. Something goofy like that. But there's, I thought they're always super cool cars.

[00:52:43] I sat at the auto show to go check when I sit inside. I'm like, oh, they are tiny though. They're tight. They're small. They're tight and tiny. And like. It's a recipe that just hasn't really been, you know, replicated and like done, done to the, to the extent that it has. Like, I mean, the, the BRZ and the GT86 is like kind of the closest to that. Like it's, it's definitely still bigger and it's always kind of had a little more power, not that much, but it's always had a little bit more power.

[00:53:10] But it still hasn't necessarily replicated what the Miatas, you know, put down all of these years. And so, you know, it's, again, it's just, it's cool that the recipe still works all of these years later. One of those Miatas, like a first or second gen, really cheap. Well, you used to be able to, I don't, I don't know the price amount that you can get them for a couple of grand if they've run, you know, uh, for a fun, you know, they probably weren't that hard to get running again. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:53:37] And then, and then you can have a stick shift, fun convertible stick shift car. Of course you got to replace the top and who knows about the running and the clutch and who knows about all this stuff. I don't know, but like for like a fun, like weekend car, I can totally see it. Like if somebody wanted fun convertible, they didn't want to spend a ton of money. Yeah. Pick up an old Miata, you know, I mean, and then VH swap the thing. If you want more power, you know, if you really want to go down that, down that route, sky's the limit. Yeah.

[00:54:05] If you really want to, well, sky is the limit and we are running close on time tonight, been up all night doing podcasting. It's been so fantastic, man. Well, courage, thank you for stopping by today and thank you for listening back home, wherever you're listening to this podcast. We really appreciate you. So courage being the big YouTuber he is, what's happening in the works on YouTube channel? Anything big, big news? Yeah. I mean, this, uh, there's a little similar situation with a very small car with an engine swap coming to the channel pretty soon. So, oh my goodness.

[00:54:33] Courage is doing engine swaps on his channel, on his new, on his channel, uh, doing engine swaps on new cars or used cars or whatever he's doing over there. All the cool things. And what's the name of your channel, by the way? Uh, the driven dad, search the real driven dad on YouTube or Instagram and come up and check out what we got going on. I'll put a link to that in the show notes of this episode. If you can't remember that, don't you worry, scroll on down, whether you're on YouTube or podcasting apps or wherever you're listening to the show right now, scroll on down and do

[00:55:01] yourself a favor and go down there and hit all the links and just hit subscribe to everything and you'll be good. Get all bases covered. And thank you so much for being here with us. And, uh, if you've got a cool car, keep it cool by making sure that the, um, that you do not wrap it around a telephone pole and you don't curb your tires. And I thought you were going to say, make sure you got coolant in there. Oh, make sure you have coolant too. Make sure you got coolant. And I'll make sure the most important thing is make sure the airbag stays in the steering wheel.

[00:55:31] That's where it needs to stay. It's a rule of live by. Keep it there the entire time because that's where it needs to stay. And you don't wrap your car around a telephone pole or hit another car or get crazy in traffic. You know, I mean, you got a cool car. You want to keep it cool and keep it together. You know, um, yeah, totally. Who was wrecked a cool car? I wouldn't have seen that happen. I mean, but if you do, you know, if you do wreck your cool car, I got to see a video of you wrecking your cool car. It's gotta be a social media thing. You know, it's gotta be all over TMZ and everything else too. And stuff like that.

[00:56:01] Or it didn't happen. Right. Or it didn't happen. Right. You know, uh, Oh, speaking of this real quick, you'd hear about the raccoons that are, that are confusing a cyber truck for a trash can. I did. Dude, I laughed so hard when I saw that. Cause I was like, I looked at it first and I was like, where's this going? Raccoons. Thank you. But I was, that's hilarious. Yeah. They can, they're confusing the, the cyber truck and the trash. I mean, who does? I mean, I, I, I have a stake in for trash. We all do. We all do. I get it. It is what it is. But on that note, be safe. And we will see you on the very next episode.

[00:56:30] Don't you go anywhere. We'll be right back.