Something is loose on the front of the N14… which makes me sad. Feels like a wheel bearing. I need to learn a lot about this car.
It has begun to grow on me though. The attention I received on the road the first few days of driving that car, seems to have been an anomaly. Either that… or I’m just used to it now, but I feel like the car blends in and people leave me alone.
The size and shape is what really make this car attractive to me. It’s small enough to be ugly… but from the drivers seat, it feels like there is no gap I can’t squeeze through, and it’s really easy to pinpoint the corners when parking in tight places etc. But… for being so small… it’s really convenient. Yoshiko and I stuffed ALL her stuff in it, along with a bunch of mine yesterday. It was packed to the roof… but there was A LOT of stuff in there. I’d never get that much stuff in my 86. And… after I pulled a couple weird JDM things out of the interior, it’s no longer tight on my legs, and there is plenty of head room. I’ve ordered a MOMO hub though, to pull the steering wheel a little bit closer to me. This is a little bit of a shame, because the stock wheel is nice and small with a thick rim and good looks. It’s just too far away for my taste.
RHD is becoming commonplace, and LHD is actually starting to feel abnormal.
Yoshiko and I went out to my old touqe last weekend. Where is my secret… but it’s a strict uphill/downhill. I used to go there with my 86 years ago. The 86 felt dog slow going up (its really steep), but blazing fast and fun on the way down. Well… the N14 was comfortable on the way up. Keep the revs up and the boost builds fast. The car pulls hard.
Downhill was f’ing scary though. The car is too fast by the right pedal. Put it to the floor and it feels like you’ll leave the road. Furthermore… the car doesn’t turn nicely at all going down. It definitely needs some better footwork… but…
Springs, adjustable shocks, some camber and some weight off the front end… this car would be a lot better.