The Car Shopping Round (Round 64): Tears in Heaven

eh? is the body i used that small? i didn’t notice? :joy:

2 Likes

This should answer your question:

(probably hand-made interior)

6 Likes

The Ryujin’s description was clearly meant to show this customer’s ignorance. He’s not meant to be very cultured or have a lot of technical knowledge. (that makes you wonder how he’s InfoCOM’s CEO) :wink:

5 Likes

Well, back in that day, you didn’t have to be culturally competent to be a Silicon Valley CEO…

…and you still don’t now :joy:

8 Likes

Fixed that for you.

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#Reviews Block #2 (First Cuts Part 2/2)
After coming back from the meeting, it was time to get to the real work, and finish viewing the brochures for his new set of wheels. Then it would be dealership day.

@laffinghyena

Erm, looks like this thing was designed by the McKeown designers that were on vacation. What the fuck is going on in this car’s rear end?! It looks like it crashed in reverse into one of those stores where they sell fake vents and stuff. Do these companies understand what a good looking car means? Apparently not. You know what? This is joining the Apo-thing. (Brochure was cooked until golden-brown and crispy on the outside)

@JohnWaldock

Next up was the JHW Wyvern 550L. It looks… alright, i guess, it’s pretty sleek and i could live with that, even if it’s a bit simple. It’s got a large V12 engine, 5500cc apparently, making 351hp, a luxurious interior, and the whole active suspension package. Including semi-active… dampers. I think i could keep this car in consideration. Huh, that trash can is full, i guess it has to be emptied out…

@DeusExMackia

What’s this? Oh, Erin, from the UK! And the Berlose Coupe, the two-door version of their flagship sedan apparenly, is definitely flaunting that British style. I’m liking this. Oh. This is a four seater, that’s interesting. Still, it maybe could be useful, no idea. It features what pretty much every other car had until now, and regular suspension. The engine is a 3.6L Inline 6, making 320hp, which is quite good i suppose. I’m going to check it out to see if this approach is to my liking.

@TheElt

BM’s new F-219, apparently, features a massive scoop thing on its hood, like the drag racing cars. Apparently the engine is… a 10.5L V12 making… 1024hp? WHAT?! Either this is really 102,4hp or i’ve just got the most powerful car in the world’s brochure sitting on my desk. I called “the contact” and told him about that, he almost had a heart attack over the phone and told me it was the real deal. You know what? I don’t feel like dying yet. I have a great future in front of me, and being killed by a murderous 1000hp car will not be part of it. To the bin!

@thecarlover
http://i.imgur.com/EWXhsCw.jpg
From the seemingly bottomless box, out came the Diamond Sapphire’s brochure. It’s a modern looking, smooth coupe body, with a good styling touch. In true American tradition, it features a V8, but with a Turbo. 366hp is the claimed output. The interior is what i’d expect to see, and it features air suspension. It’s not even using the full budget, and i still feel like it could deliver. I’ll keep this in consideration.

@Fayeding_Spray

The next car was the Monarch Davis F6, and i think the designers left it incomplete somehow. The front could be nice, but those foglights are huge, and odd. The rear is very bland, with the biggest piece of chrome i ever saw in my entire life, square taillights and a dual exhaust. It’s a shame, because this car has a V12 engine making 375hp, air suspension, and a good interior. But i don’t like the styling, so in the bin it goes.

@Rk38

Now this is what i call a sexy car! The GBF Bellisa 4800GTA made my jaw drop as soon as i picked up the brochure. It’s a stunning car, with plenty of Italian flair and class. I can already imagine the looks in the faces of my employees. It’s got a V12 engine making 420hp, a good interior, and regular suspension. This one i am definitely going to see at the dealer.

@Dorifto_Dorito

Nadier-Schoefield Spritely Speeder, huh? Do i look like a classic car collector? This is beautiful and all, but i want something new! InfoCOM needs a modern car for its image! I think a friend of mine would like taking a look at this car, as it seems to be pretty capable. But this is not the car for me.

@Grandea

Another Japanese competitor, the Zenshi GT 4.0EE is quite good looking, i like the sharp, clean design, and the rear end is one of the best i’ve seen today. The GT is powered by a 4.0L V8 engine, making 267hp, which is the lowest amount i’ve seen so far. As i was reading the brochure, a call from the Zenshi dealership warned me they just ran out of stock. Erm, alright… (Trim ET was over the limit)

@phale

The Pearlite Vengeance is what i assume cars are going to look like in ten years from now. It’s quite odd and surreal, like a concept car that you can actually buy. I’m not sure what to think of this. The engine powering this remarkable machine is a Turbocharged 5.4L V12 making 401hp. It features the usual, average high end interior, and active suspension. Wait, only $45400 for this? That’s odd. Anyways, i’m curious enough to keep it in consideration.

@mikonp7
http://discourse.automationgame.com/uploads/default/optimized/4X/5/4/7/54790540a54cd27ab47f309357eeed3211b11b52_1_690x418.jpg
Alright, this is the Ecamobile… Tel… Telesp…Teleskop? Anyways, it looks mediocre, and that wing doesn’t help. The engine is a 5.5L V12, making 429hp and, on the brochure here they show the engine through the glass panels on the rear, and it has these weird things poking out of it. I made my phone call, and those are apparently called “trumpets”, and they’re used in race cars. There is a big issue with these though, they make the engine hellishly loud and unreliable, as it could suck up even the neighbor’s cat. Also he’s warned me about the tyres on this, which are apparently took straight from a bicycle. Race the stars? More like race the bin.

@Nomade0013

Next up was the Zeal 313 GT. It looks like it’s either drunk or took too many “medications”. Anyways, the engine is a 4.0L Turbo V8 making 481hp, quite impressive. And… uuuuhh… this thing is tiny. And what is this? Active Sport suspension? That’s not quite the thing i was looking for. Welp. Looks like this one goes to the bin.

@Leonardo9613
http://discourse.automationgame.com/uploads/default/optimized/4X/7/5/4/754e1350b1722edac9ea657cb162d42c5b02d0cb_1_690x403.png
Looks like this is the last brochure in here, i thought it was a bottomless box for a second. Well, who will get the honor of being the last car? The Bonham Fleming Six. It looks classy while having a sporty touch, which i like. The engine in this is a 2.9L Inline 6 making 310hp, the interior is good, and it’s using semi-active dampers. Guess i won’t be shaken, but stirred. I will keep an eye on it. And with this one we are done!

Final Picks:

@abg7
@conan
@Microwave
@gridghost
@ramthecowy
@JohnWaldock
@DeusExMackia
@thecarlover
@Rk38
@phale
@Leonardo9613

These cars will be tested out at the dealerships and only then the true winner will arise!

Fun Facts:

Temperature of the coffee after this batch of reviews: It too ended up in the bin

Bin Ratio: 16/27 cars binned,

Motivation Level: yay

19 Likes

Is silently headdesking right now

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In hindsight, the use of race intakes should not have been allowed due to excess noise and unreliability. Apparently the customer also didn’t want a car that was too fast and powerful either. Active suspension would have been acceptable, though… As long as it was of the “comfort” type. And I’m struggling to believe that a grand tourer with under 300 bhp can cut it in this company… At any rate, with 11 entries (all front-engined, and either rear-drive or AWD) still in contention and about to be test-driven, this looks to be a highly competitive round!

We should let at least some degree of common sense weed out car builders who have none. This is a shopping round, not “let’s hold everybody’s hand with a guided tutorial” :joy: Hooray for some degree of self-education among the youth of our world?

I notice @phale’s car has appeared in another incarnation… it was good in that round, how about here?

5 Likes

CSR15 featured a newer model of the Vengeance, but that one had an NA V8 driving the rear wheels.

Edit: Seems like I forgot about the origins of the older Vengeance after all - it was originally submitted as the Visceral in CSR16.

That is the namesake, yes, but the car of the same design however…

Look for the Pearlite Visceral :wink:

4 Likes

AYY, i’ve progressed for the first time in…well…ages

Reviews Block #3 (Test Drives and Results)

After having sorted out which cars he likes the most, he called Jeff from accounting once again, and (bribed) him to help with the car shopping.

@abg7

The first dealership in the list was Albury’s, where the Crusader 5.7 Touring was already waiting for us. The interior seemed to be pretty well built in person, and quite comfortable as well. The salesman also told me the safety equipment was high-quality, which is good to hear. I started up the car and took it for a quick spin. The V8 engine, apparently a pretty old school OHV design, like those in 60s muscle cars, was pretty adequate, and putting the foot down made the car take off quite swiftly. It was pretty easy to keep under control, and the suspension did its job pretty well. It’s paired with a 5 speed automatic. The car body is made of aluminum, which is a new thing manufacturers are doing. The MSRP is $54,600.

@conan

Next up they went to the Cordia dealership, which is right next to a Mitsushita dealership for some reason. Oh, Jeff told me it’s because they’re the same company. Anyways, the Cordia Spada 42. It looks just as good in person. Once i opened the door i was greeted with a high quality interior and a very expensive looking entertainment system, that even features a small touch screen. Though the safety equipment wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. I started the 4.2L Inline 6, it felt really smooth and silent. The promotional material went on for days about the active suspension, and boy did they have a reason for that. It feels like riding on a cloud, you feel none of the road’s imperfections, even though as i accelerated off the line the wheels spinned quite a bit. The MSRP for this is $54,000.

@Microwave

Valiant’s dealership was in a different part of town than the last two for some reason. As we entered the dealer, Jeff’s eyes widened, as the salesman was talking about the 9.6L Liter V12, he whispered “Holy shit”. The GT960 had some dents on the hood for some reason, that’s odd. The interior is nice, but not quite like the Cordia’s, but it seems to have a few more airbags. The 9.6L rumbled to life with a deep booming sound. As soon as i pressed the accelerator pedal i was shoved against my seat, as the car took off really quickly without much of a fuss. This is weird but pleasant. The car handled easily and the suspension soaked up bumps and potholes effortlessly. The MSRP of the GT960 is $55,000.

@gridghost

Scarab’s dealership has a distinct Scandinavian look to it, clean and modern. The Eruption GT is equally clean and modern, and i quite like it. The interior is the most average i’ve seen so far. Only the CD player seems to be quite advanced. This car is Turbocharged and AWD, it should be interesting to say the least. The car felt kind of sluggish until 4000rpm, then Jeff told me he could hear the turbocharger’s whine. Going through corners with this feels very “on the edge”, and feels really sporty, even if the suspension is pretty good at its job of keeping my butt comfortable. It’s got a few aluminum panels with the rest being steel according to the salesman. The MSRP for this one is pretty low, at $48,800.

@ramthecowy

The Cavallera dealership is pretty small, but they had the Ryujin waiting for a test drive already. I have to admit, it looks a little odd in person. I stepped inside and was greeted by a very nice feeling, high quality interior, which made me want to start it up already. The 3.0L engine seems a little small, and 303hp aren’t that many, but it’s got really good fuel economy for some reason, 28MPG combined. I turned the key, and barely heard anything, it’s THAT silent. It’s a little slower than the other cars i’ve tried, but i can live with it. It’s a really comfortable machine,driving it feels nice and effortless. This one is also half-aluminium, The MSRP of $46,200 is quite impressive.

@JohnWaldock

We stepped in the JHW dealership and took a closer look at the JHW Wyvern 550L. It’s quite simple looking indeed, but it has some elegance. I opened the door and got in the driver’s seat. This interior is pretty average, but Jeff noticed something that i didn’t, as usual. Despite the luxurious features, active suspension, and V12 engine, it didn’t even have a passenger side airbag. Which meant, there were other cost cutting measures on the car’s safety measures. I expect more from a $50K car than airbags from my cousin’s Accord. At this point i left the dealership, and threw the brochure in the nearest trash can.

@DeusExMackia

The next one in the list was the large Erin dealership, where a dark blue Berlose Coupe was sitting in the middle of the showroom. I have to say, i’m quite liking it. I grabbed a chrome door handle and entered the 4-seater, finding an interior of roughly equal quality to the other cars i’ve seen today, with good safety and entertainment features. Its 3.6L engine is quite reasonable, and offers similar performance to the Cavallera, without being as silent though. Which is not a bad thing, since this engine is a melodious soundtrack. For some reason it’s not feeling as comfortable as i’d like it to be, but driving it is pretty nice, it handles well enough. It has a 5 speed automatic and has an MSRP of $49,400.

@thecarlover

And so we arrived at the Diamond dealership. They’ve only been back in business for a few years, but this place seems pretty nice. We were quickly directed towards the Sapphire, which was being polished at the moment. Damn, choosing between all of these cars was going to be a pain. The Sapphire also has a well-built, luxurious interior and entertainment, which i always appreciate. I started the 4.5L Turbocharged V8 and its subdued roar filled the cabin. The 366hp engine can push this car pretty quickly to highway speeds, and the air suspension is very pleasant while cruising along. But this car is somewhat tricky to handle, just slighly unpredictable. It has a partial aluminium body, and a 5 speed auto. We were told the MSRP is $49600

@Rk38

GBF’s dealer could be seen pretty far away, as there was a large banner advertising the Bellisa right above the entrance. A dark blue 4800GTA was waiting for the test drive, and two salespeople were checking if everything was set up correctly. Jeff was mind blown at how good this car looks, i think he’s going to hang a few posters of it in his cubicle at InfoCOM. (Which i would appreciate.) I opened the door and sat on the driver’s seat, to see that the interior is as high quality as even the Cordia, and a fittingly good CD player. The 420 V12 engine came to life with a powerful rumble, and i floored it. It’s pretty quick, but i could feel the wheels spinning quite a bit even with the traction control helping. Comfort is really nice, even if the suspension isn’t one of those fancy types, and it drives really well, sporty but i can still manage it. It has a 4 speed Automatic, an aluminium body, and an MSRP of $51,000.

@phale

Next in line was Pearlite. The dealership had a black Vengeance in display, and it does look outlandish. The chrome accents are unlike any car out there, and the rear end reminded Jeff of some 80s futuristic movie or something, which is pretty accurate. On the inside it seems rather average quality, and not as cushy as some others while standing still, but it has the needed features. The Vengeance’s 400hp Turbocharged V12 is almost as quiet as the Ryujin’s I6 and, as i soon found out, can push this car pretty hard. But there is one outstanding thing. This car is stupidly comfortable. I can go anywhere and not feel anything, the active suspension is THAT good. At the same time it’s very easy to drive, because of the AWD system. When the salesman told me the MSRP was only $45,400 i almost couldn’t believe it. It has a 5 speed Automatic and aluminium panels.

@Leonardo9613

This is the last car. The Bonham dealership was right next to Erin’s, and prominently featured the Fleming Six in the showroom. Next to the car was a plate with samples of Martini, which is a good sign. The interior is as good as the Bellisa and Cordia’s, with loads of plush leather everywhere. The relatively small 2.9L Inline 6 has a nice sound, good enough that i stood still revving it for a while. It performs nicely, with good, enjoyable handling, and it’s a very comfortable experience. It’s very easy to drive as well, i always like that, since i don’t want to end up on top of a guard rail yet. It has aluminium panels, a 5 speed Automatic, and an MSRP of $52,400.

Now, it’s time to choose which car gets bought out of these.

I’ve carefully compiled a Top 10 list, and chose the best car.

10th) The Albury Crusader is a car i started off liking but after having tried the other ones out, it’s a bit outclassed, and the old fashioned engine isn’t quite what i’d want from my GT. The rear end didn’t grow on me as well.

9th) The Erin Berlose Coupe has to go, it’s a good car but it sacrifices comfort a bit too much, and 4 seats aren’t a necessity for me. If it was a more comfortable car, maybe a two seater, it would have been a better choice. Too much of a sedan and not enough of a GT.

8th) The Valiant GT960 was quite a surprise, being quite reasonable despite its gigantic engine, but i just don’t like it as much as the other ones, styling-wise as well.

7th) The Diamond Sapphire is comfortable, and relatively good looking, but a bit too hard too drive for me. The turbo engine just has too much of a kick.

6th) The Scarab Eruption GT is a great all-rounder, but it’s too race-y, and not enough of a Grand Tourer.

5th)The Bonham Fleming Six is a good, classic British GT, but despise it being very good in every way, it’s maybe a little too old fashioned, it’s just not clicking with me.

4th)The Cordia Spada 42 is possibly the best all-rounder, but the styling is a bit boring after all, and the active suspension is a technology i’ve never heard about, and neither did Jeff. It does make the car more comfortable, but we have no idea of the reliability, or the costs of it.

3rd)The Cavallera Ryujin, a quite remarkable car. It’s managed excellent comfort, ease of driving, without active suspension and with a turbo engine. It looks weird though, and the MSRP being that much underbudget is excessive.

2nd) The Pearlite Vengeance seriously impressed me, but, first of all, it’s just too strange. It looks too much like a spaceship, a spaceship covered in chrome. The average quality of it as a cost cutting measure was unnecessary, as being 10,000$ cheaper than my budget wasn’t needed. I wanted the best possible. The comment about active suspension applies here as well.

1st) The GBF Bellisa 4800GTA is just everything i looked for in a GT, in a really sexy package. It’s the basics done really good. High quality construction, great V12, stunning looks. It will be fantastic in InfoCOM’s parking lot, i’m sure of that. In the end it was my heart to choose.

Congratulations to @Rk38 for winning CSR47!

18 Likes

Great writeups @EnryGT5 and gratz to @Rk38 for making a wonderful GT car :slight_smile:

cough not spoilers cough

9 Likes

Great job - you have really made the right decision in addition to hosting a very compelling round!

By the way @Rk38 did you really manipulate a picture of a 550 Maranello for your ad? I can see many similarities between it and the Bellisa. Also, it hasn’t been that long since your last go at hosting; if you pass on hosting duties, those will go to @phale, assuming he also doesn’t pass either.

At least the boys at Albury can hold their heads up high, for the second time in three rounds, what with the Crusader making a strong case for itself, even if it was ultimately outclassed by other brands’ cars!

And after three days of anxious anticipation, I can finally imagine the customer driving down Highway 1 in the GBF Bellisa with someone like Denise Austin in the passenger seat.

What about the no tagging thing we mentioned before?

Also, congrats rk! And yay for me not being 2nd this time

10 Likes

Thanks to @EnryGT5 for hosting an enjoyable round. I hope the client enjoys the Bellisa before his company fall apart in the dot com bubble. But I’m actually quite surprised to get this win as I know the my entry wasn’t as advanced or impressive looking from the pure stats as some of the other notable entries.

Anyway, I’ve got some ideas for the next round but I’ll have to do some testing first.

7 Likes

Last time you hosted a round (CSR44) it was incredibly compelling, and also your first attempt at hosting a round that wasn’t an 80s period piece (or, for that matter, any kind of period piece). I’m highly confident that the former will also apply to CSR48, no matter what year it is set in!

CSR48_0sml


The year is 2001 the Democratic Socialist Republic of Anikatia is no more. The country that was seen to riding the wave of the other Asian miracle economies thanks to a series of long term efforts of market liberalisation. It looked unbeatable with the nation experienced record levels of economic growth. Companies like Maesima became internationally recognised players and in this booming economy reforms to the Anikatian currency, the Anikuro (AKO) making it fully convertible something that would have seemed inconceivable during the era of the of the command economy. However, these reforms to the economic system would have far reaching conquests. Business and political leaders did not realise how fragile the new Anikatian financial system was and it would not be able to handle the potential rapid cross-border movements of hot money.


CSR48-1


As a result, when the 1997 Asian financial crisis began the quickly spread from Thailand and eventually the Anikuro was hit by a massive speculative attack in 1999. The prolonged economic crisis has bled the government dry and in the civil unrest ended decades of Socialist rule and brought the country’s economic boom to a grinding halt. While the IMF has finally stepped in to provide help with the new provisional government is bringing austerity measures to bring the economy back. Capitalism and privatisation are said to be the saviours for Anikatia but there is great uncertainty a whole new wave of change is sweeping the country. In the largest and capital city of Antiytia, the new high rises sit empty. The once state owned taxi fleet has been broken up and privatised.


CSR48-2


AYMKO-3_sml

One of these new companies the newly formed AYMKO Taxi Co. (아임코 택시 회사) has received 2,560 formerly state owned taxis for its fleet. The trouble is the majority of these have been left to languish and stagnate by the government. Many are woefully outdated, lacking modern safety equipment and fall well short of modern emission standards. But some are still quite recent and they are simple and easy to service. In an effort to modernise not only the company but the cities image an open tender has been setup with ₳45.09 billion AKO ($40 million USD) budget. While traditionally the country has relied on its strong domestic brands to supply its taxi fleet AYMKO is looking to be different but also in these uncertain times who knows if they will be any Anikatians brands left once the IMF has finished selling away all the states assets.


CSR48-3


Now the current fleet of 2,560 vehicles from different periods. The majority are general taxis, sedans with seating for 5 plus cargo with some jumbo taxis that can seat 8 plus cargo and the final lot are some deluxe taxis, sedans used formerly used for chauffeuring high ranking government official around the city. They can seat 4 plus cargo. Now it is up to you how you decide to allocate these funds and if you decide to replace the whole fleet, the oldest models, focus on the luxury market, opt for higher space and quality per vehicle. The choice is yours.


CSR48-4


Requirements

  • Budget is $40 million with no markup for replacement of all or some of the existing fleet
  • Submit a single vehicle design: one trim and engine only (trim must be 2001 but body and engine family can be older)
  • Minimum safety 30
  • Maximum emissions 300
  • Minimum average reliability 70
  • Minimum engine reliability 60
  • An ad with price is required
  • Fuel required 91 RON although 80 RON is also available
  • Must adhere to new Government Fuel Consumption Standards

Naming convention
CSR48-Username - Car Name
CSR48-Username - Engine Name


Important Stuff

  • This is a taxi so drivability, comfort, safety, and practicality are important. But it is also a fleet vehicle so economy, emission, running costs and insurance will be closely looked at and please be sensible in your choices. The procurement officer Lee Eun-ji will show no mercy and she is notorious for her very firm and uncompromising nature. The majority of the vehicles will be kept outside, despite this looks are important as the vehicle has the represent the company and the city.

Fleet Total: 2,560

General Taxis: 1,100

  • 300 AAU 3075 sedans procured in 1977
  • 300 Maesima NV-988 sedans procured in 1988
  • 100 Daisuma 1078 sedans procured in 1993
  • 400 AAU 3097 sedans procured in 1997

Jumbo Taxis: 1,088

  • 300 AAU 1095B minivans procured in 1995
  • 500 AAU 2082 minivans procured in 1982
  • 208 AAU M58 minibus procured in 1972
  • 80 Maesima NB-995 minivans procured in 1995

Deluxe Taxis: 372

  • 162 DHB Type 3095 procured in 1995
  • 160 Maesima NL-992 procured in 1992
  • 48 Huadai 3099 procured in 1999
  • 2 DHB Type 4000 sedans procured in 2000

Government Fuel Consumption Standards

Weight L/100 km
<750kg 7.6
750-1,000 kg 8.4
1,000-1,500kg 9.4
1500-2,000kg 12.0
2,000-2,500kg 14.0
>2,500kg 16.0

Deadline

11:59 am August 10, 2017 (GMT+9:30)




Rules have been finalised




23 Likes