Topic: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat) (Read 158892 times)

catscratch · « **Reply #100 on:** July 25, 2012, 01:28:56 AM »

Oh hey, car talk. Finally something I know a little bit about.

A friend of mine has a 4-door Golf TDI. He averages about 42mpg (with a stick). It's a nice car, but the diesel lump makes it even more front-heavy, and the weight distribution of it is already bad enough to begin with. On the other hand it's surprisingly well-packaged, for such a small car it's very spacious, and of course you still have the chassis of a GTI underneath so it handles well. Like other VWs that haven't been Americanized recently it still has that upscale European feel.

I'm always toying with the idea of getting a new car, but my issue is that the stuff that I would like to drive (BRZ, STI, Boss 302) is way, way too adolescent and I wouldn't feel comfortable in it. So it more or less leaves me with things like the 335i, M3, or Cayman/Boxster and that's out of my price range, unless it's got quite some years or miles. There's not a whole lot of demand for elegant, understated performance cars that don't cost an arm and a leg; it seems that everybody that makes a car with performance aspirations wants it to shout about itself.

I'll probably drive my beat-up old Acura until it falls apart, and then get an N54-engined 335i, and to hell with the maintenance costs.

MomijiTMO · « **Reply #101 on:** July 25, 2012, 02:00:22 AM »

N54 is where all the fun is. I want to get a N54 135i. The prices of those here make it really cheap.

(No wife or kids here so the 1 series is perfect).

catscratch · « **Reply #102 on:** July 25, 2012, 02:38:57 AM »

You already know this, but make sure that all N54-engined cars get the high-pressure fuel pump recall done when and if you do get one. My father has a 335i that went through 3 fuel pumps and 2 sets of turbos, but since that fix it's been problem-free, for a few years now. Brilliant car, even with the slushbox and softer suspension.

Of course, what I really want is a Morgan. But what I should do is stay very far away from a Morgan, or any car that needs you to fix it daily when in reality you a) have no garage and b) have no clue what you're doing. But this doesn't stop me from wanting one, very very much. Remember that bit in Sin City where Marv says "all modern cars look like electric shavers to me?" Yeah. He's right

DaveBSC · « **Reply #103 on:** July 25, 2012, 03:09:28 AM »

Quote from: Maxvla on July 24, 2012, 04:15:40 PM

After browsing vwvortex for over a month, I've come to the conclusion that buying an Audi out of warranty is not a good idea. Maybe they over-hype the issues people have there, but they seem to have problems all the time and are expensive to repair. This thread in particular scares me from a used Audi. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5752369-So-I-went-against-advise-of-the-financial-lounge-and-got-me-a-high-mileage-B6-S4-(no-warranty-for-the-kicker) Guy buys a 7 year old S4 for $12k and it needs more than the car is worth to repair after he starts having issues with it almost immediately.

Audi started to get their act together around 2006-7, similar to Mercedes who was also in QC hell before then. My car was 4 years old, had 41K miles, and was covered by Audi's CPO warranty for 2 years past the purchase date and 100,000 miles. It's had too pretty minor issues crop up that were both covered by the warranty, other than that it's been fine. New rear brakes, torn CV boot, oil at 5K miles, that's it.

When buying any used German car, I would definitely get it CPO, and get the service history. If there's any record of electrical issues, walk away, those tend to be the biggest basket cases. The mechanical stuff can usually be dealt with, though for awhile BMWs with the N54 twin turbo were eating high pressure fuel pumps like

.

An '08 G35 is right in the $22K range, and that's stone cold reliable. The Lexus IS is similar money, but I don't like it as much. The interior is bland, and oddly enough I've heard stories about those pretty EL gauges going dark - meaning a thousand dollars for a new IP.

MomijiTMO · « **Reply #104 on:** July 25, 2012, 04:32:58 AM »

Quote from: DaveBSC on July 25, 2012, 03:09:28 AM

The mechanical stuff can usually be dealt with, though for awhile BMWs with the N54 twin turbo were eating high pressure fuel pumps like .

They still are

.

Not a daily drive. It would be my Sunday mountain car!

Maxvla · « **Reply #105 on:** July 25, 2012, 06:03:39 AM »

A G35 is kinda interesting, but it's almost as old as my current car, and one reason I'm changing cars is my car is getting older. The G35 is still large-ish at 188" and 3500lbs and doesn't get any better mileage than what I have now. My 06 Grand Prix is 198" and 3600lbs. The Cruze is 181" and 3000lbs, which is more the size and weight I'm thinking I'd like, or even smaller like 165" for a hatchback (Golf is 165).

I do like the interior of the G35. It's nicely appointed without being flashy. It looks slightly dated, but for a 2008 it's not bad. Love the keyless entry and push button start. The seats look too big like a lazy boy, not enough grab for spirited driving. The exterior is boring.

catscratch · « **Reply #106 on:** July 25, 2012, 07:30:38 AM »

We had a G35 too for a while, though I'm not sure what year. Probably before the styling update that preceded the G37. Good car but there were a few problems. Brakes were a constant sore spot, with a lot less life in brake pads than there should have been, and the interior was cheap and falling apart after 3 years. But that was offset by the willing (if a bit harsh) engine and well-sorted chassis. It could have used some more steering feel at normal road speeds, but when you pushed it even a little bit, it came to life. I wouldn't mind owning one again truth be told, but this time with a stick if possible; the 5-speed auto was geared way too short.

Maxvla · « **Reply #107 on:** July 25, 2012, 07:48:28 AM »

Btw, I signed up on Fuelly to track my mileage and on my last 2 fill ups I got 27.6mpg on a 95% highway tank and 16mpg on a 100% city tank.

http://www.fuelly.com/driver/maxvla/grand-prix

DaveBSC · « **Reply #108 on:** July 25, 2012, 02:09:41 PM »

Yeah that's the one downside that I've always heard about Gs, they roast their rotors and pads. It was really bad on the first generation, supposedly corrected in gen 2. Maybe not. The VQ35/37 is also definitely a bit gruff, and not particularly fuel efficient, especially with the old 5-speed auto.

If that's too big and too thirsty for you, the IS350 is 180" long, though still 3500lbs. with the big V6. You don't want the small V6, you'll lose a stoplight race to a guy on a bicycle. With the 3.5L it's very quick (306HP will do that), the Toyota engine is silky smooth, and with the 6-speed auto you should be able to hit 30mpg on the highway.

Maxvla · « **Reply #109 on:** July 25, 2012, 04:44:14 PM »

Hm.. IS350 looks like a great combo. Shame it weighs so much, but I'm sure that has to do with how well it rides. I'll look into this more after work, but I'm interested!

Author Topic: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat) (Read 158892 times)

catscratch

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

MomijiTMO

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

catscratch

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

DaveBSC

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

MomijiTMO

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

Maxvla

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

catscratch

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

Maxvla

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

DaveBSC

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

Maxvla

Re: Thinking about a new car, need some help.

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Author Topic: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat) (Read 158892 times)

MomijiTMO

MomijiTMO