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cchhrriiss1982 posted:I had received some sound advice earlier in this thread and it got me looking in the right direction at some nice and SENSIBLE '09 Foresters/Outbacks and '11 awd Journeys. I haven't seen one yet to make me jump on it and my '99 Jimmy is still running strong (although, it seems like every day something breaks on it, I will soon be left with just a running motor). There is nothing wrong with them as far as I know, in fact, they're by far the best version of the GMT380. Great suspension for a BOF. GM will provide parts for 10 years as required by law, though there will probably be a premium and no aftermarket for saab only stuff. That said, it is a BOF truck and will ride and drive much differntly than the unibodies you are considering.
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 02:01 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 17:38 |
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I've got a nice reliable car that gets great mileage and will probably last an eternity already, but I've recently gotten a new job with a big enough paycheck I'm considering buying a 2nd car that is more fun and just relegate the original to back-up status. Proposed Budget: 12K New or Used: Used Body Style: 2/3 door hatch or a small 5 door hatch preferred. Sedans/coupes not totally off the table. How will you be using the car?: About a 30 mile (each way) commute of mostly 50mph+ roads and a few miles of interstate What aspects are most important to you?: I want lots of fun tossing it around on/off ramps, a touch of straight line go-fast and decent comfort for longer weekend drives (4+ hours)
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 06:03 |
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cchhrriiss1982 posted:I had received some sound advice earlier in this thread and it got me looking in the right direction at some nice and SENSIBLE '09 Foresters/Outbacks and '11 awd Journeys. I haven't seen one yet to make me jump on it and my '99 Jimmy is still running strong (although, it seems like every day something breaks on it, I will soon be left with just a running motor). My mom has had her '02 Trailblazer EXT with the 4.2L since it was new - I think it's up to about 120k or so. The problems I can remember off the top of my head: *Fan clutch (most GMT360s have a goddamn stupid computer-controlled fan clutch that fails all of the time, but the last ones got rid of it) *Rear heater core (apparently unique to the '02 EXT) *Blend door motors *Lights in the climate control unit Plus a few battery replacements, brake pads, and a handful of tire changes. It's actually been damned reliable, which has been great since the Suburban it replaced was an utter turd. I'm sure it needs new shocks badly but otherwise it still runs and drives just fine. The SS / 9-7x Aero swaps that 4.2L for the LS2, and that's a nearly completely trouble-free engine. If you can deal with the fuel mileage, you could do worse.
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 06:46 |
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There's a lot of 199X Honda Civics in the classifieds of my area. Any thoughts on those? The one I'm looking at is from some chick who needs money super fast Anything else I should be wary on for this?I am totally OK with putting work on this car. I only need it for 9 months so I can buy my sister's better car.
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 08:37 |
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nm posted:There is nothing wrong with them as far as I know, in fact, they're by far the best version of the GMT380. Great suspension for a BOF. I am currently driving a Suburban and a Jimmy so a BOF truck will be very familiar as long as I don't test drive any nice unibodies. IOwnCalculus posted:My mom has had her '02 Trailblazer EXT with the 4.2L since it was new - I think it's up to about 120k or so. The problems I can remember off the top of my head: I have convinced the old lady that this is just like her parent's trailblazer except it has a V8 and she gave me the ok. I'm going to take the Aero for a test drive this evening so I'll get to check for the big ones like tranny whining and rear end noise. Thanks guys
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 17:43 |
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Anyone here have any experience with the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT? I'm looking at wagons and the base model seems really attracive for a sub 20k car. It just seems to be a bit suspicious that they are selling well below MSRP. Is that just an 'Americans hate small wagons' type of thing?
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 18:35 |
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I'd say the pricing is intended to compete favorably with the Mazda 3 5-door, which starts at about 20k for a 155hp 6-speed which gets 27/37mpg. Compared to the base-model Elantra-GT which starts at about $18.5 MSRP for 148hp 6-speed that gets 26/37mpg. But Mazda is the more popular brand by far, with better reputation, so I guess Hyundai is offering a significant discount by comparison to attract customers. I haven't driven either so I can't tell you more than that, but I'd certainly cross-shop the two if I was buying in this segment. And I think Hyundai is making really good cars these days, they have a great warranty, but maybe take a larger hit in resale due to the lingering reputation the korean makers retain from poor models made in the 90s.
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 18:48 |
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Ciaphas posted:Fair enough. I know precisely dick all about cars, so I was rather hoping some makes or models might be better known for being more comfortable for bigger guys (okay, fatasses) like me. its kinda personal preference. I remember there was a goon who was like 6ft plus 250-ish pounds who drove a Mini and loved it. I am skinny and tall but find the driving position in my giant SUV kind of uncomfortable because to fit my long legs, I have to reach a little with my arms to hold the wheel or I can make my arms comfortable and cramp up my legs, it gets uncomfortable on long drives.
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 19:38 |
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Leperflesh posted:I'd say the pricing is intended to compete favorably with the Mazda 3 5-door, which starts at about 20k for a 155hp 6-speed which gets 27/37mpg. I drove a Mazda3 sedan a few months ago- really nice driving dynamics, but I just can't get past how it looks. The exterior looks really goofy to me and the interior felt really dated and bland. I know they are totally redesigning the 3 for 2014, though, so maybe I should just wait and see how the new one is. I also really love how you can change the steering wheel tension on the Elantra GT on the fly. I know it's not close to being a true sport compact, but it's still a neat gimmick. Bouillon Rube fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Mar 28, 2013 |
# ? Mar 28, 2013 20:01 |
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Xguard86 posted:its kinda personal preference. I remember there was a goon who was like 6ft plus 250-ish pounds who drove a Mini and loved it. I am skinny and tall but find the driving position in my giant SUV kind of uncomfortable because to fit my long legs, I have to reach a little with my arms to hold the wheel or I can make my arms comfortable and cramp up my legs, it gets uncomfortable on long drives. Actually that's nice to know, because I like the look of the Toyota (scion here I guess?) iQ but dismissed it on account of it being small and me being big. Guess I can undismiss it, at least until I sit in it
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 20:26 |
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Ciaphas posted:Actually that's nice to know, because I like the look of the Toyota (scion here I guess?) iQ but dismissed it on account of it being small and me being big. Guess I can undismiss it, at least until I sit in it the only caveat is if you frequently have passengers. You might fit fine but doing so turns the car into a 3 seater. Which is fine if you don't carry people very often but maybe something to consider if you often need a 4th seat.
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 23:20 |
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Ciaphas posted:Fair enough. I know precisely dick all about cars, so I was rather hoping some makes or models might be better known for being more comfortable for bigger guys (okay, fatasses) like me. Edmunds published this list: http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-best-cars-for-tall-drivers-for-2013.html
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# ? Mar 28, 2013 23:34 |
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Ciaphas posted:Actually that's nice to know, because I like the look of the Toyota (scion here I guess?) iQ but dismissed it on account of it being small and me being big. Guess I can undismiss it, at least until I sit in it Yeah, don't discount based on exterior size. I fit better in a SMART than an Equus (large d class sedan). My rental cruze is loving giant inside, except the b pillar kind of sticks into my shoulder.
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# ? Mar 29, 2013 02:09 |
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cchhrriiss1982 posted:I am currently driving a Suburban and a Jimmy so a BOF truck will be very familiar as long as I don't test drive any nice unibodies. The TBSS had massive transmission problems. GM being the geniuses they are just threw an LS2 into the TB and basically left everything else untouched. Hey guys let's put the engine from a C6 into this much heavier AWD truck, but that transmission from a 1995 C4? Who gives a poo poo. http://ss-shootout.com/trailblazer_transmission_upgrades.html http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=44274 http://ls1tech.com/forums/ls4-performance/1380085-thinking-about-getting-trailblazer-ss.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gahqDXsOT6g No one loving bought these things new, because the Grand Cherokee SRT8 was a superior truck in every possible way. The 6.2l hemi had more power, and the Mercedes AMG 5 speed transmission behind it was pretty much bullet proof and the only nice thing that ever came out of the Daimler Dolchstoß. Also all 9-7Xes came with air suspension standard. I hesitate to say anything about the reliability of this system as they really didn't sell enough of them for anyone to have any useful data, but the anecdotes I've heard are...ominous.
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# ? Mar 29, 2013 15:37 |
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My girlfriend's looking at picking up this used 2005 PT Cruiser and the tl;dr is that it's a red convertible 2 door with 26k miles on it for 5k. The premise as far as she's told me is that it's being sold cheaply because all of those things jack the insurance cost up a bit, so the cost is gonna be lower, but it's being sold at a local dealer (which makes the whole thing seem fishy to me) and the web posting isn't really descriptive aside from saying the word 'great' a whole lot. The battle plan here is mostly to hit it up on carfax, find someone who knows about cars and go take it for a spin, but I was wondering if anyone had any input? She's had rumors that cruisers have trans problems usually, and no one I've talked to has any idea what's up with cruisers in general. I guess for additional info, that 5k is the upper limits of her budget right now (loan from a credit union, she's making decent enough money and has low enough cost of living for it not to be an issue) and she has a short commute but tends to drive around a lot, and really isn't moving much or driving people. Oh and I guess I should say that neither of us know junk about cars, but I've been poking around AI for some tips and tricks, and that's pretty much the depth of either of our knowledges.
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# ? Mar 29, 2013 19:10 |
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A bit of a broad question but I figure this is the best place to ask. http://www.autofind.com/dealer/details/161671/KMHD35LE8DU042424 On a lot of listings (like this one), the advertised price is seemingly unattainable becuase it assumes eligability for various rebates that won't apply to most people (active military, loyalty bonus, recent college grad, etc). What are my chances, generally, of being able to ague the price down to the advertised price, with no strings attached?
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# ? Mar 29, 2013 21:49 |
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Throatwarbler posted:The TBSS had massive transmission problems. GM being the geniuses they are just threw an LS2 into the TB and basically left everything else untouched. Hey guys let's put the engine from a C6 into this much heavier AWD truck, but that transmission from a 1995 C4? Who gives a poo poo. Hey, the 4L70E is at least somewhat upgraded from the 4L60E they kept running up through the C6 Corvette and millions of GMT800 trucks. Let's face it, GM four-speed autos aren't always very strong from the factory... but at least they're easy to get cheap rebuilds for!
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 00:24 |
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Death Bot posted:My girlfriend's looking at picking up this used 2005 PT Cruiser The PT Cruiser is an incredibly bad car. In AI it is often used an example of the kind of car only a total moron would buy. Do not let your girlfriend buy a PT Cruiser.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 00:44 |
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PT Cruiser is a piece of poo poo of a car. If she wants a convertible and isn't opposed to stick, grab a 99-00 Mazda Miata.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 04:11 |
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Proposed Budget: 16k New or Used: Used Body Style: 2d Compact/Midsize How will you be using the car?: Weekend driving, touring the province. Most of my friends live an hour's drive in different directions, and visiting them by train is just a bitch. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Nope! What aspects are most important to you? Fun driving feel and nice lines. Live in a socialist paradise run by maple-drinking beavers? Hell yes. Today my beloved 2007 Honda Civic Coupe grew wings and flew away to the great chop shop in the sky. My weekend went from soothing to blood-curdling rather abruptly. I'm still waiting for Toronto police dept. and insurance guys to sort out the stolen vehicle claims, and I'm told the blue book value of the car is only about 7-8k or so. If the car comes back, everything is cool, but it probably won't. I like cars that have a little bit of style or character to them, and I've had good experiences with Honda and Toyota in the past. Some of the Nissan coupes seem to have a nice look to them. There are also some used Honda CR-z's that edge a slight bit above my priceline, but I do really like the look of the car; it's very sleek, and the hybrid aspect seems nifty.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 05:17 |
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I note you mentioned the cr-z (which I do not recommend), does fuel economy matter at all? Stick or automatic? Does winter driving matter at all? Reliability?
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 07:20 |
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Fuel economy is nice, but not absolutely essential. I much prefer manual stickshift, just for a more fun driving experience. I don't do as much driving in the winter, so winter hardening isn't a huge deal. Does the CR-z have a bad reputation? I saw on consumer reports there were some complaints about weight and performance.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 07:27 |
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You sound like a prime candidate forMazda RX8 ownership.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 07:35 |
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I have a quick question regarding car resale value. I graduated college last May and I'm still driving the car I got when I was 16. It's a 2003 Honda Accord with ~160,000 miles on it. With luck and maintenance this car will hold out fine for another 5 years/100,000 miles before I invest in a new vehicle. That having been said: I have had very little covered parking in any of the time I've owned it. Winters in snow and summers in the Phoenix heat have taken quite a cosmetic toll. If I re-paint it now, will that help the resale value at all in a couple of years when I'm looking to get rid of it? I'm not sure if I can justify it strictly on a "I want it to look nice" idea, but if it's a 'You'll get a couple hundred of this back when you sell the car" type situation then it makes some more sense to me.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 08:35 |
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To me repaint == this car has been in a huge accident that I am now trying to cover up.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 11:52 |
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Throatwarbler posted:You sound like a prime candidate forMazda RX8 ownership. It does look like a pretty sweet car, but one that needs constant upkeep and attention; only models from 8+ years ago fall into my price range, and it might be hard to tell which ones have received the proper care and which ones are on the very brink of engine failure.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 16:28 |
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I'm looking for something a bit more utilitarian to replace my current car. I've done a fair amount of reading and I think there are quite a few options that might work for me. At first I thought it would be nice to buy a brand new gigantic truck that I would keep for 25 years, but spending the 30k on something like that would put me in a not-great financial situation, so I have adjusted my expectations. Anyway, here are the details: Proposed Budget: $10,000 to $15,000 New or Used: Used I suppose Body Style: I don't really care that much. Just whatever will meet my requirements (below). I'd imagine a sedan won't. Also I would like to not get a van. How will you be using the car?: I need something with a smallish towing capacity (3500 lbs or so) to pull a small utility trailer, and a couple of jet skis I recently came into possession of. I would like it to have 4 wheel drive, since I live in Michigan and there are times that would be nice. I would drive this vehicle to work - a short commute, less than 10 miles round trip, so MPG would be nice but not a deciding factor. I also would prefer seating for 4 people, but would consider less. If I end up getting something I could fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in (or on, somehow), I might not need the trailer, so that would be a bonus. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?) No. What aspects are most important to you? Just something that isn't a total piece of poo poo. I am comfortable doing basic maintenance and a little more. With my budget I realize I'm probably going to have to get something with a lot of miles and probably not in perfect condition.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 16:36 |
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Squidster posted:It does look like a pretty sweet car, but one that needs constant upkeep and attention; only models from 8+ years ago fall into my price range, and it might be hard to tell which ones have received the proper care and which ones are on the very brink of engine failure. For $16k you can get an 08-09. http://www.vmrcanada.com/value_menus/canprices/08marxx8.html http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/pv/Used...&hprc=True&st=1 Mazda gave the 04-08s engine warranties for 8 years or 160k km, so an 08 engine will still be under factory warranty. They don't need "constant upkeep and attention", they just need their oil topped up, it's not that hard and most people who buy these things are in the know. See if you can ind a MANUAL model from a private seller who seems like they know what they are doing.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 16:46 |
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Zyme posted:I'm looking for something a bit more utilitarian to replace my current car. I've done a fair amount of reading and I think there are quite a few options that might work for me. At first I thought it would be nice to buy a brand new gigantic truck that I would keep for 25 years, but spending the 30k on something like that would put me in a not-great financial situation, so I have adjusted my expectations. Anyway, here are the details: Probably a 4x4 Nissan Frontier would bet your best bet. They're pretty reliable and reasonably modern(unlike the Ranger or Dakota) without the Toyota tax that comes with the Tacoma. General consensus on the small GM trucks? Still garbage?
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 16:59 |
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Throatwarbler posted:For $16k you can get an 08-09. Find one owned by a rotard, which should be fairly easy ( he'll be the one who can tell you to do the above and won't say poo poo like never burns oil). Then get it compression checked b someone who knows ow to do it on a rotary and enjoy probably the best driving car under like 75k. My little brother has an 05 that has 60k muon it and it has been basically trouble free, just replaced the cat under warranty. Edit: you do need to buy the from private party. A dealt car is a roulette wheel, though with the long engine warranty, it is less of a concern They all should be really cheap. An 05 is like an 8k car now. Screw the Honda. You have to deal with honda's inferior hybrid system, that has one real battery issues, ESP when linked to a stick shift. The car isn't that fun to drive, and makes and rx-8 look like a rocket ship power wise. nm fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Mar 30, 2013 |
# ? Mar 30, 2013 20:23 |
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Gstu posted:I have a quick question regarding car resale value. I graduated college last May and I'm still driving the car I got when I was 16. It's a 2003 Honda Accord with ~160,000 miles on it. With luck and maintenance this car will hold out fine for another 5 years/100,000 miles before I invest in a new vehicle. Generally, a quality paint job will be very expensive - so in your case, probably not worth it - and a cheap paint job will look bad - so in your case, won't improve resale value. You could, however, go after the rust spots with a rust-converting paint. It'll look worse, with the blotchy spots of whatever color, but it'll help delay the cancer and keep the car holding together for longer.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 20:56 |
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Since we're on repainting, just out of curiosity, what is the cost to get a vinyl wrap on a car?
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 21:07 |
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nm posted:Exactly. If you can check your oil every fillip (you should be doing this anyhow) , can get your oil changed every 3000mi, can rev the piss out of your engine every once in a while (unlike piston motors, revs are good in this car, carbon will build up if you don't rev it occasionally, so the grandma owned car is bad) and can follow the service recs, rx-8 ownership may be for you. Confirmed! I just put another 12,000 trouble free km on an 04 I bought with 230,000km on it (expecting the engine may need a rebuild soon). Awesome, awesome car. Lots of fun to drive semi legally too since it's so fast in the corners. I actually drove mine all winter and it was awesome in the snow since the traction control is so amazing.
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# ? Mar 30, 2013 22:42 |
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I ended up taking a different job offer and will not be facing that much snow anymore, changing my requirements a bit: Proposed Budget: <$30,000 New or Used: New Body Style: Dependent on what you guys think is best (prefer sport sleek shaping) How will you be using the car?: I will be driving roughly a 20 minute commute daily, with rare trips up into the mountains or road trips. What aspects are most important to you?: Really I would absolutely love a car that can turn heads. It sounds stupid, but I don't think I will have many chances to have a sporty car when I have a family and so I want one when I can. I would be looking for a minimum of 30 mpg with ideally regular fuel if possible. Today I had been looking and the FR-S and the BRZ and loved them to death short of some things that killed it for me: 1. I am a safe driver so I likely wont get much out of them 2. Premium gas 3. It would make it near impossible to go up to the mountains, the FR-S even says to not use chains on them unless you get smaller rims. To be frank, what I love in a sports car is the look, but it might come at a bit too much of a cost.
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# ? Mar 31, 2013 01:34 |
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Ingenium posted:I ended up taking a different job offer and will not be facing that much snow anymore, changing my requirements a bit: The BRZ and FR-S actually seem right up your alley. They aren't scary fast so you can have fun driving them hard without killing yourself. Premium fuel is really a non issue because you won't spend terribly much more - do the math over how many miles you drive in a year. If you are driving in the snow you should be running snow tires, but that's really not going to be any sports cars domain. Realistically there aren't many sub 30k cars that really have that the look you are wanting.
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# ? Mar 31, 2013 02:42 |
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Newer Audi TT/a5? They would require premium gas but hit all the other buttons. edit: didn't see the "new"
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# ? Mar 31, 2013 02:44 |
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If you just want a car that will turn heads, the Fiat 500 Abarth will probably turn more heads than the BRZ. Plus it's loving loud so you'll at least get heads turned due to noise.
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# ? Mar 31, 2013 04:26 |
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Ingenium posted:I ended up taking a different job offer and will not be facing that much snow anymore, changing my requirements a bit: I have to assume you mean 30mpg highway, because there aren't that many 30 mpg combined cars of any kind let alone sports cars. How did you come up with that number anyway? If that's so important to you then you're looking at pretty limited choices. The Genesis coupe sounds like it would fit, the newest refresh looks pretty menacing with the stormtrooper front grill, they're not that common on the road and will turn heads, and with the 8 speed automatic and I4 engine it will get 31mpg. They don't actually *drive* that well by all accounts and that's fine with you. The base V6 Camaro will also get 30mpg on the highway and it's fast and very distinctively styled, but they are a bit more common and recognizable depending on who your audience is. Of course these cars are all RWD. I think the Buick Regal is a pretty good looking car, the base model gets 31mpg and the eAssist mild hybrid gets 36mpg, it's kind of at the edge of your budget but since there's a refreshed model coming out next year you should be able to get a good deal on the 2013s on the lot. EDIT: Maybe you need to tell us who's heads you are trying to turn? Because stuff like the BRZ are great if you're an older woman(or man) trawling for young men, not so much the other way around. If you're looking to turn the heads of young women you need to start looking into Range Rovers. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Mar 31, 2013 |
# ? Mar 31, 2013 04:44 |
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Leperflesh posted:The PT Cruiser is an incredibly bad car. In AI it is often used an example of the kind of car only a total moron would buy. Do not let your girlfriend buy a PT Cruiser. All you need to know about the PT Cruiser is that Michael Scott from The Office drives one.
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# ? Mar 31, 2013 05:38 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 17:38 |
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Ingenium posted:2. Premium gas This is the dumbest issue I see in car shopping. If you use 20 gals a week (which is a lot), it ups your costs by $4.
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# ? Mar 31, 2013 06:08 |