Went looking at cars today

Swerve wrote:What's interesting is that in magazine back-to-back comparisons, the model everyone derides tends to win. E.g. F50 beat F40 and Enzo, 206GTI beat 205 and 207, R33 GTR beat R32 and R34, NB MX5 beat NA and NC (this one wasn't such a shock).

Supercars are expensive, but the models that impress me are the affordable ones. You can buy a 135i with its great engine and sports/luxury package for less (not even inflation-adjusted) than my E36 328i cost in the 90s. It's a direct comparison too, since they are the same size and one model below the M. But you get a lot more for the money these days.

What magazines have you read? I've never seen any in the UK do that. Evo even put the F40 as their favourite car of all time. The 205 GTi was also in their final shortlist if i remember correctly.

Benfolio wrote:

JaysonAych wrote:

SBF wrote:I think Jay wants something with 4-doors. Plus the Genesis Coupe is up around $30k.

Actually 2-doors is nice too. But I can't afford a Genesis Coupe. Can't even afford an FR-S

Fieros can be had pretty cheap.

does not come with the Scott Reports "Recommended" check mark.

DIESEL MAZDA 6 OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

Swerve wrote:What's interesting is that in magazine back-to-back comparisons, the model everyone derides tends to win. E.g. F50 beat F40 and Enzo, 206GTI beat 205 and 207, R33 GTR beat R32 and R34, NB MX5 beat NA and NC (this one wasn't such a shock).

Supercars are expensive, but the models that impress me are the affordable ones. You can buy a 135i with its great engine and sports/luxury package for less (not even inflation-adjusted) than my E36 328i cost in the 90s. It's a direct comparison too, since they are the same size and one model below the M. But you get a lot more for the money these days.

I always liked the R33 better anyway

...and the F50.

What you need is a Dodge Omni.

Hmmm. http://tippecanoe.craigslist.org/cto/3337318647.html

JaysonAych wrote:Hmmm. http://tippecanoe.craigslist.org/cto/3337318647.html

There it is...

No manual tho.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to find a unicorn like I was.

"This posting has been deleted by its author."

It was a single-owner old-lady-driven Omni with about 60,000 original miles for about 4k. Looked almost new.

damn. less mileage than my Slowbalt. maybe even less than half.

Pennzoil GT-R wrote:

Swerve wrote:What's interesting is that in magazine back-to-back comparisons, the model everyone derides tends to win. E.g. F50 beat F40 and Enzo, 206GTI beat 205 and 207, R33 GTR beat R32 and R34, NB MX5 beat NA and NC (this one wasn't such a shock).

Supercars are expensive, but the models that impress me are the affordable ones. You can buy a 135i with its great engine and sports/luxury package for less (not even inflation-adjusted) than my E36 328i cost in the 90s. It's a direct comparison too, since they are the same size and one model below the M. But you get a lot more for the money these days.

What magazines have you read? I've never seen any in the UK do that. Evo even put the F40 as their favourite car of all time. The 205 GTi was also in their final shortlist if i remember correctly.

The UK magazines are a bit like Top Gear - you can guess the conclusions without reading the article. That said, it's only when the generations are compared in mags back to back that the underdogs win.

That new Fiesta ST looks like a pretty nice ride.

VS wrote:That new Fiesta ST looks like a pretty nice ride.

It does. I wish I could hold out for it.

Did you get a car yet or what???

Yeah seriously. :jay:

Nah, not yet. A potential promotion opportunity just opened up at work and I'm going to see how that goes before I jump in. I'd hate to go out and buy something like a Focus, and then three weeks later be all like, "Man, I can afford a Camaro now."

My advice is to be a bit more conservative with cash. If you are relying on a pay rise to cover the extra payment expense it's probably a bad idea.

I am actually being conservative. I could fit a car in my budget right now and still have extra money for unexpected events, but I'll be in an even more secure position by March, promotion or not, so I've been looking to wait (and hoping my car lasts until then). A lot of companies though are offering year-end closeout deals right now and I've been checking to see what kind of deals are out there.

I'm just saying if I DID get this particular promotion I'm looking at, I'd be able to get something nicer than a Focus and still have plenty of extra money.

Fair enough. It might be a bit hypocritical of me anyway since I'm considering a loan for an old Maserati...

You deserve a Camaro after putting up with a Stratus all these years.

Camaros are fun to look at, but make horrible day to day driving appliances.
They're not that fast, they're hard to see out of, and they not that refined.

You deserve what a friend of mine would call a "big boy car". I.E., not a Camaro.

if you're talking V6 maybe. but it's still actually plenty fast. Maybe not as fast as a comparable Mustang, but certainly faster than what he's got. If we move up to V8 Territory, a Camaro SS is just as fast as a Mustang GT; the Camaro's extra power balances out the Mustang's weight advantage. It's still an even match if all the car mags are to be believed. The only way to tell for sure is to drive both of them.
And they are hard to see out of, but so are Mustangs and Challengers and basically everything else in its competitive set. Also if you get an RS, it's the handler of the group, versus the SS.

Although, if Jay's been considering a Dart, but could afford a Camaro, why not try a Charger? You get a 300hp V6 for just under $26K. or an R/T starts for $30K; probably less if you want to try the end of the year deals that Dexter hawks every year.

how about a civic si?

Turbojett wrote:if you're talking V6 maybe. but it's still actually plenty fast. Maybe not as fast as a comparable Mustang, but certainly faster than what he's got. If we move up to V8 Territory, a Camaro SS is just as fast as a Mustang GT; the Camaro's extra power balances out the Mustang's weight advantage. It's still an even match if all the car mags are to be believed. The only way to tell for sure is to drive both of them.
And they are hard to see out of, but so are Mustangs and Challengers and basically everything else in its competitive set. Also if you get an RS, it's the handler of the group, versus the SS.

I got to take an extended test drive in a 2010 SS manual. It had less than 10k on it, but it was creaky, slow, and clunky. It was quick, but not fast. I mean, IF I had one, I'd get bored with its performance and want to increase it. Especially the handling.
But for as expensive as they are, there's just too many compromises with space, comfort, and outward visibility. Its a nice weekend car, don't get me wrong, but I would not want to own one as my only car and daily drive it.

When I said "Camaro" I was just using it as an example. I would like to get something sporty, though. I rented that Charger for a couple of days, and while I liked it, it's too big and bulky to be a DD for me. Civic Si would be a good option, too.

Mazdaspeed3



Veloster Turbo



Civics are for fags.

The new Camaro weighs two tons. Fail.

Benfolio wrote:Mazdaspeed3



Veloster Turbo



Civics are for fags.

Every review ive seen of the veloster turbo puts it as the worst hot hatch ever made. In one the wheel hop was so bad on launch that it was breaking things in the interior.

Benfolio wrote:Civics are for fags.

and douches.
and douchefags.

and honestly, id take the base Veloster over the turbo, lack of grunt notwithstanding. basically just because it doesn't look like a Korean largemouth bass.

if you can get a wrx, its better/faster than all of those anyway.

True. I'd wait for the new one though.

I keep hearing a stubbornly persistent rumor that the WRX/STi are going to be separate models from the Impreza, but spy shots and industry info negate this claim.

Benfolio wrote:Mazdaspeed3



Veloster Turbo



Civics are for fags.

I really wish Hyundai just made a new Tiburon. I can't get past the Veloster's styling. It's got a great interior, but it's just too weird on the outside.

No one makes a nice cheap fastback hatch. Except the Scion tC. And it's boring. And the Eclipse. And it's an Eclipse.

The Veloster is cool and the turbo has good grunt. My car of choice in the price range of cars like the Veloster is still the new Dodge Dart. The top two models especially sing to me.

Mustang isn't hard to see out of and is a great size if you have occasional back seat passengers. Visibility is one of the reasons I rented it over the Camaro - needed to see cars overtaking me on Laguna. The other reason is that it looks so cool - IMO better than its inspiration, whereas the Camaro looks worse.

I'm still partial to the Challenger. If I had to choose between the 3.

Benfolio wrote:I'm still partial to the Challenger. If I had to choose between the 3.

I agree even if it's a fatty. The Challenger is he best looking one of the three and by a large margin. But hey I'd not turn down any of the three if I were given a set of keys to one.