OT: Going Car Buying

[UConnLen]

It kinda looks like a Jetta.

Think you need THICKER GLASSES Fishy- but that was a good one!

 

[intlzncster]

I'm easy when it comes to cars (and living in the land of perpetual sunshine helps). My criteria are basically: do I like the way it looks, is it fun to drive, can I give a client a lift without looking like a bum (it's the nature of the beast) and do I never have to worry about maintenance. Check those boxes and I'm happy.

In NE, my first criteria: "is it going to duckck me over in the snow?"

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

In NE, my first criteria: "is it going to duckck me over in the snow?"

I put in my time. I don't miss it.

 

[CTBasketball]

View attachment 11916

Was looking at a BMW 335i but after research the Audi S4 is faster, better looking (my opinion) and more reliable. Look on youtube or google it. Both cars have underreported HP/Torque for insurance purposes-the S4 reports 333 hp/ 325 ft lb but read in several articles its closer to 400 for both! All I know is with launch control and dual clutch 7 speed auto with sport differential (and titanium paddle shifters) 0-60 reported times of 4.5 sec is real. Now top speed of 155 (limited) is here-say (LOL), but some guys have verified that on youtube. With drive select you can control mode of steering, suspension, engine and transmission thru several ranges-of course I use dynamic for all of mine. Mine is black with silver/black Napa leather seats, carbon fiber inlays, supercharger badging and 19" sport wheels/tires.

I looked at A4, test drove a few (in addition to 328i's) and felt they drove like glorified Accords. Never drove the S4, probably a different beast.

But I was gravitating more towards a coupe and I'd do a little modifications to it. I know the N54 TT inline 6 that BMW made is a really good platform to build on. With a solid tune, intake/exhaust, and maybe new headers you can get over 400 bhp. Plus I was gonna go with a white on black look

Also test drove the CLA250 but that has no power. Waste of money for 30-35k.

 

[nomar]

Doesn't get as many miles to the gallon as this hog:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/29/cb//29cbaf5c1220aeb04cfeab36d553fd65.jpg

Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be ANY DUMBER...

 

[Chin Diesel]

7 Dealerships and 11 test drives later..

2012 Hyundai Genesis 3.8L with Technology Package.

It was a year or two older than I was originally looking for but it's spotless inside and out.

 

[intlzncster]

7 Dealerships and 11 test drives later..

2012 Hyundai Genesis 3.8L with Technology Package.

It was a year or two older than I was originally looking for but it's spotless inside and out.

View attachment 11924

And you even got old-man white too. WINNING!

 

[UConnNick]

Delta 88 WOW dad had a late 70's/early 80's with like a 450 in it, sounded like a gear head car but was a family car lol

That was a 455ci V8. My dad had one. All you had to do was breathe on the accelerator pedal and it took off like a scalded dog, despite being a rather heavy vehicle.

 

[Hoophound]

And you even got old-man white too. WINNING!

It's better than old lady gold.

 

[UConnLen]

I looked at A4, test drove a few (in addition to 328i's) and felt they drove like glorified Accords. Never drove the S4, probably a different beast.

But I was gravitating more towards a coupe and I'd do a little modifications to it. I know the N54 TT inline 6 that BMW made is a really good platform to build on. With a solid tune, intake/exhaust, and maybe new headers you can get over 400 bhp. Plus I was gonna go with a white on black look

Also test drove the CLA250 but that has no power. Waste of money for 30-35k.

CT- I bought my granddaughter an A4 Prestige a few years ago before she got her dl and drove it for 6 months. Very nice car which led me to trade my Bimmer 650ci for the Audi S4. While the A4 turbo has good acceleration and handling the S4 is at a different level performance wise. My 650 had SMG tranny and was fast w 360hp but the S4 is much faster.

 

[uconnfan68]

Absolutely loved the fact you talked yourself into the cool-factor of a mini van. Heroic effort.

The best part is that 'Swagger Wagon' is actually Toyota's branding for this vehicle. Appealing to desperate neutered dads everywhere.

Hah, I bought one because I needed something I got in and out of without too much pain. They are a great ride. And you can live in them if needed.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Hah, I bought one because I needed something I got in and out of without too much pain. They are a great ride. And you can live in them if needed.

My neighbor used to say that when I commented on the impracticality of his 911 Carrera: "You can always live in your car but you can't drive your house."

 

[The Smart One]

Just buy my Nissan skyline right hand drive Japanese legend that's fresh off the boat from Japan and fully legal.

 

[dennismenace]

OP - I want a large, lightly-used family car

Response - Buy a $60,000 car with a super charger that seats five people if three of them are zygotes.

I always wonder if someone thinks they're going to get a definitive answer to such questions here. And if a definitive answer was to be found, how would it be rolled out to the offline characters in the drama?

"Sweetheart, it says here that this guy named "Fishy" thinks we oughta go with the Buick Landsucker. He's got a lot of likes, so I think we should go with it."

Any way, a group of people who willingly spend four days arguing the merits of ketchup should not be expected to morph into Consumer Reports when the stakes get higher. I feel like you should go test drive a bunch of cars and then take the best one out to buy pizza, beer and condiments. We're solid gold on those recommendations.

This post made me laugh out loud at 6:00 AM. Quite an insight. Thanks. Glad I belong to the BY. Amazing insights on everything with comic relief.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

7 Dealerships and 11 test drives later..

2012 Hyundai Genesis 3.8L with Technology Package.

It was a year or two older than I was originally looking for but it's spotless inside and out.

View attachment 11924

Nice! It's truly amazing what Hyundai/Kia has done in the last ten years.

 

[Chin Diesel]

It's better than old lady gold.

That was the color of the Toyota Avalon I was thinking about getting.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Hah, I bought one because I needed something I got in and out of without too much pain. They are a great ride. And you can live in them if needed.

I was fortunate to have a tour of duty in the Navy with the Blue Angels doing the air show circuit for a few years. Each of the main maintenance shops got a minivan for the 3-4 people who went to the air show. All of us on the team were well-versed in the pros/cons of every minivan. It was essentially our office for the weekend and if the jets weren't cooperating they sometimes were our room for the night to sleep.

 

[NJHusky]

7 Dealerships and 11 test drives later..

2012 Hyundai Genesis 3.8L with Technology Package.

It was a year or two older than I was originally looking for but it's spotless inside and out.

View attachment 11924

Congrats!! Mine was a 2011...

 

[intlzncster]

Just buy my Nissan skyline right hand drive Japanese legend that's fresh off the boat from Japan and fully legal.

How old is that? I thought you couldn't keep in right hand drive if it wasn't pre 1980 (or whatever the year is).

 

[intlzncster]

Nice! It's truly amazing what Hyundai/Kia has done in the last ten years.

Hyundai's combination of designers and engineers killed it. They've got some of the best looking cars on the road, and are approaching reliability of Toyota/Honda.

 

[Northbound]

How old is that? I thought you couldn't keep in right hand drive if it wasn't pre 1980 (or whatever the year is).

Import is 25 years here's a primer

http://jalopnik.com/here-are-the-four-legal-ways-to-import-a-car-to-the-uni-1682067632.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Hyundai's combination of designers and engineers killed it. They've got some of the best looking cars on the road, and are approaching reliability of Toyota/Honda.

Now they just need to figure out the chasis design aspect to up the fun aspect but I have no doubt that'll happen in the next 5-10 years given their trajectory. Test drove the the Genesis V6 Coupe when I was looking for a cheapish sports car. Fun amount of power but that is a muscle car, not a sports car in the slightest. What a mess in the corners.

 

[NJHusky]

Now they just need to figure out the chasis design aspect to up the fun aspect but I have no doubt that'll happen in the next 5-10 years given their trajectory. Test drove the the Genesis V6 Coupe when I was looking for a cheapish sports car. Fun amount of power but that is a muscle car, not a sports car in the slightest. What a mess in the corners.

Was that the new Genesis? I didn't test it when I dropped off mine, but figured with the redesign and AWD it would have handled better....the soft ride/lack of AWD were my only complaints with the prior model.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

This was in 2013, though I don't believe they made any chasis changes, which is what really kills them. AWD is a nice way to try to cover up the problem but throw them into a corner and you can feel the chasis flexing. It's still built on an economy car platform (which to be honest, suits about 95% of the people that would be looking at that car).

 

[intlzncster]

Import is 25 years here's a primer

http://jalopnik.com/here-are-the-four-legal-ways-to-import-a-car-to-the-uni-1682067632.

I keep forgetting it's a rolling 25 years. I checked it a long time ago, and I have that time period stuck in my head.

I now feel a lot older than I did a minutes ago. I should take me like back from you.