So let's talk about cars...homos & transgens welcome

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

Our next one will be our second/fun car for traveling. Looking to purchase in September or October for my birthday. We have a Prius C for our city car. It's great for what it's for, which is getting 60mpg around Atlanta traffic. But it sucks on long trips.

Got 30k cash I can plunk down, plus trade in our '06 Civic. We drove the GTI and the Sport Wagon TDi Saturday. I have to say that the TDi impressed. Plenty of room to pack for long road trips. Sporty enough handling. And the diesel makes gobs of torque for pulling 50 mpg on the interstate.

[bennyonesix]

I like smaller cars, so the BMW M235 with a six speed manual would be my car. Under 5 to 60. Under $50k including a few options. Probably more of an actual sports car than any Porsche currently on the market with the exception of the Cayman.

I work on Mercs for a living, and I've driven damn near every AMG there is, including the S65 twin turbo V12's, and they've never felt "sporty" to me the way Bimmers do. Mercs are interstate destroyers. BMW's are mountain road weapons.

My budget is a little more sedate at ~$30k. We're going to go with either a VW GTI or the new MX-5 once I can test drive one. I've always liked quick and agile over brutishly high horsepower. I wish Alfa made the 4C with a real transmission.

Don't forget about the Mazda 3speed...

Or the Subaru WRX.

[bennyonesix]

Every day drive, a 335. Preferably manual transmission, if we are talking a reasonable cost to own BMW.

Houston is full of cunt drivers in expensive cars. Full. I talked the guy at the Jaguar dealer to let me take a manual F type out for a spin, and it was nice, but it didn't impress me the way the 335 did.

M3 is many many many times better.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

Don't forget about the Mazda 3speed...

Or the Subaru WRX.

WRX will definitely be on the test drive list. I actually kinda liked the BRZ/Scion FRS until I drove one. Seemed like a cheap econo car attempting to be sporty.

[bennyonesix]

The 3speed is sweetness. Can't really be beat bang for the buck performance and reliability.

[Mickey O'neil]

I like smaller cars, so the BMW M235 with a six speed manual would be my car. Under 5 to 60. Under $50k including a few options. Probably more of an actual sports car than any Porsche currently on the market with the exception of the Cayman.

I work on Mercs for a living, and I've driven damn near every AMG there is, including the S65 twin turbo V12's, and they've never felt "sporty" to me the way Bimmers do. Mercs are interstate destroyers. BMW's are mountain road weapons.

My budget is a little more sedate at ~$30k. We're going to go with either a VW GTI or the new MX-5 once I can test drive one. I've always liked quick and agile over brutishly high horsepower. I wish Alfa made the 4C with a real transmission.

Don't forget about the Mazda 3speed...

Or the Subaru WRX.

I like both of those a lot, benny. Those fucking german cars are expensive as fuck to get repaired. Not worth it, imo. Of course if you can work on them yourself, well, that makes a big difference. Parts are still expensive as all hell.

[bennyonesix]

That's why I roll in the Mazda myself. That thing is crazy fun w/ minimal aftermarket gear.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

I like both of those a lot, benny. Those fucking german cars are expensive as fuck to get repaired. Not worth it, imo. Of course if you can work on them yourself, well, that makes a big difference. Parts are still expensive as all hell.

I can get parts for cost as well.
Trick is having the real factory diagnostic software to work on a modern car. You can get emulators for most on the web, but they never work as well as a the real deal.

[bennyonesix]

You can usually find a guy with one who will come out to your place... BMW enthusiast clubs would know... But the new ones are a bitch to work on.

[Pinky]

With a good independent mechanic, BMWs are less expensive to maintain than people think. The parts might be expensive, but they're well built.

[milosz]

Rumor is that the next Mazdaspeed3 will be AWD, that should be a hoot.

After I buy a house, I think I'm going to look for a used VW GTI w/ DSG, the current generation. Should be 18-24 months old by then, if I overpay slightly through Carmax I can get their extended warranty that's apparently a brilliant deal on German/luxury cars. Or I may just spring for a new one.

[bennyonesix]

MK-1s from the 90s were fun to tune that is for sure. I haven't driven one in more than a decade though...

[Shafpocalypse Now]

We drove TDi Jettas a few years back, for that low price point, they were stellar and fun to drive.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

I wish you could get the GTI suspension and brakes with the TDi engine. That would be the best of all worlds. The Sport Wagon handled surprisingly well. And I think it looks a little better than the Golf. It's a serious contender. Just have to see if I fit in the new MX-5 at 6'1". I haven't had a real sports car since I sold my last TR3 damn near 10 years ago.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

You can usually find a guy with one who will come out to your place... BMW enthusiast clubs would know... But the new ones are a bitch to work on.

The problem you run into now is that so much is coded specifically to the chassis your working on. If you don't have access to factory approved software, with a current subscription to the factory tech site, you're screwed. You can diagnose things but can't fix a lot of it.

Take a transmission. A home mechanic that knows his shit should be able to swap a transmission. BUT, they're coded to the car they're in. So to swap a transmission I have to download it's adaptations to the particular way it's car has been driven. Then take it out. Then put the new one in and flash is with the adaptations of the old one. Then send a request for a new program to "marry" that transmission to the car. Wait for them to email me the program, and then flash the transmission again. Then drive it damn near an hour to get all the shift points right and smooth.

All of this is done so A) you can't work on your car and B) you can't go to a junkyard and get a used transmission and just plug it into your car.

The DMCA is going to make it worse. Car companies will code damn near every part to the car, and if you aren't a dealer that can tell the new part to work in a car or pay $15k a year to the company to have access to the software, you're not going to work on the car.

[Shapecharge]

Alfred give me your opinion on the C AMG S. What kind of maintenance would a guy be looking at over 4 years. MB unlike BMW doesn't want to kick in free scheduled maintenace. Are there issues with any of the AMG vehicles someone should know?

[The Venerable Bogatir X]

FWIW, I am leasing a 2014 Velostar Turbo for next to nothing. Cheap, quick, and plenty of interior space for a fellow my size. Also handled well in what little snow/ice we had this past winter (with winter tires). Not in the league you fellows are talking (except perhaps some of the VW's). But it's quick, light and fun to drive. I don't see many on the road, though, so I really don't know if it's held in any kind of regard or contempt with car buffs.

[Grandpa's Spells]

Hyundai's been crushing it the last 6 years or so.

[The Venerable Bogatir X]

Hyundai's been crushing it the last 6 years or so.

Oh yeah....the other car is my wife's loaded out Santa Fe with the V6 (which they no longer offer) and that one's a keeper for the long haul for sure. I got rid of the HEMI Ram toy when I started working from home 100%. I miss a big old truck, but not enough to justify its cost.

[bennyonesix]

I looked at trucks 5 years ago and now I laugh at how much fuckers pay to be part of the bad boy club.

I get the cultural signaling but fuuuuuuuuuck....

[johno]

I like my cars like I like my women: good-looking screamers.

[bennyonesix]

That's the CTS right?

People flip for that car.

But they turn ghetto after year 3 of ownership.

[johno]

That's the CTS right?
But they turn ghetto after year 3 of ownership.

Homey, I'm bout to get me a 2013 CTS. Not sure whether to get the 6 or 8 cylinder.

[bennyonesix]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dhNGdO8CvI[/youtube]

[johno]

How I roll.