New Car

FastEddieB said:
Our 2005 Honda Element with manual transmission is approaching 170,000 miles.
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I thought I had the only manual Element :D
'08, 100K, no issues other than terrible stock tires and a throttle position sensor. We love it but don't baby it.

Nauga,
who thinks cars are tools not toys
 
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Bill Jennings said:
And I feel the same way about WRX lovers, same crappy Impreza underneath. The only one of that ilk that seems to transcend it's economy car origins is the GTI. But then again, the Jetta/Rabbit/Golf is a better platform (chassis wise) than most cheap cars. If only VW could fix their reliability problems.

I liked the Mustang the best, it is a solid car and feels expensive like the German cars.
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Except for the fact that the impreza is a nice car, they hold their value (vs the super soft focus resale), and are designed in a manner far exceeding ANY focus I've ever seen (flat 4, AWD standard, etc)

Is take a salvage title, base model impreza over a top of the line 0 mile focus anyday.

Another thing with subies, they are like Legos, you can take a STI engine and swap it into a wagon, or the H6 and swap I into a etc. I've been elbow deep into subies and they are super easy to work on, easy to upgrade, and very dependable if maintained to spec (much like a aircraft).
 
Neal Howard said:
Probably going to get flamed for this, but a couple years ago I picked up a 98 Audi A4 Quattro with only 75k miles for a song. It had the A/C compressor locked up when I got it and I did the timing belt replacement at the same time (2.8l 30-valve V6 5-speed). I love how this car drives. It sticks to the road like hot bubblegum in the summertime and makes child's play of driving on icy roads with the full time AWD. It definitely requires its scheduled maintenance done diligently, but the powerplant and drive train seem to be a juggernaut. When the time comes to replace it, I'll definitely consider another Audi. I've always heard lots of horror stories about Audis, but my experience so far with this one does not fit that stereotype.
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I agree completely with this statement about Audi. I had a 2006 A4 cabriolet quattro and LOVED it.. It cornered like it was on wheels. When i totalled it, my ex wife came to the accident scene, took one look at the car, and asked how I was alive.
 
cowman said:
But, Mustangs suck at pulling horse trailers and hauling hay and especially suck at getting around in foot deep WI snowstorms so I have a truck.
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Do they ever. And it doesn't take a foot of snow to show that. An inch or less and my son's 1999 Mustang is parked. There's a reason my Jeep Wrangler is parked in his driveway. :D
 
James331 said:
Still a focus. You take the cheapest car ford sells and hop it up, under it all its still built a focus, its just a OEM way of doing with teenagers do to their economy cars, put a turbo on a economy car, it still an economy car.

I've always viewed car and driver as a manufactures advertising platform anyway.

It's like what they say about winning the special Olympics... even if you win.... :wink2:
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Cheapest car the company has with the biggest motor is the recipe for the original American muscle cars.
 
Same for the mustang. They took a pinto frame and put a 289 v8 in it. It was a cheap built car , lousy rear end, suspension,etc. and they never really improved it much. I had a 92 , 5.0 coupe and it was a cheap dog. Transmission and rear both gave out by 50, 000 miles under normal driving , no abuse. My last American car. Like the thunderbird,IT could have been a really fine car but they really dropped the ball. I've had really good luck with Toyota , the prius V and the lexus ES 350 (2) have been great, well built , good handling autos.
 
The Mustang II was the Pinto derivation. The 'Stangs have not been on that platform since (I think) 1978.

My son has a '12 with the V6, fast and gets better than 30 mpg on the highway, even with the ethanol-contaminated gas the Feds force on us here.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
Wrong! We have a 2012 prius V. Great car, rides nice, good pickup, roomy , 40 mpg. Will buy another when this wears out. Know two who have the straight sedan with same engine. Both have over 100 thousand with no problems. Also have owned a Tacoma pickup. Wonderful. Currently also have a new ES 350 lexus which is our second one. Also superlative.
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You only get 40mpg in a Prius?
 
Yes henning, on the V model, that's about it. I'm very pleased with it considering the versatility of the car-wagon.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
Yes henning, on the V model, that's about it. I'm very pleased with it considering the versatility of the car-wagon.
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That's kind of sad, I'm trying to figure out why the European version of all these vehicles get better fuel mileage while operated at higher speeds.:dunno:
 
sferguson524 said:
Crap...:mad2::mad2::mad2: RAILS
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LoL!.

Maybe someday Audi will be able to do it without wheels...
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I was recently in the market. I'm a sports car guy usually (though I have driven just about every type of vehicle). I drove the Scion FRS, which is the same as the Subaru BRZ save a few details. I like the car quite a bit but eventually went with a '09 Nissan 370Z Touring sport and I would never look back. Fantastically fun car, looks and drives amazing.

Fantastically engineered and the only production car in the world with the Syncro-rev matching transmission which automatically blips the throttle and matches engine speed with vehicle speed during downshifts making it the most fun cornering car I've ever driven. Just my two cents since the Z came up in the thread.

Good luck with the search!
 
Skyscraper said:
I was recently in the market. I'm a sports car guy usually (though I have driven just about every type of vehicle). I drove the Scion FRS, which is the same as the Subaru BRZ save a few details. I like the car quite a bit but eventually went with a '09 Nissan 370Z Touring sport and I would never look back. Fantastically fun car, looks and drives amazing.

Fantastically engineered and the only production car in the world with the Syncro-rev matching transmission which automatically blips the throttle and matches engine speed with vehicle speed during downshifts making it the most fun cornering car I've ever driven. Just my two cents since the Z came up in the thread.

Good luck with the search!
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Awesome car...but how the heck do you get in it?

I've seen them on the island, and it looks like I'd have to dislocate my spine to get in one! lol

nissan-370z-11.jpg
 
Henning said:
That's kind of sad, I'm trying to figure out why the European version of all these vehicles get better fuel mileage while operated at higher speeds.:dunno:
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Sad? Strange that you said that. A station wagon that gets 40 miles to the gallon, drives well and nice amenities? We think it's just great! it's the same engine in each model. Just different weights and wind resistance.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Awesome car...but how the heck do you get in it?

I've seen them on the island, and it looks like I'd have to dislocate my spine to get in one! lol

nissan-370z-11.jpg
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It does require a little finesse being so low to the ground but I'm 6'1" and I mange just fine, I let my 5"10' 60 year old dad borrow it though and he had a tough time getting in and out, but hey it's a car built for a relatively specific market.

Inside it's actually VERY comfy and has more room than you'd expect (much better than the girlfriends Sentra. Far more comfortable than the Cessna 150 :yes:
 
Skyscraper said:
It does require a little finesse being so low to the ground but I'm 6'1" and I mange just fine, I let my 5"10' 60 year old dad borrow it though and he had a tough time getting in and out, but hey it's a car built for a relatively specific market.

Inside it's actually VERY comfy and has more room than you'd expect (much better than the girlfriends Sentra. Far more comfortable than the Cessna 150 :yes:
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I'm 6', and 56 years old. I'm in good shape, but I wouldn't want to fold myself into that car.

That said, people wonder how I fit in the back hole of our RV-8. It ain't easy, but once I'm in, it's actually quite comfy, so I know what you mean!
 
Jay Honeck said:
Awesome car...but how the heck do you get in it?

I've seen them on the island, and it looks like I'd have to dislocate my spine to get in one! lol

nissan-370z-11.jpg
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Lol try getting in a Vette with the targa top on ;)
 
I ended up going with an Accord EX-L
 
Accord = good. Just make sure the airbag isn't the shrapnel-shooter model.
 
Had mine changed out today. Pretty painless, and one less way to die.
 
If you've ever flown a taylorcraft it's very easy. You go in backwards. The cayman is easy this way as is a 911.
 
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