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What will be your next car?
- Thread starter gloryofgreece
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Once you're here for a while I think some of that glistening wide-eyed envy will dissipate. London is a bit of a pain in the arse. The tube is OK but it can wear on your nerves real quick. Something happens to you when you're on that thing in blistering heat with stinky strangers crowded around you like sardines and a single droplet of sweat from the tall man beside you falls onto your cheek... and you go home and find black stuff in your nose because of the filthy air of the underground... London is only glamorous in the movies and for those who are filthy rich or on drugs.
but in spite of all that I still love it, it's home to me now.
I may not live in London, but I sure know it's not always as perfect as it seems. I was there the summer before last during the horrendous heat wave. It was so hot it was ridiculous, and in the underground was that much hotter.
next car
i'll be getting a brand new smart for two cabriolet this summer..i've had my present smart since 2006 and have ordered the 2008 model. best car ever made...it actually makes sense and doesn't cost a fortune to run. i laugh when i see 1 person driving around in a four door gas guzzling hog just to get to work.
i'll be getting a brand new smart for two cabriolet this summer..i've had my present smart since 2006 and have ordered the 2008 model. best car ever made...it actually makes sense and doesn't cost a fortune to run. i laugh when i see 1 person driving around in a four door gas guzzling hog just to get to work.
hehe, alright then. I just like to warn people that the hollywood portrayal and the reality are much different so no one comes here and thinks "WTF?!"
I made no assertions. I stated an opinion that is unlikely to change. That you have driven such a car without incident will not affect it.
Try cycling in London. Its not as scarey as you think (lots of bus and cycle lanes). Its free, fast, fun and keeps you healthy.
My current stead:
A 2007 Marin Muirwoods - a rigid, steel framed, bulletproof machine let down by some cheap components (cassette and chain- all worn out after 16 months, unforgivably cheap no-brand brakes and hubs).
Thinking about getting a Giant OCR next, or a Kona.
Then why do you think your opinion is still valid? Sure, you might chalk it up to chance that I haven't gotten in an accident or gotten a ticket with a fast car, but that would be taking the easy way out. The simple fact is that I'm a better driver than most (there are teens out there who are better drivers than adults, believe it or not), and thus don't have to deal with the repercussions of being bad drivers. In driving, experience matters a lot, but you have no idea what kind of intuition or instincts someone has that makes them as able or better able to drive a fast car than an adult. Least of all, adults who talk on the phone while driving. Want to tell them (the majority of people have talked on the phone while driving for extended periods of time) that they shouldn't have a fast car?
This conversation is going nowhere and is not constructive. I've said all I'm going to, so you might as well give it a rest. I am.
Nice Dude! My dad used to have a Series IIa way long ago. They are such cool little vehicles although I don't think I would want one as my daily driver.
I currently have an '03 Jetta and an '05 Silverado pickup, I'm thinking of selling both and getting an almost-new (I don't buy new anymore) Subaru Impreza 5-door.
After looking at the STi again, I think it could grow on me. I have a hatchback right now, and while it is great for school and transporting things, I really like how the old one looked. Much more aggressive. Maybe it is just me, but hatchbacks just don't seem like the kind of car that deserves the STi badges. Personal preference.
I want a Ford Focus. I don't know when I'd be able to get one though. I haven't even finished paying off my Ford Fiesta (as to which I hate now)!
I'm so close to buying an older Nissan Pathfinder. I have my eye on a 2001 with 100k miles on it. I'll drive it a few years then give it to my daughter, who will be 16 by then.
I realize 2001 isn't a big jump, but it's better than the '97 Mercury Villager I'm driving now!
I realize 2001 isn't a big jump, but it's better than the '97 Mercury Villager I'm driving now!
The CTS-V's rear differential breaking is a common problem for the V. GM didn't make it strong enough to withstand the 400 HP and 400 lb of torque. That is what I meant by eating.
Well I don't like it, but Toyota tried to make it look sporty.
Quoted for the truth!
I expect I'm going to see a lot of 135i at the track this summer. This is going to be a hot car.Hopefully the 135i. But realistically the Civic Si or Mazda 3, my insurance is way too expensive.
go for the IS-f
My next car is no doubt prob going to be another lexus. I currently drive an 04 ES330. I really really want an IS-F in that blue, but i don't think its going to happen. So my next choice is a GS hybrid in either silver or red. Or I'm waiting to see what the rumor 2010 RX is like. If its what i hope and going to compete with the porsche and has a few added things from the LS 460 line i might be all over that.
As a third party bystander, please feel free to provide citations to relevant scientific literature that support your claims...a personal anecdote NEVER cuts it.
FWIW, one of the things that I recall from my Driver's Ed was the (claimed) statistic that a first year male driver had a "170% chance" of having an accident. When questioned on how this number could be greater than 100%, the explanation was that there were an average of 1.7 accidents per new driver in their first year. And since I had zero in my first year, that meant that there was some other first year driver that had to have had 3 accidents to make the statistics balance out! Since people don't like to admit mistakes, they don't generally go advertising their accidents and fender-benders unless they're forced to...which means that our perception as to how well people are doing is frequently biased by under-reporting.
Interestingly, this sounds like a statement that is either being made that is ill-informed about the concept of the entire field of Statistics, or at least a conversational generalization.
The question isn't if there might be a few younger drivers out there who are really fast learners, really humble and actually proficient - - the real question is what is the expected skill set of the population demographic when taken as a whole. In other words, the "one in a million" tail does not wag the dog, so the statement was based on the average expectation of their performance, instead of the rare exception. And if you want to learn just how poor the average new driver training is in the USA, go read some of the Editorials on this subject that have appeared in AutoWeek magazine within the past year, such as this one.
And BTW Badandy, it does utterly no good to claim that you're an "Above Average" driver, because that what we ALL say. Always, and especially us guys.
If you're really interested in really becoming a better driver, it takes real training, which you can't learn on public roads. Someplace like the 'Accident Avoidance' class at BSR, which is worth every penny. This past Christmas, I gave my brother a certificate for the one day class.
-hh
Next car thoughts
For my own next car, I'm partial to hatchbacks.
I've also found that in the US market, a hatch usually means cheap, which isn't what I'm looking for. As such, my "niche of a niche" is for a more high end hatch that has good handling, enough power, good MPG (diesel OK), respectable appointments and a low NVH for long distance cruising...all without a rediculously high price tag (eg, under $30K).
In thinking about where the market is today, probably the closest thing that's imported here that's along my lines of thought would probably be the Audi A3, or possibly a GTI variant. This is because Mercedes has stopped importing their C230K Coupe (what I have right now), and BMW doesn't seem particuarly interested in bringing back the current version of the 318ti that they had brought over to the USA in mid/late 1990s.
So much for the daily driver. For the toy car, I'm doing just fine as is right now.
-hh
For my own next car, I'm partial to hatchbacks.
I've also found that in the US market, a hatch usually means cheap, which isn't what I'm looking for. As such, my "niche of a niche" is for a more high end hatch that has good handling, enough power, good MPG (diesel OK), respectable appointments and a low NVH for long distance cruising...all without a rediculously high price tag (eg, under $30K).
In thinking about where the market is today, probably the closest thing that's imported here that's along my lines of thought would probably be the Audi A3, or possibly a GTI variant. This is because Mercedes has stopped importing their C230K Coupe (what I have right now), and BMW doesn't seem particuarly interested in bringing back the current version of the 318ti that they had brought over to the USA in mid/late 1990s.
So much for the daily driver. For the toy car, I'm doing just fine as is right now.
-hh
I'm in the market for a new or slightly used car now.
We went out yesterday to a couple of dealerships and test drove the cars I was most interested in. I was really surprised that both dealerships just handed me the keys and told me to go test it out. I've always had to take the dealer with me in the past.
Anyways, we drove:
Saab 9-3 2.0T
Volvo S40
Volkswagen Rabbit
Volkswagen Jetta
I was really, really impressed with the 9-3. The car looked and felt high quality, which was good considering the price (it's a used 07 model). It was quick both off the line, and when hitting the gas while already going 40.
I'm still considering the Rabbit too, as it was a nice ride, albeit slower than the 9-3. I was not impressed with the stock stereo and speakers, which was disappointing, but did LOVE the heated seats.
The Jetta was fine, since it's basically a Rabbit sedan. The S40 was a nice ride, very smooth, but the interior styling is a bit plain. Neither of those are on the short list anymore, although I wouldn't pass up a fantastic deal on either.
So right now I'm probably looking at buying a used 07 9-3 in the near future.
We went out yesterday to a couple of dealerships and test drove the cars I was most interested in. I was really surprised that both dealerships just handed me the keys and told me to go test it out. I've always had to take the dealer with me in the past.
Anyways, we drove:
Saab 9-3 2.0T
Volvo S40
Volkswagen Rabbit
Volkswagen Jetta
I was really, really impressed with the 9-3. The car looked and felt high quality, which was good considering the price (it's a used 07 model). It was quick both off the line, and when hitting the gas while already going 40.
I'm still considering the Rabbit too, as it was a nice ride, albeit slower than the 9-3. I was not impressed with the stock stereo and speakers, which was disappointing, but did LOVE the heated seats.
The Jetta was fine, since it's basically a Rabbit sedan. The S40 was a nice ride, very smooth, but the interior styling is a bit plain. Neither of those are on the short list anymore, although I wouldn't pass up a fantastic deal on either.
So right now I'm probably looking at buying a used 07 9-3 in the near future.