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What would you want as your next car?

I am seriously considering trading my current 2008 nissan murano sl for an slk. I owned an slk in the past and the driving experience in unsurpassed, just so fun. The murano is a gas guzzler since its awd, but i drive very often in the mountains so i tought id need. I also really like the infinity fx series. Basically a better version of the murano but the gas milage is even worse so probably wont go that route. I see myself getting back into a smaller vehicle so slk mit be it. Unless i could find an affordable beemer 6 series, but then there ggoes my gas mileage again :p
 
I'd like to get an '83 Volvo 240 wagon and/or an '87 Ford Ranger.

Currently have a '10 Dodge Journey, '03 Ford Focus wagon and a '67 Volvo 1800S. Giving the Focus to my sister at some point, but, keeping all the rest! Might look for a mid-00's Focus hatch.
 
I would really like a reliable car and one with a warranty (so as close to new as possible). Maybe one of these would do me just fine:

ka_sunrise_pack_style.jpg

Ford Ka

c0262b58-0efc-11de-a25c-001ec9bb7bcb.jpg

Volkswagen Polo

20225.jpg

Renault Wind


SteveAbootman said:
Next car for sure will have to be 100% electric. With the price of gas approaching $4.50/gal, and my car still only 2 years old, im not in the market for a new car for another 5 years or so. By that time, Tesla should have made great strides with their Model S (pictured) and charging stations more abundant so that i can rid myself of gasoline vehicles completely.
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We have been doing just fine in Europe with "gas" prices around $8/gal for the past couple of years. Maybe you need to look at different petrol powered cars.
 
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A Volt. Maybe in 5 years or so....... My current car is far from dead with only 22,500 miles in 4 years......

volt-black-front-side.jpg
 
KnightWRX said:
I wouldn't. Those things have awful rusting problems which Mazda has not quite yet fixed.
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Really? I'm yet to see one with rust and I live in New England. A friend from NY has a 2004 Mazda3 and it has no rust afaik. What's he doing wrong?

I am actually looking to replace my Integra. Have been looking at a few things but considering I don't buy German at all, and Americans and Koreans don't have anything close to what I'm looking for (plus their quality is iffy) I'm currently stuck between last gen Mazdaspeed3 and 06-07 WRX. Leaning towards WRX at this point is MS3s have more issues.
 
Synchromesh said:
Really? I'm yet to see one with rust and I live in New England. A friend from NY has a 2004 Mazda3 and it has no rust afaik. What's he doing wrong?
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I don't know, but around here, rear quarters and trunks are especially affected, thin metal sheets, thin paint, thin primer. Look around the trunk emblem, trunk edges and under the protectors in the rear wheel wells.

Also, look at the doors, the metal trims around the windows are also affected something bad. The Mazda 3's are being called the new "Honda Civic" because of it (5th generation Civics were especially bad rusters).
 
Ford GT, used, of course.

Delayed by business, potentially further delayed by:
  • Audi bringing in a new S4/RS4 Avant
  • LR bringing in a (proper) Defender
  • retiring my track car for a more reliable one
 
For me I am thinking about making my next car a Mini Cooper. For such a small car they have a huge amount of room in the front seat. Hell a lot more than my current sentra. On top of that they have a lot of head room and I could put a sun roof in it and not have an issue.

Btw I do not care about rear set room as I am 6'4" and who ever sits behind me is screwed no matter what I drive. Besides the back seat is for storage right?
 
If it was available in the US, one of these:
Alfa_159_grey.jpg


...but I'd settle for a CTS, CLS, or FX35. :)
 
Ideally something small and all electric for short distances, something like the Nisan Leaf:
nissan-leaf.jpg


Failing that then one of these:
Screen shot 2011-04-17 at 18.40.17.png
Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo

And then a bigger car for longer journeys. On my list so far is:
9080403.014.1L2.jpg

Skoda Superb Estate.
 
I'm hoping to get a Hyundai Tucson in August! I currently have a 4runner but I want something that gets better gas mileage.

exterior_2.jpg
 
Mac.World said:
It's a good plan. I am looking at the same sort of thing. Unfortuantely, some of these car companies require a special plug to be installed in your home, which to me is a PIA. Automakers need to use traditional plugs for these cars, so you can hook in anywhere. Hopefully we'll see more electric cars in the next two years with better batteries, longer driving distances between charging and faster charging.
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Thanks. While i know Tesla does offer regular outlet plug-ins, it's my understanding those are only in case of an emergency, and also takes forever to charge. The special plug that gets installed is able to charge the battery much quicker. Either way, would be nice not to have to worry about a special install and have the regular plug in the wall suffice for all charging.

neiltc13 said:
We have been doing just fine in Europe with "gas" prices around $8/gal for the past couple of years. Maybe you need to look at different petrol powered cars.
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I was doing just fine with my portable CD player. Instead of buying an iPod i probably should have taken your advice and looked for a different portable CD player- one with better anti-skipping technology maybe.

If you like paying $8 a gallon for "petrol", that's fine, continue to enjoy it. Far be it from me to tell somehow how to spend their money. But if electric (or any other solution) is as efficient, abundant, and convenient as oil, and costs less, why wouldn't we want to at least consider it?
 
SteveAbootman said:
Thanks. While i know Tesla does offer regular outlet plug-ins, it's my understanding those are only in case of an emergency, and also takes forever to charge. The special plug that gets installed is able to charge the battery much quicker. Either way, would be nice not to have to worry about a special install and have the regular plug in the wall suffice for all charging.



I was doing just fine with my portable CD player. Instead of buying an iPod i probably should have taken your advice and looked for a different portable CD player- one with better anti-skipping technology maybe.

If you like paying $8 a gallon for "petrol", that's fine, continue to enjoy it. Far be it from me to tell somehow how to spend their money. But if electric (or any other solution) is as efficient, abundant, and convenient as oil, and costs less, why wouldn't we want to at least consider it?
Click to expand...
It would be a simple matter of economics. If you drive very little, then fuel efficiency should not be a prime concern but initial price might be. Europeans drive less than North Americans.
 
SteveAbootman said:
If you like paying $8 a gallon for "petrol", that's fine, continue to enjoy it. Far be it from me to tell somehow how to spend their money. But if electric (or any other solution) is as efficient, abundant, and convenient as oil, and costs less, why wouldn't we want to at least consider it?
Click to expand...

I'm all for it. The more people who buy into electric, the more gas is left on the planet for me.
:D

The Model S *might* hit the similar cost point. We'll have to see how it all works out when they actually deliver a car. The Roadster certainly doesn't come close to that point on paper.

Let's look at it versus the Lotus Elise and plug in some ridiculously conservative figures so we can be certain:

$101500 Tesla Roadster MSRP - $51845 Lotus Elise MSRP = $49655 difference
$49655 saved / $5 gallon = 9931 gallons (let's assume gas costs another $1)
9931 gallons x 20 mpg = 198620 miles (let's assume a "spirited driver")
198620 miles / 15000 miles/year = 13.24 years

13.24 years is the break-even point on a Tesla Roadster.

Start factoring in that the battery life is seven years or that Tesla recommends you have 3-phase service and it gets worse.

Almost, but not quite there yet.
 
No joke I want to buy a delorean and convert it into replica of the time machine from back to the future. Even tho the company went under like 50 years ago they still Sell them for $ 40,000. So one day one day....
 
codymac said:
I'm all for it. The more people who buy into electric, the more gas is left on the planet for me.
:D

The Model S *might* hit the similar cost point. We'll have to see how it all works out when they actually deliver a car. The Roadster certainly doesn't come close to that point on paper.

Let's look at it versus the Lotus Elise and plug in some ridiculously conservative figures so we can be certain:

[some math]

13.24 years is the break-even point on a Tesla Roadster.

Start factoring in that the battery life is seven years or that Tesla recommends you have 3-phase service and it gets worse.

Almost, but not quite there yet.
Click to expand...

I agree with you about the roadster - I don't think that car was ever manufactured with the intention it would be a primary vehicle. It was their first attempt and they will hopefully only get better from there.

But as you said, if the Model S comes close (hopefully delivering next year, and just had their first road test), then in the next 5-7 years, we'll be very close to having something that meets or exceeds gasoline powered cars.

Of course, the underlying reality to all this is that the worldwide economy is built on oil. And it remains to be seen how much of a fight old money will put up.
 
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