its a nice car. it has nice buttons. crazy good gas mileage. and my insurance would be in the neighborhood of $25-$28 a month. but for $25K i think i can do WAY better. hell... at $18k i can get a new version of what i have now. iduno... not my car is all i have to say.
I know TFH dogged on the Mazda3 a little but he must have drove the i. I bought my wife a new 08 Mazda3 s Grand Touring about a year ago. The difference between the i and s is incredible almost 2 different cars. The s has plenty of power and is fun to drive while the i feels like a rental car. The sticker on the s Grand Touring is a little crazy but I can assure you there is damn near 10k in wiggle room on it. I love driving the car, I whipped my dads 08 corvette down a mountain road in it, it handled better than the vette.
She originally wanted a BMW 3 or a Civic and we picked the Mazda over both of those because of the car not the price. Just my opinion but I'd tell you to go drive the 3, just make sure you're in a s and not an i.
Also the 6 to me just felt heavy. It had more power obviously with the V6 but also had worse gas mileage and IMO didn't handle near as well BUT that was the old one. I haven't been in the new one.
PS the s Grand Touring is the fully loaded model, Leather sport seating, Heated Seats, Sunroof, Sirius radio, iPod hook up and an option for GPS which I chose not to get but thats the only thing it doesn't have. Mazda flat had better options than BMW, which is what my wife thought she wanted until she drove the Mazda.
i drove the 3 and the 6 a while ago. i want impressed with either. i dont care so much about all those buttons and what not, i mean they are nice but id rather have AWD
i drove the 3 and the 6 a while ago. i want impressed with either. i dont care so much about all those buttons and what not, i mean they are nice but id rather have AWD
If AWD is important to you then you have to stick with Subaru, no one else makes one worth a crap.
JMO but the Mazda3 was the most fun car we drove. Now my wife's requirements were that it had to be a 4 door and be fairly small so you can guess at some of the crap we drove. The biggest POS we drove though was that new Lancer(other than some crappy KIA we were talked into test driving). It was loud, uninspiring and slow. I can't remember the model but it was the one the guy said was one step down fromt he EVO(I didn't even know they had released a new EVO but thats what he said). The Acura TSX was pretty unimpressive too for the price tag. The wife made herself car sick driving it. The BMW was a lot of fun but it was pretty uncomfortable for a big guy like me. Like I said JMO take it for what its worth. I'm a car junkie but a car is personal thing.
a BMW 3 is awesome for the driver, and pretty crappy for everybody else. If you're gonna get a Beamer, you gotta go 5- or 7-series.
I drove an M5 a friend of mine bought. He was MAKING me take the curves at a very high rate of speed. My wife was chanting "We're going to die" We're going to die - but we were both giggling like little school girls. That puppy just squatted and stuck to the road like glue... Amazing car. Amazingly fast. Tires need replacing about every 5K - drinks gas like crazy being a V8 - but fun...
I have had a 3 series for about 4 years. Nice mix between luxury and performance. I have got 140K on it now and it's still really solid... I smoke in it, so I don't really want to move up... Besides the fact - It's nice not having any debt... That's Un-american but I can live with that.
The biggest BMW dealership in Memphis is about half a mile from me and, as Hannibal says, we covet what we see every day. That little Volkswagen GTI catches my eye, too. I'll stick to my bicycle for now, though.
The biggest BMW dealership in Memphis is about half a mile from me and, as Hannibal says, we covet what we see every day. That little Volkswagen GTI catches my eye, too. I'll stick to my bicycle for now, though.
I'm thinking about getting a bike. I mean it's much cheaper, though I don't think my wife wants to ride a bike to work though...
I've been thinking about getting a bike to ride to and from work once in a while. It's only a 7 mile trip each way, but in the TX summer heat it would suck riding that far in uniform!
The biggest BMW dealership in Memphis is about half a mile from me and, as Hannibal says, we covet what we see every day. That little Volkswagen GTI catches my eye, too. I'll stick to my bicycle for now, though.
So you ride a bike to work? Just curious how far, how long it takes, don't ya get all schweaty?
I'd love to do that, not practical for me, though. I have to wear a suit and I'm a big, fat sweaty basturd.
I ride a bike everywhere. Haven't driven at all since last June 3rd. Work is easy. It's only about 3 miles, which, depending on traffic lights and how hard I ride, takes anywhere from 7 to 15 mins.
I do get a little schweaty in summer. Dressing appropriately helps a lot, but 98* with 70% humidity is what it is. I manage to arrive without being a reeking wreck. It would be tough to do if I had to wear a suit, but people do it.
that's pretty damn cool...I've always felt like I would have liked to live in the pre-suburb era when people could walk to the store, the pub, work, whatever.
Oh, plenty. And some that are coming back quite nicely. So Pittsburgh's set up well for this. Mrs. Luko and 7-year-old lil Luko, not so much. They prefer the quiet homogeneity of the suburbs.
Do you read Chabon, since he's a local? Seems like Mysteries of Pittsburgh would be of particular interest. I like all his stuff, though. Gentlemen of the Road is a hoot. (The original working title was "Jews With Swords.")
Odd as it may seem, I don't. I've always meant to. But as far as my reading interests, it tips heavily towards historical nonfiction, particularly early American history. When I read fiction, it usually ends up being either a.) a classic I feel shamed into reading or b.) something so ridiculously popular I feel compelled to read just to see what all the hype is about.
a BMW 3 is awesome for the driver, and pretty crappy for everybody else. If you're gonna get a Beamer, you gotta go 5- or 7-series.
I drove an M5 a friend of mine bought. He was MAKING me take the curves at a very high rate of speed. My wife was chanting "We're going to die" We're going to die - but we were both giggling like little school girls. That puppy just squatted and stuck to the road like glue... Amazing car. Amazingly fast. Tires need replacing about every 5K - drinks gas like crazy being a V8 - but fun...
I have had a 3 series for about 4 years. Nice mix between luxury and performance. I have got 140K on it now and it's still really solid... I smoke in it, so I don't really want to move up... Besides the fact - It's nice not having any debt... That's Un-american but I can live with that.
The M series is a totally different animal. I've driven a couple of M3's including one completely stripped out for autocrossing. I'd kill for one of those but we were looking for the wife's daily driver not my play toy . Nothing wrong with the 3, I'm just 6'1 250 and my head was on the ceiling and I felt crammed AND I couldn't get my size 12 shoe on the gas pedal without getting stuck on the brake pedal.
Duty I'd love a 5 or 7 series but we had a budget that was in that price range. LOL
ok.... so im back to this.
I have it down to a few cars. one of them is an
2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T another is an 06 Saab 2.0t
anyone have any experience with either company or car?
what about an Audi, even a gently used one. Like maybe an Audi s4? All the performance you'll ever need, it'll kick the crap out of even the M3 (pre-2008 model, but the new ones are 50k anyway) and they practically invented AWD and DSG trannies. And they still get 25 plus mpg. I've had every foreign car ( MB, BMW, Audi, VW, Lexus, Infiniti ) in that price range, and there is a reason Audi outsells all them combined in Germany.
the Infiniti g37x Awd might be another good thing to look at. But, to your question, definitely the VW over the Saab, especialy with Saab biting the automotive industry bullet.
I don't have any personal experience with them, but a friend of mine who is a total gear head and does all his own work on his cars (has a shop in his garage....with a hydraulic lift) says "your worst nightmare is an audi a day or a mile over its warranty." Just someone else's two cents. I think it has a lot to do with the price of German parts after importing them.
But, to your question, definitely the VW over the Saab, especialy with Saab biting the automotive industry bullet.
I thought that Saab was being bought by Koenigsegg
iduno. im kinda leaning to the Passat as well (between the two) there is always another subaru....
my biggest problem is budget. instead of looking at new ok cars im now looking to better used cars. I would love a manual but the automatics are more abundant.
I'm going to cast my vote for the Dodge Challenger... lol Just my opinion cause I think it's a damn good looking car. I know it's not even close to what you are looking for.
But, to your question, definitely the VW over the Saab, especialy with Saab biting the automotive industry bullet.
I thought that Saab was being bought by Koenigsegg
iduno. im kinda leaning to the Passat as well (between the two) there is always another subaru....
my biggest problem is budget. instead of looking at new ok cars im now looking to better used cars. I would love a manual but the automatics are more abundant.
Saab was bought by Koenigsegg, you are correct. I attribute that to biting the bullet however, as Koenigsegg is a small exotic manufacturer, only producing a few dozen handbuilt supercars a year. I don't see how they are going to run a manufacturing company as large as will be needed to produce Saab's en mass. I imagine it will run the same course as Chrysler when Cerberus Group bought them. Two/three years and done unless they hire someone with big-time automotive manufacturing knowlegde.
And I like your idea of buying better used cars. I try and always buy used, and you don't have to eat the depreciation. I have always broke even on my vehicles when I sold them until I just bought a new car last year. It depreciated 50% with the declining economy, and now I owe 10k more than it is worth.
Comments
its a nice car. it has nice buttons. crazy good gas mileage. and my insurance would be in the neighborhood of $25-$28 a month. but for $25K i think i can do WAY better. hell... at $18k i can get a new version of what i have now. iduno... not my car is all i have to say.
She originally wanted a BMW 3 or a Civic and we picked the Mazda over both of those because of the car not the price. Just my opinion but I'd tell you to go drive the 3, just make sure you're in a s and not an i.
Also the 6 to me just felt heavy. It had more power obviously with the V6 but also had worse gas mileage and IMO didn't handle near as well BUT that was the old one. I haven't been in the new one.
PS the s Grand Touring is the fully loaded model, Leather sport seating, Heated Seats, Sunroof, Sirius radio, iPod hook up and an option for GPS which I chose not to get but thats the only thing it doesn't have. Mazda flat had better options than BMW, which is what my wife thought she wanted until she drove the Mazda.
i dont care so much about all those buttons and what not, i mean they are nice but id rather have AWD
JMO but the Mazda3 was the most fun car we drove. Now my wife's requirements were that it had to be a 4 door and be fairly small so you can guess at some of the crap we drove. The biggest POS we drove though was that new Lancer(other than some crappy KIA we were talked into test driving). It was loud, uninspiring and slow. I can't remember the model but it was the one the guy said was one step down fromt he EVO(I didn't even know they had released a new EVO but thats what he said). The Acura TSX was pretty unimpressive too for the price tag. The wife made herself car sick driving it. The BMW was a lot of fun but it was pretty uncomfortable for a big guy like me. Like I said JMO take it for what its worth. I'm a car junkie but a car is personal thing.
I drove an M5 a friend of mine bought. He was MAKING me take the curves at a very high rate of speed. My wife was chanting "We're going to die" We're going to die - but we were both giggling like little school girls. That puppy just squatted and stuck to the road like glue... Amazing car. Amazingly fast. Tires need replacing about every 5K - drinks gas like crazy being a V8 - but fun...
I have had a 3 series for about 4 years. Nice mix between luxury and performance. I have got 140K on it now and it's still really solid... I smoke in it, so I don't really want to move up...
...id buy the cheapest car out there for emergency use only.
cant really do that though. that commute (especially in the winter) would be (literally) the death of me.
I'd love to do that, not practical for me, though. I have to wear a suit and I'm a big, fat sweaty basturd.
I do get a little schweaty in summer. Dressing appropriately helps a lot, but 98* with 70% humidity is what it is. I manage to arrive without being a reeking wreck. It would be tough to do if I had to wear a suit, but people do it.
Having said that, I need to read Chabon, I know.
Duty I'd love a 5 or 7 series but we had a budget that was in that price range. LOL
I have it down to a few cars. one of them is an 2006 Volkswagen Passat 2.0T
another is an 06 Saab 2.0t
anyone have any experience with either company or car?
the Infiniti g37x Awd might be another good thing to look at. But, to your question, definitely the VW over the Saab, especialy with Saab biting the automotive industry bullet.
iduno. im kinda leaning to the Passat as well (between the two) there is always another subaru....
my biggest problem is budget. instead of looking at new ok cars im now looking to better used cars. I would love a manual but the automatics are more abundant.
And I like your idea of buying better used cars. I try and always buy used, and you don't have to eat the depreciation. I have always broke even on my vehicles when I sold them until I just bought a new car last year. It depreciated 50% with the declining economy, and now I owe 10k more than it is worth.