Help me buy a new car (and what about cars and gender?)
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Once you start down the road, as it were, of purchasing a car for the sake of the image you believe it projects, then you will be in for disappointment, even shame. There's always going to be another car that's more macho, prestigious, sexy, powerful, unusual, intelligent, fun - whatever. Even worse, once you make the purchase, your view of the car will change. What seemed extraordinary will either seem weird or seem like a compromise compared to the truly extraordinary thing you denied yourself. What seemed clever and unconventional will seem stupidly eccentric and trivial, even a little embarrassing. What made you feel youthful will now make you feel even older. What made you feel accomplished and respectable will now make you feel boring and inadequate. You will realize that what you thought showed off your virility actually reveals to one and all your pitiful need to compensate for your perceived lack of same. If it pleases your wife, it will make you upset with her. If it displeases your wife, it will make you upset with her. If your friends like it, you will wonder if they're just humoring you, or you'll wish you'd found something that expressed your individuality more courageously.
Get a car that's well-made, that looks good to you (without thinking too hard about it), that you can afford, that has the main features you want and need, and that you enjoy driving. If it turns out that you don't like it a year or two from now, trade it in or sell it. All the rest is unutterable bullshit.
Get a car that's well-made, that looks good to you (without thinking too hard about it), that you can afford, that has the main features you want and need, and that you enjoy driving. If it turns out that you don't like it a year or two from now, trade it in or sell it. All the rest is unutterable bullshit.
I have had two Corvettes. Nothing but problems with them. On paper, a lot of car for the money, but not if you take reliability and quality into consideration. They both rattled from day one (which I could understand in the convertible, but not the coupe). I didn't keep either one of them very long. Other than a Triumph TR7 I owned, the Corvettes were the worst quality cars I ever had.
BMW M5 is a "girl's car"? Gotta disagree on that one. (M3 also, to a lesser degree). And the Z8, though far out of my price range is also not IMO a "girls" car....though I agree with you that for that kind of money, the Astin Martin is much cooler. Maybe my favorite car.
The big Jaguar sedans just seem more like "old folks" cars. Sort of like Lincolns for people with more money.
cars i wouldn't be caught dead in :
saab--- can't stand these cars or the sound they make
audi--- ever since the audi 5000 fiasco
best,
surfer
I agree that the Saab has weird sounds. But overall, I liked my 9-3 convertible. Lots of fun to drive (especially for a front wheel drive car, which I don't like in general). Quick, nimble, and comfortable. And pretty quiet on the highway for a convertible (top up).
The Audi 5000? Boy, you know how to hold a grudge!!!! When was that? Around 1985?
Peace Surf....
Your whole post is totally true. But still, at some point you have to pull the trigger and make a decision. For me it isn't about "image"....I am well beyond caring about that. Not like I am trying to impress girls, or clients. Got a wife, and no clients (thank God).
So it comes down to making a decision that I will be happy with for myself. And yeah, I have financial constraints, so I know I will never have my dream car (not even sure if I have a dream car). I may see a Viper on the road one day and say "That's it!" Five minutes later, I will tell myself that a motorcycle would satisfy the very same cravings a Viper would. And be about as practical.
Bentley Azure....Nice convertible. But even if I could afford it (which is FAR from how it is), I would be very self conscious about driving a car that attracts that much attention. Lot's of "dream cars" have that same drawback for me.
Now if there was a nuclear war, and I was the only survivor, I would definitely be tooling around in something like a Ferrari F50. But in real life, I would feel like an asshole driving one and being seen in it. So basically, I think cars (for me) can help give a NEGATIVE image, but not a positive one.
I just want a car that will be fun to drive, not need constant service, and will be comfortable, adequately fast (acceleration...top speed is meaningless), and of course something that smells good
I realize all new cars smell good. But after driving my son's Civic for the past few weeks, anything would be an improvement over the McDonalds smell (stink) that permeates his car. And has since it was about 3 hours off the showroom floor. (Getting him a new car at 16 was one of the major mistakes of my life).
Peace,
RSI bought an Infiniti G35 coupe last week.
I was looking to replace my wrecked 3000GT with something similar, and I choose to boycott big-ticket German products. The G35 seemed like my best option. 280hp with 270 lbs. torque... pretty sweet ride for $39,000. (37K without NAV)
I was looking to replace my wrecked 3000GT with something similar, and I choose to boycott big-ticket German products. The G35 seemed like my best option. 280hp with 270 lbs. torque... pretty sweet ride for $39,000. (37K without NAV)
forgot to include LEXUS in my most hated car list....... this wannabe benz fall way way short--overpriced and plastic looking on the inside.
best,
surfer
best,
surfer
I don't know.Quote from marketsurfer:
forgot to include LEXUS in my most hated car list....... this wannabe benz fall way way short--overpriced and plastic looking on the inside.
best,
surfer
The 300 GS is IMHO a beautiful car with a sweet, sweet engine. I think it's a fine automobile, and doesn't it consistently get top scores for customer satisfaction?
Quote from marketsurfer:
forgot to include LEXUS in my most hated car list....... this wannabe benz fall way way short--overpriced and plastic looking on the inside.
best,
surfer
OK Surf, I guess you must just be busting my balls.I said I just turned in a Saab and a Lexus wagon. And up both cars come on your "wouldn't be caught dead in" and "most hated cars lists".I thought the Saab was a lot of fun to drive, and I thought the Lexus was the best made car I ever had. (and I have had a lot of different cars, both good and bad). Maybe not the most fun to drive, but it was exactly what it was supposed to be. And nothing like the Mercedes M class (which I considered, but found to be a bit overpriced and not as well designed as the RX300). Now, the newer RX 330 seems to have improved on the 300.
So either we have completely different takes on these two cars, or you are just trying to have a good time with me?
Either way is fine with me. But I am curious if you have actually owned or driven either of these two cars. I had 3 year leases on both. Was sorry to turn the Lexus in. Was tired of the Saab, but still liked it for that amount of time. Unfortunately, the Saab and all the other similar sized convertibles seem too similar to me. I looked at the new Audi A4 convertible, the BMW convertible,and they seemed too similar to the Saab. The CLK convertible is nice, but significantly more money. The Volvo is nice,and about the same price as the Saab convertilble, but not as much fun to drive.
But the Lexus....I would definitely consider getting another one even though it goes against my grain to NOT have variety in my life. It really is a great car (for what it is), and I am surprised at your "review" of it. Quality is outstanding, ride is phenominal, and the inside, which you describe as "plastic"...well, I didn't think of it that way at all (maybe because I had the all wood upgrade). But I can't emphasize how great the car rode. I drove it so many times from Boca to Gainesville to visit my stepson in college, and the trip just was so easy. The ride was so comfortable. The seats amazingly comfortable, and the passing power far above average for a car of that class.
There HAS to be a lot of agreement on this car. It is far and away the best selling SUV in a my area. Too common is it's only real draw back. Hard to find mine in a parking lot full of so many of them.
Cathy, Pick ups are cool, but sadly, where I live, there are covenents that forbid them in most neighborhoods. My wife's Durango sort of gets around that ridiculous rule.
Besides, they don't fit into most garages. And I don't have that much in the way of bailed hay to transport. I sometimes do need a pickup, but it is so cheap to rent one from Enterprise for those few occassions it seems silly to buy one. I can get the Crew Cab F150 for something like $60 a day. Got all the stuff I could ever use at Home Depot into it, and just return the thing.
Pickups are definitely cheap to buy, but expensive to insure. Not a factor when renting one.
Peace,
RSGreat Car...Dealerships don't seem to have any in stock to even test drive. I have driven my friends G35 sedan, and it is really nice. But I do prefer a coupe.
I don't see how you can compare the 3000 GT to the G35. To me they are very dissimilar. Except for the VR4, the 3000GT is a front wheel drive car, so not a true "sports car". Also, Mitsubishi quality doesn't compare to Infinity (or Nissan. which is what Infinity really is). As a matter of fact, Mitsubishi is, to me, really a "truck" manufacturer. Not an automobile company. (Their cars are really Dodges to me). Sort of like Isuzu. No more passenger cars at all. Having said this, I did buy an Eclipse when they first came out (1990 turbo). It was fast and fun, and cool looking at the time. It was black, and I called it the "Bat Mobile". But it fell apart after about 3 years. Everything went wrong at once. Also, like the 3000, it was front wheel drive, and while it was very fast (for it's day), it did not handle too well. I realize that driving a front wheel drive car is a different "art", I guess I just never mastered it.
Went to look at the G35 coupe about 2 weeks ago. They had one that was being prepped for delivery. So I couldn't drive it. The weird thing was the owner had traded in an almost brand new Z350. Guess he really wanted a back "jump" seat. The Z definitely looked cooler on the outside. Inside was more luxurious on the G. And the G is a bit bigger and heavier.
A convertible G would seem to fit all my ideals. But there seems to be no plans for one. Z convertible due out soon.
Anyway, good luck with your G coupe. Beautiful car, and judging by having driven the G 35 sedan, it must be really fun to drive.
Peace,
RS