Help me buy a new car (and what about cars and gender?)

[-ooO-(GoldTrade]

Error 404> Mid engine, cars are few and far between. The MR2 is one, but from what I hear very underpowered.<

Maybe the first year was low powered, you can really turn some laps in an MR2 now. The thing is transverse motored middies do not seem to be going as fast because the rotation of the motor counteracts the lift of the front end on acceleration.

You got that. The motor keeps the front from rising. The car stays level, unexciting. But it does show up on a stopwatch.

Error 404> And very small. <

Good point, there are very few middies left under $30,000.00. You are fortunate to have been able to live with one for a while.

Error 404> I met him...he is VERY tall<

His mom owns a house here on Maui. When I met him at the film festival last year he did not seem to be much taller than me. As far as the Mini goes, you do have a case because they had to make modifications for the girl’s car in the Italian job.

Error 404> What are other affordable mid-engine cars?<

None!

Error 404> I had a 914 a (very) long time ago. It was a true mid engine car. <

914

Me to. Drove it coast to coast then island hopping in Hawaii.

Error 404> I went into a spin when I hit a patch of sand. It caused me to go off the road and down an embankment and onto a frozen river. <

Same thing happened to me in a Fiero. I was teaching a teenager to drive.

Put us into a skid on sand over a cliff. She would not take her foot off the breaks until the last second.

Error 404> Things could have been much worse. The river could have been NOT frozen, or I could have done the same thing a mile or two farther up the mountain and gone off and over a big cliff to a sure death. <

Some one went off a few hundred feet “farther up the mountain,” from us, a few days later no survivors.

Now here is the thing, in our case if we had been in an SUV . We would have been goners. Do you think you would have survived if you had been in an SUV?

Your life, your wife! SUV rollover deaths!

It’s not just that SUV’s roll over so easy, its that so many SUV passengers end in death.

Error 404> I would definitely prefer all wheel drive.<

Consumer Guide’s Auto Editors

Question
Can you tell me how the new AWD feature affects its overall performance and safety?
-- Adrienne

The AWD feature works by sending power to the rear wheels when the front wheels start slipping. There is no switch for the driver to activate and AWD is on all the time. It can help acceleration in snow and rain and is for use in light duty off-road situations (grass, gravel roads) only. If you live very far north (Minnesota, North Dakota, etc.), or use the vehicle to camp, or live off a gravel road, the AWD system makes sense. For city use, the system is really not necessary. AWD adds weight to the vehicle that will hurt acceleration, towing capacity, and fuel economy. Some people insist that AWD vehicles handle better in the snow or rain, this is simply not true. The fact is they have the ability to accelerate more quickly and are less prone to get stuck. In many cases, this only gives drivers a false sense of confidence and they end up putting their SUV or AWD minivan in the ditch or sliding through intersections because they are unable to stop as quickly as they started.

Error 404> That accident would probably not have happened with AWD. <

In my case, the middie saved our lives. It would have taken anti-lock breaks to keep us from going off the cliff. If the car had rolled, we would have bought it big time. Middies spin, the seldom roll.

Error 404> I also had one of the original RX-7 Mazda’s. It was billed as a "mid engine" car also. Even though the motor was in the front, they called it "mid engine" because the engine was mounted behind the front axle.<

Middie became generic for great handling. All racing cars have mid-engines unless forbidden by the rules.

Error 404> I could never tell anything about the balance of the car. Seemed quite normal to Me.<

That’s the whole point of a middie, totally neutral handling.

Error 404> Maybe if I had gone into a spin in that car too, I would have noticed the difference. (BTW, I LOVED that car!). <

Parking lot, late at night, heavy rain is fun, fun, fun! The RX-7 took over the mantel left buy the MGB and now held by the Miata .

Error 404> The Porsche C4 (or whatever it is now called) is the ideal sports car.<

List of ten best sports cars, take your pick.

1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1992 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1993 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1994 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1995 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1996 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1997 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
2000 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
2001 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
2002 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD
2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe AWD

Error 404> some cars you just want while they are under warranty.<

There are no old Porsches. Only new owners.

That was my point; you can now get high-end pre-owned cars with full warranty. Check on it.

Error 404> I figure if I can't afford it new, I probably can't afford it used. <

Do not assume. Check it out.

Error 404> I had to buy a wheel<

It is cheaper to buy the whole car than it is trying to find parts.

Error 404> The Cayenne is very nice, <

Ok. Would you rather make a 60mph J turn driving a Middie or an SUV?

Any SUV.

 

[Error 404]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:


RS,

The new caddy CLX(?) sports car with the auto hardtop looks totally awesome. I'm guessing you're their target market.

Yeah, they probably had me in mind when they designed it. But they also probably thought a guy my age would be finished supporting 3 kids

The Corvettes I had were a used '70 that was just not a smart purchase for me at the time...impulsive. It had been driven too hard. The new one I had was a '79. It was just OK..a LOT slower than the '70, and the T-tops rattled so much it was intolarable. They tried a number of times to adjust them, put new rubber on them, everything....for some reason they never could get it right

My dad had a 1960 Corvette when I was too young to drive it. It was, to me, the coolest looking Corvette ever (maybe "cause I couldn't drive it).

If I drove a a Camaro or Firebird I would have to take a lot of shit from my spoiled bratty step daughter.

Peace,
RS

 

[vulture]

Clint Eastwood was rumored to be 6-4...But that was in his prime...Considering he is around 70, he has probably shrunk 2 inches...

 

[Error 404]

Quote from -ooO-(GoldTrade:



Do you think you would have survived if you had been in an SUV?

Any SUV.

Well, I never would have been going that fast in an SUV...so the accident probably never would have occured.


Great post though. I will definitely check out some of those used C-4s

Thanks,
RS

 

[AAAintheBeltway]

RS,

Those '70's vintage C3 'vettes were an embarrassment. They sucked so bad they almost killed the name. Mine was a C4 and totally solid, no rattles at all. They ditched those T-tops. I hear you about the Z28, same deal with my wife. Probably a little easier to deal with a wife than a step daughter however.

I have never understood the Porsche thing. Their cars over the years have been divided into two classes, underpowered or overpriced. For the cost of a C4, you can have a vette and an suv. To me they are butt ugly as well. I know a dealer service manager and he told me the boxsters were total POS. In the shop constantly. And they sound like a weed whacker. I will give them credit for marketing however. They have convinced the brand conscious that they are the ultimate driving experience. BFD, who's going to go out and hotrod a $90k car? Not me.

For me, the ideal car is a v-8, rear wheel drive, preferably convert but with enough room for a couple of golf bags ( hint, the Z-3 had room for a golf towel at best), not too big but not too small either and cheap enough that you don't worry about it. Older SL500's fit but seem like divorcee's cars to me, corvette is awfully big, kinda ugly and too much technology, Z28 is ugly and cheap inside, mustang is '70's platform and cheesy inside, Seville ST is ok but not my thing.

I'm getting depressed. I think I'll just fix the Blazer and continue to annoy the neighbors by parking it out front, right next to their CLK480.

 

[maxpi]

Quote from Error 404:




But they always have looked nice and been fun to drive. No denying that. But they also have the worst quality rating of any American cars. Just too old a design. The "neglected poor relations" of the GM family.

Peace,
RS

Peace for sure.

Depends on what you call quality, the 30 day JD Powers thing doesn't mean a lot to me. My Camaro has 262,000 miles on it, no squeaks, no rattles, tight as a drum. It is only worth about $1500 so I don't do the maintenance like I could, but it is still a fun and quality ride. The "feel" is just beyond description. GM does a lot of things better than others, check out how the steering wheel feels in your hands for example, pure feng-shue massage, those cheap little thin hard plastic steering wheels lots of cars have just don't do it. I had the car sideways passing a Chrysler in a turn the other day, not out of control for a millisec. I can do things in that car I would not dream of doing in my wife's Tbird. Cars are just a very personal experience. My experience with looking for the best car via research and then actually test driving them has shown me that the test drive is worth 100 times all the research you can do.

Max

 

[Error 404]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

I'm getting depressed. I think I'll just fix the Blazer and continue to annoy the neighbors by parking it out front, right next to their CLK480.

I KNEW you and I thought alike...(except for politics).

Great Idea. I should get a pick up truck just to annoy my neighbors (but the covenants won't permit it). Maybe a Pinto or even better, an AMC Gremlin just for the "parking effect".

There are so many Porsches in my development, even if I loved them, I would not want to be one of the sheep. (I do like the car, but I don't want to be THAT Boca).

And yeah, I agree about the Boxster. I am sure it is fun to drive and all, and it is not a bad looking car. But for the money....well it seems like it is pound for pound about the least you can buy for your dollar today.

I am not a big fan of the new Corvette, but there is a lot more car for the money compared to the Boxster. Shows what kind of premium "image" can sell for. They are pretty close in price.

I suppose I will just suffer from "buyers frustration" until I pull the trigger on something (I have until the end of the month...longer if I want to continue to drive my son's Civic, but it's already over the allowed mileage (the lease doesn't end until the end of August, but when he leaves for the Navy, it will be worth me eating the two months payments to get something I can be comfortable in, and that doesn't smell like a Big Mac with fries).

Probably my best solution is to let Nitro help make my decision for me. When he gets his Hummer convertible, and his Ferrari Enzo, he can evaluate them both for me, and at least eliminate one of them from my vast choices.

I will eliminate the other on my own.

Peace,
RS

 

[Error 404]

Quote from vulture:

Clint Eastwood was rumored to be 6-4...But that was in his prime...Considering he is around 70, he has probably shrunk 2 inches...

I literally bumbed into him in a ski shop in Aspen. It was the late 70's. Maybe he has shrunk (most of us do by that age), but at the time he seemed very tall to me. And I am a bit over 6 feet.

Vulture,,,,you getting ready for our FFL draft? Scouting out the summer camps?

Peace,
RS

 

[dotslashfuture]

Quote from Error 404:



Nice... would your wife let you drive it??





Totally disagree with this....A nice car is just that.

Maybe someone that buys an expensive car to get noticed is trying to "prop up their self esteem", but someone who just wants a car because it is fun to drive, and/or a quality vehicle just wants to get something they enjoy. And something that will be relatively trouble free.

30K is just not a lot of money (unfortunately) in today's car market.

Surprised to hear this from you dotslash....doesn't seem to go with your politics

Peace,
RS

I drive a GM car that I paid cash for. Its neither more nor less than I need or can afford. I drive it to the country club on weekends and nobody stares, no reaction good or bad.

my politics are a strange hybrid. I do not like strange hybrid cars however, they are ugly and don't do any one thing the best. Sure you could probably eat dinner with a swiss army knife, but give me a knife and a fork please.

 

[dotslashfuture]

as for cameros, they made them basically unchanged for so long that they finally got them right, then they decided to stop making them.

I have no doubt that a 2002 camero z28 convertible would be an excellent car for florida, as long as all your friends don't drive porche's and you must make amends.