Joey's Next Car Thead: Test Drives

[Joey D]

Ya a lowered car would get destroyed in Michigan, my Blazer saw that but it was dropped 7".

Honestly whatever vehicle I end up with won't have much done to it, maybe a nice set of wheels and tire (or just tires if the OEM wheels are nice) and not much else. I'm getting to the point in my life where I want to drive something nice instead of modding it up. I just love StanceWork'ed VW's but I know I could resist.

Hopefully I have some time Saturday morning to go do a couple test drives.

 

[Kryz11]

How about S600 bi Trubo, about 500+HP with 600 torque... You wont go back to a mini again. 2006 for 34k USD with low milage. You live once, get something good for yourself

 

[Eric.]

I'm good on the 1 series, I think it's hideous and it's not terribly useful as you can fit approximately nothing in it. I would like a 3-series but that's out of my price range for the time being. Maybe in a few more years.

Not buying a brand new $35k FWD car every three years would help a long ways towards buying that 3 series.

 

[Azuremen]

Your current list is full of fail cars.

Just keep your Mini, it is fine (61k miles is nothing on a car) and will be fine for another 5 years, even with how much you drive.

Instead of buying a new car (a general waste of money since depreciation takes effect so quickly), perhaps you can just save for that 3 series, or even pick up an older one to work on as a project while you continue to daily the Mini.

 

[Kryz11]

Exactly what Azuremen mentioned.

Buying a brand new car just to sell it after 3 years is waist of money.

If you wanna buy every 3 years either lease or buy used. YOu will be amazed how many nice German Luxury cars you can buy for 35k USD with Low mileage one owner cars that look like new..

Example... NO offense.
When you buy NEW.
Oh wow, Look I bought a brand new Toyota Avalon for 35 thousand nicely equipped.
or
Oh wow I just bought a brand new Mini cooper nicely equipped for 28k.
Nothing really special going on here.. ok so lets move on

Now if you buy used
A freaking S class!!!
or CLK55 AMG
A BMW M5
Maybe a super luxurious Lexus fully loaded to the teeth.
oh maybe a Land Rover?
Pretty much cars that will turn heads and you riding in class.
With Used market options are more .. well better.. Some cars still come with worrenty, but like you will ever use it since most are only few years old, and you only seem to switch every 3-5 years anyways.


For me if I ever buy a brand new car would have to be below 20 k mark. But for 35k I would right away buy a S class.

 

[McLaren]

Example... NO offense.
When you buy NEW.
Oh wow, Look I bought a brand new Toyota Avalon for 35 thousand nicely equipped.
or
Oh wow I just bought a brand new Mini cooper nicely equipped for 28k.
Nothing really special going on here.. ok so lets move on

Now if you buy used
A freaking S class!!!
or CLK55 AMG
A BMW M5
Maybe a super luxurious Lexus fully loaded to the teeth.
oh maybe a Land Rover?
Pretty much cars that will turn heads and you riding in class.
With Used market options are more .. well better.. Some cars still come with worrenty, but like you will ever use it since most are only few years old, and you only seem to switch every 3-5 years anyways.

This is a ridiculous argument. Being "better" will highly depend on each individual car. You can't just label every used M5 together & the chances of them being an overall better car than a new Toyota Avalon are slim to none.

 

[Joey D]

A used car means you are buying someone else's problems. It doesn't matter if those problems are big or small, they are still someone else's problems that they could have easily have caused. About the only vehicle I would consider used is a Land Rover LR3 and I know that's stupid.

I don't need or desire a sports car. I'm looking for something that nice, good on gas, that I can have some fun with and that I can pack up and do a 1,000 mile road trip in.

And for the love of god I don't want a project car.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

...Did America get the John Cooper Works MINI?

Other than that I don't really have any other suggestions.

 

[hemisport15]

Joey, if you were able to resist the modding bug on a mini...

You can definitely resist doing it to the VW. And remember, sometimes just a subtle drop on springs with a nice set of wheels can look amazing too.
Case in point right here...http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/vortex_news/article_2779.shtml

 

[Joey D]

Yes we got the JCW MINI, it's way to expensive for what you get though.

The more I read up on the GTI the more I'm falling for it. It looks good, is very practical in 5 door trim, and looks to be great fun. I wouldn't drop it but getting wheels would be a for sure. Although I love the OEM wheels.

 

[socomplayer2]

Yes we got the JCW MINI, it's way to expensive for what you get though.

The more I read up on the GTI the more I'm falling for it. It looks good, is very practical in 5 door trim, and looks to be great fun. I wouldn't drop it but getting wheels would be a for sure. Although I love the OEM wheels.

Yes, cross over to the dark side.

 

[YSSMAN]

Similar interests, a little larger price range...

I think you and I pretty much agree that the Countryman S would be just about perfect. I myself would lean more towards the Nissan Juke SV in a direct comparison, but knowing that I've seen neither, it isn't a reasonable call to make.

I feel like the Honda Accord Coupe is a reasonable choice, but I'd only want to grab one in EV-V6 6MT form, and as I understand it, those are pretty hard to come by. Fortunately or unfortunately, there really aren't any direct competitors to it. The Altima Coupe is okay, but I feel like without a V6, they're fairly pointless... And at that price, you may as well be getting a 370Z. The only other "coupe" I can think of in that segment that is worth a look is the Passat CC, but that may be a bit too big for what you want. Still, a CC with the 2.0T and DSG would be a helluva lot of fun.

The American Contingent

I'd probably be willing to wait for a Ford Focus Titanium Sport early next year. Leather, MyTouch, other gizmos, plus a slightly detuned suspension/tire option from the ST. I understand it won't command a large price over the Titanium as it is, and you should be able to get it with the Dual-Clutch gearbox as well. As far as the bigger cars go, you could save your pennies for a Taurus SHO, but that is on the extreme high end of your budget. Leftover '10 models could go for cheap, assuming that there are any to begin with.

Over at GM, your choices narrow further. Knowing how you and I think about cars, we're still a ways out before the cooler cars are here. That being said, the Buick Regal is actually quite the car, and is a bit cheaper than what I thought it would be. I'd probably look into the CXL Turbo myself, although waiting for the GS Turbo (essentially the same thing as the Vauxhall Insignia VXR/Opel Astra OPC) would be a best-bet. What I like most about it is that it doesn't stand out too much, has the capability of doing great things, but is a comfortable sedan otherwise. James May loved the damn thing. That has to mean something.

At Chrysler? Meh. Just wait for the Fiats and Alfa Romeos to show up. The 500 is supposed to be awesome, and Dodge is supposed to carry some version of the Guietta for 2012.

 

[Eric.]

A used car means you are buying someone else's problems. It doesn't matter if those problems are big or small, they are still someone else's problems that they could have easily have caused. About the only vehicle I would consider used is a Land Rover LR3 and I know that's stupid.

Look at who buys brand new BMWs. They're going to be 30+ and buying the car because of the image it gives them. They aren't going to be out hooning them every day and making them be all ragged out a couple years later when they're ready to get the facelifted model so they don't appear outdated and middle-class. Or, they're going to be coming off-lease and the same things apply.


I hope you like the service advisor at the VW dealer, anyway. The GTI will be there multiple times, when your problems are your problems.

 

[Tornado]

As far as the bigger cars go, you could save your pennies for a Taurus SHO, but that is on the extreme high end of your budget. Leftover '10 models could go for cheap, assuming that there are any to begin with.

As amazingly nice as the Taurus SHO is, I'm unsure if Joey would seriously consider going from his Mini to the XBOX HUEG Taurus.

 

[Joey D]

I can't imagine a VW would have any more problems then a BMW, and according to Consumer Reports, BMW's record more problems then VW's. When you shove more electronic crap into cars there is more to go wrong. MINI's are far from exempt on the whole reliability thing too and just because mine hasn't had too many issue (knock on wood) doesn't mean a lot of people haven't been so lucky.

I am not buying a used BMW, it's either going to have been driven by a d-bag who thrashed on it or some young trophy wife who bumped into everything under the sun with it. Those are really the only two types of people that own BMW's in southeast Michigan.

Taurus SHO: It's OMG HUGENORMOUS!!! which is my issue with it. Great car though.

Buick Regal: I like the car quite a bit, but it's still a Buick and I would have to endure everyone under the sun calling me old. I don't want to deal with that. Now if Chevy offered the same car I would probably consider it since I do get the GM employee discount, but then again I think everyone in southeast Michigan does.

I honestly wish Chevy's offering were good, I could get something cheap and awesome, all while not having to worry about some pissed off UAW guy egging my car. Sadly though the cars are pretty meh from GM right now, if the Volt was cheaper I might even consider the dark side...dun dun dunnnnnnn!!!

Chrysler Alfa's: They will look gorgeous but an Italian car built by Chrysler? That car will explode driving off the dealer's lot.

 

[Azuremen]

I can't imagine a VW would have any more problems then a BMW, and according to Consumer Reports, BMW's record more problems then VW's. When you shove more electronic crap into cars there is more to go wrong. MINI's are far from exempt on the whole reliability thing too and just because mine hasn't had too many issue (knock on wood) doesn't mean a lot of people haven't been so lucky.

Talk to anyone here that has owned a GTi. Philly can give you some good stories.

I am not buying a used BMW, it's either going to have been driven by a d-bag who thrashed on it or some young trophy wife who bumped into everything under the sun with it. Those are really the only two types of people that own BMW's in southeast Michigan.

Ignorance is bliss eh?

You are, at the moment, falling into a category of car shopper that is just, well, not very car guy like. Consumer Reports is okay, but just blanketing assumptions over an owner base is hilarious. It will be pretty obvious if someone bumped their car into everything, and likewise on how its been driven (check the should on the tires, pretty easy tell).

Or you can resign yourself to trading laterally for basically an equivalent replacement to what you have now.

 

[Jim Prower]

I say just keep the MINI another 7-10 years, and put the money into making it the car you really want it to be, if you absolutely HAVE to spend it.

Or save up and buy a nice house.

 

[Joey D]

The car won't last 7 years, driving it that long at the same rate I'm at now would put it over 200k miles. I do not think the MINI's are built to a degree that will make them last that long. Plus the car is right about where I want it, other then have crappy tires everything on the car is good for me. Any more mods and I start getting into the problem of having issues.

And the house money is already set aside and budgeted for.

 

[Jim Prower]

okay. Just wondering. you do drive a lot, though, if you can put 200K miles in such little time.

 

[Joey D]

I drive over 20,000 miles per year, and I'm probably on track to do 22,000 this year alone. If I drove like a normal person and only did 7,000-10,000 a year I'd be ok.

 

[McLaren]

I drive over 20,000 miles per year, and I'm probably on track to do 22,000 this year alone. If I drove like a normal person and only did 7,000-10,000 a year I'd be ok.

I have to say this is a rather good reason to probably stay away from BMWs.

While I'm not saying they can't take the abuse, that kind of driving is going to end up with them in the service depot more than usual, meaning more change out of your pocket.

 

[Joey D]

Ya I have to imagine a real BMW is more expensive to service then a MINI and my car is already stupidly expensive. Just the other day when I got my service done, I needed an alignment. Now on any other car you just go to the corner service centre, pay $40 and your car is aligned...but no a Cooper needs a special four wheel alignment with special keys that can only be done at the dealership. The cost? $230.

 

[Cale]

I think a very lightly used 3.0R would be fantastic.

What about a Fusion sport?

 

[YSSMAN]

I honestly wish Chevy's offering were good, I could get something cheap and awesome, all while not having to worry about some pissed off UAW guy egging my car. Sadly though the cars are pretty meh from GM right now, if the Volt was cheaper I might even consider the dark side...dun dun dunnnnnnn!!!

I could recommend a Cruze RS here, but I'm not sure of how good/bad they are. We just started getting them here in Grand Rapids, I may stop to look at one tomorrow afternoon. Otherwise, I'm severely disappointed in the overall landscape at GM right now. We've got a long while until anything remotely exciting is out. They announced the Cadillac ATS production is going to start soon, but we're still a while out. The Aveo (or whatever they'll call it) is still floating in a cloud of 'meh.' We still have no idea if they'll do a G8 turned Chevrolet.

Crap. It's hard being a GM fan these days.

 

[McLaren]

Ya I have to imagine a real BMW is more expensive to service then a MINI and my car is already stupidly expensive. Just the other day when I got my service done, I needed an alignment. Now on any other car you just go to the corner service centre, pay $40 and your car is aligned...but no a Cooper needs a special four wheel alignment with special keys that can only be done at the dealership. The cost? $230.

Well, I see Mini has had no problem adopting BMW's service fees then.

 

[homeforsummer]

I'm guessing you guys didn't get BMW's special service package for the MINI we got over here? When you buy new over here you can pay £100 and it covers the first five years worth of services. I don't even think it's mileage limited.