“Dear thetruthaboutcars.com, I am asking your advice on what type of car would suit me best. I am a high school student who is the not-so-proud owner of a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire. I recently took a ride in my neighbor’s Acura RSX and was impressed with the overall quality of the car, especially the interior and the car’s performance in general. It looked like my neighbor had so much fun, flawlessly shifting through the gears. I was amazed at how superior this car was to my low-quality Sunfire. I came to the conclusion that the RSX would be a perfect car for me because of it’s high quality ,small size, and because of how much fun it looked to be behind it’s wheel. When I go off to college and have the money, I plan on buying a better car for myself. Is there any car out there that is similar to the RSX that matches it in quality, size, and performance that I can look into? Any advise is appreciated.”
What’s been going through my head is 2 trade-offs: Cayman S with or without PDK (with Chrono Plus either way) and BMW M3 Coupe with or without DKG. Beyond the obvious (cost but better 0-60 for PDK/DKG vs. more driving experience on a stick…), what are folks taking into consideration when making that trade-off? Would love to hear people opinions…
Commentator stephada picked PDK when he recently bought a Carrera, but our man Shoemaker was disappointed by the system. Twice. Lack of consensus? Whatever shall we do? More importantly, what say y’all?
If you’ve been following my travails on a new car, you already know that GM won’t extend my lease or sell me my Saab anywhere near a realistic market price. That ticked me off. So I was forced to seek out a new car. Looked at the BMW 328i Coupe and the Infiniti G37. Neither car was making my day. There are very few Bimmers with manuals (unless I wanted a stripped black sedan—price leaders for the dealers) and the Infiniti simply lacks soul.
Our own Ken Elias (who predicts a May 29 filing for The General) is torn between two motors, feeling like a fool. Loving a BMW is breaking all his rules. The man puts about 12k on the odo per year, and claims he only drives fast on rare occasions [when it is safe to do so or Jack Baruth is in the car]. Obviously, Ken should have read one of our TWO BMW vs. Infiniti comparos, but didn’t. So here we go again. Which car do you think our TTAC vet should lease? Feel free to grill him for more info.
OK, GMAC won’t play ball on extending the lease on my Saab or offer me a price closer to wholesale. In fact, they’ll only extend one month or up to 90 days IF I have a new GM car on order. So I’m looking at a BMW 328i Coupe w/ manual or an Infiniti G37 Journey w/ Sport Pkg. The Infiniti is likely to a bit cheaper to lease by ~$100/month, but it’s an automatic and drinks more gas. I think Bimmer owners are [adjective redacted], but it’s a pretty good ride. Both cars are fun to drive, but I want to give up anything for the pleasure. Advice?
I hope I’m not changing the subject too much, but there’s one thing that’s really bugged me about TTAC: your dislike of “Maximum Bob” Lutz. I may have read too many buff books, but I’ve always instinctively liked the guy.
I can’t help but notice that Chrysler had a pretty good car lineup when Bob jumped ship for GM. Once Bob was gone, their new car lineup disintegrated into the awfulness that has them in their current pathetic condition.
And likewise, once Bob started at GM, GM cars started getting a lot better, to the point where TTAC and other reviewers noticed.
Is Bob Lutz a great man or an out of touch domestic automaker drone? It seems to me that he’s pretty good at product development, or at least at convincing companies to approve better and more adventurous ideas already percolating.
I know he makes some outrageous comments but sometimes there’s a lot of truth to them, too.
More Janus-like indecision from a member of our Best and Brightest who’s torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool. “Jack” wants to buy American (whatever love is). And like many of us, he suffers from some sort of right brain/left brain; head/heart deal. So, he made a list:
Pros for the CTS-V
1. Helping out Joe Six Packs up there in Lansing and at all the parts companies across the country. I’m not a jingoist, but I’ve asked that Detroit build a car that’s competitive—and they have. And in a tie, I’m cheering for my fellow Americans.
2. The absolute best new car value for money in the over $50,000 category with respect to performance.
3. New car smell and complete control over the hoonage that I’d inflict on my car.
The point of the original Gumball Rally: cross the country in the fastest possible time without getting caught. While, at the same time, not killing anyone. It was a non-PC salute to Richard Nixon’s double-nickel speed limit. A political statement, of sorts. How in the world can you “recreate” this event with sponsorship, blogs, YouTube posting, and people without any political consciousness driving “arrest me” supercars that are 50 or more miles per hour faster than the original participants’ wheels (which included a converted ambulance)? Answer: easily enough, given the large number of magic feather missiles owned and occasionally operated by the rich and famous. I know: we’re giving these idiots the oxygen of publicity by even mentioning their pursuit of attention. But it’s time for TTAC Best and Brightest to rag or rave over this clear and present danger to public safety and auto enthusiasts’ image. If supercar owners want to do this sort of thing, they should either take it on the track or enter “open road racing” events. Ironically, sensibly, open road competitions consist of time trials on closed-off public highways: a safe place for over-testosteroned drivers to compete for something that benefits us all: a Darwin award.
A longtime member of our Best and Brightest is shopping for a new/used car. Yes, I know: shocking. But there you go. But ccd1 doesn’t know which way to jump. His query:
I am beginning to shop around for a car and have gotten the search down to two cars: RX-8 and a used Cayman. The top of the line RX-8 (Grand Touring or R3) is about the same money as a two-year-old Cayman. The upside of the RX-8 is that it has a back seat big enough for at least one normal sized adult. First year depreciation, however, is ugly ($7-8k). Depreciation would be better for the Cayman, but it lacks a back seat and maintenance on the Cayman would be far more costly than the Mazda. So the question is which one should I choose?
One of our commentators recently asked why the Lincoln Town Car got so much love. It’s an ancient body-on-frame machine that floats like a hippo and stings like a slug. I’m not sure this video answers that question, but I bet some of our Best and Brightest can.
You may recall that TTAC commentator stephada asked TTAC’s Best and Brightest whether he should buy a Porsche Carrera S or 4S. Decisions. Decisions. He sent us a heads-up on the process, and the result.
I decided to get the 4S. Greed is good, but gluttony is better, and no question: the way this thing handles is a sin. I test-drove both the S and 4S. Whereas the S has PSM step in from time to time to slow the pace and permit me to recover, the 4S has some kinda mind-meld between the AWD and the PSM, putting the driver in an otherworldly video-game reality of point-and-shoot driving: point wheels and mash the Go pedal. What an incredible machine. The mild-mannered driver becomes part of the car. A car-borg.
Don’t forget idle. Whether Bimmers, Audis or Lambos, V10s sound like the Four Hoarse Men of the Opera-calypse at full chat. But I’ve yet to hear one that sounded even vaguely stimulating at idle. (Remember the SRT-10 pickup?) On the other hand, the E39 BMW M5 V8. Or . . . what?
The Internet is a funny place both in the ha-ha and peculiar senses of the word. I’m always on the prowl for coffe-snorting PR irony: the discrepancy between spinmeisters’ all-too-realistic expectations of media complicity and my time-tested, hard-won, inherently non-commercial cynicism. As for the peculiar part of the program, I get emails along the lines of “Do you know where I can get a windscreen for my Chevy Trailblazer?” I answer them politely, referring the proto-TTAC fans to model specific forums or websites. A request came over the e-transom today that took me aback—to driving automotive oddballs like the Chrysler Pacifica, E55 AMG Wagon and minivans. So I thought I’d toss this one (geddit?) to our B&B to see if you could save me the postage. “Could you please provide a list of new four door sedans that have six passenger seating available by make and model? I have long legs and really like the extra legroom provided when the shift lever is placed on the steering column. I currently drive a 2008 Buick LaCrosse with six passenger seating. However, I’d like to consider all possible four door sedans for my next purchase. Thanks very much, XXXXX, Edmonds, Washington.”
OK, it’s pretty clear how this is going down . . . On June 1, GM will file for Chapter 11. The Presidential Task Force on Automobiles will help the company split into “good” GM and “bad” GM. The “good” GM will probably consist of Chevrolet and Cadillac, including the factories and management that produce some (all?) of the brands’ models. It will raise money from a public equity sale ($15 billion?) and investment banks ($10 billion?). It will use the money to buy the cherry-picked assets from the diseased company. The “good” GM will get up and running in a relatively short time; TTAC’s Ken Elias makes it 90 days or so. The owners of the “bad” GM—abandoned dealers, the United Auto Workers, suppliers, etc.—will squabble over their payouts into perpetuity. So, Ken and I have a bet. I say the PTFOA will direct that US taxpayers get a share of the new, good GM, as compensation for “our” $22.8 billion worth of worthless loans. Ken says Uncle Sam will write if off. Legally, Ken’s right: the feds can’t jump to the head of the creditors’ queue. But I say they will. What say you?
I listened with some outrage and frustration to an NPR interview with Chrysler’s “president” at the NY Auto Show this AM. It was a farrago (my apologies, Robert) of clueless questions. The interviewer didn’t have any command of the history or the facts of Chrysler’s descent into disgrace. He might as well have been interviewing The Wizard of Oz about his plans for conquering the Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys. (About the same reality level.) So here’s my question for TTAC’s Best and Brightest: what set of questions and/or facts should a reporter use when interviewing motor industry flacks and executives? The MSM needs to burn off the smoke and smash the mirrors. Let’s give them a hand.
My friend, DrDeco, just got rid of traded his ’06 300C SRT8 for an ’08 Mazdaspeed3. (Who says we have no influence?) He loves it for the most part but is being driven batty by numerous squeaks that seem to come from the dash down near the pedals and up around the defrost vent. Do any of you who have a Speed3 suffer from this problem or have suggestions as to what he can do to lessen the noise? Perhaps there is a TSB out that you know of that addresses this?
driven batty by numerous squeaks that seem to come from the dash down near the pedals and up around the defrost vent. Do any of you who have a Speed3 suffer from this problem or have suggestions as to what he can do to lessen the noise? Perhaps there is a TSB out that you know of that addresses this?
