SVT Focus replacement

[SVT666]

[2o6]

500 Abarth

[SVT666]

I mentioned a Mustang to my wife the other night and she nearly flipped out.  She made some good points.  Even I had to concede that she was right.  My son is only 2 and a half and is already 3'3" tall (growth charts say 6'5" as an adult) and my daughter is 3'10" tall and she's only 5 (growth charts say 6'0" as an adult).  The back seat of my Focus is bigger than a Mustang's and they will probably be screaming for more room in a couple years in the Focus.

A Mustang likely will not make it into my garage for awhile unless I come into some money.  These cars are worthy replacements.  I already know my order of preference, but I wanted to see what you guys say.

[The Pirate]

Hmm, I do love the G8.  But I've a feeling that it's going to be very tough to get parts for that car in a few years.  AFAIK, it and the GTO (and maybe the Catera) were the only cars on that platform sold here, so stuff is not readily available and can be pricey.  That would be worth looking into.

You looking for automatic or manual?

Having not driven any of those cars, I'd probably go for one of the BMWs if the parts situation on the G8 wasn't to my liking.  Certainly more room for kids and kid stuff in the 5er, and I love me a V8 noise...

BTW, both of the Bimmer pics show a 5-series.

I'll put my vote down for the G8 for now.

[Onslaught]

Well I'm a fan of the G37 sport. I was really looking hard at one when buying a new car last year.

[2o6]

Hmm, I do love the G8.  But I've a feeling that it's going to be very tough to get parts for that car in a few years.  AFAIK, it and the GTO (and maybe the Catera) were the only cars on that platform sold here, so stuff is not readily available and can be pricey.  That would be worth looking into.

Camaro.

[The Pirate]

Camaro.

No shit?!

Well, it's GM.  They'll cancel the Camaro in a year or so.

[2o6]

No shit?!

Well, it's GM.  They'll cancel the Camaro in a year or so.

It's huge reason why it has such a large weight problem; making a platform meant for large sedans into one for small-ish coupes will come with some compromises.

[Rupert]

Bah! Make the kids walk!

[Cookie Monster]

I would go GXP, then G37.

[SVT666]

Hmm, I do love the G8.  But I've a feeling that it's going to be very tough to get parts for that car in a few years.  AFAIK, it and the GTO (and maybe the Catera) were the only cars on that platform sold here, so stuff is not readily available and can be pricey.  That would be worth looking into.

You looking for automatic or manual?

Having not driven any of those cars, I'd probably go for one of the BMWs if the parts situation on the G8 wasn't to my liking.  Certainly more room for kids and kid stuff in the 5er, and I love me a V8 noise...

BTW, both of the Bimmer pics show a 5-series.

I'll put my vote down for the G8 for now.

Sorry.  That was supposed to read 535i not 335i.

[Xer0]

I would go with either the G37 or the 535.  Good luck finding a GXP pretty much anywhere and I don't think the 550 has anything on the 535 while costing and drinking far more.  Maybe also look into a similar vintage CTS and a newer Charger?

[CJ]

I would go with the 550i, truth be told.  I love the sound of the V8.

[the Teuton]

The Bimmer is going to be expensive as fuck to maintain. I'd go with the Infiniti followed by the Pontiac if it isn't in a sky high collectible price bracket.

[SVT666]

The Bimmer is going to be expensive as fuck to maintain. I'd go with the Infiniti followed by the Pontiac if it isn't in a sky high collectible price bracket.

Explain to me why it would be so expensive to maintain.

[Submariner]

Explain to me why it would be so expensive to maintain.

It's a BMW.

If it's out of warranty, watch out. 

[the Teuton]

Explain to me why it would be so expensive to maintain.

Labor at the dealer is around $100/hr. They have chips in the keys for keeping service records. You can't change your own goddamn oil...it has enough electronics to go wrong in it, especially with a second gen iDrive...or first gen, recently recalled turbo engine...Dave's is relatively technology-less with the NA I6 and RWD and the non-upgraded iDrive. Anything else will be older technology by the time you get it, relatively speaking, and technology rarely ages well. I guess a $1,300 iDrive replacement just sticks out in my head from work. Or power steering failures...well, those are the two biggest problems I remember.

...It's a disaster waiting to happen without a warranty or proper service background.

[ifcar]

I voted G37 before reading your post about the kids' heights. I think you'll be in a position to appreciate the plus-size room of the G8 over the decidedly compact G37 and snug-midsize 5-Series.

[r0tor]

The Bimmer is going to be expensive as fuck to maintain. I'd go with the Infiniti followed by the Pontiac if it isn't in a sky high collectible price bracket.

$1k to replace the alternate in a friends M3 (e46)

[68_427]

G8 or G37. 


Consumer reports gives it excellent reliability ratings.      (G37)

[omicron]

Hmm, I do love the G8.  But I've a feeling that it's going to be very tough to get parts for that car in a few years.  AFAIK, it and the GTO (and maybe the Catera) were the only cars on that platform sold here, so stuff is not readily available and can be pricey.  That would be worth looking into.

You looking for automatic or manual?

Having not driven any of those cars, I'd probably go for one of the BMWs if the parts situation on the G8 wasn't to my liking.  Certainly more room for kids and kid stuff in the 5er, and I love me a V8 noise...

BTW, both of the Bimmer pics show a 5-series.

I'll put my vote down for the G8 for now.

'

Parts for the G8 shouldn't be an issue - the VE Commodore is easily the most popular vehicle sold in Australia (and will be supported through the factory for many, many years into the future); powertrain components are common to both here and the US; and practically every dealership in the country can access the full range of Holden parts. eBay is your friend, my child.

[GoCougs]

I think you'd find a GXP likely too harsh for an everyday family hauler.

As alternatives (RWD, V8, American) I'd suggest the G8 GT, 300C or Charger. Even SHO in 2-3 years will be pretty cheap.

[SVT666]

I think you'd find a GXP likely too harsh for an everyday family hauler.

As alternatives (RWD, V8, American) I'd suggest the G8 GT, 300C or Charger. Even SHO in 2-3 years will be pretty cheap.

My Focus is pretty tight.  I even have a solid engine mount in it that produces a lot more vibrations.  I'm not worried about a car being too harsh.  The G8 GT I drove was pretty smooth and I can't see the GXP being any harsher than my Focus.  The G8 GT will only be considered in place of the GXP if the prices of the GXP are too high due to their small numbers.

[SVT666]

Labor at the dealer is around $100/hr. They have chips in the keys for keeping service records. You can't change your own goddamn oil...it has enough electronics to go wrong in it, especially with a second gen iDrive...or first gen, recently recalled turbo engine...Dave's is relatively technology-less with the NA I6 and RWD and the non-upgraded iDrive. Anything else will be older technology by the time you get it, relatively speaking, and technology rarely ages well. I guess a $1,300 iDrive replacement just sticks out in my head from work. Or power steering failures...well, those are the two biggest problems I remember.

...It's a disaster waiting to happen without a warranty or proper service background.

Labour at the Ford dealer is $105 an hour, so I don't see the problem there.  The oil thing does bother me but Bimmers only get oil changes every 15,000 miles which is roughly 1 a year.  How much does an oil change cost?  How common is an iDrive failure, or power steering failure?  Sure they might be the most common things to go wrong, but how often does it really happen?  The way you talk about it, you would think that BMWs are the most failure prone vehicles on the market and that the car will always be in the shop. 

[GoCougs]

I agree - buying an out-of-warranty 5-series, especially a turbo model or loaded-up V8, is a recipe for financial disaster.

[sportyaccordy]

What are the parameters of usage? Is this a daily driver?

Of the choices... I'd go G37 or G8. Of all the options out there, based on what you chose, I'd consider an LGT manual (BOOST!!!) as well.

[SVT666]

What are the parameters of usage? Is this a daily driver?

Of the choices... I'd go G37 or G8. Of all the options out there, based on what you chose, I'd consider an LGT manual (BOOST!!!) as well.

My preferences are (in order):

1. RWD
2. 4 door
3. Room for tall children
4. V8

[Raza]

Unfortunately, the G8 fits your criteria best.  But I'd hesitate to buy a car with that flimsy an interior from a company that doesn't exist anymore. 

[FoMoJo]

All nice cars.

I've seen quite a number of G8s in my town since GM was giving early retirement packages to older employees that included a huge car purchase bonus (up to $30+).  A few bought pick-ups, a few bought Cadillacs and a whole bunch of them bought G8s.  Although I'm a Ford guy I really like them as there is something about them that is eye-catching.  They have a real nice stance compared to most GMs and are basically a good handling hotrod.  A few of the golf members own them and I've asked how they liked them.  They all say they love them.  I'd go with that.

[SVT666]

Unfortunately, the G8 fits your criteria best.  But I'd hesitate to buy a car with that flimsy an interior from a company that doesn't exist anymore. 

I'm not worried about parts since it uses the same powertrain as every other V8 GM car.  The interior is crap though.