Car Shopping: What should thewizard drive?

[68_427]

Like I said the Millenia if you can find one.

[thewizard16]

I think the ES would stay together better.



Just don't bring back a Kia Sephia.

What if I find a really sweet one with flame decals and a giant wing? I'm not sure I'll be able to resist...

[Eye of the Tiger]

Like I said the Millenia if you can find one.

lol miller cycle

[MX793]

lol miller cycle

I would totally get a "It's Miller Time" sticker and put it on the valve covers.

[thewizard16]

Like I said the Millenia if you can find one.

Apparently the 2.3L on those has a history of blowing seals and having a very expensive repair bill. The non supercharged option isn't very powerful or efficient, so I doubt I'd consider it. If I see one on a lot I'll give it a spin, but I'm not going to seek them out since they don't appear to be better in any way than the other options for the budget.

[Madman]

Cancel that trip to Dallas because I've just found your new car.  I've dedicated this week's Shed of the Week post to you!

http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=11546.msg1766633#msg1766633

[CJ]

Do you even know how unreliable those are? 

[Madman]

Do you even know how unreliable those are? 

Didn't you read the bit about reliability?  

[CJ]

I did and I simply don't buy it.  My cousin's '01 XJ has been hideously unreliable. 

[280Z Turbo]

Yeah, PVC is prone to cracking.  The plasticizer in the material gets driven off by heat and UV rays.  That's how you get that nasty fogging on the inside of your windshield sometime.  That's the plasticizer on the windshield basically.  As the car ages and the plasticizer leaves the material, it becomes more brittle and cracked and breaks like what you're describing.  Nature of the beast.

It's better than it used to be.

[thewizard16]

I did and I simply don't buy it.  My cousin's '01 XJ has been hideously unreliable. 

Yeah, there's a reason those cars are so cheap on the used market. Classy though.

[thewizard16]

Leave for Dallas in a few hours (should be asleep, damn last minute things). Wish me luck!

[CJ]

Leave for Dallas in a few hours (should be asleep, damn last minute things). Wish me luck!

Which cars will you be looking at?

[thewizard16]

Which cars will you be looking at?

ES300, GS 300 & 400/430, Audi A4, IS300, and a few assorted things are on the list. We'll see how it goes and what looks like the best car for the price.

[CJ]

Excellent.

[Raza]

Did a lot of car shopping today at a lot of different dealers and lots. Here are the impressions I came away with:

Toyota Camry SE (2004, V6): I only drove this car because it was blocking in the Maxima, but I was pleasantly surprised. The interior on this one wasn't anything special, but the 3.3L engine had strong power and the handling was shockingly good for a car that I know handles like a garbage barge in the LE or XLE form. The one I drove had excessively high miles, but it had held up far, far better than the Maxima and I think I'd actually consider one if the interior was a bit nicer and miles were lower. I highly doubt I'd end up buying one of these, but it drove pretty nicely and shows that the Camry can have a bit stiffer ride and handle acceptably if properly outfitted.

I've driven a 2004 Camry SE V6.  It handles like tranquilized marshmallows on a life raft.  It's fast, but it was terrible to drive.  I walked out of the dealer without discussing numbers (I was looking at this in 2004 when I went with the Passat). 

[TurboDan]

ES300, GS 300 & 400/430, Audi A4, IS300, and a few assorted things are on the list. We'll see how it goes and what looks like the best car for the price.

If none of those strike your fancy, check out some Passats. Very similar to the A4, and (despite what 2o6 will say) pretty damn reliable. As long as you use synthetic in the 1.8T, it'll last forever. I traded mine in at 155K miles and it was just fine (life circumstances demanded an SUV). Other than a recall issue, it was dead reliable with just regular maintenance. It ate Michelin tires like a fat kid eats cake, but Bridgestones lasted forever for some reason.

[2o6]

If none of those strike your fancy, check out some Passats. Very similar to the A4, and (despite what 2o6 will say) pretty damn reliable. As long as you use synthetic in the 1.8T, it'll last forever. I traded mine in at 155K miles and it was just fine (life circumstances demanded an SUV). Other than a recall issue, it was dead reliable with just regular maintenance. It ate Michelin tires like a fat kid eats cake, but Bridgestones lasted forever for some reason.

You're the only one who has had a decent Passat. Statistically, they aren't very good.

[TurboDan]

You're the only one who has had a decent Passat. Statistically, they aren't very good.

Statistically, your posts are downright insufferable. 

Just stop already.

[2o6]

Statistically, your posts are downright insufferable. 

Just stop already.

Come on, we want to help him find a car that will stay together as well as his old Camry, but be newer and nicer. The Passat may be newer and nicer, but it has the potential to go very bad....



Besides, you took care of your car. Who knows what kind of whackos had an old Passat and screwed it up in some sort of stupid way.

[TurboDan]

Come on, we want to help him find a car that will stay together as well as his old Camry, but be newer and nicer. The Passat may be newer and nicer, but it has the potential to go very bad....



Besides, you took care of your car. Who knows what kind of whackos had an old Passat and screwed it up in some sort of stupid way.

Well, yeah. If you take care of most German cars they'll last longer than you. But using dino oil on a transversed-placed 1.8T is gon' kill dat bitch.

Still, I'd roll the dice on a Passat or A4 before dealing with an old Nissan.

[Raza]

You're the only one who has had a decent Passat. Statistically, they aren't very good.

Other than ignition coils and a trunk strut, mine was perfect. 

[TBR]

ES300, GS 300 & 400/430, Audi A4, IS300, and a few assorted things are on the list. We'll see how it goes and what looks like the best car for the price.

Any updates?

[thewizard16]

If none of those strike your fancy, check out some Passats. Very similar to the A4, and (despite what 2o6 will say) pretty damn reliable. As long as you use synthetic in the 1.8T, it'll last forever. I traded mine in at 155K miles and it was just fine (life circumstances demanded an SUV). Other than a recall issue, it was dead reliable with just regular maintenance. It ate Michelin tires like a fat kid eats cake, but Bridgestones lasted forever for some reason.

I didn't care for the Passat, and the 1.8 seemed a little weak to me for a car that size. Bigger car than the old Camry, less power. Nice car overall though, just not for me.

Any updates?

Yes! Sorry about disappearing, 14 hour days plus what I've been working on with the car this past week has eaten up all my time lately. I've posted a new thread with results: http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=28018.0

[TurboDan]

I didn't care for the Passat, and the 1.8 seemed a little weak to me for a car that size. Bigger car than the old Camry, less power. Nice car overall though, just not for me.

Yeah, I'd much rather have had the 2.0 TSI that VW uses these days (my mom has it in her Tiguan and it's awesome) but I always thought the 1.8T was sufficient. If anything, I wish VW would've had a sport mode where the autobox would've revved higher. I used tiptronic on occasion to rev the shit out of it but I always found it to be a pain in general driving.

Could've chipped it but....