GTI is gone....

[Laconian]

I negotiated another $1000 out of my wrecked Miata because it had a hardtop. I sent the agent listings of Miatas with hardtops and pointed out their price premium. Then I pulled the unharmed hardtop off my car at the auto body shop and sold it to someone on Craigslist.

[CALL_911]

Well there's a manual one they're asking 35k for in NJ. If insurance forks over more money (which they should- the money offered would not even remotely cover the same car), I'll try to do that. If not, the ZF 8AT isn't a bad option right

Golf Rs and STIs are no cheaper than 340xis. I see no reason to get one

[AutobahnSHO]

I negotiated another $1000 out of my wrecked Miata because it had a hardtop. I sent the agent listings of Miatas with hardtops and pointed out their price premium. Then I pulled the unharmed hardtop off my car at the auto body shop and sold it to someone on Craigslist.

I did the opposite with my 99 Caravan- I had found one in a scrapyard with the same upholstery, so bought a rear bucket seat. I pulled the 3rd row bench, kept it in the shed, and my son got a bucket in the 3rd row (only one fits and had to swap the seatbelt to the other side because it's more narrow between the wheel wells.)

So when I totalled it and later went to get all of our stuff out of the van, the bucket was still in and I threw the bench back in behind it so I didn't have to dispose of it.

[CALL_911]

https://www.rallyebmw.com/inventory/certified-used-2017-bmw-2-series-m240i-rwd-2d-coupe-wba2g1c55hv665215

If only this thing had 4 doors

[cawimmer430]

You pretty much will also search forever here to find one with a manual, and you may not find one at all since those higher-end BMWs are overwhelmingly A/T here.

[FoMoJo]

https://www.rallyebmw.com/inventory/certified-used-2017-bmw-2-series-m240i-rwd-2d-coupe-wba2g1c55hv665215

If only this thing had 4 doors

Why do you need 4 doors?

[CALL_911]

Why do you need 4 doors?

Because having 2 doors in a daily driver is a pain in the ass, having done it for 8 years

[dazzleman]

Car is totalled. Long story short, spun out and ended up in a guard rail 2 weeks ago. I am getting $28.7k for it from insurance (and would like advice for getting some more from them?), and need to find a replacement. There are no 6MT 340xis I can find easily or that are in my price range (there are 15 for sale in the USA). I'd prefer to replace my car with the same exact kind, but that's not easy. Now I'm debating getting an automatic version of the same car, or getting something like an STI or a Golf R. I can't find an B8 S4 6MT and I don't want a DCT. B9 S4s are out of my price range, and I don't want a B9 A4, nor do I want an F30 330xi. Thoughts? It's fucking terrible how incredibly difficult it is to find an AWD 6MT sedan.

I'm really glad that you weren't hurt but it sucks that the car is totaled.  The important thing is that you're OK.

With respect to the insurance payment, I suggest you ask them to substantiate the amount that you're paying, and do your own research on the replacement cost of the exact car that you lost.  Since you got it pretty recently, it shouldn't be that much less than what you paid for the car.  It can be a negotiation so you shouldn't just accept the initial amount offered, since they are probably low-balling you.

When it comes to the replacement, I can't say.  It's a personal decision.  Identify a few possibilities and test a few out.  Buying used cars is different than new ones since there are more variables to consider and you can't just order what you want.  But I'm sure you can find one that you're very happy with.

Stay safe, man.

[2o6]

Genesis G70?

[CALL_911]

Looked at the offer, surely enough they found 3 cars from pretty much luxo BHPH lots which had accidents on record. I think I will be able to squeeze more out of them. Decision is gonna be how OK I am with getting one with the 8AT, the car's gonna be another 340xi. If I'm really crunched, there's a nice one locally that I'll prob do. The price is right, the car is the right color and options and whatnot except for the transmission.

[CALL_911]

https://cpo.bmwusa.com/used/2016-BMW-340i-WBA8B3G54GNA92727?zip=11507#

RWD+snow tires would be fine around here right? Only problem is unplowed roads when I get to work, but I'm not totally convinced AWD helps.....

[Soup DeVille]

https://cpo.bmwusa.com/used/2016-BMW-340i-WBA8B3G54GNA92727?zip=11507#

RWD+snow tires would be fine around here right? Only problem is unplowed roads when I get to work, but I'm not totally convinced AWD helps.....

AWD helps going, not turning or stopping (well, it changes turning to be more predictable, but doesn't add any grip)

Most problems in the snow are with turning and stopping.

[AutobahnSHO]

AWD helps a TON!! In Subies in the rain I just punched it and drove. No other single drive axle car I've driven comes close.

[r0tor]

Turning and stopping is rather meaningless if your stuck to begin with

[giant_mtb]

Yeah I would take AWD with all seasons over RWD with snows any day of the week. But I live in a high-snow area so having that power/traction to get moving when there're 6+ inches (or an 8" packed down plow berm) is more important...just have to know your limits when it comes to turning and especially braking.  And AWD gives you much more stability on a snowy/icy road with all wheels being driven. Nothing like that jolt of fear when the truck is in 2WD and you're goin up a slippery hill at 55mph and the rear end suddenly kicks loose.

AWD is much much better for stuff like unplowed roads. Both for getting/staying moving, and for tractability moving forward.   Snow tires do make a huge difference, though. My dad rocked the Grand Marquis with Blizzaks for a number of winters. Couple hunnid pounds of sand bags in the back, mostly good to go...but he'd take the Explorer on the real bad days. Ground clearance becomes a major issue, especially with only one driven axle.

[giant_mtb]

Most problems in the snow are with turning and stopping.

I disagree. I would agree that most accidents in the snow have to do with turning or stopping.  But most issues are with simply being stuck. I see it all the time, it's almost always 2WD vehicles that are stuck in the dumbest spots...a parallel parking spot, the middle of a street that hasn't been plowed yet, a slippery stop sign on an incline...

Of course, ground clearance and tires do come into play, but assuming you have at least all-season tires, four wheel is basically always better than two.

[SJ_GTI]

Looked at the offer, surely enough they found 3 cars from pretty much luxo BHPH lots which had accidents on record. I think I will be able to squeeze more out of them. Decision is gonna be how OK I am with getting one with the 8AT, the car's gonna be another 340xi. If I'm really crunched, there's a nice one locally that I'll prob do. The price is right, the car is the right color and options and whatnot except for the transmission.

Honestly I'd probably get AWD/Auto over RWD/Stick.

Before I stumbled on the idea of a Golf R I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on an S3. I drove a 3er and 2er on the same day I test drove the S3 and while I preferred the DSG I thought the auto in the BMW's were fine (much better than the slow/laggy manumatics from a decade ago).

Actually, speaking of which...have you ever considered an S3? Not as powerful as a 340xi obviously but I thought it was nicer then the 228xi and 328xi I tested it against.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Yeah I would take AWD with all seasons over RWD with snows any day of the week. But I live in a high-snow area so having that power/traction to get moving when there're 6+ inches (or an 8" packed down plow berm) is more important...just have to know your limits when it comes to turning and especially braking.  And AWD gives you much more stability on a snowy/icy road with all wheels being driven. Nothing like that jolt of fear when the truck is in 2WD and you're goin up a slippery hill at 55mph and the rear end suddenly kicks loose.

AWD is much much better for stuff like unplowed roads. Both for getting/staying moving, and for tractability moving forward.   Snow tires do make a huge difference, though. My dad rocked the Grand Marquis with Blizzaks for a number of winters. Couple hunnid pounds of sand bags in the back, mostly good to go...but he'd take the Explorer on the real bad days. Ground clearance becomes a major issue, especially with only one driven axle.

I got Blizzaks on the 'Rolla!!! 

[Soup DeVille]

I disagree. I would agree that most accidents in the snow have to do with turning or stopping.  But most issues are with simply being stuck. I see it all the time, it's almost always 2WD vehicles that are stuck in the dumbest spots...a parallel parking spot, the middle of a street that hasn't been plowed yet, a slippery stop sign on an incline...

Of course, ground clearance and tires do come into play, but assuming you have at least all-season tires, four wheel is basically always better than two.

Yes, I meant accidents.

[giant_mtb]

I got Blizzaks on the 'Rolla!!! 

They're good tires. Blizzaks and WinterForce are my two (anecdotal, uneducated) recommendations for snow tires.

[CALL_911]

Put down a deposit on a manual black on black 2016 340xi with M-sport, track handling pkg, the adaptive suspension, all that nonsense with 22k miles on it. Insurance offered me $33k, this is $35k. It's in St. Louis. Let's hope my luck is better with this one. It's gonna ship on summer tires unfortunately, so I'm gonna try and get some winters off craigslist.

In other news, I drove a 2020 GTI yesterday and was very, very impressed. A big improvement from my old car, which I already thought was quite good.

[CALL_911]

Also I've had a Volvo S60 for the past 3 weeks and it's a phenomenal car. I'd totally consider getting one. It's an extremely easy car to live with, beautifully finished, great infotainment, the twincharged engine has a wave of torque throughout it's power and. Great vehicle, and imo better looking than the F30. Prob the best looking car in its class (I still think the IS takes that prize)

[Laconian]

Is it one with the upgraded seats? Ermahgerd. The seats.

[CALL_911]

Is it one with the upgraded seats? Ermahgerd. The seats.

Yeah it has them. Has a head up display too. Has a lot of toys I absolutely do not need, but the price was good so fuck it. There's a small part of me that thinks I should've found a B8 S4 and done that

Or are you talking about the Volvo? In which case I don't think so, but it does have very comfortable seats. I actually toyed with the idea of buying an S60, I liked this one so much

[dazzleman]

https://cpo.bmwusa.com/used/2016-BMW-340i-WBA8B3G54GNA92727?zip=11507#

RWD+snow tires would be fine around here right? Only problem is unplowed roads when I get to work, but I'm not totally convinced AWD helps.....

I have a slight uphill incline in my driveway to get to the street after I come out of the garage.  When I had the RWD BMW, I used to have a problem sometimes if the snow was a certain depth and/or consistency.  A few times every winter, I had a really serious problem getting out of the driveway.

But since I have had the AWD Audi, I haven't had a problem.

Take that for what it is worth.

[dazzleman]

Put down a deposit on a manual black on black 2016 340xi with M-sport, track handling pkg, the adaptive suspension, all that nonsense with 22k miles on it. Insurance offered me $33k, this is $35k. It's in St. Louis. Let's hope my luck is better with this one. It's gonna ship on summer tires unfortunately, so I'm gonna try and get some winters off craigslist.

In other news, I drove a 2020 GTI yesterday and was very, very impressed. A big improvement from my old car, which I already thought was quite good.

M-sport....fucking sweet man. 

[CALL_911]

[r0tor]

That is seriously sweet

[SJ_GTI]

Looks great!

[Laconian]

NICE! And a stickshift.. swoon..