New car musings

[DGuller]

At this point, I almost made up my point that I'll be turning in my leased VW Jetta when the lease runs out, so I'm starting to scope out alternatives.  By the far the most important factor for me is how fun it is to drive, since I don't need a car to commute to work each day.  That pretty much leaves me with German cars.

Today I test drove a BMW 328xi.  My worry was that I would fall in love with the car, and that my Jetta would no longer measure up while I ponder the wisdom of spending 3 series money on a new car.  That's .... not what happened at all.  I actually found the ultimate driving machine to be highly disappointing.  It felt dead compared to my Jetta.

Now I'm seriously contemplating keeping my plucky turbo Jetta.  It occurred to me that maybe I have a very good thing going with my current car.  With the small turbo engine, you feel a kick in the back regardless how slow or fast you go.  I always assumed that BMW would be more fun than a Jetta, given the marketing hype, but it utterly failed to measure up.

[JonasSalk]

Consumer Reports recently put out their annual car issue, which I have thanks to my subscription.

According to them, the "Most Fun" category includes: VW GTI, Mazda3, Ford Mustang GT, and in the Sports Coupe category, which appears to be what you want, the BMW 135i.

[DGuller]

Hmm, GTI has the same engine as my car, although GTI's brakes and suspension are sportier.  It's possible that I got spoiled with my current car.

I would've also tried a Mustang, but I'm afraid that this car is just begging for a speeding ticket.  My Jetta looks a lot more boring from the outside than it actually is.

[Alcibiades]

Do ittttttttt

[Grey Fox]

Subaru?

[Slargos]

I made the mistake of parking my ass in this, and now at least I know what I'm getting next time I switch.

The down side is of course the tag. Sticker price for the hottest model available in Norway is somewhere north of $600k BEFORE you start talking extra packages. But then you also get 600+HP. 

[DGuller]

Do ittttttttt

Even the crappiest Porsche is entirely out of my budget.  I looked. 

[DGuller]

I made the mistake of parking my ass in this, and now at least I know what I'm getting next time I switch.

The down side is of course the tag. Sticker price for the hottest model available in Norway is somewhere north of $600k BEFORE you start talking extra packages. But then you also get 600+HP. 

SUV?  No, thanks.

[Slargos]

Do ittttttttt

Even the crappiest Porsche is entirely out of my budget.  I looked. 

Only douchebags drive porsches anyway.

If you're Hank Moody and yours is a beat up wreck you can pull it off. But otherwise? Come on.

Only thing worse than driving a porsche is driving a 4-door porsche.

[Slargos]

I made the mistake of parking my ass in this, and now at least I know what I'm getting next time I switch.

The down side is of course the tag. Sticker price for the hottest model available in Norway is somewhere north of $600k BEFORE you start talking extra packages. But then you also get 600+HP. 

SUV?  No, thanks.

I felt like sitting in a warm and cozy womb. I can still hear it beckoning. 

Getting into that seat was far, far easier than getting out. Almost like it was molded to fit me. Wonderful car.

[Lucidor]

And you STILL can't go much faster than 70 kph most roads in Norway due to traffic and serpentine curves...

[Neil]

German car?  Ewww.

[DGuller]

German car?  Ewww.

To some people, a car is not just an appliance.

[JonasSalk]

Yeah, Neil.  Some people prefer unreliable junkers made by Turks in Bavaria.

[DGuller]

Yeah, Neil.  Some people prefer unreliable junkers made by Turks in Bavaria.

Reliability is not the beginning and the end of cars.  For those who don't rely on the car every day, the relatively worse reliability is negotiable.