Why did you buy it? How do you like it? Do you have a replacement car in your sights?
Ha! WanderingEng I dig your style. I have a 1993 two-door Honda Civic Hatchback, manual transmission, 183,000 miles. When someone heard that there's only 180 odd thousand miles, they said, "Oh, she's just stretching her legs." I'd love to get another 50 or 100 thousand from her. I'm 24, so the newer car is still a ways off for me. I drive this one carefully and do regular maintenance. I'm planning to switch out the distributor myself real soon, and I think I'll have my mechanically inclined friend nearby though, in case I bite off more than I can chew. Great thread RD
Donated it to one of those charities? What do/did they do with donated cars exactly? I sometimes see billboard signs soliciting car donations (and old cell phones for that matter)... what good are those?
I think most of them are sold at auction. From the owner's point of view, they make a large, immobile tax and legal liability disappear, providing a recepit for use as a tax deduction. From the charity's point of view, I expect they get a monthly check for allowing their name to be used by the reseller. A GAO study suggests that the charity receives a fairly tiny portion of the sale price, and a lot of the proceeds pay for billboards and other promotion. My e-mail confirmation came from "habitatforhumanity@arscars.com" and ARS makes grand promises to non-profits, but it's free money for the charity so I doubt they scrutinize the income very closely.Donated it to one of those charities? What do/did they do with donated cars exactly?
Most sources of funding for non-profits either take a lot of time away from the work they want to be doing (fund-raising events) or come with burdensome reporting requirements that are going to keep one or more employees tied up doing paperwork instead of what they signed up for (pretty much any government grant). If not seeing the bulk of the money from donated cars is the worst thing about doing car donations it's still a good arrangement.
I agree: everybody wins, but not everybody wins equally. I probably spend half my breath here arguing that such arrangements are good, or at least better than any plausible alternative.
That looks great! The 2008s are coupe styling, but I like the look of a hatch, too. Before my Civic I had a Dodge Neon. I got rid of that around 72,000 miles, and I could feel all the miles on it. I swear my Civic feels just as good as it did new. Part of my hesitation with getting a new car is jinxing myself and replacing a rock solid car with a lemon. Reading your post, maybe I should keep this as a running around car and add a second car.
Ha, that sounds luxurious. But if you're car is solid as is, I'd give second thought to replacing it outright.Reading your post, maybe I should keep this as a running around car and add a second car.
Yea that's my one and only. She was a once-week-for-groceries when I got her two years ago. Edit to add: it rocks that my mechanic offered me 3.5k for it while working on it. I surmised it was exactly so he could tune it up. The body is in great shape, except for a little rust in the tire well.
2014 Toyota Sienna - I love this thing. Yes it's a minivan. Whatever. I have a zillion kids and it rides as smooth as any luxury car I've driven. In less two years I've put almost 35k on it, and I'm about to drop 6k more in the next couple months. Did I mention we take some road trips? 2013 Nissan Leaf - I leased this as a financial experiment and to support the EV movement. When gas is at $1.45/gal like it is now... the jokes on me and Prius owners. Oh well. I do love driving it. It's a very unique and fun car to drive. It's also fun to toast the SHIT out of just about everything on the road from a dead stop. Especially kids who think their car is fast. 1992 Mazda Miata - My pop bought this new off the lot. He stored it in winter. Each of us kids took turns denting it and scratching it. He dutifully repaired it each time. About two years ago he told me to come get it. He loved it, but getting in and out of it was getting too hard on him. I obliged. The wife and I drove it from Detroit to Denver. I don't store it in winter here. We don't use salt on the roads - so when it's dry pavement, I drive it. I get lots of looks when it's 20F out and I'm rollin the convertible... but I don't roll with the top up. That's what hats, gloves, and coats were made for.
Be Really FUCKING CAREFUL. The other scooter riders around you have a more comfortable relationship with death than you do. They ride accordingly. When you see a scooter gang, particularly at night, keep your eye out for the unmarked station wagon or truck that follows them. It may have lights, it may not. It's the body carrier. Because healthcare in Thailand is largely privatized and since those scooter gangs tend to collect injuries and fatalities, they can make a living by following them like sharks, waiting for someone to wipe out or die. Most of the time they take the casualties to the temple because it makes them more money than taking them to the morgue. Any traffic system that includes "body cleanup" as part of the ecosystem is a bad system to ride in. Watch your ass.he city has an average of four violent crimes and three fatal road accidents reported each hour of the night; there is no shortage of work.
I just got my car license less than a year ago and already managed to mangle my dad's van so i'll leave the actual scooter driving to my boyfriend who's an experienced motorcyclist (7 years, no accidents). He's very careful, but he was nervous too because of the left hand drive in Thailand. We're not in Bangkok but in Chiang Mai which is relatively small and touristy, lots of foreigners driving and pretty non-aggressive locals compared to Bangkok. Thanks for the heads up, i'll talk to him about the gangs and avoid driving after sundown in general :) From what I read, drunk driving is a popular activity amongst locals... Also, helmets of course. I've never driven a scooter before and it was really fun trying it out on the small road next to our building! Maybe i'll get myself one back in Canada if I find a way hide it from my mom lol.
1957 Chevy, hence user name. Will never buy a new car. Was my Dad's for ten years. Then Mom got her drivers license in it and drove it 5 years, then Sis got her license in it and drove it. Then I got my license and drove it during High School/College years. Then it sat on a lawn for 12 years. Rebuilt. Now my daily driver. My daughter got her license in it and now drives it when she is home from college.
That's actually more than awesome. It's so cool when you're able to keep something in the family like that, something that so many people can appreciate. I read this article last year about the world's largest Tri-Five show. Were you there by any chance?
Nope but I do love the tri-fives. It was in a couple of the local shows to show off the work by the body and paint guys when its was first restored, but just a daily driver since. Nice to have a car I can work on. It's modernized with disk brakes, fuel injection and electronic ignition so starts and stops reliably and gets decent mileage.
We have a 2013 Prius and a 2005 c230. My wife just put a parking garage gash in the side of our Prius this week. :( I give the Prius a B+ and the Benz a B. I keep buying used Mercedes, although each one is less impressive than the previous. I feel the same way about my iPhones. Mercedes have fucked up their styling and now they look like every other car on the road. This was my favorite by far, but I put it under the bed of a semi with ecib just outside of Michigan City, Indiana. I still get chills on that stretch of road. I love the boxiness and the low hood. At least my c230 has all wheel drive. That little one was a Michigan winter death trap. I saw a mint late 90's Dodge Omni a few weeks ago on Craigslist with only 38k miles. I really want that car.
As I mentioned, I also had a plymouth horizon as my first car. It was so old that it had a rusted through floor in the passenger seat. You could literally see the road flying by beneath you. It was a death trap.
I absolutely loved my 190E 2.6 5 gear. And, sorry to say, but I found the C Class to feel really cheap. The 190 was solid as hell and for me it held great with winter tires on it.
Oh, ok, I'll give you that. I spent a week swapping two alternators and two computers in and out of my Horizon only to find out that the new alternator I had purchased didn't work at all. Bloody knuckles all week long. But they drove like a go-cart with comfy bucket seats. Also, in terms of maintenance, my comparison at the time was this POS: Nothing was pleasant about that abomination.
Late '80s maybe? This past summer I took a back country drive and I pulled into the gas station at the same time as a woman with a Dodge Omni GLH. I developed an immediate crush on her. She was pretty, sure. I admit though, if it wasn't for the car, I wouldn't have given her a second look.I saw a mint late 90's Dodge Omni a few weeks ago on Craigslist with only 38k miles. I really want that car.
You're right, 80's. God I am old. Goes Like Hell. I would totally take a second look. I had two Plymouth Horizons. Far and away, the best cars I have ever driven. Pizza delivery in the snow was a treat. I've long had the dream to buy one and outfit it with tall mail jeep tires. It would be the ultimate off-road machine.
sigh Mine, of course, is base model... which means it has never cost much to insure, has always gotten surprisingly good gas mileage (30mpg on the freeway) and has always weighed a hair over 3000lb while comfortably seating two adults and a week's worth of luggage. I initially bought it because it could fit two duffel bags and a Pelican 1650, which I used to take everywhere because taking pictures involved 75lbs worth of gear. I got it because I was disgusted with the offerings in 2002 and did an informal poll of my friends to see what they saw me in. Over half of them (and I asked like 20 people) said "Dodge Stealth." They were incredibly right. The thing is awesome. If I could buy a 2016 Dodge Stealth I'd buy the shit out of it. Unfortunately there hasn't been a Stealth since '96 (or a 3000GT since '98) and outside of Maserati and Jaguar, there aren't any 2-door sports coupes that aren't throwbacks to the '70s. Well, there are, but... Hyundai? Gimme a break. BMW/Porsche/Audi? No thanks; I lived in Los Angeles and I never want to be associated with German car culture. I went as far as test-driving a Cadillac CTS Coupe. Know what? It rode a lot like a Cadillac. I may have to revisit that decision when I can find a dealer that isn't so viscerally repugnant but I suspect that "non-viscerally repugnant used Cadillac dealer" is a rare species indeed. For now? It's fine. I've put 120,000 miles on the car in 13 years. Mostly I ride motorcycles. We've got an '09 fit that does most of our driving duty; it has the advantage of fitting a car seat and an adult, as opposed to or an adult. The back seat on the Stealth is hilariously nonfunctional to the point where when I move it back far enough for my legs, I could look my daughter in the face. Rear-facing car-seats in that thing jut halfway into the front passenger compartment. And I'll have some sort of booster for the next presidential administration. It also has numerous advantages: - Costs nothing to insure - Costs little to maintain (now that Bosch no longer makes its parts - it went through 5 water pumps and 4 alternators because fuck Bosch) - Looks pretty goddamn good on the financial aid application for my daughter's preschool There will come a time when I can be a big enough asshole to support the assembly, care and feeding of a Factory Five GTM. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. It will still mostly only impress teenaged boys.
See, I feel like you've mentioned your Stealth before, but I was under the impression that it was a Dodge Shadow I now see how silly I was.
the last one I drove in didn't even have a radio in it - I'm not even sure a radio CAME in the base model car.
Oh, god. It's that awkward thing between the Omni and the Neon. I'd forgotten that era existed they were so loathsome. That awkward period between when everything was a K-car and when everything was a Mitsubishi. Nobody bought those - if you had to have a chrysler product at the time it was either a truck, a Ram Charger or a Daytona/Laser. All of which were terrible, but not as terrible as the Shadow/Sundance, which literally never made it onto the road in most places. I remember the Shelby CSX as being the indicator that Caroll Shelby was a money-grubbing whore because what the actual fuck.n 1966, Shelby created a special line of Shelby Mustangs for the Hertz car rental company. Shelby repeated this method in 1988 with the creation of the CSX-T for the Thrifty rental company. The CSX-T was only sold to Thrifty. All 1,001 units produced were white with grey and blue trim.
He was Iacocca's friend, who was head of Chrysler at the time. I'm sure he was trying to do him a solid. You know, at the risk of his own reputation. I can understand actually overseeing performance versions of vehicles, but letting your name be attached to cars you don't have anything to do with just sounds crazy. I remember the Shelby CSX as being the indicator that Caroll Shelby was a money-grubbing whore because what the actual fuck.
I love that there are cars that were SO BAD that you have some sort of trauma-related memory blank. Another friend of mine had a Dodge Aries wagon: by the time it died you had to enter through the passenger side door because the driver door's lock was fucked, it started with a screwdriver, and didn't put on the parking brake DEAR GOD DO NOT USE THE PARKING BRAKe because if you did it would refuse to un-parking brake. Which someone inevitably did, at which point it stayed in one spot for 3 months until it was set on fire by an ex-girlfriend (not that we could prove she did it). my friend had a new-to-them car by that point, so we lamented the loss of the Sleater Kinney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Relient K albums (the irony of the Relient K album was not lost on me) and moved on. RIP dodge aries.
My sister had that exact car, that color and everything. For an 18 year old in 1993, I'm sure it was a fun little car.
Oh man, if kleinbl00 actually had one of these as a DD, he'd have my never ending admiration for his tenacity and dedication in keeping it running. I'd also wonder what in his life drove him to act in such a crazy manner. Shit, for all his ragging on British sports cars for being mechanical nightmares, they'd probably be a peach to work on compared to these. At least you can still find parts for those.
What's that? Tell a shitty car story? Okay. So in high school I got it into my head that a TR-7 would be cool. This is literally the one I had - same awful orange, same horrible stripes, no sunroof - but I bought it out of a junkyard with no engine, an empty axle housing and only one front wheel for like $500. That's because (1) I fully intended to put a Buick 231 V-6 in it (an easy conversion) (2) I intended to build that 231 strong enough to warrant a Ford 9" (an incredibly difficult conversion) (3) there weren't a lot of Triumphs in New Mexico. I bought it out of the weirdest junkyard I've ever found; the only licensed Ferrari mechanic in the 4 corners area had a bizarre collection of strange and wonderful machines in various states of disrepair, including two Lotus Super 7s (not Caterhams), a Lotus Sprint, assorted MGs, a couple Abarths and, perpetually under repair, an Aston Martin Lagonda: Not that that's relevant, but you are now aware of the worst Aston Martin you've never heard of, so there's that. once the car was secured, the next step was of course the rear axle (which was a weekend-long adventure to procure, considering the junkyards were two hours away) and the engine, which came in the form of a non-running '77 Buick Skylark purchased out of the Little Nickel for $125. My father in his infinite wisdom decided it would be easier to determine what was wrong with the Skylark motor with it in the car than to just pull it and rebuild it. Famous last words. What was wrong with it was a miserable front main seal, which Buick had made out of wax-impregnated sisal fiber (because fuck Buick). This led us to discover that the oil pump had been installed backwards (because fuck Buick) which, once the radiator is out, is an easy fix. So then I had a fully functional Buick Skylark which I drove while in the process of outfitting a full-race Ford 9" rear axle on a Triumph TR-7, in the snow, under the trees, at 7,000 feet in New Mexico. The project stalled, as you might imagine. Engine swaps are challenging when you have cover, heat, and a reasonable home life. When you're exposed to the elements, taking 4 Honors classes and sleeping in cars because your home life is so dysfunctional you find such swaps challenging. But hey - I still had the Buick. Which didn't handle well. Which revealed itself in a characteristically-bad way when I blipped the car around an animal at 50mph, thereby causing the piece of shit to spin out and smash into a parked Volkswagen. My passenger ran home to change his pants. The parked Volkswagen drove away unscathed. The Buick had its driver rear door punched in a good 18 inches because that vehicle was such a piece of shit. My father, in his infinite wisdom, determined that the first remedy was to pull the dead door off. Which, a reciprocating saw, a come-along and a crowbar later, we did. We then discovered that the frame had bent at least 3/4" from the accident and a new door wouldn't fit. So January 1992 I had me a 3-door Buick as my daily driver. Meanwhile I'd decided to turn the 3.8L powered Triumph TR-7 street rod into a 4.3L powered Triumph TR-7 4x4. After all, I wanted a Jeep and my father, in his infinite wisdom, decided it wouldn't be too hard to shorten the frame down and put a Triumph on top of it. That's a whole 'nuther story. The important parts are (1) it is too hard (2) I did it anyway (3) It ended up with a 400CI full-roller V8 but it took until September 1994. During which time I was still driving the 3-door Buick. I also found somewhere to work - my grandparents' house, a mere 30 minute drive away - that had heat and an FM radio. So my life, for about 2 years, involved climbing into the 3-door Buick, listening to industrial music on tape, then spending 12 hours working on cars while listening to country music (thou shalt not touch the knob), then climbing back into the 3-door Buick and listening to industrial music on tape. I even drove clear to San Diego and back (to see Ministry, Sepultura and Helmet) in the 3-door buick. The plan had been to take a friend's car. I had 5 tickets. All 4 friends bailed on me. It snowed the entire way there. In addition to being a really shitty car to begin with, I had no appetite for improvement on it. I put used tires on it. They blew out regularly. I had that thing blow the right front on windy mountain roads twice in one day. It also had a brake proportioning valve with a screw loose or something, which didn't improve the already-shitty brake response. If you had to brake in a hurry there was a one-in-three chance that it would lock up the front left and rear right (causing it to veer right), a one-in-three chance it would lock up the front right and rear left (causing it to veer left), and a one-in-three chance it would lock up all four. I got good at panic-swerving - nothing to the left? Dive. Nothing to the right? Dive. Either side blocked? Well, hope his bumper is tougher than yours. I only rear-ended maybe three people, never hard enough to do any damage. Except, of course, to the Buick. It actually came up in a County Council meeting once. Some council member had an axe to grind against derelict vehicles. He walked up to the podium and presented a picture of my car (this was on Public Access) and said that something needed to be done about these unlicensed, undriveable vehicles. Someone piped in from the audience "no, there's a kid that drives that thing every day." Kind of derailed the presentation. I had a cop pull me over once for "improper condition of vehicle." Because it was Espanola, though, and because I was white, he backed down when I asked him what part of the code required doors. There isn't one in New Mexico. Had a deal with a local junk yard owner. We'd bring him cars, he'd give us parts. I drove that fucker into his lot a dozen times looking for 4x4 Triumph parts and every time he'd stare at the buick and say "that's going to be mine, soon." I never contradicted him. My dad hung onto it for a year after I left. I've never really known why. Inertia, I guess. But yeah. I put about 30,000 miles on a 3-door '77 Buick Skylark V-6 4-door sedan. In sleet, snow and dark of night. And in the end, I got away before it could kill me.
it's a lil purple 2015 Honda fit and I love her she is my baby. she was a graduation present and fits very well into tiny dc parking spots. poor thing is in the shop for getting hit while parked for the 2nd time in less than a year (thanks DC). the rental I'm in currently is a Dodge Dart and I like it way more than I thought I would -- very punchy and fun to drive but also a little plastic-y for my taste.
We have an '09 fit and it's a delightful little machine. I talked an unbecoming amount of smack about the Dart but I agree, in person it's a lot less shitty than you'd expect.
Same, just payed off my '07 Accord. It's my grad school ride. I need to get the brakes done, it's literally metal on metal, no incentive to take it in, I'm sure I've already destroyed the rotors.
Well, you know, you just don't know cause the brakes can fail completely at any moment and that's not a good thing to have happen.I need to get the brakes done, it's literally metal on metal, no incentive to take it in, I'm sure I've already destroyed the rotors.
I guess that's what I've been saving my handbrake for? Yeah, I know, the response is just a weeee bit different, and I really do need to get serious brake work done. They went to shit (tires too) because I like to go too fast, and then I have to slow down, and also friction. :/
Well, I don't want to sound condescending, so just be careful and get that car looked at as soon as possible. For most cars, the handbrake doesn't really have sufficient stopping power and using it can make it hard to maintain control of the car. Not trying to be a dick here, just worried about your safety is all. :)
Not even close to condescending :). I'll take it in as soon as I can afford to, but in the meantime I just ride public transport and occasionally mooch my girlfriend's wheels. I kinda sound like a sleaze... yep, grad school.
'05 Malibu hatchback. It was a good price, had low mileage when I bought it (Lol), and still gets kick ass fuel economy. If I don't do any excessive weekend driving, a tank of gas can last me almost 3 weeks. It's getting on in years, and it's starting to show. I had the brakes re-done last year so I'm hesitant to just up and dump it after sinking cash into it. For a replacement I want to find a nice used Subaru something to haul my kayaks around with a little more grace than the Malibu is capable of.
Subarus maintain their value right up to 90k miles. Then they tank, because that's when the expensive shit happens. Somewhere between 90-120k, expensive bits way down deep inside the engine need to be replaced. Or they explode. But up until then? Wonderful cars. (I still miss my Impreza Outback.)
Subaru prices are highly localized. They're worthless in LA. In Seattle they hold value impossibly well. If you like to drive and have a lot of time, energy and liquid cash, you can arbitrage local car markets with reasonable effect. I knew a guy who would buy Hondas in LA and sell them in Seattle and my uncle has bought a few Saturns out of Florida because the price differential between FL and WA is something like 20-30%.
This prompted a thought. What are some things that a person could steal that they could reasonably maintain ownership/use of? Not a whole lot, at least nothing big/worth stealing as far as I can tell. Too much technology these days, too much invasion of privacy.
Cars. Seriously. The crew I ran with kind of went a different direction after I left. One of their friends up in Denver had a brand new pickup he wanted out of the payments on. Paid one of 'em $500 to make it disappear. She literally took the keys and drove it to Albuquerque. They kept it in the garage but they kept it. Tooled around town in it for years. There's this idea of massive surveillance and police oversight but it's a lie. My wife had her laptop smash'n'grabbed out of her mom's car. I had Prey on it and was able to give the cops the running location and IP. Nobody gave a fuck. She had her phone stolen off the ground as she dropped it and I had a text conversation with the thief, so much as offering him $200 cash to get it back but it was fuckin' gone. Apple, in case you're curious, has zero compunctions about reactivating a stolen iPhone and AT&T doesn't give the first fuck about IMEIs. you can get away with a lot more than you think.
During one two year stretch when I was particularly poor, I would take a photo of someone else's tabs, print it out on my color printer, "laminate" it with Scotch tape, and then glue it onto my car's license plate. Went without tabs, insurance, or emissions testing for 3 years. Not proud of that, but the "surveillance state" isn't. They haven't got a clue what is going on right under their noses.
Just two weeks ago I got a 2016 Malibu. It's not what I'm used to. My last two cars have been a 2013 Silverado Z71 and a 2006 325Ci. Each of those previous cars are performance/power machines. The Malibu is quite a bit understated by comparison. It's a decent car, however, and I'm not embarrassed driving it (it's white with black leather interior and sweet fuckin' 18s--actually I can't believe Chevy is capable of making wheels that cool, and funny enough even a friend of mine who's a designer for Chevy couldn't believe they were stock). I just shaved about $150 off my monthly gas bill, so that's a positive, and will be even more so if gas gets back to a normal price. I'll give it a B+ overall. I also own a 2013 Range Rover Evoque. It's fine, but definitely a girl car.
I just saw my first 2016 Malibu in person yesterday. It doesn't actually look half bad to be honest with you. It kind of reminds me of the direction Kia took the Optima these past few years, making it look sharper without looking like it's trying hard to be flashy. I'm glad to hear you ended up liking it.
I have a 2105 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2016 Subaru Outback.
Nice. I drive a 2015 Outback. Had to sell the Legacy 3.6R when the kiddo came. Needed a cheaper payment and a little more room instead of speed. But living in Minnesota I love my Outback, and so does my wife. She is a stay at home mom now, so we just have one car. She was a huge VW fan and we sold her Passat but told her I wasn't getting anything but a Subaru. Now that she's driven the Outback for awhile she loves it.
Subaru Crosstek. New car with roughly 5K miles on it. 1. Why did you buy it? I was looking for a 5 door hatchback or wagon that my gear fits in, and also gets 30 MPG. I test drove over 20 cars, this one fit all my bullet points. 2. How do you like it? So far so good. Nothing major that makes me regret the purchase. The dealer was awesome, I got a killer deal on the car (yay for buying last year's model) and I did a tank of gas at 37MPG... most tanks are 32MPG. I've not put any gear in the back of it yet, but hope to do that "soon." 3. Do you have a replacement car in your sights? This car will hit 200K miles. That is the plan, the plan is good, here is to hoping nobody totals it.
The Subaru Crosstrek is on the list of cars to look at when we get a replacement for my wife's car. She really has her eye on a hatchback of some sort and while I'm not the biggest Subaru fan, I think they have some compelling cars in their line up for daily drivers.
If it means anything I'm on my 5th Subaru. I won't drive anything else at this point in my life. I've had a Legacy 2.5i, a Legacy 3.6R, a Forester, and currently driving an 2015 Outback 2.5i. Love it. I live in Minnesota so I really need and enjoy the AWD. I am the biggest Subaru fan, and I've drank the Kool Aid. Even if I won the lottery I'd still have a Subaru in my garage.
Favorite has varying degrees of reasons. But obviously the 2010 Legacy 3.6R Limited was my fav. That thing was a beast, comfortable, and classy. BUT, not as good in the snow. So the 2.5i 4 cyl models are AWD all the time, all the Subes are, but those are "preferred" 80/20 from a standstill (meaning 80% of the power to the front wheels, 20% to the back). Meaning the majority of the power goes to the front wheels. On the sport models like the 3.6R, the dif is the opposite, so 20/80. So in snow every time I went to start from a stop it would fish tail a tiny bit. It wanted to be a RWD vehicle until the AWD started doing it's thing. Still totally safe and great, just the only negative I noticed. But in non snowy conditions it was basically a RWD sports car. Or "performance sedan" depending on how pedantic you want to be. But that thing could haul fucking ass... what a thrill to drive. I loved my 2007 2.5i SE Legacy too, great car. I LOVE my Outback probably the most because it's basically got the same cockpit as my old Legacy, lots of bells and whistles, and it rides really smooth and it's great in the snow. It's also a very safe vehicle. I have a wife, and a 19 month old daughter to take care of and the Outback is great. I wish it was a 3.6R outback, but just not worth the extra money for power I really wouldn't use. Maybe on my next one. ;) I wasn't super impressed with the forester. I didn't like the ride, but I mean look at it. It's kind of a top heavy vehicle subject to body roll, and it's not meant to be fast or perform well. It's one of their cheaper models. Still loved it, but it was my least fav. Lots of room and not bad though. And the price was right at the time.
Not on my Outback, but I did have some for the 3.6R. I lease my vehicles, so only having it for 3 years at a time makes it hard to pull the trigger on some pizza cutters and snow tires. But yes, while AWD is great, AWD + Snow Tires is like twice as good.
Look into the Mazda 3 wagon. It hit every button I was looking at, my fat ass fit great in the car, it was not unpleasant to drive and it is not that expensive relative to other vehicles in its class. It hit every button but one: my telescope and gear won't fit in it due to the way the roof slopes in the back. The Mazda 3 was my first choice and I was certain going in that this was going to be the car I purchased. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.
I have a 2008 Honda Civic two door. I bought it new, and it's up over 111,000 miles now. When I bought it, Honda had recently rolled out the Accord coupes, and I thought they looked fantastic. I've always had small cars, and when I test drove the Accord, it felt enormous. I test drove the Civic and immediately liked it. Mine is a manual transmission, and I think that makes it more fun to drive despite the small engine. I have no complaints. There's some very minor paint chipping on the front edge of the hood, and one of the coat hangers in the back won't flip up. Not bad for eight years. My next car is an ongoing struggle for me. I could probably afford to pay more than I did for the Civic. I was looking at BMW 2 and 3 series, and the Focus RS looks great, too. But when I stop and think about prices, would I rather have a Focus RS or an Imprezza plus $10,000? I can think of a lot of things I'd enjoy doing with that money. So I'm back to looking at cars under $25,000 again. Smaller, decent fuel economy, decent practicality, and AWD are the things I'm looking for. It's too bad the Focus ST is only FWD.
My dad bought one of these: It cost him $67,000 with $20k worth of avionics in it. Then it was annihilated in a hailstorm so he cashed the insurance check and bought another for $65k with a Banks turbonormalizer. 25,000ft ceiling, 200 knot cruising speed, 1100 knot range. Now, I don't want a plane. But I found myself comparing things to it. Scion FR-S? half a Mooney Unit. 2015 Corvette? 1.1 Mooney Units. Lamborghini Aventador? Like 9 Mooney Units. From a marginal utility standpoint it ceased to make sense to spend a lot of money on a car. Because while purchase, insurance, hangaring and gas sure buys a lot of airline tickets, it still makes more sense to have a fast plane than a fast car, at least an expensive one.
A toy car remains an intriguing option, and it relieves me of worrying about buying a less thrilling every day car now. A used Miata would still be a lot of fun on a beautiful day, and I don't have to worry about its impracticality in the winter with snowy roads.
Not a pic of mine, but this is the exact color scheme and package I have down to the wheels: Q. Why did you buy it? Because I wanted a compact SUV. My wife's business ends up requiring us to haul fixtures and other random crap back and forth a lot, so a car wasn't quite cutting it. I hate the way most SUVs look but I love boxy looking vehicles and this has that and kinda sorta (if you squint?) hints at the 90's Cherokee styling so it was basically my favorite outside of a Wrangler. Q. How do you like it? I love it. It does exactly what I need it to do, ups my cargo space, gives me 30mpg hgwy, and is actually compact enough to fit in those 'small car only' parking spaces in garages...not kidding. It's sooooooooooo slow though. So slow. Q. Do you have a replacement car in your sights? Uhh.... I'm straight up tempted to grab a manual transmission little red Wrangler. This will do three things: 1) Reduce the cargo space that I wanted and use all the time back down. 2) Decrease my gas mileage by a shitload. 3) Increase my car payment. I don't think I'm going to do it anytime soon but I can rule it out. It's frankly the opposite of practical, there's no reason for it other than I've always wanted one, but I do have a dealer keeping his eye out. I could bite. I think I can hold out though. Marchionne said a Wrangler pickup is definitely coming in '17, and the Wrangler will keep the same body styling but will be introducing aluminum into portions of the body (most likely the hood, fender, or door panels), which could increase mpg. I think there's enough upcoming that I'm at least curious about to keep me from doing anything rash.
2010 Pontiac Vibe - Actually a Toyota Matrix, but with Pontiac badges stuck on the hood and steering wheel, so it's identical to a Matrix but $3500 less. Was a medical services company fleet vehicle with 150k on it. Should be good for another 200k or so. Going to drive this until it dies. Suzuki Intruder 1400 - Monster twin Harley-wanna-be. It was an experiment. Didn't work out. Selling it and going back to BMW R-bikes this spring. 1989 Dodge (Champion TransVan) - RV built on a Dodge frame and motor. Comfy at Burning Man. Considering finding a Champion TelStar to replace it. Similar vehicle, but a different internal layout. 2010 Toyota Rav4 - The wife's work vehicle. (She's a professional organizer. So she needs the space and hauling capacity.) This is her 3rd Rav4. She usually trades them in at 120,000, and is at 90k right now. That's what is currently in the stable. Oh wait... 1939 Ford Tudor Ratrod, LeMons race car - Probably not going to make it into the LeMons race this year, due to wedding, job instability, etc, but next year we will make it!
Well, here was last year's trip: https://www.facebook.com/Ratlemons
I drive a 2013 Scion FR-S. Between 2010 and 2012 I was actively searching for a new car, but seeing as how my current one ran fine and was paid off, I wasn't in any hurry. I test drove a lot of cars. I think about 20 in that period of time. A short list of cars I drove that I remember well enough . . . 1994 Z28 Camaro, 1996 Twin Turbo 300zx, 2004 Mach1 Mustang, 2012 Kia Forte, 2012 Kia Soul, 2012 Hyundai Elantra, 2012 Mazda Miata, and 2012 Mazda 6. It eventually came down to the FR-S and the 2012 Ford Mustang GT. Both cars were amazing and spoke to me in different ways, but I eventually settled on the FR-S knowing that the Mustang didn't handle anywhere near as well and that I wouldn't really ever get to use the whole power band, so it was a bit of a waste. I don't regret my decision in the slightest. It's an awesome car and it very much feels like "me." I don't know what I'll get down the road. I'm kind of hoping soon there will be electric performance cars. I think those would be kind of fun.
Yeah. Every last person I talked to though said they'd recommend having a Twin Turbo as a DD. The engine bays are so cramped no one likes working on them and while some people said they're reliable enough, other people said they're finicky. I didn't wanna risk it.
I'm currently driving a 2004 Pontiac Vibe, which is my second such car. I love it, and I can fit two double basses, their players, and their chairs inside. It sips gas pretty well, and usually costs me $35 CAD to fill up. I get about 6 hours of driving on the highway (by which i mean usually 2 lane backroads highways, not 16 lane actual highways), and usually have it last two weeks for daily drives in town.
I have the Vibe as well, and it really is an understated treasure, isn't it? Totally generic. Nobody is ever going to steal it. Expansive space in the back. Hatchback. Fits four adults VERY comfortably. Comfy seats. All the basic controls work well... electric windows, doors, mirrors, A/C, built-in radio/CD/aux input.... ENORMOUS glove box. Sips gas. Costs nothing to insure. The total generic commuter vehicle. I love mine. (My motorcycles are the "fun" vehicles. The Vibe is just my CAR.)
I like driving all sorts of different cars and I usually don't keep them long, but I always buy used (except once) so that it's not too much of an expensive habit. I do attempt to never have a boring car. It just doesn't fit my personality. My car chronology 1. 1972 Cadillac Eldorado: This car makes me very happy. I will buy another one (probably a '69) soon and restore it. 2. 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue: Pretty forgettable car, but my ex-wife had it when we got married. 3. 2001 Pontiac Trans Am W.S6: This is the first car I bought when I had money for the first time. It was excellent. F-Sport Zero Tires front and back, Ram Air hood, Arctic White paint and black leather interior. Sight to see. Miss that car. 4. 2002 Chevy Silverado Z71: That was a kickass truck. Black paint, gray cloth interior, nice when I bought it, less so when I sold it, used it like a truck. Would buy again. 5. 2011 GMC Terrain: Bought new, special ordered all the options that I wanted and none that I didn't. This is my ex-wife's car now. Would not buy again. 6. 2007 Cadillac DTS: Back at it again with the Cadillac. It has air conditioned seats. Seats! With air conditioning! Self-leveling suspension, touch-screen nav, the works. Lots of fun to drive, and plenty of room in the back seat for activities. I wasn't planning on buying a new car again, but the new 2016 Eldorado pictures are getting leaked and I would totally buy that.
I forgot the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Green with Peanut Butter leather interior. An ugly and fun car to drive (once I tightened up the sloppy steering box). The bets thing about the TA was the T-tops, and then I had gutted the exhaust so out the back were 2.5 inch tubes mated to a gutted y-pipe and borla exhast. That thing sounded perfect. It was so low pressure it would back fire if you came off the throttle too fast. Beautiful.
I tend to like Mustangs better, because it feels like there's more support and variety in the after market for them. That said though, I've seen some amazing F-Bodies over the years at car shows. I think second to the Corvette Community, the Firebird/TransAm community is probably the most active for GM cars. There are some really passionate owners out there. I bet you had a blast with yours.