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Let's talk cars

post #1 of 18
6/4/08 at 6:55am
Thread Starter 
What are your current favorites? If you're to buy a car right now, what would it be? What would you buy for a) reliability, b) performance, c) style? I'm talking affordable cars.

My current favorite line in terms of style is anything Citroen. The interior and exterior designs of the C4, C5 and C6 are very nice and edgy, and I hear they're all fun to drive. The Peugeot 207, 308 and 407 also have a lot more style than most cars in their categories. Again the French are ahead when it comes to style. For some reason, Volks Wagen's current affordable cars (Polo, Golf, Jetta) have dull interiors. The Polo would have been my perfect car if the interior didn't look so boring. I like the Yaris too but it's become the AdG of cars, so I had to forget about it. Subaru Impreza is all nice and powerful, but it's just not for me.

But my absolute favorite right now is the BMW 1-series. The design is compact and very masculine, the engine is powerful and efficient, and the interior is comfortable (and stylish enough). Only draw back is the price. The price of the most basic 116i here is 20% higher than that of the Golf.

What are your thoughts on the car market now?
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post #2 of 18
6/4/08 at 10:32am
I've always been fascinated with BMW's 3-series cars. When I was in Bermuda in '05 I officially fell for the 316i, it's not the baddest or the richest but it's got lines in all the right places, and I loved it. I've always liked the Z3 as well, I plan on it being my next car.
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post #3 of 18
6/4/08 at 5:30pm
"Cars", we don't need no stinkin' "cars"!

My 2001 F150 Lightning, a very quick(12.531 seconds in the 1/4 mile) pickup:



My wife's 2007 SL Nissan Murano:

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post #4 of 18
6/4/08 at 6:01pm
The best sport car for the money... me and my ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!


and alone...

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post #5 of 18
6/4/08 at 6:36pm
I could go for the new Audi s5.
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post #6 of 18
6/4/08 at 7:01pm
I plan on owning a home near work or in the city and public transit (buses, skytrain and seabus) is fine. I'm using them now while I go to school and plan on doing so afterwards. Everything should be within walking distance, and shopping and nightlife and all within downtown. I'd rather own a nice studio apartment instead.

Though if I'm able to afford it later, my dream car is a Porsche 911 Carrera, and I also like the Special editions and the glass roof one (Targa).
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post #7 of 18
6/6/08 at 1:45am
Thread Starter 
Lightninrod, I like the Murano very much, unfortunately it's way too expensive here. Because of its large engine (3.5 liters?), I believe that more than 150% of the car's price is added in customs. Anything that has an engine larger than 1.6 liters is not an option down here, because you'll pay much more than what the car is worth.
Beautiful car though.
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post #8 of 18
6/6/08 at 1:06pm
Scachman... dewd.. those are some hot wheels
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post #9 of 18
6/9/08 at 4:42pm
Thread Starter 
We have an auto show these days, I went today to get a feel of the interior of the BMW 1 Series. I got in and for a minute I could have sworn it was the best moment I had in months. Sounds shallow, I know, but it's just the way it felt. I scheduled a test drive next week

Also test driving the Impreza this Thursday!
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post #10 of 18
6/9/08 at 9:13pm
::sigh::

if it was available in the US right now, I'd spring for a drop top Focus. I've got a red '00 sedan now, but i'm thinking its only going to go for another 2, maybe 3 years. but the convertable foci are sweeeet looking, and a bit quicker than my '00.

but, since there are none of those here, I'd just get me a new Mustang 'vert. either red with tan interior/top or triple black... i don't care how hot a black care supposedly gets, if i want a glossy black Mustang, I'll have a glossy black Mustang! (the boyfriend thinks i'm nutso for wanting black in miami... all the cars my parents ever had were black, and a sports car in black is just slick looking)

I've never seen a Bimmer 1-series... guess another thing that the US doesn't have?

but all in all... given my dream car... mmm... red with white interior '57 chevy convertable. oh, to have one of those on a rag-top day.... mmm........
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post #11 of 18
6/10/08 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xdattax View Post

::sigh::

if it was available in the US right now, I'd spring for a drop top Focus. I've got a red '00 sedan now, but i'm thinking its only going to go for another 2, maybe 3 years. but the convertable foci are sweeeet looking, and a bit quicker than my '00.

but, since there are none of those here, I'd just get me a new Mustang 'vert. either red with tan interior/top or triple black... i don't care how hot a black care supposedly gets, if i want a glossy black Mustang, I'll have a glossy black Mustang! (the boyfriend thinks i'm nutso for wanting black in miami... all the cars my parents ever had were black, and a sports car in black is just slick looking)

I've never seen a Bimmer 1-series... guess another thing that the US doesn't have?

but all in all... given my dream car... mmm... red with white interior '57 chevy convertable. oh, to have one of those on a rag-top day.... mmm........


I drive a Mustang that is black with black interior, and I live in Texas. People always make such a big deal about black getting hot, but it's really not that bad. Maybe it just gets so hot in all of the cars here, so the difference in a black car is hard to notice in comparison. I don't even have a lot of tint on the windows either, but you could also consider that option? I agree with you, a shiny black sports car is just damn sexy!
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post #12 of 18
6/10/08 at 4:09pm
I LOVE my black Mustang so much! I agree with caddy, all cars get hot here so it doesn't matter if they are black inside or not.



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post #13 of 18
6/10/08 at 8:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whosyourcaddy05 View Post

I drive a Mustang that is black with black interior, and I live in Texas. People always make such a big deal about black getting hot, but it's really not that bad. Maybe it just gets so hot in all of the cars here, so the difference in a black car is hard to notice in comparison. I don't even have a lot of tint on the windows either, but you could also consider that option? I agree with you, a shiny black sports car is just damn sexy!

Quote:
Originally Posted by shadesofbleu View Post

I LOVE my black Mustang so much! I agree with caddy, all cars get hot here so it doesn't matter if they are black inside or not.





that's how i feel about it, though I'd go for tinting, i just wish black out tint wasn't illegal here.

and beautiful 'stang you got there, bleu.
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post #14 of 18
6/10/08 at 8:47pm
If money was no object:

Bugatti Veyron


A W-16 engine that can produce 1,001 horsepower
A top speed of 250+ mph (400+ kph)
A zero-to-60 time of three seconds
A zero-to-180 time of 14 seconds
A price tag somewhere in the $1.2 million range.

(but I'll take Schachman's "Z")
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post #15 of 18
6/11/08 at 12:42am
Thread Starter 
silverbullet, I heard you can get it for a million. Yes, the official price is $1.2M, but if you walk in with a million in your hand, then you have a deal. The car is not profitable anyway, it's made for publicity to the parent company.

Here's something interesting:
Quote:
The top speed was verified once again by James May on Top Gear, again at Volkswagen's private test track, when the car hit 407.9 km/h (253 mph), which equated to precisely one-third of supersonic speed at sea level. When getting close to the top speed during the test he said that "the tires will only last for about fifteen minutes, but it's okay because the fuel runs out in twelve minutes."

And there's a Hermes version:
Quote:
At the Geneva motor show in 2008 Bugatti announced a partnership with the French fashion house Hermès. The Bugatti Veyron Fbg Par Hermès was the result. It features several new features as well as a redesigned front end. The interior is done in Hermès leather and it comes with a specially designed Hermès suitcase to fit in the trunk.
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post #16 of 18
6/25/08 at 12:31pm
The sickest car I drove was a Ferrari 550 Maranello. A friend bought it to resell it and he let me play with it for a couple of weeks. He suspected it was stolen though because of the low price he got it for so he resold it to make a profit. The last car I had was a BMW 335i, but it wasn't mine. The dealership just thought it would be nice to advertise them. A friend let me drive a Honda Accord Sport full options and it is a pretty fun ride. I don't know, I need to buy a car right now.


My boyfriend's car. He got it last year, but he wants to get a new ride now.

His former ride that I ended driving for a while.
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post #17 of 18
6/25/08 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xdattax View Post

::sigh::

but all in all... given my dream car... mmm... red with white interior '57 chevy convertable. oh, to have one of those on a rag-top day.... mmm........

My dad has a '57 chevy bel air convertible, but in baby blue. He's had it since he was 17. I grew up cruising in that car. He also has an '85 M-B 380 SL in smoke silver, one of the most beautiful cars, the color makes it.

I love my Jeep Grand Cherokee and I'd easily buy another one. If I had to buy a practical car I wouldn't know where to start looking.
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post #18 of 18
7/6/08 at 5:51pm
I like the V-6 Passat and the Saab 9-5 Aero. Remember I'm probably you're dad's age for goodness sake!
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › General Discussion › Off topic › Let's talk cars