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Car nuts thread ?


Poloturbo

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Is it me or are modern performace cars kind of an underwhelming experience. I mean they often pack huge power, but they are heavy so it doesn't matter and I hate the way that the drivers experience has been cluttered up with a million buttons and gizmos? I tested a few cars out this weekend and I was genuinely surprised by how little I liked them (granted : my choices were limited as I am trying to find a wagon). 

I recently turned the original 5-speed transmission that came with my forester xt into a fine soup of shrapnel and transmission fluid [yum!]. This has been long-anticipated since the Subaru 5-speed transmission is known to be a weak link and my car makes well over stock power levels .... and I think it might be the sole remaining original part in the car.

So I went test-driving new cars to see if I wanted to just buy a new car rather than go through the trouble of swapping in a far-more-durable six-speed. Drove a Volvo S60 Polestar (I was interested in the V60, but all they had was an S60), A Jaguar F-Pace SVT (an SUV ‚ yuck but I thought I would try), and (just for fun) a 911 Turbo S. I was really surprised with what I found, comparing these brand-new flagship vehicles to my lowly forester. The 911 Turbo S was nothing short of being one of the most confident and enjoyable cars I have ever driven (for the low-low bargain basement price of 120k used with no warranty hahaha), but the other two sucked! The Volvo was incredibly slow, or felt like it anyway, despite supposedly pushing 400 ponies (though the braking was outrageously great). The Jaguars handling and braking were terrifyingly bad, despite positive reviews everywhere (i wonder if the one I tested needed an alignment). I thought I would be more annoyed by the automatic transmissions but I was not (and I genuinely loved the transmission on the porsche). But overall: my impression is that modern cars are really not particularly fun to drive (with the notable exception of the 911 T which was definitely too rich for my blood considering that was a used car with no warranty, or trunk space).  I wanted to try an Audi RS 6 Avant but none are available to test drive. I wish that there more fast-wagons available to purchase new. It was actually kind of nice experience — It reinforced my decision to just fix my car (so much cheaper than buying a new car anyway) — but I do wish there were some decent fast-wagon options on the market new. 

I did not look at any BMW's or Mercedes mostly on the basis that I just don't find them attractive, Mercedes makes that one fast wagon but I think it is kind of hideous. 

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@queequeg  hope you were ok!  sorry to hear about the car.  When we push the limit; sometime it push back...

build vs buy 🙂
factory HP are just refined.  It's difficult to get in trouble with all the electronic nanny in place.
it's all in the tune.  

Huge wagon fan here:  my first car was a 80s green wagon.
I know you are looking for new one but maybe a used one might fit the bill:

Audi RS6 wagon can be costly in repair and up keep.
BMW some 5 series wagon are pretty nice; good chassis/engine
MB got some crazy nice wagon... too $$$ for me.

i had a 1996 Chevy Caprice Wagon (it's a whale) with 1A2("police") package:  LT1 v8 (Corvette derived) 
herb adam sway bar, hotchkis suspension, qa1 shock, the thing will pull over 1g in the skidpad
There are quite a few whom autocross their impala SS(some with t-56 and turbo). 
I miss that wagon shouldn't have sold it...  Was able to fit 7 or 8 ppl to 6flag hauling ass lol.. 

Another option is Dodge magnum Hemi awd.  Price was never low enough for me to snag one.

Ultimate wagon that's attainable for me is perhaps the caddy cts-v

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4 hours ago, Neil Gendzwill said:

Try a VW GTI or R.

Too short to fit surfboards in the back, and I don't like the way the new ones look. They are pretty fun to drive though, and I think manual is still an option with VWs. I might have considered some of the older years but I have decided I won't be buying another used car: it's either the devil I know, or buying new.

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4 hours ago, pow4ever said:

@queequeg  hope you were ok!  sorry to hear about the car.  When we push the limit; sometime it push back...

build vs buy 🙂
factory HP are just refined.  It's difficult to get in trouble with all the electronic nanny in place.
it's all in the tune.  

Huge wagon fan here:  my first car was a Chevy Celebrity wagon.
I know you are looking for new one but maybe a used one might fit the bill:

Audi RS6 wagon can be costly in repair and up keep.
BMW some 5 series wagon are pretty nice; good chassis/engine
MB got some crazy nice wagon... too $$$ for me.

i had a 1996 Chevy Caprice Wagon (it's a whale) with 1A2("police") package:  LT1 v8 (Corvette derived) 
herb adam sway bar, hotchkis suspension, qa1 shock, the thing will pull over 1g in the skidpad
There are quite a few whom autocross their impala SS(some with t-56 and turbo). 
I miss that wagon shouldn't have sold it...  Was able to fit 7 or 8 ppl to 6flag hauling ass lol.. 

Another option is Dodge magnum Hemi awd.  Price was never low enough for me to snag one.

Ultimate wagon that's attainable for me is perhaps the caddy cts-v

haha yeah, wagons are the cats-ass! I think I am going to keep my Forester. The things that I like about it that are tough to beat: drives like a car but can fit a lot of junk in the trunk, and it has totally unbeatable visibility. One of the trends I dislike about new cars is the teensy-weensy rear windows you can't see a bloody thing out of. And despite the car being a bit old, I have worked out a huge number of the kinks in it — it handles remarkably well, is wicked quick, and  has a bunch of creature comforts it never came with. I think I am going to upgrade the brakes when I do the 6-speed swap since the knuckles/hubs have to go for that anyway.

That caprice wagon sounds great!

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A friend has a 2017 Mercedes E400 wagon. Tastes are all different but I think it is a very attractive wagon. It will fit several 170cm boards in the back. It is ultra luxurious (hot stone message on the way back from riding). 

Car & Driver did a review on one recently and all the reviewers loved it (rare). 

I think they are $80+k new. Used ones can be found online for the mid $40ks. 

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1 hour ago, JohnE said:

A friend has a 2017 Mercedes E400 wagon. Tastes are all different but I think it is a very attractive wagon. It will fit several 170cm boards in the back. It is ultra luxurious (hot stone message on the way back from riding). 

Car & Driver did a review on one recently and all the reviewers loved it (rare). 

I think they are $80+k new. Used ones can be found online for the mid $40ks. 

Its a wonderful car for sure — and yeah: hauls things as well as ass — I just don't like the styling (and the MB grill in general [same goes for BMW]). Really wish I found them more attractive.

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15 hours ago, queequeg said:

Its a wonderful car for sure — and yeah: hauls things as well as ass — I just don't like the styling (and the MB grill in general [same goes for BMW]). Really wish I found them more attractive.

There are 2 grilles available on the car: the "sport" grille and the "luxury?" grille. These look quite different. Maybe neither is appealing. The car isn't "fun" to drive like a small, light car with a manual transmission but it is a pretty good compromise of utility and speed. However, if it is out of warranty, they could be frightfully expensive to repair. 

Also you mentioned a Volvo V60. I have a 2015 V60 front wheel drive (I put snow tires on in the winter). It isn't especially fun to drive but I can put boards in the back. It is a 2 liter 4 cylinder turbo. It has pretty good low end torque and gets about 28 mpg around town and as high as the mid 30s on the highway. It certainly has enough power to exceed the speed limit under almost all conditions. 

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On 9/2/2020 at 5:51 AM, JohnE said:

There are 2 grilles available on the car: the "sport" grille and the "luxury?" grille. These look quite different. Maybe neither is appealing. The car isn't "fun" to drive like a small, light car with a manual transmission but it is a pretty good compromise of utility and speed. However, if it is out of warranty, they could be frightfully expensive to repair. 

Also you mentioned a Volvo V60. I have a 2015 V60 front wheel drive (I put snow tires on in the winter). It isn't especially fun to drive but I can put boards in the back. It is a 2 liter 4 cylinder turbo. It has pretty good low end torque and gets about 28 mpg around town and as high as the mid 30s on the highway. It certainly has enough power to exceed the speed limit under almost all conditions. 

I just don't like anything about the way they look. Test drove a polestar S60, which is pretty much the quickest thing Volvo makes and found it to be pretty lackluster. Great braking though.

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  • 3 weeks later...
17 hours ago, patmoore said:

I needed something practical for Vermont...... 

21 years old and in showroom condition.

GMHX3978.JPG

IMG_3925.JPG

 

Nice Pat -- I had a Torch Red C5 for many years , great car sold it in 2014  and bought a 2013 and a 2012 C6 with a M6 tranny, My son bought a 2011 C6 last year.  - we are kind of a Corvette family.

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