Automobiles

[christian]

What about the Porsche Macan (Tiguan/Q5 platform), out early 2013.

Finally! All these years I felt that my 924 was insufficiently like a postal jeep.

[maunahaole]

A postal jeep has more refinement in the drivetrain and suspension than a 924.

[davids]

Car & Driver's Ten Best, 2013:

• Audi A6 / S6 / A7 / S7
• BMW 3 series
• Ford Focus / Focus ST
• Ford Mustang GT / Boss 302
• Honda Accord
• Honda Fit
• Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Porsche Boxster / Boxster S
• Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ
• Volksvagen Golf / GTI

I'm a little surprised the new Caddy didn't make it, but overall that's a pretty damn good list of the best real-world cars around right now.

[AngryScientist]

in my constant backlog of ideas: pre-runner.

my daily driver is a low-to-the-ground european car, but i always like to have a trucky thing in the driveway. currently it's a beater jeep grand cherokee. good for home depot runs, commuting in the snow, bike trips - anything that requires some space, traction or potentially car denting activities. when the jeep dies i have in mind to build a toyota or nissan pre-runner type truck. 2wd, locking rear diff, decent lift. could be a good utility vehicle, and good weekend fun truck. also needs to be practical enough to drive to work in the snow, etc.

because its the "third car" in the driveway, it needs to be done relativly cheaply. anyone do anything like that??

[jerk]

the caddy is as expensive as an 3 series bimmer and has the sae engine as a 20,000 rental fleet camaro. it's nice- but it's a nice $28000 car not a nice $40000 car.

[davids]

the caddy is as expensive as an 3 series bimmer and has the sae engine as a 20,000 rental fleet camaro. it's nice- but it's a nice $28000 car not a nice $40000 car.

Understood. But that chassis!

...I thought about this thread when I read the list. A couple of your prime candidates hanging out there. No Bullit, though.

[liv2bike]

in an ideal world i'd have a diesel 3 series wagon with a 6speed manual....but this isn't an ideal world.

There, fixed it...for my liking anyway.

[jerk]

Understood. But that chassis!

...I thought about this thread when I read the list. A couple of your prime candidates hanging out there. No Bullit, though.

2009 was the last year of the bullitt.....it is perfect for what it is. It's low key, sounds great, is fast as fuck, and is crude and mean and doesn't have a bunch of dumb branding or plastic on it. The extra 75hp on the newer gts, really means a tenth or two in 0-60 time. In the real world it doesn't matter. With the 4.10s, lumpy cams and the fr500 axle backs I put in my bullitt- mine is slightly faster and much louder and more fun than the current gt.

Honestly, it's the perfect car to drive in America. It weighs the same, has the same power and layout as my bimmer m3, but it doesn't get you in trouble. It gets to seventy in six seconds and it feels like 150mph.....the bimmer made 130 feel like forty five.

[Honus]

Honestly, it's the perfect car to drive in America. It weighs the same, has the same power and layout as my bimmer m3, but it doesn't get you in trouble. It gets to seventy in six seconds and it feels like 150mph.....the bimmer made 130 feel like forty five.

Boy you're not kidding. When I worked for a BMW dealer I drove those cars way faster than I had any right to on public roads. I once drove late at night to pick up the BMW manager at the Denver airport and I looked at the speedo and I was driving 110mph on the highway.

My wife drives a 2007 Passat 3.6 4Motion wagon and that thing has the same feeling- it's pretty quick for a big wagon and she has a bit of a lead foot so before you know it you're going 80mph and it feels like 40mph.

[Brandon White]

Boy you're not kidding. When I worked for a BMW dealer I drove those cars way faster than I had any right to on public roads. I once drove late at night to pick up the BMW manager at the Denver airport and I looked at the speedo and I was driving 110mph on the highway.

My wife drives a 2007 Passat 3.6 4Motion wagon and that thing has the same feeling- it's pretty quick for a big wagon and she has a bit of a lead foot so before you know it you're going 80mph and it feels like 40mph.

Driving to Disney this past weekend. My wife is trying to tell me how to make up some extra time. She says "at least drive 80 when catching up to those cars up there". I look down and I'm going a touch over 90. She thought I was going 70.

Going around town - DS mode (yes, I have an automatic - I had no choice really) gets you from light to light really really quick too.

[Ben]

Last year, I drove a 2011 Mustang GT on a long trip involving some state highways and some back roads. Routinely asked my companion "how fast do you think we're going?" The answers ranged from 15 to 35(!) mph slower than we were going. Not to be a shithead, Craig, but in terms of ride the new ones are more like your old M3 than your current Bullitt. (And I've driven everything from a '66 fastback to a whole bunch of Fox bodies to the awful cars of the late 90s to the new ones.)

[jitahs]

Every time I come to this forum I realize I don't live in America.

- Miata (on that there list) driver.

[jerk]

Last year, I drove a 2011 Mustang GT on a long trip involving some state highways and some back roads. Routinely asked my companion "how fast do you think we're going?" The answers ranged from 15 to 35(!) mph slower than we were going. Not to be a shithead, Craig, but in terms of ride the new ones are more like your old M3 than your current Bullitt. (And I've driven everything from a '66 fastback to a whole bunch of Fox bodies to the awful cars of the late 90s to the new ones.)

and that's probably a good thing...just not a good thing for me. 4.10s and kr exhaust adn lumpy cams makes it even worse....by which i mean better for me.

[Saab2000]

Every time I come to this forum I realize I don't live in America.

- Miata (on that there list) driver.

I just sold my Miata. I miss it but couldn't manage three vehicles. I will own another sports car, either a later model Miata/MX-5 or a Porsche Boxster S. I've heard they're fairly bullet proof mechanically and a few years old they're relatively affordable. We'll see what that means....

My daily driver is my 2006 GTI. Not even 60,000 miles yet. I don't really drive all that much....

Obligatory bike content with the Zank on the roof.
GTI.jpg

[jitahs]

I just sold my Miata. I miss it but couldn't manage three vehicles. I will own another sports car, either a later model Miata/MX-5 or a Porsche Boxster S. I've heard they're fairly bullet proof mechanically and a few years old they're relatively affordable. We'll see what that means....

My daily driver is my 2006 GTI. Not even 60,000 miles yet. I don't really drive all that much....

Obligatory bike content with the Zank on the roof.
GTI.jpg

My 06 has had zero problems (knock wood), 41k. I never drive - jumped it twice this year due to negligence. Primary vehicle too, other than a bike. Build quality is very good, has minor plastic fitment squeaks. Easy DIY.

Your VW is a lot quieter and frankly I'm not fond of the MZR engine drone. It's quick enough but the exhaust note isn't tuned like an NA's. I've found on an hour+ freeway drone earplugs make it a positively posh. Whatevs, dropping the top in literally one second at 40 mph in between rain showers makes up for a lot.

[davids]

Every time I come to this forum I realize I don't live in America.

- Miata (on that there list) driver.

I feel you.

- Fit (on that there list) and small wagon driver.

[Ben]

Every time I come to this forum I realize I don't live in America.

- Miata (on that there list) driver.

Yeah, because nobody ever drove a V8 Mustang in the bay area.

[jitahs]

I prefer this Bullitt:

Bullitt.jpg

[rmplum]

For all of you Rally-heads, there is a show airing on Velocity right now (it airs again later this month) called Rallying - The Killer Years. They had a similar program about Formula 1 earlier this year and it was very good and as tastefully done as something like that can be.

This may be it (renamed) not sure.

Madness On Wheels DVD

[Ben]

I prefer this Bullitt:

Bullitt.jpg

In that case, never mind America. You don't live on Planet Earth.