embarrassment won't kill you-bmw to rav4

[eddief]

or will it?

going through cars too quickly is way more expensive than buying and selling bikes. got burr up up butt to have cool, fast, great handling, manual trans vehicle. shopped that butt off to find and buy the perfect specimen.

found it, bought it and could never really identify with it after the purchase. sport suspension incredibly painful on all but the smoothest roads. sport seats so narrow, could never get comfortable no matter how they were adjusted. climate control system a complete joke and so overengineered i could never figure it out and even if i got close it worked for sh*t. computerized ignition key and locking system a mystery too.

i loved the steering feel and the brakes could bring it down fast, but other than those things, i now realize i made a mistake...for me.

replacement = 2004 rav4. comfy, simple, economical, practical, sensible, fun. cup holders you can use, climate control that controls the climate, seats for broadbutted humans, 28 mpg on the cheap stuff. abs, traction control, stability control. i think its aftermarket $120 pioneer stereo may actually sound better than the hk premium in the bmw. ego likes this better.

i did drive a v6 4wd rav and it was quite the blvd. cruiser. but the 4 banger is good enough for me...at this time anyway.

2001 330i for sale in berkeley.

[chuckroast]

dude, you are one step away from my Mercury Grand Marquis. Come over to the dark side.....

[DarrenCT]

how long until you decide u want another beamer again? :)

[eddief]

about a year apart, but bimmers are probably not in my future.

[Cinci Jim]

2002 Lexus GS430 (4.3l V8)

to

2005 Scion Tc (2.4l L4)

to

2007 Toyota RAV4 (3.5l V6 AWD)

to

2008 Toyota Sequoia (5.7l V8 4x4) (this one is on order)

[ti_boi]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm......my list would be:

1973 Ford Mustang 302 V8

1977 Ford Ranchero 351C V8

1976 Porsche 914 2.0 4

1988 Merkur (German Ford) XR4ti 2.3 Turbo 4

1990 Nissan Maxima 3.0 V6

1992 Plymouth Acclaim 2.0 4

1994 Nissan Altima 4 cyl.

1999 Saab 900 Convert. 2.0l turbo 4

2003 Saab 900 Convert. 2.0l turbo 4

2005 BMW 325 Xi 2.5l inline 6

[ergott]

Wife's got a 2001 Rav with the 4. Nice little ride. I talked my dad from his GMC Yukon down to a brand new Rav-4 and he loves it. Loves the mileage as well.

[avalonracing]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm......my list would be:

1973 Ford Mustang 302 V8

1977 Ford Ranchero 351C V8

1976 Porsche 914 2.0 4

1988 Mekur XR4ti 2.3 Turbo 4

1990 Nissan Maxima 3.0 V6

1992 Plymouth Acclaim 2.0 4

1994 Nissan Altima V6

1999 Saab 900 Convert. 2.0l turbo 4

2003 Saab 900 Convert. 2.0l turbo 4

2005 BMW 325 Xi 2.5l inline 6

Crazy list there!
I love the old 914 Porsches. Targa top, zero body roll and lots of fun. But the XR4Ti and the Acclaim are in a fight to the death for the title of worst car ever!

[rounder]

i know this get's personal...but i'm in...all my cars have had 4 cylinders -

1965 Sunbeam Alpine - got it after watching Dr. No, wire wheels, French blue, rally lights, lots of toggle switches

1975 VW Rabbit Deluxe - They just came out. FWD, rally yellow, shock absorbing front end

1982 Mazda 626 Sports Coupe - RX7 wheels, maroon, 5-speed, first car with a/c or sunroof, 2" lower

1984 Subaru wagon - 4WD, 4-speed, sunroof, Artic white, car was basically ready for anything (it was sortof a fixie)

1992 Honda Accord lxi - Automatic, Montery Green, pretty car, nice stock wheels, good car

1994 Toyota Camry - Maroon, boring everything. Only lasted 6 months due to unfortunate demise (thank god the daughter was ok)

1995 Honda Civic EX - Dark green, really nothing special but loved the car (still have it)

2001 Audi A4 - Dark blue, sport version...stiff suspension - corners flat and rattles your teeth when you go over bumps, nice car

[Bruce H.]

ok, I'll add to the list:
After I returned my Audi A6 I decided I'd downsize. For the past 5 years I've been driving a Saturn L-300 and loved it. Then the bug hit again and I got a 2008 Infinity G35X Loaded. Forgot what I had been missing.
Bruce H :banana:

[Z3c]

I'll ammend my list to show my GTi love:

1984 Mk I GTi

1999 Mk IV GTi 2.slow

20th Anniversary Jazz Blue GTi 1.8T

2002 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo

2005 Porsche Boxster S

2006 Audi S4

2007 Honda Element

Gotta' love all the GTi love in this thread!

I must say, the Element is fun, cheap and bikes fit with ease... The others hauled but the Element HAULS..

Scott, King of Depreciation Hits

[ti_boi]

Crazy list there!
I love the old 914 Porsches. Targa top, zero body roll and lots of fun. But the XR4Ti and the Acclaim are in a fight to the death for the title of worst car ever!


I know!! The merkur had some serious cooling system issues.....once fixed for over a grand and later.....broken again in months...

The 914 I had a rebuild on -- mahle pistons -- the works....it was mint! But the body would rust -- Karmen coach works....it was just destined to rust....The Acclaim was my 'city car' and it ran forever....we laughed as we drove it the dealer to trade it in....warning lights on...rear suspension was crooked...hilarious!!

[Blue Jays]

I'm considering a Honda Ridgeline (new or used, doesn't matter) for bicycle-carrying and other cargo duties. It is truly a bizarre-looking truck and yet very, very practical from what I've seen.

[sevencyclist]

1982 Plymouth Reliant K
1986 Saab 900S
1993 Saab 900
1997 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro
2007 Honda Element

all 4 cylinders

All of these can fit bikes, but Element did it in style, while others did it piecemeal. Element also had most power.

[saab2000]

This is what you need.

- Manual transmission
- Terrific seats
- Practical (fits a bike with only taking off the front wheel)
- Reasonable economy (33+ MPG HWY in real life)
- Can keep up with most 'real' cars if you drive well. You won't drop an M3, but you will surpise them because they really can't drop you either.
- Inexpensive. Less than $25K very well equipped. I paid about $22K for mine.

Some negatives:

- all season tires. Get the summers and then some dedicated winter wheels if you need them. The all seasons are too compromised.
- The suspension is higher on US models than on the real Euro models.
- Clutch is not what is should be IMHO
- Some of the good options only come in stupid packages. Best deal is with zero options because it actually comes very well equipped without them.
- Dealers are lame. but then so are BMW dealers.
- No GTD (diesel) model like in Europe...... with equal or better performance and 45 MPG.

[Blue Jays]

I have fond memories of a 1984 Volkswagen GTI from years ago! Yakima rack did a fine job of transporting bicycles around with a third placed in back. http://sbw.sportbikes.com/images/smilies/love.gif

[jeffg]

Volvo V70 for the longhaul family adventures and carpooling

MiniCooper S six-speed for the lone adult and weekends with the kids with roof box and rear bike rack -- kids & wife always want to ride in the Mini and the fuel ecomomy is great, but not as great as the Mini D, which cleans a Prius' clock

[Ray]

I'm embarrassment-proof:

68 VW bug
79 Honda Civic
81 Ford Econoline cargo van
74 Saab somethingorother
87 Honda Civic
91 Nissan 240sx (not sure of the model number, but it wasn't the original Z car - a couple of steps down, at least)
92 Nissan Sentra SE-R (probably the most fun to drive car I ever owned)
98 Honda Odyssey (still going strong)

Other cars during that time, mostly driven by my wife:

84ish Toyota Tercel
88ish Nissan Stanza wagon (FUNKY)
95 Ford Windstar (one large electrical problem - got rid of it after 2 years for the Odyssey)
03 Honda Accord (still going strong)

Next car will probably be a Honda Fit or some sort of hybrid. Just big enough to fit a bike with the wheels off. At this point, cars are no more than an occasionally necessary evil. I usually don't get in mine more than once or twice a week. I don't like driving or burning gas (next car has to get 30ish in town and a lot better on the road) and live in a place where I don't need to often but my consulting business requires that I have one available. Since my wife commutes we're still a 2-car couple for the foreseeable future. Whatever I buy next won't get much use, so I'll probably go used.

You just can't embarrass me dammit!

-Ray

[Blue Jays]

In terms of utility, a minivan is probably the best vehicle for transporting bicycles with minimal heavy luggage. They are car-like in comfort and can still haul an assortment of bulky stuff without getting too crowded for passengers.
A friend of mine has a totally-loaded Honda Odyssey that is supremely comfortable. Very nice, just not my cup of tea to own!

[quattro]

If I can remember far back enough....
'72 Plymouth Duster
'84 Saab 900
'89 Acura
'90 Nissan Pathfinder
'95 Saab 9000CS
'95 Audi S6 (106k miles at present)

Thinking of a new/used car, short list: Audi S4 or S6 or BMW 530xi or 535xi. Trying to learn the differences between the quattro system and the xdrive, any info?

[dvs cycles]

or will it?

going through cars too quickly is way more expensive than buying and selling bikes. got burr up up butt to have cool, fast, great handling, manual trans vehicle. shopped that butt off to find and buy the perfect specimen.

found it, bought it and could never really identify with it after the purchase. sport suspension incredibly painful on all but the smoothest roads. sport seats so narrow, could never get comfortable no matter how they were adjusted. climate control system a complete joke and so overengineered i could never figure it out and even if i got close it worked for sh*t. computerized ignition key and locking system a mystery too.

i loved the steering feel and the brakes could bring it down fast, but other than those things, i now realize i made a mistake...for me.

replacement = 2004 rav4. comfy, simple, economical, practical, sensible, fun. cup holders you can use, climate control that controls the climate, seats for broadbutted humans, 28 mpg on the cheap stuff. abs, traction control, stability control. i think its aftermarket $120 pioneer stereo may actually sound better than the hk premium in the bmw. ego likes this better.

i did drive a v6 4wd rav and it was quite the blvd. cruiser. but the 4 banger is good enough for me...at this time anyway.

2001 330i for sale in berkeley.I had a 2004 Rav up until last year. Bought it for the milage plus I could put my bike inside with a fork mount. The new design lost the cargo height for that.
I have the 3 volume set of factory shop manuals for it still that I will let go very cheap if you are interested. Got some other stuff too.
PM me. :beer:

[obtuse]

this is a joke right? the bmw sports seats in mine are the cars one fault, way to wide at least compared to what the my gtis had.....

here's my hurting list:

citroen cx

audi 80

toyota crown

vw rabbit gti

vw gti 1.8

vw vr6 24 valve

bmw 330

[stevep]

jerk,
you forgot the deux cheaveaux.
i remember seeing you going out the mass pike it it doing 33mph...
was mint though.


this is a joke right? the bmw sports seats in mine are the cars one fault, way to wide at least compared to what the my gtis had.....

here's my hurting list:

citroen cx

audi 80

toyota crown

vw rabbit gti

vw gti 1.8

vw vr6 24 valve

bmw 330

[ericspin]

You haven't lived until you drive a Jeep Wrangler with the top down. Every day driver with a killer (read - loud to overpower the ungodly unaerodynamic wind noises when the top is up) stereo with as many MB Quart speakers as you can fit and a huge sub. I love it. Not so much on fuel ecomomy but makes up for it on the fun quotient.

[Kevan]

you make me feel good about my rig (Hyundai Tucson):

http://www.auto35.ru/wallpapers/2302-hyundai-tucson.jpg

[DarrenCT]

kevan,

any probs with that ride?

i have a subaru 2.5xt and was thinking of getting something a bit less expensive next

is it 4wd?

[Polyglot]

Crazy list there!
I love the old 914 Porsches. Targa top, zero body roll and lots of fun. But the XR4Ti and the Acclaim are in a fight to the death for the title of worst car ever!

I had a European Ford Sierra (which is what the Merkur was based on) as a company car and it was an absolutely wonderful car. I drove it 100K km over two years without any problems.

[jchasse]

1981 Ford Mustang 5.0L (it was sickly beige/pink)
1984 VW GTI (magnet for stereo theives)
1988 VW Scirocco 16V (Loved that car!)
1998(?) VW Jetta GLX vr6
1994 Porsche 911 Cabriolet (never shoulda sold it)
1986 Porsche 944 turbo (Race car) - wanna buy it??
2000 Chevy Tahoe (tow vehicle for above)
2002 Subaru WRX - Wife's car now
2003 Ford F250 - replacement tow vehicle
1996 Mazda Miata - Spec Miata race car (still have it)
2006 Audi A4 3.2 S-Line (could be best car i've ever owned)

[Big Dan]

No shame for me. 2003 Honda Civic , 1.7 and 5 spd.
Paid for. Over 34 mpg and no cops riding behind me.
Don't miss a thing.

:p

[Fixed]

my dad gave me a 68 mgb one time I liked it but i was 16 at the time
cheers

[Ray]

my dad gave me a 68 mgb one time I liked it but i was 16 at the time
cheers
Those things were a great hobby if you were mechanically inclined. A friend had a mid-60s mgb-gt and we spent waaaaay more time by the side of the road with that thing than we ever did ON the road.

-Ray

[jemoryl]

My cars have been pretty peculiar:

'82 Renault 5
'84 Lancia Prisma
'84 Saab 900
'87 Alfa Romeo Milano 2.5 V6 (still have)
'92 Saab 900S
'98 Mazda 626
'03 Ford Focus SVT (my current daily driver)

The last one was the only one purchased new...

Joe

[72gmc]

I've regressed a bit. Two used Audis taught me that I love to drive nice cars, but 300 bucks to replace a sealed-beam headlight pi$$es me off. From what a co-worker says I count myself lucky that I've never owned a Saab 900s.

1976 GMC truck
1979 Honda Accord (best feature: ski pole handle for shift knob)
1985 Audi 4000 Quattro
1987 Audi 5000 Quattro CS
1995 Volkswagen Jetta
1972 GMC truck (me)
2003 Honda Element (my wife)

[jmewkill]

between the old country and here:
60's Renault 8
60's Renault 8 Gordini
70's Maxda rx3, raced, rallied, driven to work (never again)
60's Holden EH
70's Renault 12
late 80's Mazda rx7
92 exploder
94 volvo 70 sedan
89 volvo 740 station wagon running 5.0 engine and drivetrain
98 volvo v70r
99 honda odyssey (really hers, but somehow I ended up in it all the time)
03 suburban

plus a few junkers in there that don't deserve mentioning

[eddief]

1967 austin healy 3000
1967 dodge coronet rt 440 cu in, 375 hp
1967 vw camper van p.o.s.!
1973 saab 96v4
1979 vw scirocco
first gen honda civic
second gen vw jetta
back to an old honda accord
ford explorer
1993 toyota v6 camry good car
bmw
rav4

[sbornia]

89 Golf GL (Euro model, 75hp woo hoo!)
98 GTi VR6
05 S4 Avant

Love vee dubs, but the maintenance costs after the warranty is up are absurd.

[davyt]

1970 Honda CL70
1973 Honda CB175
1980 Honda CB750
1996 Honda CB750
2001 Yamaha YZF600R

[YO!!!]

67 Olds Cutlass
70 Opel Rally
74 Porsche 914-2 {finally sold it in 1999}
78 Olds Holiday 88
80 Camaro {never seen one with fewer options}
84 Honda Accord
88 Honda Accord
86 Saab 9000 Turbo Hatchback
91 Saab 9000 Turbo Hatchback
2000 Saab 9-5 Gary Fisher Edition Wagon
95 Lexus SC400 wife's car
94 Lexus Sc400 replaced the one above

All with manual shifting 'cept the Lexi.

[Bobbo]

The Rav4 w/the V6 is a real sleeper of a rocketship. AWD, 270 hp. Capable of embarrassing a LOT of Eurotrash iron.

[saab2000]

This was my last car in Switzerland. No bike space.

[Bittersweet]

'81 Rabbit diesel
'86 jetta diesel
c'89 MB 190E (manual)
c'95 GTi vr6
'99 passat wagon
'00 ford ranger
'04 volvo v70R
'03 mini S JCW
'73 bmw 2002

Still have the last three

[avalonracing]

89 Acura Integra- Fun!
91 Acura Integra- Indestructible: 180,000 miles and skipped all major services
95 Acura Integra- Some punks stole my cool, stock wheels
03 Subaru Forester (now the wife/bike car)- good all around car
05 Mercedes C230 Kompressor (current)- great handing and finish

83 Kawasaki GPz550- early "sportbike"
86 Honda VFR 700 Interceptor- a classic that changed the class
89 Honda CB-1- great, flickable city sportbike
01 Ducati Monster 900Sie- great looking but coarse ride
01 Honda VFR 800 Interceptor (current)- fantastic all around sportbike

[72gmc]

'73 bmw 2002

picture please. There are at least two nice 2002 restorations in my area.

[Kevan]

kevan,

any probs with that ride?

i have a subaru 2.5xt and was thinking of getting something a bit less expensive next

is it 4wd?

that keep the engine light on, but that has since been fixed and the suv keeps on rolling (Actually, it was rolling just fine w/ the engine light on anyway.). With back seats folded I can put the bike in whole. Unfortunately, a 60cm can't stand inside.

[Z3c]

Oh man, I'm so embarrased, I forgot about my '84 Scirocco! Wolfsburg Edition, all white, first new car when I entered the Army..

[Bittersweet]

picture please. There are at least two nice 2002 restorations in my area.

http://serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23222&page=4&pp=15&highlight=bmw+2002

dark blue in this thread

[Viper]

2002 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo

2005 Porsche Boxster S

2006 Audi S4



Audi S4 = great car. Nice list. :banana:

Edit: Also, please folks, it's bimmer, not beamer.

My cars I've owned:

1984 Chevy Chevette (I put wood panel contact paper on it to turn it into a Surf Mobile/Woody)

1985 Honda Accord Hatchback, 5 speed, Hempstead Green, great car.

1980 Convertible Rabbit, 4 speed.

1990 Volkswagon Fox, 4 speed, great car.

1988 Volvo 740GL, I loved this car.

1996 Mercury Sable, I wanted this car to be hit by a meteorite, I hated this car with my entire soul. It never, ever broke down, I just detested it.

2003 BMW 525, auto, tiptronic. I love this car and I eyeball a 540 6 speed or a 530 twin turbo next.

[C5 Snowboarder]

I am a car nut - love horsepower.

cars I have owned

1930 Chevy
1955 Chevy
1956 Chevy
1963 Pontiac
1968 Camaro
1970 Chevelle
VW bugs
1962 Jeep CJ5
1954 Willys CJ3B - with 350 Chevy motor - dam fast
Several GMC 4X4 Suburbans
Lexus RX300 -- Great snow car
1994 Corvette C4

currently drive/own
Mercedes 280 SL - great car - owned it 22 years
C5 Corvette -- the best drive to the golf course
BMW X5 4.4i - wonderful drive and snow car. Love it. Hauls bikes and or snowboards just fine.

[steelrider]

picture please. There are at least two nice 2002 restorations in my area.

Yes please, I have a '75 in my garage that I am considering restoring. Please give me some inspiration.

[DarrenCT]

my list

1. cutlass sierra
2. another cutlass sierra
3. subaru wrx
4. subaru outback 2.5xt

the subaru is a cool car. very reliable and you can beat the crap out of it

[Z3c]

Quattro,

There is really not much comparison between Quattro and Xdrive, the latter is simply rear drive until slippage is sensed and then some power is sent to the front. Quattro is truly awd, one of the few actually, that manages all four wheels. The only system that really comes close is Subaru.. IIRC, Quattro can send something like 80% of the power to any one wheel if needed. Remember, Audi was kicked out of world rallying due to their total domination via Quattro.

Scott

[ti_boi]

X drive...BMW...is a 60/40 split....so it jettisons corners with the RWD push that enthusiasts love....yet still handles bad weather with the right tires.....

[dirtdigger88]

some over- lap here and there
http://www.thirdgen.org/tech/images/gallery/ndamron_1982_Pontiac_Trans_Am.jpg

http://www.hammondautosales.com/listman/listings/images/19_1.jpg

http://www.pontiacpower.net/pictures/95taslv.jpg

http://www.midamericamotorsusa.com/DSC00349.JPG

http://www.sellersusedautos.com/carimages/13Picture%20011.jpg

http://www.streettrucksupplies.com/images/F250_4_inch.JPG

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b259/slvrf150fx4/sigpic1.jpg

http://www.mileground.com/inventory_files/544.jpg

http://www.tirekick.com/TK06-May/images/DodgeE85.jpg

http://cerberusdigital.com/Images/NW.JPG

that last one - breathes fire

Jason

[Blue Jays]

dirtdigger88, that is a s-w-e-e-t color on that GTO, yowza!
It must be a total "sleeper" on the highway when people drive up next to you and have absolutely no idea what kind of power is available beneath the hood. ;)

[dirtdigger88]

about a month ago I tossed it up with a Z06- he had me before it ever started - but we both ran out of balls somewhere around 155- both cars were still willing to go

sh*t happens fast at those speeds- :cool:

Jason

[Blue Jays]

Most drivers have no idea what is next to them when a GTO pulls alongside. Some might "get it" from the rumble, but most probably assume it's just a pleasant-looking, late-model Pontiac coupe.

I like the extended-cab trucks as well. I've been considering getting a Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, or Ford F150 CrewCab specifically for bicycle-hauling duties. It would be a pleasure to reach prime mountainbiking terrain or go to planned rides with three or four people in a single vehicle. The bikes would be completely out of the way of road debris by being safely attached to racks in the bed.

The reason I'm leaning towards a four-door pick-up rather than a minivan is because mountainbikes can get awfully dirty and it would be nice just to hose-out the bed...

[soulspinner]

Toyota taco-sold mine and am kicking myself-for a Nissan with the 3.5(Altima SE)-the toyo gets reasonable mileage, can go anywhere,resales great and is the most fun 2 drive of those you mentioned. I bought Toyotas bike attatchments for the back and hauled bikes securely out of the wind. Loved the truck-its the perfect size...

[Bittersweet]

Yes please, I have a '75 in my garage that I am considering restoring. Please give me some inspiration.

fantastic little cars. I've had mine since '89. Full restoration in the early '90s. Period modifications such as higher compression motor, 40 DCOEs, header, exhaust, full suspension, shock and strut braces, battery in trunk, etc. 13" magnesium wheels. Go for it on the resto

[davids]

I used to love cars. But I really don't enjoy driving anymore - The ideal of the twisty, empty country road has been replaced with the reality of Boston traffic. And Boston streets...

Having said that, my two favorite cars, by a long shot, were my '88 Integra and my '00 TL.

Honda just plain has it nailed. The Fit, the TL, and the Accord are all on my short lists for a next vehicle.

In fact, the only other car I'm interested in these days is the Prius. I know it's getting to be a cliche already, but I finding it hard to imagine a better city car/commuter. Tons of space, highest mileage in the US, and always interesting to drive.

If we stay a two-car family, an Accord EX and a Prius would fit the bill. If we drop down to one car (and use Zipcar for those relatively unusual times we both need a car at once) the equation changes. I'm not sure to what, though!

[mcteague]

Wow, you guys go through a lot of cars. Dogs and kayaks brought me to station wagons as I could never buy an SUV, not even before they were the symbols of global destruction. They just seemed like a stupid vehicle for the average driver. I see lots of Excursion type behemoths but they never seem to be carrying a 7 man work crew. Hmmm.....

1977(used) Honda Civic 1200
1985 Toyota Corolla GTS
1996 Honda Accord LX Wagon
2004 Subaru H6-3.0 Outback

Tim McTeague

[rePhil]

My first car was a 66 vw.
67 camaro ss
66 chevy ll
71 chevelle ss

Then married life, early years. I went backwards model year wise.
74 monte carlo
72 camaro
71 MG midget
67 MGB

Then kids.
Mostly GM junk for my wife.Chevy wagons, grand ams.
I had company suburbans

These days it's a Ford Ranger. Last year I drove around 3k.

In a former life I was an ASE certified tech. These days I hate working on cars.

[huey]

92 Camaro, 25th anniversary edition (don't ask)
65 bug (cal look)
93 Jeep Cherokee
78 bug (super convertible)
82 Ford Fairmont (coldest a/c i've ever had in a car)
93 Saab 900 Coupe
00 Focus ZX3
01 F150
95 Civic Si. The best car I ever owned and my favorite. I sold because it constantly got broken into. 30mpg no matter how I drove it.
04 Civic lx
04 Element, amazing all around vehicle
04 A4 Avant. I love this car, but the mileage is lousy ~18mpg in mixed driving.

[jmr986]

1969 Nova SS350
1972 Porsche 914
1979 Olds Tornado
1979 Camaro
1982 Camaro Z28
1986 Toyota MR2
1992 Mazda 929
1996 BMW 328i
1999 MB ML320
1992 Seville
2001 Boxster (summer toy)
2005 Chevy Malibu Maxx (great for hauling the bikes)

[pe3046]

Sterling 827SL
Infiniti M30
Dodge Neon
Ford Focus ZX3
Ford Focus ZX3
And now a 2007 Chrysler Crossfire (need to find a bike rack ASAP!)

http://patrickenders.smugmug.com/photos/218503098-M.jpg

[Blue Jays]

pe3046, welcome to Serotta Forums! I have a friend with a connection to a custom fabricator of high-quality bicycle racks specifically designed for newer coupes. They require no cutting or drilling of bodywork. I'll obtain the website and post it here.
You've got a nice car, no sense ruining it with poor-fitting racks. http://sbw.sportbikes.com/images/smilies/burnout.gif

[thwart]

The list. As if anyone really cares. :D
As someone mentioned earlier, the hots for cars has cooled a bit over the years... now the hots for bikes... has not. ;)

1970 Pontiac Firebird (my 1st vehicle, a parental hand-down)
1979 Honda Prelude
1983 Honda Prelude (totaled in my only significant car wreck---knock on wood)
1984 VW GTI (a thinly disguised race car... noisy and rough riding until you pushed it hard---and then it felt just right)
1990 VW Jetta GLi
1994 VW Passat GLX
1994 Mazda Miata (still own it)
1997 VW Jetta GLX
2000 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8 (a great car; 7 years later and still happy with it)

And my wife has specialized in Hondas, with the latest being a now ancient 1995 Odyssey, which is still going strong. Taught 2 kids to drive in this and lots of long distance family trips over the years...

Next... likely a Honda Fit.

[chuckroast]

I'll exclude all the kid cars we went through when our sons were teenagers, if they weren't wrecking 'em they were blowing them up. For Cyndy and me though:

1971 VW Beetle
1973 Pontiac Ventura
1977 Chevrolet Chevette (the 'vette)
1981 Subaru GL Hatchback
1983 Chevrolet Cavalier Wagon
1978 Toyota Corolla
1988 Eagle Premier
1985 Honda Civic sedan
1993 GMC Astro Van
1994 Chevy Camaro
1995 VW Passat
1996 Ford Taurus
1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo
1989 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Wagon
1982 Chevy El Camino
1999 Dodge Durango
2001 Mercury Grand Marquis (my current)
2003 Jeep Liberty (her current)

Looking at the list, seems like a lot, but remember half of them were hers.

The one I miss the most? The Custom Cruiser wagon. I loved that car, we could lay our tandem down in the back with the seats folded down and the front wheel removed. It was a stylin' ride. We gave it to charity when the transmission started to go south at 280K.

[TimD]

Interesting lists, but one wonders what became of them all. Here's mine:

1974 Vega GT - Broke the ring & pinion shifting. Sold to enter college. Not worth further mention.
1978 VW Scirocco - A dream realized. T-boned another car occupying a spot they should not have been in. I cried that day...
1979 VW Scirocco - The replacement. Better in every way. I did everything in that car. Sold to a friend @ 145K miles.
1986 VW GTi - No radio -just left the wires hanging out of the dash and the doors unlocked. Fun to drive but what a piece of s**t. I once made the mistake of adding up the repair receipts ($5000+). I think I remember lighthing it on fire.
1977 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Targa - One of 656 built. RS America seats. Rebuilt the gearbox and replaced a lot of other things. Sold it rather than paint it and rebuild the engine. There really is no substitute.
1990 Honda Civic 4D - This car established a new standard for reliability & refinement and made me swear I'd never buy another VAG product. Gave it to a niece who crashed it on the Merritt Parkway while fiddling with the radio.
1996 Volvo 850 wagon - 5 speed, best seats ever, mixed reliability but fundamentally a 300 Kmile car. Given to my sister, it is still on the road.
1996 Porsche 911 (993) Targa - Three-six Varioram power, telepathic steering, insane brakes, sliding glass roof, modular wheels, polar silver and just plain gorgeous. Good for 172 MPH but I have had neither the room nor the cojones to verify the factory claim. Now sleeping in the garage.
2000 Acura TL - The successor to the Civic. Overall, probably the best car I've ever owned. More reliable than a toaster. The daily driver.
2006 Honda Odyssey - A house on wheels. Filling (most of) the garage.

Other random thoughts:

With all due respect to saab2K, if an M3 driver cannot see off a VW GTi mounting all-season tires, the Bimmer driver needs to go to the track...
Lotsa GTis; that's cool
And the odd Scirocco. Of all the cars I've owned I think I missed those the most.
I covet the S4, the new C32, and various 3-Series variants but always question whether the premium, the lack of reliability, and stoopid stuff like iDrive are worth it. So far the answer is 'no'...

Merry Christmas!

[saab2000]

[list]With all due respect to saab2K, if an M3 driver cannot see off a VW GTi mounting all-season tires, the Bimmer driver needs to go to the track...

Try a GTI once. An M3 will take it, but not by as much as some will think. And it's surely not twice the car for twice the $$$.

My buddy in Grand Rapids is a very accomplished driver and has a 2006 330i with the sport package. He can drop me. Barely.

I know, I know. The M3 is more car.

Just sayin'...

PS - I also owned a late 70s Scirocco. It was fun, but mega worn out. My 77 Rabbit was more fun.

[musgravecycles]

Dirt,

Nice Goat, you hang over at any of the Goat forums? My father has an '04 that he's redone from one end to the other. Not much stock left on that thing. One Helluva car that thing is...

[CaptStash]

All you guys with all your cars, me I buy 'em ank keep 'em nearly forever:

1974 V6 Capri (German Ford, owned from 1977 to 1985)
1985 Merkur Xr4ti (No NOT the worst car ever. Reliable, fast and very fun. Successful racer, cheap and 944 killer. Owned 1985 to 2002. No cooling problems.)
1995 Ford F-250 (Bought used in ba shape, big mistake. OWned 2002 to 2003)
2003 Chevrolet Silverado. (Bought new and still loving it. Only 13,000 miles on it.)

See the trick is my wife has a Porsche Cayenne. I just let her drive me around in her car!

[davids]

2000 Acura TL - The successor to the Civic. Overall, probably the best car I've ever owned. More reliable than a toaster. The daily driver.
I covet the S4, the new C32, and various 3-Series variants but always question whether the premium, the lack of reliability, and stoopid stuff like iDrive are worth it. So far the answer is 'no'...
What you said. The longer I drive a Honda, the less I lust for a German sedan.

[ti_boi]

What you said. The longer I drive a Honda, the less I lust for a German sedan.


Ah david......my dad came around to the Honda way of thinking a couple of years back. Without a doubt a fine and well built machine.....but my own point of view was forged by simply driving one of those little German go carts around for a few minutes...if you find one that is 'dialed in' as a used car...or new...there is nothing quite like the spirit and FEEL of these little cars...compacts really....with these great little sixes in them...they leap off the line and rip through curves.....darn....I feel a drive in the country coming on.....

[ss-jimbo]

1979 Plymouth Horizon, really a VW Rabbit engine in a Plymouth body made to look like a rabbit. Bought in 1988 for about $1,000 sold it 3 years later to go into the Peace Corps.

1984 Buick Skylark, given to me in 1992 by my mother. I beat the crap out of this car including way more offroading than I should have. It was a 4 banger, Buick's silly version of a smaller car (but not that small). I sold this (a true headache) when I went back to Peace Corps in 1995 (to finish what I started).

1987 Toyota Celica, bought in late 97 when I got back from Peace Corp. A great little car, but the trunk hinges started rusting out, and it started overheating on the highway (started on a cross country trip, drove 2/3 of the way over and all the way back with the heat on, in June and July). Still drove it around town until I sold it in 2002.

1994 Ford Aerostar, bought in 2000. I loved it for carrying bikes and folks. I could fit tons of bikes upside down with front wheels off. I learned a hard lesson when I put off fixing the water pump, and the engine cracked while I was hiking in NC in 2001. Replaced the engine, but it never was the same, wouldn't go into overdrive, cruise didn't work. Drove it until I moved to Tallahassee in 2004. I used it for a number of trips fully loaded. On the last one the transmission finally gave up the ghost, and I donated it to charity just before they changed the law on vehicle donations.

1999 VW Jetta TDI, bought in 2002, after the problem with the van. I've always loved the mileage, and I love the road feel. It's had it's share of problem, but it's been all over the country carrying a crapload of stuff. I still own this car, and now that we're making payments on my wife's 06 Volvo
V70, it better last forever (195,000 miles so far).

2006 Volvo V70, bought new in 2006, really my wife's car. We got a great deal on this car, we absolutely love it. The size is perfect and we get 28-30 mpg on the highway without bikes. We frequently take friends with us to races, so we feel justified. We're blown away by people who take out 6-7 year car loans. We took out a 5 year loan and are making 4 year payments. It's exciting to think that there may be some period of time where we don' have payments.

If the Jetta dies, my next car will be either a TDI wagon (Jetta or Passat, I don't really care) or a Prius. The TDI wagons command a huge premium, or at least the will until VW rereleases the diesels. I'll keep driving mine until it's just undriveable.

This is a long list with way more details, but I like the idea of telling some stories of the cars and what happened to them.

[goonster]

Audi was kicked out of world rallying due to their total domination via Quattro.

Sorry, but this frequently repeated myth is not true.

Audi aired fancy tv ads that alleged they were excluded from a certain touring car series, but even that is 99% marketing hyperbole.

Quattro* being a d@mn good AWD system for the road. . . that's true. :beer:

(* the "real", i.e. Torsen, Quattro. The Haldex system in the TT and A3 slightly less so, atmo.)

[Chief]

My cars (3) for the last 45 years:
'63 Vette roadster
'70 Vette roadstet
'92 Lexus ES300
all with manual transmissions. Interestingly enough, I paid as much for my '70 Vette ($4500) as I did for my '02 Ottrott that I got off of ebay 5 years ago. The longer you keep 'em, the less the cost per mile. Each mile on the Ottrott is now less than $0.1 per mile.

[jerk]

jerk,
you forgot the deux cheaveaux.
i remember seeing you going out the mass pike it it doing 33mph...
was mint though.

wrong again Steve- I had the much maligned economy version, the un cheveaux and that car was metric so that was 33kmh.

[ti_boi]

The longer you keep 'em, the less the cost per mile.
I wish........seems like the longer I keep em the more I spent keeping them running.....I've rebuilt 3 of the 'vintage' cars that I have owned....UGH!

[TheBaron]

1989 Fiat Panda
1971 VW 411 LE
1990 Toyota Hilux Pick up (4 cylinder diesel)
1971 Mercury Villager Zephyr LTD with fake wooden side panels
1994 Dodge Dakota 4cyl 2wd
1995 Mazda B 2300 4wd
1996 Isuzu Hombre
1986 Toyota Tercel
1995 Mitsubishi Expo
1998 Subaru Legacy
2003 Toyota Rav 4

And all I ever really wanted was a really really big Ford Truck?

[bigtime]

1975 Jeep CJ5
1979 VW Beetle convertible *
1984 BMW 320i
1988 VW Jetta GLI 16v
1992 Jeep Cherokee
1996 VW Jetta GLI VR6
1973 VW Squareback
1971 VW Squareback
1967 VW Fastback *
1988 Porsche 911 targa **
1986 Toyota Landcruiser FJ60 **
1994 Toyota Landcruiser FZJ80 **
2006 Subaru Tribeca *

* still have.
** most missed.

[Dr. Doofus]

1983: 1969 plymouth grand fury III
1986: 1974 chevrolet malibu 4 dr
1990: 1988 jeep comanche pickup
2001: 1988 chevrolet s-10 pickup