The Car Thread

[TheShreddinHand]

Nice A4! I was choosing between a 17 A4 vs 15 S4 and ultimately went with the S last year but loved the A that I drove.

 

[TheShreddinHand]

Nice A4! I was choosing between a 17 A4 vs 15 S4 and ultimately went with the S last year but loved the A that I drove.

 

[illimmigrant]

Nice A4! I was choosing between a 17 A4 vs 15 S4 and ultimately went with the S last year but loved the A that I drove.

Thanks!
I bet the S drives super nicely. I didn’t even want to test drive it because I knew I’d be spending the extra money! Haha. I got the A4 as a certified pre owned, so I saved a bunch there too. Only had 4K miles.

 

[TheShreddinHand]

Thanks!
I bet the S drives super nicely. I didn’t even want to test drive it because I knew I’d be spending the extra money! Haha. I got the A4 as a certified pre owned, so I saved a bunch there too. Only had 4K miles.

Yup, I was looking CPO too. Best way to go. I got a pleasant surprise when I called for an oil change and found out the previous owner prepaid maintenance on mine till 45k. So I have three free maintenance visits!

 

[dr_game0ver]

So I have three free maintenance visits!

On a Audi that's like a 1600$ saving.

 

[illimmigrant]

Yup, I was looking CPO too. Best way to go. I got a pleasant surprise when I called for an oil change and found out the previous owner prepaid maintenance on mine till 45k. So I have three free maintenance visits!

Winning!

 

[p0ke]

Ah, looks like I didn't follow up on my annual car inspection thing from before. My Focus didn't pass the inspection because the front axle carrier / beam was rusty and had too many holes in it, and that's a part you aren't allowed to weld ... So the guys at the garage I have it repaired at searched for replacements from wreckers all over the place but just couldn't find any So I ended up ordering a brand new one from Germany And it arrived yesterday, so today the car's going in again to have that replaced. Then there was some minor welding that needed to be done and the brakes need a little adjusting (left side is a fair bit weaker than the right but both still lock up just fine when braking really hard), and then it should pass the fucking inspection...

The car still looks pretty nice considering it's almost 20 years old:

 

[sakeido]

did anybody on here know that Jeff Kiesel was a national SCCA autocross champion?

not only that, he did in this car

the craziest fucking coincidence I have ever seen

his current car. still rotary powered. he is one of the only guys running a small turbo on these things, I wanted to ask him questions and got to googling and just, wow. what are the odds

 

[bulb]

Yup, Jeff and I spoke at length about cars, that's his real background and passion, I think he sort of fell into the guitar thing.

So guys I had the R8 in the shop recently and they gave me a Q7, and I have to say I was pretty blown away by that car. I don't generally like SUV's or big cars in general, but man having a car that rides like that, where you don't have to dodge or sweat potholes (like the ones you tend to find in Dallas) was actually really nice. And despite it being big, it was peppy and felt nimble, didn't have crazy body roll or feel like I was driving a boat. Also the latest Audi tech (and luxury brand tech in general right now) is kinda awesome.

It got me thinking, maybe I should go more practical with my daily, and then that would justify going more extreme with the fun car. Maybe this will be my excuse to go Performante next year hehe!

The Q7 is too big for me, so I test drove the Q5 and SQ5, and really liked those, but it looks like the new X3 M40i is getting really good, and arguably better reviews, so I'll try that out. I think having the space and practicality as well as the comfortable ride of a nice SUV would be sweet, but ideally it would still be a nice car to drive, maybe even a little fun.

So on my list right now I have the SQ5 and X3 M40i, is there anything else I should look at in the fun and practical and kinda quick SUV market? I'm excluding the Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC because both of those are a generation behind tech wise, and are going to be refreshed soon, and given the nature of these cars I'd likely get something lightly preowned, so it would be a while before I could snag either.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[shadscbr]

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio would be worth a test drive

 

[bulb]

Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio would be worth a test drive

It’s definitely interesting, I just don’t entirely want to own another Italian car anytime soon unless it’s secretly made by Germans haha.

I have heard the newer Alfa’s have had reliability issues, also the Stelvio is a generation behind on tech compared to Audi and BMW.

Maybe I’ll see if I can test one out.

 

[Given To Fly]

It’s definitely interesting, I just don’t entirely want to own another Italian car anytime soon unless it’s secretly made by Germans haha.

I have heard the newer Alfa’s have had reliability issues, also the Stelvio is a generation behind on tech compared to Audi and BMW.

Maybe I’ll see if I can test one out.

https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/models/urus

 

[bulb]

https://www.lamborghini.com/en-en/models/urus

That’s the goal eventually, if I’m lucky enough to have a couple good years where the businesses grow well, but as it stands I can’t afford an Urus AND a Performante, my practical car will need to be a lot more reasonable haha!

 

[Given To Fly]

That’s the goal eventually, if I’m lucky enough to have a couple good years where the businesses grow well, but as it stands I can’t afford an Urus AND a Performante, my practical car will need to be a lot more reasonable haha!

I see. Get the Performante. There is something to be said for owning your "dream car" when you still have a dream car. Most people do not get the opportunity to own their dream car so when someone does get the opportunity, I say live life! At worst, you may have to sell a few more pairs of Select Difficulty Woven Socks. Post pics.

 

[TheShreddinHand]

Yup, Jeff and I spoke at length about cars, that's his real background and passion, I think he sort of fell into the guitar thing.

So guys I had the R8 in the shop recently and they gave me a Q7, and I have to say I was pretty blown away by that car. I don't generally like SUV's or big cars in general, but man having a car that rides like that, where you don't have to dodge or sweat potholes (like the ones you tend to find in Dallas) was actually really nice. And despite it being big, it was peppy and felt nimble, didn't have crazy body roll or feel like I was driving a boat. Also the latest Audi tech (and luxury brand tech in general right now) is kinda awesome.

It got me thinking, maybe I should go more practical with my daily, and then that would justify going more extreme with the fun car. Maybe this will be my excuse to go Performante next year hehe!

The Q7 is too big for me, so I test drove the Q5 and SQ5, and really liked those, but it looks like the new X3 M40i is getting really good, and arguably better reviews, so I'll try that out. I think having the space and practicality as well as the comfortable ride of a nice SUV would be sweet, but ideally it would still be a nice car to drive, maybe even a little fun.

So on my list right now I have the SQ5 and X3 M40i, is there anything else I should look at in the fun and practical and kinda quick SUV market? I'm excluding the Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC because both of those are a generation behind tech wise, and are going to be refreshed soon, and given the nature of these cars I'd likely get something lightly preowned, so it would be a while before I could snag either.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Appreciate the mini review on the Q7. It's on the radar in a few years for the wife.

 

[bulb]

I see. Get the Performante. There is something to be said for owning your "dream car" when you still have a dream car. Most people do not get the opportunity to own their dream car so when someone does get the opportunity, I say live life! At worst, you may have to sell a few more pairs of Select Difficulty Woven Socks. Post pics.

Yeah, I hear ya, and hopefully it will be a better dream car to live with than the 488 was, though I really do feel that it will be! Obviously will post pics if and when I get one, the main trouble now is finding a used spec that I like at a price that I want. I really would rather find one with a few more miles on it and sub 300k so that I don’t have to be the one to give it that initial hit. Ideally it would have a full clear bra too so I could save 7-10k on that too hahah.

There’s actually a black one with gold wheels in Cali right now which pretty much matches all of that...hmmm

 

[bulb]

Appreciate the mini review on the Q7. It's on the radar in a few years for the wife.

Oh yeah dude, I would definitely recommend that car. If I had kids or needed more space, it wouldn’t be a debate and I’d be picking up a used 2017 as we speak. Genuinely fantastic car!

 

[shadscbr]

It's in a totally different segment, but from a horsepower to interior volume ratio, the Texas-worthy Trackhawk has to be a blast with all that HP

 

[bulb]

It's in a totally different segment, but from a horsepower to interior volume ratio, the Texas-worthy Trackhawk has to be a blast with all that HP

I actually test drove the trackhawk. It’s a super fun car in straight line. Hilariously fast, like I was laughing at the absurdity, and you can really hear the supercharger whine as well as that loud exhaust.

But it’s not nimble, it feels as big and heavy as it is, perhaps that all too american sense of if she’s big and heavy, just throw a bigger engine in there, so I didn’t actually find it that fun to drive and maneuver beyond its main party trick.

The interior, though solid and decently featured, still just doesn’t feel that special to me, and for that kind of money I’d like something that feels special. If I was after something of that size, I’d sacrifice the acceleration for practicality, and probably just get a Q7 or a q8 if I wanted to spend trackhawk money.

 

[bulb]

Anyone here into Autocross? Thinking about checking out the DFW Autocross scene!