[CMYKid]

I wish I could find the photos of all the cars I've had in the fifteen years I've been driving. My first was a '69 Nova that my parents got me to learn on for the sole reason that they just KNEW I'd plow it into something. I didnt disappoint them. Then there were a couple Celicas in a row, a couple Supras in a row, a Saab 900 convertible, a Talon/Eclipse and probably something I'm forgetting. There was an SLK convertible ad an S500 that were company cars but they dont really count if I didnt pay for them.

These are the current ones anyway.



and

and not a car but:


Obviously I'm extremely practical.

[imitchellg5]

Dang, that's a lot of snow. And those cars all look really fun to drive in snow

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by zerostar 

Company Lease, didn't have a choice at the time, my next will be an M5 hopefully. (or an M3 if it comes down to it

I would NEVER EVER recommend a Commander, while it is nice, and it is the top model, leather, rear camera, navi, 3rd row seats, power lift gate, 4.7V8, etc. etc. It is a total POS and I can't see it ever lasting 100K miles, its been in the shop twice and it has 16K on it!

Trust me, I don't much care for most American cars, especially the ones that get 13MPG when I baby it...

Oh, that's alright then. But yeah, we rented a Commander during Christmas time last year and it was horrific. Had more rattles at 6k miles on it then my Accord does at 102k.

An M3 or M5 would be a relief (although I personally would take the 550i over the M5. I hate the SMG, and the stick is reminiscent of our '86 Mustang GT).

[LegendaryPinkOx]

This is Sasha. She's an 18 year old redhead who still handles like a dream, but is starting to show her age. (1990 Nissan 300ZX)

[imitchellg5]

I love the 300ZX. I looked at a 2+2 when I was looking to replace the Volvo, but it had to many miles for me. Very beautiful cars though.

[olePigeon]

My first car (pickup):


My second car (pickup):

[zerostar]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

An M3 or M5 would be a relief (although I personally would take the 550i over the M5. I hate the SMG, and the stick is reminiscent of our '86 Mustang GT).

Hmm thats interesting, I absolutely LOVED the SMG on the '06 model I drove, although I heard earlier ones were something awful. Relying on the HUD & having the SMG in slower mode ruined a day at the track, but I was a BMW noob at that time (and still am to some degree)

[CMYKid]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

Dang, that's a lot of snow. And those cars all look really fun to drive in snow

Surprisingly, they really are. Well, the BMW for sure, it's almost exactly 50/50 weight distribution with Vredestein
tires. The Camaro requires a lotta sand in the back.

However, it's Ohio so (unfortunately) having that much snow here isn't too very common.

[Paco500]

Originally Posted by zerostar 

Hmm thats interesting, I absolutely LOVED the SMG on the '06 model I drove, although I heard earlier ones were something awful. Relying on the HUD & having the SMG in slower mode ruined a day at the track, but I was a BMW noob at that time (and still am to some degree)

The only SMG I've driven was on an '03 M3 and it rocked. Dunno if they've screwed with it for the M5, but likely comes down to personal preference.

[Laminar]

Speaking of cars in snow, here's my car over Superbowl weekend. I had a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50s on it, and once I scooped the snow off of my car, I drove right through it. Because my car is so low, I was actually shoveling the ~8" of snow down the street.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by zerostar 

Hmm thats interesting, I absolutely LOVED the SMG on the '06 model I drove, although I heard earlier ones were something awful. Relying on the HUD & having the SMG in slower mode ruined a day at the track, but I was a BMW noob at that time (and still am to some degree)

Yeah, IDK I've driven my grandpa's '02 M3 with the SMG and it was horrific and the M5's wasn't much better in my opinion. If I closed my eyes I would have thought I was riding with someone learning to drive stick. (Disclaimer: I haven't driven the M5, just went on a ride right after it came out). I like VW's DSG much better.

[klb5090]

1st car - 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier 2dr (5spd)
2nd car - 1992 Mazda B2200 (5spd, lowered, 18" Colorado wheels, tinted)
3rd car - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt 2dr (5spd)
4th car - 2003 Acura RSX Type-S (6spd, tinted, eibach prokit and koni struts, magnaflow exhaust)

5th car (current) - 2007 Volkswagen GTI MKV (DSG)

[Face Ache]

^ WANT!

[dampeoples]

I've had lots of trucks

1991 S10 (sold)
1989 Sundance (rolled)
1985 Samurai (sold and rolled)
1989 200 SX (sold)
1985 300ZX (sold)
1985 Samurai (sold)
1980 Custom Deluxe (gave away)
1974 CB 750 (sold)
1991 Virago (in family)
1991 Cherokee (Wife's - sold)
1985 S10 (sold)
1995 Sonoma (sold)
2000 Blazer (Wife's, now my current)
1984 Cherokee (caught on fire)
1997 Cherokee (sold)
2006 G6 (Wife's current)
2003 ZZR 600 (current)

I've probably forgotten a few beaters here and there, I didn't list any of my mail vehicles, but I've only been through 3 of those, still working on tearing the third up.

Here are some pics. My I've had some crap cars.
Here are some pics:

Current Mail Jeep

1997 Cherokee

1984 Cherokee (it's the only pic I have of it, sorry!)

Bronco, turns out the 4WD was not working

Lumina Mail car:

Honda 750-4:

1984 Cherokee after fire

1995 Sonoma:

Old Mail Jeep:

2003 ZZR:

2000 Blazer:

Old Red Boat for trolling

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by CreepDogg 

Mine's the one on the left. The other is my wife's.

Not quite as easy to park as the Smart cars - but close!

I was interested in the Smart cars as well, but really disappointed with the mileage for the US-spec models. Not much better than the Mini...

Represent! That's great - a MINI family. Got mine late last year, and beside the fact it gets good mileage, it's been a real joy to drive. I commute during the week, so I always look forward to running errands on the weekend, especially when the weather is nice.

[CreepDogg]

Love the dark silver! I got mine last spring - was a leftover 06 model, so I didn't have a lot of choice. I like the one I got - but if I had the choice I'd have got the color you have. Like the new R56s too, although there's a special place in my heart for the supercharged R53s...

[cjrivera]

1st car - 1986 Ford Taurus LX
2nd - 1988 Ford Thunderbird LX
3rd - 1992 Ford Escort GT
4th - 1994 Ford Probe GT
5th - 1997 Ford Mustang GT conv,
and current - 2002 BMW M3 conv.

[PB2K]

alfa romeo gt junior bertone with 2.0 engine (1975)

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

Yeah, IDK I've driven my grandpa's '02 M3 with the SMG and it was horrific and the M5's wasn't much better in my opinion. If I closed my eyes I would have thought I was riding with someone learning to drive stick. (Disclaimer: I haven't driven the M5, just went on a ride right after it came out). I like VW's DSG much better.

Same here. I (briefly) drove and M3 with an SMG, and it was terrible. I indeed felt like l was learning to drive stick again, except the opportunity of controlling the beast was very poor. Gimme my clutch pedal!!

[analogika]

Originally Posted by PB2K 

alfa romeo gt junior bertone with 2.0 engine (1975)

*sigh*

a neighbor had one for sale (GT 1300 junior, silver w/ black leather), but after a friend pointed out that I should probably be a hobby mechanic if I wanted to try that, I didn't go for it...still breaks my heart every time I see one.

That's my car, dude.

[MacosNerd]

Here's my baby


Great truck, and since I don't drive it long distances, the gas mileage doesn't hurt too much either.

[PB2K]

a hobby mechanik you will have become after 3 years all the small technical issues are minor compared to the rust

[analogika]

Originally Posted by PB2K 

a hobby mechanik you will have become after 3 years all the small technical issues are minor compared to the rust

Ah, see, but I already am, and don't have time for that.

My other car is a Hammond organ.

[Peter]

I drive a Seat Arosa (65mpg and doesnt look daft like a smart car) and a Land Rover Defender (old school, canvas roof, short wheel base, 15mpg!)

[CMYKid]

Originally Posted by cjrivera 

Er, I have to ask... Ford, ford, ford, ford, ford, ford, ford...M3? What brought THAT about?? Welcome to the family in any case, just curious.

[cjrivera]

Always had good luck with Fords, never had any reliability issues with them. Loved the Ford Probe, but that one bit the dust in a crash.

Anyway, when it was time to get rid of the Mustang, I was looking for something a convertible with better handling and a little more refinement and large enough back seats for the kids.

However, I would easily consider a Ford if I were looking into other car market segments. I might have to take a look at the new Flex (crossover) when it comes out later in the year for my wife.

[imitchellg5]

The Flex has a gorgeous interior- it wouldn't look out of place in an Audi. Ford was using them as shuttles up in Denver to the international auto show a couple months ago. Very nice car.

[cjrivera]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

The Flex has a gorgeous interior- it wouldn't look out of place in an Audi. Ford was using them as shuttles up in Denver to the international auto show a couple months ago. Very nice car.

From all the reports I've read, your comment seems right in line with what the reviewers said.
It's good to see Detroit, hopefully, stepping up their offerings.

[Face Ache]

Originally Posted by cjrivera 

An American Mini?

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by Face Ache 

An American Mini?

I've heard a lot of people say that after looking at pics of it. However, it's a 7-8 seat full-size CUV. It's about the same length as an Expedition.

[Face Ache]

Yeah, so... an American Mini then.

[design219]

Originally Posted by Face Ache 

Yeah, so... an American Mini then.

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by Face Ache 

Yeah, so... an American Mini then.

Quite true!

My comments were about people that really do think it's about the size of a Mini, except with 4 doors. They're always surprised to learn how big it really is.

[klb5090]

Originally Posted by Peter 

I drive a Seat Arosa (65mpg and doesnt look daft like a smart car) and a Land Rover Defender (old school, canvas roof, short wheel base, 15mpg!)

i must say that is a very nice car with that good of gas mileage, i usually hate the looks of all these 40/50/60mpgs but thats an exception (also made by a sub of VW, so no complaints)

[is not]

i must say that is a very nice car with that good of gas mileage, i usually hate the looks of all these 40/50/60mpgs but thats an exception

Seat Arosas are funny if you talk 'before' the poor facelift. Of course it has good gas mileage, its a tiny car with small engines, and much better if you find a 3L, 3lts/100km (about 4.x L on the real life)

(also made by a sub of VW, so no complaints)

If you believe everything the marketing people want you to believe then you'll think that Volkswagen motor cars are exceptionally reliable, this just is not the case.

The owner of a VW Polo TDI, which he purchased new in June 2004, has an interesting history. He did a video about all these problems. It's worth nothing that the video is not of the highest quality and the owner himself (and publisher of the video) is not the world's bet presenter, so is not James Allen, but he makes a valuable contribution. During the 10 months the owned the vehicle he had to return ti to the selling dealer's eight times with new and reoccurring faults.


Let me post some research by What Car? magazine back in August 2005. The What Car? reliability survey compares actual warranty claims rates for more than 31,000 cars covered by Warranty Direct (0800 731 7001, Warranty Direct :: The UK's leading car warranty & household warranty supplier. Providing used car warranties, new car warranties, and household protection for your TV, washing machine and other products.,) in the last two years.

The research is clear. In August 2005 no Volkswagen model featured in the top ten most reliable models and Volkswagen featured only 15th in the table of most reliable manufacturers. I've just checked What Car?'s latest reliability table and Volkswagen now feature at 17th place, a drop of two places in a year. Skoda and Seat, another two marques owned by Volkswagen are shown as even less reliable at 18th and 21st places respectively. Audi, once bosom buddies with Volkswagen, appear in 22nd place which is an improvement on 28th place in 2005.

Those of us who have spent long enough in the motor trade know about the realities of vehicle reliability. After all, we are diagnosing and repairing a large range of vehicles on a daily basis. From my experience, Volkswagen performance does not meet the expectations of the owners, expectations which originate from the marketing spin incorporated in multi-million pound advertising campaigns. If you tell the public something enough times they'll eventually start to believe it. Fact and reality however are far more effective tools than spin and once that reality hits home it can leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

The moral of the story is, do your research and don't ever believe what you read, see or hear in an advertisement.

[G4ME]

Action shot, '93 960, 204K on the clock, dreading replacing the timing belt in another 6K. I also wish the millage was better (25+), but I am getting my bike out of storage and firing it up this week (if the weather holds up).

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

i must say that is a very nice car with that good of gas mileage, i usually hate the looks of all these 40/50/60mpgs but thats an exception (also made by a sub of VW, so no complaints)

Firstly, don't get me wrong but I am kind of surprised by someone from the States knowing about the existence of this car. I mean, even if you have traveled to Europe SEAT Arosa, VW Lupo aren't that popular really, Renault's twingo alone sells more units than those VW group models together. It's easy, they fall short even as trusty twingo competitors, the original twingo (a 1992 car) maximizes interior space like those VW group models couldn't even dream of. But since everyone knows, bigger and heavier, that's what cars became as time goes on, so the new 'city cars' are the SMART, but we got some 'funny' (I kid, you know sarcasm is lost in type) competitors, google 'citroen c1' 'peugeot 107' 'peugeot 1007' and be ready for a good laugh

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by G4ME 

Action shot, '93 960, 204K on the clock, dreading replacing the timing belt in another 6K. I also wish the millage was better (25+), but I am getting my bike out of storage and firing it up this week (if the weather holds up).

Awww, a trusty VOLVO, I miss those.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by is not 

Seat Arosas are funny if you talk 'before' the poor facelift. Of course it has good gas mileage, its a tiny car with small engines, and much better if you find a 3L, 3lts/100km (about 4.x L on the real life)



If you believe everything the marketing people want you to believe then you'll think that Volkswagen motor cars are exceptionally reliable, this just is not the case.

The owner of a VW Polo TDI, which he purchased new in June 2004, has an interesting history. He did a video about all these problems. It's worth nothing that the video is not of the highest quality and the owner himself (and publisher of the video) is not the world's bet presenter, so is not James Allen, but he makes a valuable contribution. During the 10 months the owned the vehicle he had to return ti to the selling dealer's eight times with new and reoccurring faults.


Let me post some research by What Car? magazine back in August 2005. The What Car? reliability survey compares actual warranty claims rates for more than 31,000 cars covered by Warranty Direct (0800 731 7001, Warranty Direct :: The UK's leading car warranty & household warranty supplier. Providing used car warranties, new car warranties, and household protection for your TV, washing machine and other products.,) in the last two years.

The research is clear. In August 2005 no Volkswagen model featured in the top ten most reliable models and Volkswagen featured only 15th in the table of most reliable manufacturers. I've just checked What Car?'s latest reliability table and Volkswagen now feature at 17th place, a drop of two places in a year. Skoda and Seat, another two marques owned by Volkswagen are shown as even less reliable at 18th and 21st places respectively. Audi, once bosom buddies with Volkswagen, appear in 22nd place which is an improvement on 28th place in 2005.

Those of us who have spent long enough in the motor trade know about the realities of vehicle reliability. After all, we are diagnosing and repairing a large range of vehicles on a daily basis. From my experience, Volkswagen performance does not meet the expectations of the owners, expectations which originate from the marketing spin incorporated in multi-million pound advertising campaigns. If you tell the public something enough times they'll eventually start to believe it. Fact and reality however are far more effective tools than spin and once that reality hits home it can leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

The moral of the story is, do your research and don't ever believe what you read, see or hear in an advertisement.

don't worry, it's a well established fact in the US that VWs are extremely unreliable, especially everything from 99 to 05. The newer models seem to do somewhat better.
I can't event start telling you how many issues I had with my 99.5 GTI...

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by PB2K 

alfa romeo gt junior bertone with 2.0 engine (1975)

That's really nice and all, but… you are upgrading to the new Mi.To (dubbed Junior), riiiiiiight? -j.k.-

It is damn cool,

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by villalobos 

don't worry, it's a well established fact in the US that VWs are extremely unreliable, especially everything from 99 to 05. The newer models seem to do somewhat better.
I can't event start telling you how many issues I had with my 99.5 GTI...

You know VW would cover that with some sort of peanut-free marketing

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Face Ache 

Yeah, so... an American Mini then.

We refer to it as a Mormon Sports Car.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

Firstly, don't get me wrong but I am kind of surprised by someone from the States knowing about the existence of this car. I mean, even if you have traveled to Europe SEAT Arosa, VW Lupo aren't that popular really, Renault's twingo alone sells more units than those VW group models together. It's easy, they fall short even as trusty twingo competitors, the original twingo (a 1992 car) maximizes interior space like those VW group models couldn't even dream of. But since everyone knows, bigger and heavier, that's what cars became as time goes on, so the new 'city cars' are the SMART, but we got some 'funny' (I kid, you know sarcasm is lost in type) competitors, google 'citroen c1' 'peugeot 107' 'peugeot 1007' and be ready for a good laugh

There is a fair amount of fan-base for foreign economy cars here. There are people here who would love to see a Skoda Fabia in America or a Fiesta ST (me included).

[PB2K]

with the older wheels in brussels


as far as I am concerned : it's THE affordable classic

[grayware]

'79 Austin Mini as my toy/daily driver. Just rebuilt a 1293cc motor that's making me do lots more grinnin'. I also have a '00 Jetta VR6 as the other daily driver.

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by CreepDogg 

Love the dark silver! I got mine last spring - was a leftover 06 model, so I didn't have a lot of choice. I like the one I got - but if I had the choice I'd have got the color you have. Like the new R56s too, although there's a special place in my heart for the supercharged R53s...

I actually like the lower beltline of the R53s better (I would never say this in a MINI forum though, for fear of starting a flamewar). The R56 rides a little too high (for a MINI), and almost begs to be lowered a half inch or so. In person, the R53s just look like they're ready to hit the road and have fun. And no denying the supercharger's got a sweet sound!

Originally Posted by grayware 

'79 Austin Mini as my toy/daily driver. Just rebuilt a 1293cc motor that's making me do lots more grinnin'

Beautiful. I'd love to ride in that.

I neglected to put my auto history down earlier:

'81 Civic
'88 CRX <---I still miss this one.
'90 T-Bird
'98 Accord Coupe
'02 Passport
'04 TSX
'07 MCS

[klb5090]

in no way was i EVER referring to the reliability of a VW, actually i'm very aware of there problems, my father is a car dealer (and i a salesmen for a while) and i've had my fare share of experiences with many many people with many many types of cars. Although VW may have a bad track record i still love there cars, my new GTI has been good to me so far.

[vmarks]

1970 VW Type1 (beetle) Cabriolet (miss this. never should have let it go.)
1986 CRX Si (drove it to 220k mi and sold it. it's still out there.)
1968 VW Type1 (beetle) Sedan (on 1971 pan, engine I built. Time for a rebuild again, actually - still have it)
1981 BMW 320 iS (paid $100 to purchase, sold for $1300)
1962 Chevrolet Impala hardtop. (still own. Has all original paperwork including window sticker.)
1998 Mitsubishi Galant 2.4 4cyl. (wife's car.)
1997 Pontiac Sunfire Convertible (purchased for $900, with only 103k mi. Runs great, nice to have a convertible again. $900!)

[xi_hyperon]

My theory, although completely anecdotal, is that many current MINI owners at some point in their life drove a CRX. IMHO, the CRX is the best Honda ever offered, because it was frugal on gas, handled well, and was ready to jump off of the line. My '88 CRX was a little fireball for its class, and I wish Honda still offered something in that spirit.

[ghporter]

A friend had a CRX HX and drove that thing hard. Got disgustingly great mileage, had wonderful handling, and was easy to keep up. Then the monster truck ran over it. Literally over the first foot of the hood. Quite sad.

My history:
1962 Comet
1973 Comet (my girlfriend's/soon to be wife's car)
1980 Civic hatchback (new)
1986 Civic sedan (new)
1985 Nissan Pulsar
1993 Civic hatchback (new)
2002 Civic coupe (new)
2007 Civic sedan (new)