New car advice...

[Moses]

I'm looking for a new daily driver.

I want it to be fun to drive, great A/C, needs to seat four or two with a couple sets of golf clubs. I don't really care if it's an SUV or not.

Huge, monstrous HP would be great, but not essential. I was thinking Mini Cooper or somethig on those lines. Any ideas? I haven't been car shopping for a long time.

[stevepaa]

new Subaru WRX
or even a Forester maybe?

or the new SAAB. see discussion earlier on WRX

[pwd72s]

Moses, silly as it may sound you might pick up a copy of the APRIL "Consumer reports", or thumb through it at the library...all the 2005 cars are listed in that issue, and it makes interesting reading if you're looking for a daily driver. The mini cooper? They reported it as low for reliability, but HIGH in customer satisfaction & resale value. In other words, people who have them seem to love them, despite their faults. Hmmm, kind of sounds like 911 owners. "The base engine lacks oomph, but the supercharged Cooper S is stong. Tall people will find the cockpit roomy, but the rear is very tight." This only a partial quote, but you get the drift. Similar info available on every car. So once you set your desires, you can at least narrow your search.

[84porsche]

Are you looking for a stick or an automatic? Second question, on the seat four part, is this seating 4 people comfortably or just seating 4 people.

[84porsche]

You have to be under 5 foot tall both driver and passenger to seat 4 in a Mini. The backseat is comfortable only if the driver is remarkably short.

[techweenie]

I drove and fell for the new Audi A3. 200 HP, lots of room...

[vash]

the new turbo miata MX-5. screw the other two passengers. but if you really like them to tag along. maybe a SAAB 9-3 or 5?

[stevepaa]

take your pick.

[Rot 911]

I just went through a similar search. Thread posted in OT from a month ago. Ended up with the Nissan Altima SE. 250HP with sport suspension, but will transport 4 people with plenty of room to spare. And the price is reasonable.

[cantdrv55]

The MINI Cooper is too small to carry four people but they sure are sweet. If you're serious about them, here's a link on Craigslist about how to buy a new one for less than mark-up.

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/car/76551500.html

[B D]

Subaru Legacy GT: 250 HP, 250 TQ, AWD, 0-60 in under 6. Drive everything else first and it will be a no brainer. WRX is OK but has turbo lag and lacks luxury feel.

[Drago]

Originally posted by techweenie
I drove and fell for the new Audi A3. 200 HP, lots of room...

OH NO!!! Not another Audi wagon! Where are all the ducks at?

[Eric Coffey]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
I'd buy a used BMW 330 (2 or 4 door) over a Mini any day.

Plenty nice ones to be had in the mid to mid-upper 20s.

They are really great cars. Very fast, comfortable, reliable, good looking, and very fun to drive. A real car.

I'll second the bimmer. I am very happy with my 330. Great A/C, fast enough, and excellent creature comforts. If I had to do it again though I would get the 4-door, preferably with the ZHP option. With the ZHP (performance package) you get the M appearance and suspension bits, plus the 6-speed and cool alcantara steering wheel and interior trim. The only things I don't like with the coupe are the "frame-less" windows, and the doors are a bit big. The 4-door is just a bit more practical (and will be cheaper to insure).

[Drago]

Originally posted by Eric Coffey
I'll second the bimmer. I am very happy with my 330. Great A/C, fast enough, and excellent creature comforts. If I had to do it again though I would get the 4-door, preferably with the ZHP option. With the ZHP (performance package) you get the M appearance and suspension bits, plus the 6-speed and cool alcantara steering wheel and interior trim. The only things I don't like with the coupe are the "frame-less" windows, and the doors are a bit big. The 4-door is just a bit more practical (and will be cheaper to insure).

That's the route I plan on taking once #3 arrives.

Eric, how's the alcantra steering wheel wearing? I ended up selling my Sparco that had alcantra from the 10 to 2 positions because I didn't like how it was wearing.

[pwd72s]

Perhaps I should explain myself a bit more...the consumer reports thing. My thinking is that the Porsche is for fun. The daily driver? It's akin to buying a washing machine as far as I'm concerned. Considering that all new cars depreciate, I tend to pick one that will do the job I want done, and I don't factor in "fun" as much as many posting here would.

[Jims5543]

I still don't understand where consumer reports comes up w/ the MINI Cooper S being unreliable. I know MANY owners that have been problem free with theirs with many miles on them.

I personally would look into the Subi's they seem like a great car.

I daily drive my CooperS a short distance mostly city driving. I drive it hard and consistantly get 25 MPG. This is with me running it up to the 7250 RPM redline often. I like to hear the supercharger whine.

I have driven a couple of 330 BMW's and in all honesty I have to ask if these people who say they would pick the 330 in a heartbeat have actually driven a CooperS?

I was tearing along in my Cooper on the Florida Turnpike doing about 80 MPH just North of Miami when a 330 pulled alongside. I slowed a little to 70 then we went at it. Clear roads ahead afforded us a run up to 135 MPH once I reached that speed I looked over and he wasn't there I looked in my rearview and he was 10+ cars back. When he caught up he gave me a thumbs up. Want to know how one turns with about $2K in suspension upgrades go look at my thread in the MINI section. That C-5 had no idea what happened.

Moses where are you located? You are welcome to take a spirited test drive in my MINI if your in the Florida area.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally posted by Drago
That's the route I plan on taking once #3 arrives.

Eric, how's the alcantra steering wheel wearing? I ended up selling my Sparco that had alcantra from the 10 to 2 positions because I didn't like how it was wearing.

It really depends on driving (gripping?) style, and if your hands sweat a lot. They definitely wear quicker than the leather wheels regardless. Though, that is easily remedied by swapping out for the leather M3 wheel (direct replacement). The only other alcantara bits are the seat centers, shift boot, and e-brake boot, which seem to hold up quite well. I'm slowly becoming a 3-series expert (E36 and now E46), so let me know when you get closer to picking one up and I can give you a few pointers.

Originally posted by pwd72s
Perhaps I should explain myself a bit more...the consumer reports thing. My thinking is that the Porsche is for fun. The daily driver? It's akin to buying a washing machine as far as I'm concerned. Considering that all new cars depreciate, I tend to pick one that will do the job I want done, and I don't factor in "fun" as much as many posting here would.

I happen to agree with you there. Reliability, economy, and driver "comfort" were the primary considerations for me when shopping for a driver. However, the bimmer just happened to have all of those things AND offer a decent level of sporty-ness. Of course, I have been a bimmer believer (owner) for quite a while. My last one (`95 318i) racked up 200k+ miles before I sold it. Even then it got 35+ MPG and ran like a champ, despite my continuous abuse.

[David]

We looked at the Subaru WRX last time we were car shopping. We preferred a used BMW to a new japanese econcar with a turbo. My vote's for a 330i.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by techweenie
I drove and fell for the new Audi A3. 200 HP, lots of room...

I see from your profile you bought one. Do you know if Audi will be offering the A3 in AWD?

[84porsche]

Originally posted by kach22i
I see from your profile you bought one. Do you know if Audi will be offering the A3 in AWD?

From what I heard, they will offer AWD or quattro next year but that version will have the 3.2 liter engine used in the TT. I test drove an A3 two weeks ago and it was a fantastic car and would probably buy one. I really like the DSG transmission.