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Hmmm Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Fri, 2 Jun 2006 10:08:33
In Reply to: Re: Answer to curiousity, W.S., Thu, 1 Jun 2006 17:50:58 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Jaguar XJ6 series III - It was small, cramped, and not very good offroad. Fuel efficiency was pretty stellar.
Jaguar XJ40 Vanden Plas - - It was small, cramped, and not very good offroad. Fuel efficiency was pretty stellar.
Porsche 944 - - It was small, cramped, and not very good offroad. Fuel efficiency was pretty stellar.
BMW E28 535 - - It was small, cramped, and not very good offroad. Fuel efficiency was pretty stellar.
Audi GT Quattro coupe - - It was small, cramped, and though pretty reasonable offroad, it wasn't very good at getting over some of the rougher stuff. Fuel efficiency was pretty stellar.
In the end I settled on a 1987 Chevy Suburban. Much larger, and the 4WD plus 33" tires (which Audi doesn't even list as an option!) really work well on hardcore offroad trails. Plus it tows WAY more than any of those Euro cars.
Ok, this is total sarcasm, but I hope you see the point. Someone shopping for "a car" has some goal in mind - track time, hauling the family, driving old timber roads, or just some appliance to get to and from work etc. Without knowing what you're trying to accomplish, it's hard to say, "This is my recommendation," or even "I think this will fit your needs." The fact is, each car you listed has pros and cons, and people choose them because the pros are more important to them than the cons. I will guarantee you that folks have gone out and bought an E28 with dreams of doing track days, only to get trounced by 944s - they go home angry that someone told them "The E28 is a performance machine!" Similarly, I'm sure there are 944 owners out there who are upset because the back seats are terribly uncomfortable and someone said, "The 944 is a great all around car!"
If all you wanted was a nice sedan to get you and the family around, buy the BMW. It's reliable, easy to service, pretty quick, and pretty nice inside. If you want to sit on a couch and drink tea every time you need to go somewhere and you happen to be made of money, buy a Jag. You won't mind the awful fuel economy, you won't sweat the repair bills, and you won't be tempted to convert it to a small block Chevy. If all you care about is getting yourself around and might enjoy the occassional track day, buy the 944. It's reasonably economical to run, pretty reliable, and parts & repair bills aren't *that* bad. If you want something cheap, don't care about looks or quality, and prize something flexible and intertesting, buy the Coupe.
I think, at the end of the day, you're looking to spend $5000 or maybe less, you're looking at a bunch of 20 year old European cars, and none of them are VWs. What that means is that, 20 years old or not, you're going to be paying Audi/Jaguar/BMW/Porsche labor rates, and buying Audi/Jaguar/BMW/Porsche parts. Parts prices do not get cheaper with time and labor prices go up on cars like this, and none of them are going to be notably reliable for daily use. All of these cars cost upwards of $20k when they were new, and they're gonna carry luxury car repair requirements. None of them are fast by today's standards, none of them are well-built by today's standards ('cept maybe the BMW or Porsche - MAYBE), and none of them have the NVH or materials quality of modern cars. If you're looking for a toy, choose whichever one blows your hair back and start saving. If you're looking for a commuter, and your budget is $5000, buy a Honda and sleep soundly at night, knowing your vacation budget won't be suddenly compromised by a failed Porsche transaxle, a valve job on a straight six, electrical problems on a Jaguar, or your Audi falling apart around its drivetrain...
As always, my $0.02, YMMV...
posted by 216.57....
, Mon, 5 Jun 2006 18:06:17
, Sun, 4 Jun 2006 16:15:48
, Thu, 8 Jun 2006 20:54:22, Sat, 3 Jun 2006 18:46:24, Thu, 1 Jun 2006 15:24:00, Wed, 31 May 2006 17:23:14, Sat, 3 Jun 2006 11:43:42
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