Observations of a car fanatic- quest for the perfect car
#17
Lexus Fanatic
Good combo ^^, luxury SUV for junky driving in traffic and Boxster S for weekend drives in the country during fair weather. I have owned that combo for 5 years personally and it worked very well and was very satisfying (in CA).
IMO a luxury SUV is the ultimate urban/suburban/heavy traffic/weekday vehicle in terms of comfort, safety, visibility, roominess, etc.
IMO a luxury SUV is the ultimate urban/suburban/heavy traffic/weekday vehicle in terms of comfort, safety, visibility, roominess, etc.
#18
Pole Position
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Lake Country, WI
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...so if i were you i'd get a regular x5 (or rx450h) + and maybe a boxster s or z4 (new one looks GREAT!) and you'll have the best of both worlds. an x5m is amazingly capable, but nowhere near as much fun to drive as a LIGHT car.
[edit - now catching up with your later posts... ]
[edit - now catching up with your later posts... ]
Good combo ^^, luxury SUV for junky driving in traffic and Boxster S for weekend drives in the country during fair weather. I have owned that combo for 5 years personally and it worked very well and was very satisfying (in CA).
IMO a luxury SUV is the ultimate urban/suburban/heavy traffic/weekday vehicle in terms of comfort, safety, visibility, roominess, etc.
IMO a luxury SUV is the ultimate urban/suburban/heavy traffic/weekday vehicle in terms of comfort, safety, visibility, roominess, etc.
Almost there!!!
#19
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
#20
Lexus Fanatic
bottom line: There is no such thing as a perfect car. No car will meet every need all of the time. Thats just life.......imho.
Example. I just had a baby girl and want something with more room. I hate the handling on SUVs but need the room. Large sedans are nice but a bit pricey for what I would like to spend right now ( s class, 7 series, or LS460). Some crossovers like the Venza I like a lot, but is almost to cheap. The interior quality is not what I would expect and fit and finish could be nicer (dash parts align poorly and yes 1sicklex its all of the Venzas). My GS I love for the styling, luxury and fit and finish but its got no trunk and my wife's TL has more leg room in the rear. I have looked and looked and am stuck. In the end I ended up doing nothing. I am hoping that the 2011 Venzas may have better interior fit and finish and maybe a slight improvement in the leather quality. I like the RX for everything but its not as big in the rear leg room department and the Venza looks so much nicer. If I have to drive a crossover/SUV I want some style ( and the ability to put some 22's on the car).
Its a tight rope......a tight rope. In the end we have to go with the lesser of the evils or just ball it out and have a second car to meet all of your needs. just my cents
Example. I just had a baby girl and want something with more room. I hate the handling on SUVs but need the room. Large sedans are nice but a bit pricey for what I would like to spend right now ( s class, 7 series, or LS460). Some crossovers like the Venza I like a lot, but is almost to cheap. The interior quality is not what I would expect and fit and finish could be nicer (dash parts align poorly and yes 1sicklex its all of the Venzas). My GS I love for the styling, luxury and fit and finish but its got no trunk and my wife's TL has more leg room in the rear. I have looked and looked and am stuck. In the end I ended up doing nothing. I am hoping that the 2011 Venzas may have better interior fit and finish and maybe a slight improvement in the leather quality. I like the RX for everything but its not as big in the rear leg room department and the Venza looks so much nicer. If I have to drive a crossover/SUV I want some style ( and the ability to put some 22's on the car).
Its a tight rope......a tight rope. In the end we have to go with the lesser of the evils or just ball it out and have a second car to meet all of your needs. just my cents
#21
Lexus Fanatic
I have to agree with both sides here. It is true that we don't have to know people's exact (or even approxomate) net worth. But we do get a lot of questions here on CAR CHAT about what is affordable for certain people, what isn't, what monthly purchase/deale payments can be expected, what potential depreciation/residual value will be, how much insurance is likely to cost, etc..... To give good, credible advice to others, especially about something as large as an auto purchase/lease, one sometimes needs to legitimately and honestly know where that person stands economically. (unfortunately, there is a lot of not-so-credible advice flying round on the Internet, and, sometimes, even scams).
Look at all of the people, for example, that have bought cars and then had them repo'ed because they got entralled with, and fell in love with, a more-expensive car than they could afford, had their friends and colleagues egging them on, and then found out they bit off more than they could chew. Many of those repo'ed cars end up getting sold at public auctions.
Look at all of the people, for example, that have bought cars and then had them repo'ed because they got entralled with, and fell in love with, a more-expensive car than they could afford, had their friends and colleagues egging them on, and then found out they bit off more than they could chew. Many of those repo'ed cars end up getting sold at public auctions.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-09-10 at 06:55 PM.
#22
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
well, your comments and question sounded otherwise.
I have no concern of someone else's financial decisions. I was just generalizing that one should probably be worth millions to be in that type of market. And I'm sure there are Jetta owners who are worth millions.
all - please refrain from comments/judgments on rwdawg's finances, it's none of anyone's business. i have removed about 15 posts from this thread that are not helpful or were responding to other unhelpful posts.
please stay on track without personal attacks/commentary, even if trying to 'generalize'.
Last edited by bitkahuna; 09-09-10 at 07:52 PM.
#23
Lexus Champion
rdgdawg,
You bought a FWD Jetta daily and your ideal "fun" car is the X5M?? Dude, you're doing it wrong. I'd separate fun and utility; I'd consider an SUV or truck to drive around worry-free on your poor WI roads, and the fun car would be a real sports car.
I won't get into your raising the expected purchase price by haphazardly large sums. But I will say, given the purchase of a conservative and efficient VW after you were looking at much more expensive vehicles, that an X5M sounds illogical. I'd beat on an X5M every day if I could afford to use one as a daily, but as a second, fun car it's a terrible choice. Looks? An SUV with a body kit. Gas mileage? 12 mpg city, which is what you'll likely average. Exclusivity? Only to the trained eye. Cache? Forum members will respect you, but it won't be parked in front of the hotel valet. Depreciation? Heavy. Driver involvement? No skill needed.
Maybe you like fantasizing about what vehicle you would buy, but then reason takes over when it comes time to purchase (hence the Jetta). If that's the case, then congrats when you end up getting a Subura Forester.
But since we're still fantasizing, please put me down for a Cayenne GTS with a manual tranny. Buckle up kids, it's about to get bumpy!
edit: didn't see this later post:
Atta boy.
You bought a FWD Jetta daily and your ideal "fun" car is the X5M?? Dude, you're doing it wrong. I'd separate fun and utility; I'd consider an SUV or truck to drive around worry-free on your poor WI roads, and the fun car would be a real sports car.
I won't get into your raising the expected purchase price by haphazardly large sums. But I will say, given the purchase of a conservative and efficient VW after you were looking at much more expensive vehicles, that an X5M sounds illogical. I'd beat on an X5M every day if I could afford to use one as a daily, but as a second, fun car it's a terrible choice. Looks? An SUV with a body kit. Gas mileage? 12 mpg city, which is what you'll likely average. Exclusivity? Only to the trained eye. Cache? Forum members will respect you, but it won't be parked in front of the hotel valet. Depreciation? Heavy. Driver involvement? No skill needed.
Maybe you like fantasizing about what vehicle you would buy, but then reason takes over when it comes time to purchase (hence the Jetta). If that's the case, then congrats when you end up getting a Subura Forester.
But since we're still fantasizing, please put me down for a Cayenne GTS with a manual tranny. Buckle up kids, it's about to get bumpy!
edit: didn't see this later post:
Atta boy.
Last edited by pvmike1; 09-09-10 at 07:08 PM.
#24
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
I fully agree with the multi vehicle setup. You won't find a perfect vehicle because there exists no do-it-all vehicle (unless you have low expectations).
Does the pair of vehicles need to be from the same auto group? Although it's kinda neat to have two Porsches in the garage it's limiting your choices by keeping them paired together, just a thought.
Personally, if I was in your "predicament" (I WISH I could be bothered with buying a dream car right now), I would dump the Jetta (not your utility vehicle and not your sports dream) and get something that is utility and still luxurious but doesn't need to go 0-60 in 3 seconds (ie: not X5M or Cayenne Turbo, etc.) and then get an all out sports car like a Lotus.
My personal dream garage is less complicated than yours because I don't plan to need a utility vehicle (no need to tow, and no kids yet). I'd go with a Ducati 848 and a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Right now, I'm still dreaming.
Good luck!
Does the pair of vehicles need to be from the same auto group? Although it's kinda neat to have two Porsches in the garage it's limiting your choices by keeping them paired together, just a thought.
Personally, if I was in your "predicament" (I WISH I could be bothered with buying a dream car right now), I would dump the Jetta (not your utility vehicle and not your sports dream) and get something that is utility and still luxurious but doesn't need to go 0-60 in 3 seconds (ie: not X5M or Cayenne Turbo, etc.) and then get an all out sports car like a Lotus.
My personal dream garage is less complicated than yours because I don't plan to need a utility vehicle (no need to tow, and no kids yet). I'd go with a Ducati 848 and a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Right now, I'm still dreaming.
Good luck!
#25
Lexus Fanatic
Sometimes, reason is best.
#26
Lexus Test Driver
You should go test drive the G55 if you like the XM5. My brother in the past 4 years has gotten 4 of them. He always keeps them for less than a year but as soon as he gets rid of it, he is itching to get back into one.
He purchased a brand new one just 3 months ago, and it finally looks like he might be keep this one for the long haul.
My sister and her Husband are also going to purchase a new one in the next 4 months.
Now once I can afford one myself (which doesn't seem anytime soon) I will be looking into on of these myself.
He purchased a brand new one just 3 months ago, and it finally looks like he might be keep this one for the long haul.
My sister and her Husband are also going to purchase a new one in the next 4 months.
Now once I can afford one myself (which doesn't seem anytime soon) I will be looking into on of these myself.
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