Automobiles

[davids]

My mother-in-law just got that Lexus. She loves it.
I drove it a couple miles and it was pretty OK from behind the wheel.

Wagons though. Why does the US hate them?

[rmplum]

We have one of those Lexus NX200t's in our fleet. It looks like Predator, but the relatively normal (yet not really Lexus-quiet/comfortable) driving experience is certainly not reflected in the aggressive exterior.

The car sits in the lot here many weekends going unused, just as our 2015 Honda CR-V does (another car with a terribly designed set of controls).



My "Is it Thursday yet, first-world-problems grump?": Our BMW i8 is worth relative peanuts after only a year and 9k miles. The price of having something like that first.

[j44ke]

My mother-in-law just got that Lexus. She loves it.
I drove it a couple miles and it was pretty OK from behind the wheel.

Wagons though. Why does the US hate them?

I guess because they don't look like a Transformer. And they don't look like they were made to ride through the ruins of the city after the apocalypse that everyone suspects/knows/wants to be coming.

[AngryScientist]

have to drive to Annapolis tomorrow morning. All my local rental car place had on the lot was this POS. what a waste of sheetmetal. Seriously, who actually test drives one of these and then buys one.

[Matthew Strongin]

have to drive to Annapolis tomorrow morning. All my local rental car place had on the lot was this POS. what a waste of sheetmetal. Seriously, who actually test drives one of these and then buys one.

I've had a number of Jeeps over the years. Multiple Wranglers, Cherokees and Grand Cherokees and I've pretty much loved them all. I recently rented one of those as well and couldn't for the life of me figure out what Jeep was thinking.

[rmplum]

I've had a number of Jeeps over the years. Multiple Wranglers, Cherokees and Grand Cherokees and I've pretty much loved them all. I recently rented one of those as well and couldn't for the life of me figure out what Jeep was thinking.

They were thinking: no matter how big of a piece of crap it is, people will still buy it so they can say "I have a jeep". Of course the Patriot and Compass (I call them Feeps - Fake Jeeps) were also developed when Chrysler had almost no development budget and needed stuff to sell no matter what - even things that discredit their best brand.

Jeep still sells.

[Matthew Strongin]

They were thinking: no matter how big of a piece of crap it is, people will still buy it so they can say "I have a jeep". Of course the Patriot and Compass (I call them Feeps - Fake Jeeps) were also developed when Chrysler had almost no development budget and needed stuff to sell no matter what - even things that discredit their best brand.

Jeep still sells.

That makes sense. My former Rubicon TJ and my (wife's but I use it as much as she does) current Grand Cherokee Overland are probably my two favorite vehicles of all the cars I've had over the years. They really got those right.

[Cookietruck]

Wagons though. Why does the US hate them?

it wasn't always that way...

[nrs5000]

have to drive to Annapolis tomorrow morning. All my local rental car place had on the lot was this POS. what a waste of sheetmetal. Seriously, who actually test drives one of these and then buys one.

I rented one of those while my Subaru was waiting for a new airbag. Thankfully Subaru paid for the rental, the one I rented was a POS too.

[nrs5000]

Saw this little bijou racecar getting loaded up on a transporter as I was going about my business today.

[IMG]Untitled by nrs5000, on Flickr[/IMG]

[nahtnoj]

I test drove an S2000 earlier this week. I loved it, but I'm not so sure Amie could get in and out of it...

[rwsaunders]

This upcoming event (held for the 34th year) is definitely worth attending if you like to watch, smell and listen to...perhaps even touch and taste vintage cars. Plenty to do all over town and the vintage races at Schenley Park (16-17 July) are combined with the show and general gathering. Who knows, maybe the Stanley Cup will make an appearance.

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix -

[j44ke]

Euro Fords have always been a favorite of mine, so of course I clicked on one of the newest Petrolicious videos when it popped up. I wish this was something I could get my nephew to watch and take something from it. Sort of a find your path/vision message. My nephew is a weird combination of being totally curious, ambitious and totally bored by everything. This guy is a bit eccentric, but that's okay. He's got a vision and he's doing it.

[mainemike]

So I sold the black one for more than I paid, and bought this one. I've been bitten and smitten by the bug. One family car w/complete service records and an endless list of replacements/upgrades. The mechanic I go to called it pristine, even the interior. I freaking love letting it rip on the highway. Comfort and leg room for days. Great mileage. Yes, I feel quite white while driving it, c'est la vie, Muffy don't mind. IMG_0858.jpg

[robin3mj]

It’s looking like we’re going to need to add a car to the household this fall.
It’ll be my commuter, so 25 miles a day when I drive the entire way to work, and about 8 miles a day when I drive/bike. So call it ~3,000 miles/year. No long trips.

I’m in no rush but starting to look. My parameters are as follows, from most to least important.

Price below ~$7,500
Reliable, but somewhat interesting (not an econobox)
PS- I am no gearhead, so cost of frequency of maintenance are an issue. Which is maybe at odds with the "interesting" comment.
FWD or AWD, for practicality purposes- this will be a bad weather commuter. My bike is the good weather ride.
Wagon/hatch
Stick

A mid-90’s Landcruiser would be pretty cool, but probably too expensive to insure/upkeep/fuel. There are tons of early 00’s Saabs out there that might fit the bill. Volvo V70, etc.

Anything else I should keep my eyes out for?

[Too Tall]

Corolla S
Fiat Abarth
Ford Fiesta (manual)

[lumpy]

I bet you could get into a Honda Fit for that. Little, but nifty.

A lot of the cars I really like that might fit your criteria, like the Jeep Cherokee that I drive now or the 1993-95 Toyota Corolla wagon, are just getting so darn old it's hard to recommend one to somebody who isn't going to be their own mechanic.

[mmoore]

How much stuff do you need to be able to fit in this car?

I would look to see what prices are like where you live for a lightly used Honda CRZ. pretty neat looking hybrids. available in a stick.. relatively new so the maintenance should be minor...but I doubt it would fit a bike or other larger gear.

[cp43]

I bet you could get into a Honda Fit for that. Little, but nifty.

A lot of the cars I really like that might fit your criteria, like the Jeep Cherokee that I drive now or the 1993-95 Toyota Corolla wagon, are just getting so darn old it's hard to recommend one to somebody who isn't going to be their own mechanic.

My wife's car is an '08 Fit Sport. It's been a great car. Hers is a stick shift, we had to look around a bit to find one with the manual, but it was worth it.

[davids]

Cheap, fun, tiny, capacious.