Automobiles

[christian]

Unless you step up to something like an X3 it's going to be tall and tippy.

In which case it will be tall, tippy, and will make you look like you borrowed your mistress's hairdresser's car.

[rmplum]

In which case it will be tall, tippy, and will make you look like you borrowed your mistress's hairdresser's car.

Yeah, you still get the tall part but BMW does a far better job of this (balancing body control with a somewhat compliant ride) than most. Yes I'd take an AWD 3-Series over an X3 all day long. Or a Golf over a Tiguan. 60% of the time physics works every time.

[jerk]

Yeah, you still get the tall part but BMW does a far better job of this (balancing body control with a somewhat compliant ride) than most. Yes I'd take an AWD 3-Series over an X3 all day long. Or a Golf over a Tiguan. 60% of the time physics works every time.

i need to drive one i guess. i like the way small vw turbos drive especially when you chip the thing. i live in the lower allston ghetto and i don't want the big wheels the gti comes with and needs...i figured a tiguan with steelies would be a better city car- if i've gotta throw some konis on it to make it drive right that's what i'll do i guess. and the jetta wagon doesn't come with the 2.0t engine which is really stupid.

in an ideal world i'd have a 3 series wagon with a 6speed manual....but this isn't an ideal world.

[Applesauce]

BMW has that $hit figured out (well, the first gen X3 rode like the dampers were frozen, but they have fixed that now), it sounds like you know this... Wagons rule. It's too bad the US market generally shuns them.

I can confirm these things. We just replaced our 2005 Cooper S with a 2009 E91 328ix. Remarkably, we got this with every option except the automatic transmission and the silly twin-turbo motor. (Perhaps I should rephrase that as, we got it with every option including the NA three litre and the Getrag 6?) It's a helluva heavy car, but it works, for some reason. I was very sad to see the Mini go, but the big bahnstürming wagon (which really isn't all that big, in the North American scheme of things) is absolutely stupendous.

[rmplum]

i need to drive one i guess. i like the way small vw turbos drive especially when you chip the thing. i live in the lower allston ghetto and i don't want the big wheels the gti comes with and needs...i figured a tiguan with steelies would be a better city car- if i've gotta throw some konis on it to make it drive right that's what i'll do i guess. and the jetta wagon doesn't come with the 2.0t engine which is really stupid.

in an ideal world i'd have a 3 series wagon with a 6speed manual....but this isn't an ideal world.

I'm not encyclopedic on it, but TireRack sells 16" and 17" wheel/tire packages for the GTI, so they must fit over the brakes (it just uses normal size sliding calipers, so no crazy big Brembos to clear). Get the GTI, pull off the stupid 18" tires (modern tires are good, the thing will still steer handle pretty well with a nice set of 16" or 17" wheels/tires) and get a nice set of wheels in a size that makes sense for you. A GTI with some 16" or 17" Pilot Sports on it will steer far better than a jacked up Tiguan and with the 16s you won't rash your rims every time you get to close to the curb.

The GTI also comes with the dual clutch gearbox (if you are going auto), the Tiguan has the torque converter slush box. Plus you can get those dandy plaid pattern seats in the GTI and pretend you're in a 300SL.

Anyway, that's my $.03

[rmplum]

Here's what I do. 16" Sparcos for $128 per at TireRack.

GTI with white 16 Sparcos.jpg

[MisterDangerPants]

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this site, my father passed away earlier this year. In addition, my grandmother (my father's mother) passed away just a couple of months ago. I inherited several cars as a result of this and have a couple I'm debating on keeping.

First up is my father's 2007 Saab Aero. Lovely car. 6-speed manual with a turbo V6 (250HP) make it fun to drive. The cars came loaded and the only options my father didn't get was the navigation and the automatic transmission. I like the heated leather seats quite a bit and the trunk is pretty big which is a plus as I generally prefer hatchbacks. My father worked at General Motors his entire career so that's why he bought the Saab (sizable employee discount). This was actually only the 2nd new car he ever bought, the first being a 1970 Pontiac Trans Am (Ram Air III, 4-speed, white/blue). He was a talented engineer & mechanic and preferred ripping things apart, which would explain the lift he had in his garage (huge bonus every year when it came to slapping on my snow tires). Anyway, I've been driving the Saab around and am seriously considering keeping it. The wheels have to go in favor of some 18x8.5 ET35 shoes. Honestly, the car looks brand new even with 49K miles.









The other car is a 1983 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. My wife actually wants to keep this car. My grandfather purchased it new through the GM employee purchase plan via my father. He was a Cadillac man all of his life and had a gorgeous 1967 Cadillac de Ville convertible prior to this. He only got to enjoy this for a couple of year when he passed away. My grandmother drove it for a couple of years before deciding it was for too big and parked it in the garage for the next decade until my Dad used it for a couple of years. It has 55K miles and is in excellent condition. I don't think anyone ever sat in the back seat. Still starts up on the first try. 4.1L V8 FI engine that I joke about the performance by saying "0 - 60: Yes." I think it would be kind of fun to slap a rocket box on this and use it as a daily driver. It's a car where nobody cuts you off. Ever. I want to slap a roof rack with rocket box and a couple of bike attachments and use it when we head up to the north country….

[christian]

Here's what I do. 16" Sparcos for $128 per at TireRack.

GTI with white 16 Sparcos.jpg

You must really have liked the British Rally Series, circa 2003. Because that shit has Gwyndaf Evans written all over it.

[jerk]

I'm not encyclopedic on it, but TireRack sells 16" and 17" wheel/tire packages for the GTI, so they must fit over the brakes (it just uses normal size sliding calipers, so no crazy big Brembos to clear). Get the GTI, pull off the stupid 18" tires (modern tires are good, the thing will still steer handle pretty well with a nice set of 16" or 17" wheels/tires) and get a nice set of wheels in a size that makes sense for you. A GTI with some 16" or 17" Pilot Sports on it will steer far better than a jacked up Tiguan and with the 16s you won't rash your rims every time you get to close to the curb.

The GTI also comes with the dual clutch gearbox (if you are going auto), the Tiguan has the torque converter slush box. Plus you can get those dandy plaid pattern seats in the GTI and pretend you're in a 300SL.

Anyway, that's my $.03

i will never ever own an automatic dsg or otherwise again. i got rid of my r32 because i hated that transmission so much. good to know 16" will fit the gti- that's probably a better way to go than trying to turn a tiguan in to a gti.

[davids]

Wagons rule. It's too bad the US market generally shuns them.

Preach it.

in an ideal world i'd have a 3 series wagon with a 6speed manual....but this isn't an ideal world.

The real world:

2006 BMW 325 xiT

2002 BMW 325 iT

[jitahs]

Mazda6 diesel wagon allegedly coming here.

[rmplum]

i will never ever own an automatic dsg or otherwise again. i got rid of my r32 because i hated that transmission so much. good to know 16" will fit the gti- that's probably a better way to go than trying to turn a tiguan in to a gti.

Are Tiguans with manuals even available there (I know they may list it on the website, but finding on on the ground may be another issue)? It can be really damn hard to find a 3-pedal car these days. I think you will be much happier with a GTI with 16" wheels compared to trying to make the Tiguan something it is not. Plus the GTI will go a lot further on a tank of fuel and as Christian said, you can rock the poser rally look with something like those Sparcos.

[jerk]

120,000 miles? no thanks. i do keep my eyes open for low mileage ones though.

Preach it.



The real world:

2006 BMW 325 xiT

2002 BMW 325 iT

[davids]

120,000 miles? no thanks. i do keep my eyes open for low mileage ones though.

I get that. I didn't know if a $9k wagon would tempt you, though.

BTW, do you know about this place: Foreign Motorcars? They seem like a good bet for quality used bimmers. I was tempted by some of their offerings before I decided to cheap out on an Acura.

[jerk]

it was tempting- i'll check that place out.

[jerk]

Are Tiguans with manuals even available there (I know they may list it on the website, but finding on on the ground may be another issue)? It can be really damn hard to find a 3-pedal car these days. I think you will be much happier with a GTI with 16" wheels compared to trying to make the Tiguan something it is not. Plus the GTI will go a lot further on a tank of fuel and as Christian said, you can rock the poser rally look with something like those Sparcos.

yeah they do and they are available and pretty cheaply. 16" wheels will not fit on '13 gtis btw. 17" will though.

[RickM]

Are Tiguans with manuals even available there (I know they may list it on the website, but finding on on the ground may be another issue)? It can be really damn hard to find a 3-pedal car these days. I think you will be much happier with a GTI with 16" wheels compared to trying to make the Tiguan something it is not. Plus the GTI will go a lot further on a tank of fuel and as Christian said, you can rock the poser rally look with something like those Sparcos.

What about this an an option over/instead of a Gitti; Review: 2013 Ford Focus ST | The Truth About Cars

[jerk]

What about this an an option over/instead of a Gitti; Review: 2013 Ford Focus ST | The Truth About Cars

they did a great job with that thing. i really liked the entry level focus i drove last year. again- i just wish they brought the wagon over.

[RickM]

they did a great job with that thing. i really liked the entry level focus i drove last year. again- i just wish they brought the wagon over.

Looks like you could get one that color-matches a Gaulzetti. And yeah..euro-wagons are the shit.

[rmplum]

Both the Focus and Golf are pretty damn good cars in any guise - so it's hard to go wrong there - unless you are of the type that hates MyFord Touch. There also appear to be 16" tire fitments for the Focus ST (I checked 2013 MY this time). The Navi system in the VW is also not the greatest - but for completely the opposite reason the Ford system suffers. Ford threw everything in theirs (yeah, who the eff is gonna change the climate temp or fan speed using voice commands?), and VW's is a "Value Added" system.