Car Shopping / Mini-review thread

[WRXtranceformed]

I'm not sure why you would jump into an 05 STi from an 06 EVO. It would maybe be a small step up in interior quality but a definitely step down in performance and potential. And it's the same basic kind of car really (4 door turbo'd 4 cylinder awd boy racer)

[ScottyB]

Solstice GXP - Not a fan of the way they look at all, also no convertibles.

i meant the coupes. they're the rare ones.


but honestly, if you don't like the looks of the vert you aren't really getting anything different with the coupe.

[RawrImAMonster]

I'm not sure why you would jump into an 05 STi from an 06 EVO. It would maybe be a small step up in interior quality but a definitely step down in performance and potential. And it's the same basic kind of car really (4 door turbo'd 4 cylinder awd boy racer)

Ever driven an Evo 8 or 9. The sti is much more livable as a dd. I'm only interested in making about the same amount of power as now which is well within the sti's motors capability. There's nothing that's a huge difference by itself between the two, but everything is just a step more harsh or annoying in the Evo which kind of builds up as an overall package.

[WRXtranceformed]

Don't get me wrong I have had several Subies including an STi and while they do make decent dailies (until you mod the piss out of them) I guess I was just reading (assuming) that you were looking for something different.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Wut? Actually the s52 had a bore of 86.4 and can be overboard to 86.9. The s54 had more stroke to slightly increase displacement (less than .1 liter). It was actually less bored than the s52 because of the increased stress of rpms trying to make more power.

Blah blah blah, the S50 was 86mmx86mm, and the S52 (and S54) gain their displacement primarily by increases in stroke, not bore. My point was just that isn't a technical marvel, it's just how you normally squeeze the last bit out of an engine cheaply. High piston speed is *bad*...

:p I obviously didn't get my point across, maybe you are the last one to know but I don't like the s54 motor. I wasnt exactly complimenting the motor. My mom has that e46 m3 and I hate maintaining it (so skip over the m coupes as well) and all M cars if you can. The e36 m gets by cause it is a glossed over 325i.

G8 gts are freaking awesome. If you haven't driven one, do so. A 2500 stall and exhaust was all that it needed to lay down 100+ft rolling burnout on baron Cameron just 3 days ago. Awesome car stock too.

E55 suggestion again :0.

[RawrImAMonster]

Don't get me wrong I have had several Subies including an STi and while they do make decent dailies (until you mod the piss out of them) I guess I was just reading (assuming) that you were looking for something different.

What I'm trying to find is something that is going to be as exciting without being quite as harsh as the Evo. I would kind of like to get something a little different, but if I don't find anything that impresses me a lot, I might just go with the STi as a safe choice I know I'll like.

So far all of these cars have fit the less harsh (in every single way) criteria, but for one reason or another I haven't been sold just yet.

G8 gts are freaking awesome. If you haven't driven one, do so. A 2500 stall and exhaust was all that it needed to lay down 100+ft rolling burnout on baron Cameron just 3 days ago. Awesome car stock too.

I do want to test out a G8 GXP if I get the chance. An absolute set requirement for me is a manual. I guess I didn't state that, but I thought it would be obvious based off the cars I listed That, plus with the GXP, you get the ls3 which is a pretty badass motor.

[Goodspeed]

Out of that list of requirements, I'd find it pretty hard to argue with a '11+ Mustang GT. I'm interested to read your thoughts when you get around to driving one.

[CaptainHenreh]

I do want to test out a G8 GXP if I get the chance. An absolute set requirement for me is a manual. I guess I didn't state that, but I thought it would be obvious based off the cars I listed That, plus with the GXP, you get the ls3 which is a pretty badass motor.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're even thinking about a G8 GXP you really just need to come to a full stop and go buy a CTS-V.

A CTS-V will be easier to find, more comfortable, better looking, and cheaper.

[Ken]

I'm not sure why you would jump into an 05 STi from an 06 EVO. It would maybe be a small step up in interior quality but a definitely step down in performance and potential. And it's the same basic kind of car really (4 door turbo'd 4 cylinder awd boy racer)

Ever driven an Evo 8 or 9. The sti is much more livable as a dd. I'm only interested in making about the same amount of power as now which is well within the sti's motors capability. There's nothing that's a huge difference by itself between the two, but everything is just a step more harsh or annoying in the Evo which kind of builds up as an overall package.

Evo X is definitely much more liveable as DD plus some more nice touches like Bluetooth. It's on your list already, but just noting.

[JPolen01]

Did someone say Evo X?

[Apoc]

It's always funnier when there are misspelled words.

[JPolen01]

It's always funnier when there are misspelled words.

I didn't make it, but I agree.

[RawrImAMonster]

I do want to test out a G8 GXP if I get the chance. An absolute set requirement for me is a manual. I guess I didn't state that, but I thought it would be obvious based off the cars I listed That, plus with the GXP, you get the ls3 which is a pretty badass motor.

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're even thinking about a G8 GXP you really just need to come to a full stop and go buy a CTS-V.

A CTS-V will be easier to find, more comfortable, better looking, and cheaper.

Yeah, I definitely want to give one a test drive if I get the chance. There don't seem to be a lot of them around here. If I got one it would be on the cheaper end and I would also get something else to mess with. I don't think I would be happy with just one of those as my DD and project car.

[RawrImAMonster]

Ok, time to revive this thread since I'm looking for similar cars again. The plan is to sell my Trans Am after the car show, then purchase something newer, then sell the M3. To be honest, I'm just bored with both of my current cars. That and it's just a pain to try to keep two cars clean if you don't have a garage for at least one of them.

Currently the top two cars in my lineup are the Evo X and 135i (the picture DJ posted the other day got me thinking about them). I know most of what there is to know about Evo's, but the 135i is a relatively new idea to me. For example, I didn't know they came with factory brembo's until yesterday.

Having said that I did a bunch of research on them yesterday and everyone seems to say they are reliable other than the HPFP issues and the wastegate problems. From what I've seen the HPFP issue is fixed after a recall and even if it's not, it's warrantied for 10 years/120k. I think the wastegates are also warrantied for 8 years/72k. So, both of these issues aren't that big of a deal as long as I'm close to someone that will do warranty work. Does Mid Atlantic do this?

My main annoyance with the 135i is that it doesn't have a LSD from the factory, but there seems to be more reasonably priced diffs out on the market then when I was looking last year. Otherwise, it seems to be pretty much everything else I'm looking for and it will likely be way more livable than the Evo as a daily driver. I've kind of gotten spoiled with the M3 having a semi nice interior/ride compared to my other cars.

I know I would like the evo, but I don't know that I want to deal with another one on a day to day basis.

So, how bad of an idea would a 09-10 135i be?

[SlimKlim]

You'd need to go to a dealer to get warranty work performed. If you can swing it, I'd buy one with a full CPO warranty. I think it's safe to assume a newish 135i will break a lot less than your old E36, but the things that do break are likely to be a whole lot more expensive, paying a bit of a premium for a CPO car over a standard used one would shield you from unexpected expenses for a while, you'd only have to worry about tires and brakes.

Pricing on the things is all over the place. Some 08s with the older iDrive and 50k+ miles are getting down near $21k. 09+s with a CPO are stuck up around $28-30k. Depending on what options you care about, you might be able to find a good deal on an 09+ non-premium, no-iDrive. You'd just definitely want the sport package with the better suspension and seats.

Here's a decent example of a tricked out M-Sport: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...8524&Log=0

[RawrImAMonster]

I don't know that CPO is going to be of much value because I'm definitely not keeping a car like that stock. I don't know how picky BMW is about doing warranty work on modded cars. Unexpected expenses aren't really a problem as long they aren't frequent. That's kind of the name of the game with anything modded. From what I've read, these are fairly reliable cars other than the HPFP and wastegate problems, which are both warrantied for a while.

As far as options, I don't care about nav, because most factory nav's aren't that great anyway. Definitely want the smart key and heated seats if possible. M-sport would be a bonus for sure, those wheels are actually pretty good looking.

[SlimKlim]

Probably very picky, VW/Audi is the only manufacturer I know of that will honor the warranty on a modded car... provided all the parts are APR and they were installed at that dealership.

Keyless entry was bundled into the premium package that gives you power seats and a heap of other shit like auto(turning) headlights, rain sensing wipers, auto dimming mirrors, premium sound, etc. I think the heated seats are in that package, but they were also available as a standalone option.

If you pick one up and decide to mod it, you better make sure it won't void the extended HPFP and Wastegate warranties. Something tells me if the HPFP blows out and they find out it's cause you were pushing 400rwhp, they ain't gonna foot the bill.

[RawrImAMonster]

Probably very picky, VW/Audi is the only manufacturer I know of that will honor the warranty on a modded car... provided all the parts are APR and they were installed at that dealership.

Keyless entry was bundled into the premium package that gives you power seats and a heap of other shit like auto(turning) headlights, rain sensing wipers, auto dimming mirrors, premium sound, etc. I think the heated seats are in that package, but they were also available as a standalone option.

If you pick one up and decide to mod it, you better make sure it won't void the extended HPFP and Wastegate warranties. Something tells me if the HPFP blows out and they find out it's cause you were pushing 400rwhp, they ain't gonna foot the bill.

From what I've read, they aren't terribly picky about warrantying the HPFP when it comes to mods. I would be doing light power mods, intake + tune (jb4?). Looks like that is enough to put them in the 300-350whp range. With such light mods I could de-mod for the HPFP warranty if needed anyway. I wouldn't do it if I actually broke something because of power, but chances are if the already shitty HPFP fails, it was going to anyway.

I wouldn't expect them to warranty anything engine-wise with mods though.

[SlimKlim]

I think the JB4 is for the 2011+ N55s with the twin-scroll single turbo. The older ones are the N54 twin turbos and run the JB3, not sure what the reliability differences or driving characteristics are of them, all this new shit is out of my wheelhouse.

[*insertusernamehere*]

My main annoyance with the 135i is that it doesn't have a LSD from the factory