Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

So I took an 05 baja turbo auto (with tiptronic) for a spin. I'm impressed with how quickly and quietly that thing gets up to 85. Corners flat on roads that my ford would easily wallow through, and rides better and quieter than my ford. The tiptronic manual mode held gear pretty nicely. Like an auto with manual mode it wasn't the quickest to shift, but it took about as long as anyone would to shift if they weren't trying to destroy their syncro's in a race.

I rather liked it, I'll have to check out a forester or keep my eye on a WRX wagon.

Yeah the aftermarket for the Forester XT is pretty substatial But also consider that all those damn fine stock STi suspension parts that the kids are tearing off their cars to replace with coilovers will pretty much bolt right up. can we say cheap upgrade.

Yep, and apparently the 04 5speeds had some crazy short final drive that gave them very quick acceleration times.

Another selling point for the XT since most people that bought them weren't looking to go racing...

Yep, hence the Baja as well. Sadly the Forester's are a PITA to find around here, at least with that turbo engine. Most of the Baja's sold were with the turbo 2.5 :thumbsup:
 
Saw an S3 in that orange colour, I thought the Focus ST orange stood out.
The Audi looked fantastic.


Wiki pic'll do.

Audi_S3.JPG
 
We have a Subaru dealer in our autogroup and they normally have one Turbo Forrester in stock. I just checked their inventory and they don't one right now which is unusual. I will have to check their incoming inventory and see if they have one.
 
Last edited:
We have a Subaru dealer in our autogroup and they normally have one Turbo Forrester in stock. I just checked their inventory and they don't one right now which is unusual. I will have to check their incoming inventory and see if they have one.

The subaru dealer I went to last night was telling me that when they get foresters in they tend to go back out pretty quickly. The seem to rarely get Baja's in as owners just don't part ways with them it seems.

I'll be keeping my eye out, as time ticks by more cars that I want will only get cheaper :thumbsup:
 
Did the baja turbo only come in automatic?

I just went looking around, and havn't found one in a manual yet.

No. I've seen one for sale as a stick. Apparently they are hugely popular with lesbians (the FE-mullet as my friend likes to call it) and they tend to go automatic I guess.
 
It's surprisingly hard to find a decent front strut brace for an E34.. The good ones take about two months to arrive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPYGFNIv_Ak

Just keep laughing at this over and over again..
 
Last edited:
Rode around in a rented Pontiac G6 GT (the not-base one) today. If it wasn't for the awefully cheap plastic interior, I'd say it was a good car. Perhaps even really good. Might even go as far as recommending it someone or considering one for myself. But the interior quality killed it.

Also I thought it was weird that it was a GT model and not the bare minimum G6 since it was just a rental car.
 
Rode around in a rented Pontiac G6 GT (the not-base one) today. If it wasn't for the awefully cheap plastic interior, I'd say it was a good car. Perhaps even really good. Might even go as far as recommending it someone or considering one for myself. But the interior quality killed it.

Also I thought it was weird that it was a GT model and not the bare minimum G6 since it was just a rental car.

I drove the same car for a few days about a month ago and for me the only upsets were the weird elastic acceleration that made the car feel slower than it was and of course the FWD.

using the instant MPG display is nice on the highway too if you want to save gas.
 
As some of you may know my mom's been driving an ML430 which she got new in 2001. It's been a craptastic car, to the point that it's literally falling apart after 8 years.

Anyway... she seems to have arrived at the decision to buy an Audi. She's not looking to downgrade, so her only real options are da Germans. All Mercedes models applicable to her look ugly as shit, and she doesn't want a BMW because over here they are associated with young Iranians and Asians - not the look she's going for.

Alright, let me cut to the chase. She's looked at the A6 and she's waiting for the Q5s to come in so she can test one as well. I told her soft roaders were shit and useless, but she's still pretty into them since she's been driving SUVs for a long while now.

What do you guys think of these two models? I know the general consensus is against small SUVs on FinalGear, but even the fact she's looking at the A6 is something. I couldn't really interest her in anything else, and to be fair there really isn't that much choice out there when you think about it.
 
Last edited:
I drove the same car for a few days about a month ago and for me the only upsets were the weird elastic acceleration that made the car feel slower than it was and of course the FWD.

using the instant MPG display is nice on the highway too if you want to save gas.


It's basically an Vectra underneath, right? Same as the Saturn Aura and the Chevy Malibu?
 
As some of you may know my mom's been driving an ML430 which she got new in 2001. It's been a craptastic car, to the point that it's literally falling apart after 8 years.

Anyway... she seems to have arrived at the decision to buy an Audi. She's not looking to downgrade, so her only real options are da Germans.

If she doesn't offroad, the Cadillac SRX is a pretty good option and not a downgrade form an 01 ML, that's for sure.

You may also want to point her at the Touareg.
 
I did actually point her to a Touareg, but she says she doesn't want to move from a Mercedes to a VW.

She also wouldn't go for an American car based on the same argument. Yeah, I know these aren't really valid arguments, but you tell her.

Edit: Nope, surprisingly she doesn't offroad. :D
 
Last edited:
Ohhhkay.

Land Rover LR3?

You may also want to point out that if she is considering an Audi, she's considering a VW with a different badge and a bigger price tag.
 
Last edited:
As some of you may know my mom's been driving an ML430 which she got new in 2001. It's been a craptastic car, to the point that it's literally falling apart after 8 years.

Anyway... she seems to have arrived at the decision to buy an Audi. She's not looking to downgrade, so her only real options are da Germans. All Mercedes models applicable to her look ugly as shit, and she doesn't want a BMW because over here they are associated with young Iranians and Asians - not the look she's going for.

Alright, let me cut to the chase. She's looked at the A6 and she's waiting for the Q5s to come in so she can test one as well. I told her soft roaders were shit and useless, but she's still pretty into them since she's been driving SUVs for a long while now.

What do you guys think of these two models? I know the general consensus is against small SUVs on FinalGear, but even the fact she's looking at the A6 is something. I couldn't really interest her in anything else, and to be fair there really isn't that much choice out there when you think about it.


As much as I hate to say it.... Lexus RX350
 
I did actually point her to a Touareg, but she says she doesn't want to move from a Mercedes to a VW.

She also wouldn't go for an American car based on the same argument. Yeah, I know these aren't really valid arguments, but you tell her.

Edit: Nope, surprisingly she doesn't offroad. :D

What about Audi Q7 or Lexus RX/GX?
 
She likes Lexus and I recommended one based on great service I've gotten from them, but she doesn't really like any of their offerings. The new RX is ugly and the GX/LX are too utilitarian she says.

My first suggestion was the Q7, but she went and looked at it and she's convinced it's a lot bigger than her ML (even though I don't believe it is). So the salesperson pointed her towards the Q5, which is how we arrived at this whole soft roader debacle.

I guess being so new nobody knows of any issues with the Q5? I'd be happy if she got an A6, it's a nice and dignified saloon and I'm sure the quattro will be enough to handle the winters here. I just hope it's within her budget so she doesn't go for a Q5.

Spectre, I have told her about all the rebadging that goes on in the industry, but she doesn't care. I know it's hard to believe, but most people have pretty simplistic views of cars you know. :mrgreen:
 
Last edited:
Top