Craig, you're the kid who just graduated from high school right?

On Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 7:44 PM, craig cowan <phishman068@gmail.com> wrote:

> We just picked up a Volvo 850 (1997 GLT) with only 20 thousand miles on it.
> A real gem!
> It manages to pull 33-35mpg on the highway, and is FASSSSTTTTTT.
>
> However of the list you listed, my money is on the "old" R32. They're not
> that old. Last year, the dealership I was working for managed to sell a few
> low mileage ones (under 20K miles) for $20K or less. The new ones, are not
> the same....
> But the "Old" ones, are just SPECTACULAR. I always say its the fastest
> feeling car i've ever jumped into (And i've driven more than my fair share
> of exotic super cars). They just feel, ideal. I don't know on the gas
> mileage, but thats the car i'd be buying, especially if you needed AWD. I
> think it's the best valued sleeper car on the market.
>
> I recently had a chance to drive some long trips in a few different subaru
> models. I must say, i hated them. The engines are great, but the interior
> was just rubbish in my mind. I couldn't manage to get comfortable at all,
> and everything felt like i was going to break it.
>
> I do dig some of the volvos on the market, and the BMW 3's are NICE, but
> the
> bucks could be the problem there. Same with the Benz.
>
> My reccomendation:
> Stop shopping for a new car.
> Ya i'm sure i have the least experience of everyone on the list in this
> department (quite literally), but "WHY?" Why buy new? "Because i'm the one
> breaking it in" or something of that nature....
> Well i'm sorry to tell you, new cars rarely have 0 miles on them. They've
> been on test drives, driven around the lot day in and day out by uneducated
> highschool kids with muddy shoes, and the value just doesn't make sense! I
> have seen first hand that it just makes too much sense to buy a car a few
> years old, maybe 3 or 4 years old, with say 30K miles or less. Odds are, it
> will cost you LITERALLY half of what it would be new. And it's still "A new
> model" vehicle, with low miles.....
> I also like to see it from an environmental standpoint. I could go out
> tommorow and use my College loans that i loath to someday pay back, and
> purchase a 2008 Toyota Prius. I'm not going to go into a long rant about
> how
> they really "DON'T" Get the 100mpg that people dream of or whatever and are
> really only "Slightly" better than a conventional vehicle, but i wont. I'll
> state instead the problem with their sales (From an environmental
> standpoint). Everyone says "hey, i can save the world if i just trade in
> this old Clunker F150 with it's 200K miels, and buy a Prius!". Well lets
> pretend for a second that your F150 gets 15mpg combined driving, and the
> Prius gets 50 mpg (again, pretend). Keeping the old ford as upposed to
> buying the new car means that thats one less car that needs to be
> manufactured (Energy costs, Material costs, pollution costs, etc etc etc in
> production), and one less car that needs to be shreaded and sent to the
> fill
> (Waste). So in so many ways, your really killing the environment by buying
> that hybrid. I was always told that the most ecologically friendly thing
> you
> can do is recycle, as in making an existing product work in a new light and
> for longer. This applies to automobiles as well.
> And ya, you'll save so much money with the fuel improvements of the Prius
> over the F150, but how many years and miles do you have to drive it to
> justify the $30K you could save, and just put right into the fuel tank?
> Give
> me $30K in gas, and i won't care what my fuel mileage is.......
>
> If you need an upgrade, buy "lightly used". Let someone else loose their
> money on the New car, and save the planet in the process (though keeping
> the
> corado would help more.....).
>
> Just my thoughts. It's friday. Please, let's not hear the terrible Pmails
> about how i'm worse than Hitler, my views are wrong, and that young people
> just shouldn't talk.....
> I'm sick of that.
>
> Whatever it is you do, you'll do because it's what you wanted to do, not
> because of what any one person says. Make your own decision, and try not to
> believe the salesmen.....
> comparing apples to oranges can be hard sometimes, but the fruit salad
> created in the end, sure is delicious.
>
> -Craig
> '85GL
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 10:08 PM, Stuart MacMillan <macgroup@comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Kim,
> >
> > 4 wheel or all wheel drive and good mileage are mutually exclusive.
> > Friction is what all cars are working against, and that includes
> mechanical
> > and air friction.  The more mechanical stuff you put power through, the
> > lower the gas mileage.
> >
> > If you really need a 4x4 or AWD, then get it, but expect much lower
> > mileage.
> > A front wheel drive car, or a rear engine van, is almost as good in most
> > road driving situations in snow.
> >
> > Check out the Scion xB.  I have the first generation, and the current
> model
> > has a bigger engine (with poorer mileage), and it may be the best overall
> > car I've ever owned in terms of interior space, performance, reliability,
> > and mileage (28-33mpg on regular gas). But, you have to like to quirky
> > look!
> >
> > Stuart
> > '97 EVC
> > 2006 Scion xB
> > 1965 MGB
> > And many others, including an '84 Vanagon Westy and a '68 Westy.  Both of
> > which did great in the snow.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of
> > Kim Brennan
> > Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 6:00 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Pondering new commuter car (FRIDAY ONLY TOPIC)
> >
> > So, I was cruising back from work in my Corrado (automatic) and
> > realized that I probably really should start thinking about a
> > different commuter car. My Corrado has been nicked several times (and
> > repaired) and some of it's wiring chewed on by animals (and repaired).
> > But...15 years and a few things are beginning to add up (vents spew
> > out the remains of the foam rubber, cruise control doesn't work, and
> > with 80K miles on it, I probably should be getting a timing belt.)
> >
> > So I decided to browse the new car market a bit. What I want is a
> > sporty looking little car, preferably with 4 wheel drive, manual that
> > gets decent gas mileage (my Corrado get about 22mpg, though I've
> > gotten as much as 30 mpg on flat terrain (MD Eastern Shore). So
> > something between 24-30+ mpg would be what I'm shooting for. Manual by
> > preference, but auto tolerable. All for $30K. (Dream on....)
> >
> > Jag X-Type would have been nice, but they discontinued it.
> >
> > The VW Eos is intriguing, but the looks (inside and out) aren't quite
> > right, plus I'm not sure you can get 4wd with it.
> > The VW R32, I can't get over the revised looks (which I hate). I took
> > me a while to like the Golf 4, but this new style is just plain ugly
> > in my opinion.
> >
> > Volvo C70 is similar (hardtop convertible)
> >
> > Audi A4/S4/RS4. Pricey. and the fuel economy is pretty bad. The TT's
> > styling leaves me wanting more.
> >
> > Lotus Elise/Exige. Snifty, but no 4wd (and even more pricey).
> >
> > Subaru WRX STI. Hmm, revised looks I like. 4 door with a fairly roomy
> > rear seat. Subaru has improved their interiors a lot since I last
> > looked. But the fuel economy isn't up to snuff (23 hwy on the
> > 2.5turbo). Might have to consider one of the lesser WRX models, though
> > I like the styling on the STI better.
> >
> > Mitsu Lancer Evolution. Even poorer fuel economy
> >
> > Looks like the Mazdaspeed isn't offered with 4wd in the U.S. of A.
> >
> > BMW 328xi BMW had lovely styling in the 90s. They must have hired a
> > lot of ex-Japanese auto-stylers in recent years. Not pretty. They also
> > get you on all the lovely add-on packages, otherwise the base models
> > are fairly affordable ($35K). Unfortunately there is no 135 model with
> > all wheel drive.
> >
> > Mercedes C300 4matic. Again, base model (black paint/black non-leather
> > interior) is only $35K. Everything else starts upping the price tag,
> > sigh.
> >
> > Porsche Carrera 4? Way too expensive.
> >
> > Mini? Isn't my idea of sporty
> >
>

--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
Crescent Beach, BC
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27