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The Automotive Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Zyzyxxz
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What is everyones thoughts on protecting leather seats and conditioning products?
Are these of any benefit or simply a gimmick? There are some fine lines in the leather of my passenger seat where the leather is starting to wear but I'm not sure whether there's any way to mitigate any further damage!
Are these of any benefit or simply a gimmick? There are some fine lines in the leather of my passenger seat where the leather is starting to wear but I'm not sure whether there's any way to mitigate any further damage!
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
Everyone says that the 2.0T is going to be the engine for this car but I'm not sure why that is. Given the option between a turbo and a NA engine of equal or higher power I'll always go for the NA. If it's just because Cadillac is full of crazy and will only offer the 6spd manual in the 2.0T well... I guess that's that.
And I don't really like that haptic (?) feedback. It's not a bad idea but if you have the engine off and are fiddling with it it's surprisingly loud. $20 says that in four years that little vibrator is going to rattle like a sum'bitch (of course by then the touchscreen is going to be out of date and look like shit, anyway).
First time I've driven a car with it. Hopefully last. It's horrible and even worse because the '83 944 I'm tearing down doesn't even have power steering. The discrepancy in feel between the two is simply astounding.
Plenty of good used cars in that price range... actually, maybe not with those stipulations. Can't have a ton of fun w/ good mileage.
BrokenEchelon
Banned
Once a month. They're available in most places (Wal-Mart, AutoZone). I don't know if it's a gimmick or not, but my leather looks as clean/nice as it did the day I got my car.
The new 3-series has electric power steering as well. I haven't driven one, but I've heard the ATS's steering feel is better. Hopefully both companies smarten up when they do the ATS-V and M3. Oddly, Cadillac put hydraulic power steering into the XTS, which is weird because the ATS is much more driving focused.
Lexol leather products work well. Check it out.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
They're seriously enormous, though.
pff, compared to what? Got to be like 3 feet shorter than this thing:
Ater I saw the V coupe in person, it started growing on me. Still far and away my least favorite version of the CTS though. I think the sedan is the only one that actually looks good.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
No, I like it but it's just bigger than it needs to be. I was in the ATS and passed one today, made the ATS feel tiny in comparison.
Once a month. They're available in most places (Wal-Mart, AutoZone). I don't know if it's a gimmick or not, but my leather looks as clean/nice as it did the day I got my car.
That's what I bought to use on my Boxster's seats and I can concur that it works well. It makes the leather look really fantastic and does a good job with the cleaning at the same time.
I love the doors. Reminds me of a Vette.
Unfortunately the Yaris is being taken from me. :[ I do enjoy it for what it is.
Good mileage isn't that important, 'ok' mileage should be good enough. Does that help at all?
And what budget do my options get better over 6-9k? Smaller car is better for me. Can't see going back to a sedan.
Pretty clueless about cars, you guys are welcome to ask PC questions though
Unfortunately the Yaris is being taken from me. :[ I do enjoy it for what it is.
Good mileage isn't that important, 'ok' mileage should be good enough. Does that help at all?
And what budget do my options get better over 6-9k? Smaller car is better for me. Can't see going back to a sedan.
Pretty clueless about cars, you guys are welcome to ask PC questions though
I'd probably get something like a 2007-ish Mazda3 or Focus, but those may be bigger than what you are looking for. If you want something the same size as your Yaris, the Honda Fit would be my first choice.
As far as "better" goes, that really depends on your priorities. What would make something better for you?
I can second this. I used to use it before I decided leather is a silly material for car seating.
BrokenEchelon
Banned
Unfortunately the Yaris is being taken from me. :[ I do enjoy it for what it is.
Good mileage isn't that important, 'ok' mileage should be good enough. Does that help at all?
And what budget do my options get better over 6-9k? Smaller car is better for me. Can't see going back to a sedan.
Pretty clueless about cars, you guys are welcome to ask PC questions though
So, assuming $9,000, small/hatchback and good or great MPG:
Get another Yaris lol.
Aside from the Yaris though, Scion xD, Elantra or Cvic are all good MPG options and fairly small cars.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
Unfortunately the Yaris is being taken from me. :[ I do enjoy it for what it is.
Good mileage isn't that important, 'ok' mileage should be good enough. Does that help at all?
And what budget do my options get better over 6-9k? Smaller car is better for me. Can't see going back to a sedan.
Pretty clueless about cars, you guys are welcome to ask PC questions though
You should do some research on your own. There are lots of different options so you need to narrow it down some before asking for advice. Use a used car search like cars.com to see what crops up with your requirements then ask us again once it's narrowed down.
There really isn't a one size fits all solution so you'll need to put some thought into it.
That's a good question. Size, Reliability, cargo space, MPG, looks, ease of resale, and ease of service are all important for me.
The good news is I chose the right car for my mom 4 years ago when she bought a new one. The bad is if I want a similar used one the price is still high for me!
I'm shocked the car that was bought for 15k is still worth over 9k now. Guess it's a too good a market for used due to the economy.
Just needed some starting bits of guidance. I knew about the Honda fit (considering, but really dislike the looks of it), knew about the Mazda 3 (Hated the front grill, much larger), but didn't know any of the other options of what major differences the years made.
ascii42 probably saved me an hour alone by just mentioning 2007 as a comparison year!
So far a 2007 or newer Honda Fit seems to be in the running if I can get over it being 8 inches longer and looking dumb. That cargo room is really nice though.
Have any links or photos?
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I'm just saying there are websites out there that can give you lots of options if you put in what you're looking for. Tell cars.com what you want and you'll get a pretty good list of vehicles that fit what you're looking for. Take a look through that, see what piques your interest and then come here and ask "Hey, I found cars x, y and z, which do you think I should go with?"
There's simply too many different cars to start off by asking, gotta do some looking.
I'll give the same advice I give to everyone looking for a small reliable car. Get a Civic. I bought one in 2001 and it's been passed down through the siblings and been on the receiving end of a lot of rough driving, long voyages, and several accidents and it still runs great. I won't touch it for months, let it sit all winter long, and then come out and it turns over and goes like I drove it yesterday. It became the summer family backup car because while the subaru, jeep, dodge, and lincoln would all end up at one point or another having issues, the civic was always good to go. I realize this is just anecdotal, but it seems to be a common storyline from civic owners.
I have no idea about the Fit personally, but I've had people tell me it's a very fun car to drive and very practical and useful.
Circle T
Member
Even though it's kind of a huge boat, and not my type of car, I saw one of the new XTS the other day. It was black, with mildly tinted windows, and some decent looking (probably stock) wheels. It was quite amazing looking. Again, not my thing, but not ugly by any means, IMO.
Snkfanatic
Banned
Once a month. They're available in most places (Wal-Mart, AutoZone). I don't know if it's a gimmick or not, but my leather looks as clean/nice as it did the day I got my car.
I like these as well. They at least give my leather a nice feel too. I do find myself wiping off excess though.
MaizeRage25
Member
About to pull the trigger on a new 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium. Anyone want to try to talk me out of it?
Other cars considered: Accord, Passat, GLI, Optima/Sonata.
Wanted to wait around for the 2014 Mazda 6, but may car isn't going to make it until Jan/Feb of next year.
Other cars considered: Accord, Passat, GLI, Optima/Sonata.
Wanted to wait around for the 2014 Mazda 6, but may car isn't going to make it until Jan/Feb of next year.
I would have gone for the Sonata personally (I saw a dark cherry red one with black wheels the other day and it stopped me in my tracks, it's a much better looking car in person and with the right paint job) but there is nothing bad I can say about a Fusion. Great car as well.
Saw a 13 Accord in the flesh the other day. Don't be fooled by the pictures, that car is gorgeous and has road presence that's close to a 5-series BMW IMO. It'll also hold its value much better than the Fusion and still be quite fun to drive, and that V6 is better than a turbo 4.
Only reason I'd get a Fusion over Accord is if I wanted AWD. Don't bother with Korean cars just yet.
I think all Cadillacs tend to look good in black, or rather, they look impressive, which is what they are going for. Other colors are hit and miss. I like the CTS sedan in that red they have. I really only like the coupe and wagon in V trim and in black.
In general, American styling seems to be to make the thing so big you don't really notice what it looks like because its presence overwhelms you. On the other hand, smaller American cars tend not to look very good. Take the Hummer for example. You see a picture of it, and can say it looks ugly. In person, however, you just say "Holy crap!"
My Olds is another good example. It's essentially a big red rectangle with a white roof. But everyone I know likes it, even those who aren't into American cars, or even cars in general.
MaizeRage25
Member
Of the Koreans, I vastly prefer the styling of the Optima -- more masculine in my opinion. However, I just didn't like how either of them drove.
Styling is subjective, but again my preference is the Ford by a mile. Also really dislike the new center stack in the Accord; very cluttered when compared with the stack in the Fusion Titanium. Otherwise these two are pretty much the top two in the segment.
Circle T
Member
That is very much it. It was sitting off to the side of the parking lot at Target, but "impressive" is very true. It has a great shape, and the dark paint, tinted windows and nice wheels completed the package very well. It was spotlessly clean, and it was "Golden Hour" as well, so that certainly helped. Clean, dark colored cars just look that extra bit nice at that time.
After seeing it, though, I could totally see someone shopping that car against it's big German rivals. I don't know exactly how well it stacks up on the trim/tech/luxury front, but from a looks standpoint, it's certainly up there. Which, like you said, is a step forward for American styling.
I love the styling of the sonata, get the turbo model.
I can definitely understand why you'd like the looks of the Fusion better. I also think it looks better, but the Accord also looks good and it has many more advantages (back seat, outside visibility, engine, mpg, projected reliability, projected resale, etc.) that would sway my decision in its favor. It also got LED headlamps if you go for the touring version.
But you got it right, Fusion and Accord are the top 2 in this segment, can't go wrong with either one.
Cadillac likes to compare it to the E class, which is in the same price range. However, the XTS is much bigger, front wheel drive, and only available with a V6. In terms of trim/tech/luxury, it's definitely great for the price, but the fact is it doesn't really directly compete with anything beside the Lincoln MKS. There's a market for that sort of car though (old people), and the XTS will probably dominate it.
Circle T
Member
There is an AWD option on them, as well.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I've actually started seeing 2013 Fusions in the wild and I have to say they look more awkward than good in real life. It's a very strange mix of "RAWR ASTON MARTIN" in the front and "Hum-drum off to the grocery store" everywhere else.
Which sucks, because it was hot like fire in photos.
Edit: Also it's too tall and bulky, looks like an Aston that let itself go.
Which sucks, because it was hot like fire in photos.
Edit: Also it's too tall and bulky, looks like an Aston that let itself go.
The grill on the CTS-V coupe is 100x better than the base model.
As for American styling, IMO that's what's so great about it. I love the sense of presence they have on the road. I like long wheelbases and wide bodies.
I love the CTS-V because it's like a Corvette wearing a suit.
The Corvette is my favorite car of all time and I WILL own it one day.
Not in NY though.
MaizeRage25
Member
Of course it's subjective, but I think it looks pretty sweet with the 19s:
Unfortunately, all of the other available wheels are really terrible. One of the reasons I am getting the Titanium.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
I actually do NOT like the new Fusion at all. It is proportionally wrong. The front end is too bulky, the rear end has the generic Mondeo shape with a tall trunk line that obstructs view considerably.
The front and rear of the car simply do not match up - they look like two different cars.
The front and rear of the car simply do not match up - they look like two different cars.
PseudoKirby
Banned
I love the C5. Seeing it on the highway reminds me of a low flying plane. It's sooooooo cheap now too.
I like the current gen. I rented it last year for a week. It was amazing.
The C4 is beautiful too. That was the first Vette I ever saw.
AlphaSnake
...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
I'd get the Altima, it's the least offensive outside and in.
Altima is what happens when the Accord knocks over a beehive. It's pretty much the worst looking midsize car. I'd rate it behind even the Sonata in terms of strictly looks. It makes the 370Z look like an Aston Martin.
I wouldn't go that far.
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