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[Shogmaster]

If anyone has $9 million to spend, here's a lot of six supercars.

http://www.ferrarifl.com/supercars2.htm

Includes a Ferrari FXX, Enzo Ferrari, Lamborghini Reventon (last one ever made), Koeingsegg CCX, Bugatti Veyron and a Mercedes Benz CLK GTR (#17 of 25, one of five with the Super Sport configuration)

What a waste of 9 mil. Here's a better list for $9M:

McLaren F1 - $3M
Ferrari 288 GTO - $1M
Hennessey Venom GT - $1M
Bugatti Veyron SS - $2M
Lamborghini Avantador - $400
Ariel Atom V8 - $200
House with 8 car garage - $1.4M

 

[ClassyPenguin]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/28/in-response-to-an-allegation/#aol-commentsInteresting as I'm sure conflict of interest like this case have gone on in the gaming press as well.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Hey guys what are your thoughts on the Mazda 3 MPS?

I'm actually trading in my 2010 Mazdaspeed3 right now for a Mini. Great car. Loved it. Great straight acceleration. Just felt a little to generic so I'm switching mainly for that. There are a lot of 3's in the US and the only visual difference is a hood scoop and slightly larger exhausts.

But yea. Awesome affordable fad alternative if you can't get a WRX or something. I love the interior more than Subaru.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Hey guys, what's up? Missed you all. Just got back from a 3 month vacation.

 

[TheBear]

I'm actually trading in my 2010 Mazdaspeed3 right now for a Mini. Great car. Loved it. Great straight acceleration. Just felt a little to generic so I'm switching mainly for that. There are a lot of 3's in the US and the only visual difference is a hood scoop and slightly larger exhausts.

But yea. Awesome affordable fad alternative if you can't get a WRX or something. I love the interior more than Subaru.

How did you find it in the corners? From what I hear they are pretty well srorted but the torque steer unbalances the car through corners. Did you test-drive the WRX? Also looking at the standard WRX and Focus ST.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

How did you find it in the corners? From what I hear they are pretty well srorted but the torque steer unbalances the car through corners. Did you test-drive the WRX? Also looking at the standard WRX and Focus ST.

It isn't bad on corners.

Torque steer out of corners or on first acceleration is fairly apparent. Other than that though I enjoyed it.

Id id test drive a WRX. I ended up going for the Mazda as the price was awesome and I thought it honestly looked way more unique (This was back in late 2009)

 

[J-Rzez]

How did you find it in the corners? From what I hear they are pretty well srorted but the torque steer unbalances the car through corners. Did you test-drive the WRX? Also looking at the standard WRX and Focus ST.

I have experience with both outside of the Focus ST. Overall I'd have to go with the WRX. It's AWD makes up the difference to me, and with the "newer" body style, I think it looks better too. And, there's to be no disputing how incredible the boxer engine sounds when you have a nice exhaust on them. The exhaust note is the only thing I'm jealous of being an Evo owner.

 

[TylerD]

And, there's to be no disputing how incredible the boxer engine sounds when you have a nice exhaust on them. The exhaust note is the only thing I'm jealous of being an Evo owner.

One of the best parts about going to rally events is that sweet sweet boxer sound with all the STIs and WRXs rolling around to the different spectator viewing spots.

 

[KingGondo]

I started out looking at a Forester, and went through the whole spectrum...

Forester
to
Outback (bit too mommish although it's bigger)
to
FX35 (bit too pricey, short on practicality)
to
XC60 (way too pricey, worried about reliability)
to
CR-V (love Hondas, but they're a bit too ubiquitous, and I'm sick of my Honda's road noise with all the highway driving I do)
to
Tiguan (love the car itself, but the reliability and price scared me off)
to
Forester.

Pretty sure I've settled on the Forester after looking at the whole segment. It's not *perfect*, but I think it has a good combination of looks, reliability, practicality, and affordability. Plus, if you're patient, 2.5X Premium models show up online for $20,000 or so with <30k miles.

I won't be taking the plunge for at least a couple of months, but I'll post pics here when I do. Thanks for everyone's advice, specifically about VWs.

 

[Lord Error]

Somebody stop me before I buy a goddamned Evoque I DON'T FUCKING NEED.

Oh god.

WTH, could it be any more obvious that this thing is made/designed by Ford.

 

[TylerD]

WTH, could it be any more obvious that this thing is made/designed by Ford.

May have been designed under Ford ownership but Tata Motors owns Land Rover now. On a recent episode of Auto Line After Hours John McElroy said he thinks it looks fabulous in person, has a great presence on the road and is going to sell in huge numbers for Land Rover.

I think it is very attractive and doesn't look like anything else out there.

 

[Lord Error]

May have been designed under Ford ownership but Tata Motors owns Land Rover now. On a recent episode of Auto Line After Hours John McElroy said he thinks it looks fabulous in person, has a great presence on the road and is going to sell in huge numbers for Land Rover.

I think it is very attractive and doesn't look like anything else out there.

It looks good, I'm not saying it doesn't, but I have to say it looks very similar to recent Ford designs:

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezf...-eng-US/2010_ford_taurus_sho_3_cd_gallery.jpg

Not any single car maybe, but I see bits and pieces of Ford and Lincoln there all over the place.

*edit* Mind you, I didn't even know Range Rover was ever owned by Ford, I only learned about it now after I looked it up after seeing those images.

 

[h1nch]

*Fist pump*

It is actually halfway across the Atlantic. I believe it gets to Brunswick Georgia at the BMW/MINI VDC on the 5th.

Apparently left Southampton UK this past weekend (24th)

Great news! My baby landed in Brunswick on the 27th, so its probably at the VDC right now. I hope that by this time next week the car will be in Austin so that I can finally take delivery.

 

[TheBear]

It isn't bad on corners.

Torque steer out of corners or on first acceleration is fairly apparent. Other than that though I enjoyed it.

Id id test drive a WRX. I ended up going for the Mazda as the price was awesome and I thought it honestly looked way more unique (This was back in late 2009)

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm going to go and test drive some cars this weekend. Also going to test out the Megane RS and see if they are desperate enough to drop the price

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Great news! My baby landed in Brunswick on the 27th, so its probably at the VDC right now. I hope that by this time next week the car will be in Austin so that I can finally take delivery.

Nice. Congrats. Takes about 10 days from VDC to Dealership probably.. So yea you should have it next week.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

It isn't bad on corners.

Torque steer out of corners or on first acceleration is fairly apparent. Other than that though I enjoyed it.

Id id test drive a WRX. I ended up going for the Mazda as the price was awesome and I thought it honestly looked way more unique (This was back in late 2009)

The MS3 really bugs me for two reasons: the horrible 2nd gen front end and the awful boost limits in 1st through 2nd gear. The car could be so much better if Mazda didn't think the owners are too stupid to control wheelspin + let the LSD do its thing in those gears.

But for a FWD turbo hatch, it shits all over the lame GTI and Civic Si.

 

[TheBear]

The MS3 really bugs me for two reasons: the horrible 2nd gen front end and the awful boost limits in 1st through 2nd gear. The car could be so much better if Mazda didn't think the owners are too stupid to control wheelspin + let the LSD do its thing in those gears.

But for a FWD turbo hatch, it shits all over the lame GTI and Civic Si.

A reflash would fix that, no? What's the MPS like to mod?

 

[cajunator]

WTH, could it be any more obvious that this thing is made/designed by Ford.

It is obvious, and thats why it is a great vehicle.

 

[YuriLowell]

I started out looking at a Forester, and went through the whole spectrum...

Forester
to
Outback (bit too mommish although it's bigger)
to
FX35 (bit too pricey, short on practicality)
to
XC60 (way too pricey, worried about reliability)
to
CR-V (love Hondas, but they're a bit too ubiquitous, and I'm sick of my Honda's road noise with all the highway driving I do)
to
Tiguan (love the car itself, but the reliability and price scared me off)
to
Forester.

Pretty sure I've settled on the Forester after looking at the whole segment. It's not *perfect*, but I think it has a good combination of looks, reliability, practicality, and affordability. Plus, if you're patient, 2.5X Premium models show up online for $20,000 or so with <30k miles.

I won't be taking the plunge for at least a couple of months, but I'll post pics here when I do. Thanks for everyone's advice, specifically about VWs.

Have you thought about a WRX?

 

[BoobPhysics101]

A reflash would fix that, no? What's the MPS like to mod?

Yeah, Cobb's AccessPort lets you fix that. I mean in terms of stock.

Very easy/cheap to mod, gets huge gains thanks to that 2.3L turbo engine... but again, there's gobs of torque and it's FWD so it just makes torque steer worse and worse.

WRX is better overall, and one of those reasons is because you can increase whp/wtq and actually put it to the ground effectively. Other than that, MS3 is a great car.

 

[reilo]

Do we know when the Audi S5 is going to get the 3.0 TFSI engine?

Because the way I look at it, if I pay off my current car and with a little bit of money down, I can afford a brand new S4 or used S5 sometime next year if everything pans out. I wouldn't mind trading in my current car if it means driving an Audi S.

The reason I ask about the TFSI engine is because of the potential to get more power out of it is easier over the 4.2L V8, which is also why the S4 is appealing because I'd be trading in a sedan for sedan.

BTW, why the fuck is the LSD not standard on the S-models? C'mon. $1,100 for the Sports Rear-Diff. Grr. I shouldn't complain, at least Audi offers it.

 

[AlphaSnake]

Do we know when the Audi S5 is going to get the 3.0 TFSI engine?

Because the way I look at it, if I pay off my current car and with a little bit of money down, I can afford a brand new S4 or used S5 sometime next year if everything pans out. I wouldn't mind trading in my current car if it means driving an Audi S.

The reason I ask about the TFSI engine is because of the potential to get more power out of it is easier over the 4.2L V8, which is also why the S4 is appealing because I'd be trading in a sedan for sedan.

BTW, why the fuck is the LSD not standard on the S-models? C'mon. $1,100 for the Sports Rear-Diff. Grr. I shouldn't complain, at least Audi offers it.

They should be hitting dealers in the next few weeks, actually. October 11 was always the planned release for the refresh models in the US.

 

[reilo]

They should be hitting dealers in the next few weeks, actually. October 11 was always the planned release for the refresh models in the US.

That's great to know. Did the MSRP/Invoice change at all?

BTW, how are you doing since your medical issue?

EDIT:

UPDATE: Audi is telling us that these model changes are for Europe only, at least for the 2012 model year. Here in the U.S. we'll have the same A5/S5 as last year, which means we get to enjoy that 4.2L V8 one year longer.

Well, boo.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/13/2012-audi-a5-s5-get-a-nip-tuck/

 

[AlphaSnake]

That's great to know. Did the MSRP/Invoice change at all?

BTW, how are you doing since your medical issue?

Not sure about MSRP - the price of the B8 S4 actually went down over the B7. Though, I doubt the same will apply to the S5.

I'm doing fine, though. Thanks for asking. Seeing a neurologist this week, hoping to get weened off meds and concentrate on my nutrition and diet better. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced the seizure was brought on by the fall (I hit the back of my head, had a wicked bump), which was a result of either dehydration or shit food. So no more fast food, avoid high cholesterol stuff like pizza, drink more water, avoid sugary drinks, eat more fruits, etc. No more smooking cigars, hookah, and even weed (which I hardly did) I'm toning down to a once a month thing or less.

So far, I've been pretty good. 3 weeks in and haven't touched any of that garbage. Diet quality has improved, home cooking mostly, turkey sandwiches at work for lunch, good breakfasts consisting of oatmeal + banana thereafter, or eggs + fruits, a solid dinner, and snacks in between it all. A hospital is a scary place for a 26 year old guy, you better believe I never want to see one of those again.

Edit: Wtf...Audi is all sorts of stupid. I don't remember seeing that "Updated" info in their article. Wow. So glad I never waited for this car when car shopping last year. As brilliant as the Supercharged 3.0 is, Audi's logic is all sorts of idiotic.

 

[reilo]

Not sure about MSRP - the price of the B8 S4 actually went down over the B7. Though, I doubt the same will apply to the S5.

The 3.0 TSFI is a variant they will be using in the A5, too, no? That should make it cheaper to produce.

Edit: Wtf...Audi is all sorts of stupid. I don't remember seeing that "Updated" info in their article. Wow. So glad I never waited for this car when car shopping last year. As brilliant as the Supercharged 3.0 is, Audi's logic is all sorts of idiotic.

Yeah, it's annoying. That might turn out better for me though, since Europe can be the test-dummies and they'll have another year with that engine under their belt and many more issues ironed out. It will also give me time to change my mind . Or I'll just go with the S4, who knows?

I'm doing fine, though. Thanks for asking. Seeing a neurologist this week, hoping to get weened off meds and concentrate on my nutrition and diet better. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced the seizure was brought on by the fall (I hit the back of my head, had a wicked bump), which was a result of either dehydration or shit food. So no more fast food, avoid high cholesterol stuff like pizza, drink more water, avoid sugary drinks, eat more fruits, etc. No more smooking cigars, hookah, and even weed (which I hardly did) I'm toning down to a once a month thing or less.

So far, I've been pretty good. 3 weeks in and haven't touched any of that garbage. Diet quality has improved, home cooking mostly, turkey sandwiches at work for lunch, good breakfasts consisting of oatmeal + banana thereafter, or eggs + fruits, a solid dinner, and snacks in between it all. A hospital is a scary place for a 26 year old guy, you better believe I never want to see one of those again.

Glad to hear you're doing better. Keep it up. It sucks that it took such a scary event to bring focus to your health, but the glass half-full says it's better for it to happen while you are still young and able than when you're older when it's tougher for you body to adjust. The most important thing is that you are still alive and able to get healthier, so don't lose sight of that.

Are you allowed to drive yet? Do you plan on going on an exercise regiment at all?

 

[AlphaSnake]

The 3.0 TSFI is a variant they will be using in the A5, too, no? That should make it cheaper to produce.

Naturally aspirated? Nah. There will be a detuned supercharged 3.0 in the A5 (same as the detuned one in Q7), close to 275HP - pretty much makes the S5 a pointless car - nothing an aftermarket tune + pulley, suspension, brace kit can't fix to make the A5 a full blown S5. You may not get the trick torque vectoring diffs, but most people claim you don't really feel it that much on an AWD car, unless you track the hell out of it. *shrug* The Supercharged A5 will definitely be the way to go, imo.

Glad to hear you're doing better. Keep it up. It sucks that it took such a scary event to bring focus to your health, but the glass half-full says it's better for it to happen while you are still young and able than when you're older when it's tougher for you body to adjust. The most important thing is that you are still alive and able to get healthier, so don't lose sight of that.

Are you allowed to drive yet? Do you plan on going on an exercise regiment at all?

Yeah, I'm allowed to drive. I wasn't diagnosed with epilepsy, I was simply told I had a seizure - the cause of which was not confirmed. But based on the bump on my head, it had to have been from blunt force trauma.

 

[Culex]

I'm looking at picking up a 2008 Saab Turbo X. Local dealer got one in recently. 6-speed manual with all the options, for 28k. Only 27k in miles.

Seems like a good deal....should i bite?

 

[twinturbo2]

I went on the Internet, and found this...

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/wallpaper-2011-09-29?imageNo=0

 

[reilo]

I went on the Internet, and found this...

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/wallpaper-2011-09-29?imageNo=0

"Bugatti, Porsche, Zonda, BMW, Volkswagen, Ferrari, wait, Volkswagen? Wtf is a GTI doing there?!"

http://content.topgear.com/Wallpaper/big/TopGearDriving.jpg

 

[twinturbo2]

"Bugatti, Porsche, Zonda, BMW, Volkswagen, Ferrari, wait, Volkswagen? Wtf is a GTI doing there?!"

http://content.topgear.com/Wallpaper/big/TopGearDriving.jpg

They needed a car to carry their gear?

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

$5 million to spend on cars. You get?

Corvette ZR1 - $120,000
Hennessey Venom GT - $950,000
Saleen S7 - $555,000
Pagani Zonda F - $668,000
Lamborghini Diablo GT - $310,000
Mercedes SLR McLaren - $450,000
Ferrari Enzo - $1,000,000
SSC Ultimate Aero - $700,000

Vette and SLR can share daily duties and I'd just use the rest as weekend toys.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

$5 million to spend on cars. You get?

Corvette ZR1 - $120,000
Hennessey Venom GT - $950,000
Saleen S7 - $555,000
Pagani Zonda F - $668,000
Lamborghini Diablo GT - $310,000
Mercedes SLR McLaren - $450,000
Ferrari Enzo - $1,000,000
SSC Ultimate Aero - $700,000

Vette and SLR can share daily duties and I'd just use the rest as weekend toys.

You really should have a Porsche Turbo or GT2 in there.

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

You really should have a Porsche Turbo or GT2 in there.

I considered the GT2... It really is a fine machine, but I wouldn't know who to cut.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I considered the GT2... It really is a fine machine, but I wouldn't know who to cut.

yea, I can't help there. they're all amazing.

 

[reilo]

They needed a car to carry their gear?

That's what their Land Rovers are for!

 

[Dreams-Visions]

That's what their Land Rovers are for!

but will the Land Rover make it all the way to the end of the track without breaking down?

 

[enzo_gt]

$5 million to spend on cars. You get?

Corvette ZR1 - $120,000
Hennessey Venom GT - $950,000
Saleen S7 - $555,000
Pagani Zonda F - $668,000
Lamborghini Diablo GT - $310,000
Mercedes SLR McLaren - $450,000
Ferrari Enzo - $1,000,000
SSC Ultimate Aero - $700,000

Vette and SLR can share daily duties and I'd just use the rest as weekend toys.

I don't know where you'll find an Enzo for a milli but I want that dude's number for future reference.

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

I don't know where you'll find an Enzo for a milli but I want that dude's number for future reference.

Eh...? About a milli and a few hundred k.

 

[enzo_gt]

Eh...? About a milli and a few hundred k.

I stand corrected and adding pennies to my piggy bank. Could've sword sales ranged from
$1.5 milli upwards.

 

[ascii42]

A dealership near me has a Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Inaugural Edition with just under 10k miles on it. Dammit, I really don't want to buy a car right now. I just got the Malibu last summer. I especially don't want to pay $44k for it. But dammit, they look so nice. Maybe I'll just take it on a little test drive.

 

[YuriLowell]

Looks like ill probably be picking up that evo 9 this weekend.
Car is mint 1 owner and has been meticulously maintained.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Looks like ill probably be picking up that evo 9 this weekend.
Car is mint 1 owner and has been meticulously maintained.

Congrats. So, so hard to find a 9 that hasn't been beat to shit by some idiot. Remember though, AWD is a crutch and any crutch can fall out from under you.

My friend just tuned his Evo X on E85 with bolt-ons and made 374 whp/360 wtq on the stock turbo. He's had the car little over a month. Such a fine performance machine.

 

[YuriLowell]

Congrats. So, so hard to find a 9 that hasn't been beat to shit by some idiot. Remember though, AWD is a crutch and any crutch can fall out from under you.

My friend just tuned his Evo X on E85 with bolt-ons and made 374 whp/360 wtq on the stock turbo. He's had the car little over a month. Such a fine performance machine.

Its so hard to find any evo that wasn't riced and beat to shit.

E85 is like crack for evo's.

 

[KingGondo]

Have you thought about a WRX?

I know I'm WAAAAY late on the response, but I don't think that's an option. I like the hatchback WRX, but I'm definitely more in the market for something practical at this point.

On another note, I may be buying a small commuter car to hold me over until I'm not driving as much. I drive about 600 miles/week in my current job, and I don't want to buy a long-term car and put 30,000 miles on it in the next year. Looking at either a Fit or Civic... I'm about to have to replace the brakes and tires on my current 2002 Accord V6, and I'd rather not put $1000 into it that could go toward a down payment.

 

[YuriLowell]

I know I'm WAAAAY late on the response, but I don't think that's an option. I like the hatchback WRX, but I'm definitely more in the market for something practical at this point.

On another note, I may be buying a small commuter car to hold me over until I'm not driving as much. I drive about 600 miles/week in my current job, and I don't want to buy a long-term car and put 30,000 miles on it in the next year. Looking at either a Fit or Civic... I'm about to have to replace the brakes and tires on my current 2002 Accord V6, and I'd rather not put $1000 into it that could go toward a down payment.

The base WRX hatchback is pretty practical. Ive got some friends that use them for everything.

If you want a cheap commuter car find an older civic with a 5 speed. Buy one for 2k or less, and then drive the piss out of it, and sell it for 2k when your done.

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

So the Camaro zl1 just did 7:42:xx around nurburgring. Holy shit.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Its so hard to find any evo that wasn't riced and beat to shit.

E85 is like crack for evo's.

Lol yeah, I've looked at Evo 8's and 9's and I just threw up my hands and said 'fuck it', because to get a really nice one you have to pay a huge premium, and everything else is salvage/trash.

E85 is just nuts. He makes 320whp on 91 pump, so his E85 tune alone is an extra 50 whp...

 

[ascii42]

So the Camaro zl1 just did 7:42:xx around nurburgring. Holy shit.

Wow! I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. The CTS-V did it in under 8 minutes, and the ZL1 is more powerful and has a better suspension. Definitely impressive.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

So the Camaro zl1 just did 7:42:xx around nurburgring. Holy shit.

Holy fuck. For reference, the '09 Corvette ZR1 ran a 7:41.50, the 2010 GTR ran a 7:43.56, the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo S ran a 7:41.23.

A fucking CAMARO runs laptimes in the same league as those god-cars. Wow. Maro Boyz across the country must be celebrating.

 

[KingGondo]

The base WRX hatchback is pretty practical. Ive got some friends that use them for everything.

If you want a cheap commuter car find an older civic with a 5 speed. Buy one for 2k or less, and then drive the piss out of it, and sell it for 2k when your done.

Trust me, if I were single the WRX hatch would be at the top of my list. If the Forester becomes my wife's primary car (she's currently driving a cheap 2004 Accent), then my options really open up and I can get something a bit more fun. The 370Z is my current (realistic) dream car.

As far as commuter cars go, I was looking more at newer Fits and Civics. You can get a lightly-used one (35k miles) for $13k-$14k, and even if I push it to 100,000 miles, the trade-in value won't be much less than $9k when I'm ready to trade up. Does this seem like a good plan?