Car lovers?

If you're about drivability the Infinity G37 handily beats pretty much every other vehicle you listed. The only competitor you might consider is the G8 GT or GXP models. The only issue there is that if at some point anytime soon GM ceases to exist your warranty will be worthless.

On the 2010 Taurus, I'd wager it's a great daily driver type car. The only model I would consider would be the new SHO, with it's twin turbo V6, all wheel drive, and six speed automatic. Early tests show that it doesn't handle as nimbly as the Infinity, but is probably on par with most of the other cars you listed. Ford's SYNC setup for their radio and phone linking and all that stuff seems to test really well and be really popular, so it's probably very nerd friendly.

It would be worth test driving anyway.

ScurvyDog wrote:

Need suggestions:

I'm interested in trading the '06 Pilot in for a large sedan now that the wife has a Toyota Sienna to haul kids and stuff in (it's got more room than the Pilot I believe). Also, after being a strict Honda/Toyota driver my first 14 years behind the wheel, I'm feeling somewhat compelled to buy American this time around, so that's what I've been looking at so far, but it's not a strict requirement. Anyone have any recommendations for cars to check out in this category? I already have my eye on the upcoming '10 Taurus, as well as current-year Infiniti G35, Chrylser 300, Dodge Charger, and Hyundai Genesis. I care less about the luxury name and more about the driveability and tech inside (love the idea of having the "geek's cockpit").

2010 Taurus, FYI in case you haven't seen it:

You're pretty limited if you want to 1) buy American and 2) have a cool "geek" cockpit. My two favorites have already been mentioned (Taurus SHO and G8). I have not yet test driven the SHO yet, either, but I love the looks.

And a G8 GT (or GXP if you're that guy) is just an incredible bargain for the amount of car you get. I haven't driven the GXP either but the GT is a friggin' blast. I wouldn't worry too much about the warranty issues -- GM is now a subsidiary of the government so i don't see Uncle Sam letting your pretty car rot (comments about car bailouts go thataway!)

And the G37.

I may be a pro American car person but I love the G37.

Thanks for the comments...I'll keep the G37, G8GT, and SHO on the radar. They all look to be about on-par from a price standpoint:

2010 SHO Invoice - $34,043
2009 G8 GXP Invoice - $35,918
2009 G37 Invoice - $33,029

I've had a G35 coupe for over 5 years, and I've enjoyed it. The Infiniti ownership experience has rocked - free loaners, and just a much better vibe than the Honda dealership my wife's car comes from, and where it's serviced.

They make an AWD version of the G37 sedan, if weather is a concern. As far as a geekmobile, I'd have to check. They were a bit disappointingly behind the curve on things like Bluetooth, only offering it in certain cars.

The G37 sedan AWD is definitely on my radar for my next car, if it has the right tech options, like Bluetooth, when I buy.

ScurvyDog wrote:

Thanks for the comments...I'll keep the G37, G8GT, and SHO on the radar. They all look to be about on-par from a price standpoint:

2010 SHO Invoice - $34,043
2009 G8 GXP Invoice - $35,918
2009 G37 Invoice - $33,029

Of the three the SHO probably actually has the most "nerd centric" batch of features. Ford has that SYNC tech they're so proud of that let's you do everything with voice activation and by all accounts it seems to work wonderfully.

But the fact that the G37 comes in cheaper than the other two is pretty nuts. Course if you get the AWD version to match the SHO I'd wager it costs the same or more. You have to really think about your options though. If you deck out the SHO with all the little tech toys for the driver's compartment you end up at $40k pretty quickly...

Even with it's slightly piggier handling I'd probably still buy the SHO over the G8 just to support the company that didn't take money from the government.

Serengeti wrote:

So I'm not exactly what you might refer to as a tinkerer; I buy cars, drive them and let the shop worry about the internals. My current ride is a rather unimpressive '01 Impala, but she's been good to me over the years with just under 200k miles on her.

Anyway, my wife gave me the green light to buy myself whatever I want to next March when her Liberty is paid off. My current top runner is a Mustang GT convertible. Since you guys seem to know a lot more on the subject than I do, I have a couple quick questions:

1- Convertible in the winter; is snow a big concern? We get an average of 32 inches of snow/year here. My main concern is the effect of snow on the soft top. I don't think it should be a big deal to brush off a couple inches that may accumulate during the work day, and it will be in the garage at night, so I'm reasonably certain I don't need to be concerned.

2- Clearance of the vehicle on snow. If I have to stay home due to snowfall a few days a year, that's not a concern, but I don't want to have to take 2 months off. I've driven rear wheel drive vehicles before, so I'm not too worried about traction; I'll just toss some sandbags in the trunk and I should be ok on that front.

3- Maintenance. More or less required than similar vehicles? Honestly, I keep up with the maintenance on my cars well, so this is a minor concern, but I'd like to have an idea what I'd be getting into.

4- Any other caveats? This will be my first convertible car...

You have a garage for overnight, so no worries. Whenever the top gets wet, be sure to keep the top up until it is dry.

For winter driving, I think that snow tires make more difference than anything else.

I fell in love with the Saturn Astra XR yesterday. Damn it looks nice!

IMAGE(http://www.autospectator.com/cars/files/images/2009-Saturn-Astra-XR-03.jpg)
IMAGE(http://www.carphotosite.com/data/media/236/2008_Saturn_Astra_XR_5-door_001.jpg)
IMAGE(http://www.autospectator.com/uploads/Saturn/2008/Astra/08Sat_AstraXR_3door_1st.jpg)

Coldstream wrote:

An Atom 3. 0-60 in 2.7 seconds. 0-100 in 6.8 seconds. 100% street legal.

I saw not one, but two Atoms while vacationing last week in the PNW. The first, red, was waiting in line with us for the Kingston ferry. I snapped some pics I'll upload at some point.

The second, yellow, I saw just driving in downtown Bellevue.

I think if I could have any extra car purely for fun reasons.. it would be an Atom. Such an awesome little vehicle.

I saw one in the city here as well; in fact, I saw it on the same day as a tesla.

I have fallen in love people. I have found a car that fits my budget and is supercar fast.

This car is the Factory five Roadster mark III, just for around 25k you too can have your own track day dominator. It is a little above 2000 pounds and screams like the wind, plus it looks like the worlds sexiest car the AC Cobra..

Want.. want.. want....

Pharacon wrote:

I have fallen in love people. I have found a car that fits my budget and is supercar fast.

This car is the Factory five Roadster mark III, just for around 25k you too can have your own track day dominator. It is a little above 2000 pounds and screams like the wind, plus it looks like the worlds sexiest car the AC Cobra..

Want.. want.. want....

You could easily build it yourself, too! What a project!

Factory Five makes the best Cobra Kits out there, but they're still kits Not to say I don't want one though. That and a Porsche Spyder kit.

I don't know if anyone's seen these yet, but it deserve to be spread amongst the people. Its the new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster and all I know is that every time I see this car, I need to go grab a tissue...

IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-large.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-1.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-2.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-3.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-4.jpg)

Agemmon wrote:

I don't know if anyone's seen these yet, but it deserve to be spread amongst the people. Its the new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster and all I know is that every time I see this car, I need to go grab a tissue...

beautiful pictures

Megatron must be stopped... No matter the cost!

I lol'd. The overhead shot of the "trunk" looks like one of the transformer symbols.

Yeah that Lambo is out of control. In a good way. It's solidly in the "there are comparable cars for half the price" field though.

Speaking of which, Audi (one of my favorite car brands, aesthetically) has announced the R8 Spyder. The r8 (Tony Stark's car in Iron man) is one of the most visually appealing supercars I have ever seen, and the convertible version must have some sort of subliminal naked lady in it, because I get a little stirring whenever I see it:

IMAGE(http://www.elrincondelconductor.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/audi_r8_spider.jpg)

Agemmon wrote:

I don't know if anyone's seen these yet, but it deserve to be spread amongst the people. Its the new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster and all I know is that every time I see this car, I need to go grab a tissue...

IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-large.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-1.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-2.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-3.jpg)
IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j127/Drillin/lamborghini-reventon-roadster-la-4.jpg)

To be honest I don't really like look of this car. It looks jagged and doesn't have any flow. Too many sharp angles for me, but to each his own.

Seth wrote:

Yeah that Lambo is out of control. In a good way. It's solidly in the "there are comparable cars for half the price" field though.

Speaking of which, Audi (one of my favorite car brands, aesthetically) has announced the R8 Spyder. The r8 (Tony Stark's car in Iron man) is one of the most visually appealing supercars I have ever seen, and the convertible version must have some sort of subliminal naked lady in it, because I get a little stirring whenever I see it:

IMAGE(http://www.elrincondelconductor.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/audi_r8_spider.jpg)

I love the R8. The few times I have got to drive them have each been treasured. It may not be the fastest car out there but it is truly fun to drive. A convertible version could be really cool.

The Audi A5/S5 have become my latest flame. Actually this most recent generation has made Audi my favorite manufacturer. Did anyone see their display at the NYC auto show last spring?

That Lambo looks like a Stinkbug, only flat and car shaped. I like it a lot though, but I'm a huge fan of the Stinkbug too.

That r8 convertible is definitely sex in the form of an automobile though.

If there really is a consensus here that the Audi is a better looking car than the Lamborghini, I should really reconsider whether I should stay on GWJ or find a new website for internet related tomfoolery.

[size=4]I will still visit the bnpedersen rubiksbra thread though...[/size]

mindset.threat wrote:

The Audi A5/S5 have become my latest flame. Actually this most recent generation has made Audi my favorite manufacturer. Did anyone see their display at the NYC auto show last spring?

I love the look, I drool every time I see one, but my brother tells me that they don't drive that well (A5). He's been test driving cars in anticipation of his first new car purchase, and right now a BMW 3-series is apparently his high water mark for drivability. For that matter, he says my G35 Coupe handles better. I haven't driven one myself, but again, the look is fabulous.

Agemmon wrote:

If there really is a consensus here that the Audi is a better looking car than the Lamborghini, I should really reconsider whether I should stay on GWJ or find a new website for internet related tomfoolery.

I've been a Lambo fan since I was a wee lad, and I still am. It beats the R8 handily in the looks department, imho.

SUGGEST ME A NEW FAMILY SUV

Okay car lovers...with our new addition (see my sig), we're going to need a little more room in our family car than we have now. I'm looking for something with more cargo space than a 2006 Honda CRV. As it happens, the CRV actually has pretty generous cargo space for its size, and there are a lot of bigger and more expensive SUVs that don't offer any more space. And some of them you have to search to find out how much is REALLY cargo space, and how much is the 2nd row folded down - Audi is a particular offender in this respect.

Suggestions?

If you're really after a family car, get a van. If you're stuck on the SUV, upgrade to the Honda Pilot. 18 cubic feet behind the *third* row of seating, and 45 if you fold that down. Once you start talking about folding the second row, you're up to 88 cubes. I haven't really looked into any others, and I've only looked at the Pilot because Mrs AnimeJ liked them; we're pretty much minivan people now.

As for vans, here's my favorites, in order of preference:

Honda Odyssey
Toyota Sienna
Dodge Caravan(Chrysler T&C)

Sigsbee doesn't want a van, though I know how practical they are. I've looked at the Pilot and it's a possibility. Thanks.

Yeah.. there aren't any truly better choices than the various vans. The Odyssey's actually a kind of neat vehicle if you can get past the fact that it's a van. I tend not to follow the SUV market really, so I can't say too much other than what a quick google search or two tells me, which is that AnimeJ is right. So.. yeah.

Here's that Atom I mentioned earlier.

IMAGE(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3932911619_68e120ca36_b.jpg)

IMAGE(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/3932914015_2865f76e79_b.jpg)

WANT.

Secret Asian Man wrote:

To be honest I don't really like look of this car. It looks jagged and doesn't have any flow. Too many sharp angles for me, but to each his own.

...but it's invisible to radar!

Serengeti wrote:
Secret Asian Man wrote:

To be honest I don't really like look of this car. It looks jagged and doesn't have any flow. Too many sharp angles for me, but to each his own.

...but it's invisible to radar!

Hmm, well that would be awesome. Would it work against lasers also?

With that car though, I don't think the cops will need to clock me to tell if I'm speeding.