cars "in the queue"

[rosawendel]

Okay, so I have an '03 maxima SE that I still love, and still have a long way to go before it's done, but if you're anything like me, you know i've already been thinking about "what's next".

Now, even though i love my maxima, i know that i wouldn't get another one - they were ugly in '04, and the new one is right out - to me it looks like a reverse-engineered g35, and it's not available in a stick. so i've always thought that the acura tl type s would be next, and i've been keeping tabs on that until i'm ready. However, i personally think that the '09 model looks like crap, and there won't be a type s until '10. so now i'm without a car in the queue. so now what?

here are the parameters: sedan (kid seat in the back), +/-250-300hp, 6 speed manual, $35-40k price range, and i'm tall (6'-4").

so what to look at? 3 series bmw? merceedes c class is too small (no leg room). saab 9-3? something from lexus? live without a car in the queue for a year and hope for the best in '10? maybe the acura will change by the time i'm ready?

anyone else think like this?

[Methanolandbrats]

Wait and see what big diesel sedans show up. You'll love the torque...you use that a lot more in street driving than peak HP. Here's a good example
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/06/bmw-335d-will-be-released-in-november-as-2009-model/2....don't know if you can get a stick.

[dando]

Caddy CTS? That's the ride I would strongly consider if I were buying a sedan now. I drive a Bimmer 328is...a word of caution is that the maintenance costs are absurd. I can't even get the oil changed @ run of the mill oil change shop. :saywhat:

-Kevin

[emjaya]

Come on, fella, buy American. Pontiac G8. :gomer:

[Stu]

wrx sti

[opinionated ow]

Come on, fella, buy American. Pontiac G8. :gomer:

ROFLMAO :rofl::rofl::laugh:

[Sean Malone]

mandating that many ponies AND a stick AND a back seat is seriously limiting your options.

[Stu]

mandating that many ponies AND a stick AND a back seat is seriously limiting your options.

actually a wrx sti fits in perfectly.

[Sean Malone]

actually a wrx sti fits in perfectly.

that's 1.

[Stu]

that's 1.

evo

mazdaspeed 6

[Methanolandbrats]

6' 4" driver in a Suby makes the back seat useless. Might as well buy a Corvette.

[Stu]

6' 4" driver in a Suby makes the back seat useless. Might as well buy a Corvette.

he said kid seat. singular, not plural. put the kid in the rear passenger side.

also its not as much about height as it is about fatness. im 6'0", and had taller people who have driven my car move the seat forward because they weighed less. i've also had a friend in my car who weighed significantly more than me who had to put the seat back, even though he is only 5'8"

[Ankf00]

sounds like you need to lay off all those Volcano Tacos

[Stu]

sounds like you need to lay off all those Volcano Tacos

probably

and the skinny guy should probably lift a dumbell.

[Sean Malone]

I don't believe the V6 Mazda 6 is available with a stick.

[Stu]

I don't believe the V6 Mazda 6 is available with a stick.

mazdaspeed 6 comes with 6 speed manual transmission

[Sean Malone]

mazdaspeed 6 comes with 6 speed manual transmission

Sweet. :thumbup:

[nissan gtp]

STI :thumbup:

[oddlycalm]

Gonna be a short list due to the manual tranny+power level+price.

Infiniti G35 Sport
BMW (the 335 has the power you want but is more money)
Saab 9-5 Aero (less power than you want)
Benz C300 sport (less power than you want)
Subaru WRX (small size, spartan interior)
Caddie CTS

Probably overlooked some, but then again the list is worth what you paid for it. :gomer:

Nice to see that Benz has a manual back in their line. Surprised to see that Volvo has gotten rid of theirs in the larger models. The manual will kill the resale price on all but the BMWand WRX, but you probably know that.

oc

[rosawendel]

The STI does look intriguing. I looked at that, and i did look at the g8 and the mazdaspeed 6 (I had a 626 before the maxima that i just pounded the miles on. its' staying alive for almost 200k miles helped me get out of debt from my younger years.).

yes, single seat on the passenger side. i'm not above "pimping back" the driver's seat.

I wonder if the maxima can hold on long enough for the kid to graduate out of the car seat (I imagine it would, only 70k miles now)... then i might be able to swing a coupe, and open up my options a bit.

aah, to dream of the ultimate mid-life crisis car.... i figure anything tommy kendall can fit in i could.

[Sean Malone]

The manual will kill the resale price on all but the BMWand WRX, but you probably know that.

oc

But the hood scoop and wing will more than make up for it. :D

[nrc]

mazdaspeed 6 comes with 6 speed manual transmission

The Speed6 is gone. The new Mazda 6 is coming out and there's no word on whether a Mazdaspeed version will appear.

The new 6 might fit the bill, but alas, no stick with the V6. Zoom zoom, indeed. :\

[nrc]

Looks like Audi have priced themselves out of your market. $42,000 for a V6 A4? That's nuts. I liked the turbo 4 we drove before RaceGrrl got the Speed 6 but at 210HP it's just adequate.

[Audi_A4]

Okay, so I have an '03 maxima SE that I still love, and still have a long way to go before it's done, but if you're anything like me, you know i've already been thinking about "what's next".

so what to look at? 3 series bmw? merceedes c class is too small (no leg room). saab 9-3? something from lexus? live without a car in the queue for a year and hope for the best in '10? maybe the acura will change by the time i'm ready?

anyone else think like this?


After selling my 2000 A4 I made a mistake and bought an '04 Maxima, it SUCKED GAS like it was going out of style and was a huge land yacht, got rid of it and I bought an '06 BMW 3 series with Sports Handling 6 speed and love it. The car handles like a go-kart and is fast. The ride is a bit rough over bumps but who cares its a blast to drive.

[Stu]

The Speed6 is gone. The new Mazda 6 is coming out and there's no word on whether a Mazdaspeed version will appear.

The new 6 might fit the bill, but alas, no stick with the V6. Zoom zoom, indeed. :\

they sell cars used.

[Gnam]

How about a pick'em up truck, or an Infiniti FX?

[rosawendel]

okay, so what can anyone tell me about "paddle shifting" technology these days? I'd consider giving up the stick if paddle shifting technology has gotten better since the last time i looked at it

when i first got the maxima, i test drove a passat and a mazda 6. the mazda 6 had paddle shifters, but they weren't very responsive during upshifting: i'd start out in the lowest gear, and when i'd click up a gear, the transmission was like "nope, not yet - i'm not ready", and it would shift up when it wanted to. it was like the driver's upshift wasn't a shift at all - it was more like releasing a govenor, and the car could now upshift - but only when it wanted to. almost like trying to shift through a normal automatic. i hated it. it wasn't very responsive to the driver's input when upshifting (only when downshifting as you re-engaged the govenors).

has this technology gotten any better? if so, i might consider some "automatic only" models like the lexus is 350.....

[Dirty Sanchez]

yeah, the speed6 was a major failure while the speed3 was a major success. not too long ago you could've picked one up for thousands under invoice. I'd imagine a used one could be picked up dirt cheap.

[oddlycalm]

okay, so what can anyone tell me about "paddle shifting" technology these days? I'd consider giving up the stick if paddle shifting technology has gotten better since the last time i looked at it.
Paddle shifters are simply selector controls and, on their own, don't indicate what type the transmission is.

On a BMW, Ferrari and a few others the paddles operate a fully manual gearbox identical to one with a traditional H pattern shifter but automated with hydraulic servos for gear changes and clutch engagement. There is no torque converter so that the car will roll backwards if stopped on an incline with the clutch disengaged just as on any manual tranny. Shift times are down to a few milliseconds but are adjustable for length and aggressiveness (sport of comfort). A 10ms full throttle shift packs a big kick in the back. Further modulation of shifting can be accomplished by breathing the throttle briefly. Once this technique is mastered one can shift nearly as smoothly as an automatic. There is normally a fully automated mode for hands free (coffee drinking), but you still feel the clutch disengage and re-engage on each shift, with the car momentary losing momentum, which feels quite odd at first.

The other side of the coin is the many companies that try to make their cars "sporty" by putting paddle controls on the same automatic as would come with a normal selector. Putting manual controls on an automatic is a wasted effort IMO and the only result will be potentially accelerated wear on the parts. As you observed, the automatic is going to do what it's going to do regardless. I own two cars that offer gated sequential shifting of the automatic and I never use it on either car for the reasons you described.

If you want a manual you're not gonna be happy with an automatic with paddles.

oc

[Audi_A4]

okay, so what can anyone tell me about "paddle shifting" technology these days? I'd consider giving up the stick if paddle shifting technology has gotten better since the last time i looked at it
.

my old A4 had "Tiptronic" on the wheel it was like playing a video game, I much prefer real manual and playing with not only a clutch but a gearshift as well.