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I am middle of the road. I want a decent car I like driving around it, decently reliable, and cost effective. I know between brewing, kids, and dog my car won't be pristine for long. I look at the consumer reports picks a lot, look at what utility the vehicle has, and I evaluate it's appearance and what I want in a car. I am going to be driving it till the wheels fall off...I want to not just tolerate what I ride around in.
I am middle of the road. I want a decent car I like driving around it, decently reliable, and cost effective. I know between brewing, kids, and dog my car won't be pristine for long. I look at the consumer reports picks a lot, look at what utility the vehicle has, and I evaluate it's appearance and what I want in a car. I am going to be driving it till the wheels fall off...I want to not just tolerate what I ride around in.
I read the bolded part without a comma at first glance. I was very concerned but happy to see the comma upon my second review!
A Pacer??!!? I DREAM of having a Pacer for my other car. Right now for my other car I'm driving a '71 Vega, except it doesn't run so I just sit in it and say "vroom...vroom...vroom" and work the shifter and spin the steering wheel. On Sundays I pretend to wax it but use mud instead of wax to save money.
A Pacer??!!? I DREAM of having a Pacer for my other car. Right now for my other car I'm driving a '71 Vega, except it doesn't run so I just sit in it and say "vroom...vroom...vroom" and work the shifter and spin the steering wheel. On Sundays I pretend to wax it but use mud instead of wax to save money.
Damn, you got me beat! Before the Prizms I drove an '88 or so Chevy Spectrum (looked almost exactly like this one that was a salvage job. It was missing the passenger sideview mirror, the passenger rear door didn't open, and it had 3-4 nickel and dime sized holes in the floorboard directly under the driver's feet (so hey, if I ran over something, I could try and check what it was!). I also thought that if the engine ever died I could possibly punch out said floorboard and propel the car with my feet a la Fred Flintstone to the nearest service station.
I bought it for $500 or so from a friend, and no, they were not one of the Four Yorkshiremen. Lasted...2 years or so before dying its final ignominious death during a lunch break run to the bank drive-thru (it died right at the ATM), leaving me to walk over a mile back to my office, in my suit and tie. I think I got $50 from one of those tow-a-wreck places to haul the sucker away where it was likely sold for scrap or something.
BTW, in looking up the specifics on Gremlins and Pacers (I remembered them from '75 or thereabouts but didn't know all the specifics), did you know that Gremlins are something of a collectible nowadays? No fooling.
A '71 Vega. Man, bring back the Chevette and an El Camino while you're at it.
ETA- curse you C-D for not allowing me to rep marcopolo's last post!
Last edited by synchronicity; 03-04-2014 at 02:50 PM..
I'm a car guy, so I DO care about what I drive. I even get picky about what I drive as a rental when i travel on business.
Cars are my vice, and what I prefer to spend my money on. Yes, i do contribute to retirement and savings and no debt and all that, but some people prefer to travel, some people like dogs, some people want 3-4 kids.....I like cars. And I like cars that make me feel good when I drive them.
A Kia, or a Civic just won't cut it for me. I enjoy nice cars.
Bingo!.......Funny about rental cars, I even get fussy about the color! I will rent something online, then when I arrive I always ask "What is the coolest car you have available?" I recently rented in Louisville, KY and spotted a Mini Cooper in the lot, sadly that rental agency wasn't open yet (it was Sunday am) so I was forced to take a new Chevy Impala (not a bad car btw, wouldn't buy one but it was a nice car).
I have rented Land Rovers, Jeep Wranglers, 5.0 Mustangs,.....not snobby about cars but I do like ones that are different.
Damn, you got me beat! Before the Prizms I drove an '88 or so Chevy Spectrum (looked almost exactly like this one that was a salvage job. It was missing the passenger sideview mirror, the passenger rear door didn't open, and it had 3-4 nickel and dime sized holes in the floorboard directly under the driver's feet (so hey, if I ran over something, I could try and check what it was!). I also thought that if the engine ever died I could possibly punch out said floorboard and propel the car with my feet a la Fred Flintstone to the nearest service station.
I bought it for $500 or so from a friend, and no, they were not one of the Four Yorkshiremen. Lasted...2 years or so before dying its final ignominious death during a lunch break run to the bank drive-thru (it died right at the ATM), leaving me to walk over a mile back to my office, in my suit and tie. I think I got $50 from one of those tow-a-wreck places to haul the sucker away where it was likely sold for scrap or something.
BTW, in looking up the specifics on Gremlins and Pacers (I remembered them from '75 or thereabouts but didn't know all the specifics), did you know that Gremlins are something of a collectible nowadays? No fooling.
A '71 Vega. Man, bring back the Chevette and an El Camino while you're at it.
ETA- curse you C-D for not allowing me to rep marcopolo's last post!
Thanks for the kind words, Sync. I forgot about the Spectrum!
Worst car I ever had was circa-1984 Plymouth Reliant (K-car), if you wanted to pass anyone you had to turn off the air conditioner. The part of the door handle you pull broke off in my hand one day. My brother had a Gremlin, most notable feature was inability to get any weight over the rear wheels--pretty useless in winter. My brother-in-law drove a Chevette for like twenty years, now he's about ten years into a Chrysler Sebring--I think his lifetime auto purchase expense might not break $12,000.
Nowadays I like cars, I really do, but I'm always jumping on the bargains instead of the great rides. Example: I want a convertible, really badly, and will probably buy a Chrysler 200 'vert out of a rental fleet for $13-$14k instead of that Audi Quattro Cabriolet that I really want.
The Toyota Corolla and the Lexus GS350 are "cousins", as Lexus is Toyota's luxury line. I had similar thoughts when parking my car ('99 Prizm - the Geo Prizm is essentially a Toyota Corolla) next to a Lexus LS430 (top of the line Lexus): they're cousins, but for the price of the latter I could purchase several of the former.
I don't see any comparison. The Lexus GS350 is a RWD, midsize sport sedan. The Corolla is a FWD compact. They don't share anything to make them cousins besides having four doors and four wheels. Comparing to the LS430 is an even more far flung. You could buy 2 or 3 Corollas for the price of an LS, but the LS is on a whole different level in terms of driving dynamics, quality, and comfort. Some buyers value that, others don't.
You have a '94 Prizm!!??! We DREAM of a '94 Prizm! I'm driving a '73 AMC Gremlin except it doesn't run so I just sit in it and make that motor sound with my lips.
You drive a '73 AMC Gremlin!??! We DREAM about owning one of those flashy rides!
We drive an ox cart. Here are some friends taking it into the shop for yet another tune-up.
I don't see any comparison. The Lexus GS350 is a RWD, midsize sport sedan. The Corolla is a FWD compact. They don't share anything to make them cousins besides having four doors and four wheels. Comparing to the LS430 is an even more far flung. You could buy 2 or 3 Corollas for the price of an LS, but the LS is on a whole different level in terms of driving dynamics, quality, and comfort. Some buyers value that, others don't.
They're "cousins" in that they're all Toyota sedans, albeit at much different price points. I totally get that there are many reasons an LS430 (or 450 or whatever it is now) costs a carpload more than a Corolla.
Like I said, everyone has their porterhouse steak. For us, cars ain't it. I can appreciate a nice car, but when the rubber hits the road, as it were, the advantages of having the better car just don't make it worth the $ to me. I also get that many people are not me and prioritize differently. Again, if you're not driving yourself to the poor house (no pun intended), it doesn't matter much.
As also noted, we bought a "nicer" house than some people in our situation might have, so our porterhouse steak is different. Oh, and I won't buy farmed salmon, so Wild Alaskan Salmon is also my Porterhouse Steak, which leads to a very weird visual so I'll just stop typing now.
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x2. I wonder if his other car is a Pacer! 
that was a salvage job. It was missing the passenger sideview mirror, the passenger rear door didn't open, and it had 3-4 nickel and dime sized holes in the floorboard directly under the driver's feet (so hey, if I ran over something, I could try and check what it was!). I also thought that if the engine ever died I could possibly punch out said floorboard and propel the car with my feet a la Fred Flintstone to the nearest service station. 
