Car Talk 6: Best of times and Worst of Times

[max225]

It can’t be smaller than the Volt you had

Right, which I got rid of because it was too small.

Well then .. Cruze is off the list.

I personally hate driving sedans long distance. I’m firmly in the camp of sitting up high off the ground and having clearance and suspension travel for travel. Tacoma ruined sedans for me in that department.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Free Cruze is pretty sweet! I found it comfortable and drove it for 3 straight hours in one direction. The seats are 5/7, and sized okay for my 6' frame. My buddy is 6'2" mainly upper body girth and he just sets his seat farther back with a little room to keep going. The one I drove has 200k km with little refurbishment, but it's kind of sloppy in the steering department, a doesn't offer any real tech to make the drives easier. Dash looks like a Christmas tree

I'm 6'5 and big everywhere, so IIRC, the seat does go quite a ways back, so it could be doable. That's the big question.

I don't expect much from it, but it should be reliable...especially since my mother has been religious with maintenance despite never driving it. She said the last oil change only had 3k miles on it, and any scheduled maintenance item is done directly on time.

[max225]

Weren’t you looking for some hatchy sporty thing with the motorcycle dash. I think I drove one too… it was surprisingly decent but it didn’t have the turbo and

Yeah the Sonic, which is more or less the hatch version of the Cruze. I had one on order (bright metallic orange turbro) that was supposed to take 2 weeks because it was built 30 minutes from the and after 3 months of I gave up and bought the instead since I was moving to the middle of nowhere and needed a car. I didn't actually know about the little details that only existed on the Eco trim Cruze until years later so it wasn't on my radar.

Yea I this but I don’t my neighbors name. I need to have my head examined

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Right, which I got rid of because it was too small.

Well then .. Cruze is off the list.

I personally hate driving sedans long distance. I’m firmly in the camp of sitting up high off the ground and having clearance and suspension travel for travel. Tacoma ruined sedans for me in that department.

I could be in that camp too, I haven't driven a sedan long distance since....my Volt? The 4R is a rolling couch, and I sure to enjoy the comfort, but 16mpg is brutal.

Really just tire kicking. I won't buy anything for at least 6-8mos, the 4R is going to do the job for the foreseeable future, and we'll see how old the gas mileage gets.

[wap]

If you have a free TSX why are we even talking about the other boring options. TSX wins

[D Griff]

If you have a free TSX why are we even talking about the other boring options. TSX wins

sometimes just doesn’t win out though. I had a nice ‘free’ BMW and here I am….

[D Griff]

Well then .. Cruze is off the list.

I personally hate driving sedans long distance. I’m firmly in the camp of sitting up high off the ground and having clearance and suspension travel for travel. Tacoma ruined sedans for me in that department.

I could be in that camp too, I haven't driven a sedan long distance since....my Volt? The 4R is a rolling couch, and I sure to enjoy the comfort, but 16mpg is brutal.

Really just tire kicking. I won't buy anything for at least 6-8mos, the 4R is going to do the job for the foreseeable future, and we'll see how old the gas mileage gets.

in the last year I’ve had a lot of sedans… my 328i plus 330i, Sonata, K5, couple A4s, several Cammies, a Passat, a Jetta… honestly I like some more than others but all were fantastic highway cruisers to chill in, supremely comfy. A4 was the best.

My least favorites have been a Cuntryman followed by a Rage4.

[CaleDeRoo]

VWAG at least in my experience has very comfortable seats, especially the seat backs. I wouldn't touch anything without thigh extensions as well if I was spending $30k+.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

It's been so long since I've driven any sort of diversity that it'll be interesting if the time comes. Though I'll probably with my mother's Cruze and just deal with pretzeling inside of that so I can spend that money on something more interesting instead. I'm basic and still have major wants for a 911.

[golftdibrad1]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/dacia-moc ... er-bottles

[max225]

Such Dacia much Wow

[MexicanYarisTK]

It's been so long since I've driven any sort of diversity that it'll be interesting if the time comes. Though I'll probably with my mother's Cruze and just deal with pretzeling inside of that so I can spend that money on something more interesting instead. I'm basic and still have major wants for a 911.

Id go for it for something that gets you point a to b to hold it over. So cruze it is

[MexicanYarisTK]

Such Dacia much Wow

The Clio has Dacia Gayges and Dacia A/C

[D Griff]

It's been so long since I've driven any sort of diversity that it'll be interesting if the time comes. Though I'll probably with my mother's Cruze and just deal with pretzeling inside of that so I can spend that money on something more interesting instead. I'm basic and still have major wants for a 911.

Having another fun thing would be cool as well. Will you just have whatever this vehicle is to share when you’re in MD? If so, that plus all the road tripping to/from MD and around the coast would mean most of your miles will be in whatever this car is. No harm in the Cruze short term, they’re honestly decent. It seems a little in the long haul if a 911 and 4R are just collecting dust at a house you’re not at.

[CaleDeRoo]

Buy the 911 to commute in.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

It's been so long since I've driven any sort of diversity that it'll be interesting if the time comes. Though I'll probably with my mother's Cruze and just deal with pretzeling inside of that so I can spend that money on something more interesting instead. I'm basic and still have major wants for a 911.

Having another fun thing would be cool as well. Will you just have whatever this vehicle is to share when you’re in MD? If so, that plus all the road tripping to/from MD and around the coast would mean most of your miles will be in whatever this car is. No harm in the Cruze short term, they’re honestly decent. It seems a little in the long haul if a 911 and 4R are just collecting dust at a house you’re not at.

It's all speculation at this point, TBH. Haven't settled on what the situation might look like until I'm in it.

But assuming we end up with a place out there with the intention of spending a few months there at a time, we need to bring our pets with us, which requires driving. So might be doing the drive (730 miles one way) a few times a year (3 max). If we didn't have pets, I'd just take my mom's Cruze and let it sit in Maryland and fly in and out. Though honestly, that's probably the way. Cruze or something I don't care about (maybe the s10 even) lives in Maryland and the 4R does the drive a few times when we're there for extended periods. I suspect this will be the plan as it makes the most sense while I lay it out.

I intend to spend 6 months mostly straight at home, summer and fall is unbeatable here. Having a fun thing to blast around in would be neat while home in the nice weather

Will probably just 4R, S10, maybe Cruze. Lately, being done working hard before 50 is outweighing purchases in my mind.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Buy the 911 to commute in.

I love 911's for their ability to pile on miles. That versatility is really appealing.

[max225]

Buy the 911 to commute in.

I love 911's for their ability to pile on miles. That versatility is really appealing.

What do you mean by pile on miles? They are still low AF and roll on 19-21" wheels... I am really not sure they are good for long distances, just like any sports car.

[max225]

Having another fun thing would be cool as well. Will you just have whatever this vehicle is to share when you’re in MD? If so, that plus all the road tripping to/from MD and around the coast would mean most of your miles will be in whatever this car is. No harm in the Cruze short term, they’re honestly decent. It seems a little in the long haul if a 911 and 4R are just collecting dust at a house you’re not at.

It's all speculation at this point, TBH. Haven't settled on what the situation might look like until I'm in it.

But assuming we end up with a place out there with the intention of spending a few months there at a time, we need to bring our pets with us, which requires driving. So might be doing the drive (730 miles one way) a few times a year (3 max). If we didn't have pets, I'd just take my mom's Cruze and let it sit in Maryland and fly in and out. Though honestly, that's probably the way. Cruze or something I don't care about (maybe the s10 even) lives in Maryland and the 4R does the drive a few times when we're there for extended periods. I suspect this will be the plan as it makes the most sense while I lay it out.

I intend to spend 6 months mostly straight at home, summer and fall is unbeatable here. Having a fun thing to blast around in would be neat while home in the nice weather

Will probably just 4R, S10, maybe Cruze. Lately, being done working hard before 50 is outweighing purchases in my mind.

Seems like that trip should be made in a rental of sorts. And you'd get to experience and a different car every time. Could be a fun way to and keep miles of your fleet... 1400 RT in a week seems like a lot.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I love 911's for their ability to pile on miles. That versatility is really appealing.

What do you mean by pile on miles? They are still low AF and roll on 19-21" wheels... I am really not sure they are good for long distances, just like any sports car.

I haven't driven anything more recent than a 997, so I might be off base now, but that 997 S struck me as such a great balanced overall sporty car. It's not as low and harsh as a Corvette, I found the inside to be surprisingly open and comfortable as a giant, and it took highway miles rather ZFG. I could drive that thing for hours without being tired, and it was unique in that regard compared to other more hardcore things. I wouldn't buy one to be a dedicated highway cruiser, but it would be a great all arounder IMO.

[wap]

What do you mean by pile on miles? They are still low AF and roll on 19-21" wheels... I am really not sure they are good for long distances, just like any sports car.

I haven't driven anything more recent than a 997, so I might be off base now, but that 997 S struck me as such a great balanced overall sporty car. It's not as low and harsh as a Corvette, I found the inside to be surprisingly open and comfortable as a giant, and it took highway miles rather ZFG. I could drive that thing for hours without being tired, and it was unique in that regard compared to other more hardcore things. I wouldn't buy one to be a dedicated highway cruiser, but it would be a great all arounder IMO.

Over the years it seems that 911's have morphed from a pure sport cars into a legit GT.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

It's all speculation at this point, TBH. Haven't settled on what the situation might look like until I'm in it.

But assuming we end up with a place out there with the intention of spending a few months there at a time, we need to bring our pets with us, which requires driving. So might be doing the drive (730 miles one way) a few times a year (3 max). If we didn't have pets, I'd just take my mom's Cruze and let it sit in Maryland and fly in and out. Though honestly, that's probably the way. Cruze or something I don't care about (maybe the s10 even) lives in Maryland and the 4R does the drive a few times when we're there for extended periods. I suspect this will be the plan as it makes the most sense while I lay it out.

I intend to spend 6 months mostly straight at home, summer and fall is unbeatable here. Having a fun thing to blast around in would be neat while home in the nice weather

Will probably just 4R, S10, maybe Cruze. Lately, being done working hard before 50 is outweighing purchases in my mind.

Seems like that trip should be made in a rental of sorts. And you'd get to experience and a different car every time. Could be a fun way to and keep miles of your fleet... 1400 RT in a week seems like a lot.

I'm only driving out there if we're spending a few months out there. NFW am I doing that for one week.

It's hard to speculate right now because I'm fully remote with in office travel frequency up to me. I haven't started yet, but I since I work in product development, I could see spending long periods in the office while reaching a critical dev milestone, then being remote during earlier phases. Which would be a few months on few months off type arrangement. I like that better than constant travel and commuting anyway.

Bet renting things is a decent idea for road trips. Hadn't considered that, but probably should. Would be a great opportunity without commitment.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I haven't driven anything more recent than a 997, so I might be off base now, but that 997 S struck me as such a great balanced overall sporty car. It's not as low and harsh as a Corvette, I found the inside to be surprisingly open and comfortable as a giant, and it took highway miles rather ZFG. I could drive that thing for hours without being tired, and it was unique in that regard compared to other more hardcore things. I wouldn't buy one to be a dedicated highway cruiser, but it would be a great all arounder IMO.

Over the years it seems that 911's have morphed from a pure sport cars into a legit GT.

The 997 I drove was more a GT than sports car, but it wasn't a big feeling GT car like they can be, which I really found appealing and unique.

[Valkyrie]

Over the years it seems that 911's have morphed from a pure sport cars into a legit GT.

The 997 I drove was more a GT than sports car, but it wasn't a big feeling GT car like they can be, which I really found appealing and unique.

GT's used to be small. Look at the E-type.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

The 997 I drove was more a GT than sports car, but it wasn't a big feeling GT car like they can be, which I really found appealing and unique.

GT's used to be small. Look at the E-type.

Everything used to be small.

A small GT car would be They just don't seem to exist anymore.