Car suggestions

Just wanting to hear some others opinions on this. I've got a 350Z that's gotta go. Nice fun car, but simply impracticle for me now. High insurance rates, no cargo room, not so great gas milage and isn't that comfortable for long rides.

Looking for a 4 door sedan that's got it all. Comfortable smooth ride, good power and handling, decent gas milage and reliable. The perfect mixture of all of the above in one sedan.

So far the car I see that seems the best from reviews is the Acura TL. I've heard nothing but raves about this car. Not to mention you can get a used one still under factory warranty for a good price.

Any other suggestions that I should look into further ?

I really like my 05 Altima 3.5 SE. Comfy, fast, decent trunk space (for dead bodies), and looks good. Doesn't get the greatest gas milage though, about 18mpg. Of course the 2.5 would fix that.

If you've got the money for a hybrid, why not consider a Honda Civic?
43.6MPG might be worth the monthy note with gas sitting at $5.00 gouging dollars a gallon.
Source Info.

honda civic.

I've considered an Ultima and I'll give one a test drive for sure. I've yet to hear from anyone who owns one speak a bad word towards it.

As for the hybrid. The hybrid civic doesn't really get much better mpg than one of the new models of gas engined civics. And the extra cost for the hybrid doesn't seem to compensate the small milage increase. The Insight gets killer gas milage but I've ridden in one before. They're not fun to drive what so ever. Slug slow and you feel every tiny bump in the road. Probaby due to the bicycle thin wheels. They're also 2 seaters.

The Insight is basically the new CRX HF. :p

G35 Sedan

Accord

Element <--- I'm getting one

Acura TL is very nice, as is the TSX for a bit cheaper. Get the 6-speed of course.
Honda Accord would be a nice choice also.
a 4-door civic would be ok, but its smaller and slower than the others, though the gas mileage is better.

Infiniti G35 looks pretty nice, and if you liked the Z, the G35 is based on the same chassis.

But Honda > Nissan, so I'd choose one of the Acuras.
You cant beat Honda quality and reliability.

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Originally Posted by Abasuto

Any other suggestions that I should look into further ?

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Some suggestions based on sportiness, quality, gas mileage and practicality:
- Audi A3.
- Audi A4.
- Infinity G35.
- Mazda6.
- Nissan Maxima.
- Subaru Impreza.
- Subaru Legacy.
- VW Jetta.
- VW Passat.

audi A4 with the quattro system. that car right there has good gas mileage, fun to drive, nice and quick. and grips the road like a crackwhore holds her fix. it's something else to be in one hugging curves and whipping around turns. if i could afford one i'd go for the 3.2 liter V-6 with that new FSI valve/injection system and quattro. roomy, leather, heated seats, cupholders that cool your drinks, and enough amenities to make you want to live in the car plus a car designed after the car that has won lemans these past few years. and you'll see why the A4 is not only worth shooting for but something totally awesome.

I would definately NOT recommend any audi (or VW) if youre looking for reliability.

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Originally Posted by Charles Franklin Fernandez

Some suggestions based on sportiness, quality, gas mileage and practicality:
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- Mazda6.
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I was going to suggest this one as well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rassilon

I would definately NOT recommend any audi (or VW) if youre looking for reliability.

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i would definatley not reccomend listening to this clown.

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Originally Posted by Kim _Kaphwan

i would definatley not reccomend listening to this clown.

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:rolleyes: yea, ok halfwit.
audi/vw are nowhere near as reliable as a honda or nissan.
transmission and electrical problems abound.
Plus their styling is bland, and (particularly the audi a4) they are too heavy.

now dont come back until you have some intelligent advice.

Right now I have BMW 330i, but with gas and expensive maintenance I picked up a honda civic hybrid as my daily driver. Great point A to B car. Inexpensive to maintain for the daily wear and tear. Now the bimmer has been rotated to the weekend ride.

.

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Originally Posted by StealthLurker

Right now I have BMW 330i, but with gas and expensive maintenance I picked up a honda civic hybrid as my daily driver. Great point A to B car. Inexpensive to maintain for the daily wear and tear.

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I just picked up a 325i. And BMW is doing a for the First 4 years, all maintenence faulty parts everything is covered. My dad had a 7 series and his main complaint was the expensive maintenence. But this with this new plan it seems hard to go wrong. So I like that. Evidently BMW Certified Pre-owned vehicles can have this offer extended to them as well.

So i'm pretty excited about being a new BMW driver.

I agree with Rassilon about the VW not being reliable. My ex use to have a 01' Jetta she bought new. Once the bumper to bumper warrenty expired the car fell to utter shit. Brakes, clutch, shocks/struts, and numberous other little things needed to be replaced before the car even had 50k miles on it and she was still paying on the car while having to pay all these repair bills. ( VW's 10/100k warranty only covers the powertrain ).

I know some people swear by VW and I thought her Jetta was a fun car to drive, but overall, I know far more people with nightmare stories about owning them. If I'm gonna get a fancy car that's prone to fall apart I'd go with a Jaguar.

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Originally Posted by Curt

I just picked up a 325i. And BMW is doing a for the First 4 years, all maintenence faulty parts everything is covered. My dad had a 7 series and his main complaint was the expensive maintenence. But this with this new plan it seems hard to go wrong. So I like that. Evidently BMW Certified Pre-owned vehicles can have this offer extended to them as well.

So i'm pretty excited about being a new BMW driver.

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Yeah I was sick of getting a new set of $1200 tires every year, $160-$200 oil changes, brake pads/rotors pretty frequently (rotors are soft of the 330), etc etc...

I doubt brakes are covered. Remember sport tires wear out fairly quickly (even if you try to take it easy) and other miscellaneous crap. Don't forget higher insurance. List goes on and on.

I got my ride brand spanking new (waited 3 months for delivery from Germany) and yes I had the extended maintenance deal. 4 yrs or 50k miles. Covers jack shit except some checks and oil changes at determined mileages. Any real work (which WILL happen), you pay a shitload. Such bullshit. I was planning to go M3 next, but I may go back to japanese or research Mercedes.

I mean bmws are very nice cars... when everything works fine. LOL
.

$160-$200 for an oil change ? wtf ???

It's 5 quarts of oil and a filter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rassilon

:rolleyes: yea, ok halfwit.
audi/vw are nowhere near as reliable as a honda or nissan.
transmission and electrical problems abound.
Plus their styling is bland, and (particularly the audi a4) they are too heavy.

now dont come back until you have some intelligent advice.

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yeah but you aint gonna find a honda or nissan with heated seats, 4 wheel drive, and true comfort. they all feel like plastic toys. like the guy i talked to who has an audi S4 says "yeah i could have gotten an acura or infinity, but i didn't want a toy, i wanted a car" and don't give me shit about their maintenence. my uncle has owned a quattro since 1986 and the damn thing has never once had any major problems that he didn't cause (like when he drove it into a ditch) would i take other cars over an audi? you betcha give me a vette any day. but would i love an S4? shit yeah. just cause you've had some bad experiences doesn't make you the damn guru of all things audi. you can't tell me a car company that has won le mans every year since 1999, won the world rally championship two times in the 80's with stig blomquist and hannu mikola at the wheel, still holds a record at the pikes peak mountain climb track that has been there since 1983, and had two consecutive touring car world cup championships in the 90's can't build a car. i'm not saying racing is the proving grounds for a car company, but how many other car companies can boast that their cars can out last in dirt, snow, sand, and then on the famed 24 hour straight drive along the sarthe river? not many, infact i think only audi and ford (gt-40 in the 60's, and the focus WRC) can boast that.

Why don't you consider a mercedes C class? Get a new generation V6 powered model and you'll get a nice confort/MPG/fun/roomy package.

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Originally Posted by Kim _Kaphwan

blah blah blah audi blah blah

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shut up already.

While i have great respect for audi's racing efforts, i have very little for their consumer cars, and for good reason.

I dont claim to be an audi guru, but i know when i see unreliable cars. I base this not on single personal experiences, but also on a great deal of reports from owners, both on and off the internet.

If all you want is leather seats, there are better choices than audi. if you want a performance car (AWD or otherwise), there are much better choices than audi.

btw: the Acura RL (Legend outside of the US) has AWD, leather, etc, and is very comfortable.

I have great respect for VW and Audi as well, but what the hell is up with the Golf R32 weighing 3400 pounds? That makes me a sad panda. :(

And the Acura RL (Honda Legend) does indeed kick ass with its AWD and 300 hp. :p

There's the Toyota Camry if you can deal with Toyota's nutorious customer service department.

There's the
Toyota Camry (Repeated for list)
Chevrolet Cobalt.
Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Malibu
Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Bonneville
Buick LaCrosse
Buick LeSabre
Saturn ION
Saturn L300
Ford Focus
Ford Taurus
Ford Five Hundred
Ford Crown Victoria
Lincoln LS
Lincoln Town Car
Mercury Sable
Mercury Montego
Mercury Grand Marquis
Mazda3 4-Door
Mazda6 Sports Sedan
Mazda6 5-Door
Volvo 540
Volvo 560
Volvo 580
Jaguar X-Type
Jaguar S-Type
Jaguar XJ
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Mitsubishi Galant
Mitsubishi Lancer
Kia Amanti
Kia Optima
Kia Spectra
Kia Rio
Honda Civic
Honda Accord
Audi A4
Audi S4
Audi A6
Audi A8
Audi TT
VW Phaeton
VW Passat
VW Jetta
BMW 530xi Sedan
Subaru Legacy 2.5i
Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT
Subaru Impreza 2.5i
Subaru Impreza WRX

I know some have been ruled out already, like the Jaguar. But, I just wanted to get as complete a list of four door sedan-like vechicles out in the air for consideration as I could. I'd still like to stress the reliability of Honda. Our family's Odyssey is a workhorse. It's at 150K+ miles and still doesn't really feel like it's worn down. Perhaps I'm just biased and inexperienced though. :/

Edit: Added more cars. That's every company I could think of that's actually still producing cars unless you want a custom Oldsmobile or want to build your own Daewoo.

Here is an outstanding website to do some research.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

Search for any car, shows GPM and estimated fuel costs per year

Of course I'll suggest the Subaru WRX because I have one, but if you don't need that kind of power, the turbo less 2.5RS is a great solution. Looks exactly the same (minus the hood scoop), handles the same AWD of course, and makes 165 Hp so you get some nice pick up off the line, top end performance won't be as great. Gets slightly better gas mileage than the WRX and costs less.

If reliability and fuel economey are an issue you basically need to go with a Japanese car. European cars are nice for style and luxury but after hearing about how problamatic they are I plan on staying away from them. My old boss had a 7 Series BMW. It was in the shop every other month. It got so bad that BMW replaced it for free.........and the new one still doesn't work right. I think the most recent problem is that it speaks to him in freakin German and the dealership can't figure out why. A 7 series costs what 90 grand?

It actually cover brakes front/rear, oil changes, coolant, brake fluid, air filters,
spark plugs, anything else you can think of. I don't know about the tires,
but will check into it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StealthLurker

Yeah I was sick of getting a new set of $1200 tires every year, $160-$200 oil changes, brake pads/rotors pretty frequently (rotors are soft of the 330), etc etc...

I doubt brakes are covered. Remember sport tires wear out fairly quickly (even if you try to take it easy) and other miscellaneous crap. Don't forget higher insurance. List goes on and on.

I got my ride brand spanking new (waited 3 months for delivery from Germany) and yes I had the extended maintenance deal. 4 yrs or 50k miles. Covers jack shit except some checks and oil changes at determined mileages. Any real work (which WILL happen), you pay a shitload. Such bullshit. I was planning to go M3 next, but I may go back to japanese or research Mercedes.

I mean bmws are very nice cars... when everything works fine. LOL
.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rassilon

btw: the Acura RL (Legend outside of the US) has AWD, leather, etc, and is very comfortable.

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i refuse to own or operate a japanese vehicle. never wanted one, never liked any of them (save for a couple which are very badass) and i would take an american or european car over one any day. damn japs.

and punj you obviously don't go out at night do you? i see people flying down the roads at 130 + miles an hour once the clock hits about two AM and all the cops are at IHOP. and yeah you might not need four wheel drive or any of the amenities. but you have them and that's what's important. you may not ever need the 4 wheel drive system the entire time you own the car but maybe once or twice but you at least had them at your disposal. same thing with the high acceleration and high speed. you may not need them but you got em. i've heard several people say that audi and VW and BMW have terrible reliability records. but in my experiences i've never seen such a thing. my uncle was a master BMW technician for years and when you'd walk into his shop there weren't just bimmers there but cars from all sorts of german manufacturers and granted i'll admit that i've seen audi's with lots of electircal problems, that's an easy and cheap fix if you know how ot take off the body panels and do the shit yourself. but you guys are talking about car buying to the uneducated consumer. and that i just don't like. cause everyone has their own opinion and views and in the end it's not what everyone else says that really matters, but what the car buyer does that's important. i'm gonna quote my friend albert on this one "just don't buy a car that doesn't have all the bells and whistles. get the CD changer, get the GPS, get the leather, because you'll be wishing you had it down the road when you're sitting on your uphoulstry listening to commercials on the radio"

and gekiga what gets to me is how the audi RS6 is like 4000 pounds. it's sooo powerful, but so fat. :(

I can see some people prefer "rice cups".

It's easy to point out the few petrol heads here.

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Originally Posted by Kim _Kaphwan

and gekiga what gets to me is how the audi RS6 is like 4000 pounds. it's sooo powerful, but so fat. :(

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It is a shame. :(

I also remember that the new Audi RS4 weighs in at 3850 pounds! :(

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Originally Posted by AutoWeek

The RS4 sits an inch lower than a standard A4 and the suspension, hood and front fenders are aluminum. The substitution of ultra-light RS buckets keeps weight down to 3850 pounds.

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WTF? And it's just a sedan! :(

The last RS4 was only available in Avant form and it only weighed 3571! I still like the current gen RS4 a whole lot, but I just wish they could've kept the weight down.

Lincoln LS

done and done..

test drive one.

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Originally Posted by NeoSneth

Lincoln LS

done and done..

test drive one.

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nah nah nah tell him to get a mark VIII i put a down payment on one yesterday. and granted i haven't driven it much more than home from the dealer.... oh man is it sweet. 94 mark VIII in that forest green with black leather interior. :drool_2: she's my baby.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1.../markVIII5.jpg
that's her picture from up on auto trader.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xtoo_short20x

It actually cover brakes front/rear, oil changes, coolant, brake fluid, air filters,
spark plugs, anything else you can think of. I don't know about the tires,
but will check into it.

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The man speaks the truth. I believe the new plan is substantially different from the one StealthLurker had years ago.

As for the tires I'd love to put Pirelli's on. But I'm really excited about having Run Flats and will definately keep the stock tires. And Replace them with runflats again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Curt

The man speaks the truth. I believe the new plan is substantially different from the one StealthLurker had years ago.

As for the tires I'd love to put Pirelli's on. But I'm really excited about having Run Flats and will definately keep the stock tires. And Replace them with runflats again.

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From I gathered yesterday at my appointment, this only started in 2001 or '02?
I'm defenately going for the 325CI Coupe btw.

I vote for a Mitsubishi Lancer (Mitsubishi has an excellent warranty plan on their new cars now) or a Subaru WRX. And if you want more cargo room, the WRX wagon even. My friend has a silver wagon and with the little work he's done, it looks awesome and it's fun as hell to drive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xtoo_short20x

From I gather yesterday at my appointment, this only started in 2001 or '02?
I'm defenately going for the 325CI Coupe btw.

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Wow. That plan then would definitely be a huge plus. Which makes sense because under the old setup, I imagine repeat business would take somewhat of a hit.

@too_short: You don't want to hold out and see how the new M3 model feels? ;)

.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xtoo_short20x

From I gather yesterday at my appointment, this only started in 2001 or '02?
I'm defenately going for the 325CI Coupe btw.

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xtoo_short20x why does the base 325ci cost nearly 2k more than the base 325i? It has less horses. It doesn't make sense to me. What madness are they doing in there that makes it worth 2k more, when it has a smaller size, less bhp and 2 less doors?

Congrats btw, are you getting idrive? (I've heard alot of naysayers but I want it)'

- edit

I've thought about it and the only thing I can come up with is certain consumers (yourself included) must find the coupe more attractive and are willing to pay more.

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Originally Posted by StealthLurker

Wow. That plan then would definitely be a huge plus. Which makes sense because under the old setup, I imagine repeat business would take somewhat of a hit.

@too_short: You don't want to hold out and see how the new M3 model feels? ;)

.

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I drove a '05 M3 yesterday, and it is awesome, however I realized that it's way
too much power for me. I don't need all the speed or anything, plus it will
cost at least another $10K ( I have the 325 CI set up at $38.5K). I'm not
a car guy btw.

It's done, bought it about 2 hours ago.......

02' Manual Silver Beetle GL ( 2.0 non-turbo model)

23k miles with 2/24k bumper to bumper warranty.

Went to the VW dealership to look at a used TL they had on the lot. For shits and giggles I landed up test driving this beetle parked next to it. Was impressed enough to take it over the TL and drop my search.

It drives nothing how I'd always assumed they would. Interior space feels like you're in a large sedan with decent trunk space. Handling is top notch, not very fast though. Rides smooth but the engine noise is a little fussy since a portion of the engine is in the cab with you under the massive dash. Gas milage is lovely at over 30 hwy. I'll get some pics up tonight as soon as I get it detailed.

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Originally Posted by Kim _Kaphwan

nah nah nah tell him to get a mark VIII i put a down payment on one yesterday. and granted i haven't driven it much more than home from the dealer.... oh man is it sweet. 94 mark VIII in that forest green with black leather interior. :drool_2: she's my baby.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1.../markVIII5.jpg
that's her picture from up on auto trader.

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ahhh yeah....
nother mark vIII owner....
you will be pleased. gen2 is my baby, but i was fortunate to find mine. gen1's are defintely faster tho.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xtoo_short20x

I drove a '05 M3 yesterday, and it is awesome, however I realized that it's way
too much power for me. I don't need all the speed or anything, plus it will
cost at least another $10K ( I have the 325 CI set up at $38.5K). I'm not
a car guy btw.

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That's a good price for a bimmer. Back when I was looking at the very first gen e46 M3's just by factory MSRPs @fully loaded + basic dealer options + tax & license it's a 60 to 65k car out the door. Not to mention when the new e46 came out the demand was insane. Some dealers had wait lists 20 deep, with only 2-3 M3's being shipped to a dealer per month.... so they were marking them up as high as 10k on top of the MSRP. So I said fuck it and went w/ the standard 3. Got it for 50k out the door, fully loaded with dealer shit.

The standard 3 series is still a very nice car. For a stock car, good mix of luxury and performance. Enjoy your new rides boys. :cool:

.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kim _Kaphwan

nah nah nah tell him to get a mark VIII i put a down payment on one yesterday. and granted i haven't driven it much more than home from the dealer.... oh man is it sweet. 94 mark VIII in that forest green with black leather interior. :drool_2: she's my baby.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1.../markVIII5.jpg
that's her picture from up on auto trader.

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Now that's a car! Excellent choice, Kim, excellent choice. ;)

I'm sure you're very happy. :)

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Originally Posted by NeoSneth

ahhh yeah....
nother mark vIII owner....
you will be pleased. gen2 is my baby, but i was fortunate to find mine. gen1's are defintely faster tho.

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how are the gen 1's faster when with the gen 2 you could get the LSC edition? i mean i love how the car feels just sitting in it with the nice comfy leather surrounding you and the CD changer in the back and how it can just fly when i want it to. but i mean the first gen's only had 285 horses where as the second had 295 on the LSC editions. unless this one weighs a lot less. but yeah man my friends are amazed at this thing just as i am. it's strange how the car lowers a full inch while driving faster and faster and when i hit 100 she just wants to go more. she's begging for it. gotta love a hot rod lincoln. but i hear they have an MPH governor that stops it at 120, is that so? cause if it is i need to figure out how to take it out. but first i wanna know if that alters the car's computer or performance in any way?

You bought a BEETLE???????! wtf?
Did you have to hand in your balls when you picked it up?
I mean, you'd be better off with one of the audis that dipshit kaphwan suggested. They'll both have problems, but at least the audi isnt a complete pile of trash.

:oh_no:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rassilon

You bought a BEETLE???????! wtf?
Did you have to hand in your balls when you picked it up?
I mean, you'd be better off with one of the audis that dipshit kaphwan suggested. They'll both have problems, but at least the audi isnt a complete pile of trash.

:oh_no:

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Remember, he spends the majority of his time prancing around as a woman. He is very similar to D-Lite is that regard.

The Beetle is an ugly ass car.

I'd floss that stinkin' lincoln like a mofo.

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Originally Posted by Magnaflux

I'd floss that stinkin' lincoln like a mofo.

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i plan to turn it into a hot rod of sorts. modification is expensive but on a car like that it's begging for it.