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roflbox

roflborx
Jan 23, 2017
3,163
834
Raleigh, NC
I have perused the local CL and found some potential sammich mobiles:

To start:
fiat 500 with turbo modifications:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2013-fiat-500-turbo-200hp-9000/6701810214.html

2001 911 turbo:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-porsche-911-turbo/6704544831.html

1999 Cadillac Eldorado:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1999-cadillac-eldorado/6686427589.html

A 1927 FORD ROADSTER for a sensible daily driver
"Hope whoever buys this baby is ready to instantly start oozing machismo. Shes low and fast for not alot of cash"
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1927-ford-roadster/6702519073.html

2006 CLS55 AMG Merc for a low cost of ownership car:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2006-mercedes-cls55-amg-white/6704409080.html

yes:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2017-polaris-slingshot-sl-le/6704409398.html

To cater to your discerning tastes:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2012-ford-f150-ecoboost-twin/6704314042.html

Easy entry in to the brodozer club:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/lifted-gmc-duramax/6693579666.html

Again in the bordozer club:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2010-toyota-prius/6698194704.html

Street car with smurf juice!
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/ford-mustang-lx/6704276050.html

If you want to be Clint Eastwood:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1971-torino-500-sports-roof/6698922649.html

I KNOW WHAT I GOT:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1968-t-charger-xs29l-great/6704139917.html

FREEDOM AINT FREE SAYS DAD:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2002-dodge-neon/6703666009.html

If you wish to join Dr Stoney in the adventure descending into ///madness
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2000-bmw-m5/6702833279.html

Its all right because he's got a Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag:
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/d/1984-jaguars-xjs-types-xs-2/6691160090.html
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
I have perused the local CL and found some potential sammich mobiles:

To start:
fiat 500 with turbo modifications:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2013-fiat-500-turbo-200hp-9000/6701810214.html

2001 911 turbo:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2001-porsche-911-turbo/6704544831.html

1999 Cadillac Eldorado:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1999-cadillac-eldorado/6686427589.html

A 1927 FORD ROADSTER for a sensible daily driver
"Hope whoever buys this baby is ready to instantly start oozing machismo. Shes low and fast for not alot of cash"
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1927-ford-roadster/6702519073.html

2006 CLS55 AMG Merc for a low cost of ownership car:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2006-mercedes-cls55-amg-white/6704409080.html

yes:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2017-polaris-slingshot-sl-le/6704409398.html

To cater to your discerning tastes:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2012-ford-f150-ecoboost-twin/6704314042.html

Easy entry in to the brodozer club:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/lifted-gmc-duramax/6693579666.html

Again in the bordozer club:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2010-toyota-prius/6698194704.html

Street car with smurf juice!
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/ford-mustang-lx/6704276050.html

If you want to be Clint Eastwood:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1971-torino-500-sports-roof/6698922649.html

I KNOW WHAT I GOT:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/1968-t-charger-xs29l-great/6704139917.html

FREEDOM AINT FREE SAYS DAD:
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2002-dodge-neon/6703666009.html

If you wish to join Dr Stoney in the adventure descending into ///madness
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/2000-bmw-m5/6702833279.html

Its all right because he's got a Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag:
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/d/1984-jaguars-xjs-types-xs-2/6691160090.html
Now I want that 911. :shakefist:
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
thought I'd post an update because you guys were asking.

wife is on board with getting a new car....but the car has to replace the prius, so it has to be reliable enough to be a daily driver and safe enough for two kids. Budget is about 10k.

Came real close to buying a BMW 550i. real close. Backed out because maintenance, but also because an 8 cylinder slushbox sedan didn't seem like the most enjoyable thing to drive, and if I'm going to go through with the drama of buying a new car, it may as well be manual. Wife seems to be OK with that, so the search is on. The 550i was a charmer though, the seats that hug you when you start it are wonderful.

After I chickened out, I also test drove a manual 550i. That car was apparently driven by a drunk 50yo, but flooring it in third gear had me nearly tearing up. Too bad the car was covered in damage and the front of the engine was covered in oil. Otherwise it would have been great.

Also test drove a couple of 330is, and had been thinking about buying a 330i ZHP. Those are awesome little cars, not great at anything in particular but good for being fun to drive.

Had a conversation with stoney about M5s after one popped up locally. "No fucking way" are they reliable, he commented, so that ship is sailing.

most recently I drove an ATS 2.0t RWD with the stick. That thing is awesome with the FE3 magnet shocks and limited slip. Not loads of power, but I don't need loads of power. Terrible clutch, terrible throttle response, but an amazing chassis. With a lightweight flywheel and a throttle tuner it could be awesome. These are hard to find and the one near me has high highway miles (30k a year). Pretty reasonable cost though. Of course, somebody is driving from vermont to test drive it, and I'm guessing he'll buy the car, but if he doesn't I'll make a move. What a neat and fun car to drive that is.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,998
9,659
AK
Just get a hellcat or 392 hemi if you want to go fast in a straight line. You can get newish ones that have all the modern features you'd be looking for. Plus damn near infinitely mod-able. I'd think those would be tons of fun, heavy, but hell, so is an M5/550. The allure of the high HP BMW just isn't worth it to me. The only real benefit is the gobs of torque down low on the twin turbo V8s, you'll have to rev the NA V8 engines up a bit to get some torque, but modern auto trans will take care of that anyway. One of the allures of the BMW was how much better the tech and features were, but this is one area where the major automakers have closed the gap considerably.

Working 10 years down the road (as in all the electronics and features) is the biggest weakness of the current german stuff and to a lesser extent, everything else. The more complicated the cars are, the worse they are going to be in this respect IME. Wringing all they do from these cars and engines, and adding all the shit to them, they've gotten pretty complex.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
I've seen the G70 0-60 times mentioned 4.4-6.0s, depending on the drive train. If the 2.0T does it in 6, it is moar than enough.
I hate slush boxes and paddle shifters. I need a manual clutch and a stick to be happy.
whoa- the G70 with the 6mt comes in at 38g. That's fantastic, expecially when cars like the gooolia cost 48k with similar equipment (and no stick). I'm going to try and head to the dealership when my boy wakes up- let him crawl all around the interior of somebody else's car.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
sat in a g70 today. Nice car. Feels miles above the giulia, which feels like a toyota with italian dressing. Sounds like LOCAL DEALERSHIP is getting a 6mt, so I'll be on that like a suburban dad on microbrews. Did you know the yuulia has three way power seats? it doesn't even tilt. You don't care, you never cared. The G70 does tho.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,998
9,659
AK
sat in a g70 today. Nice car. Feels miles above the giulia, which feels like a toyota with italian dressing. Sounds like LOCAL DEALERSHIP is getting a 6mt, so I'll be on that like a suburban dad on microbrews. Did you know the yuulia has three way power seats? it doesn't even tilt. You don't care, you never cared. The G70 does tho.
But if you are looking at the G70, why not the Stinger? That would absolutely kick it's a$$ in practicality. No question my BMW "gran coupe" was very practical, very easy to access the space, etc.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,998
9,659
AK
fun fact, hellcat has a mercedes e class chassis
Don't think that is quite right, it's based on an old S class if I remember? But ancient in Mercedes years, nothing to do with modern ones, which are undoubtedly much better.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,616
7,276
Colorado
sat in a g70 today. Nice car. Feels miles above the giulia, which feels like a toyota with italian dressing. Sounds like LOCAL DEALERSHIP is getting a 6mt, so I'll be on that like a suburban dad on microbrews. Did you know the yuulia has three way power seats? it doesn't even tilt. You don't care, you never cared. The G70 does tho.
It doesn't tilt? Up/down, front/rear, back lean. No tilt though? Does it have the seat extender for tall people?

Do your due diligence on the Infiniti, notably any electronics issues. We've had to replace the cluster 3x in the last 2 years on the JX35(QX60), thankfully under warranty; it costs $2500 each time. We've also had the master cylinder fail, which was exciting. Also thankfully in Wifey's car, as that gets early braking. All of this happened before 45k miles.

We're at the point with the local dealer that for service they just send me directly to the service manager. He wasn't particularly keen when I pointed out in their main customer area that my 16 year old BMW M was more reliable than my 5 year old Infiniti...

Honestly, if I had open budget to get whatever, I'd be looking at a Kia Stinger if you haven't already. Same speed as the M based on Car and Driver reporting (with stickier tires the M might have faster 0-100 though), newer technology interior, AWD (RWD option too), more space as it's a hatch, and way better mileage. Downside is the automatic (but it's a BMW M engineer designed car, so you know it's good), it's a Kia (see above), and the interior isn't as "nice".

New* grills inbound because mine have about .25" of play due to broken clips and it bothered me.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
It doesn't tilt? Up/down, front/rear, back lean. No tilt though? Does it have the seat extender for tall people?
Nope. Fore/aft base, tilt back, up down base. Sport adds the thigh extender, but does not add tilt. LUSSO adds tilt, but loses the extender and the bolstering. Bit of a disappointment, for sure. The G70, at least the one I sat in, has tilt and the rest.

As for the Stinger, It's a lot more practical on paper than real life. The load floor of the hatchback is sky high, so the actual trunk volume isn't any more than say, an E60. Then you get all the fun that comes with a hatchback (much louder than a sedan, constantly chasing rattles from your bay cover) and less stiffness overall. I really think they priced this car $5000 too high for each trim level. The 2.0t is just OK in the car, but I think you really need the 3.3. Unfortunately, the base V6 doesn't come with the upgraded stereo, nor a whole host of other "nice to haves". The G70 is shorter in wheelbase, similar in architecture, but comes with all the garbage the stinger is missing, for virtually the same price or less. I think the G70 is actually mispriced or something, because it sounds like it comes loaded up for $15k less than comparables. Even the stinger comes in at the same price with the same equipment, but it's a Kia.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
sat in a g70 today. Nice car. Feels miles above the giulia, which feels like a toyota with italian dressing. Sounds like LOCAL DEALERSHIP is getting a 6mt, so I'll be on that like a suburban dad on microbrews. Did you know the yuulia has three way power seats? it doesn't even tilt. You don't care, you never cared. The G70 does tho.
I want to find a CPO 6MT eventually but I don't think that is going to happen.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,080
5,998
borcester rhymes
I want to find a CPO 6MT eventually but I don't think that is going to happen.
I want to see final spec, but as of right now, I'm absolutely shocked at the price of the g70 in 6mt. I am actively comparing it against the giulia, similar spec comes in at $52k. Used cars are selling at equivalent price to the G70. Then the G70 includes financing deals and rebates, which the alfa doesn't. So, all told, you probably save $20k if you don't care about the badge and STROMBOLI GREY METALLIC. I have no problems buying a used car, but for the spec and price, I might find myself stretching my budget to get into a g70, and tell automakers that yes people still buy manual transmissions.

That’s because that’s when Chrysler was owned by M-B. Old platform is fine when new ones are aimed largely at cost cutting anyway.
The new charger was supposed to be on the GIORGIO platform that the giulia is on. Then they said no, that would drive well, and changed their minds. So who knows, but I'm not real keen on a dodge for pretty much any reason. Savagegeese's Hellcat video did have me considering for a second, but then $38k dodge.
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,696
13,051
Cackalacka du Nord
i like my g37s 6mt a lot from a drive-feel standpoint...but have had ongoing clutch/slave cylinder issues. slave done twice (under warranty); clutch at 90k.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,998
9,659
AK
I want to see final spec, but as of right now, I'm absolutely shocked at the price of the g70 in 6mt. I am actively comparing it against the giulia, similar spec comes in at $52k. Used cars are selling at equivalent price to the G70. Then the G70 includes financing deals and rebates, which the alfa doesn't. So, all told, you probably save $20k if you don't care about the badge and STROMBOLI GREY METALLIC. I have no problems buying a used car, but for the spec and price, I might find myself stretching my budget to get into a g70, and tell automakers that yes people still buy manual transmissions.



The new charger was supposed to be on the GIORGIO platform that the giulia is on. Then they said no, that would drive well, and changed their minds. So who knows, but I'm not real keen on a dodge for pretty much any reason. Savagegeese's Hellcat video did have me considering for a second, but then $38k dodge.
Manuals are dying though, they can be fun, but the cars pushing down 600+hp need them to make the shifts fast enough and utilize it best and they've gotten so predictive and good that flat out, they are easily faster and more efficient, doing things like disconnecting during coasting and so on. Most people that say "I want to drive a manual" then back out and say "but I need my wife to be able to drive it too". When you chock all this up, it's dying quickly on the vine. I think of it as theft-protection on my car and I think I have one of the last great manuals, but I realize this is going to end soon. Adaptive cruise control is great in cities and on long trips, auto start is damn nice in the northern latitudes where you can't even make a dent scraping the ice until you get the car/glass a bit warm. To some extent, I'm over the "manual is the best thing in the world", when you consider what a blast it is to drive some of the high end autos and DCTs. There are cars that NEED a manual or over the years, the manual was the only way to get them because the auto version sucked ass and simply didn't get the refinement and attention it deserved (subaru 4EAT, buying a FXT or WRX with one of these is a travesty). I enjoy rowing through my gears and I probably will until I get rid of this car, but I recognize how well some of the autos work and how fun to drive they are. It's taken a while at the high end level for them to get to this point and at the lower end, they still have some work to do.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,998
9,659
AK
Anybody driven a Chevy SS? There's one nearby. Looks stupid, I like it.
Kind of unicorns in M6 and the exhaust sounds fantastic when you open it up, if it has the LS3 (don't remember) that engine is absolutely bullet proof and mod-friendly.