Name your car.
 

Nothing. I've driven it before and liked it, and it's more reliable than the Jetta. But the real issue is whether kid + big dog + stuff + two road trips involving all three per year = rp buys boring big boxy car. I really think a wagon is sufficient, but friends with kids say to get as much space as you can.

Name your car.
 

Just don't go driving the Passat after test-driving an Audi. I made that mistake. Interior build-out and handling do not even compare. I liked the Jetta (Passat was too big car feeling to me - body roll in corners, etc.), but loved the Audi. Sounds like mmmm is headed down that path.

Name your car.
 

You do realize that you have misaligned incentives.

"Come, RP, join us . . . become one of us . . . get the minivan . . . join us . . . you need space . . ."

Get a wagon. Get a luggage carrier if you must for the roof, so the dog can prowl in the rear compartment.

The A4 avant struck me as very small compared with the V70. The A6 Avant claims to be as large as teh V70, although it doesn't look it. If given the extra 7-10k to buy it, I might well, but the V70 seemed to be the better value.

Name your car.
 

"One of us. One of us. One of us."

(this is like one of 2 of my The Simpsons quotes, so it is particularly special to be able to use it in reply to a Mmm Burger post.)

(the other one is "You make really good lemonade, Scratchy!")

Name your car.
 

No minivan! The Pilot is so close to one, though, it's hardly a distinction.
I think the A4 is too cramped in the backseat, whereas the Passat is fairly roomy. The Saab is okay. I'm tall and have tall relations, so a roomy backseat matters, which I imagine I would find in the A6.

And I agree on the luggage carrier. With a roof rack you can carry about 200 lbs. at least. It's not like we'll be bringing concrete to the beach.

Name your car.
 

I can see that a bad interior can be a deal killer, but my point was that most people who buy Porsches, probably care more about their performance, than the niceness of the interior. Interior is maybe in the middle of my list of priorities. People who care more about the interior of a car, rather than performance, probably drive Buicks. Different strokes.

The interior of a Honda may be nicer, but you'll never confuse it with the 298HP of the G35. At $33-34k, you just can't expect much in the way of luxury from the G35 if they put that much into the performance, everything else will suffer.

In other news--saw the new 3 Series, pretty nice, but overpriced to a degree. And I was shocked, shocked, I tell you, to find only two manual transmissions in the entire inventory of BMW's, over 150 cars. What the fuck? And the two sticks were both used M5's. What the fuck is the world coming to? Aren't some sporty BMW's just dying for a stick shift? Sad sad sad.

Name your car.
 

SAAB depreciation is bad, but not as bad if you consider the tremendous discounts available when buying new. Alternatively, one can buy an off-lease SAAB for dirt.

Name your car.
 

I'm not; what I'm worried about is that it's a relatively low-displacement, high-pressure turbo, and that, without appropriate tuning, can be a recipe for a herky-jerky powerback changing quickly from virtually no power to oh my god oh my god i'm gonna cum oh my god! Like, say, an older turbo Saab. First time I drove one of those things I thought that I was going to break the seat bracket off from constantly flying forward and back.

Name your car.
 

In my mind, the only legitimate reason to get a wagon over a minivan is if you care enough about power and handling that you're willing to give up the true cargo capacity and people hauling ability for it.

I'm not saying that you're doing this, but I will never understand people who buy cars for image. Never. Not at all. Just buy yourself a nice watch or lipo or something; the idea of buying a car that doesn't work for you because you want to seem cool seems so absurd to me. Especially the people who are so anti-minivan and just want to get a similar SUV. Hell-fucking-o! They're the same thing; you're paying ten grand extra for marketing and because you're insecure.

One of the things that sucked about the Z4 was the constant attention to it and the fact that everyone knew what it was. I can't wait to be in a powerful wagon, model badging deleted, so that everyone thinks that I am just rolling around in a boring family hauler with half the power. I'll take the appreciation and recognition of true enthusiasts from visual cues on a non-obvious model, but I got so sick of some meathead in a tinted 530i with his hairy arm hanging out the window nodding at me like were were some kind of BMW brothers.

I've been in a friend's Odyssey, and it's a great vehicle. Nice amount of power, extremely well thought out, and perfect for a multiple kids situation. Much more perfect than a Pilot would be for that situation.

Name your car.
 

True. The first offer from the dealer on a new Arc with the luxury package (but w/o the ventilated seats) was around 34k, while MSRP is 40 and change. The current deal is the GM employee discount and an additional $2500 incentive.

Name your car.
 

I also saw the new 3 series. Base price is still $36k They really haven't gone up that much and the interior is much nicer than the previous line. You know Flinty, the interior matters. Really, when it comes down to it, it's the whole package. There kind of has to be a good match with interior, exterior, performance. That's why the G gets the rap as a boy racer. All go - no show.

Plus, it is obvious that you do not commute to SF everyday. If you did, you would understand why no one wants to shift 9 thousand times before they get to work. It's just not worth it. When I drove to Palo Alto everyday, it was murder. Murder I tell you. Plus, the automatic in the 3 series is about as good as you can ask for. It usually shifts when you want it to, and it pretty quick and smooth without being slug-like, like the Mercedes.

Name your car.
 

Damn, and I thought we were friends.

When I drop my BMW off for its biweekly service and return to pick it up, the dealer picks me up from the train station in an Odyssey.

Name your car.
 

Just keep it in 2d.

Name your car.
 

I've never understood this complaint. Keeping it in second is one solution. Having a firm quad as a result isn't so bad either.

The problem is the traffic, not the transmission. I find it just as, if not more, annoying to have to press accelerator/brake 9000 times as well.

Name your car.
 

2. Though I will admit that there is one hill in LA that I avoid like the plague (LaCienega @ Sunset) b/c i worried I might drop my transmission waiting through 5 cycles of the light one Saturday night. I'm thinking it is murder on automatics too. I imagine that the hills of SF are even more brutal. But I wouldn't give up my manual transmission over it.