p71
08-18-2008, 09:10 PM
So...
as many of you know my G8 was involved with a big rig driveline component and has been in the shop for over a month. It is looking now like the car is going to be totaled.
In light of this I decided to visit Austin and do some test drives to determine what I am getting next.
I star at the Mercedes dealer. They had no C63s on the lot but two in the pipeline. I discussed the european delivery option and built a car on their site. Got a brochure and a promise of a call when a car comes in.
I then moved a couple of miles to the Audi dealer. I mentioned that I had no idea about Audis but that I was looking at the C63 and the M3 and would be interested in the audi equivalent. The salesman gave me the keys to a slightly used RS4.
The interior really reminds me of a G8 same feel, same red gauges same weird audio screen, but this one actually has Nav. The car itself is a little smaller than the G8 and it is way more powerful and has a manual. Other than the lack of knee room it was comfortable.
I got out on the access roads and wow... great tranny and ridiculously deceptivly quick acceleration. There is also a button that turns up the exhaust.
Got back and asked them how mch a new one was... 70K... how much for the used one 59K... kewl thanks I ca get a new M3 or C63 or whatever for that. Seriously nice car though.
Headed over to the BMW dealership. mentioned the C63 and the RS4 and that I really wanted an M3 or a 335. Had I driven one? No? Lets get some keys. I drove a sedan manual M3 first. Handles amazing, less peaky than I thought it would be in a staight line. Hated the clutch... probably have to get used to it... hated the one in an STI the first few times I tried it.
Next I drove a 335 coupe. Nice car, felt softer than I remember the G8 being. Didn't seem all that fast and you cannot hear the turbos or exhaust. Nice car. Not for me though. Definately not 20K better thant a GT.
Finally I drove the M3 coupe with the new tiptronic tranny. This car is awesome. It is the best paddle shift ar I have ever driven. Handles amazingly well... shifts instantaniously and perfectly every time... tap the paddle wait a fraction of a second and you are in the next gear... engine braking is perfect... clutch take up and release by the computer is perfect... the car is amazing.
It is also just shy of 60K with not options other than the tranny, whih is right on my budget limit.
I needed a palette cleanser so I went to the local Pontiac house. I explained what was up with my car and they handed me the keys to 888 #594 (I think)... Black on black, premium package.
This car has been run hard... the alignment is off and it had 663 miles on the clock. the handling was a little less sharp than I remembered (probably the 18s). Acceleration was what I remembered and so was comfort. The dealer mentioned something about over MSRP. I said I would pay GMS at most. I also said that I wanted an 09. He said they were going for 3K over sticker but he would see what he could do. Isaid my insurance situation will be cleared up in about a week and I would call him then.
I then was plannign to head to the casa, but there was a Mopar house right down the street. I asked to see a charger R/T. Did I like red? No? We have a black SRT8....
The inside of the SRT is different. I do not like the lines of the windows and the hood is way to long and bulky. The comfort level is great though and you cannot argue with that power... or the fact that this was the first car I had been in all day that did not have orange gauges... I HATE orange gauges. The headunit was the best one so far, the seats were great and the car was rock solid, even though it was starting to rain heavily.
Salesman asked me to make an offer... sticker was 44K, I offered 39OTD... he got my counter offer down to 41+ TTL by the time I left. He promised to keep working on it and get back to me.
So...
I love the looks engine and comfort of the SRT, the RS4 is an awesome all around car if a little less comfortable. The G8 is... well a G8 an awesomly stunning car unless you drive it back to back with these other ones... and it costs half as much as most of them, and the BMW can be configured to be amazing... and only cost twice what the Pontiac does...
Decisions, decisions.
as many of you know my G8 was involved with a big rig driveline component and has been in the shop for over a month. It is looking now like the car is going to be totaled.
In light of this I decided to visit Austin and do some test drives to determine what I am getting next.
I star at the Mercedes dealer. They had no C63s on the lot but two in the pipeline. I discussed the european delivery option and built a car on their site. Got a brochure and a promise of a call when a car comes in.
I then moved a couple of miles to the Audi dealer. I mentioned that I had no idea about Audis but that I was looking at the C63 and the M3 and would be interested in the audi equivalent. The salesman gave me the keys to a slightly used RS4.
The interior really reminds me of a G8 same feel, same red gauges same weird audio screen, but this one actually has Nav. The car itself is a little smaller than the G8 and it is way more powerful and has a manual. Other than the lack of knee room it was comfortable.
I got out on the access roads and wow... great tranny and ridiculously deceptivly quick acceleration. There is also a button that turns up the exhaust.
Got back and asked them how mch a new one was... 70K... how much for the used one 59K... kewl thanks I ca get a new M3 or C63 or whatever for that. Seriously nice car though.
Headed over to the BMW dealership. mentioned the C63 and the RS4 and that I really wanted an M3 or a 335. Had I driven one? No? Lets get some keys. I drove a sedan manual M3 first. Handles amazing, less peaky than I thought it would be in a staight line. Hated the clutch... probably have to get used to it... hated the one in an STI the first few times I tried it.
Next I drove a 335 coupe. Nice car, felt softer than I remember the G8 being. Didn't seem all that fast and you cannot hear the turbos or exhaust. Nice car. Not for me though. Definately not 20K better thant a GT.
Finally I drove the M3 coupe with the new tiptronic tranny. This car is awesome. It is the best paddle shift ar I have ever driven. Handles amazingly well... shifts instantaniously and perfectly every time... tap the paddle wait a fraction of a second and you are in the next gear... engine braking is perfect... clutch take up and release by the computer is perfect... the car is amazing.
It is also just shy of 60K with not options other than the tranny, whih is right on my budget limit.
I needed a palette cleanser so I went to the local Pontiac house. I explained what was up with my car and they handed me the keys to 888 #594 (I think)... Black on black, premium package.
This car has been run hard... the alignment is off and it had 663 miles on the clock. the handling was a little less sharp than I remembered (probably the 18s). Acceleration was what I remembered and so was comfort. The dealer mentioned something about over MSRP. I said I would pay GMS at most. I also said that I wanted an 09. He said they were going for 3K over sticker but he would see what he could do. Isaid my insurance situation will be cleared up in about a week and I would call him then.
I then was plannign to head to the casa, but there was a Mopar house right down the street. I asked to see a charger R/T. Did I like red? No? We have a black SRT8....
The inside of the SRT is different. I do not like the lines of the windows and the hood is way to long and bulky. The comfort level is great though and you cannot argue with that power... or the fact that this was the first car I had been in all day that did not have orange gauges... I HATE orange gauges. The headunit was the best one so far, the seats were great and the car was rock solid, even though it was starting to rain heavily.
Salesman asked me to make an offer... sticker was 44K, I offered 39OTD... he got my counter offer down to 41+ TTL by the time I left. He promised to keep working on it and get back to me.
So...
I love the looks engine and comfort of the SRT, the RS4 is an awesome all around car if a little less comfortable. The G8 is... well a G8 an awesomly stunning car unless you drive it back to back with these other ones... and it costs half as much as most of them, and the BMW can be configured to be amazing... and only cost twice what the Pontiac does...
Decisions, decisions.