"SantaRita" (SantaRita)
06/03/2015 at 14:55 • Filed to: None
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"SantaRita" (SantaRita)
06/03/2015 at 14:55 • Filed to: None | 1
| 6 |
With the recent VW Golf sales numbers up, the comments turned in the comments to the idea of a Tiguan and it’s place as a middle ground causing it to effectively either lose sales to more premium marques or to much less expensive compact SUVs. I also recently was in a fruitless discussion about why people who don’t need truck buy them anyway, so feel free to flesh that out if that’s you.
I got to thinking about the special cases one might have to see any vehicle as ideal and got to wondering about what other readers might have used to rationalize their purchase. Maybe a top 5 rationalizations and the car you’re driving/paying on/have particularly humorous reasoning for.
My example: My 2 year old baby’s 2013 GTI.
1 ) New but Sub 30K , my wife would be replacing a 15 year old Passat which was her first and only car. WE went new because we hope this car will be hers for a decade, mine for 5 years and then the baby’s when he turns 16. I hope he likes it!
2) Fits a stroller and car seat. If this is a family car in europe, we can make it work in the US. So far so good. the WRX sedan wasn’t able to fit our jogging stroller so we nixed it. Japan must have smaller strollers.
3)Modern Classic. this means 30+mpg hwy and 0-60 that is sub 7 seconds. If you are buying a 1997 saab, VW nailed it. Luckily a 1997 saab’s engine was at least 10 years ahead of wolfsburg’s and wolfsburg threw the GM shit away and put it in a chassis that handles far better than fwd should.
4) Clear Purpose. I’m an old fuddy duddy I suppose. I don’t want hallucinogenic dancing logo start-up screens they are putting on F150’s in my dash or even HUD. they are a bit of a joke to me.. mazda 3’s HUD was...a plastic bit. The VW looks clean. Midcentury-modern/bauhaus aesthetic applied under contemporary manufacturing. While the newest GTI is sharper in every way, the 13 to me is simpler and less fussy looking overall.
5) 4K in discounts from VW meant we got a lot of accessories built in but didn’t pay for them. VW already lost thousands on each Mk6 they sent us, so this seemed like an even greater value proposition. The Mk7 would be better in many ways, but very few seemed to justify almost 8K in price difference and the extended wait since no 2014 GTI were made available.
thebigbossyboss
> SantaRita
06/03/2015 at 15:01 |
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I bought my car because it was the loudest most ridiculous car I test drove. Plus I like blue.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> SantaRita
06/03/2015 at 15:02 |
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This isn’t a bad example. Somewhere warm with questionable roads, occasional use by four adults and no more, limited speed requirements, roomy, good parts availability, generally reliable-ish - I could see a mildly rotund person in the Keys making very good use of one. It’s a better choice than the Sebring in several respects anyway.
Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
> SantaRita
06/03/2015 at 15:20 |
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I bought my 15 Civic because I wanted good gas mileage and I missed driving a Honda after not owning one for 15+ years. This is my 4th new car since 2010. I haven’t found the one car to make me happy yet. I wish I would have gotten a manual, but alas my wife does not drive one, and refuses to learn. Other than the lack of row your own, I have no complaints about my Civic
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SantaRita
> Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
06/03/2015 at 15:29 |
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What are some elements of your civic which you think are ‘honda’ feeling? I’ve had two accords a civic and an acura, so i have some idea, but wonder what you notice or appreciate that seems linked to them.
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> SantaRita
06/03/2015 at 15:33 |
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OK - 2007 Mercury Milan FWD V6
1) My 2004 4 Door 4x4 Blazer was costing over $150 a month in maintenance/repairs and was drinking gas like a guy who was lost in the desert drinks a case of gatorade. this paid of vehicle needed to be replaced and the Milan payment came out to...$150 a month. Then think of my gas savings going up to 27/28 on the highway vs 17 on the highway. Big win.
2) V6 = 220 hp and sub 7 second 0-60 times in my new to me (used) “boring commuter car”
3) Safe. This thing has airbags everywhere. I’m surprised they don’t pop out on the outside from the bumpers. But seriously, it had LATCH for the baby that was on the way. Blazer didn’t and only had front driver and passenger airbags.
4) Strollers, standard and jogging fit in the trunk perfectly (seriously this trunk is huge. I’ve had 3 sets of golf clubs in it no problem. I’ve put in 3 big suit cases and then had room for backpacks. It’s crazy)
5) The roads in Michigan are all flat and my wife has a 4x4 Jeep for snow emergencies, we didn’t need 2 4x4’s. FWD with good All seasons has gotten me through 8-10 inches of unplowed snow.
BONUS 6) I have the 1968 Mercury Montego MX to have fun in, so it didn’t have to be a rocket, it just had to be reliable for a long run. So far so good and I’m 50k miles and 3 years into it.
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Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
> SantaRita
06/03/2015 at 16:32 |
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There’s a certain flingability (for lack of a better word) in all the Honda’s I’ve driven. They handle quite well for what they are, and they just feel more fluid than most things on the road. Up until my Civic, my Honda experience consisted of 80’s cars (85 CRX, 85 Prelude, 86 Accord (2) and an 87 Accord). When I drove the Civic for the first time it was like reacquainting with an old friend. Truth be told, I was looking at a Fit, but just couldn’t find a comfortable driving position in it.