Mini-F1

Slow day today. It's a ways off, at least 2 years out, but I'm thinking of another car at some point, and thought I would give you guys something to ponder and speak on. I'm originally from San Diego. My parents still live there and my sister lives in L.A. I'm visiting there 3-6 times a year. I am contemplating a car that would excel on these long (5-7 hour) highway trips. I love my S, it's great for carving up two-lane blacktop, and I plan on keeping it forever. I've done the trip to California in it many times, but even I get tired of the buzz and noise after 6 hours. I have the 4Runner, it's quiet and the ride is decent, but 15 MPG is prohibitive for long trips and I'm not crazy about the seating position. It's more suited for trips to Home Depot.

There are some parameters. I won't own a European car. Too damn expensive to maintain, too much depreciation. It needs to be sporty. It can be a Grand Tourer, a sporty sedan or a sporty coupe. I've been tossing around the idea of a used CL Type S, but I'm naturally curious to see if there are any other ideas I can stack up against it. It has to get at least the same gas mileage as the S (25+). It's got to have good passing power 60-90 MPH to get around idiots who think the fast lane is their personal cruising zone at the speed limit. It should be comfortable for long hauls, potentially even cross country. It should be relatively quiet in the cabin. It should cruise at 90MPH quietly and with little fuss, and have a smooth, but confidence inspiring suspension that can hold it's own in the twisties. Nice extras would be a quality stereo system (although I'm perfectly capable of installing that on my own) and heated seats. And the kicker: less than $25K. For that price it will be used, I know, but that's ok. I've never owned a new car in my life and I don't need to start now. Looking forward to your ideas, fellow petrol-heads!

Mini-F1

Follow on: If Top Gear had an episode about this, which cars would Richard, Jeremy and James show up in?

Steven622

Lexus IS-F. Comfortable, will run forever.
I just recently drove to Tuscon on a beer run and it was honestly really comfortable going 80+ mph. Some people can say it's a little stiff, but the faster you go the smoother it is.

follow on:
Clarkson : 100k+ mile 2008 CLA63AMG
Hammond : Pontiac G8 GT
James : Jaguar XF

Mini-F1

Nicely Done Steven! Great idea, and great line up! I will add the IS-F to the list!

Did you go to Tucson for Parabola?

dc2-2-ap1

I got 2 bottles of Parabola locally. What special beer was in Tucson?

If German cars are out, IS-F is about the only option, that may be difficult to get under 25k.

Steven622

Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose




Basically, sour watermelon beer. f@#king amazing stuff. It's almost as good as the Wilderness Watermelon gose they had on tap last year.

No places have had it and I've been waiting for a long time for it and as soon as I found out that they had it in Tuscon I had to drive there.


You can get an ISF for 25k now if you're patient. In 2 years you should certainly have more options available.

dc2-2-ap1

Wow, you must really like that beer. A 6 pack will usually last me several months. I could never drink that much of one kind of beer. I am one of those people that prefers to have a different beer every time I crack one open. Never could get on the gose train.

Steven622

To be fair only 4 cases are for me and it's more than I honestly expected. I love sour stuff so gose beer just kind of works for me.

Feezy

I have a few options, but I don't want to pay the premium maintenance and upkeep costs so I'll stick with the S2000s for now.

The biggest problem with these stupid cars is how much fun they are and how little they cost you.

peiserg

CtsV? That's on my short list after i sell my rs6 in next year. Idk if that's your style.. I need 4 door for kids. Can't bear the thought of an accord or the equivalent...