electrical fire/issues, need a new car...

WRX Hatchback or Lancer Ralliart or EVO come to mind.

I've never been a big fan of Audi myself, but my sister and brother-in-law love their A-6, A-4 Turbo, and whatever it is that they call their cross-over SUV these days.

If you want to avoid headaches, definitely don't go Lotus. That's not to say that they're bad cars, but they aren't daily drivers. I got to talking with some of the rich dads at the school where I work, a couple of them own Lotus Elises and Exiges and have stated repeatedly that they are "toys" for sunny days or weekends at the track. Most of them drive Mercs/Audis/BMWs for daily drivers if they're city boys, and the "outdoors" guys who have Lotuses and Porsches tend to be fans of either Land Rovers, Chevy Suburbans, or Subarus (with the full trim levels of course!).

I'd go new Subie WRX if I was in your position.

I really wouldn't want an Audi or a Lotus, myself. Ignoring my hatred of those rice burners people drive these days, I would never want to buy an Audi. Lease a new one, sure, but never buy. Reason being maintenance is sky high on them (since it is soooo much more than a rebadged Volkswagen), and Audis seem to lose their flair quicker than Mercs or BMWs. It seems to me that the stereotype for a 10 year old Merc/BMW/Lexus is still a solid buy, whereas a 10 year old Audi just seems like a "kids" car. 

merc wrote: So tuesday I was screwing around with some wires the previous owner ran for a sound system/nice led lights... And the wires turned cherry red and started smoking/melting stuff... I killed the battery and traced it all out to find the guy had jammed the end of the wire into the fuse socket and was holding it in place with a fuse. I removed all the wires that were like that. Yesterday (wednesday) I took my car to get it inspected and it died right infront of a state trooper... Didn't get a ticket just waited 2 and a half hours in the august heat waiting for a tow... I'm hoping its just the alternator wire being loose... That aside, I really want an audi S5 or a lotus exiage (sp) maybe an elise... Either something fast and awd or something that can drive over something the size of a jeep cherokee but I don't want to buy another headache... Any ideas?

It must be due to some kind of short circuit


Edited by Yerntor - 09 November 2012 at 1:05am

impulse418 wrote: I could of sworn this thread was going to be started by Reb

How did I miss this little dig?

Those higher-end cars will run forever if you use good oil and maintain them. Audi has come along, BMW hasn't been doing as solidly well as it has in the past, but I suspect it's other's catching up instead of a drop in quality. I love Dad's 1-series. It's fairly practical, and very well-behaved, meaning it does what you tell it to without complaint, and is very well thought-out in terms of comfort and controls. The 3-series has become too expensive and bloated to be fun and is more focused more on luxury than sport, unless you go with a 2-door and bigger engine. The 1-series reminds me a lot of the older boxy E-30's in that it's fun to drive, light, and affordable, and if you go with the 3.5L Turbo, it's more powerful than the last 6-cylinder M-3's and lighter. If you're considering a toy like a Lotus, I've had a lot of fun in the MX-5. If you can get past the hairdresser-car image, it's fun, simple and nimble, if somewhat twitchy. It's 50mph-90mph isn't too great since it's a 4-banger, but it still feels like it's on rails on the highway doing over 100mph. It really shines on twisty mountain roads.