I like hubcaps

[moonwise]

I like laundry, I like waffles, I like ant farms... (heh heh)

and I like Brak.

As regards hubcaps and the vehicles to which they are attached, hubby and I spent Saturday driving around Flemington in various makes and models. Started the day with a Subaru Impreza, then on to a Nissan Altima, then a Mazda 626, then a Toyota Corolla and Camry, then the VW Passat again.

So the power rankings are as follows:

1. VW Passat
2. Toyota Camry
3. VW Jetta
4. Subaru Impreza
5. Toyota Corolla
6. Nissan Altima
7. Mazda 626



The Mazda was really disappointing in that they charge a lot of money for it and the interior fit and finish was really junky. For $25,000 you can get a much nicer car than that. Zoom zoom zoom indeeed.

The Subaru was much better than I had expected, but of course I can't have the WRX like I wanted. Waaaaah! So I guess I can't go drag racing with you, lordraziel. My husband won't let me have the WRX and I don't think your wife would be too keen on the rally-bred Fords. But one can dream. :)

I fully expected the Toyota Camry to be completely staid and boring, but that V6 spins up nicely and gives you a kick in the pants when you gun the engine. The dealer was also the nicest and the most friendly of all the dealers we went to. Our salesman, Hector, was really really new, and we were laughing because he kept remarking (about the Camry) "Gee! This is a really nice car!" He was a sweetheart. I don't think we're going to get the Camry, but I still wish we could buy from him. Perhaps he could get a quick transfer to the VW dealer.

The Passat was still the nicest car I drove, though it seems that to get the most punch out of the engine I will have to learn to use the Tiptronic shifter (semiautomatic shifting.) Hubby was all over that car like white on rice and so we make another, more serious trip to the dealer later.

It really was a car weekend. On Sunday of course the F1 race was on. It was very exciting for me at the beginning because Rubens Barrichello really had his teeth in the lead, but because of bad pit stop strategy he eventually got put back quite far and spent the end of the race chasing David "Whiney-pants" Couthard. Schuey won, of course.

And despite the heat, we went out and washed the cars. We're not supposed to wash the cars because of drought restrictions, but we saved the water from the laundry and that did the job. So we were really being very water-conscious. It was sad because it was likely the last time I will wash the Red Rocket... waaaaah!

Zoom. :)

Comments

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

I thought the Jetta was the zoomer of the VWs. So the Passat bubbled up to the top. No Hondas (like the V6 Accord)? Or are you trying to get into another make entirely?

But the top 3 cars you have listed there, look like good choices. Can't wait to hear what you finally decide on. ;)

[arafel.livejournal.com]

The Jetta does have a zippy turbocharged engine, but the Passat is a nicer car. The interior appointments are much more polished on the Passat, and there are more of them. And the Passat has a nice back seat, something you should be grateful for. ;) Heh heh.

Re:

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

Err... Don't you mean FC sould be grateful for.

FIGHT for the front seat! =P

[arafel.livejournal.com]

Rock paper scissors?

Though I have to say that the navigator will probably get dibs. :)

Re:

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

fair enough. Get the big comfy seat, and in turn help Arafel navigate over the river and through the woods. ;)

[athex.livejournal.com]

Interesting choices in what you looked at. I guess I am just a fan of american cars overall (most specifically GM). I just purchased a 2001 Aurora last May or so, thus the picture of my car. Kinda odd you didn't look at the accord though. As for cars I liked around that price range I thought the Alero or Intriuge were quite nice, I also liked the saturn midsized car. I also think I would like the new Infiniti I35, but I am not sure. Of course the Audi A6 was another car I liked but that just was priced a bit too high. So in the end the Aurora had everything I wanted in a package that was what I was looking for.

btw, what color you thinking about? I was going to get black, but decided on silver for some reason, I guess it was the fact black gets so dirty looking and I liked the silver almost as much!

[arafel.livejournal.com]

My folks have had such bad trouble with their American cars over the years... even the Aurora... and hidetomatsumoto has some dreadful stories about his Daytona and Camaro. My experiences with foreign cars have been overwhelmingly positive, in contrast. So, history is definitely working against American cars, sadly. We thought about the Accord but we didn't get to the Honda dealer till the end of the day, and we were tired!

The Audi is a handsome car. Mmmhmmm. But a tich pricey. I'm going for silver myself! :)

[ssilverfish.livejournal.com]

...I like pineapple upside down cake... why's it upside down? WHY'S IT UPSIDE DOWN??!!!

Oooh, the Passat sounds very nice. I look forward to getting a real job so I can afford to replace my humble green Ford Escort. I can't complain though... it's never given me any problems at all in the six years I've had it. It's just a little uncomfy for Brian (who is 6'2) to drive with his head touching the ceiling. (Ok, it's not quite that bad if he leans the seat back).

Re:

[athex.livejournal.com]

Ah, cool. I guess I have had good luck with my american cars over the years, even my saturn only 2 problems in all the time I owned it and 1 was still under warrenty, now my parents have it and have had no problems with it either. I guess the Toyotas and Hondas are supposed to be more relibable then the american cars, but from what I have read the german cars really aren't.

I truely think that when you buy a car it takes

1. luck to get a good one
2. if you treat it right hopefully it will treat you right. :)

That is my take, but hopefully you will find the car your looking for. I suggest reading online ratings on cars before you buy them, owners have usually good points and bad points. Also my favorite car site is carpoint.com because it is easy to use and has tons of info.

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

Yep. Both cars were problems the day they were driven off the lot. I had the Daytona 8 months, and regretted every minute of it (made cheaply and it showed). The Camaro was one thing after another. I was actually guilty when I accepted the trade in value I got for it--it was in need of immediate repairs (one reason I got my Accord when I did--not to mention there was no way in hell I was even going to attempt driving that piece of crap out to NY...).

[arafel.livejournal.com]

And I also like corn! :)

Hey, if the car still runs... mine is just starting to make some bad noises and it's gotten to the point where the repair is more than the value of the car. We figure we might as well trade it in and get some value out of it.

lol, but hubby knows what you mean, he's 6'1". I think my Acura has higher ceilings though... but his head is very close. It's nothing short of hilarious to watch my dad drive my car, though, because he's 6'4" and he's got his knees up around the steering wheel. Funny!

[arafel.livejournal.com]

Good advice all. :) We have a subscription to Consumer Reports and we've been gauging every car carefully. It's true that some of the earlier model VW's, esp the mid-nineties models, were junk - they were unreliable and had a whole host of electrical problems. VW switched the factory out of where it was in Mexico to somewhere else and the quality jumped considerably. The late model VW's are supposed to be very good, at least CR thinks so. :)

And yes - good care of the car makes all the difference in the world. :)

[arafel.livejournal.com]

*grins* Well at least you got something out of your POS. The dealer might have sold it for parts or something like that. These days, dealers do a thorough inspection of used cars, it seems, so it's unlikely that your lemon got dumped on someone else.

Or, you could just look for unhappy, cussing Camaro drivers, and point and laugh. :)

Re:

[hidetomatsumoto.livejournal.com]

The dealer said that my car would be going straight to auction. I was honest about what all was wrong, so I *hope* whatever sucker--I mean happy buyer--ends up with it, was forewarned. =P

I'm not sure how thorough of inspections they do for cars goint to auctions. Could be the same as if on the lot, or auctions could just be a discreet way of dumping off problem cars... @_X

Well... I still wanna a V8! heh heh. One day I'm going to get myself an old Chevelle and have it restored and jazzed up. Nothing more intoxicating than hearing the deep sound of a big engine rumbling through dual exhaust... *drools*