Narrowed it down to 3 vehicles..I think
01-02-2010, 06:27 AM
#22
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Another Vote for the mdx!
And the site is acuramdx.org
BTW, I am more interested in your mini experience. What year is it? How many miles did u drive it? Any other issues?
And the site is acuramdx.org
BTW, I am more interested in your mini experience. What year is it? How many miles did u drive it? Any other issues?
01-02-2010, 08:07 PM
#23
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as for the cars on your list i would say that the mdx fits your needs the best.
the only car that i might throw into the mix would be a newer legacy gt wagon. they have nice leather seats, and a rediculously large sun roof, plus lots of room for people/stuff.
and as for your mini, i'm sorry that they tricked you into one. they really are the lease relible sub compact being made right now. they have something like 14 pages of TSB's ( basically a list of things that regularly go wrong)
the only car that i might throw into the mix would be a newer legacy gt wagon. they have nice leather seats, and a rediculously large sun roof, plus lots of room for people/stuff.
and as for your mini, i'm sorry that they tricked you into one. they really are the lease relible sub compact being made right now. they have something like 14 pages of TSB's ( basically a list of things that regularly go wrong)
01-04-2010, 07:45 PM
#27
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Thanks guys..
After I drove them all, I've decided on the M35X. Granted I only drove the TL and MDX for about 30 minutes each I just didn't have this feeling when I left the dealership that I just HAD to have it. The MDX vs the last gen TL is night and day though. Kinda silly to compare them actually. I've had a couple 4 runners before, and I think I'm just done with trucks. I like borrowing friends and saying ya, I could deal with this.. but I actually prefer cars.
The M on the other hand, I asked my uncle if I could borrow his car for a day and I loved it. Ya it's not perfect, but it has everything I want, didn't get stuck in my driveway like every other car I've ever owned has ( save for the Audi S8, god I miss that car ) lots buttons, seats fit my skinny ass perfectly, and fast enough for my daily commute. I've been on the site for a long time, but I still have my S. I drive that unless I have no other choice.
I talked to me leasing company today, told them to go searching for the perfect one and I'll approve it and sign away. It will last me a few years which is all I'm looking for. it's a stop gap of sorts, I just HAVE to ditch this ****in mini.
For those interest, it's a 2002 or 2003 ( can't remember ) with 150,000 KM on it.
regular service is done it, but it's notorious for acting up than being perfectly fine at the dealer. Even if they can't find a problem they try everything they can to try and bend me over anyway.
Needless to say, I've done the majority of the work myself, I can't justify the costs for what is essentially a puddle jumper economy car. When my POS X5 was having issues, at least I felt the service costs were somewhat inline with the value of the car.
So this morning, first day back after the holidays I have to be downtown by 9 for a very important meeting..why he booked it for that time I'll never know, but none the less. Roads are solid ice, and it's ****** cold.
The US guys can do the conversion but it's -21C with a windchill of -32C
**** around in my driveway trying to get out ( I do have snow tires BTW ) Oh I live in Toronto for the one guy that asked.. if I was in vancouver I'd laugh at myself too.
Anyways by the time I get out and to the end of my street the car already shows it's at operating temperature.. way to fast but whatever. It's still dark out since I left 2 hours to make a 45 minute drive.. I keep going no heat.. my feet in my stupid italian shoes are starting to go numb.. when the hell is the heat going to kick in??
Get on the highway still no heat.. somethings wrong, but temp gauge is fine.. then ( at -21C mind you ) it starts to overheat.. umm I got enough cold air moving this thing to air cool it. So I pull over.. it's too freakin cold to risk a blow out and have to get out of the car to fill the antifreeze of which I keep plenty in the trunk. Now I know I'm screwed, I'll never make my meeting in time.. and it's realllly important.
turn the car off on the side of the road, which is treacherous at best and then restart it, temp is back to normal and I say screw this, I'm only 10 minutes into my commute. I turn around and head back home. So cold, I'm about to pull over anywhere looking for warmth, since I have visions of my toes falling off.
about 1 mile from my house the heat kicks back in, car runs like it was new. I'd rather it just blow up instead, at least then I know where I stand.
Grab my dad's even bigger piece 'o crap truck, ( which works, so I should bite my tongue) and head back out for my meeting. I've killed an hour already, and I wasn't happy about getting up that early in the first place. I was livid at this point.
I spent the rest of my drive thinking about how I could set my car on fire with out getting caught.
Now I'm not a moron, I've had the thermostat checked, replaced. I've flushed the core multiple times. Read the forums, many people have this problem, no one has an answer.. save for they sold it to some other schmuck
"When" this car works like it should, it's incredible. It has this vibe like the old UK cars of old, where you love them despite their faults. Character then call it I believe. but I can't take any more. I need to know when I have to be somewhere the biggest worry I have is how long my morning shit is going to take.
Before my car went to shit, I recommended it to many people.. some took me up on it. I feel like an ass now, I've told them all to ditch it early.
And yes, it's getting on in years and the mileage ain't no spring chicken, but I gave my 94 civic SI to my dad after the first year I owned it. It's got 380k km on it, he even snapped the timing belt on it ( interference engine ) and we replaced it over a weekend and it runs even better. The car is flawless. I keep asking him to let me buy him another one, he refuses. I think he wants to be burried with it. That my friends is a car, the Mini.. a hybrid of everything that is wrong with German and English cars. I swear they tried to make it as unreliable, and impossible to fix as possible.
Oh, and incase I wasn't clear, all these problems didn't magically appear, I had more warranty work done when it was new than I can remember. It's just uggggg a great car when it works. It tricked me.
After I drove them all, I've decided on the M35X. Granted I only drove the TL and MDX for about 30 minutes each I just didn't have this feeling when I left the dealership that I just HAD to have it. The MDX vs the last gen TL is night and day though. Kinda silly to compare them actually. I've had a couple 4 runners before, and I think I'm just done with trucks. I like borrowing friends and saying ya, I could deal with this.. but I actually prefer cars.
The M on the other hand, I asked my uncle if I could borrow his car for a day and I loved it. Ya it's not perfect, but it has everything I want, didn't get stuck in my driveway like every other car I've ever owned has ( save for the Audi S8, god I miss that car ) lots buttons, seats fit my skinny ass perfectly, and fast enough for my daily commute. I've been on the site for a long time, but I still have my S. I drive that unless I have no other choice.
I talked to me leasing company today, told them to go searching for the perfect one and I'll approve it and sign away. It will last me a few years which is all I'm looking for. it's a stop gap of sorts, I just HAVE to ditch this ****in mini.
For those interest, it's a 2002 or 2003 ( can't remember ) with 150,000 KM on it.
regular service is done it, but it's notorious for acting up than being perfectly fine at the dealer. Even if they can't find a problem they try everything they can to try and bend me over anyway.
Needless to say, I've done the majority of the work myself, I can't justify the costs for what is essentially a puddle jumper economy car. When my POS X5 was having issues, at least I felt the service costs were somewhat inline with the value of the car.
So this morning, first day back after the holidays I have to be downtown by 9 for a very important meeting..why he booked it for that time I'll never know, but none the less. Roads are solid ice, and it's ****** cold.
The US guys can do the conversion but it's -21C with a windchill of -32C
**** around in my driveway trying to get out ( I do have snow tires BTW ) Oh I live in Toronto for the one guy that asked.. if I was in vancouver I'd laugh at myself too.
Anyways by the time I get out and to the end of my street the car already shows it's at operating temperature.. way to fast but whatever. It's still dark out since I left 2 hours to make a 45 minute drive.. I keep going no heat.. my feet in my stupid italian shoes are starting to go numb.. when the hell is the heat going to kick in??
Get on the highway still no heat.. somethings wrong, but temp gauge is fine.. then ( at -21C mind you ) it starts to overheat.. umm I got enough cold air moving this thing to air cool it. So I pull over.. it's too freakin cold to risk a blow out and have to get out of the car to fill the antifreeze of which I keep plenty in the trunk. Now I know I'm screwed, I'll never make my meeting in time.. and it's realllly important.
turn the car off on the side of the road, which is treacherous at best and then restart it, temp is back to normal and I say screw this, I'm only 10 minutes into my commute. I turn around and head back home. So cold, I'm about to pull over anywhere looking for warmth, since I have visions of my toes falling off.
about 1 mile from my house the heat kicks back in, car runs like it was new. I'd rather it just blow up instead, at least then I know where I stand.
Grab my dad's even bigger piece 'o crap truck, ( which works, so I should bite my tongue) and head back out for my meeting. I've killed an hour already, and I wasn't happy about getting up that early in the first place. I was livid at this point.
I spent the rest of my drive thinking about how I could set my car on fire with out getting caught.
Now I'm not a moron, I've had the thermostat checked, replaced. I've flushed the core multiple times. Read the forums, many people have this problem, no one has an answer.. save for they sold it to some other schmuck
"When" this car works like it should, it's incredible. It has this vibe like the old UK cars of old, where you love them despite their faults. Character then call it I believe. but I can't take any more. I need to know when I have to be somewhere the biggest worry I have is how long my morning shit is going to take.
Before my car went to shit, I recommended it to many people.. some took me up on it. I feel like an ass now, I've told them all to ditch it early.
And yes, it's getting on in years and the mileage ain't no spring chicken, but I gave my 94 civic SI to my dad after the first year I owned it. It's got 380k km on it, he even snapped the timing belt on it ( interference engine ) and we replaced it over a weekend and it runs even better. The car is flawless. I keep asking him to let me buy him another one, he refuses. I think he wants to be burried with it. That my friends is a car, the Mini.. a hybrid of everything that is wrong with German and English cars. I swear they tried to make it as unreliable, and impossible to fix as possible.
Oh, and incase I wasn't clear, all these problems didn't magically appear, I had more warranty work done when it was new than I can remember. It's just uggggg a great car when it works. It tricked me.
01-04-2010, 09:06 PM
#28
Again ... apples oranges and bananas. The M35 is a good choice given your requirements listed -- but your list of 3 very varied vehicles leaves a lot of options open. Or did anyway.
The sad reality is that the car you are questing after simply does not exist.
That said the M35 is quite fun in the slippery stuff -- just don't be like a buddy of mine and run it into a snow bank -- amazing how much money they wanted for that front fascia.
The sad reality is that the car you are questing after simply does not exist.
That said the M35 is quite fun in the slippery stuff -- just don't be like a buddy of mine and run it into a snow bank -- amazing how much money they wanted for that front fascia.
01-05-2010, 06:08 AM
#29
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I know, I get they are all quite different, but ultimately they are just cars. They all get me and my crap from one place to another. On paper, on the road those 3 appealed to me so they became my list of "which one do I want"
The car I'm questing for does it exist. It's called an Audi R8 and does nothing I need it to
The car I'm questing for does it exist. It's called an Audi R8 and does nothing I need it to
01-05-2010, 09:37 AM
#30
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M35x sounds like a smart choice. A guy I worked with had one for a company car and loved it. When we switched to all Lexus as company cars he had to give it back for a GS350 AWD- he hates the Lex compared to the M35!
Anyway, GL with getting rid of the Mini and finding the right M.
Anyway, GL with getting rid of the Mini and finding the right M.