NewSpace

OP - I'm in a very similar position. Drive ~500 miles/week in a Toyota Camry Hybrid. I've got to tell you that it's probably the most practical, intelligent thing you can do. It gets great gas mileage, is comfortable, and will never give you any trouble. It's really all you need. Unless you're an enthusiast. Then you definitely need something fun. That's the juncture I'm at: I want a third "fun car" to add the the daily beater/commuter and the family hauler.
Good luck to you!

CDNROCKIES

Thanks man.

I know that the Camry Hybrid is likely the "smart" choice. The real problem that I'm having is that I miss my IS F....badly. Going back a year we had the ML320, X5 35d, 750 and IS F. Too many cars? Sure, but it allowed us to keep the mileage down, have safe transport whenever we needed it, and could have an absolute blast in the F. None of those vehicles are ones that I would want to put high miles on.

Hmmm...."smart" or responsible fun???

Good luck with your decision too.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

most of the time "fun" decisions don't make sense

imho i would choose between the ct and the frs, and probably i would opt for the ct

bagwell

can you list your priorities in order?

1. AWD? In Alberta [Banff/LL is gorgeous BTW] I would think this would be great to have (used A3 Quattro TDI?)
2. SPORTY? (used A3 Quattro TDI?)
3. <50k? (used A3 Quattro TDI?)

crap...they don't make the A3 TDI w/Quattro

CDNROCKIES

You're absolutely correct Henry, or we wouldn't have enjoyed any of the vehicles that we've had the past few years....lol. There are much more prudent ways to spend money....that are a lot less fun.

A3 Quattro TDI is definitely getting driven. Hits on all areas I think, and is actually only $44K brand new, fully loaded with S-line up here.

And yes, ty, we are very fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful areas on the planet.

bagwell

all the people there are so nice too...!! I guess fresh air and beautiful scenery will do that to people

CDNROCKIES

Ok, so I got to drive several of the cars yesterday and wanted to share my impressions. First off, we didn't look at the STi, as after further discussion with my wife, she is simply not interested in learning how to drive a 5/6 speed, and I'm not going to buy a car that she can't/won't drive ever. As a result, we skipped the Subaru dealership entirely and drove the FR-S instead.

First car of the day was the Camry Hybrid. Fully loaded in XLE trim. The car is what you'd expect, nice, decent but nothing really exciting in it. It was surprisingly peppy for a hybrid and the handling is competent. One downside for us is that the rear seats do not fold down in the hybrid version. Our dog prefers to lie down, especially on long road trips, so the fold flats are nice.

Took the FR-S out immediately after. It was outfitted with Blizzak LM-60's so I was able to drive it somewhat aggressively without worrying about our winter weather. As has been the general consensus, it is a ton of fun to drive. Steering is precise and the car just feels like it was built to be thrown around...hard. For a $28K car, it is an incredible bang for the buck. One that I looked at had an upgraded carbon fiber interior that looked really sharp.

Downsides are the lack of space. We did take our sales guy with us and he fit back there, but my wife was cramped up front as a result. The car is also incredibly loud and needs the rpm's to be quite high to really move it. As was mentioned previously, there has been an issue with cold starts, so I asked to fire it up on my own. Sure enough, during the first minute at idle, it struggled, almost like it was going to choke itself out.

My bigger concern however, is the lack of power. If the turbo rumors are true and they can keep the price point within, say, $10K, this will possibly be the best bang for the buck car on the planet. I'm concerned about picking up this initial launch and then regretting it when the turbo appears a year from now.

We took the A3 out right afterwards. They do not make a Quattro diesel which dashed our dreams right out of the gate.

They did have a FWD gas A3 that we took for a drive. In typical German fashion, the interior is simple/spartan, but efficient and functional. The ride comfort and handling was very, very good for an entry level vehicle. Ideally, if they made a Quattro diesel it would be a no brainer decision for us, we enjoyed it that much. We were told that they have no more Quattros as the A3 is on it's way out in it's current format. They did find one more available but the numbers are not favorable for a car that is such high demand up here.

Last stop was our Lexus dealership. We took a F Sport CT for a drive. The interior is everything we'd expect (though we would likely choose the Tech package over F Sport) from a Lexus. Spacious, comfortable and all the necessary tech to give us the luxury comforts in an entry level car.

The major issue I have with it is the lack of power. We took it onto the freeway and it is flat out slow. I'm concerned that on my highway commute it will lack the passing power that I frequently need with the amount of semis that drive this highway. Overall a very good car, but probably better suited to urban driving.

So basically after yesterday, I have nothing figured out....lol.

The Camry is all around solid, but now I'm going to consider a few other cars. I did not drive the Veloster, but looked at it and don't imagine that it is going to fulfill my wish list. They are having a sale at the moment and for the right number, I might have a look at a last year Genesis sedan. If the discount was deep enough maybe an R-spec.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback and I appreciate your contributions.

07grIS350

If you could get pass the brand name "Kia", take a look at the optima sedan. Otherwise the TCH is probably the best choice.

geko29

Aside from the -30C issue, I'd recommend a 2009-11 335d. Tons of fun to drive for a four-door--you're used to the power in your X5, now subtract 1,400 lbs and you have a rocketship--and gets outstanding mileage on the highway (I'm getting 42mpg US--the 29mpg below is my overall mix with 80% city). You obviously like your bimmers, so you'd be sticking with what you're used to/comfortable with. A low-mileage used one should cost about the same as a loaded Camry, for a hell of a lot nicer ride, IMO.

mmarshall

The FR-S lists, on the average, less than the more upmarket BR-Z, but, like the old Saturns, per company-policy, sells at a firm list price (plus,taxes/tags, and,if applicable, factory-approved accessories), with no discounting allowed. At first, glance, one would think that this would not work to your favor, seeing as that the BR-Z doesn't have that company-restriction...but the tight supply/demand situation for the BR-Z often allows major price mark-ups at the dealership that make it substantially more expensive than the FR-S, no matter what the model. Most of those mark-ups, of course (if not acessory-related) are avoided with the FR-S.


Nothing new there. Tight interior space (particularly in the back seat), firm/stiff rides, and significant noise-levels have been characteristics of many small sports-coupes, though the mid-late 90s Toyota Celica was reasonably quiet.


Glad they help.

CDNROCKIES

Badge isn't an issue, especially considering I'm now also looking at a Hyundai. The TCH will always be the "safe' decision. Thanks!

335d has been discontinued for 2013 and they're north of $60K up here. We have been very happy with our diesels except in the bitter cold. No chance I'm buying a used BMW as I'm well aware of the costs involved. Yes, it would be more fun and if I lived somewhere that didn't freeze up the urea delivery system I'd probably get another one.

Glad you're happy with yours, it's a really good car.

There is no dealer mark-up allowed up here. There seems to be a decent amount of them available as well. Of course our prices are higher to begin with across the board.

mmarshall

Which one are you refering to...the FR-S or BR-Z? There aren't any markups on the FR-S anywhere (except for dealer/manufacturer-approved accessories).....that's just simply Scion's corporate policy, like at the old Saturn. But Subie dealers have no such corporate-limitations.....they are free to charge what the market will bear. Of course, if there is an adequate supply of them locally (as you indicate), then that will work to keep prices down.

CDNROCKIES

I was referring to any car sold in Canada. Our dealers are legally not allowed to add a "dealer markup" onto the invoice as is commonplace in the US.

mmarshall

I've reviewed a non-turbo Veloster (the turbos weren't out yet when I did the review). Not a bad little sport hatchback (and it has a handy small half-door on the passenger side for rear-seat/cargo access. But, overall, I don't think you would like it as much as a BR-Z or FR-S.

mmarshall

Interesting. Didn't know that. Here in the U.S., any non-Scion dealership (despite the idiotic TV/radio dealer commercials, which are usually an insult to one's intelligence) can choose either to do markups or not....the government generally doesn't get involved. Scion franchises, of course, are bound by the company's Saturn-like list-price-only policy. The list-price policy, of course, makes it easier for first-time young buyers and for those who don't want to spend time haggling like in a Middle-East bazzar.

Even with Saturn's and Scion's list-price-only policy, though, dealerships can get around that on high-demand/short-supply vehicles by simply adding on dealer/factory-approved accessories....they can charge for them, and usually add to profits while doing so.