Hey guys, the car bug is biting me again.

Due to gas prices, laziness & general fascination with cars - i'm contemplating selling the GS and my Infiniti to buy just one car for all seasons. Paying for insurance, plates & maintenance for 2 cars is slowly getting to me.

Here is my latest idea (your opinions will be heavily considered)...

Sell the 2 cars (which should be worth around $25-30k) and pick up either:

Audi A3 2.0T with DSG (great reviews on this car - everyone seems to call it the perfect all-around car)

Mini Cooper S 6-speed (i've always loved these, plus they drive like go-carts)

Acura TSX 6-speed (although a bit slow - very great quality car)

Mazda3s Grand Touring (I drove the MazdaSpeed 3 as well, but that loud exhaust & lack of a sunroof turned me off)

-- all of these cars would get me around 30 mpg & are available with navigation (the GS spoiled me)

Again, this is nothing set in stone, but definitely a possibility. What do you guys think?

George

 

Saving money is always a wise decision. I say do it.

 

True.

Just make sure you come up at the end. You don't want to lose too much $$ on selling your cars, as well as paying for a new/used one.

 

Hard to be insane if you are talking about saving money, just make sure you take a close look at the reliability. The A3 for instance hasn't been out for too long in the U.S., but I can tell you the last generation A3 sold down here had a lot of issues.

 

Your not insane buddy. You are smart. Chicago winters are no joke, and the GS4 is getting old and losing its value fast. Get yourself the Audi A3 Quattro.. You will be a very happy camper.

 

I love the new car smell plus a warranty. I say do it.

 

Acura TSX 6-speed is my choice of the above, great car! Luxury at a bargain, the 4-banger honda engineering naturally keeps torque levels low, but its still got good pep and is a blast to drive!

 

A3 would be my choice for all around utility and AWD based on where you live.

 

I would be hard-pressed to 'downgrade' from a car like the GS to one of the cars you mentioned, but I understand your reasons for considering it.

The A3 is strange to me because it costs as much as an A4 did a few years ago and it seems tiny. It makes me think of what a four-door VW GTi would look like if they made one.

The Mini Cooper... I like these cars. If you don't need a super-practical people hauler, this would be my first choice.

Acura TSX: a bit long in the tooth, but a great car and you can get it with all the cool Navi/BlueTooth toys. And it comes in blue.

Mazda 3; I don't know why, but I really like these cars. There is a guy locally with one lowered a bit on 18s- it looks great, the wider wheels and tires really emphasize the body & fender details. Even in stock form they look sharp with the upgraded stock wheels.

If you buy one of the German cars (this includes the Mini) and you plan on keeping it a while , get the extra warranty (my friend had to replace his Cooper S engine -spun rod bearing- at 30,700 miles, just out of warranty )

 

The Audi is an excellent car, if a bit pricey. If you get one don't blow $2k on the nav. system like I did. You can get a Garmin unit for 3-4 hundred that does the same things.

 

German tuner Oettinger has some nice packages for the Audi A3. Just look at this vid.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=p-00Y6Rnj4g

 

Just out of curiosity, why the A3 and not A4? From you list, I too, would go with the Audi though I'd pay a bit more and get the A4.

 

Subaru anything

last gen WRX wagons are badass

 

The A3 costs less, plus I hear that DSG is amazing!
Not to mention i'm really a fan of those Euro-style hatchbacks.

 

Be warned that the Audi or Mini nav system will not be anywhere as good as Japanese systems (I know that Audi's is not touch screen). I can imagine that would be an annoying adjustment.