Replacing the VW?
 

OK, assume for the sake of argument that I don't want to keep spending $4K every two years on clutches for my dumb Volkswagen.

Help me ID some/any alternatives.

Current scenarios:


1. Replace VW with E90 for F30 3er, keep Tesla and Porsche. I mostly drive F30 or E90.

2. Replace VW with 911, keep Tesla, sell Boxster. I mostly drive 911.

3. Replace VW with something dumb and boring but practical, like a...Toyosanfordolet Everycar. Keep Tesla and Boxster.


Other ideas? I don't really want a 2er, though maybe I should drive an M2 to see what that is all about. I am weirdly tempted by a Stelvio or Giulia Quad, but I can't really buying a sports car that isn't a stick.

For the Toyosanfordolet, I can see something like a Stinger, maybe?

I like option 2.

Remind me again why you needed the VW in the first place? What vehicle needs/wants are lacking right now?

And whatever you answer I might still suggest a pickup truck anyway. :lol:

Wouldn’t the cheapest option be to put a clutch in the VW every couple years? Especially if you can find a place to charge non-dealer pricing?

He's bored with it. And now that he's annoyed as well, it's done.

It's not fun pouring money into something that doesn't bring you joy.

Yes, that's the cheapest option, and probably I could wait until the next time it shits the bed and put in an aftermarket unit for the same or less cost.

I should probably just do that.

But, yes, I am deeply annoyed at this turn of events, and who knows, maybe now is the right time to shake things up.

VW is my wife's car, mostly, and serves as a reliable AWD hatch for going places the Tesla won't and the Porsche is too small for. Obvs option 2 doesn't really address that, but I might be able to make it work.

Thank you Marie Kondo :D

How about a Honda Civic Si, it has 205hp and a manual :dunno:

A new or used 911? I think the answer is always "get the 911." And yet, somehow, few of us go for it here.

I would also suggest driving the M2, and possibly also an M240 convertible. Unfortunately the latter is not available with a manual in AWD, otherwise, I'd say lease one of those for sure.

But even in RWD form, it could replace the VW and the Boxster, and fit the whole family for top down fun. You would want to get the LSD, though.

Then you can push your 911 purchase out until the kids are in college.

What places won't the Tesla go?

Option 1a of replacing the VW with another Tesla 3 instead of E90/F30 seems to make a lot of sense. :dunno:

If the VW is your wife's car, what does she want?

I don't know. There is no need to have AWD around here. I'd probably dump it (edit: the VW) and buy some sort of useful manual transmission appliance that is cheap to run, cheap to insure and reasonably not hateful to drive. Mazda 3, Civic Si, etc.

You already have the Boxster to jump in when you want to drive something fun. And the Tesla, I guess.

Few, at this point. But edge case scenarios where I want to go someplace where there isn't a charger.

It's difficult, infrastructure-wise, to plug two cars in at my house, so moving to a 2 Tesla household is still tricky. Plus the E90/F30 option would probably be cheaper.

To JV: yeah, ultimately it will be her decision.

The Alfa Quads are very tempting. There's one that drives by me on a regular basis and taunts me- what a sweet sounding car.

As for sticks, maybe that e90 wagon from EAG? Just kidding. Since equ happens to have that 535 for sale it might be worth a look. If not, maybe an e90 335i? B8 S4 manual? b7 S4 wagon manual (granted that's probably a masochistic choice). What about an STI hatch with a stick?

Do you have any must-haves or things you don't like? What apsects of the Golf bore you? Do you want something cheaper/more practical/dont have to think about it or something higher maintanence/higher performing?

I mean, what it comes down to is that if it's mostly my car, I want something like a Quad or a 911. If it's mostly hers, she'd prefer something lower-strung. The Golf R is a really nice balance; the Focus RS, e.g., is a little too boy racer.

STI doesn't really interest me. I had one a while ago and it had its charms but they were limited.

The 2.0 Giulia has been a remarkably fun and practical car to drive.

Alex


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Stupid question . . . If they are making you pay for it, do they have to put factory stuff in it?

How much would they charge for diagnostics if you tell them you want to pick it up tomorrow (and take it somewhere who will install better parts?)

I don't think they've done anything to it yet, so presumably I could do this, but a) I'd like to try and get some warranty or goodwill on it, and b) I'm not sure what "better" parts are; ppl on Vortex have thoughts, but what might seem like a reasonable noise low effort flywheel/clutch combo to them probably wouldn't to me and certainly wouldn't to my wife.

I see. It's clear you really want a 911 and it's unlikely that any "halfway" solution is going to make you any happier than the Golf R. An F30 or E90 is likely to have different expensive issues that will annoy you and I doubt you'll be happier driving it after the "newness" of it wears off. An M2 is likely going to be too high strung for you wife, and you'll still just crave a 911 . But, I doubt the 911 is going to be able to act as the "road trip" car, so i think that kind of takes it off the table for now. Unfortunately, option 3 might be your best bet-- just pick the least distasteful choice from the list of cars your wife would consider. My guess would be some type of Mazda w/ a stick. It doesnt sound like you actually need to drive it that much in reality. A Stinger would probably be overkill for her and you likely wouldn't enjoy much anyway since it wouldn't have a stick (also your wife might be like mine and just not like the way it looks). Maybe you can score a good lease deal on a Genesis G70 w/ a stick?

If you get the 911 and you need to go somewhere with 3 people and no superchargers, what will you do?

If you have a solution to that problem then trade the Golf and Boxster for a 911 stat. You want one. Life is short. It's time.

I have nice, big, comfy 535i for sale. Buy that and a 911. Then sell Golf R & Boxster (that's my biased advice).

Buying the 535 seems like a great interim solution.

You can always rent or borrow something for that edge case, can't you? Does it take more than two hands to count the number of times you've driven somewhere from your home in the last two years where charging wasn't a reasonable option (no matter which car you took)?

Is the E90/F30 cheaper over the course of several years? (I have no idea and lots of variables I can't estimate.)

Is the inability to charge a second vehicle a permanent thing or just how your house is today?

I've been repeating the argument that charging a car is difficult enough for enough people as to pose a challenge to full acceptable of EVs without gas station like charger access with gas station like charging times. If charging two cars at your home is a problem that can't be fixed by having an electrician come out to run a new circuit, that may be a new wrinkle.

I knew you had a WRX, but don't recall the STI.

I find the idea of you commuting in a Quad or 911 kind of depressing. The 2.0 Giulia seems particularly well suited, though.

Re: charging--it's because of my goofy driveway/alley/street parking situation. I have a 100 amp dedicated circuit now, which I could pretty easily split and run two Tesla wall chargers; I could even mount one in the front yard. But then I'd have to run a cable across the sidewalk, which my neighbors might not appreciate, or trench under it, which would be a PITA. It could be done, if I needed to do it.

Nothing against anyone's choices, but if I decided to put up with an auto Alfa as a daily I'd want it to be a Quad.

Re: edge cases--yes, there are very few. Hardly any. And now that my parents are local I can likely just borrow one of their cars (which is what I'm doing now, actually, because VW doesn't have enough service loaners). A 911 might work, though I want to see if my son would even tolerate the back seat; he's getting big enough that maybe not. A task for this weekend, maybe.

And you're right on the STI v WRX, but the things I didn't like about the WRX are not things that are better in the STI.

This does seem like the most realistic response. You've wanted a 911 forever. The boxster, no matter how good it is, constantly comes up in your posts as ready for replacement. You need a largish pleasant to roadtrip car and you want the flexibility of awd and a manual. Seems like EQU's 5er or EQU's 340 are the only two things that would fit the use case.

Horrible idea... lease a new x3.

What's driving the need for AWD?

That was tongue in-cheek. While the 5 is a car I'd happily sell to a friend, it is not a direct Golf R replacement in any way. It's smoother on large roads but balkier around town. You need to be a dedicated 3-pedal & sedan person to enjoy it. I say that as I know Cara prefers her GTI to the 5 for example. I don't, but she does...

I think from what I understand of the stated use case it would probably be a good fit. I'm also assuming that keeping the R and / or replacing it with another VAG product is off the table based on the clutch experience.

Not a Quad, but...hmm.

https://www.alfaromeousaofarlington....fanbn7k7611950

It's. So. Red.

VW reliability driving someone to look at Alfas? Elections do have consequences, I guess.

The comment I made in the BAT thread about black interiors... yea that red is way worse.

just because I know how much you like blue. Shame its a dual clutch
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh....php?t=1329739

Individual Blue Hera Mica (or something like that)
https://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/u...8-1024x684.jpg

That is one good looking M3 :eek: nice call Josh !!

Wow.

That's a lovely color.

Has anyone driven an M2?

I have and I loved it. The only reason I am headed in the Boxster direction is the want for a convertible again. I have only had one so far in my life and while still living in Nor Cal before retirement I long for another one.

It really is a fun little’ish car. When I was looking I was trying to find an 18 for the LCI and the option of a sunroof to open up the interior a little bit. There is slight turbo lag but you coming from a Golf R should not notice it. There is definitely room for the kido’s in the back and it would scratch all your itches.

Matt drove it too. He's got a bunch of posts about it during his e46 restore with JV and prior to getting the model 3 and selling the cayman

Never mind, found it

Interesting.

(scratches chin)

I think that the real answer is Josh needs to go find an E30.

I’d would drive both the N55 and S55 versions. Some pretty good deals can be had on the 18’s. If you go with the N55 I would stay away from the 16, 17. The LCI had some pretty cool updates inside and out and updated to the touch screen infotainment system.

There will be a 10K + difference at least to upgrade to the S55 version. The M seats and the new front end are pretty neat though but the Comp wheels are nasty.

Both Chris Harris and Jason with MoterTrend at the time had high praise for the N55 version.

Didn't some model get improved steering?