Rochester

iTrader: (8)

Although I've been watching online, and I've seen and sat in the car at the autoshow, I saw my first 2018 Infiniti Q60 on the road yesterday. Damn, that is one ugly car. Imagine a 22 year old HS drop-out from the suburbs, pockets filled with Daddy's money and sporting a gold crucifix on the outside of his silk shirt. This is the perfect car for that kid. But for adults with even an average amount of good taste... nope.

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

but do you have strong feelings about it? lol

My $0.02 on the RS3...seems like a great car but it looks so small...anything smaller than the G with a babyseat and all the associated kid crap that goes with it would be a no go and I feel like it would be a beyotch to get in and out of...one thing I appreciate about the g is how wide the rear doors open, great for elderly parents and babies even though the car isn't massive it makes it more practical than some larger cars

ryanwhite74115

Tell us how you really feel BRAH!

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

According to cars.com, there are 677 '18 Golf Rs for sale, a disproportionate number, 477 (70%), being 6MT. Several dealers are $5K under MSRP, or $35K. I'm going to go check the white one out at my local dealer again. If they're willing to get into that $35K range, I might pull up my plan from summer 19 and jump.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

No not really. I just like checking out cars and I always have a lot better feel for cars after I actually drive them. If I really liked the ATS-V drive and found a bright red 6spd. sedan with the Performance Data Recorder, Recaro seats, Alcantara steering wheel & shifter, and fold down rear seat, I might have to jump on it as it does not currently exist new or used. Funny, that is the exact car they had at the Milwaukee Auto Show 2 years ago that caught my eye, but now it seems like unobtanium. Same goes for a black or dark blue M3 6spd. with cloth seats, carbon roof, stock gray wheels, and adaptive suspension. Does not exist. So it seems like I will be in for the same long 3-6 mo. search like I was for my white/black leather '13 G37S sedan 6spd. w/ <20k miles when it was 2 years old.

Yes, I have been family planning for quite some time which is why my cars for the last 6 years+ have all been sedans.

Alpha?

I think the ATS-V would be enough for me to look at in bright red with the carbon package, but those don't seem to exist. Unfortunately, it has the smallest back seat of them all.

I'm looking at the RS3, not the S3. Do you think the RS3 is a "sideways move" from my current car?

I do really like the M2, but remember- "family planning." 2 doors are not for me at the moment. Maybe when she gets older and can climb into her own seat. I did a 180 on the M2 like you did on the Quadrifoglio. I thought it was hideous in pictures, but the wide fenders and proportions work a lot better in person. Still not a pretty car by any means, but better in person than pics.

That is a really nice car. We just got in a red one and I like it, but the styling is still to conservative for me and there are big plans for that car on the horizon.

The ATS-V is the one you should be worried about for kids in the back. It has a lot less leg, shoulder, and headroom in the back than the RS3 as well as the other 2. The only thing that worries me about size in the RS3 is if there is enough room up front for a helmet. It seems close.

All of these cars would probably works size-wise and I actually like the feel of a smaller car as far as handling and sight lines. I was at the grocery store the other day and there was an original Honda from the 70's in the parking lot. Boy did that put things in perspective in terms of size and made me realize how big, fat, and bloated today's cars have become to match the ever expanding waistlines of Americans. That Honda literally looked like a scaled down model of a current car. Kind of like when you see a R34 GT-R parked next to an R35.


R34 GT-R looks tiny in front of R35 GT-R
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...6y6bnjhjpg.jpg

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

As a DD, I'd put them all in the same bucket as your current car. Except for the Alfa, that thing is a beast. Loved that H2H video.

Long ago you were considering getting a track toy to go along with an un-modded DD that still satisfied your automotive values. Whatever happened to those plans? Or could this be the start of those plans?

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

I'm fine with conservative, if I stick to my normal car cadence, I'll have this car until I'm 48. I prefer to fly under the radar

And I'm less optimistic than you on the big plans. Sure, we're going to get a MK8 in 2020, but the fact that 6MTs are languishing on lots and the DCT cars are getting snagged up doesn't exactly bode well for the MT. It's already gotten the axe in some foreign markets.

It's a low production, niche car, I don't see VW investing a ton in the R, there isn't a payback. And a 400HP AWD monster isn't going to come in at $40K. Look at the RS3.

For what you're looking at, I'd eliminate the Alfa and focus on the ATS-V and M3 and plan to pick up the first one that pops up that meets the color, transmission, mileage and option configuration you're looking for. That's what I'd do, but I don't want to drop that much coin on a car, and I don't want an older, out of manufacturers warranty version either. You have the benefit of a bit of a labor hookup working at a dealer

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

An M3 with cloth seats? I love the idea, but I never would have guessed that that was even an option

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

Cloth seats and fugly 18" wheels are standard.

It looks like he's looking for the most track ready version, cloth seats, no moonroof so carbon fiber and lower center of gravity and the adaptive suspension. Lots of M3s out there with the cloth seats. The stock wheels + adaptive suspension is probably going to be the more tricky find.

I actually think the cloth seats look better

MaQG37

iTrader: (4)

I'm that mid 20's trust-fund baby driving a Q50 with the gold crucifix inside of his shirt sliding my rear end at every chance I get blasting Cardi B.

ANMVQ

iTrader: (13)

I guess I'll finally chime in here LOL,

A replacement I have been looking at a lot it the SQ5. I think it might be time I get and SUV, trying to grab event tables, banners and products and fitting them in the back seat and truck on the Q50 is getting a bit old.

I like the Alfa Stevio also but something about the Audi just gets me. I had a B5 S4 that a loved!

Rochester

iTrader: (8)

LOL. I have teenage girls, so I actually know who Cardi B is. One loves her, and the other calls her a homophobe, and I have no real opinion other than she's a weirdo. Oh and at least your crucifix is personal, and not a cliquey social statement.



I should stop now before I completely derail the OP's thread.


Me too. In the world of mid-sized SUV's, it's a head-turner.

Insofar as high performance mid-sized SUV's... not so much.

ANMVQ

iTrader: (13)

Yea 335 HP is not a lot but a STG1 tune bumps it about 410 HP and you can flash it at home EPL tune

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

You could pretty much throw a blanket over the performance stats for all 4 cars except that the RS3 walks all of them in a straight line with the AWD and the ATS-V handles better. I can always add power, but getting handling perfected can be tricky. I think as a complete car the M3 is probably the best fit for me and it certainly looks better inside and out than the ATS-V. Tough call. I really think it is coming down to the M3 and ATS-V for me.

I still consider a track only toy and was just looking at Lotus Elise, Camaro SS 1LE, and a few others, but I would much rather have one car that can do DD and track days as I see the number of track days diminishing when my daughter arrives. Plus I would much rather have 1 car that is fun to drive 100% of the time instead of driving a boring car to work most of the time. This may sound dumb, but driving a fast car well is great therapy for me.

And you can do a simple tune on a Golf R and get to 400hp if you want.

I think we are in the same thought about narrowing down to the ATS-V and M3. The tough thing is I really like the G37 the way I have it and I am sure I can drive it for a number of years, but as clean a line as I can run on track, it will never keep up with new dedicated performance cars on track with good drivers.

I actually like the stock gray wheels better on the M3 than the heavy 19's or 20's. Those larger wheels just look really plain to me. The gray wheels on a white M3 really pop, but I would probably go with a black car this time. I do agree with you 100% on the cloth seats. Why would you want a performance car with leather seats to sweat in and slide around on that are ice cold in the winter? Hard pass. I am having a harder time finding the carbon roof. Almost all the cloth seat M3's have the stock rims and most have the adaptive suspension. Surprisingly, most of them are white, but that can change.

No worries. Just understand that no Cardi B will come out of my speakers.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

I'd say the only issue with tuning the 6MT is that it sounds like the OE clutch is almost at capacity with stock power levels. One nice thing is the JB1/4 is just a piggyback unit, so it's invisible.

And this is my dilemma, because I really like the G37 the way I have it setup too. I'll be at 70K this time next year, and 82K in 2020. I'm just not as optimistic as some of you that the next gen STI and R are going to have the required 6MT and be in my sub $40K price range, and I don't see anything new on the horizon that meets the 4 door/6MT/AWD or RWD criteria. Plus, my car is showing some signs of age, and there are a few things that are just bothering me about it. I'd be inconsolable if I waited and got forced into an auto.

My kids have a sleepover Saturday, so I'm going to go with the wife and drive the R again, the salesperson certainly implied they could do better on the price. There must be some backend money on them to make way for the 18s if dealers are advertising $5K off sticker, which is $3500 under invoice.