# Springtime; When a young man's fancy turns to a new car. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740 "2006-03-24T17:03:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/1 "2006-03-24T17:03:08Z")
I’ve definitely got the bug. So in my dream garage I’d have: Track car: [VW R32 AWD](http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=19&article_id=8006) Sedan: [Accura RL AWD](http://www.acura.com/index.aspx?initPath=RL) Coupe: [Jaguar XKR](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2000-2003/2003-Jaguar-XKR-Coupe-Black-City-1280x960.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/2000-2003/2003-Jaguar-XKR-Coupe-Black-City-1280x960.htm&h=960&w=1280&sz=309&tbnid=9LGbM2iTIrwJ:&tbnh=112&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djaguar%2Bxkr%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D&start=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=0) SUV: [Volvo XC90 V8](http://www.volvocars.us/Showroom/XC90/) Exotic: [Aston Martin Vanquish S](http://www.seriouswheels.com/2005/2005-Aston-Martin-Vanquish-S-FA-Studio-1024x768.htm) Bike: [Triumph Speed Triple](http://www.hermys.com/triumph/speedtriple/) Of course, each in silver or grey (aston!) and the bike is black. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/2 "2006-03-24T17:23:42Z")
Dream garage? Aston Martin Vanquish or a bike. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/3 "2006-03-24T18:21:09Z")
Accord hybrid. Red. Or rather, “Redondo Red Pearl”. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/4 "2006-03-24T18:41:40Z")
I know it’s pretty low scale compared to what others have posted, but I’d like a [Nissan](http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/8084/untitled4bq.png) [350Z](http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9754/nissan350z0110245hu.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/5 "2006-03-24T18:54:53Z")
Looks like a new Pathfinder of 4Runner for me. They both look like just what I need. I really like the latest generation of these vehicles. I’m kind of excited about it. My current Pathfinder is 13 years old and 200000 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/6 "2006-03-24T19:22:37Z")
Well, if I get to pick a dream car, it may as well be the 16 cylinder, 1000 HP, [Bugatti Veyron](http://auto.sohu.com/piclib/vw/bugatti/veyron/big/Bugatti_EB_16-4_Veyron022.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![rpinrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@rpinrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rpinrd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/7 "2006-03-24T19:49:30Z")
In the next few weeks I’m getting the Dodge Magnum SRT8. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/8 "2006-03-24T23:01:21Z")
A brand spanking new R1, and old Norton Commando, a Honda Insight, an old Toyota Land Cruiser, and something sporty, haven’t decided what yet. _looks in driveway, spies beat up station wagon, sighs_ _looks at side driveway, sees Z750, smiles_ Hey my reality isn’t all bad! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/9 "2006-03-24T23:08:13Z")
For the highway: Toyota Prius. For local stuff: Smart Fortwo. And for the haulin’ jobs: a high-headroom Dodge/Mercedes/Freightliner Sprinter van. (I’ve seen them with all three logos in Toronto, so I don’t know who’s selling them now.) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/10 "2006-03-24T23:17:22Z")
With my old Maxima SE now finally paid off, I’m getting car fever myself. Though I’ll probably do the sensible thing and wait to September to get a better deal. Wanting to upgrade the luxury level slightly, being a fan of stodgy four-door sedans with slightly sportier handling and not willing to chance any non-Japanese models ( European reliability really seems to be taking a shit and American stuff still lags ), I’m pretty much down to : Acura TL Infiniti G35 Lexus IS250 Dark horse candidate if I go slightly cheaper might be the Subaru Legacy GT sedan. All things being equal I’d go with the Infiniti M35, but I think that might be stretching just slightly more than I prudently should. The Lexus might be slightly too small for my tastes and the AWD versions of the Lexus and Infiniti ( which I’d prefer for windy wet hilly roads ) are a bit pricier. I’ll likely settle on the Acura, which is certainly the roomiest and the value leader if perhaps just lightly less luxurious and solid than the Lexus and a little less performance oriented than the G35. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/11 "2006-03-24T23:24:09Z")
I don’t know a lot about cars, but wouldn’t this interest you? ‘In a light car it is therefore essential to have light suspension — easier said than done in a vehicle which needs tyres and a braking system commensurate with a top speed of over 230mph.’ [http://www.audiosignal.co.uk/McLarenF1.html](http://www.audiosignal.co.uk/McLarenF1.html) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/12 "2006-03-24T23:32:28Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > For the highway: Toyota Prius. Doesn’t the Prius get better MPG in the city then hwy IIRC the MPG improvement on the highway was pretty marginal, it is the city figures that rock. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/13 "2006-03-24T23:36:38Z")
Drop the R32 and get a Lotus Exige, much better fun as a track car. Get an Audi RS-4 as your regular driver (comfortable, practicle, and 420 horse power 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/14 "2006-03-24T23:54:48Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Doesn’t the Prius get better MPG in the city then hwy IIRC the MPG improvement on the highway was pretty marginal, it is the city figures that rock. Yes, because of regenerative braking and electric-only operation. But if you’re commuting every day to the same office in it, you’d use even fewer resources on the bus. Where it would come in handy would be for the sort of job where you have to drive around a lot visiting clients. I want a plug-in hybrid diesel Smart, but I don’t know whether that’s possible given the limited space in the car. (The Canadian Smarts are already diesel.) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/15 "2006-03-25T01:15:04Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Drop the R32 and get a Lotus Exige, much better fun as a track car. My very good friend has the Elise (same car in targa roof configuration) and it’s fun as hell to drive. 🙂 > [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Get an Audi RS-4 as your regular driver (comfortable, practicle, and 420 horse power 🙂 ) It’s my next car (in 2007). It was a toss up between an M3 and that and I just like the Audi quattro platform a little better and the interior fit/ergonomics are more to my taste. It’s not on my list because I’ve already accepted it as a given. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/16 "2006-03-25T02:05:34Z")
The Grand Cherokee SRT8. In BLACK, completely loaded. This thing haunts me… Even worst, my current car is long since paid off, is beyond 160K and is showing its age. It might be time. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/springtime-when-a-young-mans-fancy-turns-to-a-new-car/349740/17 "2006-03-25T21:35:41Z")
I just succumbed to this, and got myself a 2006 Mustang V6 manual. Man, what a sweet car!