Pauls dropped 8
Registered
as some of u may know, ive been looking for a replacement for my mark lately. i cant seem to get this damn fuel filter off for the life of me and i can already hear my front end making that oh so familiar creak again, and plus, i just want something new. sue me.
the cars ive tested so far have been:
Chrysler 300 (still waiting for the local dealer to get a hemi in for more than an hour)
Dodge Magnum Hemi
Ford 04 Cobra
Infiniti G35 coupe
Acura TL
Pontiac GTO
the chrysler is a great car. big, roomy, huge trunk, and would be able to handle my stereo obsession admirably. im gonna hold judgement on this one until i get to drive the hemi.
the dodge was impressive because of the space in this one as well. i wasnt too impressed with the hemi or the transmission. probably more with the tranny though. i think the gearing is way too tall for this thing. i felt like it iwas in 1st for way too long when i gunned it from a stop. also, there was like a 2 second pause between 1st and 2nd and the shifts were so soft. i think it would benefit greatly from a tweak or 2 on the tranny along with some new gears.
the cobra had to be the most fun out of all of them. i thoroughly enjoyed watching the dealer sitting next to me in the chromalusion drop-top clutch whatever he could when i kicked out the ass end on this thing entering the highway. seats were uncomfortable as hell. shifting was difficult due to the placement, and with the weird curve on the shifter, i felt like i was gonna punch the stereo during spirited runs. this would be a great 2nd car. i couldnt see driving to work everyday in this thing without having to take a loan out for gas consumption...let alone driving this thing in the snow.
i had to go down to miami to test out the infiniti since the closest dealer is like 2 hours away from me (i was heading down to miami anyway and theres a dealer within 2 miles of my old house). suprisingly, i didnt really like this car all that much. the looks on this thing are stunning and i found everything id need to make this thing not only look better, but nearly double the horsepower. the interior was beautiful but cramped. i couldnt see putting in a nice stereo since the dash is all one piece and i hear ordering the multi-piece unit from japan is insanely expensive. driving it i wasnt all that impressed either. i think id only pick this one up if i got a significant amount taken from the price since this one is still one of the higher priced cars that ive looked at.
now heres the big suprise. i really liked the acura. i swore after i bought my mark that id never get another fwd car again, but this one may make me a liar. i drove the 6 speed version and i tell u its more fun that the G35. the only complaint i have is from the torque-steer thats so apparent when getting on the pedal coming around a turn. the interior is beautiful and comfortable and the gear changing is flawlessly smooth. i love the looks of this car and id be perfectly happy just putting some 19s or 20s on this thing and possibly lowering it. no need for a body kit or anything like that, this thing is just gorgeous by itself (pretty much the reason i bought my mark). plus the whole honda reliability thing doesnt hurt. another plus, is i hear theyre gonna make an awd version soon after they release their new awd RL.
and finally the GTO. i was staring at the CTS-V and thinking, "how could this car be so nice looking while the regular CTS sitting next to it is such a pig? could it be the 400hp under the hood making it look better?", then the dealer interupted me asking if it was interested or dreaming. i told him to show me a GTO in stick. he pointed at the pretty black one and i said lets go. we hop in the car and right away i loved it. just driving normally, i noticed how solid the shifts were. only trouble i had was finding a few gears here and there since all my experience with stick has been with a 5 speed up until these past few weeks. when i got on it, i could feel that torque just flowing through the power band and i loved it. the interior wasnt bad at all. the cabin was big enough for some speakers and i could see that id have no problem removing the factory radio. after i finished driving it, i popped the trunk and found that what i thought was gonna be a huge trunk was cut in half because of their friggin gas tank placement. theyve got the damn thing sitting right below the rear-speaker deck thus cutting any trunk space in half. for any car that i get, i need at least enough room for a speaker box and my hockey equipment or luggage. this totally ruined the gto for me. i know alot of u are saying "so go without the boom". well, i cant. thats what i enjoy, so i want a car i can incorporate that into.
i seriously dont know what im gonna do. i dont know how long my mark is gonna last before i drive it off a cliff. so far, im thinking that if acura makes the TL AWD, thats what im going with. im also thinking i could try and incorporate my subwoofers into the cabin of the GTO and be mildly content. id love either of the chrysler/dodge, but im sick of automatics. what do u guys think?
the cars ive tested so far have been:
Chrysler 300 (still waiting for the local dealer to get a hemi in for more than an hour)
Dodge Magnum Hemi
Ford 04 Cobra
Infiniti G35 coupe
Acura TL
Pontiac GTO
the chrysler is a great car. big, roomy, huge trunk, and would be able to handle my stereo obsession admirably. im gonna hold judgement on this one until i get to drive the hemi.
the dodge was impressive because of the space in this one as well. i wasnt too impressed with the hemi or the transmission. probably more with the tranny though. i think the gearing is way too tall for this thing. i felt like it iwas in 1st for way too long when i gunned it from a stop. also, there was like a 2 second pause between 1st and 2nd and the shifts were so soft. i think it would benefit greatly from a tweak or 2 on the tranny along with some new gears.
the cobra had to be the most fun out of all of them. i thoroughly enjoyed watching the dealer sitting next to me in the chromalusion drop-top clutch whatever he could when i kicked out the ass end on this thing entering the highway. seats were uncomfortable as hell. shifting was difficult due to the placement, and with the weird curve on the shifter, i felt like i was gonna punch the stereo during spirited runs. this would be a great 2nd car. i couldnt see driving to work everyday in this thing without having to take a loan out for gas consumption...let alone driving this thing in the snow.
i had to go down to miami to test out the infiniti since the closest dealer is like 2 hours away from me (i was heading down to miami anyway and theres a dealer within 2 miles of my old house). suprisingly, i didnt really like this car all that much. the looks on this thing are stunning and i found everything id need to make this thing not only look better, but nearly double the horsepower. the interior was beautiful but cramped. i couldnt see putting in a nice stereo since the dash is all one piece and i hear ordering the multi-piece unit from japan is insanely expensive. driving it i wasnt all that impressed either. i think id only pick this one up if i got a significant amount taken from the price since this one is still one of the higher priced cars that ive looked at.
now heres the big suprise. i really liked the acura. i swore after i bought my mark that id never get another fwd car again, but this one may make me a liar. i drove the 6 speed version and i tell u its more fun that the G35. the only complaint i have is from the torque-steer thats so apparent when getting on the pedal coming around a turn. the interior is beautiful and comfortable and the gear changing is flawlessly smooth. i love the looks of this car and id be perfectly happy just putting some 19s or 20s on this thing and possibly lowering it. no need for a body kit or anything like that, this thing is just gorgeous by itself (pretty much the reason i bought my mark). plus the whole honda reliability thing doesnt hurt. another plus, is i hear theyre gonna make an awd version soon after they release their new awd RL.
and finally the GTO. i was staring at the CTS-V and thinking, "how could this car be so nice looking while the regular CTS sitting next to it is such a pig? could it be the 400hp under the hood making it look better?", then the dealer interupted me asking if it was interested or dreaming. i told him to show me a GTO in stick. he pointed at the pretty black one and i said lets go. we hop in the car and right away i loved it. just driving normally, i noticed how solid the shifts were. only trouble i had was finding a few gears here and there since all my experience with stick has been with a 5 speed up until these past few weeks. when i got on it, i could feel that torque just flowing through the power band and i loved it. the interior wasnt bad at all. the cabin was big enough for some speakers and i could see that id have no problem removing the factory radio. after i finished driving it, i popped the trunk and found that what i thought was gonna be a huge trunk was cut in half because of their friggin gas tank placement. theyve got the damn thing sitting right below the rear-speaker deck thus cutting any trunk space in half. for any car that i get, i need at least enough room for a speaker box and my hockey equipment or luggage. this totally ruined the gto for me. i know alot of u are saying "so go without the boom". well, i cant. thats what i enjoy, so i want a car i can incorporate that into.
i seriously dont know what im gonna do. i dont know how long my mark is gonna last before i drive it off a cliff. so far, im thinking that if acura makes the TL AWD, thats what im going with. im also thinking i could try and incorporate my subwoofers into the cabin of the GTO and be mildly content. id love either of the chrysler/dodge, but im sick of automatics. what do u guys think?
