What Cars Do You Drive?

[KeithMEL]

BTW has anyone checked out the new Audi Q5? It looks v nice and has v comfy interiors. They have one of these displayed at the entrance to the Qantas domestic lounges in MEL and SYD. Might be the way to go if you're into SUVs but have no intention of going off road (ie use it as a "Toorak tractor" - google the phrase if you're not from Melbourne) as it's rather compact and hence not too overwhelming for city driving. It certainly looks a lot cooler than the Q7 and the BMW SUVs. Priced rather decently too. I SO want it as my 2nd car in 2-3 years! Is it wrong to be thinking this when I'd just got my 1st car? Wasn't even interested in cars until I got my P plates lol.

[KeithMEL]

Keith, out of curiosity, what color did you choose (exterior)? and what extras did you select for the car? Leather interior perhaps, color?

The car will come with the 1 series executive package, which consists of leather seats, bluetooth, and rear parking sensors. Cruise control was listed as an option on the brochure but it was thrown in as a standard fitting. These were all included in the very good price we had which actually made the 118i a fair bit cheaper than the Golf 2.0 TSI (or was it TDI? can't recall) that we looked at if we'd fitted it with the same options. Floor mats are free (woo hoo lol... i thought this is a standard feature but it was listed as an option), and at an extra cost we'll have the windows tinted and paint protection.

We tried to book one with jet black exterior/beige interior however their systems were offline and they could not confirm availability till a day later. In the end it was unavailable, so we went with alpine white exterior/boston black interior. The alternative at the price quoted was a red car but we went with white as it's becoming rather trendy in Melbourne, and supposedly safer at night. We could have also paid extra to go for metallic grey but didn't see the point, metallic paint scratches more easily anyway.

[N_Architect]

Keith, out of curiosity, what color did you choose (exterior)? and what extras did you select for the car? Leather interior perhaps, color?

[up and away]

S-class in FRA was awesome, though.

yes, but try to squeeze that car into a parking lot

[flyguy]

the ulitmate driving machine - with at least 2.5 straight 6.

[Kyo]

Lol - I also found the 318i's tight in the back - absolutely detest the side curvature when in the backseat!

In comparison, I did get to try the new E-class last week (taxi in Norway), and found that rather unexciting overall :/

S-class in FRA was awesome, though.

[KeithMEL]

Keith: Congrats, it's a great car, I'd test driven it for a day [but finally decided to place an order for an A170 at the time - of course there are 2 different cars altogether but with my state of mind, you know, anything goes...] The Beamer has hard suspension, a low VCG and a high GM (and please ask Captain to explain further ), not much space in the back, drives great (typical rwd) and above all it's a BM [though it makes Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear sick, but we don't care about that, do we?]

Pardon me, but most of the acronyms didn't make sense... I will go consult my best friend Google later. Ha! I do remember reading a Top Gear review of the car, saying it's totally uncool as it makes you look like you can't afford a 3 series. But a compact sports hatch is probably an appropriate sized car for my first car. At least it'd be relatively easy to park on the busiest shopping strips in between all the SUVs. I suspect Jeremy Clarkson has a bee in his bonnet of some sort.

Yeah the 1 series Beemer is rather tight at the back. I read that this is due to the rear wheel drive. Our 2 mates who accompanied us to test drives were all squished up at the back in the 118i. But the front legroom is fine and since it's only us 2 most of the time rear legroom wouldn't be an issue. So just beware if you're visiting and expecting me to chauffeur yous around - anyone at least 6 feet would have to be a contortionist to sit at the back.

So true about Japanese cars. They just don't feel the same, kinda plasticy. However for something cheap and cheerful Toyota is the way to go - they don't seem to break. They're also cheap to run and maintain, at least in Australia. They're not very exciting cars though. Honda is also nice but the newer models look rather weird - plus they have a certain kind of reputation in Australia that I'd rather not mention publicly. I was considering a Mazda 3 when I looked briefly at the generic car brands as they're also meant to be reliable and cheap to run yet come with a bit more style than Toyota. But they seemed to have a much higher frequency for servicing than a BMW and even with the hideously expensive cost per service of BMW taken into account, it costs much the same to run a BMW in the end.

I had heaps of fun and learnt a lot test driving and researching in the process of deciding between cars. I realised that as awesome for driving most BMWs are, the bigger versions do not have the nicest interiors or make the most comfy cars - when I'm eyeing a larger car or an SUV in future, Audi A6 or Q5 here I come. Unless I'm earning enough to afford the upcoming 5 series GT. [We discounted Mercedes completely as there's no way either of us will be seen driving one unless we're at least 50. Sorry Mercedes drivers! ]

I don't pick the car up for another week or so - gosh I want my car NOW!

[phaleesy]

high performance cars are like: 'high maintenance' girls - gorgeous to 'drive',

...good to look at, nice to listen to, great for showing off, able to pull more high maintenance girls...

OT, some men exhibit such weird behaviour around their cars. A Lotus pulled up and parked behind my car while I was cleaning mine. The driver made a big deal about getting out of the car, lots of noise, huffing and puffing, taking ages to leave his car finally... I could see the car out of the corner of my eye but I refused to take the bait to turn my head to look at him. Eh. He might be as tall, dark and handsome as that SQ pilot! But since I'm the world's unluckiest girl, he is most likely some middle-aged balding pervey man!

Another incident. I saw a Ferrari parked along Park Lane. Walked up to it to admire it. Since the windows were dark, I didn't know someone was sitting in there. He turned the headlights on-and-off to blink at me. Extremely embarrassing so I quickly scurried away.

[jhm]

... [talking about high maintenance] ...

Ah! The well known 5 C's of Singapore, i.e. Cash, Car, Condominium, Credit card and Country club!

[N_Architect]

Keith: Congrats, it's a great car, I'd test driven it for a day [but finally decided to place an order for an A170 at the time - of course there are 2 different cars altogether but with my state of mind, you know, anything goes...] The Beamer has hard suspension, a low VCG and a high GM (and please ask Captain to explain further ), not much space in the back, drives great (typical rwd) and above all it's a BM [though it makes Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear sick, but we don't care about that, do we?]

9V-SIA: Korean cars don't only get more attractive as the years go by, but they improve consistently in terms of quality, reliability and technical specification. If you look at where Korean cars stood 25 years ago and where they are now, the leap forward made (compared to the time that has gone by) is simply huge. They still have that soft and smooth ride feeling of course, but that too can change pretty sooner than we may think...

9V-SIA and phaleesy: Reliability is something relevant. However, I also used to say that German cars are reliable. Over the years I have come to believe this may not necessarily be the case. Let me explain why. In Greece we use the same word, reliability, for the German cars. But German cars are more famous for their robustness and for their solid feeling, for their good and durable construction, and much less for their 'reliability'.

If you want a car that WILL run even if you are so careless and forget to change the oil at the prescribed regular intervals, buy a Toyota. These cars just don't get affected by things like that, they run and run and run without 'complaining'. Same (or almost) applies for the Hondas, Mitsubishi's, Subarus, etc. Another thing is quality control. With the Japs you're almost sure that what you're getting has been checked and WILL run as expected (again unlucky cases happen but as they say it's the exception that confirms the rule...)

Try all the above with an Audi A4 or with a Mercedes C or E class. Reliability? Quality control? Well, hmmm... I have a friend, he went and bought an A4 Cabrio... Poor fellow. The whole thing started to fall apart two weeks after he brought the car home from the dealer, brand new. One problem after the other. Mercedes? Same here, many owners unhappy, many problems, damages that shouldn't be happening when you pay premium money for a premium quality vehicle.

But... (yes, but, but, but) - Step into a German car. Make yourself comfortable in the seat. Smell the leather in the cabin. Now close the door. Listen to the sound the closing of the door makes! Get the feel of the robustness of the car. Try doing the same in a Japanese car. Feels 'cheaper', kind of 'fake', you know the (almost) same door is there, the structure is there but you don't FEEL it reassuring you. This is the difference. Go out there and touch, drive, feel a Mercedes from the '60s or '70s. There is no comparison. Modern cars, all modern cars, are light years ahead of those cars in terms of crash test safety, of course. But does anyone have a doubt that the engine of any Merc can do easily more than a million miles over the years? (i.e. become LPP ) Yes, a Subaru may be able to do that as well, but try that with a Renault!

So difference is that the Merc may break down perhaps more often than the other cars, but it's quality of construction, robustness and durability through the years is hard to beat. And this is the reason why you pay a high price when you buy a Merc or BM (At least the big models, cause if we start talking about the 1, A and B classes things may be slightly different).

ADAC in Germany releases a list with the most reliable cars every year. These guys naturally have stats from the number of cars they are called to pull over every year. I recently heard (and I say this w/o having done any web search now) that top of the list is ...Porsche [well, you wouldn't believe that, would you?], then Jap cars (that was expected).

Of course talking about Porsche we come to talk about high performance cars. And guess what high performance cars are like: 'high maintenance' girls - gorgeous to 'drive', but expensive to 'maintain'. True indeed.

[The term 'high maintenance girls' was first mentioned to me by a British expat I met once last year in the ICN OZ J lounge, as we were taking SQ609 to SIN. You know, we started talking about our great and not-so-boring 'expat' lives, I started saying the usuals about South Korea (that I am sure you really don't want to hear again) and then he started talking about his gf (a Singaporean) and about Singaporean girls in general (and yes, he used the aforementioned term for them all, which I found a rather generalized judgment and possibly inappropriate). Anyway, in some Asian countries girls are quite materialistic, this is true, but are they not so in European countries or in the U.S.? And what about us? We're sometimes even worse! (men, I mean)]

Anyway, I keep digressing, but you know me now, when I start to talk stories I find it hard to stop.

[phaleesy]

But you really want the reliability of a German car.

I personally think Japanese cars are more reliable. My Honda Civic was 5 years old and it never had any problems. It could go on and on except that it had to be written off when I skidded and crashed in black ice.

My current VW Golf is about 5 years old. At one time (still under warranty), it could not accelerate beyond 40 miles per hour and it would groan and whinge when I go uphill. Some engine parts had to be replaced. Now bits are falling off. Plastic stuff near the passenger's seat fallen out, rubber stuff around the driver's door fallen off, auto thing for petrol cover refused to work, so I pulled the cover out by force (because I had to fill up my car or else I would be stuck!), it's now broken.

I must admit that the German cars have a more solid feel but I'm not entirely sure about reliability.

[Nick C]

VW Golf

Especially the new Mk6

[9V-SIA]

You made the right decision with the BMW 118i.

Italian cars have more "style" in their designs.

But you really want the reliability of a German car.

[KeithMEL]

Did you see the Abarth version?

I haven't seen it around, I don't think it's sold here (it's not on the Australian Fiat site). The pics look v nice though! The other half was also eyeing the Fiat 500 but I pointed out that a shopping trolley would be heaps cheaper... But the reason we didn't go with FIAT or Alfa, as cool as both cars are, after all are the poor customer support in Australia, and the lack of trust in both brands over here means very quick depreciation. In the end I think a Bimmer represents a good balance between style and practicality, and at the price we paid it was totally a steal.

The other half and I really only need the car for inner city pottering and the occassional winery trip so don't need anything super powerful - i think we're only going to do about ~10k a year. So I don't really need a car, but I do want one - my graduation present to myself. At least it means where we go to for weekend brunches won't be restricted by the public transportation network and schedules.

(Oh and the other consideration was that the car has to have auto transmission as we just can't be stuffed with manual!)

[9V-JKL]

Congrats on your new car.

Fiat Punto based on looks alone - soooo sexy

Did you see the Abarth version?