You just get better and better at being awesome!!!!I went for the Supra. Flagship dick waving for your everyday drive to work!
(ps...I've got an R32 GT-R)
Bye Bye Alfa
- Thread starter Sirus7264
- Start date
(ps...I've got an R32 GT-R)
RiceMaiden
Admiral
I technically have two. The second one hides it under leather and purrs with 8 cylinders of hentai fury.
Radegast74
Space Marshal
OMG! My family owned Fords while I was growing up. Every single one of them had a major defect...my sister bought a Toyota Corolla, never had any problems with it, and so I got one too.
Flash forward a couple of decades, today I'm driving an 18 year old Camry I bought new in 2000. It just keeps going! Other than routine maintenance, I've only had to get the AC recharged, the left rear window fixed (I could blame one of my dogs for leaning on it all the time...but she was really cute, so I don't blame her), something with the starter, and just had to get the thermostat replaced. About to enter the phase where I'll have to replace all the belts again...not sure if I should try to get another 2-4 years out of it, or finally break down and buy a new car.
Of course, my next car will be (no drum roll needed) another Toyota!
Radegast74
Space Marshal
I dunno, my Campagnolo (Italian) bike parts are some of the best engineered bit on the planet. I'd maybe switch out the hell engineers for French engineers.
Good luck getting anything done bureaucratically in Italy, Heaven, Earth, or Hell...
Did not know that car... so this is basically a BMW Z4 with a nice automatic transmission?Japanese cars are generally reliable. However buying the flagship model is key to getting the most bang for your buck. RAV4? Plz. Land Cruiser mah dude. Those things hold value like crazy, and the 1UZ derivative V8's run for freaking ever. We got mid-late 90's Land Cruisers still selling for ~10k USD here (factory locked)!
I went for the Supra. Flagship dick waving for your everyday drive to work!
I can't drive those because I really like stick and I don't know how much difference there is between the Z3 and the Z4 but in a Z3 you can't shift gears above 220 km/h because you would have to take a hand from the wheel
Aww, that's such good looking car, too bad it's not that great to drive or maintain =/
When it comes to luxury sports cars, if I could ever afford one, I'd go for something like an M6 grand coupe ( the 4door M6) or a Mercedes S coupe. I love the older Maserati quattroporte as well, but those tend to break down the same as alfas do.
After 24 years of never leaving us on the side of the road, I finally gave up the family's Opel Astra, I went to Germany and bought a 2009 X3 30d (E83). So far, it runs like clockwork. It's a pretty sweet ride, but I kept the Astra for track use.
Good luck finding you new car!
Thanks for the headsup on the maserati issues. i dont mind cars breaking down. i dont like cars with next to nothing for repair manuals and lots of exclusive parts/tools to fix them. i could do alot of normal stuff but things like putting sensors in injectors and motors from systems ive never heard or seen before? yeah not fun. for that car you truly had to go out of your way to replace stuff. Pretty much i made the decision a long time ago that if i had another huge breakdown id let the thing go. with that said i had hid lights, tires, starter, some leaking mystery fluid, electrical shorts, and a broken selespeed solenoide which were either comming up for repair or were causing issues. anyone who has known that car knows its the bane of human existence and now have decided never to buy one.
bad part of this now is i need to take my kid to school everyday on the train. its going to suck haha
One of my friends bought a 2006 Quattroporte a few years ago and he had no issues with it after doing a full service and changing the clutch, so they may not be as bad as the internet suggests, but they are sure hard to work on. Parts are rather rare everywhere it seems, there isn't much in terms of aftermarket parts, and it can cost a fortune to change some "basic" parts due to the amount of labor needed.
Common issues seem to be with the automated manual gearbox with the clutch wearing out very fast or the whole box wearing out, and with parts of the engine failing due to to low oil pressure with the automated manual gearbox keeping revs way too low. Also steering rack and pump are prone to leak and fail. Strangely though, there don't seem to be any general issues with the electric systems and wiring, which is very un-italian lol
Also, if you like doing your own basic maintenance , here's a short snippet on how to change the rearmost spark plugs taken from the Mazze forum:
"While changing the two rear spark plugs ( the last one on each cyl. bank) is
not an impossible task, it is a little complicated and a bit of hard/delicate work.No you do not have to "lower" the engine, it does come out from the bottom though. You have to remove the ENTIRE COWL ASSEMBLY, this includes removing all engine bay covers (3),the wiper arms, the upper cowl cover, the wiper motor assembly, dismounting the brake master cylinder ( not opening the hydraulic lines),removing the right hand fuse/relay box and it's mounting plate (the entire big black box) ,then unbolting the cowl from the firewall and removing it from the car. Now you have access to the coils. Everything from the windshield itself to the engine on the firewall fender to fender wil be gutted for this. "
Can't you just pick up some old beater for like a few hundred bucks to take your kid to school with until you find a good car? Something with a V8 and chopped off exhaust to entertain the kid and scare the living hell out of the teachers? :D
Whatever you end up picking as a replacement, show us pics or it didnt happen!
Shadow Reaper
Space Marshal
I drove an XKR for 7 years. Best toy I ever owned. I highly recommend them. After you get accustomed to that sort of power and handling, it is hard to go back to a normal car.
So far I am just happy with my Nissan and Honda. Both thumbed their noses at 100k and kept on going.
Get an AMG. They go vroom vroom and don't break down either (in my experience)
Whatever you do...do NOT. Absolutely do not get a BMW with the N63 V8 engine.
These have three major issues with them. The first is the injector issue which is supposedly solved with the latest round of injectors from BOSCH, but if your car does not have the replacement injectors, they cost a small fortune to replace yourself.
The second is a battery issue. While I never experienced it, some people who don’t drive long enough distances can have it be a problem.
The last is that it burns more oil than my brothers 73 Tbird with a 460 engine that he ran without coolant. I am talking a quart every 1000-1500 miles. This is considered “normal” even though they lost a class action lawsuit on the issue. The resolution...you got credit up to a case of oil...
From what I have heard, the N63tu and later are much better engines with regards to these issues...
These have three major issues with them. The first is the injector issue which is supposedly solved with the latest round of injectors from BOSCH, but if your car does not have the replacement injectors, they cost a small fortune to replace yourself.
The second is a battery issue. While I never experienced it, some people who don’t drive long enough distances can have it be a problem.
The last is that it burns more oil than my brothers 73 Tbird with a 460 engine that he ran without coolant. I am talking a quart every 1000-1500 miles. This is considered “normal” even though they lost a class action lawsuit on the issue. The resolution...you got credit up to a case of oil...
From what I have heard, the N63tu and later are much better engines with regards to these issues...
Yes, but it is all about expectation management. There are a lot of qualities a car can have - I enjoyed the RAV4 because you could simply place a washing machine upright into the back, the view was great, the side mirrors were excellent, and the sideways trunk door iconic.
Also, I always need to regularly drive a normal-HP car for comparison, you get accustomed to >250HP way to quick.
I must say that the car that I most enjoyed driving was actually a 1998 Jaguar XJ - even more than the XKR. It is just impressive how that car would reduce the perceived speed, everything feels so easy. Man, I miss that car. I eventually have to test drive a S500 for comparison
I had the F-Type as rental once and what a shitty car - the XKR (at least the older models) have such a nice interior and feel luxurious and for the F-type its almost as bad as the current Mercedes interiors. And it is so much louder than it is fast.
Almost tempted to tell you to search the countryside for an abandoned Merc Evo (Mercedes-Benz W201 Evo), the euro-spec sedan GT car. Sadly you're on the wrong side of Japan for those that I saw, seen a couple down in the countryside outside of the Kinki/Kansai area a few years ago.
Maybe a Forester STi or Legacy B4? Can' t beat a basically full-sized family wagon with an STi drive train. Love my Forester, great boxy body design to get around tight spots very easily and still tow, so much we are tempted to get a Subaru kei-car when I finally move over.
Or could go opposite and get a Toyota Noah, FIL has one and great for family use. Been lucky to use that on a few mini-road trips to Kyoto and Nara and so much more comfortable than the Mercedes-Benz C240 they had before. Wife loved using it to visit family in Okayama, our kids did great in it too (1.5y0 and 5yo at that time).
Since you're over there you have more diesel options too. Uncle-in-law got a Mazda CX-5 or CX-7 diesel. Nice and smooth, plus a HUD that has the local speed limit and notifies you when a "stop sign" comes up, since they are all printed on the road there.
But hey, the public transport is awesome there..compared to the states, but still depends on the area.
Maybe a Forester STi or Legacy B4? Can' t beat a basically full-sized family wagon with an STi drive train. Love my Forester, great boxy body design to get around tight spots very easily and still tow, so much we are tempted to get a Subaru kei-car when I finally move over.
Or could go opposite and get a Toyota Noah, FIL has one and great for family use. Been lucky to use that on a few mini-road trips to Kyoto and Nara and so much more comfortable than the Mercedes-Benz C240 they had before. Wife loved using it to visit family in Okayama, our kids did great in it too (1.5y0 and 5yo at that time).
Since you're over there you have more diesel options too. Uncle-in-law got a Mazda CX-5 or CX-7 diesel. Nice and smooth, plus a HUD that has the local speed limit and notifies you when a "stop sign" comes up, since they are all printed on the road there.
But hey, the public transport is awesome there..compared to the states, but still depends on the area.
I'm very happy you told me that way ahead of time and that closes the case on the maserati those are pretty much the same exact problems i just had with my alfa. I'll bet to get most of the stuff off you probably need all those silly special tools also from maserati. I'll hold off on owning a maserati for a while then maybe in 5 years or so i'll take a look back in that direction when i have had enough time to recoup.
Just looked at the XKR sadly i dont have 18k laying around for a used one at the moment or i would jump on the oportunity (5k if i want a 98 XK). good choice though beautiful car.
Thank you for the warning i was thinking about this 2007 BMW 325i series i'll have to double check the engine but i think it was the V6
As much as i don't like japanese cars i might end up getting a Nissan Fuga 350 or 450 gt or a toyota MarkX as their prices are pretty fair and I can toss them out in 3 years when i head back to the states. It really depends on what i find in the next couple weeks around the area it's really tough to figure out what to do atm and since my alfa had so many problems everyone at my work are like just get a japanese car. It's really frustrating and i know they may be right but i just don't like any japanese cars haha.
That public transporation is great which is why i can sit back and think about what i'm getting this time around and maybe collect a couple extra paychecks.
The 325 will be either the 4 or 6 cylinder engine. Both of these are inline as I don’t think BMW ever made a V6 engine
The 325i you were looking at should have a proper i6 engine, either an N52 or N53. According to my BMW mechanic the N52 is as safe an engine choice as you can get from that year. Good enough power, and you can (and should) rev it to hell, it won't mind. The Valvetronic system tends to go tits up sometimes, and it can cost a pretty penny to get replaced, but otherwise it's a solid choice. The N53 is different in that it doesn't have Valvetronic, but it has some carbon buildup issues, especially if not trashed around sometimes (or at least taken on some longer journeys at highway speed), but the buildup only effects performance and economy if it's really severe. You have to weigh the repair cost of valvetronic vs. the direct injection, but both are decent engines in great cars. That is, if you can get used to the utter madness of the iDrive infotainment controls hahahah
Gotta say, the Mark X (2004-09 range) looks like a really sweet ride! Subdued but sporty.
ya as for styling they tend to be lacking but for a every day driver they are comfortable enough and they have never been an excuses as to why i couldn't come into work.