Spec me a US car

megakid

megakid

megakid

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I've been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to live in Chicago for a year with work - starting this July. I am still in absolute love with my current car and will make the most of it until I leave Australia but in the meantime I want to start my search for a make/model of car that I want in the states.

My previous few cars have been big sedans and whilst I love these types of cars, from a quick look at the US car market, I think I have the opportunity to buy something a little more special, maybe a 2 seater or small coupe for the year I'm over there. I don't know much about the US car market and in particular, US-only models of cars. These are of particular interest since I have a tendency to enjoy "buying local" as I did when I came to Australia (I've now owned 2 Holdens - a Commodore and a HSV Clubsport) - this isn't a requirement however.

I've spotted a few contenders so far within my budget of ~$55,000. Compared to Australia where the only high performance cars in this budget were the Falcon and Commodore, there are cars I didn't imagine I'd be able to consider so I was rather pleased when I found some of my favourite cars within budget.

Performance is very important (preferably similar to my current HSV, sub 6 secs 0-60) but more importantly I want a car that "feels special" - I know that's a bit hairy-fairy but I walk past my current car every day to catch the bus to work but I can't help myself when I see it - I end up driving into work. What with fuel being even cheaper in the US than Australia, economy isn't a concern. I'm only at the shortlist stage of car buying so the list of cars might be all over the place - I'm looking for suggestions of other cars that I can check out to see if they appeal. I'm looking at cars less than 3 years old. The Euro cars seem more grown up to me but maybe that's because I've seen so many of them over in the UK...

Natives:
* Corvette Z06
* Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Euro:
* BMW E92 M3
* Jaguar XKR

Has anyone any other suggestions - particular US models of cars? Or comments about the modern variants of the traditional muscle cars like the Mustang, Charger, Camero or Challenger? These are more similar to my current car so I'm deliberately leaving them off the shortlist for now, unless someone convinces me otherwise :)

EDIT: I should probably add - car practicalities, as in 4 seats/big boot, are not terribly important either.
 
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If you want something that 'feels' special then look at your Euro models, the BMW for example stands out much more than the American cars, Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, Cadillacs I see plenty every day on the commute to work to the point it doesn't really raise an eyebrow whereas I notice say an M3, M5, M6 even :D or a nice Merc.

But equally if you want something 'native' then..I'll leave it to more knowledgeable people than me :p

One thing is if you're only living there for a year do you want to have the hassle of owning a car for a year and then having to sell it - not to mention the depreciation hit of a sub-3 yr old car.

Maybe look at taking on someone's lease with a year left to expire - swapalease, leasetrader etc - i.e.

http://www.swapalease.com/lease/details/2008BMWM6.aspx?salid=614696

5.0L V10 500hp yo haha :D :D :D :cool:
 
I haven't considered any other ownership methods - I'll have the cash to buy but perhaps leasing is more common/more cost effective than to buy for someone in my position - thanks for the link, looks interesting and I'll check it out :). What's the deal with leasing - you pay for everything (servicing etc) as you would as the owner until the lease expires then you just give it back?

And an M6... :D awesome cars but I'd have to drive one to want one - I'm not instantly attracted to its looks.
 
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My only advice is that the CTS if absolutely bloody aweful load of GM junk. Had one whilst on business and it really is a very poor imitation of a good car lol. To be perhaps more subjective... then great engine, crappy autobox, horrid cheap interior, decent toys.
 
If you only want sub 6 seconds to 60 then I'd probably take a 335iS (US only version, we cant get it here) over an M3. It's 5 seconds to 60 and available new for your budget I think?
 
If you want something special I'd stay away from Euro cars tbh, I visit Chicago often now, and the closer you get to the city, the more BMWs/Audis you see. I rarely saw any american muscle cars.
 
[TW]Fox;18514733 said:
If you only want sub 6 seconds to 60 then I'd probably take a 335iS (US only version, we cant get it here) over an M3. It's 5 seconds to 60 and available new for your budget I think?
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I didn't think of buying new, I thought the general consensus was buying new versus nearly new was just a waste of money? Despite saying under 6 secs to 60, my current car does it in a smidgin under 5 so I'm not sure if I'd miss the power - I guess I'll find that out when I test drive...

As a guy that clearly knows a lot about BMWs and E92s, why wouldn't you go for a 2 year old E92 M3 over a new 335iS (assuming almost the same price)?
 
not fancy one of the new breed of muscle cars like a dodge challenger or a camaro

they may not have the dynamics of a european car but the US roads dont really demand it.

I would love to blast down a long straight road in a challenger SRT, a long empty horizon in front of you
 
Dont get a BMW .... they are boring, you will have the same car as someones Nan (they all look the same really imo ... bland). If you have had commodores & hsv's in the past go for something like that and crazy / reliable / awesome ... stand out from the rest of the boring cars ;)
 
Pulsar_GTI said:
Dont get a BMW .... they are boring, you will have the same car as someones Nan (they all look the same really imo ... bland). If you have had commodores & hsv's in the past go for something like that and crazy / reliable / awesome ... stand out from the rest of the boring cars ;)
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That's actually what I like. For me it's a balancing act between having a driver's car (e.g. I don't care what anyone else thinks about it - for the budget, this is the best drivers car I can get) and having something crazy / awesome / stand out from the rest of the boring crowd. Something I fear a BMW will not do.

How many Challengers are there in the states though? I thought there'd be a lot.
 
I wouldnt want to be driving a corvette around chicago in the winter. Guy who lives next door but 1 has a corvette and the only times hes driven it since dec is to move it when the drive gets ploughed.
 
Pulsar_GTI said:
Dont get a BMW .... they are boring, you will have the same car as someones Nan (they all look the same really imo ... bland). If you have had commodores & hsv's in the past go for something like that and crazy / reliable / awesome ... stand out from the rest of the boring cars ;)
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What a strange thing to say given a Commodore is a normal large saloon car which as about as bland as it gets. The m3 is the same concept as the HSV stuff - take a normal saloon and go mad with it.

You probably think a Commodore is exotic, its not, its on every street corner in Oz. It's basically like having a Vectra here.
 
doofski I wouldnt want to be driving a corvette around chicago in the winter. Guy who lives next door but 1 has a corvette and the only times hes driven it since dec is to move it when the drive gets ploughed.
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Good point here

[TW]Fox Quote:
Originally Posted by Pulsar_GTI
Dont get a BMW .... they are boring, you will have the same car as someones Nan (they all look the same really imo ... bland). If you have had commodores & hsv's in the past go for something like that and crazy / reliable / awesome ... stand out from the rest of the boring cars

What a strange thing to say given a Commodore is a normal large saloon car which as about as bland as it gets. The m3 is the same concept as the HSV stuff - take a normal saloon and go mad with it.

You probably think a Commodore is exotic, its not, its on every street corner in Oz. It's basically like having a Vectra here.
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Thats true Fox, its hard to look at it that way over here.
 
[TW]Fox;18516111 said:
What a strange thing to say given a Commodore is a normal large saloon car which as about as bland as it gets. The m3 is the same concept as the HSV stuff - take a normal saloon and go mad with it.

You probably think a Commodore is exotic, its not, its on every street corner in Oz. It's basically like having a Vectra here.
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Well.... They are GM cars so I guess you could say that!
 
doofski said:
I wouldnt want to be driving a corvette around chicago in the winter. Guy who lives next door but 1 has a corvette and the only times hes driven it since dec is to move it when the drive gets ploughed.
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This is a good point. I havent really considered weather that much in my decision process - I would like a car to drive all year round if possible, and if there's snow on the ground for 2-3 months then a sports car isn't ideal. However, that does beg the question - what do the other cars on the list have that makes them any more suitable for winter driving?

Maybe this brings the RS4 suggested above onto the list given its Quattro system etc.
 
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