Originally Posted by Isellthem
Maintenance costs are what keeps me away from an old 911 . . . LUST is what keeps me looking
. I would use an old 911 as a toy just as I use my Crossfire. What scared me off was the thought of the rare date night my wife and I get WOC (with out children) would be totally ruined when after dinner and a movie the car doesn't start. I don't fear that with my Crossfire do to the fact it's new and has a 3 year 36 bumper to bumper and Lifetime Powertrain Warranty.
Luckily I don't quite have to worry about any of that!
However, I think as I get older the allure of a Porsche is simply a fantasy. I find it ludicrous that a company like porsche makes you pay a premium to buy their cars and then you have to constantly pay a premium to get it serviced. And if you're a ferrari guy, it's even worse. I don't mind paying the initial "penalty" for purchasing a special car, but I just can't get past the ridiculous service schedule many of these cars. With the price you pay, you would think the company would engineer a vehicle that's a bit more durable. While I hope to never own something like a Camry, I really repsect the engineering that went into making the car so damn trouble free and durable! I was looking at an e46 M3 briefly and was VERY turned off by the fact that the cars may require a valve adjustment by 60k miles! Are you freaking kidding me? If you bought the car new, you would spend what, ~50k+ on it? And then you need valve adjustments? While many owners think they are driving a race car,they aren't. The M3 is a high performance street car. That's why I like the crossfire and similar cars. They offer a great performance experience, but don't have silly (IMO) service requirements.
The Crossfire turns heads and my wife loves to drive it, she say's it reminds her of the fun she had when driving her former 2000 1.8t GLS Golf. . . before kids. Oh crap, I realized I said my 03 Passat was a 2.0t . . . VW enthusiasts will shoot me on sight, it was a 1.8t as well. I guess I have been away to long.
Hmmm, I didn't even catch that. Though I'm not much of a 1.8t fan, so I think I just glossed over your previous statement! The most attention I've gotten in the XF are a bunch of older folks staring at the car as I drive by. I think the XF is the perfect affordable cougar mobile! I guess I own 2 "attention *****" vehicles now. It will be interesting to see the type of people who actually talk to me about the XF vs corrado. I always thought it was awesome when I'd see people over the age of 60 driving absolutely pristine corrado's. I'm hoping that's me when I get to that age. It's only happened twice, though they are every bit as enthusiastic about their cars as someone half their age!
Thanks for this thread . . . it's like viagra for an old V Dub enthusiast. Fact is, if I didn't have a demo and could not keep my Crossfire as a toy (can't put three kids in a Crossfire legally. . . but you can in a 911) I would be all over another VW. Make it a 4dr GTi. . . . . Anyone have the # for APR.
The GTI is indeed a great car and something that I think you would really enjoy. It's a car that really has wonderful road manners for a fwd car. And the ride doesn't beat you up like many sport compacts. If you're interested here's a link to the other thread that has both my corrado and the crossfire in it:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4070968
As for types of Crossfire enthusiasts. I find there is a wide mix on this forum. I really enjoy corresponding with hard core car enthusiasts who like to modify there cars. These are great value sports cars, that take to mods really well. Your not going to find (unfortunately) the list of tuners and suppliers of hi perf parts that you will for VW, Porsche, BMW, and Audi. But you should find enough to keep you hooked. Besides, you will see all of the above (except Porsche) in any parking lot you pull into. Unlikely you will see two Crossfires in any other parking lot outside a Chrysler dealers. There is something to be said for individuality and exclusivity. Besides . . . I work at a Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealer.
It seems like everyone's a bit more relaxed over here, which is refreshing change. Maybe it has to do with the age of the owners? Either way, this is a nice place to hang out. It's good to see that others are exploiting the sporting design of the crossfire. I suppose it's for the best, but I'm a little surprised that no one has hooked up a turbo or s/c to the base motor. IMO, the only thing wrong with the SRT6 is the automatic. It would be nice to turn the base engine with the 6-speed into a mini-SRT6. I get the impression the TVT has the ECU code, so it's only a matter of someone having the time and money to have these guys develop decent software. I'm rather curious as to how well these motors take to boost and how strong they are. Is the aluminum block a weak point in these cars when it comes to making boost on the stock motor? Do you need to run cylinder liners like many of the honda guys who run turbo's?