If you think there is nothing in the world worse than blowing a Saturday afternoon dealing with a new car salesman, try doing with a 3-year-old and an 8-month old in tow. What the hell were we thinking?

The guy even trotted out his sales manager at one point! THAT OLD CHESTNUT? Musta looked like we just fell off the turnip truck or something. I can't believe they still pull that. That scene in Fargo, you know why it's funny? Because it's real.

I tellya though, if I was in the market for a reasonably priced, sporty little coupe, the new Civic and that Scion one look pretty sweet to me.

areopagite wrote:get a Hyundai. seriously. everyone i know who own them loves 'em.

I'll second this. I bought my Hyundai Accent brand new last year and you gotta love the 100,000 mile/10 yr warranty. It's also got decent room for a 6'3" guy. I was against getting a new car for a long, long time but after maintenance hell with my '99 Mazda and '90 Nissan Stanza, it was time to move on. It's nice to know that some day (10 yrs from now) I'll actually own this Korean beast.

This is coming from a guy who is a total auto retard though, so proceed carefully.

mattw wrote:

areopagite wrote:get a Hyundai. seriously. everyone i know who own them loves 'em.

I'll second this. I bought my Hyundai Accent brand new last year and you gotta love the 100,000 mile/10 yr warranty. It's also got decent room for a 6'3" guy. I was against getting a new car for a long, long time but after maintenance hell with my '99 Mazda and '90 Nissan Stanza, it was time to move on. It's nice to know that some day (10 yrs from now) I'll actually own this Korean beast.

This is coming from a guy who is a total auto retard though, so proceed carefully.

I had kind of written off Hyundai's. I heard some pretty bad things about them a few years ago. Maybe they've improved.

Tom wrote:

mattw wrote:

areopagite wrote:get a Hyundai. seriously. everyone i know who own them loves 'em.

I'll second this. I bought my Hyundai Accent brand new last year and you gotta love the 100,000 mile/10 yr warranty. It's also got decent room for a 6'3" guy. I was against getting a new car for a long, long time but after maintenance hell with my '99 Mazda and '90 Nissan Stanza, it was time to move on. It's nice to know that some day (10 yrs from now) I'll actually own this Korean beast.

This is coming from a guy who is a total auto retard though, so proceed carefully.

I had kind of written off Hyundai's. I heard some pretty bad things about them a few years ago. Maybe they've improved.

Hyundais have gotten a LOT better.

Jason mentioned the Mazda3/5/6. These are supposed to be fine autos.

our 2000 Saab 9-3 has been an outstanding car up to 95K. general maintenance only. the 99-02 pre GM version is actually pretty damn reliable and well rated. the 4dr SE hatch has a ton of room (kicks ass for gear hauling, camping, biking...), is fast as hell, handles great in poor weather, and gets 26/30 mpg... not too mention they are incredibly safe and comfortable. some people think they look like a weird egg or something though...

don't know much about the new GM sedan version... they look tight w/the sport pkg/wheels i guess, but not as much room and maybe not as well built or reliable. they are affordable for a european brand sedan however.

Tom wrote:
I did test drive a BMW 325xi and it was a really great car. To much for me. But really great.

BMWs are really great. I actually think that the 4 wheel drive/AWD versions are not as fun. (325xi is AWD) Try for a 2 wheel drive version, just a plain old 325i. 2003 on up. Not too expensive. If you take care of it, it will last forever. And the steering/handling is better than anything out there on the road, save Porsches.

Of course indie rock dirtbags will give you shit for driving an nice car. Fuck 'em!

the$inmusicisallmine wrote:Of course indie rock dirtbags will give you shit for driving an nice car. Fuck 'em!

I am pretty sure it is the indie rock dirtbags that you will most likely relate to. Those of that could give fuck all what we look like to other people and whether or not our dicks are perceived as wealthy or not might give you a bit of hassling though. Don't worry, you can peel out in front of us and lift a middle finger in protest. We will feel really bad about our lack of materialism, I assure you.

Jon

tmidgett wrote:

Tom wrote:

mattw wrote:

areopagite wrote:get a Hyundai. seriously. everyone i know who own them loves 'em.

I'll second this. I bought my Hyundai Accent brand new last year and you gotta love the 100,000 mile/10 yr warranty. It's also got decent room for a 6'3" guy. I was against getting a new car for a long, long time but after maintenance hell with my '99 Mazda and '90 Nissan Stanza, it was time to move on. It's nice to know that some day (10 yrs from now) I'll actually own this Korean beast.

This is coming from a guy who is a total auto retard though, so proceed carefully.

I had kind of written off Hyundai's. I heard some pretty bad things about them a few years ago. Maybe they've improved.

Hyundais have gotten a LOT better.

They were just named #3 in initial quality, behind Lexus and Porsche.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=115677

Do they have Skodas in America?

The Skoda Octavia is a great car.

I can also recommend the Honda Civic (the new one is super space style wicked awesome inside) and the Suzuki Vitara.

Uecker wrote:our 2000 Saab 9-3 has been an outstanding car up to 95K. general maintenance only. the 99-02 pre GM version is actually pretty damn reliable and well rated. the 4dr SE hatch has a ton of room (kicks ass for gear hauling, camping, biking...), is fast as hell, handles great in poor weather, and gets 26/30 mpg... not too mention they are incredibly safe and comfortable. some people think they look like a weird egg or something though...

don't know much about the new GM sedan version... they look tight w/the sport pkg/wheels i guess, but not as much room and maybe not as well built or reliable. they are affordable for a european brand sedan however.

Saab has to be the last car company left with any balls. I'm surprised GM didn't cut them loose two or three years ago.

I dunno about Volkswagen. First instinct to me is avoid. I've heard many reports of electrical problems. I have heard the same report for Volvo.

I will recommend Acura. I've had no problems with mine.