So I was in the mood to test drive cars on Saturday. Drove a 2012 ISF and a 2012 Corvette Z06.

ISF

Was not very impressed with the interiors, did not feel like a 60k car. The steering wheel was kinda nice though. The dial gauges are a bit weird with a huge tach and a small speedometer. The navigation comes only in a 2 dimensional display. It did have all the bells and whistles for 60k so it is a bit cheaper than the M3. The engine sound was phenomenal! I could not get enough of it. I was not too happy with the transmission though. It has 8 gears and kept shifting on its own. Even the sport mode was not too impressive. I just resorted to using the paddles. The suspension was very impressive too, It wasn't too harsh, yet the car cornered pretty well.

Overall it was fun driving, but not something I would ever own. I have not driven an M3 yet, but from what I've gathered I'm guessing the M3 is better in almost all aspects.

Corvette

This car was just a monster waiting to kill me. As soon as I started the engine I felt the car rock a bit side to side. I was like what?! it was a 6 speed manual. I wasn't too happy with the shifter, but that was expected. Interiors were shabby, but that was expected as well. It did what it was supposed to do extremely well. Mind blowing straight line acceleration, excellent cornering and braking. Again another car that's fun to drive but not something I would own.

8/13/2012 2:33:36 PM

you should totally write for Consumer Reports

8/13/2012 2:54:35 PM

Thanks for the reviews. BTW, the Z06 is only available with a 6 speed manual

8/13/2012 3:09:46 PM

im going to test drive a 1970 ford f-100 with a 429 and c6 automatic later this week.

ill let you know how it goes.

8/13/2012 4:07:26 PM

Someone please come drive my truck

8/13/2012 4:20:17 PM

I will drive your truck, mr.pepper

and you can drive my tdi

8/13/2012 4:49:57 PM

last thing i test drove was new mustang GT. pretty much garbage top to bottom. acceleration was the only thing worth mentioning. everything else SUCKED.

8/13/2012 7:16:02 PM

I, too, will test drive Dr. Pepper's truck for the purposes of writing a review.

I cannot promise that the tires will have much rubber left or the fuel tank will have much fuel when it is returned however.

8/13/2012 8:02:15 PM

might could be arranged.... no alcohol though

8/13/2012 9:27:03 PM

2009 wrx hatchback

Pro: surprising amount of oomph past 3500
Pro: handled very well for what it was
Pro: very easy clutch to operate - every takeoff and shift was extremely smooth
Pro: nice steering wheel

Con: chintzy dash
Con: chintzy body
Con: 5 speed

Overall, it was a lot of fun to drive...but at 28...I feel like it would get old really fast. I just cant imagine spending the money for one (2009+) when there are other viable alternatives like a chipped a3/a4 that will perform 80% as well while providing a significantly better style, paint, touch points, refinement, etc.

If I was going to die in a year but had to buy a car that would last for a while, this would be it. While that doesnt make much sense, it's exactly how I feel about the car.

8/13/2012 10:03:37 PM

I totally agree about the ISF interior. What a disappointment.

8/13/2012 11:02:11 PM

anyone know how open caddy dealers are with test-drives?

i wanna drive a new CTS-V wagon...

i know i'll pass the credit check.

8/14/2012 8:31:57 AM

test drove rode a 2011 M3
slow

M3 owner test rode my car
*looks for 'oh shit' handles*

8/14/2012 8:13:01 PM

^ What do you own?

8/14/2012 9:25:07 PM

^a turdbo 240sx

another short:
early 2000's Sentra SE-R SpecV
pros: nice torque
cons: awful clutch (engages the last 15%), forget about heel & toe'ing, horrible seating vs shifter position (maybe an FWD thing in general? I haven't been in many)

[Edited on August 14, 2012 at 9:40 PM. Reason : ]

8/14/2012 9:40:13 PM

My 1993 MX-3 is perfect for heel toe-ing. I do it all the time. Kind of a "driving" requirement if you want to get anywhere at a reasonable pace

[Edited on August 14, 2012 at 10:15 PM. Reason : .]

8/14/2012 10:14:55 PM

well this thread went to hell in a hurry

8/15/2012 8:24:31 AM

I had to drive someones buick rendezvous this morning

Greatest motoring experience of my life

8/15/2012 12:31:26 PM

shit, now im looking at a 1969 lincoln continental with suicide doors (barn find).

thing is cherry and just $5k.

has the 365hp 460ci motor too... hmm, decisions decisions

8/16/2012 9:28:37 AM

.........what's to think about....


do want...

8/16/2012 1:57:39 PM

'92 Jetta GL 8 Valve 5 speed.

Picked this car up as a good beater off craigslist. My current car I'm always working on and just need something to drive.

Hippy Girl comes to my house. She's pretty cute. We take the car for a spin. It is very down on power and the left from wheel bearing is moaning something awful. other than that the car steers true, doesnt burn oil and seems peppy for what it is. I really enjoy the moonroof. It is manual crank operation and I feel like I'm doing a rodeo every time I open it.

I have made several vdub friends so far. Yelling to me to swap in a vr6 or giving me a vdub gang sign, i think. It is hilarious.

I plugged 4 vacuum leaks, the car I believe has all of his 100 ponies back.

1000 dollar beater +25 dollar wheel bearing.

fuck yea.

8/16/2012 3:36:10 PM

Quote :

"shit, now im looking at a 1969 lincoln continental with suicide doors (barn find). thing is cherry and just $5k. has the 365hp 460ci motor too... hmm, decisions decisions"

DO IT
I mean really. You can always find another 70's F100 if you want. This type of thing doesn't come along at a reasonable price too often. Too bad the convertible was no longer in production by then but it's still a damn cool car.

Post pics if you get it!

8/17/2012 1:21:46 AM

seriously dude... if you don't get it drop me them details.

I just came in to some money and this sounds more than perfect.

8/17/2012 7:37:33 AM

seriously dude... if you don't get it drop me them details.

I just came in to some money and this sounds more than perfect.

8/17/2012 7:37:33 AM

gonna go look at it this afternoon!

will keep you posted.

sumfoo if i decide to walk away i will surely drop you a line.

8/17/2012 8:37:51 AM

so this thread has been effectively killed then, eh?

8/17/2012 10:34:05 AM

motherfuckers sold it before i got there!

please take shit being sold locally off ebay and other websites kthx.

8/17/2012 2:40:13 PM

^^ sorry dude

^ I'm gonna test drive a brz if i can find one in the next couple of weeks


And i may try to do a cts-v wagon

8/17/2012 3:41:35 PM

welps, a CTS-V coupe got taken out today by a POS-lookin' Nissan

NMSJ

8/21/2012 4:41:11 PM

^did he know you were racing?

stoplight racing is so hit or miss

8/21/2012 5:00:01 PM

^^ what's done to it ? Is yours the one with the 30r?

Seriously any turbo much smaller and I'd consider raising a flag.

8/21/2012 11:40:52 PM

His has around 400whp I believe.

8/22/2012 3:32:52 AM

I still question it. An S13 with that much power would have a very hard time hooking up. Nevermind the CTS-V would have no turbo lag.

Not that I know all the facts...

8/22/2012 12:06:03 PM

cts-v coupe 4300lbs they usually dyno almost 500hp (manual high 450s auto) to the wheels 8.6lb/hp
s13 2700lbs 400hp to the wheels 6.75lb/hp...

and knowing your car's boost threshold makes the difference between bogging the motor and blowing up the tires much easier... i have no doubt that his 240 which is the one i thought it was could beat a cts-v coupe. hell... even the wagons can...

i guess what i'm trying to say is... if i'm paying attention i can rip a low 4 sec 0-60 in the roo using a 2-step... if i'm not and i release the clutch normal and then punch it... we're looking at 5.5 over half of which is just waiting to get back into boost.

[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 12:44 PM. Reason : .]

8/22/2012 12:42:32 PM

TURBO LAG?


YOU BOYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO TURBO LAG!

8/22/2012 3:24:14 PM

lol depends on if you go by rpm or time...

we lag way more than you do by rpm... but time... you might just win...

& YOU HAVE AN AUTO... SHUT IT....


[Edited on August 22, 2012 at 3:53 PM. Reason : .]

8/22/2012 3:52:55 PM

I've got a very late model 328i (e9x) as my rental here in dc. I come from an e39 540i. This car feels like junk to me. The automatic is extremely lurchy and offers very undesirable driving. The interior is very plastic-y and most of the leather doesn't feel like real leather. Nothing feels weighty or solid like my e39. The driving dynamics outside the transmission are pretty good, though the steering doesn't have as much feel as my e39.

Ahmet confirmed my feelings though he didn't judge the overall package as harshly.

the car has the full bluetooth and nav package which is probably the worst nav I've used as far as user interface but it gets the job done I guess. Overall get's a B+

9/5/2012 10:53:27 PM

Quote :

"lol depends on if you go by rpm or time... we lag way more than you do by rpm... but time... you might just win... & YOU HAVE AN AUTO... SHUT IT.... "

let's just say you'd never see me doing any stoplight racing

9/6/2012 8:16:23 AM

everyone stoplight races

9/6/2012 4:58:25 PM

1998 Porsche Boxster (2.5l, 5 speed manual):
> slower than expected, even with 200hp
> balance/handling orgasm, i had never driven a midengine but it felt really good
> interior was surprisingly crappy compared to my old s2000
> fun car to have around town that sporty, but by no means a sports car
> great sound albeit slightly muted
> the clutch seemed really close to the brake pedal
> longer throw than i expected but it had a good feel to it

2006 350z (3.5l, 6 speed manual
> drove this right after the boxster and my first two thoughts were more power and clumsy
> i personally like the nissan v6s and enjoy the sound, to each their own
> very very loud inside of the car (road noise from wind and wheel wells)
> the car felt much bigger and heavier than it was
> good layout inside, poor materials
> i personally 'like' this car but cannot see anyone 'loving' this car
> fun for the msrp but felt rather crude and blunt
> rear visibility blew hard

9/6/2012 7:31:51 PM

Quote :

"everyone stoplight races"

not in my hotrod


91 Celica hatchback:
- more powerful than 91 civic
- better handling than 91 civic
- Love the seating position, however the cable shifter blows (even with me having cut ~3/4" out of its height)

9/7/2012 7:43:21 AM

^^did you feel the nissan engine was much coarser? magazines are always ragging on nissan v6's for that, even the current vq37 in the 370z

9/7/2012 1:42:06 PM

^ you bet - i liked it a lot because i was test driving, but id imagine it would get old when it comes to daily driving. I liked the feel of the engine but it had a certain lawnmower quality to it - very coarse, theres nothing precise about the engine (or the car really) compared to similar cars. Its an affordable hammer compared to other cars that might be cross shopped - old boxster, s2000, rx8, gti, or whatever people buy these days from 13-20k when looking for a low miles sporty car.

9/7/2012 7:11:21 PM

Want to feel a coarse hammer ? Try a2.5l turbo Subaru...

9/9/2012 7:09:25 AM

^^(a couple of them)

GF and I agreed on the 98 boxster. Had it inspected at the dealership today and they quoted us $10,400 worth of *required* repairs, with additional recommended repairs.

Some of the biggies: ignition switch only works half the time, cracked drive belt, water pump has a small leak, crank seal is seeping, clutch is 90% done, cracked ignition coils, needs spark plugs, tires are 9 years old despite no tread wear, missing under-body panel.

9/10/2012 7:58:36 PM

You can fix it or get another s2k for the repair bill!

9/10/2012 8:43:31 PM

how the fuck do they inspect clutch wear without removing the transmission?

9/10/2012 8:45:12 PM

^ where it engages (i.e. if it engages when it's considerably too far out, it's a sign of wear). The car basically engaged when you put pressure on the pedal. 85-90% of the travel was pre-engagement.

9/10/2012 9:06:34 PM

I think you mean "disengages"

9/10/2012 9:27:43 PM

Psh details

9/10/2012 10:08:47 PM