A daily driver that rivals the '02 experience?

[evil02]

  Audi A5 or S5 all day long.  Most reliable car we had and very winter worthy.  Very good looking and fit in finish is great. Quattro system is better than my ford 4x4 F250

[fastricky]

5 minutes ago, Andrej said:

 

The 2 - as I understand it - is heavier, softer, and has no naturally aspirated engine options in this country. The 1, and specially the 128i, has pretty much the last unfussy interior (no screen), the last NA I6 engine, no silly driver assists (auto rev matching) or fake engine sounds piped through the speakers. I'm not saying it's as simple as a 2002, but it's the last car BMW made that could even be considered part of the same lineage.

 

Very compelling! I'm going to let that percolate but that is a winning combination.

[fastricky]

Right now the front runners are a used:

 

1. Audi TT RS

2.  BMW 1-series

[Squid's 02]

I personally think the 1 Series would make a great year round Daily Driver. Make sure to get an extra set of rims with good snow tires and you will be fine for just about any condition. 

 

I have driven many 944s and E30 BMWs through New England winters. It is all about having the right set of shoes on the car and knowing a little bit of car control. RWD is part of the experience that we enjoy with the 2002 or similar cars, and if you think about it you will really only face 15? Maybe 20 days of actual driving while it is snowing. The majority of the time in winter driving you will be on cleared roads where rear wheel drive will be fun. Why buy a car based on 15 days of driving when you should buy it based on the other 350 days of driving?

 

I also Loathe working on Audi's I have owned 3 (90' Audi 80 / 97' A8 / 01' S4) - Never again will you find one in my stable!

 

Just my personal opinion. 

 

Good Luck with the search

[fastricky]

Thanks

1 minute ago, Squid's 02 said:

I personally think the 1 Series would make a great year round Daily Driver. Make sure to get an extra set of rims with good snow tires and you will be fine for just about any condition. 

 

I have driven many 944s and E30 BMWs through New England winters. It is all about having the right set of shoes on the car and knowing a little bit of car control. RWD is part of the experience that we enjoy with the 2002 or similar cars, and if you think about it you will really only face 15? Maybe 20 days of actual driving while it is snowing. The majority of the time in winter driving you will be on cleared roads where rear wheel drive will be fun. Why buy a car based on 15 days of driving when you should buy it based on the other 350 days of driving?

 

I also Loathe working on Audi's I have owned 3 (90' Audi 80 / 97' A8 / 01' S4) - Never again will you find one in my stable!

 

Just my personal opinion. 

 

Good Luck with the search

 

Thanks! Did you find the reliability to be lacking?

[NYNick]

18 minutes ago, fastricky said:

Right now the front runners are a used:

 

1. Audi TT RS

2.  BMW 1-series

Good luck finding that 1 series is AWD, especially in a manual. You did say you wanted both right?

[NYNick]

Just now, NYNick said:

Good luck finding that 1 series is AWD, especially in a manual. You did say you wanted both right?

I've lived in NY and NE my entire life. No way in hell I would not own an AWD something.

[fastricky]

1 minute ago, NYNick said:

Good luck finding that 1 series is AWD, especially in a manual. You did say you wanted both right?

 

I'm moving the goalposts Nick given that my criteria is too limiting... Just gonna get a good set of snowtires w/steel rims.

[NYNick]

Just now, fastricky said:

 

I'm moving the goalposts Nick given that my criteria is too limiting... Just gonna get a good set of snowtires w/steel rims.

Hell, RWD or FWD opens up a whole new universe....now you tell us! lol

[fastricky]

5 minutes ago, NYNick said:

Hell, RWD or FWD opens up a whole new universe....now you tell us! lol

I've learned a lot in 4 pages of this thread! The polling is still open!

[tzei]

So Mini Countryman all4 is out of question?

[fastricky]

11 minutes ago, tzei said:

So Mini Countryman all4 is out of question?

 

Too big/SUV-like but a good suggestion thx! Which begs the question: Why don't they offer 4WD on the Cooper their flagship instead of goofy crap like Union Jack taillights?

Edited December 14, 2018 by fastricky

[Squid's 02]

1 hour ago, fastricky said:

Thanks

 

Thanks! Did you find the reliability to be lacking?

I assume you are asking in terms of the Audi? I would say yes.... My personal opinion is that Audi makes a very attractive and technologically advanced car, but you should only own one if it is still under warranty. They get expensive with repairs, require many speciality tools (including diagnostic) and tend to be counter-intuitive when working on them. 

 

I have given Audi 3 chances, and that is enough. 

[tzei]

I believe there is J.C. Works all4.

[saaron]

I like the idea of the One Series.  I remember Mike Miller driving the 128i at Lime Rock when they were new, saying it was a great driving car.  That always stuck with me.  I was considering one when I bought a new dailyish car, recently.  128i has a non-blown six, get a stick, M Sport, and you are in business.  We will probably all be trying to track these things down in about 5 years, once we all figure it out.  "Oh that was the car..."

 

I also like the R32 idea.  We have a 2012 VW GLI that I really like driving, and we've never had issues with it.  It is a 6 speed.  My best friend has a two-door GLI, and I have another friend that drives his R32 in winter.  They are fun to drive and have the German-car thing going.  Really, VW is probably, realistically, my second favorite car brand behind BMW.  GTI/GLI/R32 are all bonafide enthusiast cars.  

 

You could get a more recent AWD BMW stick - they are out there (eg E90 era, maybe even newer).  Not sure they are anything like an 02, though.  I mean, they aren't.  But, as an X5 owner, I can say that more modern BMWs get a bit of a bad rap.  No, they aren't like a car from the '70s, for a myriad of reasons.  But a lot of people on this board have them, because, relative to other modern cars, they are still BMWs.  They still drive better and feel better.  They have pretty great brakes for street driving, nice seats.  All that. 

 

Or really, I think this is what you want me to say:  Big bumper 02, four narrow snow tires, 3 40lb bags of sand in the trunk, Ansa exhaust, and huge driving lights. 

 

My two cents.  

 

Scott