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Automotive Discussion Thread | OT3 | Playing with our sticks while petting Jaguars!

Lizardus

Member
Do we get anymore "made in Wolfsburg" VW's in the States? Or are they all North American made these days? And what about Audi's? They share a lot of components with VW but are still mostly made in Germany, right?

When I preordered my Golf R, it came from Wolfsburg.
 
I noticed my drivers side seat' s fabric is getting worn down fairly badly from getting in and out of the car. I'm mindful of it, and do my best to be cautious, but I'm 6'2 and climbing in and out of the recaros isn't easy. Is there any preventative/maintenance measures I can take?

On my car I open the door and then use my hand to support by body on the bottom of door shut line, so my body doesn't brush the car seat.

Otherwise get a decent seat cover if it's just the fabric?
 

burgerdog

Member
American Audi Q5's are made in Mexico now too. Though the plan is to build other Audis there, as well.

Other Audis are built in Indonesia (not kidding):

Audi A4 Sedan, Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet, Audi A6 Sedan and Avant, Audi A6 allroad quattro, Audi S6 Sedan and Avant, RS 6 Avant and RS 6 Avant Performance, Audi A7 Sportback, Audi S7 Sportback, Audi RS 7 Sportback, Audi RS 7 Sportback performance, Audi A8, Audi A8 L, Audi A8 L W12, Audi S8, Audi S8 plus, Audi R8 Coupe, Audi R8 Spyder

And the primary Ingolstadt builds:
Audi A3, Audi A3 Sportback, Audi A3 Sportback e tron, Audi A3 Sportback g tron, Audi S3, Audi S3 Sportback, Audi RS 3, Audi A4, Audi A4 Avant, Audi A4 Sedan, Audi S4, Audi S4 Avant, Audi A4 allroad quattro, Audi RS 4 Avant, Audi A5 Sportback, Audi A5 Coupe, Audi S5 Sportback, Audi S5 Coupe, Audi RS 5 Coupe, Audi Q2, Audi Q5, Audi SQ5

So there is overlap in production, as the Indonesian plant is a relief for high volume models. In Europe, you can get a car from one plant or another - so it's a gamble.

All RS models should be coming out of Neckarsulm, Germany.
 

kharma45

Member
I wonder if the basic trim Skodas and Suzukis don't have a lot of the newer features that are difficult to understand or complicated enough to go wrong more often.

Skoda has most. Only thing I can think of tech wise that's missing of the top of my head is the virtual cockpit, but VW only recently had that filter down from Audi. They share everything out of the VW group parts bin, same with Seat. Main differences are just refinement things like a bit less sound deadening or slightly less sophisticated suspension in the majority of models (all Octavias bar the VRS, as well as most Leons and a few low-power Golfs have torsion beam suspension at the back instead of multi link set up).

Your basic Skoda really isn't far off your basic VW in terms of sophistication.
 

friday

Member
i said it would be more fun, i didn't say it would be legal.
eg: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-lower-wacker-drag-racing-met-20150717-story.html

but if you want legal then theres gateway motorsports down in st louis, lucas oil raceway in indiana (closer than gateway) and usa internatonal raceway in wisconsin, all allow drifting, with the latter having a setup intended specifically for it.

Drifting, eh that's kinda lame. Buy a Miata that's already been built into a race car. Develop it for either Spec Miata or PTE. That's a cheap recepe for track fun. A well built car can be had for 15-20k, and a less competitive car can be had for under 15. If you're out in socal you can run supermiata events.
 

Cake Boss

Banned

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Can someone explain to me the MSRP and dealership pricing. I am casually shopping around and I visited the Fiat website which has the Abarth at starting MSRP of $27,995 CAD and all the dealerships around me have them for $30K and above, as much as $38K. What the fuck lol??

https://www.fiatcanada.com/mobile/en/vehicles/abarth

Then I go to local dealership for basically $10K more wtf lol.

http://capitaldodge.ca/search/filter/Abarth


Almost 40k for a Fiat gtfo lol

Don't know what it's like in Canada, but in the US it goes like this:

1. Usually MSRP is stupid and you try to pay around or a bit less than invoice price. Let's say a Kia K900 - in that case you'd dicker for a chunk off the invoice.
2. If a car is popular but not bonkers, then you might expect to pay MSRP. Let's say a really well reviewed Honda.
3. If a car is popular, dealers will ask for what should be illegal markups on the car. Illegal because they have a monopoly through almost direct bribery of state and local politicians. That would be like a Hellcat or a Porsche GT4.


There are exceptions - and some low information buyers often just pay MSRP right off the bat.


Again, I can't begin to express how corrupt and awful the general dealer network, politics and consumer experience are. It's frequently rated as one of the most stressful experiences Americans go through.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
So, anyone ever bought cheap tires just to have fun with? Even my all seasons really have too much grip with the awd. Just go cheap, hard compound, and thin?

Think this may be what spurs me to finally buy a second set of wheels, not the snow afterall, lol
 

matmanx1

Member
American Audi Q5's are made in Mexico now too. Though the plan is to build other Audis there, as well.

Other Audis are built in Indonesia (not kidding):

Audi A4 Sedan, Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet, Audi A6 Sedan and Avant, Audi A6 allroad quattro, Audi S6 Sedan and Avant, RS 6 Avant and RS 6 Avant Performance, Audi A7 Sportback, Audi S7 Sportback, Audi RS 7 Sportback, Audi RS 7 Sportback performance, Audi A8, Audi A8 L, Audi A8 L W12, Audi S8, Audi S8 plus, Audi R8 Coupe, Audi R8 Spyder

And the primary Ingolstadt builds:
Audi A3, Audi A3 Sportback, Audi A3 Sportback e tron, Audi A3 Sportback g tron, Audi S3, Audi S3 Sportback, Audi RS 3, Audi A4, Audi A4 Avant, Audi A4 Sedan, Audi S4, Audi S4 Avant, Audi A4 allroad quattro, Audi RS 4 Avant, Audi A5 Sportback, Audi A5 Coupe, Audi S5 Sportback, Audi S5 Coupe, Audi RS 5 Coupe, Audi Q2, Audi Q5, Audi SQ5

So there is overlap in production, as the Indonesian plant is a relief for high volume models. In Europe, you can get a car from one plant or another - so it's a gamble.

This is good information Alpha Snake. Thank you, sir. I admit to being a bit of a closet VW fanboy (I've test driven several trim levels of GTI, Golf and Jetta and pretty much liked them all) but the reliability questions have always scared me off.

In the case of Audi I love the fit and finish and some of their cars (mostly the 2 door versions) are absolutely gorgeous. I don't know that I would ever own one though.
 

KrisB

Member
A few shots I took today at Coffee and Cars Blackwood.
UGDm9Dl.jpg
Iry0ndr.jpg

o6x0R26.jpg
anZHPuC.jpg

mjfGoIw.jpg
y4ILf99.jpg

oLsYoPe.jpg
aTCyx2A.jpg
http://bit.ly/2qkpUAX
 
So I have some facility visiting from abroad and its their first time in the USA.

My cousins husband is into cars and as we're driving home from the airport yesterday, we start seeing several chargers and challengers zooming by which gets him talking.

A little while later a raised Silverado with an exhaust is driving along us. 100 yards behind some flashy LED lights can be seen coming toward us. Minutes later the flashy lights turn out to be a C7 Z06 with an exhaust which is now driving along us and the Silverado.

And as you can guess, the most typical, American thing ever happens next. The truck is now racing the Z06 and my family from abroad gets to witness the show.

Wish I was driving my car because the truck obviously accomplished nothing doing that, and I'd likely lose too, but it was a fun few minutes to be able to experience that and a nice introduction to America for a car guy.
 

v1lla21

Member
Its a mk6. Lol. I did tell my gf afterwards that if it wasn't gti It would be mk6. She didn't like it either. I've been thinking of just getting my initials and numbers. Funny thing is my plates right now actually have my initials GQC.


And as you can guess, the most typical, American thing ever happens next. The truck is now racing the Z06 and my family from abroad gets to witness the show.
Haha that's great! What is it with people in trucks or SUVs trying to race all the time? I get more Tacomas and Silverados trying to race than BRZs or Civics.
 
To me the word papi has just some weird ass connotations lol.

Every time I hear it, either my mind goes to the gutter or I'm reminded of cumbia music where some sexy sounding chick is yelling out the word like Lil Jon, or those Mexican telenovelas where the word is actually being used the right way.

But mostly my mind goes to the gutter first when I see/hear it hahaha.
 

v1lla21

Member
But mostly my mind goes to the gutter first when I see/hear it hahaha.
Lol that's precisely why I told my gf I wanted it.
Don't. Nobody cool has personalized plates.

My girlfriend spent the entire time at cars and coffee yesterday pointing out cars she thought were cholo. I can guarantee that would have made the list. :)
What makes a car, cholo? I mean if it's a lowrider I see why, but just personal plates?

Yeah I'm on and off on the plates if I did get them I'd want something I'd be fine with owning for a long time, not just because I thought of something somewhat funny.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
a funny or on point personal plate is great. examples - there's a white mini near me with "shadwfx" and i dont mind like a 911 gtr that says "911gtr" or a "wtf bbq" - but ain't nobody got time for a rolls royce with "blessd" or "bonchnce" and if you have one only you can parse, then gtfo.

wa has rejected every single one of my attempts. i briefly considered "haudi" but someone had it and it was obnoxious anyway. that triples your chances of getting your car keyed.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
This is good information Alpha Snake. Thank you, sir. I admit to being a bit of a closet VW fanboy (I've test driven several trim levels of GTI, Golf and Jetta and pretty much liked them all) but the reliability questions have always scared me off.

In the case of Audi I love the fit and finish and some of their cars (mostly the 2 door versions) are absolutely gorgeous. I don't know that I would ever own one though.

I made an important edit to my post. It was worded very poorly, I realize.
 

witness

Member
Need opinions on this one auto GAF. 2014 Jetta GLI, 33k miles, DSG, very clean inside and out, $15,400. Drove it today and loved the way it felt, sport mode was incredible and it made a wonderful noise. Much faster than I expected. Here's the problem, it's at a dealer that basically just cleans them and then sells them. They do not go over them mechanically. Now it drove fine and was driving straight as an arrow. The dealer does offer a 5 day and 300 mile return policy on every car. The salesman recommended that I bring it to a VW dealer and have them look over it during the 5 days. If there's anything wrong I can return it. Now, that's extra money out of my pocket for the inspection and a hard ding on our credit though. Any opinions on what you would do in this situation? GLIs are hard to find at that price and those miles, and it did seem fine. I'm just apprehensive about pulling the trigger. Would it still be under factory warranty?
 

No Love

Banned
So, anyone ever bought cheap tires just to have fun with? Even my all seasons really have too much grip with the awd. Just go cheap, hard compound, and thin?

Think this may be what spurs me to finally buy a second set of wheels, not the snow afterall, lol

Shitty tires are not fun at all. I'd highly suggest getting a real set of sticky tires so you can see what too much grip really means... Guarantee your Evo isn't doing nearly as good as it could with high performance summer tires.
 

Futaba

Member
So, anyone ever bought cheap tires just to have fun with? Even my all seasons really have too much grip with the awd. Just go cheap, hard compound, and thin?

Think this may be what spurs me to finally buy a second set of wheels, not the snow afterall, lol
i wouldnt ever go with el cheapo tires if i have th choice, not even to burn up wth drifting, they just ruin the feel of the car and its handling characteristics.

if you want to save some money but not sacrifice performance, buy good model tires that are part worn, not sure how it will be where you live but in most european countries and in japan, wheel shops and second hand car parts stores usually carry a bunch of part worns, just be sure to buy them in matching sets of two, like same model/sizing for the front set and/or the back set, same sizing all round, if you mix tread patterns between front pair or rear pair you get the unwanted and relatively dangerous issue of the left and right side of the car having different grip properties and best case scenario; the side with least grip will wear down abnormally fast, worst case scenario youll put the car into a wall
 

Pinewood

Member
Need opinions on this one auto GAF. 2014 Jetta GLI, 33k miles, DSG, very clean inside and out, $15,400. Drove it today and loved the way it felt, sport mode was incredible and it made a wonderful noise. Much faster than I expected. Here's the problem, it's at a dealer that basically just cleans them and then sells them. They do not go over them mechanically. Now it drove fine and was driving straight as an arrow. The dealer does offer a 5 day and 300 mile return policy on every car. The salesman recommended that I bring it to a VW dealer and have them look over it during the 5 days. If there's anything wrong I can return it. Now, that's extra money out of my pocket for the inspection and a hard ding on our credit though. Any opinions on what your guys would do in this situation? GLIs are hard to find at that price and those miles, and it did seem fine. I'm just apprehensive about pulling the trigger. Would it still be under factory warranty?
Cant you go to a dealer/shop without buying the car? Its pretty common here that dealers allow you to take it to a pre-check.
 

GHG

Member
Cant you go to a dealer/shop without buying the car? Its pretty common here that dealers allow you to take it to a pre-check.

Yeh the salesman should allow you to take the car for a pre-inspection, even if it involves him going with you.

If he doesn't, run and don't look back.
 

witness

Member
Yeh the salesman should allow you to take the car for a pre-inspection, even if it involves him going with you.

If he doesn't, run and don't look back.

I didn't even know that places would let you do that or take it out for a few hours. I'll give the salesman a call today. Thanks GAF!
 

matmanx1

Member
Thoughts on Nissan Armada?

Always had a thing for the QX80, but Armada is thousands cheaper for is the same vehicle.

I know a few folks who have them. They are good if you want a giant, gas guzzling SUV with room and power. Depending on what you want to use it for (and how often) you might be able to accomplish the same thing with something more fuel efficient and with cheaper operating costs. They aren't bad vehicles though.

Need opinions on this one auto GAF. 2014 Jetta GLI, 33k miles, DSG, very clean inside and out, $15,400. Drove it today and loved the way it felt, sport mode was incredible and it made a wonderful noise. Much faster than I expected. Here's the problem, it's at a dealer that basically just cleans them and then sells them. They do not go over them mechanically. Now it drove fine and was driving straight as an arrow. The dealer does offer a 5 day and 300 mile return policy on every car. The salesman recommended that I bring it to a VW dealer and have them look over it during the 5 days. If there's anything wrong I can return it. Now, that's extra money out of my pocket for the inspection and a hard ding on our credit though. Any opinions on what you would do in this situation? GLIs are hard to find at that price and those miles, and it did seem fine. I'm just apprehensive about pulling the trigger. Would it still be under factory warranty?

Yeah, pending an actual inspection that seems like a decent to good price. I've bought vehicles from a place like you are describing and they can sell cheaply because they don't really do anything to the vehicles and are basically flipping them for profit. There are some gems to be found in places like that but you will probably have to do a few things to it if you buy it (tires, breaks, oil change, windshield wipers, etc. are all pretty common).
Still, a low mileage GLI is a pretty good find. If it doesn't have problems then I would have a hard time saying no.
 

v1lla21

Member
Yes, but ask yourself... How fast was the hacking, and was it not furious?
Lmao

You know for the movie that had Demons in it, it didn't do a whole lot with em. Oh well.

Is it weird that I prefer the Ford Maverick over a Mustang? I just think it looks better.
 

KRaZyAmmo

Member
Lmao

You know for the movie that had Demons in it, it didn't do a whole lot with em. Oh well.

Is it weird that I prefer the Ford Maverick over a Mustang? I just think it looks better.
I remember at SEMA Sung Kang made Underdog which is a Ford Maverick
01-ford-maverick-project-underdog-sema-1.jpg
 
Lol that's precisely why I told my gf I wanted it.

Bahahaha.

In that case I totally approve lol.

A couple of tags I thought of doing for my Miata are, NOTS2K, CUTHAIR or NOTSTIG but nobody would get it unless their enthusiasts so I passed.

I'm definitely planning to get one for my next car though.
 
Bahahaha.

In that case I totally approve lol.

A couple of tags I thought of doing for my Miata are, NOTS2K, CUTHAIR or NOTSTIG but nobody would get it unless their enthusiasts so I passed.

I'm definitely planning to get one for my next car though.

I wanted Hairdresser but it is gone.
 

Pinewood

Member
Bahahaha.

In that case I totally approve lol.

A couple of tags I thought of doing for my Miata are, NOTS2K, CUTHAIR or NOTSTIG but nobody would get it unless their enthusiasts so I passed.

I'm definitely planning to get one for my next car though.

Wouldnt that be better? Getting the rare enthusiast nod vs being "that guy"

My friends dad got RX8, CX7 and CX9 as customised nr plates for their mazdas
 

rokkerkory

Member
Went to check out the new CX-5... it's quite sublime. Likely my next DD ride once the 3's lease is over.

Soul Red 2 is amaze balls.

18194872_10155131441573758_8773523750833509571_n.jpg
 

Smokey

Member
Test drove the 718 Cayman....

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

that 4 banger meh

i have a problem dropping the amount of cash porsche asks for the Cayman and every option coming with a 4 cylinder. Even with the sport exhaust and the car in sport mode, it just didn't sound right imo.

I distinctly remember my experience with the previous gen and my first impression was much stronger :(
 
Little bit of news for USA people who want a legal R34 GT-R now - The M-Spec nur has been added to NHTSA's list of vehicles eligible for Show and Display exemption for legal USA import. These cars can be driven a maximum of 2500 miles per year.

NHTSA website: Follow link to List of Vehicles Determined Eligible for Importation for Show or Display (Excel format) (February 2017) and it's now on there.

There was 285 M-Spec nur made and a list of VIN, breakdown of colours and lots more info can be found here.

The only other eligible R34 GT-R is the Midnight Purple 2 V-Spec which is the "Skyline GTR R34 V-SPEC Early Model Limited Edition" as some people here probably know already, a few of those have already made their way to USA.
 
I thought Show and Display was literally that? Show and Display.

Did the 2500 miles thing change?

IIRC an S&D car could only be driven on anything that isn't a public road or whatever, and I've even heard of cases where people still get in trouble for driving them at a parking lot.

I wanted Hairdresser but it is gone.

How about HURDRSR?

Texas has a 7 letter cap on tags so it's kinda hard to come up with unique tags lol.

Wouldnt that be better? Getting the rare enthusiast nod vs being "that guy"

My friends dad got RX8, CX7 and CX9 as customised nr plates for their mazdas

True but I want something a little more unique, something that pretty much screams Jongkookie and the car instead of something individual. Idk lol.

I like my current plate right now coz it's the previous version of the Texas plate where it actually has a cool design(on the left) versus the current one that's plain as fnck(the right).

texas-license.jpg
tx13.jpg


Speaking of which, remember when license plates actually displayed what's great about your state? I still miss those Texas plates with the rocket, cowboy and oil derricks.

Went to check out the new CX-5... it's quite sublime. Likely my next DD ride once the 3's lease is over.

Soul Red 2 is amaze balls.

18194872_10155131441573758_8773523750833509571_n.jpg

Soul Red 2 is indeed fantastic.

That's one of the issues I'm debating when I get my ND in a few months... do I wait for one in SR or do I go different and get a different color? I personally like the Blue Reflex Mica or Crystal White but I have a feeling I won't get the ability to choose when I buy haha.

Shit, that'd be great on a Miata or a Boxster.

How dare you stereotype us light, RWD, convertible owners!

You should repent on your sins and drive a Reliant Robin to apologize.
 
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