Cars: Search & Destroy

You're not 2600% more likely to be killed or injured if you have a collision with them though.

The missing pic is a '69 Dodge Charger. Like Dennis Hopper's in 'Blue Velvet'

My pick of the golf is the GT TDI. Good acceleration. good fuel economy. the 4Motion version would be good if you could afford it. The S TDI is a good seond option.

I have a '66 Barracuda (not running now), and I really wouldn't want to get hit in that. The gas filler tube goes through the passenger compartment because of the big fastback window, so any disruption there would likely spray gas gasoline all over the compartment.

Is the UK all-Diesel?

I pointed out the Golf to my mom today and she confirmed my worst suspicions: "It looks like a small station wagon." :(

Maybe I should just pretend to care about the environment and get a Prius. But can't environmentally safe cars come in boxy packages?

To the European eye the golf looks like a mid sized hatchback, rather than a small estate. Do you get citroen? The 3 door C4 might be right up your street.

I couldn't live with myself if I drove a BMW--it would be like renounding everything the 18-yr-old Mary stood for.

http://www.autohaus.net/images/2497.jpg

We seem to get most of the Europeans except for the French.

We used to have a nice compact Merc circa 80s that my mom gave away a few years ago argh.

Old Volvos are okay but they get a little rusty when you get them old enough to look good. New Vovos are too pedestrian. My mom's friend tried to sell me a white one 10 years ago and I nipped that in the bud.

Saab too swoopy and aspirational.

Basically, I think I want an Old Jetta. Maybe they call with Jetta Classic.

Mary: there's absolutely no comparison between the quality of today's Renaults and the ones from the 70s and 80s. New French cars are better made today than most new American cars -- it's the same with the Itlians. You should also consider a used C-class Mercedes -- they're terrific cars, and much less expensive than you'd imagine.

Do you get the "SAABaru" in the states, then? IE the impreza wrx w/the saab-styled front end. I don't think they imported them into the uk.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/tmb/7879_image.jpg

Sickening really!

Edmunds is a great resource for these kinds of questions:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/car/69707519.html

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/car/69572306.html

http://www.bestjapancar.com/NISSANS/FGFR.JPG

I've gone off VW for now. I've done my consumer research and I didn't realize that they were not the best for maintenance/repair. I am surprized bc I thought VW stood for safety and longevity and all that good stuff. The Passat did get good ratings, but fuck a Passat.

I like the Hyundai Elantra--it's a cutie. However, without an acceptable safetly rating I don't think it is the car for me. Love the colors though--it feels quite fresh.

Seems in my compact range--Toyota and Honda have the best reps, for safety and reliability. This is important bc I have no money and I would be very sad if I had a car and it broke down and I had to spend a ton of money to fix it. Of course, cars are prone to break down, but I would rather have the least prone to break down car of the bunch.

Cars are so expensive! I don't know how anyone affords one!

So I am thinking of Civic or Corolla, or Prius or Civic hybrid. Civic is the smaller one, right? I mix it up with Accord.

I'm thinking red might not be the best color to get in this instance. Red is for drawing attention to a car, but when you are driving a mainstream, run of the mill car, maybe you don't want to draw attention? Maybe a nice silver . . . .? Fade into the background . . . .

http://www.nw-autopage.com/lg_pics/0010241.jpg

I'm really not looking forward to replacing my car when it finally expires...I'd rather not deal with them at all, but that's not very realistic given where I live.

Hmm. I think if you subtract the amount of money you are saving in automobilism, NYC is really not that expensive to rent. A space to live, not the whole city. I guess I knew this in the abstract but I am just feeling the crushing weight of it now. Plus, I don't like to go out on the road with all of the crazies.

PS: Nicole if you have any advice for me on the librarian thread I would appreciate it. For instance, which type of vehicle best suits a woman of letters.

RJG: First a camera that can only be purchased in JP, than a similarly Nipponise car. Get with the times, dude, it all about Korean these days. Can you pass the kimchee?

I got that, in the end, from austria.

: )