Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Seeking advice on a sedan replacement...

[Ferrarisimo [at] Comcast.net (Ferrarisimo]

Seriously:

The M5

On the lighter side:

Ford Crown Victoria with the P71/P72 Police Interceptor package.

Scottie

On Dec 15, 2008, at 3:26 PM, Dennis Liu wrote:

> [Howdy, all!  Please include me directly on any replies, as I'm not
> receiving any list-only postings... Thanks!]
>
> Ok, my much beloved 1995 BMW 740iL with 198.6k miles on it appears  
> to be
> headed for the scrap heap (due to a projected $2k estimate to fix a  
> leaking
> hydraulic line in the self-leveling rear end system, which is more  
> than what
> I'd take for the car right now).  Too bad, as I do love the car, and  
> even at
> its advanced age, it carries 4-5 folks with plenty of luggage at  
> 80mph+ and
> 21 mpg.  I've always vowed to drive it until it either (a) burned to  
> the
> ground, or (b) collapsed into a big cloud of rust.  Not quite there,  
> but
> I've gotten my money's worth, I think.
>
> So, it may be time.  Am now looking for any and all advice/ideas/ 
> collective
> wisdom on what to do next.  My ideal car is RWD, seats 4-5 adults
> comfortable (well, the 5th can be cramped), and probably has a V8.   
> Yeah,
> it's a big list, but this is half the fun, right??
>
> 1.  Start driving my wife's 996 on a daily basis.  Only has 53k  
> miles on it,
> and has been utterly bulletproof to date.  The girls are now big/ 
> tall enough
> to sit in the back seats with booster seats (no more car seats), so  
> there's
> actually room for real adults up front.  Will need to get some snow  
> tires
> for it, but there is no reason why this wouldn't make a wonderful  
> daily
> driver, EXCEPT that it's a PITA on those occasions when I do need to  
> take
> the girls in this car (my wife drives an Armada as her daily driver  
> now),
> and the trunk is something of a joke (even my 355 has more trunk  
> room).
> And, of course, it's dirt cheap because we already own it, AND would  
> drop
> one car off the monthly insurance bill.  And I do love driving it,
> particularly as it's a manual, though that means my mother couldn't  
> drive it
> on those rare occasions when I need to borrow her minivan for one  
> reason or
> another ("hey, mom, let me teach you how to drive a standard
> transmission....")
>
> 2.  Buy a replacement E38 740.  I've always LOVED this car.  Fun to  
> drive,
> all the room I want, and now I know about most of the usual failure  
> points
> (cooling system, lower control arms, pixels in the dash, final stage
> resistor, etc.).  I'd look for a 2001 740i Sport model, with the  
> lower final
> drive and sport suspension.  Downside - these car are getting older,  
> don't
> kid ourselves.  And, really, down on power and amenities compared to  
> more
> modern machinery, though I'm not an "options" kinda guy.
>
> 3.  Buy that E39 M5 I've always wanted.  Yum, yum.  Beautiful.  And  
> cheap
> now (in the mid-to-high teens for a good example, low $20k range for  
> truly
> excellent).  While 400hp ain't what it used to be, it's still plenty  
> for my
> needs.  Downsides:  even more expensive to repair; smallish back  
> seat and
> trunk is only adequate; will need $$$ for new wheels and snow tires;  
> again,
> standard tranny would rule out mom.
>
> 4.  Buy an E65/E66 7-series.  Ugh.  I've hated the looks of this  
> thing since
> day 1, and have not wanted iDrive either.  The look improved  
> tremendously
> with the 2006 update to the 4.8 liter V8 (750), but still not what  
> I'd call
> attractive.  It would satisfy my BMW craving, and fairly reasonably  
> priced
> at $25k-$27k for a good one with decent miles.  Prices will probably  
> only
> continue to drop, especially as the new 7 rolls out and the 2006  
> models
> start to come off-lease.  UNKNOWNS - reliability, cost to repair??
>
> 5.  2006-2007 Infiniti M45.  Just stumbled across this model today,  
> while
> pondering.  325hp, RWD, stealthy, all the needed toys without the  
> iDrive
> cr*p, great handling/performance (won the last Car & Driver shootout  
> against
> 550i, E550, Lexus something or another), slightly more room than the
> equivalent 5-series or E-class, great quality (Japanese, and I  
> *love* our
> Armada), and CHEAP - low $20k range for 40k-50k miles, still under  
> warranty
> to 60k miles, for a $58k MSRP vehicle.
>
> 6.  2005+ Audi A8 or A8L 4.2.  Now this has a lot of what BMW should  
> have
> done with the E65 - light aluminum body, easy-to-use driver  
> interface, and
> no Bangle butt!  Not a big fan of AWD, but it couldn't hurt up here  
> in the
> snow belt.  Mid to high $20k range.  Anyone have thoughts on  
> reliability and
> cost to repair?  (too bad the Lambo-powered S8/S6 is too expensive!!!)
>
> 7.  2004-2005 Cadillac CTS-V.  400hp, manual transmission, woo-hoo.   
> Not as
> sophisticated as an E39 M5, but cheap ($20k or less, for less than 40k
> miles) and dare I say it, could be more reliable and almost certainly
> cheaper to fix.  Small back seat, though, so the only real advantage  
> over
> the 911 would be the somewhat larger trunk and the additional two  
> doors.
> Caddy isn't really up my alley, but thought I'd include it anyway...
>
> That's about it.  Had fantasized for some time about a Dodge Charger  
> Hemi
> with the POLICE PACKAGE, all the better to encourage idiots doing 61  
> mph in
> the fast lane on the Mass Pike to get out of my way, but the  
> interior is
> just too brutally cr*ppy, even by my low standards.  Dodge Magnum R/ 
> T wagon
> ain't much better.  Briefly entertained the idea of a Pontiac G8,  
> since
> we're looking at V8 powered RWD cars, but, please, a Pontiac?
>
> Not at all interested in a Lexus, nor Mercedes-Benz.  One exception  
> might be
> a CLS500/CLS550, but the four-seats only sorta rules it out, and I  
> have
> little faith in MB quality/reliability (the CLS63 would make me  
> change my
> mind about the need to seat a 5th person, but still way too $$$).
>
> The wife would love an E61 530i Touring wagon, but it's pretty not- 
> fast.
> Though the Bangle styling on this make me want to claw my eyes out the
> least, especially as compared to the sedan.
>
> So...  Thoughts?  Advice?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Dennis
> E38less, apparently
> Metro Boston
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
> http://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/ferrarisimo%40comcast.net
>
> Sponsored by BooyahMedia.com
> and F1 Headlines
> http://www.F1Headlines.com/