Is YOUR Car More Practical Or Fun? And Are You HAPPY With Your Decision?

They have FREE maintenence!

— Badgewhore:

> My car is slow, so so handling, rides too rough for an expensive
> luxury vehicle, looks somewhat bland, built like a tank, smooth
> engine, reasonably reliable(only because it's still new), super
> expensive to maintain and operate, but it's got a blue and white
> propeller badge. That's all that matters!

Epic! :-)

Now my car... WOW, I mean WOW. Long long time ago it was based on another car, made by people's car maker and named after an insect. Surprisingly, after all these years, it still looks the same! That's what you call no progress, ermmm, I mean, devotion to tradition!

Recently, competition released a car that offers the same or more performance than mine for half the price, with no back roots to an insect coming for free. I'm trying not to think about this fact. Hey, at least they don't have that much racing pedigree pal. That's all that matters. Every customer at the dealers always interrupts the salesman asking: "... but does the car have that, you know, pedigree?..."

My car also has soul. Aaaand charisma! I have no idea how these philosophical and volatile terms map to a status statement but I read enough Autospies comments saying that my wheels have lots of it that I'm a believer now!

And, oh, history. Yes, history, lots of it. Extremely important. Again, every customer always asks about history, especially when they buy a brand new car that has just left the factory. They ask about nothing else!

Maybe... maybe history is so relevant because the predecessor of my car looked exactly the same as the current model? Inside and out. I can't really measure any significant progress but I read lots of car magazines and they say there has been TONS of it. They must be right. Not possible someone payed them to say nonsense.

You know, the most popular model that the manufacturer of my car now sells is a heavy fat ass soccer mum SUV. With an engine straight from agriculture equipment (despite of which it still does 19,6 mpg US). Anytime I think about how this profanation relates to the racing soul of this manufacturer, I simply shake my head and think about something else.

But I just can say:
"I have a [badge goes here]".

Oh....... at least this is still left......

1UAW, you failed to understand even a single point from the Badgewhore's rant.

Small wonder you bolted GM cars together so badly the company went bust, LOL.

Just to explain so that no other smart individual has any difficulty understanding what Badgwhore had on his mind:
- products of a certain brand are seriously overrated
- buyers of those care too much about what's written on the hood

Badgewhore, Downtoearth, you guys are funny. The irony is that there are actually people like the ones you are making fun of, although they don't know it.

OMG.

Poor boy "badgewhore", the name is program. Did your girlfriend leave you for somebody driving a BMW?

Go play somewhere else, and PS: Have your floormats checked ...

My car was a practical choice. Until I get out of University I don't have time to tinker. My next/second vehicle however will be very impractical as I plan on it being a money hole.

All in all I am happy with my decision, although I wish I could have found a super charged version with a HUD and sunroof.

My guess, you drive a Grand Prix GT coupe. Am I close?

Spot on.

I will translate "downtoearth"'s rant:

I do not, and will never have, the funds to buy a Porsche so I'll just hate everyone who is lucky enough to own one and try to trash the car on Autospies. It gives me something to do while I look for a job on Monster.com and live my life in quiet despair.

My car is practical AND fun and I couldn't be happier with my decision!!! In comparison tests it's beaten C63's, RS4's, Porsche Turbo's, IS-F's, and GTR's just to name a few (despite not being as fast in a straight line) while being cheaper and more fun in the real world and more manageable on the track for the enthusiast driver than all of them. Despite living in LA with its traffic and horrible roads I'm even glad I got the 6 speed and am very glad I got the stock 18's even though when I test drove it with the more common 19's it rode MUCH smoother than all the previously mentioned cars. I love how my friend traded in his hard riding, 10mpg, pussy automatic C63 for an M3 coupe after driving mine!! I also love how I can carry around a full load of equipment in my trunk (fold down the seats if I need to) and carry 3 or 4 other friends and myself to willow springs raceway for a track day and place faster lap times than much more exotic cars without any modifications to mine. My pride and joy is......a BMW M3 Sedan!!!

My sympathy goes out to badgewhore even though i wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt own a bmw and is just pushing a hater agenda. "super expensive to maintain and operate??" ever heard of 4years/50,000miles free maintenance??

I have a Mitsubishi Galant. Very practical and not much fun, but it corners and rides quite well. One of my previous cars was a Suzuki Swift GTI. Now that car was fun but not very practical and it felt like it was taped and zip-tied together.

Had to go down to just one since I moved from NC to FL this week..I will write an article on my move soon...My current CX-9 (that I have written about) is fun to drive for its size and very functional. Gas mileage is not great but I live with it...Handles nice, brakes nice..Not much in this class I would rather have.. I did want a M45 but needed more practicality.

What predictors? Ones who base their judgement on what sounds right yet have no idea what is actually happening? The South pole has been gaining in mass.

I thought NC had a higher unemployment rate than that. Im in Charlotte and it is 12-13 percent here. Crazy. If I lose my job, I would consider moving if I have to to keep food on the table.

the weather..foreclosers are easy to get..the weather..lol

practical and fun: Merc C350
Practical: RX330
Fun: IS300

Usually, I would go for the fun factor, but recently, I'm more into comfortable.

G8 is large, 3 season fun.
Forester is quick, all weather practical.

Fun, blah blah blah, Life to short, blah blah blah, Fun.

I've got an E36 3-series coupe. It's great fun, handles well, but I don't drive it in the snow. Have an old Saab for that...