Frisky Dingo

So our regular client and mega baller who graces us with all kinds of great specialty used cars just worked out a deal for us to get 7 of his cars, and among them were a Focus RS and new TT RS. I didn't get a really long drive in either, but here is a brief review and my impressions of each- Focus RS- This car was actually a positive surprise. The interior is markedly inferior to a Golf R. But it's really not terrible. It's not quite as intuitive or quality feeling, but it's miles better than an Evo, and still better than an STI, imo. The ride is definitely stiff and way rougher than a Golf R even in 'Race'. But it's not unbearable. It really is only a problem on roads with lots of heaves or expansion joints. As well as the stiff ride, it's also very noisy. Part of that is due to the Sport Cup 2 rubber. The payoff here, of course, is driving excitement. I cannot lie, it is a cut above the R in terms of driving dynamics and drama. The engine sounds raw and guttural, the power delivery is thrilling, and the car just goads you into driving like a buffoon. The steering is much more direct, sharper, faster, and more wholesome in feel than that found in the R. It was definitely more focused on outright 'fun' than all-around usability, like in the R. And I like that about it. It's a very different feeling car, with a very different mindset. That said, I couldn't justify this car as a DD, personally. Although I loved it's visceral nature and playful character, it's quite an aggressive to companion to live with everyday. Sport Cup 2's are pricey, and don't last long and you're looking at some pretty high running costs for a compact hatchback. In short, it's a better sportscar than a Golf R, but I hesitate to say it's a better hatchback. I'd buy one over an STI, however, no question. TT RS- This was was somewhat of a negative surprise. Let's start with the good stuff. The looks are fantastic. It looks squat, aggressive, purposeful, and just generally ready to terrorize the road. And it happily will do so. This car is a beast on the streets. It's mega traction, diminutive size, approachable demeanor, and ballistic acceleration all come together to obliterate traffic and stretches of pavement alike. I struggle to think of another car that is as devastatingly effective and quick on public roads. It's one-generation-ago 911 Turbo like explosiveness, and few cars short of a Tesla or the latest crop of boosted 911's are going to be much of a match for it. Your C7 Stingrays, Mustang GT's, 335i's, and Lexus F's are laughed at and disposed of with ease by this car. For someone that didn't have people hauling needs, but wanted a do-it-all fun car for the road, you'd be hard-pressed to top this thing. It's supercar like performance in a usable, comfortable, nicely equipped, easy to exploit package. But if you looked at from a different perspective- one as a value equation, or as a weekend toy when your lux sedan is in the garage, it becomes somewhat hard to justify. Let's talk value. This car was 75K. That's a pretty big chunk of money. It's pretty close to 2x the cost of a Golf R. It is not 2x the car. Not in performance, driving fun, or equipment/luxury. In fact, it feels like a Golf R turned up to '13'. Which, in a way, is pretty much what it is. There is painfully clear connection and familiarity that anyone who has driven a Golf or Audi A3 would instantly recognize. For better or for worse. And for the price, as a toy, it's a little lacking in excitement and tactility. This car is not as engaging as a 75-80K Cayman S or GT350R. Fun as it is, it's not as pure, immersive, involving, or thrilling as some other options this kind of money presents. Even the sound needed a little more edge and aggressiveness, and this car had the Sport Exhaust option. I think I would be totally happy going down 17K in price, and getting what has to be 95% of what this car has to offer from it's stablemate the RS3. Or spending 75K and getting a new GTI and a Camaro SS 1LE. But still an awesome car that I'm glad I finally got to drive!

A Hybrid 911 makes all the sense in the world. It's a no-brainer, and a wonder they haven't done it already.

They're about 4-5K off right now. So maybe a bit under 26k for a DSG Sport.

Yeah, no. I would maybe, maybe take a CLA by the slimmest of margins, but the GLA is beyond despicable. I'd rather have a Yaris. Not even kidding.

Except the articles out there so far point to there being next to no changes as far as braking and suspension is concerned. Tires are also the same size. It's got no major adjustments that's suddenly going to make this well behaved. The aero isn't going to help it on the street.

It's literally no different than trading a car in that you have a loan on. With a lease, you have a payoff. That amount is your remaining payments and the car's residual. If the car isn't worth that, which mine isn't, the difference is your negative equity. The dealer accepting the trade-in pay off the car just like normal.

The A3 has Nav, leather seats, full power seats on both sides, LED head and taillights, AWD, dual-zone A/C, B&O audio and sunroof. Sport GTI has plaid cloth seats, no power seats, no roof, no premium audio, and is FWD. Both have a 6sp DSG. The Audi also doesn't have larger brakes, like the GTI. I honestly can't even stomach the idea of keeping it. All I see now is everything about it I wish I could change. Because I'm going to trade it in early anyway. Why keep paying on something I'm going to take a hit on later, when I take the hit now, get it over with an get something I like more? You just trade it in. Like anything else.

Between my car and the Sport?? Assuming so, my SE has leather, which I don't like; a sunroof, which I don't like; and no Lighting Package, which i severely regret, and may have prevented the other night's events altogether. The Sport was a one-year only special model that has Plaid, which I love; the Perf Pkg built in, which I'd have to have; and loses the Fender Audio, which I would admittedly miss. Update on my car- So the hit ripped my transmission control module off. It's dangling by the harness. It cannot be replaced separately. Would require a $7,000~ transmission replacement. Which would require me to pay my $1,000 deductible, get a hit on the CarFax which will diminish value, and drive a car around for another year that I don't want, and will take a hit on come time to trade, any way. Or I can just zip-tie it back in place, hope it holds, and hope it doesn't cause any problems later. And drive it around like that for another year until my lease-end is close. Or I can say "screw it", bit the bullet, and trade it in. I'm really torn here.

VIR is a fast truck with lots of new pavement. It's not indicative to real world results. The Z06 wants to light it's tires up every chance it gets. Another 100hp with the same size rubber isn't going to make things better.

So, I hit a deer (carcass) in my GTI last night. Still waiting to see how much undercarriage damage was done, but I'm already questioning if I want to keep it. The car is tainted in my eyes now, and I know I will always be thinking about it. I can get a crazy deal on a new leftover 17 Sport, but we also have a loaded 15 A3 w/ Sport Pkg and stupid low miles that is a bit tempting. I really don't know what to do here.

@ccap41 Nifty idea here, friend. Putting this together ASAP. Also, since you like the GTI Sport so much, I have a few left over 17's I'll make you a killer deal on!!

Really looking forward to seeing what is powering this. A worked over LT4, or are we going to see the long-rumored DOHC here??

20 years is way too soon. The soonest credible estimates peg it at more like 30.

Lamborghini should be the absolute last to adopt this technology. Especially at the low end of their model range.

Goodness, that 3KGT is a looker. Wow.

It would be truly awesome stuffed in the Prowler.

Sad.

I'm going to go a different direction for my restomods. This will be the first of several- Easily one of the builds like this I would want to do most would involve the W124 gen E Class. I would take a sedan shell like this- Drop in a newer M159 6.2 V8 from the SLS- And throw in a fully redone suspension with upgraded brakes, and some newer electronics and upholstery in the cabin. For the finishing touch, I'd have HRE do me a custom set of wheels in the vein of the classic AMG Monoblocks-

The Soul is a neat little ride. It's really the spiritual successor to the original xB.

Oh, F*&%$ off and die.

Subaru has one of the greatest disconnects between concepts and production cars of any maker. This car means nothing to me. Let's not forget how badass this looked-

I will say that is one of the very cool things about the flexibility of a platform like this- it opens up so many more options for 'drivetrain' layouts. A neo-Thing would be very cool, indeed. Though, I'm not sure what role such a vehicle would have in the real world. If it's nothing other than nostalgia and retro, I find it odd that they would make such a vehicle, but then be so unsure about the future of the Beetle. VW should just keep making the Beetle until it can be moved to an EV platform. VW sells every Beetle it makes, and we sell at ours at MSRP almost always. They really have nothing to lose by making it for another 2-3 years before transitioning to MEB.

No Evo, no care.

That goes against what I heard from VW corporate people just as recently as a month ago. Sounds like it's already decided upon. As long as it's done right, it could be a smart move. Move VW slightly upmarket, with continued pursuit of electric models, and let Skoda fill the vacuum. Place Skoda where S level VW's currently reside and keep them geared towards gas models. I believe that was the plan in the first place.