OT - Thinking about buying a German car

Gulfcoastguy

I had to teach my younger sister to drive a manual Datsun B210.

HeavyG

Gulfcoastguy said:

I had to teach my younger sister to drive a manual Datsun B210.

First brand new car I ever bought was my 1976 Datsun B210 hatchback. Great little car.

HeavyG

JohnInCarolina said:

https://youtu.be/nA2PD6NQavw 

Nice ride.

Clarkson did a review of that in the first episode of "The Grand Tour". He really seemed to like it.

RRP

berndcrisp said:

My '82 Mercedes 240D manual has 340,000 miles and is all original. Showing its age but so am I.

My VERY first MB was a stick shift 240D I really extended myself financially for as a celebratory gift to myself for successfully quitting smoking - actually a 3 pack a day habit for over 20 years - when I turned 40. To this day I wish I still had that 240D as it was SO MUCH fun! BTW - no I NEVER even touched another weed of any type and to this day 33 years later I am still weed free!

lousubcap

@RRP - While I would enjoy a debate about your choice of German steel, I definitely applaud and support your cause for the purchase and more for staying with it.  Congrats. 
Edit- Stick in that Vette?

Eoin

Everyone learns on a manual here in the UK, which is how it should be.

My current German fleet is a '72 VW camper that has a tendency to leak oil (may or may not be fixed when I get it back this time), a '76 R90 BMW that is no trouble at all and a '13 BMW M135i, which is a perfect daily driver.

Kayak

While searching for the perfect little convertible for wifey, we test drove a used Boxster at a dealer. Correction, we were allowed to ride along while the salesman demonstrated it's abilities,THEN given a turn. He drove that thing like a go-cart, and I'm not sure all four were on the ground at all times. Of course we both had to take a turn, even though she had already decided against. Ended up with a used SLK350, which is plenty of fun, too.

JohnInCarolina

HeavyG said:

JohnInCarolina said:

JohnInCarolina said:

This should be entertaining.

I may have miscalculated.

My bad. I guess I used the wrong bait. Probably should have thrown in some chum. 

A thread on Russian cars might have done the trick.

Eggcelsior

JohnInCarolina said:

HeavyG said:

JohnInCarolina said:

JohnInCarolina said:

This should be entertaining.

I may have miscalculated.

My bad. I guess I used the wrong bait. Probably should have thrown in some chum. 

A thread on Russian cars might have done the trick.

Whatever, man. The SHERP is the best SUV out there.

DoubleEgger

It is pretty ironic that this is the only thread in recent memory that has stayed on topic. 

DoubleEgger

bgebrent said:

JohnInCarolina said:

WeberWho said:

JohnInCarolina said:

https://youtu.be/nA2PD6NQavw 

I always enjoy a good Doug video

He's great.  

I'd run him for pinks

And you very well could lose. 

JohnInCarolina

DoubleEgger said:

It is pretty ironic that this is the only thread in recent memory that has stayed on topic. 

Americans like their cars and their freedom to choose them man.  

tjv

just bought the wife a new mercedes gle350.  that's what she wanted!  I kind had to - I ran the bottom of the CGS box truck over the back-end of her Audi A4 convertible.  forgot the box truck needs wide turns to miss the vehicles parked next to it..............

t

 

RRP

lousubcap said:

@RRP - While I would enjoy a debate about your choice of German steel, I definitely applaud and support your cause for the purchase and more for staying with it.  Congrats. 
Edit- Stick in that Vette?

No, automatic. We bought it for my wife to drive to school.

littlerascal56

Wife loved the little Mercedes SLK 280.  It was a hot rod, and built to last forever.  I actually serviced it, so it never went back to the dealer for any warranty work! Car would run right up to 155 mph before the governor shut it down.  Mercedes builds a nice automobile.  It was a little small for me, and I prefer the 6 speed manual transmission in my Corvette. 

Botch

Okay, not as fast as some of the above, but I am a Saaboholic and I loved all three of them.
 

 
Sadly, my '01 pictured above will be my last one, but it still has over 100,000 miles to go to catch up to my '86!  

Eoin

Botch said:

Okay, not as fast as some of the above, but I am a Saaboholic and I loved all three of them.
 

 
Sadly, my '01 pictured above will be my last one, but it still has over 100,000 miles to go to catch up to my '86!  

I love Saabs too, but they went downhill after the GM takeover and lost their basic USP. When I left my job to start the business I hadn't got much cash and bought a 10 year old 9000 for £1500 with 135k miles on it. Sold for £70 four years later at 250k miles. Great car.

thetrim

I'm on my 3rd Saab!  Middle one got totaled after a year, and now I have an 07 Aero that needs some body work after running over a 2x4 on the interstate at 0300.  That's not so good on the ground effects.

blind99

Jeremiah said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Jeremiah said:

Sardonicus said:

JohnInCarolina said:

JohnInCarolina said:

This should be entertaining.

I may have miscalculated.

Not everyone keeps up.

Some of us are. We're just choosing to ignore the political bait. 

Who said anything about politics?  This is clearly just about a love for German engineering.

Love my manual V8 S5 by the way.

I noticed that at butt blast. Neat car. 

A5/s5 is the best looking car of the past 10 years

blind99

HeavyG said:

JohnInCarolina said:

https://youtu.be/nA2PD6NQavw 

Nice ride.

Clarkson did a review of that in the first episode of "The Grand Tour". He really seemed to like it.

I test drove a 2 convertible. It's not that the interior is poor quality.... but for the money it should be a lot better. A used M2 or 2 convertible would be a lot more palatable

GATraveller

No colluding with the Germans....... 

JRWhitee

My wife loves her A6.

GregW

SmokeyPitt said:

I would love to hear any suggestions on teaching someone to drive a stick. I am trying to teach my 15 year old son. He can drive really well in an automatic, but he just can't find the groove in a manual. 

Being middle age and growing up on a farm, I was driving stick shifts at around 10 yrs old. Whether it be on the old Ford tractor or the John Deere. or the old dump truck.
Kids these days don't have the opportunity at a young age to learn to drive manual transmissions.
I guess one could say that there is not much of a need anymore, but I would hate to know I didn't know how. 

As far as you son goes, your just going to have to let him keep practicing. It may very well cost you a clutch, particularly learning to start on a hill traffic light. I think some of the new cars have automatic hill holding brakes. I don't know if they are available on manual transmission cars though. 

Gulfcoastguy

Hill holding was on my VW diesel manual transmission. I would assume that would apply t

WeberWho

GregW said:

SmokeyPitt said:

I would love to hear any suggestions on teaching someone to drive a stick. I am trying to teach my 15 year old son. He can drive really well in an automatic, but he just can't find the groove in a manual. 

Being middle age and growing up on a farm, I was driving stick shifts at around 10 yrs old. Whether it be on the old Ford tractor or the John Deere. or the old dump truck.
Kids these days don't have the opportunity at a young age to learn to drive manual transmissions.
I guess one could say that there is not much of a need anymore, but I would hate to know I didn't know how. 

As far as you son goes, your just going to have to let him keep practicing. It may very well cost you a clutch, particularly learning to start on a hill traffic light. I think some of the new cars have automatic hill holding brakes. I don't know if they are available on manual transmission cars though. 

My wife's crossover has a hill assist with a manual transmission. I hate it. It's maybe not bad for someone new to manual transmission but it's a pain in the arse for someone who knows how to work the clutch. The vehicle won't move until the clutch is almost all the way out. It messes me up. I wish there was an option to shut it off 

thetrim

We've also had a Jetta and a Toureg.  Both were real nice but we moved to the minivans when we started having kids.  

Botch

Never had a "hill-holding" clutch, I was taught to use the Emergency brake with my hand (either left or right, depending on the vehicle).
Doubt this will work for millenials, as they'd have to put their phone down.  

Eoin

WeberWho said:

GregW said:

SmokeyPitt said:

I would love to hear any suggestions on teaching someone to drive a stick. I am trying to teach my 15 year old son. He can drive really well in an automatic, but he just can't find the groove in a manual. 

Being middle age and growing up on a farm, I was driving stick shifts at around 10 yrs old. Whether it be on the old Ford tractor or the John Deere. or the old dump truck.
Kids these days don't have the opportunity at a young age to learn to drive manual transmissions.
I guess one could say that there is not much of a need anymore, but I would hate to know I didn't know how. 

As far as you son goes, your just going to have to let him keep practicing. It may very well cost you a clutch, particularly learning to start on a hill traffic light. I think some of the new cars have automatic hill holding brakes. I don't know if they are available on manual transmission cars though. 

My wife's crossover has a hill assist with a manual transmission. I hate it. It's maybe not bad for someone new to manual transmission but it's a pain in the arse for someone who knows how to work the clutch. The vehicle won't move until the clutch is almost all the way out. It messes me up. I wish there was an option to shut it off 

Hill holding messes with your head, Anne's CRV has it and it annoys me when I'm driving her car.

nolaegghead

German cars are a mixed bag.  I like a challenge, and so I like German cars.  They made some nice junk through the years. I've had some VWs and Audis that were mechanical nightmares.  Fared better with BMW and Porsche. 

The car's depreciation rate after 4 or 5 years is proportional to the expensive migraine you will have trying to maintain it. 

I just did service on SWMBO's X3 - first after warranty expired.  I do all my own maintenance, I actually like it.

Having a manual transmission here in New Orleans is a great theft deterrent.  Most of the punk car thieves can't drive a stick.

You want some German steel that will last longer than you?  Buy a MB '80-81 300SD. 

Kcheves

Botch said:

Never had a "hill-holding" clutch, I was taught to use the Emergency brake with my hand (either left or right, depending on the vehicle).
Doubt this will work for millenials, as they'd have to put their phone down.  

I have a hill-holding clutch on one of our cars, and wish it could be defeated.  It cannot.  Many new German cars (all BMWs, all Porsches, not sure about others) no longer have a handbrake, so that's no longer an option.