Nitrousbird

1. "Very Cool." There is nothing cool about those cars. The rag-top version is SLIGHTLY better, but it is still an ugly box with a cheap-o interior. 2. "But it is a Benz." Just because Mercedes Benz purchased the company doesn't make it a Benz. I've been in enough Benz's to know that isn't one of them. 3. "It's rather roomy." You and I have VERY different opinions on rather roomy. If you want a small car that would meet that criteria, hop into a CRX. Tons of leg room, with plenty of hatch storage. This not-so-smart car doesn't qualify.

Ugh. I sat in a loaded Smart Rag-Top @ the Columbus Auto Show on Sunday. @ 6'3", I didn't find it roomy. For 17k, I found it to be a cheap POS. Most economy cars have nicer interiors for less money. It looked retarded, heard a lot of negative comments while around it, and I wouldn't drive it regardless of how much I could save on gas.

We hit Byers, MAG, Toy Barn, Carmax, and I think a couple of others too. There is NOTHING. 06 w/ black interior, quattro, 2.0T Auto = impossible to find. MAG didn't have a single auto. Byers had one auto 06, but has the tan interior which she hates (and I agree; doesn't look nearly as good, plus usually has the wood trim which neither of us are fond of either). Since to get the deal it has to be a Audi Certified car, that makes it even harder. As for further out, a lot of those cars that were reasonable deals are long gone...now it's 25k and driving 150+ miles for one. At 20-22k, she was pretty interested...at 25k, that's getting into the ballpark of, to be quite honest, nicer cars. Though these A4's are priced new where an IS250, G35 Sedan, TL, etc. are priced, they aren't as nice. But when there is a significant cost difference, it makes sense. Where it becomes less of a difference, then it doesn't. We will keep looking, but for now it doesn't look too good. We can get some pretty good (but not as good as before) deals if we drive 450+ miles, but she doesn't seem keen on going that far to get a car that she doesn't "have" to get. Her current car is still perfectly fine and reliable. As for lag, I'm not confusing it with anything. Freeway, 4th gear, 60MPH. Mash the gas, takes a moment before you feel it kick in. You feel it accelerate slightly from flooring it, but the push back (which obviously isn't much @ 200HP) doesn't happen for a short moment. I've driven turbo cars with far more lag, but I still noticed it. That said, I tend to drive nothing but V8's, and am used to instant power and low-end torque.

I just need to change the oil on the Raptor and grease it up, then will be good to go. I finally put lights on it too, so I can ride in the dark now.

I tossed in $50 yesterday (stupid pump stops @ $50 w/ a Visa card). Woo hoo, 1/2 a tank. And I already blew through about 1/2 of that yesterday, and will kill the rest of it today. Awesome. Still better than driving an economy car, though. That's just torture.

I have Streets and Trips as well. Works good, as long as you need US only...worthless if you are going into Canada at all.

Be realistic. I don't think anyone is saying this guy goes out and only buys beat-up cars, or only sells car that have issues. But what people are saying is he will do whatever he can to make an extra buck, and will do some shaddy stuff to do so. I've heard too many horror stories from too many sources, and wouldn't take the chance.

Update We went looking for an A5 yesterday. NOTHING in Columbus was what she was looking for. A4 2.0T Quattro Auto w/ black or maybe gray leather = none. Found two with tan interiors, but she doesn't like that interior at all. A bunch of 6-speeds. I test drove for the hell of it a non-quattro 6-speed. Ehhh, power wise it was acceptable for her. Rode pretty decently, handled well enough for what I was doing with it. A bit of turbo lag, but I've driven worse. Shifter throws were a bit long for my tastes, but that's an easy fix. Nice car overall. Now we are pretty much stuck driving a decent ways away to find an A4.

Regardless of how bad she is with money, with the deal you are giving her (which is crazy good), she has a lot of nerve to even think about complaining about a few extra bucks in gas driving you to work is costing her. I'm going to go out on a limb here and bet going out and doing things is not a 50/50 pay deal overall. I'd bet you pay 80%, at least. I've dated women like that in the past. I'm sorry, if she can't appreicate what you are doing for her, why are you even with her? $200/month...my god, the only time I've had less living expenses was when I lived with my parents...back when I was 18, and that's because it was free! She should be thanking her lucky stars you haven't tossed her ass to the curb. I made the mistake before of "justifying" why I paid more in past relationships. In the end, it's just BS.

Couple questions: - Any finance charges for the .9% deal (credit is not an issue) - Any down-payment requirements for it - Does it have to be a CPO car? As for CPO cars, let's say a car was never inspected to be a CPO car. Is there a way to get it to that point after purchase?

Great Indoors is pretty cool. Don't forget to get a remote control for it. I got my LCD remote for $35 at Lowes...and they are cake to install. I have it for my bedroom ceiling fan and use it a lot.

Why are you getting such a short end of the stick? She bitches about an extra, what, $15/month TOPS added on by you car pooling. Yet she is living with household expenses of basically $200/month. Where in the hell could you EVER live that cheaply with even a roomate. You'd be hard pressed to live in a ghetto hell-hole for so little. How about just make rent/utilites 50/50 and not car pool.

I'll see it. I loved the first one, and seeing Richard in it is an added benefit!

You have a decent size 4-door sedan. How is that not family oriented?

Ohio Boy's T/A CE was in the 9's on a stock shortblock a few years ago...but I suppose that no longer counts.

I think she is sold on the Audi, due to the .9% financing, and the warranty. She has a co-worker that got one, so she has been in the cars before. She wants an auto. Tomorow I'm going to print out every Audi for a good price in a 300 mile range, and use that as a negotiating tool. We will be checking out Byers Saturday, and maybe some other places. I don't negotiate nicely with dealers. Simply a "here is the out the door price we are willing to spend...tax, title, financing fee's, your dealer fee's, and whatever other fee you want to charge, doesn't matter...we pay this exact amount." The dealer will know before I make my offer the market is flooded with these cars, what the other dealers are asking, and I have an Avalanche and a car hauler, with a willingness to go out of state to get the right car. Anything I should check for on these cars? Since it will still have a bumper-to-bumper warranty, mechanical isn't a big deal. Any cosmetic things that are common wear deals on these Audis?

- Legacy GT: She didn't like it at all. I wasn't all that impressed either. - Altima. Sorry, it is boring looking. She doesn't want another Nissan anyway, unless it is an Infiniti. We found some good deals on loaded Accord Sedans too, but again, they are lame looking in comparison to the nicer stuff out there. - She loves the 330xi and G35x...and both are PRICEY in comparison. I don't think she would want an S-line, as she isn't looking for a sports car, just something sporty. That .9% is something she would like...I'll see if we can find her one quickly. There was on at Byers Audi she liked from the outside (they were closed), but they were asking 28k for a car I've seen listed by other non-local dealers for 21k...so we will see if they are willing to negotiate. Shawn, I may be calling you this weekend if we have any questions when we are looking.

My fiance has FINALLY decided to upgrade cars, after years of talking about it. Though there is a bunch she liked, she wants something 06-07 w/ under 30k miles, for the high teens, low 20's. 4-door, semi-luxury w/ a sporty flavor. Prefers AWD, might settle with FWD. Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes don't have anything that can meet those requirements...they just don't depreicate enough the first couple of years. Her two current pics are an 06-07 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro, or a 06-07 Saab 9-3 Aero. I'm sure she will go with the Audi, so that's why I'm only asking about it. She likes navigation, but doesn't require it as I can throw in an aftermarket navi head unit. Requires leather, sunroof, heated seats. What other options are really "must haves" with these cars. We will most likely be traveling to get one, as the dealers 200-300 miles away seem to be asking a lot less than the locals. Any clue how much the extended factory warranty costs (moving it to 6 years/100k miles)? Heard a rumor about factory certified financing deals...any info on that?

Overall good package. There is no one trait. Should be attractive, intelligent, have her shit together, financially independant, friendly, a good person, good to me, good in the sack, and someone worth bringing home to the parents. I wouldn't settle for anything less, and haven't.

I drive back from 80 degree weather to deal with this shit. I should have stayed in Florida.

Edit: I've moved out and have been renting this place, but I really don't want to be a landlord anymore. I want to sell this place for payoff, but don't have to, as I do have renters covering it currently. Price: $116,000, FIRM, for sale by owner. No negotiating, and I sure as hell won't screw up my great credit with a short sale or BS like that. The good: - Quiet, safe, CRIME FREE Reynoldsburg neighborhood (this was very important to me when I bought the place). I've lived/owned this place over 6 years, never have had any crime issues. Easy access to 70 and 270, easy shopping access to pretty much anything you would want...very good location; actually, there aren't too many locations in Columbus with this much access to stuff while still being in a quiet area. - 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, tri-level (very unique; no others in neighborhood like it). Front is like a ranch, with front room, foyer, and kitchen. Downstairs is a bathroom, utility room, and my main living room. Upstairs is 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. - Oversized 2 car garage, measures 24 x 24, with new Craftsman garage door opener. - New hot water heater, newer and updated circuit board for furnace (not cheap). - Gas heat, central air. Garage has seperate A/C unit and ventless natural gas heater, both new. - Cul-da-sac, so low traffic. Tons of on-street parking + driveway parking, and large back yard for the neighborhood. - New lighting throughout house, all modern stuff. - Includes all appliances; new over range microwave, few year old side-by-side fridge with ice/water dispenser, gas stove, washer/dryer, dishwasher. None of them are in need of any service. - Most of the wallpaper has been pulled out, and replaced with paint. - New cabling in all rooms, done the RIGHT way (no floor pop cable lines or BS like that, all wall fished with quad RG6 and quality compression "snap and seal" fittings. All home runs to each outlet). Cat 5 ran to several rooms too. - Brand new roof (within the past couple of months), full tear-off with wood replacement. Including vent caps, flashing, etc. All professionally done - All new gutters to go along with that new roof. The bad: - Tore out the downstairs bathroom. Needs re-done; haven't had a chance to work on it since the tear out. - Flooring could use and updating in several rooms. Already have tile purchased for the kitchen/foyer/upstairs bathroom...just needs installed. Carpet in front room has been removed; have carpet for it, just needs installed. Downstairs carpet in ok shape but should be replaced. Upstairs carpet is decent. - Minor work on kitchen ceiling required, from where I had to tear-out over-the-cabinet shelves that looked aweful, and re-doing the lighting. - Small section of fence next to house needs replaced. I planned on replacing it with a large gate on that side to ease putting my boat back there, but after my dog passed, I've just tore it down. $50-100 fix. Or leave it. The hard post for both sides are there and solid. - Could use some landscaping work. I've done all the hard stuff (was a disaster when I got the place), just needs some prettying up. - Very small spot of siding needs swapped out (have the siding in my garage). If you are in the market for a house, or know someone that is, let me know and I'll get some pics and such. Square footage is 1296. Not looking to send pics out to people who aren't serious in buying a place.

If not buying back and repairing: - No 02 Cobra was made, 03-04 out of your budget - LS2 GTO out of your budget, could probably get an LS1 version The rest are all doable, of course.

Wow, what a mis-match of parts, looks like a shoddy build overall, and is lamer than your cheap-o Fiero "308" kit car.

I'm chilling in Vero Beach, FL waiting for my buddy to go pick up his boss's truck so we can take his boat out. Couldn't fit the wakeboard in the g/f's car with all of our other stuff, so only some tubbing and slalom skiing today. But we've been hanging out by the pool, on the beach, at the Sand Bar last night. But you guys have fun with that 50 degree weather.

Please stop calling it that.