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18-22k, is the G8 GT beatable?


mrblunt

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Life after the Evo is going to be slower. The fun to drive factor of my next car will probably not live up to it either. Speed and fun-to-drive are important to the youthful side of me. Comfort, interior space, and fit-and-finish are important to the aging side of me. In my budget listed above is there anything out there that can beat the G8 GT in all of these categories? I'm actively researching but does anyone know of major issues with them that I should consider?

 

Things I like about the G8

-performance of the L76 is badass and has a ton of potential. L76 + supercharger = win

-mpg's only 1-2 mpg worse than most luxury v6 cars. Reports on many forums are saying 26-27 highway with the help of the d-o-d. A 4-banger accord shows 30, the A4's are 27, 335xi at 26, c300 at 26, g35x at 25, TL at 26. I drive a lot of highway miles to and from work.

-100k warranty on the power train is really nice. At 22k i should be able to find one with some bumper to bumper warranty left. To get the above vehicles at this price most of the that I'm finding are 35-50k in miles. This limits their warranty coverage and makes them a 2007-2008 model instead of the 2k9 G8.

-the interior size is impressive. 3 adults can fit comfortably in the back. The interior quality was surprising. The seats were comfortable, the sound system was great and the cabin was quiet.

-insurance is significantly cheaper than most everything I listed above(and my Evo so my insurance will be dropping) with the exception of the Accord. My insurance agent gave me quotes on them all and the G8 GT was 35 dollars more per year to insure than a 2k9 Civic! The others were about 200 more per year to insure and all were more expensive than my 04 Evo.

-option to use cheap gas and still blow the doors off of all those listed above

-post warranty maintenance should be significantly cheaper than anything german

-timing chain that shouldnt need looked at until 200k

 

I'm obviously making some trade offs. I'm trading fit-and-finish for fun-to-drive. The G8 has a surprisingly nice interior and while it may not rival the g35x or bimmer in plushness it is much nicer than my Evo and is acceptable to me. The ride quality is great, the torque is badass, it is loaded with options like remote start, bluetooth, and heated seats that some of the others don't have. I dont know much about the reliability, and cant find too many problems from research, bc it is still a pretty new car and that makes me nervous. The rwd makes me a little nervous with the wife behind the wheel. Buying a limited production vehicle of a brand that has been killed off makes me nervous about resale.

 

So what do you think? Can you find me a car to rival the G8 GT in those categories? Please correct if I was wrong above. I'd like to get something in the next few days and just want to make an informed decision.

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They are nice for the money. I found couple 08's with less than 10k on the odo on yahoo autos. top end or a few dollars more than your range, but nearly new.

 

IMO if you're going to keep the car for a while, I wouldn't worry about resale and them being gone from the market. They seem to be taking a typical drop in depreciation already. Besides, there will always be someone looking for them just like GTO's today.

 

I was going to go with one as a company car but they wouldn't let me get a brand that was killed :(

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My friend just went from a stg2 sti to a G8 gt. He loves the added comfort of the G8 and says it doesn't attract as much attention either. Only downside he said was you can't buy a standard, only automatic.

I like the styling a lot, but for the price range you listed, you should check out the newest bodystyle bmw 335i's. You should be able to pick them up for around 22-24 with decent miles, standard or autotragic, good power and usable space!

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My uncle is 50 and he has one and he has had his fareshare of cars from a 02 camaro to the new gto and he says that his g8 gt is the best riding car he has owned. Ive driven it and i was surprised at the performance that it had as well as the level of comfort. Could always look into a gxp if you are want more performance.
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Potential!!!

 

lots of pics here>> http://1320video.com/dragweek.php

 

many build pics here but they are not in order >> http://www.neufamily.org/images/g8gallery/

 

717rwhp dyno vid >> http://www.neufamily.org/images/g8filespics/g8dyno717.wmv

 

video of 10sec run >>

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Yeah I know. I enjoy driving a manual as much as the next guy but it's not a deal breaker for me. Once the thing is tuned I think it be be just fine. The price premium for the GXP is just crazy and they have a gas guzzler tax to boot. There are some pretty nice cars in the 32-35k price range. A GXP wouldn't be even my 3rd choice up there.
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Not sure I could give up the manual.

For a DSG/ Dual clutch, MAYBE, but even then, questionable.

 

It's not bad initially, but as the months go by it starts to become boring as shit. I went to the DSG, and it still became a boring automatic after a while.

 

I will never own an automatic for as long as I can physically push the clutch pedal in.

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FRONT BALL JOINTS

 

Guy I work with has had one since 5K miles, it now has 36K miles and has had the lower control arms/balljoints replaced TWICE now under warranty. They are having problems keeping moisture out of the sockets.

 

When they were "bad" I mean they were worn out. He said that with our cost on parts he can get them for $400 for the pair which means closer to $700 for the average person the next time they wear out. They are on back order, they had his car for 3 weeks the first time.

 

Otherwise, really really good car. Great mileage, lots of neat DIY projects that are cheap and make the car a lot more fun. I believe house of boost made over 600rwhp or something just by slapping twin turbos on it and not changing anything else.

 

Be forewarned that messing with the shift points on the autos using the candi module with the techII is a great way to destroy a transmission as well.

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Im quite sure he will be using EFILive with no issues

 

Again, just what guys are chatting about on the G8 boards. Not saying there is not a right way, but there is certainly a cheap way that many people like to take when modifying cars. Thanks.

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