Girlfriend Is Looking At Getting A New Car

[gm iprod]

Hammer. Quicker, easier, messier.

Well two out of three ain't bad.

[kimel]

I bought a wallet a few years ago that has these funny little tabs in it for holding keys. Now a key for each vehicle lives in my wallet. That has come in handy so many times.

[gm iprod]

Which you keep in the safety of your glove box?

[Hey QuicksDraw!]

I bought a wallet a few years ago that has these funny little tabs in it for holding keys.  Now a key for each vehicle lives in my wallet.  That has come in handy so many times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That sounds great but BMW keys are fat and have buttons.They should make an emergency key for your wallet.

[kimel]

Yet another reason to buy a Toyota or a Subaru.

[BritinUSA]

I bought a wallet a few years ago that has these funny little tabs in it for holding keys.  Now a key for each vehicle lives in my wallet.  That has come in handy so many times.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That sounds great but BMW keys are fat and have buttons.They should make an emergency key for your wallet.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Most cars come with a valet key. That opens the driver door and activates the ignition, usde for valet parking. I'm surprised the BMW does not come with one. Check with the dealer, maybe it's a special order.

[XRe]

It would appear that you can't beat Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus for reliability and value retention. My family's had a slew of Toyotas and Lexi, and all have been very satisfactory, lasted a long time, and been very reliable.

My wife and I have had strongly negative experiences with Ford, VW, and Nissan, and we also won't touch Audi, Infiniti, Lincoln, or Mercury for that reason.

I have a Subaru WRX. I've previously noted on this forum that I was extremely happy with it. Now I'm not so sure. I'd say I'm lukewarm about it, now. At 75K, the A/C has gone out (in Texas, in the middle of the damn summer - that's going to be $1k to get it fixed). I also have a coil going bad - another couple hundred to get that fixed. The Subie is still far better than those that we had problems with, but....

For other reasons (experiences of friends, and other family members), we'll be staying away from almost all of the American offerings, except for trucks. Apparently, that's the only thing our auto unions still know how to turn out quality product with. However - you might regard this paragraph as hearsay, as it's not my personal experience.

Did I mention avoid VW/Audi like the plague???

I'm a big proponent of AWD, now that I've had one - for any conditions, not just snow. Volvo has some nice cars, BMW makes some AWD cars (or used to). Toyota has the Matrix in AWD (I don't like how it looks, though). Having driven all three drive types in the snow, I'd pick AWD, RWD, and FWD, in that order (if you're not extremely careful with what you're doing, FWD is just as dangerous as RWD - at least, in my experience....). I wish Toyota would make a real sports car again - and that it'd have AWD....

[raz-0]

I like my subaru legacy GT. Fun little car.

Dunno how deep the pockets are, but if AWD is the thing, there are a large number of offerings out there.

Toyota matrix/pontiac vibe comes in AWD

volkswagen R32 and passat.

everything audi

everything subaru

acura RL

infinity g35x

lexus gs300

dodge magnum

chrysler 300

BMW 325xi and 330 xi

volvo s40,s60, s60R, s80, v50, v70r

ford 500

mercedes c-class

there are TONS of AWD cars out there today if that's what does it for you.

Also, having test driven a lot of vehicles in my search for a new car, I'd have to say even if she doesn't like trucks, check out the nissan murano. Due to having to wait for a plate at a giant auto mall, the sales guy let me drive it around the parking lot for a while. I honestly ahve to say that the time from hopping in to being comfortable doing k turns surrounded by new cars was startlingly short. It also has a very car-like ride.

[XRe]

volkswagen R32

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought they stopped making this model???

[ParaJoe]

I will vote Subaru or Toyota. I have a Toyota (actually it's a Scion XB) and it's great. I will never go back to American cars/trucks again. My daily driver right now is a 62 VW Beetle but once it's time to grow up and get a more practical car (read::less work), it will be a Subie/Toyota.

JOe

[Chills1994]

Thanks for your replies everyone!

Turns out the insurance company is shelling out the dough to get her Infiniti fixed.

I've locked my keys in my 97 F-150 at least three times. The first time the guard shack for the place I worked at had a collection of slim jims made from metal banding (pallets and lumber piles).

The second time I did it, I used my girlfriend's handsaw to open up the door. I was surprised it worked and it didn't do any damage to the door.

The third time the handsaw trick didn't work. I finally bent some stiff coat hanger wire and was able get the sliding back window open.

Now I know a sure fire way to open it up, if I ever do it again.

Of course, if I would use those magnetic key holders I've gotten as stocking stuffers, I wouldn't have to worry about it.

[Hey QuicksDraw!]

O.K I wasn't going to admit this but 24 hour after my last post on this thread I did it again. I locked myself out of my car at the Summer Blast. Stop laughing! It's not my fault that I'm stupid, talk to my parents.

I went to registration, then opened the back to get my eyes and ears. Put down my keys, retrieved said eyes and ears, closed the back, then almost soiled my pants as I looked at my keys laying in the back of the car. Prayers were not answered as all the doors were locked.

Did anyone notice a blue X5 parked in front of the club house as darkness fell on Friday? I called my wife who told me to calm down and go to dinner with my friend Olin after asking for his hotel and room number.

We went to dinner with JJ and his dad and when we got back to Olin's room a couple hours later my spare key were there! My wife actually sent my spare keys down to me in a Limo from Philly! Yes I am a fool who has the best wife in the world!

O.k. it is pretty funny.... let the laughing begin since I now have a emergency flat key in my wallet!

[Nik Habicht]

O.K I wasn't going to admit this but 24 hour after my last post on this thread I did it again. I locked myself out of my car at the Summer Blast. Stop laughing! It's not my fault that I'm stupid, talk to my parents.

I went to registration, then opened the back to get my eyes and ears. Put down my keys, retrieved said eyes and ears, closed the back, then almost soiled my pants as I looked at my keys laying in the back of the car. Prayers were not answered as all the doors were locked.

Did anyone notice a blue X5 parked in front of the club house as darkness fell on Friday? I called my wife who told me to calm down and go to dinner with my friend Olin after asking for his hotel and room number.

We went to dinner with JJ and his dad and when we got back to Olin's room a couple hours later my spare key was there! My wife actually sent my spare keys down to me in a Limo from Philly! Yes I am a fool who has the best wife in the world!

O.k. it is pretty funny.... let the laughing begin since I now have a emergency flat key in my wallet!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe you should mail me (and every other match director you grace with your presence) a copy of the key, so I can throw it on the match key ring?

[Nemo]

ACURA TSX

Don't worry HQD... I left my car keys in the door lock and locked myself inside my car... Then waited for someone to come by and open the door for me.