Not Audio Related But I'm Desperate - Is There Such A Thing As A Good Automobile Forum Online?

[TubeLover]

As the title notes, I've been desperate to find a US based, online car/auto forum online that is in regular and significant use, and would cover topics like sports cars, sports touring cars, car purchasing advice, etc. for cars available in the United States. After some extensive research, I can find none of any worth except some devoted to a specific brand of car, like BMW or Mercedes Benz, or Porsche, etc. I aam in need of a general, popularly used,  overall forum that would ideally have discussions on classes of vehicles, and overall topics. 

 

This is to assist me in the challenging decision making process of what to buy, either now, or 24 months from now, depending on cost, as my likely final, and ultimate vehicle. Now, an ultimate vehicle means different things to different people, of course. In my case, i am leaning heavily towards a luxury sport touring type (emphasis on both sport and luxury), but could really use the input of experts in that, and/or closely related classes of cars. I would definitely be buying used to maximize my purchasing power. I went into this with a relatively good idea of what I felt my best options were, but, one by one, they have been more or less eliminated for various reasons. Thus, I finds myself in need of additional recommendations. 

 

Many of you here in the forums have an amazing breadth of knowledge, so I hoped perhaps that I might find an answer to my dilemma here. Thanks for any help. 

[Ralf11]

used?  how used?

 

https://classicmotorsports.com/forum/

 

 

[GregWormald]

There are a number of threads on the various Porsche 718 forums where people talk about their previous/current cars with respect to the new 718 and earlier models.

 

Here are 3 that I frequent:

http://www.planet-9.com/718-chat/

http://www.718forum.com/forum/

https://rennlist.com/forums/

 

 

[esldude]

I've had the same experience.  Some are good for a specific brand or more usually a specific model.  Otherwise a general car forum, nope don't know of any worth bothering to read. 

 

Some forums on classic cars or antique cars are excellent, but again usually broken down to specific types or brands of cars.  Plus being an old car is another category all its own anyway. 

 

If you narrow it down to two or at most three cars, you can make it work.  Say you were looking at a Mercedes SL vs an Audi R8.  Go to the Mercedes site asking or looking for threads comparing the two.  Yeah an obvious bias, but some few have experience with both because some initially were considering both like you are.  Then go look for the same thing on the Audi forum.  Same thing.  Together you can often get lots of good input useful to help you decide which might be more the car you are looking for plus what people who like one don't like about the other.  Pretty time consuming, but you can learn things you otherwise never learn unless you purchased both to see and eventually kept only one. 

[Ralf11]

luxury sport touring = Porsche with lots of options + maybe what used to be called the "Special Wishes Program" (they customize anything you want)

[TubeLover]

Thanks for your thoughts on this guys. Yes, the special, brand based forums do exist out there. My problem is that after a lot of thought, my initial choices have more or less failed to be ideal. So whats really needed is a forum where I could get other recommendations from people. Also, there are not exactly a large number of luxury sport touring cars out there. And, depending on which one of the two directions I go, it may also need to be all wheel drive, which is even more limiting. I'm looking at cars in the 2013-2015 model years.

 

Depending on price, it will either be purchased within the next few months (plan 1) or not until 24 months from now (spring of 2020 Plan 2). 

 

Recently I've driven two different Maserati GranTurismo's, an Audi R8, and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4s. I really wanted to love the Maserati, and almost did. It's an absolutely beautiful car inside and especially the exterior. It has a great engine, and very good automatic transmission (ZF). But overall, it falls a bit short in it's engineering and development as most of the boutique producers do. It has very unsettling spongy/mushy brakes, a lot of knobs and parts that clearly came from a Fiat parts bin, and the electronics and especially the vehicle control system/radio/nav etc. is very outdated. Unfortunate, because, as I noted, I was becoming very fond of the car which is clearly in the proper class for my needs. But, especially given that I would own this car for a very extended period, it just isn't a good choice, regretfully.

 

The R8 is a fabulous car, tremendous performance in all aspects, built like a bank vault, and state of the art, but so heavily geared towards performance that it's clearly not an everyday driver/only car. 

 

The Carrera 4s is, like all Porsches, very well built, and offers superb performance. the seating position is just a bit too cramped for me to be entirely comfortable, and in an everyday driver, thats simply not an issue one can overlook. 

 

JC

 

 

[rando]

On the off chance you have piqued interest why don't you just go ahead and toss out your basket on the floor for us to sift through.  I wouldn't rate the membership here as lacking in car knowledge.  Have you reviewed the official NHTSA eligible for import list for 2018?  Much inspiration is to be found and dashed in this quarter.  Which is why I ask after reading just that played out.  

 

If you wanted to start sifting through a constantly revolving selection of vehicles with highly knowledgeable commenters on a proven platform. 

https://bringatrailer.com/

[TubeLover]

Just now, rando said:

On the off chance you have piqued interest why don't you just go ahead and toss out your basket on the floor for us to sift through.  I wouldn't rate the membership here as lacking in car knowledge.  Have you reviewed the official NHTSA eligible for import list for 2018?  Much inspiration is to be found and dashed in this quarter.  Which is why I ask after reading just that played out.  

 

If you wanted to start sifting through a constantly revolving selection of vehicles with highly knowledgeable commenters on a proven platform. 

https://bringatrailer.com/

Thanks, for the thought on the eligible for import list for 2018, that had not occurred to me. Although, regular service availability is going to be key, and that might make things difficult, bringing a car over that's not supported. 

 

And believe me, I do realize there is a lot of collective automobile knowledge within the membership here, which is why I posted in the first place. 

 

JC

[fas42]

There may be worthwhile pickings here, http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/133. The site is nominally about computer networking, but all the sub-forums usually have plenty of gutsy discussions.

[rando]

Alright, the Maser would be a good tide me over vehicle at the right price.  Pretty far off the back in everything but luxury, which never goes out of style.   Odd duck the GT.  If you would have said Quattroporte this would have been easier to just say get an '11.  

 

R8, one of the few cars of that class that are usable in real life.  Might be worth checking into what people are doing to make these do anything other than put out 1000 BHP.  ECU detuning  and remapping is not so far fetched as you might imagine.  Uncommon idea for someone in the states to come by, yes.  Common in Europe, very much yes on many cars including enforcing governed limits on new drivers.

 

Porsche is Porsche.  Lots of info out there on these.

 

I'd say look at something like a Ferrari GTC4 Lusso (FF are rather unrefined and the newer version fixed basically everything).  These 4 door versions pretty much lose 50% value at signing so nobody overspecs them unless it is going to be a keeper.  One might pop up in your price range. 

 

Lots of other interesting off the beaten path cars that are cheaper to maintain.  If you zero in on something you can always hire a pro car shopper to hunt it down before others find it and make sure it is solid. 

[TubeLover]

Rando,

 

Thanks for your thoughts, they are much appreciated. Let me excplain things a bit further for plan one, which is based on buying a car now, and which does not require all wheel drive, my max purchase price is 55-59k, for a used vehicle. The Maserati fit really nicely into that class. Plan 2 allows for a purchasing budget of up to $80k, max, but would require a single, all purpose car, to be driven year round (average 7-8k miles). Also, given where I live, that would mandate all wheel drive. In either case, we are looking at a car I would own for probably at least eight years. Also, I would be hard pressed to agree to buy anything with four doors. Coupes are it, and preferably two seaters, when possible. And I certainly cannot afford a Ferrari, or their reliability/servicing costs. 

 

JC

[esldude]

Just tossing out ideas.  How about the plan 1 car, plus something like a high performance Subaru for winter purposes.  It is really, really hard to get one do everything great, all year round, perfect all the time car.  

 

Also if the big thing on the Maserati is brakes, I think most any car has aftermarket improved brake options available.  That is really not a big deal for even pedestrian vehicles.  

 

I would have thought the R8 might be a very usable everyday driver.  What about it did you not like considering it for your uses?

[accwai]

4 hours ago, esldude said:

Just tossing out ideas.  How about the plan 1 car, plus something like a high performance Subaru for winter purposes.  It is really, really hard to get one do everything great, all year round, perfect all the time car.  

 

I would have thought the R8 might be a very usable everyday driver.  What about it did you not like considering it for your uses?

 

Hmm... depending on what you're after, a Subaru WRX STi can actually be the plan 2 car. Or Ford Focus RS perhaps.

 

The concern for something like Audi R8 as plan 2 would likely be ground clearance. For areas with significant snowfall, scraping the bottom while getting around after a big snow storm is a real possibility. Having a family sedan as backup car would be a really good idea. And 4WD on the backup car isn't absolutely necessary. Just a set of snow tires would do quite nicely. Besides, having a backup car frees you up to peruse more hardcore sporty options. So that's a good route too.

[crenca]

13 hours ago, TubeLover said:

As the title notes, I've been desperate to find a US based, online car/auto forum online that is in regular and significant use, and would cover topics like sports cars, sports touring cars, car purchasing advice, etc. for cars available in the United States. After some extensive research, I can find none of any worth except some devoted to a specific brand of car, like BMW or Mercedes Benz, or Porsche, etc.....

 

 

Yep, that appears to be the situation - no worthy general forums.  You have to jump from forum to forum.  Also, if you think the signal to noise ratio around here is bad (as far as knowledge vs. myth), the car forums might even be worse in this regard.  Myths around oil certainly rival audiophile cable myths...

[crenca]

9 hours ago, TubeLover said:

 

Recently I've driven two different Maserati GranTurismo's, an Audi R8, and a Porsche 911 Carrera 4s. I really wanted to love the Maserati, and almost did. It's an absolutely beautiful car inside and especially the exterior. It has a great engine, and very good automatic transmission (ZF). But overall, it falls a bit short in it's engineering and development as most of the boutique producers do. It has very unsettling spongy/mushy brakes, a lot of knobs and parts that clearly came from a Fiat parts bin, and the electronics and especially the vehicle control system/radio/nav etc. is very outdated....

 

While this is true for all vehicle classes to some extant, the "compromise" is unavoidable in the "sports tourer" class you are looking at.  ALL cars in this class have one (usually several) glaring compromises and faults.  This is a low volume class, one that only applies to the "eccentric" car guy/gal, and manufactures simply don't put consistency and overall quality at the top of the list when they design/manufacturer these cars.  Being "ok" and even reveling in this is all part of the ownership experience of this sort of vehicle and if you are looking to avoid it, I recommend you turn your attention to a nice minivan 

  

Edit:  The perfect car in this class would be a joint venture with a bit of Italian pizazz (for the curves), a Teutonic drivetrain, designed/manufactured by Honda or Toyota so that it was reliable, and like the Corvette owned by Government Motors so you could take it to your local Chevy dealer to get parts and work done for a reasonable price.  

 

[Blake]

The general auto websites are almost useless.  Mostly complaints from the general public about the size of cup holders.

 

Reading through your requirements, it seems a used Audi RS5 ticks all of your boxes:

 

1. Build quality as good as it gets (this model was built in a separate factory by Audi's best techs).

2. Outstanding interior/ergonomics- seating position is sporty, but definitely not as aggressive as Porsche 911, which you mention as being an issue. 

3. High rev'ing V8 that is bullet-proof and well-known as it has been used for years and is the same engine (with just a few minor modifications) used in the R8.

4. Fits within your budget.

5. Low maintenance costs compared to the competition.

6. All wheel drive.

7. Coupe.

 

I actually do think it is about as close as it gets to a no compromise daily driver- it is a blast to drive in good and very bad conditions.  The V8 just puts a smile on your face.  Gas mileage is the only downside I can think of.

 

You mention needing all wheel drive.  I live in Salt Lake City and I am an avid skier so I spend a lot of time on steep, snowy roads.  I can tell you from personal experience, put some Blizzak snow tires on the RS5 and it is a beast on snowy steep terrain.  I have been in so many sketchy conditions with other cars off the road in the ditch and the RS5 just happily plows ahead.

 

For Audi, this forum is great:  audizine.com

 

Also, another resource that you may not have considered is YouTube.  There are many, many auto reviews on YouTube, both professional and amateur.

 

Good luck in your decision.

 

 

 

 

 

[rando]

I expected the Ferrari was not going to fly.  This is why I mentioned the list of 25 year old cars legal to import.  In a statistically large number of scenarios a five year old luxury sports car won't be the ideal solution.  

 

The big picture is nobody made pure sports car in the years you are looking at.  Everything had nice leather and trim.  They also have design features like needing to remove half the bodywork and drivetrain to match their required maintenance schedule.  Pair that with "infant" phase electronic implementations and systems you have one heck of a bill mounting.  Doesn't make a whole lot of difference what make or model.  As noted, every used sports car is a money pit in one fashion or another. 

 

This is why everyone dumps them at or before the warranty runs out.  Therein lies a large hint which one of two ways you should go if the vintage route doesn't appeal.  They must just now be getting these complicated electronic systems stabilized.  On the other hand if someone else is paying to repair your used car far in excess of your monthly payment, let em.  Daily driving one of these cars is a fallacy in all but the rarest of cases.  Always have a backup plan.  

 

 

[mav52]

https://teamspeed.com/forums/

[NOMBEDES]

Porsche always gets good marks for build quality and reliable cars.   I would stick with Porsche.  Plus they are drivable and they don't charge you $600. to change the oil.

 

As my dear old dad used to say.  "I can afford a Ferrari, (add the exotic of your choice) I just can't afford to keep it running."  

[rando]

I was wary his reply was going to be along the lines of "Forget Italian, I want British!"  

 

All isn't dire.  Lots of people have done needed transplants to correct major errors and expect to take a bath on it when they need room for their next project.  

 

New tack.  Next generation Asian luxury GT cars hitting our shores starting now.  They are having a hard time with branding halfway across the world where nobody can say their company name.  Lots of potential here; competitive pricing to undercut European and domestic competition, clever designs, designed and made in the place giving total control to people who actually understand the electronics so necessary to a modern car.

 

[rando]

 

[Ralf11]

would the M series variants of BMW's small SUV work for you?  or a Pooschey Macan?

 

 

[TubeLover]

14 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

luxury sport touring = Porsche with lots of options + maybe what used to be called the "Special Wishes Program" (they customize anything you want)

I am a fan of Porsche's, but, you can't really get true comfort, and they are a bit tight, side to side for me for an every day car.  Plus, honestly, all 911's look alike, and they are everywhere. Other than the RS3, RS2  super cars, and those are designed solely for the track, and too expensive by far. 

 

JC

[Ralf11]

 Macan should be roomier

 

 

[TubeLover]

12 hours ago, esldude said:

Just tossing out ideas.  How about the plan 1 car, plus something like a high performance Subaru for winter purposes.  It is really, really hard to get one do everything great, all year round, perfect all the time car.  

 

Also if the big thing on the Maserati is brakes, I think most any car has aftermarket improved brake options available.  That is really not a big deal for even pedestrian vehicles.  

 

I would have thought the R8 might be a very usable everyday driver.  What about it did you not like considering it for your uses?

 

You've described Plan 1 exactly. In that case, I do not require an all wheel drive car, which leaves many, many more options. Plan one requires an expenditure of no more than $55-a max of 60k. It also involves me continuing to drive my perfectly fine (actually better than that) 2015 BMW m35iX. I would purchase the new, long term, daily driver for 7.5 months a year, vehicle and garage the other car from Dec.1 to April 15th,). in a few more years, I would also have the additional funding to purchase a used M235/240iX, or other awd car I decide one and drive that for the next 5-6 years in the winter. 

 

The primary reason I ruled out the R8,is because a nice 2013-2014 version would run me $80-83k (eliminating  the possibility of my being able to afford  to own a second vehicle) and even my friend who was highly placed in Audi management, before his recent retirement , told me that it simply would not be the right car to drive exclusively in the winter where I live.