Talk some sense into me: daily drivers
- Thread starter Pribilof
- Start date
All I have to contribute is: After owning a benz, I do not enjoy driving my mustang nearly as much as I did before the benz. Such a nice ride, such nice comfort features, the torque on the turbo'd benz's is nothing to scoff at.
I'd imagine the Audi is pretty comparable. After owning a Benz I don't think I'll be able to go back to not having something comparable.
I'd imagine the Audi is pretty comparable. After owning a Benz I don't think I'll be able to go back to not having something comparable.
Truck gets my vote. But what are you looking for? Newer or beater or a nice older (70s-80s F150 4x4)? Older trucks will appreciate if you care for them.
Get a nice old truck, easy to work on and so practical when you need to do any work.
I drove an 82 F-100 Flareside (302, powersteeing and dealer ac, 2nd owner as grandpa bought it new in Nov of '82) for years and let my Lightning/stang stay in the garage. I've upgraded to an $8k '08 V6 4x4 escape xlt that had 60k miles as a daily now that I have to drive to Colorado (all around Denver to the 5 stores, soon 6) for work every few weeks/months and stay with my sister bro in law in Castle rock. Actually heading there at sunup...
The escape is slow, but it's like a mountain goat in crapy weather... and it holds a crapload for its size...
Sent from my Note9
I drove an 82 F-100 Flareside (302, powersteeing and dealer ac, 2nd owner as grandpa bought it new in Nov of '82) for years and let my Lightning/stang stay in the garage. I've upgraded to an $8k '08 V6 4x4 escape xlt that had 60k miles as a daily now that I have to drive to Colorado (all around Denver to the 5 stores, soon 6) for work every few weeks/months and stay with my sister bro in law in Castle rock. Actually heading there at sunup...
The escape is slow, but it's like a mountain goat in crapy weather... and it holds a crapload for its size...
Sent from my Note9
I'd get a cheap truck as a back up for really bad winter days and just get snow tires for the GT500. The Pirelli Sottozeros are a very good performance winter tire.
A tuned RS7 wi
This was exactly my experience with Audi, and I sold my Mustang when I made the decision to get rid of a vehicle.
This was exactly my experience with Audi, and I sold my Mustang when I made the decision to get rid of a vehicle.
The way you have presented the problem is-
You want a winter car because of Denver snow, but its not really a big deal because you can work from home.
You want a winter car because of Denver snow, but its not really a big deal because you can work from home.
I expect crap for this, but snow tires are a bad compromise on a RWD car. I used to have a 5.0 T-bird and snow tires didn't help much. I can't imagine how dangerous a GT500 would be in the snow, even with studded tires. Not worth the risk.
As almost everyone has said, get a beater truck. I see 11th gen in the $4k-5k range now around here. Who cares about a salvage title at that point. If my Volvo ever craps out, that's what I'm doing.
Here's another topic entirely- your 5 minute commute. My wife and I also have a 5 minute commute. We purposefully take the longer 8 minute route because it lets our engines heat up fully. Even if you buy a beater that you don't care about, you still want it to hit normal operating temp so you can boil out moisture instead of letting it sludge up.
As almost everyone has said, get a beater truck. I see 11th gen in the $4k-5k range now around here. Who cares about a salvage title at that point. If my Volvo ever craps out, that's what I'm doing.
Here's another topic entirely- your 5 minute commute. My wife and I also have a 5 minute commute. We purposefully take the longer 8 minute route because it lets our engines heat up fully. Even if you buy a beater that you don't care about, you still want it to hit normal operating temp so you can boil out moisture instead of letting it sludge up.
Beautiful! One of my bigger regrets is parting ways with an 87 targa top 911 I had. I’d love to have a 930 but man are they pricy now.
I say a mid size truck.
The new Ranger is coming and they have a pretty nice little FX4 package with the e-lockers. Id say a Chevy Colorado with the diesel(im biased). I love mine and its been used as a truck from day one. Just picked up my new Craftsman toolbox this weekend with it from two different locations(one Lowes had the top another the bottom box). The truck did great with the weight and never even felt they were in the back.
The size is easier to deal with than the F150, Sierra/Silverado and Ram. It can easily tow a 930 slant nose(hint hint) and still fit into a parking garage if need be.
Fuel mileage isnt half bad either compared to the larger trucks. I get around 25mpg around town with a high of 33mpg doing a 75-80 mile one way commute last year. The new job is closer to my house so i get 23-25 on the regular. Lowest ive seen was 18mpg pulling a 25kw generator around for a day.
They also have the ZR2 package with the cool DSSV shocks, electronic lockers, fenders, hood and wheels. Its a bit pricey but they do look great and you can option it with a diesel.
The new Ranger is coming and they have a pretty nice little FX4 package with the e-lockers. Id say a Chevy Colorado with the diesel(im biased). I love mine and its been used as a truck from day one. Just picked up my new Craftsman toolbox this weekend with it from two different locations(one Lowes had the top another the bottom box). The truck did great with the weight and never even felt they were in the back.
The size is easier to deal with than the F150, Sierra/Silverado and Ram. It can easily tow a 930 slant nose(hint hint) and still fit into a parking garage if need be.
Fuel mileage isnt half bad either compared to the larger trucks. I get around 25mpg around town with a high of 33mpg doing a 75-80 mile one way commute last year. The new job is closer to my house so i get 23-25 on the regular. Lowest ive seen was 18mpg pulling a 25kw generator around for a day.
They also have the ZR2 package with the cool DSSV shocks, electronic lockers, fenders, hood and wheels. Its a bit pricey but they do look great and you can option it with a diesel.
Stuck between 1 and 2.
I would say truck cause they come in handy here and there.
What's the budget on an used truck?
I would say truck cause they come in handy here and there.
What's the budget on an used truck?
I probably wasn't clear.
Problem: I can't drive the Shelby in cold weather because I have MPSC2 tires, which just aren't safe in cold weather. In fact, I'm pretty sure Michelin has a cold weather warning on the tires.
Today, for instance, it was about 25 degrees when I left my house. It's sunny and the roads are clean and dry. I can't take out the GT500 because: tires. Even on Wednesday, when it's supposed to be 61, I'm not taking out the GT500 because it'll be 30 in the morning.
Snow? No, I'm not planning to drive any car in snow. MAYBE in 1" of snow. Maybe. Definitely not in more than that. I just don't need to go out in crappy, snowy roads. Barring some huge snowstorm (a rarity in Denver these days), snow stays on the roads in Denver for a day or two at most. If I need to get around in snow I'm taking the LC. My wife isn't going anywhere with the kids if the roads are that bad.
Truck (beater or otherwise) is tempting because I can't count how many times I've had to rent a truck or a trailer to haul some crap around. On the other hand, having yet another vehicle seems like a PITA.
Budget: Well, I guess I'm prepared to sell the GT500 and spend $30k to $35k to get into an E63. The budget for a used truck could potentially be as much as that.
My truck was <$40k, 2 year old F150 Platinum 4WD.
I would do that before I purchased a vehicle from the 1980s or prior for my DAILY....
That does clarify. As to cost and ease of transition, just buying a winter wheel/tire package for the GT500 would keep you happy and address your concerns with tires. Its what I did on my Cayenne.
Couple things
1- Do you really love the GT500, would switching to something else (Audi or MB) be taken as a positive or not? If you don't see it as a big upgrade, and see owning the GT500 for a long time, maybe go wheel/tires. To repeat though, my biggest issue would be road treatment material and idiots that may hit your car.
2- Do you have room for a 4th vehicle? Being in Denver, that is a big thing to consider. If so, I would still go this route, and if you don't care about it being new, I would strongly favor a 96-98 F250/F350 with the 5.8 and auto. They are tanks and cheap to maintain, sold mine with 270k miles and it's still being used 4 years later.
1- Do you really love the GT500, would switching to something else (Audi or MB) be taken as a positive or not? If you don't see it as a big upgrade, and see owning the GT500 for a long time, maybe go wheel/tires. To repeat though, my biggest issue would be road treatment material and idiots that may hit your car.
2- Do you have room for a 4th vehicle? Being in Denver, that is a big thing to consider. If so, I would still go this route, and if you don't care about it being new, I would strongly favor a 96-98 F250/F350 with the 5.8 and auto. They are tanks and cheap to maintain, sold mine with 270k miles and it's still being used 4 years later.
I voted tires based on how the weather is out here, especially considering road crews are fairly diligent with getting ahead of the weather (unless it's a surprise).
I said no against a truck just because Denver is a nightmare and getting around with a truck is a huge pain in the ass down there. If you really do want a truck, the smaller the better.
My wife as A/S 3s on her Fiesta ST. I can't say they are a great tire in snow, but they are OK. They are just fine in cold temps and you really should get those cups inside when it's this cold out.
Time for an update.
Step 1: Michelin Alpin PA4 for cold weather performance
Step 1: Michelin Alpin PA4 for cold weather performance
Step 2: Ram Rebel, 5.7L Hemi, Rebel 12 package. Screaming deal.
Used certified RS7 and used truck.
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