Looking For a Car With Soul

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

I haven't test driven anything yet, but I'm starting to look for a replacement for my GTP. The Grand Prix has been a good car, but I want something different.

I'll need something practical and fun to drive. It's the je ne sais quoi factor that I'm really looking for though. I don't need the fastest thing on the block, but I'm looking for what my '96 Z28 was...a friend and comrade.

Despite the many rattles and squeaks, the floppy driver's side door handle, it always came through for me. A blast to drive and never broke a sweat on what I needed it to do, whether it's driving up the east coast or hauling a '10 foot long roll of carpet.

On my list to test drive is the CTS, BMW 3 series, and GTI. Anyone have any other suggestions?

[Joe 1320]

A Pontiac G8 might be a sweet choice if you can live with the fact that the Pontiac brand went away.

[Joshu]

I honestly don't think any of those cars you mentioned had soul. When you mentioned soul I thought we were talkin like an mid 80's Caddy.

[35th_camaro_ss]

maybe a low mileage F-Body could fill this void...just a thought.

Al

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

Well, maybe I should have said a car with a soul.

Here's a few I've enjoyed driving...1989 Plymouth Sundance Turbo was quick and fun to drive. The wastegate would whistle every once in a while. The Ford ZX2 was more than the sum of it's parts. Also fun to drive in a go-kart kind of way. I think it's because it only weighed 2500 lbs. My Dad's Merc Mystique drove more like a European sports sedan.

I loved my '96 Z28, but the '00 Z28 had too many inconsistencies to be fun. The stereo speakers would blow out, the radio kept burning out bulbs in the head unit, the steering didn't feel right, the piston slap was annoying, etc.. I think I enjoyed the LT1 more too. In the end, tracking down these annoyances got to be too much of a distraction.

So, now I'm out looking again. I'm looking for the fun to drive qualities of the cars above with some practicality, but not as many of the maintenance headaches.

[Dave-S]

A Cobalt SS would be fun.

[Black97]

A Pontiac G8 might be a sweet choice if you can live with the fact that the Pontiac brand went away.

I looked at two. Not bad at all.

[FroSSty]

[Wild Willy]

Not sure of your budget, and if there are minimum horsepower requirements. What about passenger capacity? For me, RWD is a must, I could live with a 4-cylinder engine if it was torquey enough. For a "fun" car, or DD commuter, I could make do with a Miata. Even better if they made one with a V-6. The G8 is intriguing, and will re-appear as a Caprice soon, dedicated police vehicle. The CTS is interesting, but a little pricey. The V-8 is definitely appealing, but again is lots of dollars to play.

If the budget was big enough, lots of Euro-cars that are interesting and fun to drive. Some of the Volvos, Saabs, even a Beemer. None of these would be inexpensive to maintain, but are fairly reliable.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

Yes, Kia has a car named soul. I drove one once. The name is the only thing that's assoicated with a soul irregardless of the paint job.

With the exception of Frossty, thanks for the input. I'm looking at around $25k which opens up some options for used cars. In order of preference I'm looking for 1. Fun to Drive 2. Practicality 16. Mileage.

I'll have to schedule some test drives and try to keep my mind open to what's out there.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Not sure about the fun-to-drive factor, but I had been looking at a GMC Terrain for a while. Test drove it...from a stop, WOT wasn't too bad with the 4 cyl. I would say the performance isn't bad for 32 MPG highway. It has the practicality of the small SUV along with better style than an Equinox (IMHO).

I ended up not buying one due to the lack of deals (cheapest base I saw was $22.9k; mid range with bluetooth and leather around $27k; and most options + nav was around $29k). I ended up buying a 2007 Audi A4 Quattro which has been good to me - 25 mpg on my commutes, not completely gutless and has tons of options to keep up with the latest tech - nav is not touchscreen though.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

Used A4's are in my price range and worth a test drive. If I'm not mistaken, the A3 is on the same platform as the GTI. If the driving experience isn't engaging enough, I'll likely get bored with it and move on and the money spent won't have been worth it. I'd rather love the car and keep it till the wheels fall off.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

It looks like the A3 is the same platform as the Jetta and Golf. Not sure about the GTI? The A4 is on its own platform now. It has been ever since the 2005.5 redesign. They seem to be decent cars, but I've never really been a fan of VW. I only got this one because it was on craigslist for $15k and had basically every option offered. The retail book was almost $22k. If you don't get a super deal on the car, I'm not sure if you'll be satisfied with the A3/A4 as your next car-til-the-wheels-fall-off.

If you are considering it, for me, the positive sides are:
- Handles pretty well - I believe .85 to .87 Gs, about as good as a 4th gen, yet the ride is pretty comfortable
- Top end is ok...200 hp turbo 4...not a super performer, but at least can get out of its own way for an economy type car
- Interior is really nice, bluetooth works great, seeing your contacts right on the dash display avoids distraction.
- Space is pretty decent for the class of the car
- 33+ mpg straight freeway and 24 on my commute where my T/A gets 13.

Negatives
- Doesn't have much low end
- Nav isn't touch screen (not sure about 2009+ models) and input is only SD card/mp3 CD. No line-in, and bluetooth is not capable of transmitting music
- Not a fan of the engine sound, but I hate how any 4 cyl sounds like.

[Trans Am]

I dont think a 3 series or a golf, jetta, passat or a3 can be called cars with soul lol. maybe an rs4 or rs6 , with a little soul. on the other hand any camaro or firebird does have soul
why not a new v6 camaro, they shouldnt be too expensie , especially if you find a used one thats a year old or so? and another vote for a g8, nice looking cars with a proper engine and rwd