CaddyXLR-V

You have to love hundreds of pounds of sound deadening materials. That tells nothing about the engine.

This part shouldn't be ignored. The Corvette should be a race car for the street, something that can be raced on weekends, but still driven daily. With IBC you lose power on the top end, unless they use bigger cams and bigger valves, which require stiffer valve springs, but that decreases reliability.

There are advantages to both. In block cam engines could be shared with the trucks, while DOHC engines could be shared with Cadillac. Cadillac could really use a new V8. And about the tires, there are limits to street tires, and their limits are lower than either engine would put out at low RPMs. The difference is the DOHC engine would have more power where it could be used.

But it is really not necessary to have more power lower in the RPMs on a 3000lb car. All it will do is make it easier to break the tires loose, with no benefit to performance.

And since the Corvette is a lightweight sports car, it would benefit more from more top end power, than more torque. Torque is great if you want to shred the tires from a stoplight, but on a track when RPMs aren't going to drop to 2k-3k, more power in that range is useless.

I'm not really considering the Acura. I just threw it on the list anyway. But the choice really comes down to which one my wife wants. When it comes time to buy the "toy", that one is going to be my choice. That's why we will probably be getting an Accord V6. Here are the 2 she likes: 04 Accord auto 04 Accord Manual

That is another thing I am worried about. I don't want a car that I will need to be fixing ever other week. How reliable are the BMWs?

I considered both, along with Accord V6s, and Mazda 3s, but I keep coming back to the VW and the BMW. I like the feel of the German cars more. They are all possibilities if I decide I don't want to spend as much.

If the Charger looked more like the 99 concept, I would definitely consider it. I don't like the high door line on the current Charger, and I don't care much for it's looks. I did consider a Lincoln LS V8, and a CTS. My wife likes the CTS, but I couldn't find any cheap enough.

Yes, that's what is making it so hard to pick the BMW. Higher cost and maintenance costs, and I do like the 2 tone interior more also.

Oh believe me, I would love to get a Porsche. Me and my wife will be sharing the car for a while, and her nieces will be going places with us sometimes, so we need a backseat, and a sedan is easier. When we get another car, that will be the "toy". That's when I'll be looking at GTOs and Porsches. But for now, I still want something that is fun to drive, but still with some space for the kids.

I'm trying to get an automatic sedan, since we could use the extra space. I loved my 05 GTO, and couldn't go into a 04. And the only way I would get a GTO again is if I was getting a manual. I may get another GTO sometime in the future though, just not right now.

If I could afford a G8, it would be on the list. Actually, if I could afford a G8, there would be no debate at all. But a G6 isn't as good, or anywhere near as good as a Passat.

06 Passat 06 Passat black int 03 530i 04 RSX-S 03 A6 So my favorite is the BMW, but it is also the most expensive. The A6 is the cheapest, but also has the highest mileage. The Passat is one of the cheaper ones, and the newest, but the biggest drawback for me is FWD. Same for the RSX-S, but both will be better on gas. I'm really leaning towards the BMW or Passat, but am having a hard time deciding if I want to pay $2k more for a 3 year older car, as it would be stretching my budget right now.

Well since Chevy would be focusing on efficiency, the Cadillac could be geared a lot more towards performance. And just think of AWD with the torque of the electric motors. And since everything is electronic, the AWD system could easily be switched to only 2wd in efficiency mode.

So whats going to make the Cadillac better, and worth more than the Volt? Is it just going to have more options and different styling and thats it? I think they should put some rear wheel motors in the Cadillac to make it AWD, then it would be worth the price premium over the Chevy.

Diesel Jetta or stick with the Fusion.

I'm starting to think GM had no intention of ever following through on the sale.

That's one thing that was nice about the GTO compared to the Camaro also. The back seats were actually comfortable. The most annoying thing was getting into the back seat, since the seats moved forward really slow, but once back there it wasn't bad. If the Coupe 60 is made and sold here, I would want it, definately more than the Camaro. All it needs is to not have the gas tank in the trunk. And I prefer the lower beltline compared to the Camaro.

And the Camaro would likely be cheaper.

My rental house here has a very steep driveway, but we don't get snow so it isn't really an issue. It was still annoying that my door wouldn't stay open though.

IMO HOAs should be outlawed. These people who "don't want poor people living next to them" continue to influence our neighborhoods through HOAs.

I've never played Forza, but heard great things about it. How does it compare to GT3/GT4?

They just give a base comparison between vehicles, just like fuel economy ratings. While neither is perfect, it's better than having nothing at all for a comparison.

That's why I'm leaning more towards getting a 360 than a PS3. I want a good racing game now, not 2 or 3 years from now.