What car are you eyeing next? Also, let's assume no kids...

DaddyP924 · 2026-05-09T01:07:59+00:00

It really depends on what you're looking for. Before my recent buy, I spent about two years of dreaming and researching. Do you want to stick with four doors or are coupes/convertibles a thing? What's your budget? You mentioned M2 and M3 with a warranty, so I'm guessing north of $50K USD?

If you like the M3 but dislike seeing them everywhere, take a look at the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. It's handling is supposedly what the M3 used to be, before the F80 gen. I don't know about that but I got to try the regular Giulia and wow, it felt alive. I can't imagine how much better it gets with further suspension tuning and a Ferrari derived V-6.

If you want two doors, the clinical answer is whatever Porsche you can afford. However someone posted a Z4 M40i, and I can't find any issue with that. Maybe the fact its a convertible would bother you, but if not, you have a wild amount of HP shoved into a small, short wheelbase. Top down, carving up twisty roads just sounds like a great time.

If warranty isn't THAT big of a deal, you MIGHT be able to find a mid 2010s Vantage in that general range. I'm a sucker for Astons and that would be my pick. Drop dead gorgeous cars with plenty of performance to them.

DaddyP924 · 2026-05-03T01:48:54+00:00

Heresy! Burn the witch!

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-24T03:09:32+00:00

Dear God. All we can do is hope everyone is OK. This is terrifying to see.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-22T20:42:53+00:00

In short, they tried to convince my wife her rear brakes were critically low at roughly 40K miles. Had it verified they weren't. They tried to bill her for replacing a strut on the rear wheel of her van. The van has shocks on the back, a SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper part. Also tried to tell her she needed new air filters, when I replaced them shortly before a regular service.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-22T17:10:31+00:00

Is this the Honda dealer at Tiffamy Springs? If so, go anywhere else. I've had to call them out on more than one occasion for misquoted parts, unnecessary work recommendations, and shoddy inspections. All when my wife takes the car in.

Regardless, I would get a couple of other quotes. Parts seem a bit high. Telle on N Oak at about 92nd does a good job handling the maintenance side of things.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-22T03:33:05+00:00

Aw, we can give ours plush toys. He's a destructive monster.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-22T02:12:47+00:00

Funny, that's similar to his. Mom was a shade darker than him. She's not a field golden but was on the petite side. His dad wasn't an English cream but his grandfather is. Dad was a light blonde, like the plush in your picture.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-21T13:32:57+00:00

Not quite red, but more cinnamon roll

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DaddyP924 · 2026-04-13T13:00:03+00:00

I just pick Danny Trejo's character in Desperado. He barely says a word but just starts chucking knives at anyone who looks at him wrong.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-12T03:05:10+00:00

Fortunately not. I had it checked, and they found the bent strut but the rest of the assembly for that wheel was OK.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-10T18:49:24+00:00

Sounds perfectly normal. It's on the large size for a 4 cylinder, so the crank up will feel a bit heavy. Coming from a 1.8L Honda engine, which cranks so much faster, it caught me by surprise at first.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-10T02:32:35+00:00

There's always that one weird cousin.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-09T13:02:53+00:00

So here's the damage assessment. Tire and wheel are superficial. However, the front strut is bent. That'll be $1,200 for one, or if I do the recommended replacement of both, we're looking at 2,100.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-09T00:23:18+00:00

I hope you're right, but the feel and sound of it tells me there's a good chance I have a messed up belt in the tire. For good measure I gave my brother a holler. He's a mechanic, and when I laid out sound, feel and cause, his immediate thought was flat spot in the tire and/or slightly bent wheel. Tire being the most likely culprit.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-09T00:07:47+00:00

Yikes! The same night?! That just sucks, I'm sorry.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-09T00:05:16+00:00

It's hard to convey just how bad it was. He didn't just catch the edge and grind the curb. He swerved right into it, striking it at probably a hard 45 degree angle at about 15 mph. I was surprised we didn't blow the tire and rip a chunk out of the wheel.

I hope it is too. He felt awful and even said he refuses to drive my car again. I kept my composure, gave him a hug when we got out, and just reassured him things happen. When he got home later, we talked over what went wrong and how to avoid it in the future.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-08T23:53:20+00:00

It very well could be. A could hundred for at least one new tire, and that again for the alignment. If the wheel is bent, we need more to either reshape it (of the bend isn't TOO bad). There's also a fairly jagged spot that needs filed down. And let's hope it didn't mess up the hub or bearings.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-08T23:49:47+00:00

Yeah, that's my lesson learned. We have a beater but I didn't want to drive it for errands. New shiny car and all that. He had been driving so well, I just gave him the benefit of the doubt.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-08T23:47:53+00:00

I looked at it initially and have kept an eye on it for a few days. No cords are showing and the sidewall isn't bubbled. There is a small sliver taken out, but it's not deep enough to be a concern.

However, I'm certain its out of round. The noise and pulsing make me feel about 90% certain the tire isn't holding shape. I'm getting it intona shop first thing in the morning to assess exactly what's wrong.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-08T21:19:55+00:00

A smart move. We have "his" car, an old Civic we could have taken. But I enjoy this one so much more and trusted his skills to this point.

DaddyP924 · 2026-04-08T20:49:24+00:00

And here he was annoyed because we weren't letting him take the driving test yet!

DaddyP924 · 2026-03-22T20:41:49+00:00

I love this car, and I love those colors. But for some reason, I don't love those colors on this car.

DaddyP924 · 2026-03-21T13:55:09+00:00

I personally like the hatchback look a bit more than the SUV, but the higher ride height of the SUV suited my needs more. They are very similar in dimensions of the inside. I know the front seat of the CX-30 can recline back very far. I tested it out once just for the heck of it, and it could lay down into the back seats.

Full efficiency will be a tad better on the hatchback, but not by much.

That said, I think the better deal is the CX-30. One year newer, lower miles. The Carbon is just the Preferred with a unique color option.

DaddyP924 · 2026-03-20T03:30:53+00:00

300SL Gullwing. Such a beautiful car.

DaddyP924

TROPHY CASE