Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Game changer? No. I was thinking more like last-of-its-breed.

I mean, you're right about all that, but the thread intent is to look at what is a worthy replacement for your G Sedan. So in the context of what I have right now, the new Z could be incrementally better, while also being unique, new and affordable.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

The new Z will only be a game changer as far as Z cars go due to the substantial increase in power, huge upgrades in the digital displays, and hopefully the mechanical LSD will be as good as everyone hopes. Nissan increased the rigidity of the chassis too so hopefully the handling is improved as well. I am not so sure about the steering yet. The "parts bin motor" is a really good one that is very easy to tune. AMS Performance out of Chicago is planning on 500+ WHP with just a tune and bolt ons and they are developing a 1,000 hp option as well!?! I wish they had improved the brakes, but maybe the Nismo will eventually get that.

This Z certainly has by far the most interest in the last 20 years. We already have 5 of them pre-sold and no word on when we can even start ordering them or official pricing. Maybe November? Because this is one of the last manual transmission sports cars to be re-done it might be really popular, almost 2002 WRX popular. Time will tell.

At about the 5 minute mark you can actually see the motor AMS built for their Infiniti with the huge cylinder sleeves to make it a closed deck engine: https://www.amsperformance.com/video...vr32-big-bore/

ezbme

The new Z is beautiful.

My sister had a Kia Niro LX, which developed a Transmission Issue. They wanted her to drive it and if it happened again, they were going to take further actions. She decided to get a 2022 Kia Niro LXS, she got it Saturday and that night we noticed that the drivers door lock Actuator wasn't working. The car was built 7/21, you would think they would know better. I am going to the dealer tomorrow to talk to the service advisor and see about having them throw in a few goodies for the hassle. She got the extended warranty which turns it from 3 year bumper to 10 year $2,200 and a lifetime oil change at the dealer for $895. I am not a fan of extended warranties, but after seeing a car with 37k and another with less than 100 mi having issues. It might not be too bad. I haven't driven the car. I might try it today. It is a good size, smaller than a rav4, but handles 4 people pretty well. They are getting 50mpg so far. The old one got around 48, perhaps more. The LXS is 27k new and has been out since 2020, If I got it, I would get an LX Special Edition, which is 29k, then there is the Touring Special Addition which is around 31k The LX SE and touring are tempting. I like a lot of features on the Touring, but there are some I wouldn't mind staying away from. The reliability scares me.

I would probably look at a Rav4 Hybrid or Mercedes GLA45

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Here is a video I did on that high rpm V8 M3.

TheLocNar

iTrader: (5)

Well, hello strangers. Finally crossed the 30k mile mark on my Sept. 2018 Tesla Model 3. $0 spent on maintenance. Despite some of the inevitable software quirks that come with frequent software upgrades, I’m still madly in love with this car. A few rattles here and there that were fixed with some padding, and the VIN plate rattling against the windshield (easy fix for that too) and that’s about it. The instant torque will never get old. Now I’m finding loud exhausts to be annoying. 😅

STownSaint

As both a stick-shift stalwart and energy sector professional/dork, I’ve been wondering.

Currently EV makers have a strong focus on efficiency (or performance-cost parity, in general), as battery storage technologies continuously develop and improve (namely W/kg but other aspects as well), charging infrastructure expands, and consumer perspectives evolve. All to say, range anxiety is still one of the top, if not the top, barrier for many consumers to make the transition, so EV makers are designing cars to address that concern and achieve greater and greater range.

But once this concern is addressed (longer range plus more and quicker charging), maybe some EV makers can play around with an electronically simulated stick-shift (probably at a slight cost to performance/efficiency). I get that EV don’t have a transmission, but having a clutch and shifter in place and programmed to work with the electric motor in the same way an MT does with an ICE would be a really neat feature that I’d bet would appeal to some. I’m pretty sure their are arcade video games that work like this, where you need to push the clutch down to shift and all. Maybe this would be more a thing some custom shop would specialize in.

Pipe dream perhaps, but assuming my G will last me at least another 6-8 years (it’s now 8 yrs old with only 42k on the odo), mayyyyyyybe it might be an option. Won’t hold my breath though

gord27

Not sure if it's a worthy replacement but we just replaced my G with a 2018 Nissan Leaf SL. Decided on the Leaf for many reasons but mainly it was priced right for our budget. My car used price (~$11k with wheels) as downpayment + monthly payments (~$300) = projected gas savings. So in effect, we get an 8 year newer car with ~170k km less milage that takes care of ALL of our local driving for basically net-zero cost. It's not nearly as fast as the G but I surprised (and smoked) a modded Jetta wagon the other day so it's not as slow as the numbers would lead you to believe in the real world. Note: this isn't even the 2020 Plus model with the larger battery and 30% more power.

That said, highway efficiency is atrocious. I now understand why most EVs sit in the right lane at barely the speed limit. The Leaf will hit its top speed with EASE though. Certainly faster than any ICE car I've ever driven with similar power numbers.

Unlike the above post, the best part, at least from my personal driving enthusiast point of view, is not having to worry about what gear you're in. You want to get in a spot while merging, just put your foot down. No waiting for an automatic downshift. I'm a paddle user 100% of the time when driving and the Leaf takes all the "prep" thought and time out of the picture when passing.

I did a ton of research before buying this but in the used EV market there isn't a lot of options sub $30k (CAD) where this change financially makes sense. Debated the Bolt but a) it's a chevy (never been a fan of traditional American cars) and b) battery fires? The Kona/Niro siblings are too new and Tesla holds their value really well. We could have gone new but as our "gateway" into EV, I didn't want to commit that much financially only to find out that for some reason it didn't work for us.

Longer-term (3-4 years), I'd like to get an SI, Type-R, Golf R, etc. as a 3rd car for all our summer driving (outside of camping where we'd use the Stage 2 Tiguan) and then park it for the winter. I MUST drive another manual car before they're gone.

ezbme

I was thinking about the Mercedes GLA and the Rav4 Hybrid, but now I am looking at the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid SEL. 32k New, don't plan on buying a new one. Digital Dash, big Digital Center Stack. 37mpg. goes 0-60 in less than 7 secs.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Sitting at the dealership (alignment) and next door is an Alfa dealer. While the gulia looks great, the Quatro-whatever is automatic only. The Ti versions are surprisingly inexpensive used (mid 30s).

Dealership wants to buy my car. I’ll hold out.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

That's Quadrifoglio It's Italian for "four leaf clover".

Quattro was an Audi thing.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Yeah that. Sorry, posting from the phone, I don’t get even rudimentary spell check.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

IIRC, the Ti is a good mid-range model for features. You should drive one, if only for the comparative experience.

I never drove the Gulia, but I did like the Stelvio a lot some years ago. Either way, I feel like Alfa will fail here in US market. Again.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Unfortunately, I believe that is definitely a pipe dream. This is sad, because I am also a die-hard stick shift fan and the only real involvement of any sort with an EV car is with the accelerator pedal. I think they need to figure out a way to make EV's sound decent first. The good news is that EV prices are coming down at an incredible rate while range continues to increase at unprecedented levels as well. The Leaf this year drops an average of $5,000 on each model and just had its range nearly triple with the Plus model in the last few years! To put that in perspective, I cannot think of any car in history that the range tripled in a few short years while the price decreased an average of over $5,000.

Electric cars are just the opposite of gas cars in efficiency because they have to use a lot more power overcoming wind resistance on the highway compared to sitting in traffic using no energy while the gas car in the next lane is burning gas at a rate of 0 mpg.

I am afraid you are right. They are just not bringing anything to the U.S. that sells in any volume to keep them afloat. Hopefully, Alfa and Stellantis can figure something out.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I am really starting to think I should change the title of this thread to "My crazy car replacement thought of the day!" Thank you everyone for tuning in as I actually record here how my crazy car brain works on a daily basis. Hopefully, some of you can relate to this adventure I refer to as "my daily life."

So my last crazy thought that I (think I) brought up here a while ago was to lease a new loaded Nissan Frontier since my employee lease is insane right now as a winter vehicle and sell my Jeep Gladiator to free up cash to get a new Nissan Z. As much as I like the idea of getting a Z and turning it into a ridiculously fast track car, I hate the idea of always having to park one car and only getting to drive the fun car for 6 months out of the year. I also hate not being able to take my whole family in the "yea, fun car!" It seems like such a waste. I would much rather have one car that does everything really well and is as fun (if not more fun) to drive in the snow and rain as it is in nice weather. So I am thinking of a 4 door to haul my almost 3 year old daughter around, AWD for the winter, and 6 spd. manual for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, this leaves me with a very short list- mainly due to the manual.

I had high hopes for the new WRX, but I think it is ugly and only marginally improved from the current generation. However, the lease special on the current WRX made me think about getting one as a winter car, but then I thought that would be overkill with a Z in the garage. So I realized that the last track day I did was over 2 years ago and I usually only go once or twice a year if I am lucky so why should I spend so much money on a car prepping it for the track if that is less than 1% of its use?

OPTION 1: The most analog and engaging choice. So maybe I would be happy with just buying a new WRX, driving it every day and having a blast regardless of the weather, and maybe have fun at a track day without worrying about setting the fastest lap time. I do have to hurry if this is the right choice though because there are only a few incoming units that are not already sold before the hideous 2022 orders start.

OPTION 2: The complete opposite- the most technological and refined choice. Looking at the new Golf R's Nurburgring time, maybe they finally made it into a decent track weapon (with modest power) and it would be a hell of a nice daily driver year round.

OPTION 3: Middle ground. Wait for the new STI and hope the new engine and chassis really improve the performance and daily driveability. Also hope that it is somehow less ugly and suv-like compared to the 2022 WRX.

DISTANT OPTION 4: Wait even longer to save up enough to order a Cadillac CT-4V Blackwing exactly how I want it and have a car that is really fun to drive in everything, but snow.

EVEN MORE DISTANT OPTION 4.5: Wait the longest for used car prices to come back to normal and find a nice used 2015-2018 M3 or ATS-V sedan. Both manual.

Cast your votes now before you shake your head in disbelief so long that I decide to change my mind to something completely different again. And thanks for your patience as I work this very important, life changing, and timely decision. (My wife does not wholeheartedly agree with the last sentence)

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Assuming you have the means, and it sure seems like you do, then I think you should step back from this all-in-one approach to car enthusiasm. It might have made sense 5 to 10 years ago, but at this point in your life you don't have to be constrained by it, particularly when your automotive values dip into the extremes at opposite ends of the spectrum. Blah blah blah... That means two cars, 4DRZ. You need two cars. Or three, assuming the wife has her own car too.

1. Nissan Z as your personal commuter and 3-season track toy. Meaning, buy a set of track wheels and tires, install a hitch and get a small trailer.
2. Something luxurious and rewarding for family driving, all year round. I know you liked that GV80.

That doesn't mean the Z has to transform into a modified beastie the way you did with your G. And that doesn't mean the family driver needs to be boring. But I'm relatively sure after reading you here for the last 4 years that this is pretty sound advice.