Where did I go wrong? Why do I only love the least reliable cars?

ebonyandivory wrote:

NGTD wrote: Get a Volvo 850 or V70 Turbo and quit messing around with all these other ideas.

I appreciate your response, honestly I do, but you understand why that's never gonna make me happy. I literally twist my head around or walk over to any Discovery, Jaguar XJ and GTI (or customized Golf) I see. The notion of getting a car I don't have any interest in sucks. But that's about where I am. I guess I'm like a woman (is my wife around?) in that I don't want a solution, I just want a shoulder to cry on (unless the solution was a reliable Golf!)

Get the VW. Just as much heartache as the others, but at least the buy-in is cheap! Plus have you priced Disco parts prices lately? I've had six Rovers. I worked at a dealer (Master Tech) and even I couldn't afford the care and feeding!

In reply to Junkyard_Dog:

Is the "heartache" you speak of the pain of seeing your Golf on a ramp truck or "damn, my central locking mechanism isn't working"?

That's the big thing for me.

My DD currently doesn't lock, the ashtray is stashed in the center console, I just had to fix the windshield washer motor and the drivers wing window won't open.

That's a good car (truck) to me. Because it always "gets me there" and back.

ebonyandivory wrote:

NGTD wrote: Get a Volvo 850 or V70 Turbo and quit messing around with all these other ideas.

I appreciate your response, honestly I do, but you understand why that's never gonna make me happy. I literally twist my head around or walk over to any Discovery, Jaguar XJ and GTI (or customized Golf) I see. The notion of getting a car I don't have any interest in sucks. But that's about where I am. I guess I'm like a woman (is my wife around?) in that I don't want a solution, I just want a shoulder to cry on (unless the solution was a reliable Golf!)

Hey, I understand where you're coming from, I strain my neck at every FJ40 or Porsche 944 I see on the road. I have even found myself in possession of enough scrilla to buy one off craigslist when I needed to replace a member of the fleet, but I bought an old Mazda B series for 1/3 of that instead. It needed a few minor fixes when I bought it, but it's been a damn reliable truck since.

Now, I realize that vehicle won't work for your situation. 5 shoulder belts, you're deep in minivan territory there.

ive been lucky in that my primary attraction has been to cars that are easy to maintain and have no huge issues, but i do have a soft spot for vw.

I can't do a minivan! We have one already plus my kids are all small. They fit with room to grow in the P5 so any of the vehicles I mentioned would work.

I won't seriously look at anything without 5 shoulder belts.

Just like SF1 fighting but ultimately succumbing to the urge to buy a Cherokee, IMO eventually you'll either land in a minivan or Panther.

Junkyard_Dog wrote: Get the VW. Just as much heartache as the others, but at least the buy-in is cheap! Plus have you priced Disco parts prices lately? I've had six Rovers. I worked at a dealer (Master Tech) and even I couldn't afford the care and feeding!

I daily drive my Discovery II to the tune of 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year. While it has not yet required much in the way of repairs, those I have had to do were no more expensive than working on my old BMW.. and to be honest, except for the weight of the parts, no harder to replace than what the BMW had.

You can definitely tell it was a vehicle meant to go "out there" as everything is pretty easy to get to and a lot of the parts are made to be rebuilt in the field.

In reply to The_Jed:

Have one, had one. I'd buy a Corolla and swap in coil-overs and sway bars before I go there again!

(Had three Cherokees too!)

ebonyandivory wrote: In reply to Junkyard_Dog: Is the "heartache" you speak of the pain of seeing your Golf on a ramp truck or "damn, my central locking mechanism isn't working"? That's the big thing for me. My DD currently doesn't lock, the ashtray is stashed in the center console, I just had to fix the windshield washer motor and the drivers wing window won't open. That's a good car (truck) to me. Because it always "gets me there" and back.

VW maladies tend to be of the annoying kind, rather than leaving you stranded. In 329K miles, my TDI didn't get me to work only once - when the MAF failed and the engine started spewing black smoke out the back (ECU thinks it's getting way more air than it really is). I drove home and grabbed the back-up truck. No codes - just "rolled coal" and no power. This happened at 140K. Replacement MAF has been on ever since. Knowing what I do now, just unplug it and drive normally - when unplugged, the ECU throws a code, but goes to a "default" map and the engine will more or less run fine.

IMO, buy a newer tdi and learn to love torque. Or drive a mazdaspeed 3

sanman wrote: IMO, buy a newer tdi and learn to love torque. Or drive a mazdaspeed 3

This. VW's have issues, but nothing that will just jump out of nowhere and strand you. Except maybe that sludging issue in whatever years.

NGTD wrote: Get a Volvo 850 or V70 Turbo and quit messing around with all these other ideas.

With the reliability my 850 had, the OP should be very attracted to them

Do these have a bench seat in the back?

Mk4 VWs aren't even fun to drive at all. I had a stock TDI Jetta, and I have driven a TDI Golf modified to the point of being able to easily spin the tires in first gear, and they just aren't that fun. I sold mine after putting only about 3k miles on it, because I would have doubled what I paid for the car at about $1 per mile in maintenance before I got it at least mostly right. Pretty much anything that has been done to the car since it was new will be done wrong and need to be done over again (timing belt service, brake pads and rotors, wheel bearings, struts and suspension bushings, all the fluids, and tires would be pretty typical), then a cam and lifters, injectors, oil pump chain, turbo and clutch and flywheel at about 300-325k. I don't really know about the gas ones, but look up how much all that stuff costs (all original or OEM supplier parts, because aftermarket VW parts are terrible) plus all the special tools you need to do it, and the VCDS software, and how much a good TDI mk4 still sells for, and that should help cure you of wanting to get one lol.

I've solved your problem: John's Cars V8 conversions for unreliable Jaguars.

lindseynicole wrote: The people should take care of that whether the car has essential features or not means mileage, engine and other features.

It took two pages to get some sound advice I can actually follow?!?!

Thanks, that's some sage advice you got there... Ooops, you dropped your paddle!

Junkyard_Dog wrote: Get a BMW. The best, and worst, traits of every car on your list all in one.

Having owned (in order) a Disco, mk4 gti and now an e46... Yes.

If the bad gets worse the e46 could suck. So far it hasnt and just needs "normal" german car care and feeding of hundreds of dollars in suspension bits, cooling parts and plastic engine hose things.

All are better than a b5 s4, for the record.

ddavidv wrote: I've solved your problem: John's Cars V8 conversions for unreliable Jaguars.

Oh man... Now I want a large 4 door Jag previously motivated by a V12 filled to the scuppers with 8.1 liters of Vortec tire shredding fury!

I feel you. I love high end cars at the bottoms of their depreciation curves. Had 3 great Range Rovers, and I spent 5 years with this car as my DD:

Never stranded me, but it did need a few repairs in that time. And I'm looking at replacing it with the V12 version. Makes a great family car as there's a ton of space inside, and they are fast, agile and comfortable all at once.

Because life is too short to drive boring cars. But then I have had a 64 Spitfire, an 81 GTV6 as DD so I may be a little bent.

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: Because life is too short to drive boring cars.

So true.

The_Jed wrote:

ddavidv wrote: I've solved your problem: John's Cars V8 conversions for unreliable Jaguars.

Oh man... Now I want a large 4 door Jag previously motivated by a V12 filled to the scuppers with 8.1 liters of Vortec tire shredding fury!

Honestly the 8.1 is a bad choice since there is no aftermarket for it and a 454 can be built to that same power for cheaper.

Sounds like you need a caprice wagon (see the recent and related Olds Custom Cruiser thread). All the important stuff is reliable, can be made to handle decently, and tons of space, with V8 power. But then I'm biased. You can fit 5 in a disco, right?

02/03 Elantra. Cheap, reliable and can be made more entertaining. Plus, you can surprise people with something uncommon.

Have you considered a Jeep Cherokee instead of the Land Rover?

In reply to gearheadE30:

Discos came with third row too.

If what I read is true, that these VW's I love have their issues but not generally the kind that leave you stranded, then I might be looking...!