Not sure if you're really stuck on owning German but I recently traded my AUDI A6 4.2 for a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR.....what a blast! 4 doors, 4-wheel drive, more fun than the 993, easily modded, 10yr/100K powertrain warranty, handles better than just about anything out on the road, quicker than sin, and not too much $$$, a relative bargain if you ask me. I grin from ear to ear every chance I get to drive this thing. It makes a trip to the grocery store feel like a day at the track. Style isn't for everyone but if you can look past that, you wouldn't regret it! Just my $0.02

 

Wow! Thanks for sharing your insight, opinions and experiences! From a loose tally, the minivan seems to win out in this argument. And I have to agree- my first words out were "Let's get a minivan!" However my wife says No Way! I think she's just trying to shed the image of a Soccer Mom. (Silly, possibly- but you have to "connect with" what you drive I think- well its more fun to anyhow). I should mention that we already have an ML320 which she just loves. So for 80% of the time when traveling as a family I think the ML would be our choice to take. We have "baby proofed" it with canvas seats, doggy gate, etc. and it definitely is the Cheerio mobile.

This second 4 seater is really for me to drive daily and then take a kiddo out and about at night/weekends or whenever.


I liked the suburban but work in the City so parking can be a bear. She agrees and isn't enthused about parking it. Plus i know she's comparing the Suburban/Yukon gargantuan size with the manuervability/parkability of the ML. So that's the black mark on the 'burban.

We looked at the Discovery Series II years back but everyone we knew had one complained about its reliability. Maybe the LR3 is different and I haven't checked out the Range Rover. I guess first I need to figure out Sedan or Truck.

Honestly I have been a fan of German cars (we had a Saab, though and loved it) but I'll check out the Infinity too. There is something "solid" about the DE cars which I find distinctive and I definitely like.

I'll also plan to sneak by the Honda dealer and check out the Odyssey who knows- maybe after a quick drive she'll change her mind.

 

Can't go wrong with the Odyssey. I have an 05' and we love it! It does it job(s) so well, really no faults to speak of. But, if it's gonna be your daily driver, forget about the fun-factor.

 

Is performance a must have for you, or just something nice to have but you don't want to pay a big premium for it?

I have an Audi S6 with 18" wheels, swaybars and otherwise stock suspension; while the car is no lightweight it handles surprisingly well and the combination of 340hp and 4WD gives it enough power to making driving fun. I'm a big fan of 4wd for a family hauler...if you have time and some cash wait for the next generation S6, which is rumored to be getting a tuned down version of the Gallardo's 500hp V10; if you don't have time but still have cash then the AMG E55 Estate is the one to get

And if you were looking for bang for the buck then a Subaru Legacy Wagon or a CPO S6 would be good choices for less than 50% of the AMG or new S6..

 

Doesn't your 993 fulfill this role perfectly? It does for me!

 

i would highly recommend an audi allroad and if you can swing it get one with a 6 speed manual. with your interest in an m5, it would seem that a manual transmission is ok. although the 6 speed models are a little tricky to find, they really make the allroad a lot of fun to drive. and if you can find one, they generally are available at a discount due to the "inconvenience" of shifting your own gears. awd, good road handling, very good power (s4 motor), s4 brakes, good room and good looks (imo). unless a third kid is in your immediate future, this is going to be a whole lot more enjoyable than a minivan.

although a big fan of the s4 (had a b5 sedan), with two kids the s4 is going to be too small. there is practically no back seat with the front seats adjusted for a 6 footer.

 

I second the allroad comment about the six speed. My family has a tiptronic one and is one of the worst transmisions I have ever driven. I hate driving it because of that. Otherwise it is a nice car.

 

IM BIAS, CADDY FOR ME

 

let me know if you're really interested in a V70. we have an '04 V70R (300hp) w/22,500 miles and looking to get into something else. it's silver with blue/black leather and an extra set of factory wheels and foul weather tires. the least expensive R i have found in the country is $31,500- which i would take for ours.

 

At least test drive the Audis. There's a lot of shared history and some tech between Porsche and Audi, and it is easy to find little shared touches. However, the front weight bias is *very* different.

Before I bought my 993 I seriously considered an S4. If I had needed 4 seats it would have been my top choice.

 

i recently drove a bmw 330i (my 2003) - to my surprise i was very impressed with the car. Both the handling & acceleration were outstanding as well as the over all drivability. I've driven several of the older series including some M3's and they just were not the same. Most felt like a heavy car and didn't have good steering response & handling characteristics.

personally i really dislike SUV's. so i'd shy away from those.

i recently bought a second car. i actually bought an old 190e 2.6l for driving some days. The thing is a tank! i would have bought a 330i but i was specifically looking for a car that does NOT attract any attention.

Cheers,
Boris

 

I have 2 Porsches, 993 cab and 944T. For a 4 person family car I have a VW JETTA 1.8T with NUSPEED suspension kit. The car simply "rocks". The 1.8T is smooth and the torquational stability of the VW body is GREAT, absolutly no twisting at all. Price was right and allows me to spend (invest) in the Porsches.

Cheers,

Bob

 

No offense, but the back seat in the Jetta has less room than my 993... not really, but damn close. I had a VR6 before the kids came then realized that with car seats back there it was ridiculous.

Go with the minivan... you won't regret it.

 

amen, brother trojanman. the wife had a 2000 vr6 jetta that we had to dump because the rear-facing child seat left the front passenger looking like a pretzel when she got out- and she's only 5 foot!

that's unfortunately why the jetta/a4 chassis is just too small for those of us with mini us's.

 

Test drove the M5 today for about an hour- very sweet ride. Faster than my 993 for sure, but much much heavier feeling. Also drove the Odyssey. Wow- i'm impressed. The 05 Touring was leather and about every bell and whistle you could imagine. The NAV integrates well into the car and is a shortcut for music functions, etc. All the electic doors/tailgates are incredibly handy. Back seats slide, fold, and scoot into what seems like a million configurations. Fully loaded? Just shy of 40,000. eek! Handling/performance on the Odyssey? bleh!