I did look at them.  Seemed like a nice car, but like most of the cars you mentioned I think the Q50 cars I saw were all well over 40k.  Not sure why the infinity would have less maintenance than the Audi and BMWs.  I have never heard of Nissans to be all that reliable.

 

I guess if you start adding packages or looking at the higher end models, they can certainly get well above 40K.  There are Q50's on the lot for ~38K, a 320i for ~35K,  and an Audi A4 for ~$35K.

 

I wasn't aware that Nissan was as bad as the German manufacturers when it came to reliability.  I thought the Q37 was known to be reliable (maybe I am mistaken though).  

 

I suppose I should at least try out the WRX but I think it really ugly (at least in pictures). 

 

I'm also still trying to decide if a lease is a good idea for me since I drive so little.  

Edited May 28, 201511 yr by shellylh

Sounds to me like Jeff's best bet is to lease either a Golf R (or GTI) or S4.

 

Both are going to be fast, have that nice german interior, and have great handling. Car-wise, they seem to hit all your buttons while being on budget.

 

Golf R might be a bit small depending on what you are coming from, but without knowing your lifestyle situation (wife? kids? dogs?) its hard to say whether or not its compact size would be problematic.

Edited May 28, 201511 yr by TMoney

I'm not sure what you mean when talking about Jeff's budget. I've never seen any indications he even knows what the word means...

I guess if you start adding packages or looking at the higher end models, they can certainly get well above 40K.  There are Q50's on the lot for ~38K, a 320i for ~35K,  and an Audi A4 for ~$35K.

 

I wasn't aware that Nissan was as bad as the German manufacturers when it came to reliability.  I thought the Q37 was known to be reliable (maybe I am mistaken though).  

 

I suppose I should at least try out the WRX but I think it really ugly (at least in pictures). 

 

I'm also still trying to decide if a lease is a good idea for me since I drive so little.  

 

As a WRX owner, I can attest that it is not a refined car. It is more on the "raw" side of the spectrum than it is "polished."

 

That being said, the rawness of it, coupled with its 4-door practicality is what drew me to it.

Jeff you might want to reconsider Uber, 

If you were in Stockholm, that is.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/Video-Ubers-1000bhp-RS6-cab-2015-05-18

 

"Now, a super-wide-body RS6 with two blingy 18-karat gold turbochargers that massage the 4.0-litre V8 from 552bhp to a staggering 950-plus bhp is worth a five-star rating in our book"

 

 

Edit: it even comes with roof storage!

 

 

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/This-is-a-road-legal-1000bhp-RS6-2015-04-01

Edited May 28, 201511 yr by Grahame

The S4 is dramatically faster than the IS350F. I think somewhere around 1.5 seconds faster 0-60.

Cool! Lots of numbers out there ...

Edited May 28, 201511 yr by luvdunhill

Yeah I have found it pretty crazy how many different 0-60 numbers there are for every car. The S4 brochure I have claims 4.9 seconds but the numbers vary greatly everywhere else I look.

I'm told that you can easily get up to an extra 60 hp. just from tuning the S4.

Yeah I have found it pretty crazy how many different 0-60 numbers there are for every car. The S4 brochure I have claims 4.9 seconds but the numbers vary greatly everywhere else I look.

Look at the Lexus RCF numbers, again I see 4.3s 0-60 and that number varies a bunch. I see 4.9s for other F models. I assume the awd plus the weight difference is important but still... 1.5s seems a large gap but tough to prove you wrong so I didn't try

The RCF is a completely different car than the IC. It is fast, but poorly reviewed competitor for the M4, RS5.

The fastest 0-60 from the mags I can find for the IC350 F Sport is 5.5 seconds, with several mags putting it at 6 seconds.

5.5 sec 0-60... isn't that e36 M3 numbers?

**BRENT**

the e36 m3 isn't fast, it's just fun, and a go kart.  The current camry is faster than the e36 m3.

Yeah I have found it pretty crazy how many different 0-60 numbers there are for every car. The S4 brochure I have claims 4.9 seconds but the numbers vary greatly everywhere else I look.

 

Can you actually go 60mph anywhere in DC? 

some of the on ramps require fast acceleration or you'll never get on the highway.

5.5 sec 0-60... isn't that e36 M3 numbers?

**BRENT**

 

 

the e36 m3 isn't fast, it's just fun, and a go kart.  The current camry is faster than the e36 m3.

Ahhh, right, my bad. I remembered wrong.

**BRENT**

5.6 seconds to 60 is hardly considered fast by today's standards.

None of us were saying it was fast. Jeff was implying it was rather slow, and I was pointing out that it matched the numbers of a car that came out 21 years ago.

Also, Jesus... 21 years? We're old.

**BRENT**

I still consider a sub-6 0-60 time pretty fast. Just because lots of cars are doing it now doesn't change that for me.

Being that my scooter will do sub 6 seconds to 60, it does start to feel slower after a while. And if you didn't watch Neal Armstrong walk on the moon live, then you're not all that old.

I dunno, my standard for old is I have a kid old enough to vote. And I wasn't alive when Lance Armstrong went to mars.

OK, you're honorarily old. Feel better? 

Congratulations Dan!!!

Picking up the S4 tomorrow. Looks like shitty weather all week of course.

Anybody here have a recommendation for a great car cover to use while I travel and leave the car out?

Nice! Hopefully getting it with the sport diff.

No specific recommendation, but would get a custom fit one that won't scratch the paint. Cover starts flapping in the wind and corners slowly get eaten away.

That ought to be fun Jeff!  Sorry that the shit weather means your first drives will be wet and may hold you back.  My daughter arrived in DC to pouring rain and no umbrella.  Hopefully she can get one today so she won't be doused when she goes to the sustainability conference at the White House tomorrow.