The Senator Posted June 27, 2009 Posted June 27, 2009 Beautiful! But not as cool as my old DS21. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_DS Fearless Leader, what's the warranty on the Mazda 3? They get really good reviews, as does the Toyota Corolla and of course the Honda Civic (which is really big inside). Hyundai and Kia both have great warranties, right now, and the cars are pretty sweet, too. Ah yes, 'The Roach' - saw one at the post office the other day and thought about those crazy jaunts down I5 at 90 mph, cocktail in one hand, other stuff in the other hands, as CHIPS pulled alongside and admonished, "Hey, slow down!" For your nostalgic viewing enjoyment... gallery
The Dean Posted June 27, 2009 Posted June 27, 2009 Ah yes, 'The Roach' - saw one at the post office the other day and thought about those crazy jaunts down I5 at 90 mph, cocktail in one hand, other stuff in the other hands, as CHIPS pulled alongside and admonished, "Hey, slow down!" For your nostalgic viewing enjoyment... gallery I miss that car...and those care-free times.
The Senator Posted June 27, 2009 Posted June 27, 2009 I miss that car...and those care-free times. Likewise. IIRC, the passenger compartment in that thing was more spacious than most NYC studios. For once, the French got something right... "In the post-World War II environment of the 1950s, the DS was a significant advertisement for French manufacturing and ingenuity. President Charles de Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life during the assassination attempt at Petit-Clamart on 22 August 1962 planned by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry — the shots had blown two of the tires, but the car could still escape at full speed. This event was accurately recreated for The Day of the Jackal."
GoodBye Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 Ah yes, 'The Roach' - saw one at the post office the other day and thought about those crazy jaunts down I5 at 90 mph, cocktail in one hand, other stuff in the other hands, as CHIPS pulled alongside and admonished, "Hey, slow down!" For your nostalgic viewing enjoyment... gallery That is one funny lookin' car!
Arkady Renko Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 The Mazda 3 is based off of the same platform as the European-spec Focus. If you wait another year or so, the next European-spec Focus will be here and likely surpass what you get from the Mazda 3. That being said, the Mazda 3 is a great car.
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 That's a badass car, man. How can anything that CAN'T leave the pavement be badass?
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 Likewise. IIRC, the passenger compartment in that thing was more spacious than most NYC studios. For once, the French got something right... "In the post-World War II environment of the 1950s, the DS was a significant advertisement for French manufacturing and ingenuity. President Charles de Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life during the assassination attempt at Petit-Clamart on 22 August 1962 planned by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry — the shots had blown two of the tires, but the car could still escape at full speed. This event was accurately recreated for The Day of the Jackal." The mechanic guy at my work raves how the Citroën is a great car... He used to live in England a while back (about 10 years ago before coming back here)... Last weekend my son was at my work and this co-worker gave him a scale pull back model of an old Citroën he had laying around (Citroën 2CV): Citroën 2CV He was telling me all about the car they made... Some of them were very technologically advanced (lowering suspensions for highway travel, etc..) for their time. The new ones have the same sharp styling.
The Dean Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 The mechanic guy at my work raves how the Citroën is a great car... He used to live in England a while back (about 10 years ago before coming back here)... Last weekend my son was at my work and this co-worker gave him a scale pull back model of an old Citroën he had laying around (Citroën 2CV): Citroën 2CV He was telling me all about the car they made... Some of them were very technologically advanced (lowering suspensions for highway travel, etc..) for their time. The new ones have the same sharp styling. The DS model (I had the DS21) had a hydraulic suspension. The car would almost touch the ground if it had been sitting (not running) overnight. When you start it, it slowly rises to the proper driving height. You could adjust that height, raising it a little to go over very bad road, or raise it way up to change a tire. The car lifted itself up, and then you set it back down on a stand. The DS had gas spheres, located above each wheel: http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible_pg2.html Once driving in SoCal on a busy highway, the car in front of me swerved to another lane, leaving me to hit a good sized wooden pallet at about 60 MPH. I figured I was in big trouble. I barely felt a thing.
mead107 Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 How about a KIA . Dirt cheep and fantastic warranty .
The Dean Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 How about a KIA . Dirt cheep and fantastic warranty . Pretty good looking too, IMO. Same with the Hyundai.
Arkady Renko Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 The DS model (I had the DS21) had a hydraulic suspension. The car would almost touch the ground if it had been sitting (not running) overnight. When you start it, it slowly rises to the proper driving height. You could adjust that height, raising it a little to go over very bad road, or raise it way up to change a tire. The car lifted itself up, and then you set it back down on a stand. The DS had gas spheres, located above each wheel: http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible_pg2.html Once driving in SoCal on a busy highway, the car in front of me swerved to another lane, leaving me to hit a good sized wooden pallet at about 60 MPH. I figured I was in big trouble. I barely felt a thing. "A Citroen is nothing but a Fiat with a sunroof"
The Dean Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 "A Citroen is nothing but a Fiat with a sunroof" Good one. But nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly not with respect to the older higher end Citroens, like the DS. Unfortunately, I don't think Citroen is the innovative company they once were, but some of the new models have a nice look.
Lurker Posted June 28, 2009 Posted June 28, 2009 How about a KIA . Dirt cheep and fantastic warranty . ...and the worst resale values in the industry. Good cars (I have a Sorrento, which has performed well), but you get raped at trade-in time.
tennesseeboy Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 too bad I got rid of my 1982 mazda rx 7 with the Wankel rotary engine. Now that was one hell of a vehicle.
stuckincincy Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 I just a need a commuter car to get me to work/hockey and the kids to school. The wife already has a nice to car for us to drive if needed and we have a mini-van for trips and moving lots of people. I don't want to put long term miles on the van because I never want to buy another one, although I can drive it short term for quite awhile if necessary... It seems like the Mazda3 5-door is fairly good car that is funnish to drive and gets reasonable gas mileage. It would certainly be a step up from my deceased Malibu... Any thoughts? Very nice vehicle. I wonder about Mazda stylists, though. First, the Rx-8...it's front appearance was dubbed "the angry guppy" . This years' 3 and 6 sport silly grins.
ajzepp Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 too bad I got rid of my 1982 mazda rx 7 with the Wankel rotary engine. Now that was one hell of a vehicle. I have a '79 RX-7 in blue with the rotary engine sitting about 20' away from me. I agree, it was a great car!
The Dean Posted June 29, 2009 Posted June 29, 2009 ...and the worst resale values in the industry. Good cars (I have a Sorrento, which has performed well), but you get raped at trade-in time. Agreed. But don't you think that will start changing now that they have better reputations, and a terrific warranty? I'm not saying it will, but I think it should, and it might.
stuckincincy Posted June 30, 2009 Posted June 30, 2009 too bad I got rid of my 1982 mazda rx 7 with the Wankel rotary engine. Now that was one hell of a vehicle. Rotary motors have relatively higher fuel consumption compared to piston engines. The do have a significant advantage - they are very compact power plants. One was installed in a Fraser-Nash concept car, shown at the 2009 Geneva auto show: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/...r-wont-be-built
Delete This Account Posted June 30, 2009 Posted June 30, 2009 test drove a 2006 Mazda3 last summer and was on the verge of buying it but, dealer wouldn't budge off asking price enough. i so much liked the car that i went up from $11,500 to $12,000, and he went down from $12,500 to $12,400, which i interpreted as being a slap in the face. it was a newer car but already had 60,000 miles on it. and yet i really liked the power and feel of the car, so i'd recommend one ... for the right price. "settled" for an Accura and absolutely love it. jw
PromoTheRobot Posted June 30, 2009 Posted June 30, 2009 Our family has had great experiences with Nissan Altimas. In fact my wife is getting a 2009 today to replace her 2005, which gets passed down to our daughter. I bought an '08 a few months ago. I'm averaging 26 mpg. It's a good looking, reliable, roomy car that moves. FYI: My wife is paying $17,300 for her '09. She paid $18,600 in 2005. You can't beat that car for the money. PTR
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