[Jomz]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Anyway, on a different topic now. .........

So, will I have buyer's remorse if i do the switch? Or will I forget all about the Charger once i get into that go kart of a rocket? Damned if I do, damned if I dont.

Do you want to follow what you like, Or what people say about you?

Which one do you Enjoy better??

Or... just get both :-)

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Between rock and .. Charger R/T is such a bad ass car. You should keep her. How much is your hp after all the tuning now (close to 400?)

It is close to 400 but i will never know until i dyno it. And there aren't too many shops around that dyno all wheel drives.

I did do a 0-60 in 5.4 seconds though. However I can get that time down by a second or so if I launch right. And that would be a second faster than what MS3 is supposed to do.

Originally Posted by Jomz

Do you want to follow what you like, Or what people say about you?

Which one do you Enjoy better??

Or... just get both :-)

I wish I could get both .

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Look at it this way. Why wont it fit? It has the ability to take you to the said shop, it has enough room to store whatever you buy from that shop, and it has the ability to bring you back home from the shop!

Anyway, on a different topic now. I am in a dilemma (once again) I really liked Mazdaspeed3 when I test drove and I find myself thinking about it a lot. I had the car for a weekend and enjoyed it a lot, although I did have this nagging feeling in my head questioning whether I am doing the right thing. Also, people around me keep telling me that the Charger suits my "personality" and I should not let it go. And that Mazdaspeed3 will look like my 5 year old daughter's car after the Charger

So, will I have buyer's remorse if i do the switch? Or will I forget all about the Charger once i get into that go kart of a rocket? Damned if I do, damned if I dont.

Very true amitoj, I was just saying it has huge space to haul things more than needed for a typical 3-4member family.

I have met you long ago, and I definitely think Charger suits you more. Mazdaspeed 3 is fun to drive for sure, but is it comfortable for your height?

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Track days eh . Are you getting any track time these days?

indeed I'm a huge fan of Tundra and the F150 and without doubt either of it will be my next.
Not much track days lately due to work and travel.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

I have met you long ago, and I definitely think Charger suits you more. Mazdaspeed 3 is fun to drive for sure, but is it comfortable for your height?

A few years down the line i would love to get back into a Challenger for sure. Maybe not a Hellcat though, but surely an SRT.
But for now, I want to have fun in an MS3 before my hair turns white. Although I am sure driving one will speed up the process! Specially managing the torque steer in the winters
As for size, I do fit into it quite comfortably. And my two little daughters also enjoyed the ride in it when I had the car for a weekend.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by amitoj

: I want to have fun in an MS3 before my hair turns white. .

Objectively speaking - how much of driving dynamics difference are we talking about? Could you list the pros and cons of each?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Objectively speaking - how much of driving dynamics difference are we talking about? Could you list the pros and cons of each?

Well, the two are as different as chalk and cheese. They are just.... so very different!

MS3 handles like a go kart. The downside of that is the stiff ride.
While the Charger's ride is neither stiff nor floaty, it is a big car and handles like a big car too.

One big difference between the two is the torque steer that MS3 generates in first and second gear. That makes it a much harder car to control than the Charger.

In the Charger, when you are cruising at 70-75 mph, it lets you forget that you are driving a 5.7L Hemi. The MS3 never lets you have that kind of feeling.

[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Well, the two are as different as chalk and cheese. They are just.... so very different!

MS3 handles like a go kart. The downside of that is the stiff ride.
While the Charger's ride is neither stiff nor floaty, it is a big car and handles like a big car too.

One big difference between the two is the torque steer that MS3 generates in first and second gear. That makes it a much harder car to control than the Charger.

In the Charger, when you are cruising at 70-75 mph, it lets you forget that you are driving a 5.7L Hemi. The MS3 never lets you have that kind of feeling.

The other problem that I had with MS3 was the feel of the gearbox which was imprecise with a very peculiar clutch uptake in stock form.
Damn but I miss my MS3.

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by Superleggera

Hi Guys, I am planning to buy a used 2008 BMW X5 (3.0 si- V6) from a private party with around 60K miles on it. There is no warranty on the vehicle .How is the reliability and maintenance cost.?

Based on the reviews that I read, 2008 and 2009 models have the worst reliability ratings.Is this true?

Hello friends, updates from my side. I dropped the idea of buying an X5 due to higher than average maint cost. I ended up buying a 2011 Acura MDX, Certified with life time powertrain warranty.

Although I am happy with car, I feel that Honda could have put together the interior of car in a better way. There are panel gaps inside the car (between door and car) and the second row is not movable.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I did do a 0-60 in 5.4 seconds though. However I can get that time down by a second or so if I launch right.

Hah. What was i thinking when i wrote that down?? I meant to say "by a tenth of a second"

Originally Posted by dr.abhijeet

The other problem that I had with MS3 was the feel of the gearbox which was imprecise with a very peculiar clutch uptake in stock form.
Damn but I miss my MS3.

Could you please elaborate on the clutch uptake? I didn't understand that.
Also, how was your ownership experience of MS3? Was it pre-2010 model? Details please!!

[dr.abhijeet]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Well, the two are as different as chalk and cheese. They are just.... so very different!

MS3 handles like a go kart. The downside of that is the stiff ride.
While the Charger's ride is neither stiff nor floaty, it is a big car and handles like a big car too.

One big difference between the two is the torque steer that MS3 generates in first and second gear. That makes it a much harder car to control than the Charger.

In the Charger, when you are cruising at 70-75 mph, it lets you forget that you are driving a 5.7L Hemi. The MS3 never lets you have that kind of feeling.

Originally Posted by amitoj

Hah. What was i thinking when i wrote that down?? I meant to say "by a tenth of a second"



Could you please elaborate on the clutch uptake? I didn't understand that.
Also, how was your ownership experience of MS3? Was it pre-2010 model? Details please!!

So, In stock form, especially in 1st gear, you wont be able drop the clutch quickly for a quick launch, the car tends to stall if you are not careful. This is not a problem but a quirk. I test drove 5-6 new cars and all of them had the quirk. I pretty well mentioned in the forums and TD of various mags. Mine was a 2011 MS3 with tech package which I sold in 2012 after 1 year of ownership.
That being said, this is the car that I miss the most. I sold it because my wife thought that it was a teenagers car and quite uncomfortable. Also, mild rattles had creeped up at the end of 1 year. I did not need to drive in snow as I have the Subaru, so, No experience in that area.
The navigation screen is stupid small and voice recog was a joke. It never gave me >20mpg mostly because the way I drove it. It was surprisingly well equipped though.
It made a lovely noise. The backseat was usable but word of advice, dont use it. It dampens the performance. YES, It made my commute after a tough hours of residency, a whole lot fun.
So, I exchanged it for the stupid Mercedes which made my wife happy and me sad.
I need to buy a fun car
IMHO, It is a car which is not comfortable even while idling, you will love it but non car people(i.e. family/friends) wont understand it and will suggest that you should have bought civic/ corolla/accord/camry. Everyone asked my why I bought an expensive Mazda which is small, No one asked why I bought the stupid Mercedes.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by dr.abhijeet

So, In stock form, especially in 1st gear, you wont be able drop the clutch quickly for a quick launch, the car tends to stall if you are not careful. This is not a problem but a quirk. I test drove 5-6 new cars and all of them had the quirk. I pretty well mentioned in the forums and TD of various mags. Mine was a 2011 MS3 with tech package which I sold in 2012 after 1 year of ownership.

Yes, I felt that this is something I would need to master in order to get off the mark quickly.

Originally Posted by dr.abhijeet

That being said, this is the car that I miss the most. I sold it because my wife thought that it was a teenagers car and quite uncomfortable. Also, mild rattles had creeped up at the end of 1 year. I did not need to drive in snow as I have the Subaru, so, No experience in that area.

Believe me, I have dreams in which I am driving this car! I am not kidding.
I did notice rattles in most of the cars i test drove. I guess that is unavoidable in any car that has such stiff suspension with low profile tires.

Originally Posted by dr.abhijeet

The navigation screen is stupid small and voice recog was a joke. It never gave me >20mpg mostly because the way I drove it. It was surprisingly well equipped though.
It made a lovely noise. The backseat was usable but word of advice, dont use it. It dampens the performance. YES, It made my commute after a tough hours of residency, a whole lot fun.
So, I exchanged it for the stupid Mercedes which made my wife happy and me sad.
I need to buy a fun car
IMHO, It is a car which is not comfortable even while idling, you will love it but non car people(i.e. family/friends) wont understand it and will suggest that you should have bought civic/ corolla/accord/camry. Everyone asked my why I bought an expensive Mazda which is small, No one asked why I bought the stupid Mercedes.

I know what you mean.
However, with Charger, no one has questioned it to my face so far It has the "dont mess with me" look and I just love the way people move out of the left lane.

I am now wondering if I can make the Charger more fun. I have reached out to a few people to get some ideas. Sway bars come to mind but no one has done it on an AWD yet. Someone asked me to reach out to Rob Anderson of Wretched Motorsports, who is/was partnered with Peddars. His story made for an interesting read:
https://www.wretched.co/info/about-us

[Superleggera]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

No particular reason, like I said before, I had always liked the MDX plus it was a luxury brand compared to others.

Though i must say that I haven't heard good reviews about the Chrysler V6 engines compared to Honda's(a friend has 2014 Chrysler Minivan & a 2013 RDX). Also there are too many Police Ford Edges where I live

TC, do you fill premium gas in your MDX?
I checked with the dealer and he said it is not required, but I see from some blogs that it is required

[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by Superleggera

TC, do you fill premium gas in your MDX?
I checked with the dealer and he said it is not required, but I see from some blogs that it is required

Yes, I fill premium. Manual recommends 91 or above but so far I have seen gas stations near me sell only 83/87/93 so i fill 93.

Frankly regular should be fine you probably wont get the 300 horses & full mpg. MY running is very low so Premium vs regular doesnt make too big a difference.

Btw Congrats on getting the 2011 MDX, now we have two of them on the forum

Which variant & color did you pick? Post some pics

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Yes, I fill premium. Manual recommends 91 or above but so far I have seen gas stations near me sell only 83/87/93 so i fill 93.

Thats fine. its no problem using a fuel with a higher octane number then specified. You wont see any real benefits though. filling with a lower number then specified could lead to trouble. Even though modern engines have anti knock sensors that are most likely to accomodate the difference but at the expense of performance.
Jeroen

[VLOCT]

I would never fill a car with a gasoline grade 'lower' than manufacturer recommended. Anything above really offers very little advantage unless, you live in a really hot area where it can reduce any potential for 'engine pinging/knocks'.

At a range of 10-20 cents difference that's a savings of $1 -$2 every 10 gallons, I have never understood why this is even a conversation in the US?