Well, it's been a long time, but i think i may be finally giving up the J-body for good. I am getting ready to get rid of my LS Sport, and get something else. The LS is my third cavalier, but I don't think there will be a fourth. I started five years ago with a 90 Cavalier RS 2dr, then went to the 99 Z, which is where I first started modding anything by adding 17's, relocating the battery to the trunk, powder coating the cam tower, carbon tails and clear lenses on the front. Now I have an 04 LS sport coupe, and am mildly frustrated at the lack of parts I really want. The J platform has been very reliable and done me well. I will be purchasing either an 04 Audi 1.8T, or an 07 Volkswagon Rabbit 2.5. I can only hope that whatever i get is as enjoyable as the j's have been. it may be till 08 til i find the car I want for the price I'm willing to pay for it, but it will definately not be a j. For the record, things i DONT like about the J, no IRS, rear disk brakes, lack of sex appeal, squeaky rattly driving, and a really ugly 4 door. there are more, but those are what i don't like the most. My fiance's 06 VW jetta would out pull my LS sport, which is only mildly moded with an aem intake and an exhaust. none the less, it is still better on the eyes in my opinion, more so as the days pass, and the only thing i don't like about it so far is the granny shifter which is easily fixed with a short throw. if anyone has any complaints about the Audi, let me know, as I've not driven one before, but can only imagine it is pretty sweet. anyway, just thought i'd let ya'll know.
Does anyone know what an 04 LS Sport coupe goes for now a days. 5spd, 58K on the odomet.
Honestly, when people compare someone elses car which is a totally diff make and model than a J to me sounds like you have tried to make it "fast" and just gave up too soon and think paying twice the price or more than a j will solve all problems. There are plenty of j's on this site that are very nasty, you just have to put some time and effort in it. I personally love my j and get comments from everyone around my local area because it's not something thats floating around that everyone has such as gti's, srt4, evo, sti, honda ect.
Well I will be the first to day my girl also has a 04 Jetta GLI 1.8T. She does pull away from me, but she has a turbo... Once I put my turbo on she will not stand a chance.
She pays a little under 400 for her car a month, and I pay 140 for mine a month. The only reason mine is not paid off is cause I'm building my credit up. So I have a little under 300 to put into my car a month that I can do stuff with. I will also tell you Audi and VW take more work if you ask me. Plus things for a J cost a lot lets then VW stuff.
It's a J, more specifically a Cavalier, what more do you expect from it. It was built to be a decent commuter car to get one from point A to point B. It wasn't meant to be the next hot thing in automobiles or to set the tuner world on fire. If you want a car that is "sex on wheels" (which neither the Rabbit or the Audi 1.8T are in my opinion) you'll either have to pony up the big bucks for a car that is one, or take what you have now and do it yourself by investing some major money and time into the project. Comparing a Cavalier that is for the most part technologically disadvantaged to a car that just had a major refresh and upgrade (if I'm not mistaking) is like comparing a Schwinn to a freaking Harley-Davidson. To me it just sounds like you want to get out of the J scene and that's completely fine as there's nothing wrong with wanting to move up, I just think you need to keep in perspective what you really want in your next vehicle over what your eyes tell you what you should get. I would hate for you to be on a VW forum, an Audi forum, or what have you stating very similar things to what you are posting on this forum.
Either way, good luck.
well, i had a really long reply for all the points that were made by you all. after a minor interruption (cat jumped on the keyboard), i have this.
just because: I didn't know where else to put this link, so it goes here:
My 99 Z before I sold it and a couple of my mods
I appreciate that the cavalier isn't a fast car. it is an econo car. Never claimed it was. Never tried to compare a J to a A4 1.8T nor a new rabbit. (by the way, the 04 1.8 the way I want it falls into the model family that began in 00 and ended with the 04) Never said that I needed something cheap. Never said I wanted a fast car, nor that I wanted a panty dropper. But I know that what I want, the J can never be. Someone tell me what a turbo kit, IRS setup, four door cavalier with AWD would cost to build. Can anyone justify spending that much money on modifing a car that is going to be a commuter (not a CHEAP commuter car, but commuter none the less) and never spend a day or night on show? Fact is that the a4 is my first step into German cars. I will own an M3 one day. I will either like it or not. and anyone who feels the need can laugh at me in my lowered rabbit on 19's. i am fine with that.
I am not here posting J hating things. I am posting my personal opinion about a car which I have owned one varaition of or another for the past 5 years. Anyone who has owned an A4 or Golf/ Rabbit for five years is more then welcome to tell me what sucks about the car. In fact that is what I"m asking for. My eyes aren't telling me I should get an A4. I decieded I wanted one after being a eurotuner magazine subscriber for two years. Not to mention many more hours of internet research and just general discussion about the car. If the worst thing you can come up with is that it is more expensive, then it sounds more like jealousy that i can now afford a more expensive car. (I am not trying to instigate an "i make more money then you" fight. because i'm sure there are many people here that make WAY more money then I. Just saying that is what it sounds like)
By the way, don't generalize manufacturers with models. I still own 2 chevys and aren't getting rid of them because i want an audi. if i own an a4 for a time and don't like it, i will go to an audi a4 forum and post that I don't like it and why. and some people will agree with me, and others won't. that is what these forums are designed for. stating of facts and opinions. whomsoever reads can do with that information as they will.
By the way, in the mean time of me buying an audi, i have a tsudo header, magnaflow 2.25" high flow cat, 18" thrush glass pack, and a tenzo muffler waiting for me to get time to put on the car. i am also waiting til january to order my 18" enkei's because i prefer to spend the pre christmas months spending money on others for christmas. If that sounds to you like i'm too cheap to try to make my J quicker, then i'd hate to see what the rest of the community spent on an exhaust. And before anyone accuses me of lying and just throwing names and parts out there I can supply you with pictures, reciepts, and my smiling face next to these items if that is what it takes. but for some reason i highly doubt that considering how this began that you would even believe me then. oh well.
off the subject, My sister is getting married this october 13th. we bought her a 50" samsung tv for a gift. I am nervous as to weather or not she'll like it. She is my only sibling. I'd hate to disappoint her.
another off the subject: when i said "we", i meant my fiance and I. I got engaged in early June. Flew her to hawaii for a week. last night there (oahu that is) proposed on the west side of the island as the sun set. We are getting married september 20th of 2008. Her name is Joyce. She is a sweet heart. Kitchen and bath designer at a store in Brentwood. (St. Louis basically). I got a new job last month working for Sunnen Products Company. That has been really great, and the whole company has been wonderful to work for so far. (that is the sunnen as in sunnen honing equipment or sunnen engine rebuilding company. Finally something in the automotive/machinist world combined)
So I understand your need to brag about how you aren't cheap. We understand your complaints about your car.
How much is your newer car going to be?
Turbo Setup - 3500
Suspension:
Struts: 500
Ride Height: 250
Sway/Tie: 400
Strut tower bars: 100
Rear Disk Brake Conversion: (Depends) More time than money
And for your Sex Appeal,
Paint, Body, Whatever gets you laid: (give you a hint.....its not in the car)
You could make the J what your looking for. You don't want to spend the time or money (not that you can't, you choose not to) and thats fine. Don't defend your position, but instead never make a post that you know would have these results. Were you looking for an argument?
The Figures are rough estimates, i know it could be more or less.
Whoa, whoa, whoa...
I never said you were cheap, nor was it my intention to imply that. I was simply stating that you seemed so disappointed in the J because of the lack of amenities it has as compared to it's competitors (and not so competitors) that it almost seems as if you expected more from it, which is shocking since you mentioned you owned 3 already. My comments about either investing major time and money into turning the J into what you want it to be or buying a car stock for stock that meets what you need was just a suggestion, no hidden messages behind it. I mean it's either/or and how much the J means to you. I know guys who dumped thousands upon thousands of dollars into their Js, money that could be used to purchase a higher end vehicle but they pour it into the J because they want to. Hell I'm willing to bet there are guys (the dude with the awesome black sunfire...Piparo I think that's his name...comes to mind) who have dumped easily thousand of dollars into their car without even thinking about it on this forum. When I paid off my Cavalier last April, I had a similar decision to make myself. Do I keep the Cavalier and build it into something that I want it to be or do I buy something that's a little outside the Cavalier and perhaps a little more advance and step up than what I previously owned. In the end, I decided that keeping the J and trying to modify just wasn't for me and ended up trading it for my 2006 Mustang.
I never categorized Chevrolet by the lack of quality that the Cavalier possesses. All the gripes and complaints you had about your Cavalier just about 99.9999% of J owners have experienced, including myself and it didn't get better for me when Best Buy screwed up my interior and dash when installing a stereo for me many years go...but that's another story for another time. I don't think Chevrolet builds subpar products because the Cavalier is/was subpar, far from it. GM/Chevrolet has proven in the past there was a lot more they could have done with the Cavalier if they chose to do so but they never did. Chevrolet probably has some of the most technologically advanced cars in the market. Their Silverado trucks, the use of E85 fuel in some of their cars, the Chevrolet Volt concept (which could be the underpinnings of what we all drive sometime in the future), to the epitome of Chevrolet, the Corvette...which seems to just get better and better with every incarnation, which is an recognition that all car models can't achieve. I myself am looking forward to the re-debut of the Camaro in the future and I'm certain there's a good chance that I will own one myself someday, despite being a Mustang fanatic. Even the new Malibu, in my opinion, looks simply phenomenal and I think it will give Chevy a strong player in the midsize car wars...which is something they have been lacking for a long time. So no, I never generalized Chevrolet because of one car, just like I would never generalized any other manufacturer (foreign or domestic) because of one car.
If a Rabbit 2.5 or an Audi 1.8T is what you want or desire, then more power to you...there's nothing wrong with that. If it's a step in your masterplan to own a BMW M3, then that's great...I hope you achieve what you set out to accomplish. No need to provide proof of employment, paycheck stubs, pictures of yourself with all these parts you plan on installing on your Cavalier or being boastful about the amount of money you have. I can say confidently that most here don't give two shakes about how you make or how much you can afford. Also because your given an answer that you don't want to hear or don't necessarily like doesn't make any of us jealous. I know for one that I'm not and am quite content with the cars that I own and the plans I have for the future. As I stated I would hate for you to invest time into a Rabbit or an Audi, then later on have resentment because your friend may end up driving something a little better than what you have. However if you've done the research and the Audi or the Rabbit is what you want, then go for it. No one is going to tell you how to spend your money. It wasn't my intention to paint you as a J-hater but from the gripes you had with the J, it seems that you expected more than what it has given you, which is why I was concerned about your next potential car purchase. With that said, I still wish you the best of luck and whenever you get the Audi or the Rabbit rollin' on 19s, post up some pics, I'm sure we would all like to see them.
Joseph Thole wrote: if anyone has any complaints about the Audi, let me know, as I've not driven one before, but can only imagine it is pretty sweet. anyway, just thought i'd let ya'll know.
Does anyone know what an 04 LS Sport coupe goes for now a days. 5spd, 58K on the odomet.
i do believe that those are my origional questions. neither of which have been answered.
it wasn't my intention to brag or boast about any amount of money i make nor spend. i knew i would get comments about the cars I wanted. To me it seemed that the place to go to get an un-biased review about the two cars i mentioned was not a web site that is for enthusiasts. that is why i posted here.
mark, you still haven't addressed the AWD setup. Figure up the dollars on that.
my point in tellin about the parts was to address the statement that :
"to me sounds like you have tried to make it "fast" and just gave up too soon and think paying twice the price or more than a j will solve all problems."
Which i knew would stir up something. I was trying to alliterate that I hadn't given up on the J.
if you happen to think that a cavalier heavily modded has anywhere near the sex appeal as, say, an M3 SMG does, then that is your opinion. but that is comparing car to car, and doesn't address the fact that you essentially called me an ugly guy. Adding the 3500 to the money i have to buy a car, and putting it into a car gets me the A4 which already has the rest of the things I want. No sway bars needed. no rear disk conversion with a lot of time required. Not to mention the entire lack of resaleability. or at least the ability to get what i've invested into it out. of course i could make the J what I want. however, i don't have the time. I don't have the energy. Nor do i have teh luxery to have the car down for any amount of time while I have the entire rear end out of the car just to pur disk brakes on. I again wasn't posting this to bash. I enjoy driving my cavalier. I just want to be behind the wheel of something that doesn't require the work a cavalier would to be what I want.
and finally, i will defend my position. Otherwise i'm just a push over. I would recomend to you that if you cannot refute the things that I have stated about the cavalier to which I don't like, nor answer any question I posed, keep from replying. It will save me a bunch of typing if instead of accusations about me not wanting to put the time into my j, (to which I openly stated in the very begining) but would rather buy something else, i get nothing at all.
James, I found your replys helpful. They were things I'd already considered, but I appreciate your support in my future ventures. Although I am a devout non mustang guy (I say this in the most joking manner) I sure hope you enjoy yours. I was excited to hear that Ford would be adding variable cam timing to the 4.6. at least that is the last I heard back in 05 when I read about it. the new body styles are much better looking teh the late 90's - 0 years. I however would (only if i had to of course) choose a fox body 5.0. they just look mean. from what I've seen of the concept camaro's that have been at auto shows, the pictures don't do them justice, and they look far better in person. I will probably be waiting a few years, but always said if GM made a 4cyl. 5spd RWD car, i'd buy it. And then the concept solstice rolled out. so that will probably be where I'm heading if I don't like the A4 or rabbit.
Quote:
I will be purchasing either an 04 Audi 1.8T, or an 07 Volkswagon Rabbit 2.5
With my experience working for an extended warranty company as a claims adjuster for mechanical and electrical breakdown, i for one, wish you luck on either one of those models , and would also suggest you check into buying an extended warranty for when the manufactor's warranty runs out, just based on claims that i have personally taken on both these models, I wouldn't be caught without one, the cost to repair one is outrageous.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, September 26, 2007 6:42 AM
Holy @!#$ Thole I haven't seen you in forever. Don't give up just yet.
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Primer Counts as Custom Paint Right?
BTW: This is my Sig.
