Owned the vantage for 6 weeks now and now my S4 seems so boring to drive daily. Unsure if it's the s-tronic transmission or the entire lack of exhaust sound, but looking for something that doesn't keep me yearning for the vantage everytime I go out. What do u guys think?

Keep the S4 and get it flashed and new exhaust
BMW M3 - love the sound of V8.
GTR - unsure if I can drive this daily
997 C4S
997 turbo
RS5

I know that's across the board, but really just looking for something a little more exotic for the daily commute. I really thought the S4 would be the ticket, but I feel empty driving it. Maybe I like noisy and rough cars.

Need a back seat to take my daughter to daycare, so driving the vantage daily isn't an option - although I'd love to :-)

 

I'd go with something completely different...the X5 is a great DD...you can go with the M version at 555 hp or the 50i with a chip for around 500. Either way, it's very sure-footed in all situations, a lot of fun to drive, and very comfortable and practial.

 

Wow. I suggest driving the Vantage every day.

I had mine for three years and it was my daily driver. A very comfortable, easy to drive car, I really enjoyed it. I miss it in fact, enough I will get another. I drive the Ferrari almost every day but it is much more visceral and involving. I though the Vantage was just a perfect daily driver.

Read the very nice article (cover) in the most recent Road and Track. Essentially, they say the same thing about the V12V.

 

A 4dr M3 with DSG would be a great daily (minus the terrible gas mileage), and has plenty of room for a family
________
Laguna Heights Condos Pattaya

 

I DD my C63 and I love it.

 

true AMG is another great options ... so many AMGs now are being given away at rock bottom prices. For the money used AMGs are probably the best deal. Just stay away from the Kompressor 55s if reliability is an issue. other then that plenty of options to choose from
________
ASexyEvilGirl

 

Since he lives in Seattle I'd think he'd want to avoid something that would be a nightmare to drive in the rain, and especially the snow. I can't imagine trying to take a C63 for a weekend ski trip.

 

well if he wants good 4wd on a budget, his S4 seems like a great choice, just mod it up a little bit until its a bit more exciting. It may not be exotic but the car is already his and should serve its purpose well.
________
LIVE SEX

 

BMW is the way to go. The M versions of the SAV's are amazing.
My DD:

 

Thanks for the input guys. Need a back seat for my kids to daycare so daily driving the Aston won't work. Personally, not a huge fans of mercs, but I'm sure I could be convinced with a set of keys.

Funny comment about the Seattle weather. My S4 was absolutely terrible in the snow during out last storm due to my Dunlop sport max summer tires. If I keep it, definitely need some all seasons. Awd is nice but not necessary. I did hear about those ecu flashes bumping power over 400hp.

No love on the 997 turbo or 4s? Maybe I'm kidding myself thinking those would be manageable dailies.

The M3 would make potential sense but I wonder if I'll think it too is mundane. May be having this same dilemma in a few months.

The other thing driving me is that I still have my 07 s2000 that is taking up garage space until it sells. Wife's not too happy about having to load the kids into the minivan outside in the rain, so at least one car's gotta go. It's why I've been thinking I'd trade in the s4 and s2k.

Decisions.

 

You definitely could use either of those as a daily driver. Lots of people do...I personally wouldn't, but I'm not a 911 guy. I have a partner that uses her 997.1 6-spd cab as a daily driver and has no problems.

I had planned to get a 997.1 turbo before I ended up getting the Vantage. I and even ordered one, but before my car came in I test drove a couple at the dealership and didn't like them...the steering is "lumpy", the clutch pickup point is weird, the turbo lag is a PITA, the rev limiter is too low, and the engine is in the wrong place. It's definitely fast, but I just didnt enjoy driving it...it was a chore, and that's not what I look for in a DD. A lot of those problems may have been corrected with the 997.2 turbo with PDK, but I'd still take an X5 over it as a daily driver.

 

Very good question indeed. I feel I can help you out here. I can suggest , from your own list , the following cars in this very order :

1 - BMW M3





2-GTR
3- Any 911


Yes , I intentionally left a huge gap between choices 1 and the rest as the M3 really stands out from that list. From the list of cars that we have in the garage , one car that I would choose again and again would be the M3. It is a splendid car to have as a 2nd car / compliment to your Vantage. I prefer the coupe over the sedan , but that is just me. The reasons I support the M3 are as follows :

1 - Comfort - The M3 is a very very comfortable car to maintain and drive. It never feels too stiff and neither does it compromise on the driving experience. It has 4 full seats and you can seat four full adults in the car without worrying about space and has a a very large boot for a sports car. The transmission is very easy to use and rather feels un-naturally soft in a car like the M3.

2 - Excitement factor - The M3 in its stock form is also a very exciting car to drive , given the fact that it revs all the way to 8500 rpm and has a 6 speed gearbox(I had the DCT as well but traded that in for the 6sp). The handling of the car is sublime and it makes a wonderful noise even stock.

3 - Mod Factor - The E92 M3 is ridiculously easy to mod now. Everything from superchargers to transmission to the brakes , it's all easy to mod. With the right set of mods , you will enjoy this car more than the Vantage, dare I say?

The aforementioned 3 points are purely from my experience of driving my M3 for 2 years now , along with the DBS and other cars. It is by far the most enjoyable car that I have, even more so than my GTR. I have the M3 modded up to 620+hp with the ESS Supercharger and the GTR is AMS Alpha 6 modded.


As for the GTR, you can expect a true torque monster , but it lacks a 6sp transmission and doesn't have good rear seating space. + Stock to Stock , I prefer the stock M3 over the stock GTR.

I won't bother getting a new 911 now as the 998 series is around the corner , but a used 997 911 C4S / Turbo would also be a good choice ,but again , not a lot of rear seat space , but it does have a good 6sp gearbox or PDK , and is very mod - friendly , albeit an expensive modder , when compared to the likes of the GTR or the M3.


Hope I was of help. =)

 

As all of us on this board are devoted to supporting the British Working Car Builder Man – wears brown raincoat and flat cap, has 6 pints of lager at lunchtime before going back to the production line to assemble (and I use that term loosely) cars in the afternoon - I thought I’d submit the Supercharged Range Rover Sport as a Daily Driver.

It’s the veritable Mutts Nuts, as we say in England. It’s the ultimate all-round vehicle in my opinion.

It has the most advanced 4 wheel drive system on the planet, this thing will go up cliffs as well as wade though 28 inches of water, and once back on the road will do 140mph in limousine smoothness. I laughed out loud when I saw it had paddle shifters and a track setting, whereby it corners totally flat and does all sports of sporty things with the throttle, steering and shift settings.

With 510 horsepowers and 460 torques it makes the DB9 feel almost slow. 0-60 is officially 5.9 although 5.5 is more realistic once loosened up, and weighing what it does it just has no business being this fast.

And by buying one we keep a whole second set of British Working Car Builder Man in beer money.

 

Ditto on the rr sport supercharged.

 

Great feedback again guys! Appreciate it! Never thought of the RR sport supercharged but did a little a research and very interesting. Not so interested in the 75k+ cost though for a newer refreshed model, though. Maybe I have to go check it out and the X5 or X6 M versions....

Other than that, pretty much narrowed down to the M3 or keeping the S4. Surprised how few M3s there are in the area. Probably why the dealerships are charging 10k premiums on used ones.

ecks - do you have the DCT on your M3, do you like it?