Kia Rondo Replacements

[Bob]

This is on the other side of the country, but looks like a good deal: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... de1=CHEVSS

It seems like non-GM new car dealers are where it's at if you want to score a deal on the SS. Their prices seem to be even lower than private party, maybe because private party sellers overvalue the SS. I don't really like red, but I would pretty much take any color if the price is right.

My color preferences in order from most desired to lease desired:

Silver Ice (love that rental car sleeper look)
Phantom Black (car looks awesome in black, but I don't really like black as a daily driver color due to the fact that it's hard to keep clean)
Heron White (also good for the rental car sleeper look)
Mystic Green
Red Hot

[Bob]

I also drove an ATS, Premium 3.6L model yesterday. It was a 2014 with only 6k miles on it at CarMax.

The drive was relatively short so I will just summarize my thoughts briefly as it relates to the SS, which I drove just minutes before:

- The ATS definitely has a higher quality interior and feels more driver centric than the SS when you sit in it.
- CUE was annoying to use.
- The ride was really nice, (MR shocks). Steering was also more communicative than the SS and better weighted.
- The back seat was very small and this is likely a deal breaker for the ATS
- Power from the 3.6L was adequate, but not earth shattering. The 3.6L also isn't super smooth or overly refined.

After driving both of these cars back to back, it left me feeling even more curious about the Vsport. Could the Vsport be the perfect combination of Alpha chassis, lots of power an acceptable back seat? I hope I can drive one soon to find out.

[kevm14]

This is on the other side of the country, but looks like a good deal: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... de1=CHEVSS

Haha, Beaverton. Or as I would call it, Beavertown.

[kevm14]

After driving both of these cars back to back, it left me feeling even more curious about the Vsport. Could the Vsport be the perfect combination of Alpha chassis, lots of power an acceptable back seat? I hope I can drive one soon to find out.

My opinion: It will be the perfect combo. However, it won't have the character of the LS3, is almost guaranteed to have worse resale and I would think reliability past 100k will be better with the SS. Vsport still has CUE but you can probably manage that.

[kevm14]

Would be nice to have a back to back Randy Pobst video of these two cars. I think the videos exist individually at least.

[kevm14]

I can't find a Pobst video of the SS. There is a 2016 SS video on the M/T YouTube channel but I haven't checked to see if it contains Pobst. I would almost discount that anyway as it got softer when they added MR.

Edit: Ah this is the E39 M5 one.

[kevm14]

This is a good one for the Vsport: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a9faBE_ceJY

No Pobst. Maybe he never drove either car.

[Bob]

This is a good one for the Vsport: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a9faBE_ceJY

No Pobst. Maybe he never drove either car.

Yes, I have watched this one several times. After looking at some prices for the GS350 F-Sport, I may have to reluctantly add it to the list as a budget option, taking the place of the too small ATS. It seems to have a good chassis and I liked what the reviewer said about it feeling light in the canyons. Also, the interior looks nice and they have knobs for the radio! At the end of the day, trapping 101 is a whole lot less satisfying than trapping 111, but it's worth keeping on the list for the size, chassis, long term reliability and lower price of entry (at least at the moment).

[Bob]

CPO 2014 SS in Avon, CT with 45k miles for $29k: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/

Don't really want to buy a car that has been up north at all, especially one that has enough miles on it that it was obviously driven year round, but this price point is encouraging.

[kevm14]

I know that dealer. Jamie bought her Malibu there.

Avon is like 40 minutes from BDL.