Kia Rondo Replacements

[kevm14]

Granted the LSA has the supercharger shaft bearing issue. But I think that is fairly under control (i.e. you will have some warning and be able to take measures prior to total failure, if you have it at all - plus an extended GM warranty).

What's the goal? I guess an M3 is closer to the Elise, but are you replacing the Elise? In comparisons, the V2 was basically superior to the old V10 M5, so don't sell it short.

[Bob]

This is a long thread and actually somewhat put me at ease. I will admit that this type of thread can convince anyone that X car is the biggest POS ever made, but so far it has made me cautiously optimistic. http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682601

Its only one of many, but this guy had some bad luck:

08 94k 2nd owner bought at 71k and doing 5k oci. Bad bearing tick, engine seized and motor is being rebuilt at AutoTalent right now. Should be done by the 3rd of Jan. Blackstone my oil 3 times prior to failure and no sign of excessive wear. Always used Castrol 10-60 BMW oil but now when I get the car back i'm switching to lick molly. Unfortunate big headache. Haven't had my car since July 3rd. Feel free to ask questions ill try and answer them.

I saw that one. Probably the worst I have seen in that thread. In general the car seems to be more reliable than I expected. I will admit my expectations were low.

[Bob]

Granted the LSA has the supercharger shaft bearing issue. But I think that is fairly under control (i.e. you will have some warning and be able to take measures prior to total failure, if you have it at all - plus an extended GM warranty).

What's the goal? I guess an M3 is closer to the Elise, but are you replacing the Elise? In comparisons, the V2 was basically superior to the old V10 M5, so don't sell it short.

I am not sure if I am willing to replace the Elise, even though I have so few opportunities to drive it. If I was going to buy a practical car to replace the Elise, the M3 would certainly warrant some consideration. They are considerably cheaper than similar age/mileage V2s right now. Of course, I am a big TCO guy so I am not sure if which would come out on top there.

[kevm14]

Would be nice to read someone, somewhere, comparing the two. Maybe a new car comparison, maybe a used car comparison. Or both.

[kevm14]

Would be nice to read someone, somewhere, comparing the two. Maybe a new car comparison, maybe a used car comparison. Or both.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons ... rison-test

Here's one.

[kevm14]

M3 Lows:

Steering not quite as good as the Caddy’s

Oh snap.

[kevm14]

Not the greatest article for the information I was looking for.

[kevm14]

This is a long thread and actually somewhat put me at ease. I will admit that this type of thread can convince anyone that X car is the biggest POS ever made, but so far it has made me cautiously optimistic. http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682601

50,000 miles is high mileage? I thought CTS-V owners had a complex.

[kevm14]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2010-aud ... omparison/

Even though it got 3rd, it sounds like the only real complaint was the automatic not being as fancy as the dual clutch transmissions.

A couple choice quotes to show what I mean:

But out on the road, the CTS-V Coupe blows old Motown stereotypes away. Setting the shocks in Tour mode overlays the firm ride with just the right amount of compliance, yet keeps the chassis composed and communicative. On the autobahn, the Caddy has the same calm, deliberate demeanor as an AMG Mercedes, even when hammering through big, endless sweepers at 140 mph or more. Attack twisties with verve, and that muscular V-8 seems to shrink the Coupe’s mass and girth, while the Magnetic Ride Control and the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires deliver impressive poise and grip. The steering is terrific-much more talkative than the synthesized stylings of the Audi’s helm and more delicately defined than the BMW’s-while the Brembo brakes outperform the M3’s and deliver a more consistent pedal feel than the carbon-ceramics on the RS 5.

The CTS-V Coupe is a very good car. It’s fast, has a wonderfully composed chassis, and looks like a million bucks on the road. But it’s not quite good enough to win this comparison. Yes, it is heavier than it should be, and is not very well packaged-the smaller M3 has a more useable rear seat and trunk. But in this test, against these cars, the CTS-V Coupe suffers because its old-school six-speed automatic transmission comes up a day late and a dollar short.

But the two sentences at the end of these next two paragraphs kind of get at what you like about the M3.

BMW’s M3 has long been the segment’s benchmark, but it’s not perfect. Left to shift itself, the seven-speed transmission is clunkier than the Audi’s. The steering-wheel rim feels fat and clumsy, and these days Hyundais have better-looking interiors (our car’s all-black interior looked particularly cheap and nasty). But the M3 is still the most sharply focused driver’s car of this bunch, a scalpel among sledgehammers.

Each of these cars is seriously fast and highly desirable. That we could even contemplate putting a Cadillac up against the best from BMW and Audi and not have the thing left gasping and wheezing, brakes on fire and suspension turned to mush after three days of hammering around Bavaria shows how far Caddy has come from the days when most of its customers left their teeth in a glass by the bed at night. The RS 5 is a marvelous Grand Tourer, an elegant, classy two-door that will feel just as comfortable antiquing in the Hamptons as hustling over the Grossglockner Pass in an early autumn snowstorm. But when it comes to performance, passion, and pure driver appeal, the BMW M3 is still the benchmark.

I guess the temptation is, it offers more of the things you value, and is more affordable at this time.

[kevm14]

May be interesting: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=824790

Thread title: (Un)natural Progression: E90 M3 -> Cadillac CTS-V Sedan