The TGR Dream Car Is Here

[east or bust]

SUVs suck balls and are way slower on snow than a good handling awd. Dealing with electronics is was better than dealing with replacing front end parts every 20k

What SUVs have you been driving? Or destroying? New front end parts every 20k miles means you're doing something wrong.

[icelanticskier]

still a vw. better than an audi, but both are teh suck compared to what the japs put out. still.

rog

[stuckathuntermtn]

Hugh has clearly never seen a bad freeze/thaw cycle in Missoula

[Cocximus]

What SUVs have you been driving? Or destroying? New front end parts every 20k miles means you're doing something wrong.

I was kidding, I had a jimmy for a few months. A lot of suv eat ball joints every 100 000 km. I still have original ball joints on my audi after 370 000. Fuck yea.

[Hugh Conway]

Hugh has clearly never seen a bad freeze/thaw cycle in Missoula

I figured you were talking about jersey actually. that's the reason they always gave for driving a SUV

[abraham]

if you pay the fuck attention (hard, I know, for maggots behind the wheel when you've got to update your facebook status to "crushing pow on the Ridge #livinthadream") you can make many washboarded/potholed roads work with 4-5" of clearance. that's heresy here, I know. if you really want to beat on something, continuously, car bits aren't what you want anyways. they make SUVs that do that much better. you aren't saving the fucking planet by buying your diesel wagon hitlermobile even if it does fart smug french fries.

Seriously, if you take some risks a tercel can get most places people are afraid of taking their subarus

[kevin267]

Seriously, if you take some risks a tercel can get most places people are afraid of taking their subarus

This is true, my first car was a tercel which was awesome and only got a pick up cuz I was tired of muddy shovels and axes stuffed inside diagonally

[stuckathuntermtn]

I figured you were talking about jersey actually. that's the reason they always gave for driving a SUV

I laughed

[abraham]

This is true, my first car was a tercel and only got a pick up cuz I was tired of muddy shovels and axes stuffed inside diagonally

A buddy and I dug the tercel through 3 miles of snow for a touring mission one time. There's a huge advantage to not caring about maintaining the cosmetic appearance of the car you have

[El Chupacabra]

I would buy this car, despite being made by VAG, so long as it came in under $30K. I liked the FWD diesel Jetta SportWagen, but I need AWD. (Spare me the "just use snow tires" comments.)

[Cocximus]

How does 4motion feel? I really hate FWD. Drives like shit. Most of the fwd based awd are quite weird. Still understeer like a fwd and the awd kicking in is somewhat unpredictable. My buddy went from a subbie to a speed6. He hates it, I could not believe until I drove it. Power sliding a true awd is sooo much fun. Wish I had the money to trash an audi or subbie every winter

Considering what diesels go for in NA importing an old diesel A8 from europe might just be my ticket to being perceived positively by my inlaws without spending too much and still ski outa my trunk

[Hugh Conway]

I would buy this car, despite being made by VAG, so long as it came in under $30K. I liked the FWD diesel Jetta SportWagen, but I need AWD. (Spare me the "just use snow tires" comments.)

other than Caltrans stupid, snowtires work just fine.

[spook]

if you pay the fuck attention (hard, I know, for maggots behind the wheel when you've got to update your facebook status to "crushing pow on the Ridge #livinthadream") you can make many washboarded/potholed roads work with 4-5" of clearance. that's heresy here, I know. if you really want to beat on something, continuously, car bits aren't what you want anyways. they make SUVs that do that much better. you aren't saving the fucking planet by buying your diesel wagon hitlermobile even if it does fart smug french fries.

HUGH'S ON FIRE! SOMEBODY GET SOME WATER!!!

[Ted Striker]

tercel

They made a tercel wagon with 4 wheel drive. It even had a low range. It, and the corolla alltrac wagon were the ultimate cheap beater skimobiles. Less expensive than subarus, better gas mileage, and they didn't eat head gaskets.

If it wasn't consumed by rust, I'd probably still be driving it.

Back to the VW, does the HPFP still blow up? And does VAG still blame the user?

[Cocximus]

^ ya what a load of shit. <03(?) diesels with mechanical injection are the best.

[SB]

They made a tercel wagon with 4 wheel drive. It even had a low range. It, and the corolla alltrac wagon were the ultimate cheap beater skimobiles. Less expensive than subarus, better gas mileage, and they didn't eat head gaskets.

If it wasn't consumed by rust, I'd probably still be driving it.

Had a friend with one of those, great little vehicle.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

ah yes everyone needs 20" of ground clearance for their active lifestyle (aka, a picture taken fording a creek, once a year). if you need reliable ground clearance regularly - OMG - they've made these things called SUVs for years. they work kinda well. If you need posing, there's outbacks.

Hey, I just bought a '99 Outback. Can I be a poser?

[liv2ski]

ONLY 3 YEARS TILL YOU GUYS WILL BUY IT USED, COMPLAINING ALL THE WHILE ABOUT THE LACK OF GOOD DEALS BECAUSE NOONE BOUGHT ONE NEW!

Actually, I have been waiting on this car to come to Merika. I know VAG does not have the best reliability rating, so for the first time in my life, I will just do a lease, so I can give it back if a POS. I want the 40+ mpg on the highway, for those 800 mile round trip drives to Mammoth, 10 times a season and so I can take it easy on my V70R, as she is getting up there.

[Hugh Conway]

Hey, I just bought a '99 Outback. Can I be a poser?

Sure! Just ad stickers! Lots of them!

[stuckathuntermtn]

I think there's still a few of those AWD Toyotas around here.
AWD, even very front biased AWD, is still lightyears better and totally different driving than FWD. Even an old automatic trans Subaru that wants to flip the car around (if you don't know what you're doing). All season tires work great in low gear. No muss no fuss.
That's why everyone has a hardon for AWD diesel. Going down a steep, windy, and slick road? Just put it in low gear. As the revs drop, all 4 wheels dig in. I think one time I drove down from Snowbowl without using either pedal, just to see if it could. I could.

[detrusor]

I used to drive an awd tercel wagon, an 83 I think. Manual awd and low range. Got 38 mph in fwd, easy to work on, reasonably comfy. Soooooper slow. If I hadn't totaled it I would still drive it. Might buy one and rebuild it because I'm dumb.

[Cocximus]

The awd turbo celicas are tits too. Group B cars and what came soon after have a... "je ne sais quoi" that tickles me. Guess they nailed, simplicity powerfull engines and ruggedness. Not these pussified wannabes.

One day when I have extra garage space I will build a S1 or a supra(again).

[Spyderjon]

Skoda Mk3 Octavia Estate 4x4 2.0 150hp TDi 6-speed manual. 40 miles per UK gallon on a run fully loaded with the roofbox on. Skoda is VAG owned & the Octy is built on an lengthened Golf/A3 floorpan. Suspension is 35mm higher than the 2wd version but there's also a Scout/Allroad version coming soon for those that want/need more clearance.

Pre VAG ownership the Czech built Skoda's were a joke but now they're excellent & the brand keeps winning all the UK owner surveys for quality, reliability, value for money & dealer support etc. So now the smart money in the UK buys Skoda leaving the VW's/Audi's for the pretentious crowd

[charlesj]

I used to have a late eighties VW Quantum synchro in NEw England when it was about ten years old. I thought it was awesome. There was no computer to control the drivetrain. The center differential had three manually adjustable modes: regular (mostly FWD), 50/50 front/rear and real Synchro (for getting unstuck or climbing anything). Unlike its Audi siblings from the era it was a proper wagon, not the silly sloping hatchbacky wagons that Audi was making at the time

[BigHerm]

Stoked on this car and the Golf+ R (300 HP AWD Sportwagen that gets over 30mpg highway). VWoA is finally listening to customers and enthusiasts.

As far as ground clearance, I have been driving an 08 GTI through 5 seasons in the mountains. It has 8" of clearance for the lip spoiler. Buy a dieselgeek Panzer plate and don't give it a second thought.