[2000Z-71]

Well today is the last day that I have the Camaro, I have to turn it into the dealership tonight on trade-in. I've really got mixed feelings about it I bought the car new and had plans to keep it for a very long time to come. Unfortunately after the curb incident in Tucson, the car will not hold an alignment. It's starting to show wear from being a daily driver and with my longer commute my suspension is starting to wear on me. The worst part is that I did the deal on Sunday morning and have been waiting for the check to come in from the credit union. So I've had a few extra days with the Camaro before I get the new car to second guess the decision.

All that couple with the fact that my daughter is now in a convertible child seat which is really a PITA to try and load her in the back seat have convinced me that I'm now old, semi-responsible, married with children, and probably need to start thinking about a sedan. So I'm picking up an Infiniti G35 sedan tonight. At least it is the 6 speed so I can pretend that it's something other than a 4 door yuppie grocery getter.

This board has been a great source of information and helped with with both my car and my driving. Sadly there's nothing even close to the level of expertise found on this board for the Infiniti.

[2000Z-71]

It sucks, I spent the entire weekend test driving and there's just nothing out there that I can get excited about. At least, nothing that I can afford, fits our current needs and I can get excited about.

Pontiac GTO, absolutely impossible to get a childseat between the B-pillar and the back of the passenger seat. Impressive torque and power, handling around town is great but I think it would be a little heavy and hard to transition on an autocross course.

Cadillac CTS, overpriced by the time you get the 3.6L V-6 and the suspension upgrade. Even with my GM Supplier Plan discount it is more than the G35 and similar to the BMW. Could not find a single stick shift on a dealer's lot in Arizona, Nevada or southern California so did not even bother test driving one.

BMW 3 Series, the only bigger prick than a BMW driver is a BMW salesman. I had to ask "permission" from the sales manager to test drive the car. The saleman knew nothing mechanically about the car, constantly berated my car and told me how superior a BMW is to every car out there. The handling of the 325 with the sport package is very tight (tight as in controlled not understear), shifter is amazing and the torque curve is flat. The dash absolutely sucks even without the I-drive option, expanses of cheap flat plastic, gauges are hard to read, and typical German car all kinds of tiny little unreadable buttons for evrything like climate control, radio, etc. And 6k of worthless option like $1,200 for "deluxe" plastic wood trim, $950 for Xenon headlights, $625 for "premium" paint color, etc.

Audi A4 2.0 Quatro, bad flashbacks to my wife's 99 A4 and all of its warranty problems. The interior is great, but the check engine light came on during the test drive. I did a U-turn went immediately back to the dealership and crossed it off the list for consideration.

Mercedes C320 Sport, handling is great, interior is very nice, shifter is mushy, I've driven 4 cylinder rental cars that would accelerate faster.

Dodge Charger R/T, great acceleration and high cornering limits, absolutely no seat of the pants feel of what the car is doing. Kinda' spooky it's almost like playing Gran Turismo, the scenery goes by really fast and that's the only sensation you have. The autostick is no substitute for a manual transmission. 4200lbs. would be a pig to get around a tight autocross course. It was the funnest test drive I've ever had. The salesman was a retired mechanic from Chrysler's Arizona proving grounds and now sells cars for fun. 45 minute long test drive with the salesman encouraging me to do all types of Dukes of Hazzard style maneuvers sliding the car around with the stability cotrol both on and off. The problem with the stability control is that it can not be completely switched off without pulling fuses.

Infinity G35, handling is very close to the BMW 3 series. The V-6 really does wind up fast, it's quick but it won't pin you back in the seat like an LS-1. Shift throws are very short and so is the clutch travel. In '05 they increased the sway bar sizes on the manual transmission cars, it does corner flat but not nearly as flat as my Camaro. Stability control can be completely switched off. I found one that is the 6 speed manual which automatically comes with the sport suspension and absolutely no other options. So it was cheap and lightweight, at least for an Infiniti. Figure I wouldn't find another similarily equipped so I pulled the trigger this past Sunday and got it. It was the most car for the money of anything I looked at. It does fill the bill as something that I can still autocross and get a baby seat into the back. If nothing else, with it's high resale value I shouldn't lose anything on it if I trade it in a couple years after my daughter is out of her car seat and Chevy hopefully brings back the Camaro.