I keep getting a hankering to make an unneccesary change to my DD.
Where do you draw the line between responsibility/practicality vs. just throwing caution to the wind and driving something that puts a grin on your face?
Backdrop, I drive a LOT. 150 miles/day commuting, almost all highway or backroads, just over an hour each way (very little stop and go). I have an ideal commuter... '99 Golf TDI, 45+ MPG's, blah blah blah.
I've done this for 6+ years, and I'm just flat bored with the car. Efficiency aside, it's just not a very pleasant space to be. The flipside is that I'm spending 2.5 hours per day in this vehicle, so while efficiency is nice, I'd love to be sitting in a more plush cabin.
I'm tempted by everything from E46 M3's, CTS-V's, to GTO's, to well... anything that's more of a "grand tourer" something with some interior niceties, but much bigger power on tap for backroads/weekends and general grins, yet still yields reasonable highway manners.
It seems life if passing me by...
The additional fuel costs wouldn't break the bank, my cheapness just always led me not to want to "throw money away" in fuel. Ugh. Maybe I just need an irresponsible car for a year until I get sick of it, then switch to something else.
(no moving is not an option)
Depends...nobody else can tell you, other than somewhere between "so boring you're going insane" and "financial ruin at the hands of a toy."
Maybe get an Accord or a close relative like a TSX/TL?
Maybe dip your toe into the Hybrid end of the pool. Keep the Jetta and do a real evaluation.
You know...in the name of science.
My take is that life is too short to drive boring cars. Money is important but it shouldn't the sole determining factor in your DD. Also, there are economical and fun commuter cars.
That or just have your commuter for 4 day a week service and a "Friday car" for those fun days.
JohnRW1621 wrote:
Maybe dip your toe into the Hybrid end of the pool. Keep the Jetta and do a real evaluation.
You know...in the name of science.
I often carpool with a coworker who has a Civic Hybrid. My Golf with a proper manual trans and diesel torque is already a step above that. Not sure that would be a move in the right direction...
What about chip it plus some suspension goodies?
If you do that much windshield time, and you're ready for a change, then I'd say it's time to move on. 6+ years is a long time, I can understand being bored with it. What you get would be really up to you. But as long as it's financially doable, go for it. You'd probably want something bulletproof with that kind of driving, so I'm thinking maybe V6 Accord w/5spd.
xflowgolf wrote:
I've done this for 6+ years, and I'm just flat bored with the car. Efficiency aside, it's just not a very pleasant space to be. The flipside is that I'm spending 2.5 hours per day in this vehicle, so while efficiency is nice, I'd love to be sitting in a more plush cabin.
My way of rationalizing an E36 for driving 100 miles / day was that it while it was not responsible to waste huge amounts of fuel, it is also not responsible to spend two to three hours a day in a car that actively causes me to suffer. That, and the E36 has stood up to that kind of use day in and day out about as well as I could ask for.
However, what is responsible and what is not is going to depend on how much money you have available.
GameboyRMH wrote:
Maybe get an Accord.................
I drive a 2011 5-speed Accord Sedan. Not exciting - in reality it is very boring but since I drive it for work (25-30,000 miles a year) - I just need the most reliable, low cost vehicle I can find since it seems I am always behind on my money.
I like what Xceler8x said - save money by DD the VW and run a Friday car?
scardeal wrote:
What about chip it plus some suspension goodies?
Ha.. it's been that way pretty much the entire time I've owned it.
It's got an Upsolute chip, full Koni coilover suspension, and GTI sized OZ's and 17" rubber.
It made the car more fun yes, but also a bit more needlessly punishing on the highway. 
I haven't seen you mention a price range. So pretending there isn't one, what about a new Chevy Volt, lot's of people round here seem to like it.
Cotton
SuperDork
8/19/13 3:38 p.m.
I'm in the "life's too short" column. I spent a lot of time commuting and want to do it in something I enjoy. My last few DDs: Porsche 944T, 03 Mustang Mach 1, BMW k1200s bike. So far I enjoy the bike the most just because I've always been an avid rider. The upside is it's fast as hell as still manages to get decent MPG. When it rains I wear a rainsuit, when it REALLY rains I drive something else if I haven't left yet, when it snows I take one of the 4x4s, but we get very little snow here..
I have plenty of fun weekend cars, but that really doesn't help me when I'm bored out of my mind during my commute, which is the vast majority of my annual driving miles.
xflowgolf wrote:
JohnRW1621 wrote:
Maybe dip your toe into the Hybrid end of the pool. Keep the Jetta and do a real evaluation.
You know...in the name of science.
I often carpool with a coworker who has a Civic Hybrid. My Golf with a proper manual trans and diesel torque is already a step above that. Not sure that would be a move in the right direction...
He didn't mean hybrid vehicle. He meant make a hybrid commuting plan. Two cars.
...I think.
Maybe.
Adrian_Thompson wrote:
I haven't seen you mention a price range. So pretending there isn't one, what about a new Chevy Volt, lot's of people round here seem to like it.
Bah.. sorry yes that's entirely relevant.
Looking at ~$15K replacement budget, E46 M3's, GTO's, CTS-V's falling into that price. I've been tempted by ZHP 330ci sedans as well.
Matt B
SuperDork
8/19/13 3:56 p.m.
From the nature of your driving, it sounds like it's time for something with an LSX motor attached to it. Highway mileage wouldn't really be all that bad, right? 
Matt B wrote:
From the nature of your driving, it sounds like it's time for something with an LSX motor attached to it. Highway mileage wouldn't really be all that bad, right?
See... that's the GRM perspective I'm looking for 
Cotton wrote:
I have plenty of fun weekend cars, but that really doesn't help me when I'm bored out of my mind during my commute, which is the vast majority of my annual driving miles.
That's where I'm at I guess. Even with a track prepped car at home, I spend 98% of my driving time staring out the windshield of something else.
That's a toughie... At least it's not stop and go, but that amount of time cruising just never seems like it's going to be fun to me (talk about something that's going to vary person to person...)
I feel like I'd be pursuing the "Friday car" option, and/or looking for something which was a pleasant environment with a steering wheel for grinding out the weekly miles. I feel like no car that's going to be a really, fun, zippy, exciting car is going to simultaneously be a good place to sit and stare for 10 hours a week at 75mph.
EDIT: I was slow to type, and the most recent post suggests I've headed straight up the wrong tree...
Put a value on it. Would you pay $10/day to drive something more interesting? Then you're free to pick up a car that gets 25 mpg. And with mostly highway driving (you're implying a 75 mph average speed), that's not as hard as you think. It does indeed include a number of LS-powered devices 
Heck, a E39 M5 might even almost fit the bill.
$5 day more? 33 mpg or so. Still quite a few options.
ransom wrote:
EDIT: I was slow to type, and the most recent post suggests I've headed straight up the wrong tree...
No I think you may actually be on the right track. Part of the problem is the track car is just that... And I don't get to the track often enough. Perhaps I bail on that and look for a more fun dual purpose car, something to drive to work on occasion, cruise to the beach on the weekends, and auto-x / track day on occasion.
Cotton
SuperDork
8/19/13 4:11 p.m.
just saw the budget.....For that kind of money I'd look at a 6 speed c5 vette.
Cotton wrote:
just saw the budget.....For that kind of money I'd look at a 6 speed c5 vette.
2 kids so need a backseat on occasion
63 Impala with a 6.0/4L80E?
If you're looking to stay diesel, check out the older diesel Mercedes especially the S-Class (aka SDL) or if you're looking for power you could go with a newer E-Class diesel.
Are the CTS-V's really in that range? I've been contemplating a C5 for the same purpose the OP is talking about, but something with 4 seats is definitely preferable.
