Hi, first post here. I have been on lots of car forums, and ever since I can drive, I have always wanted, and later, blessed to have fast cars.
Except my first car, a POS 86 300ZX that broke down on me all the time, I have had an E36 M3 sedan, E36 M3 coupe, E46 M3 coupe, E30 325is, 996 Turbo, 996 GT2, S4 Avant, E39 M5, and the latest, E90 M3 sedan.
After the hassle of selling cars that we own so we can get into another car, the V will be a lease car.
Since both my wife and I are stick shift only drivers, and since we got one of the last few E90 M3 sedan's, my option for a new RWD family car with manual and good power are severely limited.
Actually, that's an understatement. At present time, the V's are the only option that I have if I wanted a RWD family car with good power and manual. F10 M5 is vaporware right now, and aside from it, there is nothing. That is quite a sad state of affairs for enthusiasts who got married and had kids but didn't want to give up on the joy driving.
I went with the mrs and checked out a V coupe with Recaro seats and alcantara wheels and shifters, and if you didn't see the Cadillac emblem on the steering wheel, you could easily mistaken it for something German, which is a great thing. There are still a few little things that you can tell were the results of last minute conference call denies by the accountants, like the fact that the trunk lining material is the same as the Chevy Malibu and not something from comparable Audi, BMW, and MB supplier. But, those things are so minor compare to the first gen V that this car is now a serious competitor to the Germans, which is awesome. Because, hey, as the dying breed of family folk enthusiats, the more choices of RWD manual sedans/wagons with power, the better.
I am deciding between the sedan and the Vagon. The sedan, because it is a little bigger than the E39 M5 in the rear seat area, way bigger in the trunk, and truck load more power. The Vagon, because it is an awesomely unique car like my old funky yellow S4 Avant manual.
We saw a non V wagon, and really were not terribly impressed by the rear folding seats design, the cargo divider net contraption, and the rear area in general. I thought those were really low rent. I am trying to find a Vagon in LA somewhere that I can check out to help out my decision making process. Autotrader seems to suggest that there is nothing in LA anywhere...
I am a patient man, I waited 4 months for my 996 Turbo, 3 months for the E46 M3, and 4 months for the last of the E90 M3 sedan, so I don't mind waiting to get exactly what I want. Many dealers in LA seem to be shocked that I don't mind the wait after trying to push the autotragic version on me.
It is too bad that the Caddy doesn't have a nice, bright red color for the V, because that would have been my first choice. Being a bright color car guy with yellow Turbo, GT2, S4 Avant, and now the red M3 sedan. So, it looks like I would be doing the following:
Black diamond
Black Graphite
Yellow caliper
Manual
Recaro
No, I am not getting a sunroof. Even though I am only 6'2," I have 32" inseam, which makes it very difficult to sit HPDE driving position (which is what I am used to from years of HPDE back when I was single) in a sunroofed car. The regular CTS sedan with no sunroof that I sat in had about 2 inches of headroom for me. But from reading the forum, it seems that it might work out better for me anyway, since the sunroof seems to make a lot of noises.
One of the worse thing about owning a Porsche or BMW in LA is the dearth of good dealer service department. I finally found one with BMW, but I know less than nothing about Cadillac service in LA. I am still reading through the forum, but if anyone has a tip on where to take the V for service in LA, it is greatly appreciated.
That's all for now. I am excited to wade into unfamiliar water. And since my FIL works at GM, I am sure this would improve my cred with him now that I am looking to get American and not another "fern car..."
Except my first car, a POS 86 300ZX that broke down on me all the time, I have had an E36 M3 sedan, E36 M3 coupe, E46 M3 coupe, E30 325is, 996 Turbo, 996 GT2, S4 Avant, E39 M5, and the latest, E90 M3 sedan.
After the hassle of selling cars that we own so we can get into another car, the V will be a lease car.
Since both my wife and I are stick shift only drivers, and since we got one of the last few E90 M3 sedan's, my option for a new RWD family car with manual and good power are severely limited.
Actually, that's an understatement. At present time, the V's are the only option that I have if I wanted a RWD family car with good power and manual. F10 M5 is vaporware right now, and aside from it, there is nothing. That is quite a sad state of affairs for enthusiasts who got married and had kids but didn't want to give up on the joy driving.
I went with the mrs and checked out a V coupe with Recaro seats and alcantara wheels and shifters, and if you didn't see the Cadillac emblem on the steering wheel, you could easily mistaken it for something German, which is a great thing. There are still a few little things that you can tell were the results of last minute conference call denies by the accountants, like the fact that the trunk lining material is the same as the Chevy Malibu and not something from comparable Audi, BMW, and MB supplier. But, those things are so minor compare to the first gen V that this car is now a serious competitor to the Germans, which is awesome. Because, hey, as the dying breed of family folk enthusiats, the more choices of RWD manual sedans/wagons with power, the better.
I am deciding between the sedan and the Vagon. The sedan, because it is a little bigger than the E39 M5 in the rear seat area, way bigger in the trunk, and truck load more power. The Vagon, because it is an awesomely unique car like my old funky yellow S4 Avant manual.
We saw a non V wagon, and really were not terribly impressed by the rear folding seats design, the cargo divider net contraption, and the rear area in general. I thought those were really low rent. I am trying to find a Vagon in LA somewhere that I can check out to help out my decision making process. Autotrader seems to suggest that there is nothing in LA anywhere...
I am a patient man, I waited 4 months for my 996 Turbo, 3 months for the E46 M3, and 4 months for the last of the E90 M3 sedan, so I don't mind waiting to get exactly what I want. Many dealers in LA seem to be shocked that I don't mind the wait after trying to push the autotragic version on me.
It is too bad that the Caddy doesn't have a nice, bright red color for the V, because that would have been my first choice. Being a bright color car guy with yellow Turbo, GT2, S4 Avant, and now the red M3 sedan. So, it looks like I would be doing the following:
Black diamond
Black Graphite
Yellow caliper
Manual
Recaro
No, I am not getting a sunroof. Even though I am only 6'2," I have 32" inseam, which makes it very difficult to sit HPDE driving position (which is what I am used to from years of HPDE back when I was single) in a sunroofed car. The regular CTS sedan with no sunroof that I sat in had about 2 inches of headroom for me. But from reading the forum, it seems that it might work out better for me anyway, since the sunroof seems to make a lot of noises.
One of the worse thing about owning a Porsche or BMW in LA is the dearth of good dealer service department. I finally found one with BMW, but I know less than nothing about Cadillac service in LA. I am still reading through the forum, but if anyone has a tip on where to take the V for service in LA, it is greatly appreciated.
That's all for now. I am excited to wade into unfamiliar water. And since my FIL works at GM, I am sure this would improve my cred with him now that I am looking to get American and not another "fern car..."