Cars. What does the typical audiophile drive?


Just curious. People have asked about watches,
cigars, beer, and even ones income here.

1: What do you drive (daily & weekends)?
2: What might you be driving in the future?
3: What would you drive if $$$ was no object (pick 2 ;-)?

My answers to the above:
1: Toyota truck.
2: Newer Toyota truck.
3: Lamborghini Murcielago & McLaren F1.
houndco
Gunbei,

I know, deceptively large isn't it? It's the folding leather tweeter... I mean seats!
Alcides,

Now, if only that GTI said, "R32" on the back, then you'd rarely see it or your girlfriend, heheh.
Those R32's sure are sweet...I can't believe the prices they are getting for the '04's.

I sure miss my 84 Rabbit GTI
I guess I should change my screenname to Ellery993 now eh? At least it didn't end up being Ellery996 ;o)
1. Audi A4 3.0 Quattro 2004 Ultra Sports
(Love It)

2. Mercedes E55 AMG

3. Mc Laren F1 or Aston Martin Rapide
Only dorks like nines of any type better three five sixes, and even then you gotta go pre tee two.
Currently driving a 1997 mazda 626 with a "dead" sound system! All my money is in my home system! But,,, if I had the $s, I would be driving a Vipper with a killer sound system.
2002 Ford Crown Victoria with all the bells and whistles, aka "dollar bill", (its green) is my daily load.
1972 Duster is my goof off car.
1964 Dodge 330 Max Wedge if cost is no option :-)
Answers:
1) (a)1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse AWD Turbo, DIY moded to 300HP
(b)1998 Audi Quattro A6 for the wife

2) (a) Infinity 2003 G35 coupe – simple and beautiful
(b) A Japanese SUV – to tackle the roads in Dar es Salaam

3) Another Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo AWD and put more money in it to get it to 600 HP!

Just like in audiophile, nothing beats the reward of do-it-yourself (tweaking).
Black 1999 Mercedes C43 AMG. Eight-cylinder engine shoehorned into the C-class. Tight steering, fine acceleration, superb road feel. Stealthy, too. To make up for the 4.3-litre displacement, our other car is a hybrid (Lexus RX 400h).

My previous car was a Citroen CX, which I loved, but having a tube amp and pre-amp took up all my tweakpatience. I needed something that would start pretty much every time you turned the key, not, say, two out of three.
Drive? A car? Can't afford a car. spent the funds on audio gear. 'sides, me driving a car just ain't a good idea. not driving is doing my bit of 'public service'.

Were I able to drive and afford anything... either a '67 Cobra w/427 cid... or a hemi 'Cuda.... or a 'Benz.... oh, and a truck.
For daily commuting Suzuki Baleno 2005,also got MB 450SEL(W118),280S(W108),250(W114)& BMW 735i(E28).These are old cars but real pleasure to drive.
Thanks
AAK
2003 Lexus SC430 convertible AND (my personal favorite) a 2006 Honday Odyssey Minivan!!! Chicks love guys in minivans! :)
daily commute: '05 Mini Cooper
weekends: Ducati '00 900ss (OK, so it's not a car)
dream: Ferrari, Lamborghini, maybe the Ford 350GT.....

greg
Certainly there's no such thing as a 'typical' audiophile. I drive a 1983 Toyota Corolla. I don't have a commute, I keep it up and Toyota makes cars to last. It cost me well under $8000.00 back then.

Having said that, if audiophilia nervosa hadn't struck me down, I very well might be driving a newer car.
84 euro spec BMW 635 csi, mercedes benz 73 450 sl, 88 ferrari mondial cabriolet, 00 mitsubishi pajero ( montero to you guys in the usa)
1) I go-through alot of company cars and have to say that the new Caddy STS-V6 that I'm driving is "da bomb".

3) If price was no object ... how about a '37 Cord Sportsman and a '36 Auburn boattail Speedster - or maybe a '41 Packard Darrin conceding the need for reliability.
Why am I not surprised that the same people who cut me off in traffic, the BeeEm owners, are the same people posting on 'gon? Why is it they don't know the difference between an actual sport sedan like an Alfa, and their yuppie-mobile?
The reason why you seldom see a rude Alfa driver is that so few of them can make it out of the driveway as their cars molder into rust/dust. :) I have been looking for a clean Duetto. But, make no mistake- the M3 is a great car for that vicious fight we call the morning commute to NYC.
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Don't tell me you wouldn't take a BMW 507 Bio.

Alfas are cool though...old ones that is.
Alfas are cool though...old ones that is.
When living in Italy 5 years ago, I drove a new Alfa. I only wish they sold them here. Phenomenal build quality, a blast to drive, and every design curve spells sex.
Cars are certainly my next passion besides audio, I alternate between a 2006 Porsche C2S Cab, a 2006 BMW 750Li, a 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo and a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. They are all fun cars to drive in their own right.

Bio: Whart is correct, that M3 is a great sports sedan!
Alcides,

Gotta' love te fixed gear thing... I would have, and did, have Seven Cycles build my road bike, but Lightspeed was one of my choices 'back in the day'

FWIW I just bought a Honda Element SC to carry the bikes, and dog, my MB is a weekender now.
I haven't owned a car since 1990 and with all the money and time I've saved I have more music, sound, and bicylcles than 99% of USA. My bikes are JP Morgens, a Litespeed, and a Miyata.
I hate to call myself an "audiophile" because I am not IMPRESSED with myself enoough to wear that title, you know, like the people at the dealership where my wife bought her Bimmer.

But anyway, I drive a 2003 Ford Explorer and frequently ride in a 1994 E-One Sentry Pumper at work.
2006 Volkswagen Passat with Dynaudio speakers in'em (conveniently cruising accompanied by the groove of Marc Moulin)
1972 Datsun 240Z.....but I sold a 1966 Shelby Mustang in 1974 in order to buy it.....oops!
Just picked up a 2007 Infiniti G35X, with the sub-par "studio on wheel" Bose sound system.
-M.T.A. (Subway train)
-A vehicle that's economically priced and good for the environment
-A new Jaguar convertible fully loaded
Just got as '07 Honda Element SC - very kewl - plenty o' room for gear because the seats fold up on the sides. 'Mazin!
2005 Mini Cooper S
Cost no Object, what else, Aston Martin V8 Vantage...
Should drive...electric car
2001 Acura- winter car
2006 Volvo- rest of the year car
1969 Plymouth- very very fast car
2007 Volvo XC70 Cross Country
It has all available mods (including rubber floor mats), a certifiable Hummer killer, replicates the driving experience with a 'you are there' palpability, smokes anything up to 5x the price, albeit with ultra low emissions.
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2002 BMW 325i

I love it, amazing car and so comfortable and pleasant to drive. I'm very happy with it.
Just bought a close to mint 96' 993 C4 cab- it is a car an analog lover would enjoy. Still a little primitive, but modern enough to function as a daily. I don't consider myself a Porsche guy at all- this is my second one, though (I had a 996 GT2 that was a complete animal)- and cannot speak highly enough of the virtues of the older, air-cooled platform. Build quality is superb, car is relatively small and tossable, certainly not about brute force, or straightline performance, but it captures the essence of the driving experience in a way more modern sports cars do not. (In those, you have to go so fast to get to the sensation that it is not fun, at least on the street, where you put lives at risk).
Tvad, you gotta watch out when balancing those oversized sized bronto ribs on your passenger side. They have a way of destabilizing cars. Even ones with tires like cement steamrollers.
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When I last responded to this I was driving a 2002 E39 BMW 540 with Dinan Stage 1 kit. It's now full stage 3 and then some. I have also just picked up a 1992 E34 M5. Excellent condition. I do like my BMW's :)
Typical?... probably not! My '78 Volkswagen van that I bought from my brother-in-law (original owner) for $2,000 in 1983 has dragged my gear around to more new set-ups than I would like to remember. If it was just a little bigger, maybe I could set up the gear while I am moving... A great mechanic (relatively low maintenance costs) and a new paint job make her reliable and (I think) beautiful. She probably turns more heads now than when she was new. As for the gear, 165 lb. speakers, 100 lb. amps... no problem.
What I might be driving in the future? I have my eye on a '78 Volkswagen van and it is already in my garage.
Cost no object... Just thinking of all the test driving I would have to do... might even be worth cutting into my listening time.