Has anyone been driving the 8 regularly and had to switch to another car? Do you feel let down by a car that previously would have satisfied you? I feel "ruined" by the 8 for driving other cars.

My story is, my 8 in the shop I have a Dodge Intepid loaner (probably for 4 or 5 days.) My impressions: Seats are about 3 inches wider than necessary, meaning the car is 6 inches wider than necessary and your butt just slides around in the seat.

Trunk is cavernous, almost sinful. I have gotten used to packing/loading efficiently in the 8's limited space, and it now feels "big enough" to me. The Intepid trunk is about as big as my walk-in closet.

The interior is functional, but uninspired. If I were a design engineer, I'd kinda be embarrassed as it's so plain and ordinary. Compare a classic painter to a paint-by-number set. That's how the 8 feels to the Intrepid.

Finally, I thought I was speeding. I looked at the speedo and was only doing 35; it felt like 50. That's because doing 50 in the 8 feels like 35; I've gotten used to it.

No way could I ever drive the Dodge and feel satisfied. Anyone else have a story like this?

 

I'll say.

I did the buyback a few weeks ago and while I'm waiting on my new 8 I've been driving a Saturn. Along with the performance withdrawl, the Saturn acts like a cloaking device:

I'm invisible now.

 

i got saddled with a chevy limpala when my car was in. my god that thing is just wrong!huge wide seat sliding around all over in it, no stereo controls on the steering wheel, handles like a pig and wouldn't go unless i put the pedal on the floor then it would jump for amoment but shift itself at like 4k rpm! wtf?! the car just felt completly wrong. then i have driven my wifes ford ranger a couple of times- its just so tall and floaty... no acceleration at all unless going downhill or running it up past 5k rpm at which time it sounds like it is begging me to shift or it will blow. and the shifts are so looooooooonnnnnnggggg. like 5 feet between first and second comparred to the 1/2 inch or lees in my rx-8.

 

I had to drive my grandmother home in her 1990 Grand Marquis last week, on a little twisty road with my husband following behind in my 8. It was traumatic.

The car is reminescent of driving a boat. It accelerates very well down hills, and then doesn't want to stop. You can't tell where it is on the road, because it's so big, so I just drove in the middle, very slowly. With my husband laughing at me from behind.

 

Hilarious indeed. Perhaps you have solved the mystery of old folks' driving habits. It's not the coots, it's the cars they drive.

 

I drove a Navigator to San Diego and back today. It felt like it was gong to tip over. My civic is even slower than before.

 

umm i test drove the 8 and not that i had too much time to get used to it but driving it for a nice long test of 30 mins i sure got the feel for the car.. when i got back into my 1990 POS subaru legacy i about cried i wanted to take the 8 home that day.

 

Do it!

 

I'm now on a mission to get my grandmother a car she can actually drive(or just get her license taken away, which sounds heartless but needs to happen). If I was having a hard time driving it, I know she sure as hell shouldn't be driving it. Maybe some time I'll tell you guys about my grandmother's driving habits and that car- involves a hit and run, smacking into a telephone pole in FRONT of the police station after the hit and run, and a few other choice tidbits.

I can't even begin to describe how awful this car was- but you could fit the 8 in the trunk however, with room to spare.

 

It's kinda like driving a gigantic couch. We used to borrow my husband's workplace Navigator in the days of Internet prosperity, and that was one of the largest, cushiest thing on wheels I've ever seen.

 

I used to think my Volvo 850GLT was a nice performance type car. After driving my 8, the volvo feels lile my ford F250! I can't imagine what the truck will feel like come Monday morning

 

I drove a Linksbuster 9000 golf cart the other day, and I have to say, the handeling wsas so far off from the 8's......I may never golf again.

 

hahaha i hear ya on that one. cept my civic is my daily driver so i have to live with it.

my biggest problem is when I drive the 8 and then switch to any automatic car my left leg keeps lookin for a clutch

 

LOL, that's the funniest reply to a topic I've read in a long time!!

 

Well, one of my other vehicles is a Ford F-150 4wd. Man, I feel like I'm sitting on the top of a step-ladder when I drive it now!

My other "fun" car is a 79 MGB. I took it out for a ride last week when we had some nice warm weather here in NJ - right after driving the 8. My god, the MG is FREAKIN' LOUD, and un-refined. I mean, the MG is underpowered and "raw", but it felt like I stepped back in time! Don't get me wrong, the MG is still a lot of fun for top-down touring, etc., but the 8 is everything else that the MG is not.

 

Great comment about the MG. I'm really starting to like this thread.

 

Yeah, but have you guys given thought to the fact that older folks need all that armor around them if for no other reason than to keep from killing themselves? At least they drive generally slow enough that a person has enough time to take one more bite of their sandwich and a drink of their soda before getting up to move out of their way (as they drive "through" the "drive-thru").

 

I am driving a 92 automatic sentra for the winter up north here and everytime there's no snow on the road i feel the need to drive the 8 SOOO BAD ! Dec. 24th a gave myself the nicest of presents : 2 hour drive in my 8, no ticket and a smile that lasted a week !

 

My wife thinks I'm a childish whiner....

ME: "Aww, honey! Do we have to take the Trooper? I hate driving that thing!"

WIFE: "Well I wanted a Land Cruiser, but you said this was more practical! Maybe you should trade it in for a Lexus!"

ME: "Well, maybe I will, but not until the 8 is paid off!"

WIFE: "Well, I'm not sitting in that sardine can to go to church!"

ME: Fume...... Gets in the Trooper, drives off sulkingly.

 

Hey, have you been talking to my wife!?

 

Sardine can? Maybe you need a new wife, not a new car. Just Kidding of course.

 

My wife makes me take my 85 Toyota Pickup when we go places because I won't let her smoke in the 8. It has a carburated 4 cylinder, a heavy duty clutch in it for towing (takes about 50 pounds of force to put it to the floor), no power steering (and what now feels like a huge dead spot in the center), rattles and squeaks and generally drives like a 19 year old truck with 175K miles on it. When it was my only car I didn't mind but now compared to the 8 I hate it. No point in getting rid of it though since it is still extremely useful (I haven't figured out how to get that 4 X 8 sheet of drywall in the 8)

 

I have been in Nj for the past 2 weeks. I have been driving my dads 2003 dodge dakota truck( Its fun to go off roading, and smoking the tires, I also drive my Moms 2001 Bmw 325ci convertible ( love driving with teh windows up with te heat full blast and teh top down) hey maybe that why everybody was looking at me liek i was weird. What sucks is i miss driving manual and taking turns hard and the sound of my baby.

 

Been driving 2 cars since mine has been in the shop.

2002 Honda Civic Hybrid (not bad on gas milage, but can't get to 45 mph in any kind of hurry)

and my renter from the dealer

Ford Focus (enough said)

My 8 is suppose to done by 3pm today. Crossing fingers that all the work on it goes smoothly.