New Car

emp123

Im looking for a new (used) car. My only real requirement is that it be a manual, but other than that Im open to almost any suggestion.

Ideally I would end up with a rwd or awd 2 door hatchback/coupe, but as this is almost impossible to find given my price range Im going to settle for a fwd car.

What Ive liked so far:
Volkswagen GTi/GTi VR6 (maybe the R32, but Im sure it would make a terrible daily driver just because of the gas consumption)
Scion tC
Mazda 3 (4 door)

I havent driven a Civic yet, and Im sure someone is going to recommend one, but Im going to be pretty bummed if I end up with one. I know theyre really reliable, but Im looking for something thats a little more fun to drive. I should probably try the Acura RSx...

Id like to keep the vehicle under $16,000.

In all honesty Ive pretty much sold myself on the GTi VR6 even though Im sure its a terrible decision. Theyre not very reliable and the repairs are pretty costly, but I really enjoyed driving them.

I dunno, basically I need you guys to convince me not to buy the GTi and look somewhere else, hahaha.

Iceman.USAF

I loved loved loved my 2006 RX-8. You can probably find one for around 16K right now. It's an AWESOME car, provided you don't have a family or need to lug around a lot of stuff.

wmelon

Well the GTi isn't that unreliable. I owned one from 2001-2005. Only a few niggling little issues in those few years.

But if you're looking for a RWD car you should be able to find an rx8 in that price range. Gas milage isn't great but they are a hellofa fun car to drive.

A lightly used NB mazdaspeed miata or NC miata would probably be easily in your range as well. Both of which get over 25mpg combined.

Early MazdaSpeed 6s are falling under $16k nowadays too.

Other than that you could also look at lightly used Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky's they're quite cheap for what you get. Heck you can probably find an 04-05 GTO in that price range if you look hard enough.

SVT Focuses (Focii?) are quite fun little cars as well. Not RWD, but decent little hot hatches to tool around in.

Metalbourne

Currently I'm thinking about a 1970 Datsun 240/60/80Z as a project car. Depending on the shape they're in, they go for around six grand. They're pretty much all standard, and have a pretty touchy clutch, but have plenty of power and are fun to drive.

Only downside is that they're 40 years old and you'll get all the problems you'd expect from a 40 year old car.

emp123

I thought the RX-8 burned oil like mad?

I actually test drove a Focus and hated it, I took a turn at 20 and I felt like the back right wheel was going to lift off the ground.

I dont think I could bring myself to buy a Solstice/Sky, Ive been making fun of them for way to long.

Also, Im a fairly tall dude, so the Miata is probably out. I can get into an S2000 but I need help getting out...

EDIT: My current car is a 240sx and Im probably going to keep it as a project car. I love the way the 240z looks though, I also thought about getting a Datsun 510, but I should probably get something safer and more reliable than a 40 year old car.

L Ron Howard

Honda S2000's are going for around $9k-15k.
So are Subaru WRXs. There's also the Legacy GT, which are detuned WRXs.
There's always the newer crops of Ford Mustangs. Their prices are (expectedly) dropping like a brick.

I'm just gauging this by look at Ebay right now.

emp123

Im not sure if I want to ebay a car.

What does that even entail anyway?

L Ron Howard

I wasn't saying go buy from Ebay. I'm saying I check Ebay for prices.

I wouldn't actually buy a car from Ebay myself, and wouldn't want to be giving the suggestion that anyone else should either.

I think you can filter through Ebay enough to find cars in your price range with RWD or AWD and all of the goodies you want.

Iceman.USAF

emp123 wrote: »

I thought the RX-8 burned oil like mad?

Define "like mad" and I'll tell you

Mine used about 1/4 - 1/2 quart between oil changes, which is pretty much negligible. The only reason I ever even noticed is because I checked it every other time I stopped for gas. It was a 2006. Don't buy anything made before June of 05, and you'll be fine.

tribenet

Gotta agree with the RX-8 suggestions.

Just one thing to keep in mind though.. if you live in a small city, it may be a bitch to get repaired. I know where I live, Mazda has to send the car to a bigger dealer in another town, as they don't have any rotary engine mechanics.

i n c u b u s

Have you given a MINI any thought? I've been driving my dad's for about a year now and loved it enough to get my own. I suppose people's main complaints would be space but honestly if you've ever been in one, space is not a problem unless you happen to be the person in the back seat (which is still not all that terrible). Otherwise if it's a car for yourself and maybe a passenger, there is a ton of storage room when the back seats are folded down. Another plus is that these cars don't tend to depreciate in value too much over time as compared to other cars. That and the fact that these things are just so much damn fun to drive, along with all the customizations you can do to one.

My only suggestion would be to probably find an S model as compared to just a Cooper because you can absolutely tell the difference. Not to say that the Cooper isn't as fun to drive but if your looking for something that responds quickly and packs a punch your gonna want to spend the little extra on an S. I managed to find mine ('04 cooper) for 8k and while hunting for one the average price was around 12-14k for something a tad newer or the S model.

emp123

I live in San Diego, so getting a rotary repaired shouldnt be too much of a hassel. I'll definitely check one out, even if I dont buy one Im sure itll be super fun to drive.

EDIT: I sat in a Mini Cooper at an autoshow when they debuted the new ones and I had plenty of room for me but there was no way someone could sit behind me. Id kinda like more room than a Mini, it kinda sucks not being able to take more than 1 other person in my car (but then again, Im rarely asked to drive the group around).

wallaka

Well, any sports car is out then, isn't it?

Scalfin

A good resource.

Honestly, I think the Fit would be a really fun car, although I live an area where you drive small cars like that like a motorcyclist with a death wish.

Ryna

If you like driving the car, go with it. I went with the sensible choice for my first 2 auto's and because I didn't enjoy them, I treated them crappy. I love my now car, and treat her nice.

Jimmy King

emp123 wrote: »

I actually test drove a Focus and hated it, I took a turn at 20 and I felt like the back right wheel was going to lift off the ground.

One of the standard Focii or an SVT Focus? The standard Focus models are pretty terrifying, I have one for my responsible/good gas mileage car. SVT cars are generally been pretty good, though, although I can see the Focus still kind of sucking due to it just being a sort of top-heavy looking shape to me.

l ron howard wrote:

There's always the newer crops of Ford Mustangs. Their prices are (expectedly) dropping like a brick.

Definitely a good possibility. I'm sure it's no secret to anyone who has seen me post in car threads here that I'm a Mustang driver and think the cars are a good deal for the price. The 2011 Mustangs are fucking crazy and the price of GTs from the last couple of years should plummet. It's not going to handle as well as some of the cars that are being looked at, but they still handle good enough and can be made to handle pretty amazingly for a reasonable cost if that's what you want.

If gas mileage is a concern, though, that may not be the way to go. My '99 Cobra got around 15-17mpg in the city when it was stock, although pure highway driving it blew away the official numbers from Ford at around 30mpg (very common from talking to other owners).

wmelon

emp123 wrote: »

I thought the RX-8 burned oil like mad?

I actually test drove a Focus and hated it, I took a turn at 20 and I felt like the back right wheel was going to lift off the ground.

I dont think I could bring myself to buy a Solstice/Sky, Ive been making fun of them for way to long.

Also, Im a fairly tall dude, so the Miata is probably out. I can get into an S2000 but I need help getting out...

EDIT: My current car is a 240sx and Im probably going to keep it as a project car. I love the way the 240z looks though, I also thought about getting a Datsun 510, but I should probably get something safer and more reliable than a 40 year old car.

As Iceman says the oil consumption is pretty negligible on the rx-8s. And don't let people scare you with rotary engine horror stories. I own a 1985 rx7 that had 405,000 miles on the motor when i pulled it out to put a turbo motor in.


I'm pretty tall as well and I have far less trouble getting out of a miata than I do out of an S2000. That said, I'd most definitely take the S2000 over the miata. But the miata is pretty much like driving a road going gokart.

Beltaine

A rotary engine uses oil. That is the nature of the beast. It's not a defect or poor design.

You WILL need to CHECK your oil every other fill-up, and keep a spare quart of it in the trunk. But then again, you SHOULD do that for any car.

In return for the extra upkeep, you get a silky smooth rev-monster with a 9k redline. Words can't describe how much fun that is.

There is one drawback. Gas mileage on a rotary isn't so hot.

Also, I will not talk you out of a GTI, as I currently drive a 1.8t Beetle.

JDub

I'm reasonably familiar with MKIII and MKIV Golf/Jetta Volkswagens (1993-1998 and 1999-2004). I assume you were test driving either a late MKIV or early MKV?

You could buy a built up MKIII VR for <$8K or so that would have most problematic things replaced/upgraded. Would have crazy power too.

If you're looking for reliability/power and don't want to re-build/fix up an older car I would look into a 2.5 liter rabbit. Great horsepower/weight ratio, good safety rating, sounds good and is similar to the old 4 2.0 cylinder in design - read it should be bulletproof. I have no data to back that up though. From what I've heard the 2.5 doesnt offer the best gas mileage though (somewhere in the neighborhood of 24-30~ish MPG)

Djeet

I'm 6' and I miss my NB 'speed miata every damn day, big enough for me though the roof sill often interfered with visibility of the traffic lights if I was the 1st car and didn't stay well back of the intersection (or practically pull into it). It's a ragtop, which carries it's own set of compromises, but its driving dynamics were amazing.

Also the Legacy GT is not a detuned WRX: 1st it's a midsize platform (shared with the Outback) whereas the WRX is an Imprezza (a more compact platform), 2nd the powerplant on the GT from an output perspective lies between the WRX and the STI, but much closer to the WRX. How different the powerplants are does depend upon the year model (WRX's were running 2.0's and GT's 2.5's for awhile), and model years do differ in their state of tune on the same engine.

L Ron Howard

Jimmy King wrote: »

emp123 wrote: »

I actually test drove a Focus and hated it, I took a turn at 20 and I felt like the back right wheel was going to lift off the ground.

One of the standard Focii or an SVT Focus? The standard Focus models are pretty terrifying, I have one for my responsible/good gas mileage car. SVT cars are generally been pretty good, though, although I can see the Focus still kind of sucking due to it just being a sort of top-heavy looking shape to me.

l ron howard wrote:

There's always the newer crops of Ford Mustangs. Their prices are (expectedly) dropping like a brick.

Definitely a good possibility. I'm sure it's no secret to anyone who has seen me post in car threads here that I'm a Mustang driver and think the cars are a good deal for the price. The 2011 Mustangs are fucking crazy and the price of GTs from the last couple of years should plummet. It's not going to handle as well as some of the cars that are being looked at, but they still handle good enough and can be made to handle pretty amazingly for a reasonable cost if that's what you want.

If gas mileage is a concern, though, that may not be the way to go. My '99 Cobra got around 15-17mpg in the city when it was stock, although pure highway driving it blew away the official numbers from Ford at around 30mpg (very common from talking to other owners).

I still contend that the only cars that Ford can do right are front engine RWD vehicles. Even when they rebadge the FWD Mazdas, something still gets hosed in the process.


To the OP:
I wouldn't ignore the Mustangs. They actually have decent reliability, and if you don't beat the ever loving shit out of the cars, you can get decent gas mileage.

Iceman.USAF

the Rotary love in this thread. Like others have said, if you don't abuse the engine every single day, it'll keep goinggoinggoinggoing forever.

Pheezer

I think you'd be an imbecile not to teat drive the quickest Hyundai in your price range. Seriously, best kept secret in car buying for five years now.

Metalbourne

Pheezer wrote: »

teat drive the quickest Hyundai

hehehehehe

Handgimp

Gotta hop on the RX-8 love, had an 06 and it was such a blast to drive. Ended up trading for a WRX for the AWD, but I still miss that glorious 9k redline...