What car should I buy? For old time's sake...

[Jake]

What do those sell for now? I have to admit they've grown on me.

They're getting cheap ($12k, maybe less?) but the 6-speed auto, which he says is likely, is pretty awful.

DSG will be your best bet if you want fun and two-pedal.

[Goodspeed]

What do those sell for now? I have to admit they've grown on me.

Nice NC1's are 12-ish from what I've seen out there, NC2's mid to higher teens.

Exhibit A:

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=554790

[Jeff]

Having lived with a Smart I can say...they aren't very smart. The drive is miserable and definitely not maintenance free. Despite Rex's hate the Dart is a decent little car. The 1.4 Turbo with the stick is pretty fun and the 2.4 NA motor is powerful when pulling around such a small car. Decent miles will be hard to find in your price point assuming you would want SXT or better in trim. Most SXT's don't have cruise but I know a trick around that. :wink: But seriously, buy a Prius.

[SlimKlim]

Is the Dart not going to be like $8k over his budget?

To clarify, I'm likely looking for automatic.

VW w/ the DSG would go to the top of my list, then. The interior, torque and fun to drive factor would outweigh any maintenance costs for me.... but i'm a retard that just bought an 8 year old Audi to daily drive.

I really tried to resist the urge to beat my fanboi drum.

But! A GTI with the DSG is practically a supercar, if only for the specific city-commuting use case you're describing, especially with a tune. My car might not win any awards for quality, nor will it win a race against any decent sports car. However, the one thing it does really, really, really well is jumping out of a hole in traffic.

For my commute on 25-45mph roads, If I've got the tach above 2k and I'm in a gear lower than 5th, I can be where I want to be, doing the speed I want to be doing, in about the time it takes to snap your fingers. Being able to do that and still get 30+ mpg makes me not give a shit that it's fail-wheel-drive, unreliable, and looks like it's owned by a pledge to Alpha Phi.

I just happened to catch the episode of Top Gear when the things came out, Clarkson pretty much summarizes the reasons I love the little things so much. http://vimeo.com/35338999

[ScottyB]

- Later model Civic Si. Those are supposed to drive pretty nice, and Honda reliable.

turns out the editor of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine is selling his wife's.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Civic-Si-2000-civic-si-one-owner-clean-title-never-wrecked-electron-blue-florida-car-/201183757732?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2ed77c85a4&item=201183757732&pt=US_Cars_Trucks">http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Civic-Si- ... ars_Trucks</a><!-- m -->

i mean, it would be stolen by lunchtime but it would be pretty damn fun up until then.

i loved JayRay's Si. such a fun, visceral car. i have half a mind to get one for myself some day if any are left.

[.RJ]

I would not buy that gen car, they are totally gutless and not at all fun to drive around town. The later ones had 200hp & LSD.

[Evan]

What do those sell for now? I have to admit they've grown on me.

Nice NC1's are 12-ish from what I've seen out there, NC2's mid to higher teens.

Exhibit A:

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=554790

if you dont mind 100k miles $7-8k for a 2006 or 2007 is pretty easy to find, especially this time of year. Might even be able to find a 80k example for that much.


if youre buying another car, to me its a no brainer to get something that doubles for something else. convertible roadster is pretty awesome to have.
so would a ranger pickup, unless youre gentrifier-yuppie-in-the-city and never have to step foot in a home depot.

[SlimKlim]

I would not buy that gen car, they are totally gutless and not at all fun to drive around town. The later ones had 200hp & LSD.

I always really had a soft spot for the ~2007 models. I somewhat seriously considered one when I was GTI shopping, but at the time they were AT BEST $14k or higher, which was a bit more than I wanted to spend.

[Apoc]

FWIW, I don't think I ever go above 40 mph and I cannot remember the last time I used fifth gear.

I kinda like the idea of a Ranger...

The two things that really appeal to me are a convertible (since I no longer have a motorcycle) and something with a lot of cargo capacity (cause I like hauling stuff). The one problem with a Miata is any day I'd have the top off, I'd probably rather drive the 911.

[Maengelito]

I think your Porsche fits all those requirements except the maintenance part. But still, if you only drive it a couple times a week, I don't see the issue. :dunno:

That's two of us. Seems like ideal use case. Maybe too raw for a DAILY driver, but sure beats having it sit around on a battery tender, taking up space.

I've done it for 1.5 years and it was okay. It's manual steering and the clutch is tougher than my 944, which makes for terrible parallel parking in the second hilliest city in the nation and isn't great in a city setting (we in the city, not the burbs). It also has ZERO climate control (read: defogging capabilities), which is fine during the summer months but is terrible when it's dark and moist for six months. I literally use one of those defogging shammy wipe things every 10 minutes on my commute come in the winter and it's impossible to see out the rear window. There are other smaller things that add up, but none worth calling out.

To clarify, I'm likely looking for automatic.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12V-Heater-Swing-out-Handle/dp/B000IXTGHW/ref=pd_sbs_hg_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TEWZYHH26X07VCMVWYK">http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12V-Heate ... X07VCMVWYK</a><!-- m -->

or a Prius. Whatevs.

[BLINGMW]

The one problem with a Miata is any day I'd have the top off, I'd probably rather drive the 911.

The only problem with the Miata is that you'd find it did 99% of what the 911 could do, but with climate control and ability to parallel park. And if you like hauling stuff, put a tow hitch on it. :mrgreen:

[Jake]

Maybe a stupid suggestion, but hear me out.

What about a Wrangler? You say you never really go above 40 mph and would not drive it every day (perfect). You never go above 4th gear and may want an automatic (perfect, the slushbox isn't awful and it's a 3-speed until the newest models). It'd be a mix of "convertible" and "utility" and could tow a small trailer if you had needs above the capacity of the actual Jeep. It's tall and short so it'd be easy to parallel park. And, frankly, if you don't care about mileage that much, they're damn fun at below-highway speeds.

[Senor_Taylor]

The two things that really appeal to me are a convertible (since I no longer have a motorcycle) and something with a lot of cargo capacity (cause I like hauling stuff).

/thread


And Wranglers have such a small amount of cargo space, it's silly.

[Apoc]

http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12V-Heater...X07VCMVWYK

or a Prius. Whatevs.

I almost bought one last winter, but never pulled the trigger. Mostly because I think it's need like four of them. :lol:

[Apoc]

Maybe a stupid suggestion, but hear me out.

What about a Wrangler? You say you never really go above 40 mph and would not drive it every day (perfect). You never go above 4th gear and may want an automatic (perfect, the slushbox isn't awful and it's a 3-speed until the newest models). It'd be a mix of "convertible" and "utility" and could tow a small trailer if you had needs above the capacity of the actual Jeep. It's tall and short so it'd be easy to parallel park. And, frankly, if you don't care about mileage that much, they're damn fun at below-highway speeds.

Runs to look at used Jeep prices...

[RawrImAMonster]

Wranglers are obnoxiously expensive for what they are. If you get one, don't bother with a 4 cylinder. They get like 1 mpg more over the 6 and are completely gutless. Also, like Taylor said, they have no cargo room. I could barely fit two snowboards and other gear in the back. I guess if you just lost the rear seat all together you would have some room, but there is an annoying latch in the middle where the back seat attaches to the body. So unless you can take that out (can't remember), you still don't have much room for anything wide and flat.

[Evan]

Wranglers are obnoxiously expensive for what they are.

this. and this <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570</a><!-- l -->

and, like owning a prius, people judge your character

[Jake]

Wranglers are obnoxiously expensive for what they are.

this. and this <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570</a><!-- l -->

and, like owning a prius, people judge your character

But with a Wrangler, it being kind of a POS is part of the charm. Ain't no charm with a Prius.

Judge away and call me "bro," I'd rock the shit out of a Wrangler in this instance.

[ViPER1313]

Wranglers are obnoxiously expensive for what they are.

this. and this <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=232570#p232570">http://mmsports.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... 70#p232570</a><!-- m -->

and, like owning a prius, people judge your character

Judging a Wrangler a POS based on steering feel is like saying a Ferrari 458 is a piece of garbage because it's really bad off-road. You have to judge a car based on what it was designed to do. Other than the wrangler and the FJ cruiser I can't think of any other SUVs on the market today that could actually go and do semi-serious off-roading with little to no modification.

[Kaan]

EP3 Civic or RSX... ep3 has more utility and is a little smaller bumper to bumper.

the Wrangler thing... get an 05-06 Wrangler... the 4.0L is stupid reliable. Sylvia has owned it a while (90k miles or so) but outside tires, brakes, tune up... i had to do a TPS that took 5 mintues in the parking lot of advanced and the radiator (still pretty easy).