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Get a Civic or WRX? Doesn't the question sound stupid?

R

razor2025

Diamond Member
So, I drive a beater 90' Camery. There really isn't anything wrong with it, except it stalls in rain/cold due to moisture leakage into the engine. I haven't taken it into mechanics to get it checked out, but it sounds like repair > car's worth. I've also recently got a part-time job that pays comparetively well. (Compared to $8/hr I made back before college). I'm also attending college. I commute to it and have scholarship-grant that covers most of my educational expense. I'm a loser who lives with parents, so I don't have to worry about rent, food, utility. Hell, my parents pays for most of my insurance and gas, but it's not like I was capable of doing so, until very recently. So here's my dillema. I would like to get a new car, so I don't drive a beater that stalls after it gets rained on. I was also thinking getting something that might spice up my boring attitude towards driving. After almost 3 years of driving the stalling beater to school, I've learned to HATE driving.

My parents wants me to get some form of cheapo econobox. They want me to look for 02 and up. They think I should save about $10k for the purchase. I'm guessing they're thinking of Civics. Which isn't bad really. It sure beats the hell out of my 90' Camery. I mean.. it probably won't stall when it gets rained on.

My wish, is to save up $14k to get a 02' Impreza WRX. I sorta fell in love with it after watching the WRC rally, and I just love its front end. It's couple thousands more than potential $10k Civic, but Impreza WRX is certainly mucho spice compared to Civic.

If $10k is the absolute max I can afford, before my Camery goes RIP, I think I can still own a Impreza for $10k, in form of regular RS sedan and not a WRX. But it seems like Impreza pre-03/04 are rare in Atlanta area.

My main concern is.. Am I dreaming too big? I've been driving automatic for 3 years, and think that driving a manual would spice up my driving experience. I also need this car to last ALL the way until I get out of college + find a decent job. I also need to consider TCO for the vehicle in form of practical gas-economy and (the killer) insurance rate hike. Currently, I'm being billed $400/6month for the 90' Camery after good student discount for liability ONLY coverage.
 
Originally posted by: razor2025
So, I drive a beater 90' Camery. There really isn't anything wrong with it, except it stalls in rain/cold due to moisture leakage into the engine. I haven't taken it into mechanics to get it checked out, but it sounds like repair > car's worth. I've also recently got a part-time job that pays comparetively well. (Compared to $8/hr I made back before college). I'm also attending college. I commute to it and have scholarship-grant that covers most of my educational expense. I'm a loser who lives with parents, so I don't have to worry about rent, food, utility. Hell, my parents pays for most of my insurance and gas, but it's not like I was capable of doing so, until very recently. So here's my dillema. I would like to get a new car, so I don't drive a beater that stalls after it gets rained on. I was also thinking getting something that might spice up my boring attitude towards driving. After almost 3 years of driving the stalling beater to school, I've learned to HATE driving.

My parents wants me to get some form of cheapo econobox. They want me to look for 02 and up. They think I should save about $10k for the purchase. I'm guessing they're thinking of Civics. Which isn't bad really. It sure beats the hell out of my 90' Camery. I mean.. it probably won't stall when it gets rained on.

My wish, is to save up $14k to get a 02' Impreza WRX. I sorta fell in love with it after watching the WRC rally, and I just love its front end. It's couple thousands more than potential $10k Civic, but Impreza WRX is certainly mucho spice compared to Civic.

If $10k is the absolute max I can afford, before my Camery goes RIP, I think I can still own a Impreza for $10k, in form of regular RS sedan and not a WRX. But it seems like Impreza pre-03/04 are rare in Atlanta area.

My main concern is.. Am I dreaming too big? I've been driving automatic for 3 years, and think that driving a manual would spice up my driving experience. I also need this car to last ALL the way until I get out of college + find a decent job. I also need to consider TCO for the vehicle in form of practical gas-economy and (the killer) insurance rate hike. Currently, I'm being billed $400/6month for the 90' Camery after good student discount for liability ONLY coverage.
Click to expand...

The problem is finding a WRX that has low mileage. For a 2002, that's hard to find. And the ones that are < 40k Miles will probably go for 15-16k. The cars that are over that are probably beaten to hell and you'll have to pay $$$ for repairs and/or maintenance. Don't forget about the good ol' insurance costs too.



 
How old are you? If you're young, don't even dream about getting a WRX unless you have a well-paying full-time job, or want to be car-broke.
 
It seems like the wrx is too much of a money stretch. Getting a car that really stretches your budget isn't really smart to do. I'd go with the Civic. The wrx would be awesome, but it seems like it'd just add more stress then fun.
 
Originally posted by: tfinch2
How old are you? If you're young, don't even dream about getting a WRX unless you have a well-paying full-time job, or want to be car-broke.
Click to expand...

I posted a bit late, but this is exactly what i meant. Cars will cost you $$, just due to general repairs etc... It's always good to get a car with extra room in your wallet
 
I just hit 20 few months ago. I know that WRX is dreamish (hey, nothing wrong with that). Would a Impreza RS sedan be a good compromise? It certainly would lower the sticker a bit, and it still has that Subaru look to it. It won't have the killer performance, but I'm sure it can compete rather well with newer Civic, and it'll still be a blast than my 90' Camery.

On a sidenote, would a moisture leak on engine (possibly the block) be uber-expensive repair job? I don't really mind driving the beater if it can be fixed for cheap. If I can manage to hold off on the car purchase, I would prefer to dump most of my paycheck into high-yield CD for 2-3 years until I graduate and find a decent full-timer. By then, hopefully, I can move up on purchase options.
 
Got a long life ahead of you, and with the education you're working for right now, chances are your wage will only go up. So it'd probably be a better bet to just get the cheaper, more practical solution, until you can afford what you want with no problem.
 
no full-time job = not much pay = just run with the beater until you're out!

just got myself a nice 06' White STI and i'm lovin' it.
 
A cracked distributor cap will let water in when it rains, and cause your car to stall out. That's the first thing I thought of when I read what your problem was.

A cap + rotor kit would probably be ~$20, and is very easy to change yourself (on most cars). Pull the dist cap and look for cracks or evidence of water getting into it.

$20 > $10k
 
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
A cracked distributor cap will let water in when it rains, and cause your car to stall out. That's the first thing I thought of when I read what your problem was.

A cap + rotor kit would probably be ~$20, and is very easy to change yourself (on most cars). Pull the dist cap and look for cracks or evidence of water getting into it.

$20 > $10k
Click to expand...

it could also be worn out sparkplug wires. A good test to find out is when it is dark out lift the hood and (with the car running) use a squirt bottle and spray water everywhere. If it looks like a fireworks show than it's your sparkplug wires... which happens to be a relatively easy fix, I think 😱

Originally posted by: Chrono
no full-time job = not much pay = just run with the beater until you're out!

just got myself a nice 06' White STI and i'm lovin' it.
Click to expand...

😕 How old are you? For some reason I was under the impression you were ~17
 
For that, you can usually find an economical accord/camry coupe that'll give you a little fun if you get a manual. A 2000-2002 TL can be had for a bit more then 10k too.

I pay for my insurance, so I lay off the wrx's, integras, preludes, mustangs. Accord coupes cost so much more for collision and comprehensive too, while a camry coups are like 50 bucks more then a run of the mill camry.

EDIT: in San Francisco though, and might have a salvage or unreported accident
 
Insurance on my WRX is actually not bad at all, but then again I'm 34 with a clean driving record. Hondas and Acuras tend to more expensive to insure IME because of the theft rates.

Still, being 20 and a student is not a good time to hit yourself with a massive car payment (actually, there is NEVER a good time to hit yourself with a massive car payment, you should always buy less car than you can afford, I do blah blah blah, but 20 and a student is the worst time).
 
Take the Camry to a mechanic and get your electrical system checked out. The repair could only cost a couple of hundred dollars.

You want a WRX

But you, as most people, only need a Civic.

Get the Civic
 
Try and find an RS. Yes 98-01 are rare and hard to find but you could always have it shipped or find a newer RS. I had a civic before my RS and the RS is faster (actually has torque) and the insurance was cheaper.
 
Originally posted by: dugweb
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
A cracked distributor cap will let water in when it rains, and cause your car to stall out. That's the first thing I thought of when I read what your problem was.

A cap + rotor kit would probably be ~$20, and is very easy to change yourself (on most cars). Pull the dist cap and look for cracks or evidence of water getting into it.

$20 > $10k
Click to expand...

it could also be worn out sparkplug wires. A good test to find out is when it is dark out lift the hood and (with the car running) use a squirt bottle and spray water everywhere. If it looks like a fireworks show than it's your sparkplug wires... which happens to be a relatively easy fix, I think 😱
Click to expand...
Wires, $20
Cap, $12
Maybe 1/2 hr. to 45 min.
http://www.ehow.com/how_112981_change-spark-plug.html

 
Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: dugweb
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
A cracked distributor cap will let water in when it rains, and cause your car to stall out. That's the first thing I thought of when I read what your problem was.

A cap + rotor kit would probably be ~$20, and is very easy to change yourself (on most cars). Pull the dist cap and look for cracks or evidence of water getting into it.

$20 > $10k
Click to expand...

it could also be worn out sparkplug wires. A good test to find out is when it is dark out lift the hood and (with the car running) use a squirt bottle and spray water everywhere. If it looks like a fireworks show than it's your sparkplug wires... which happens to be a relatively easy fix, I think 😱
Click to expand...
Wires, $20
Cap, $12
Maybe 1/2 hr. to 45 min.
http://www.ehow.com/how_112981_change-spark-plug.html
Click to expand...

one thing to note about the subaru, is that it is VERY hard to change out the dist. cap and wires. I know he has a camry, but if he plans on doing any work himself on the car, not knowing much, it could cause problems.

that being said, my '02 wrx has been perfect for the ~40K I've had it. I bought it at ~26K in april of '04, and the only thing that needed to be done was the clutch was changed under warranty (cold clutch stutter).
 
Thanks for the ideas on the car repair. I'll look into the leaky caps and wires. I hope the repair will be as cheap as what's posted here. I can definitely go for $100-200 repair job instead of $10k onto a new car.

On a subject of insurance. Would airbag make any difference on a plan with liability only?
 
just get the civic and put a coffee can on the exhaust, bolt a coffee table to the trunk, and slap a bunch of decals on it. dude, you'll instantly be able to smoke a WRX. oh, but only if you remember to put the "type R" badge on it.
 
WRX doesn't have cap and wires. It has coil packs directly on the sparkplugs. And they are a bitch to replace.
 
when you grow up, cars really become overrated. In the end, you realize all it does is brings you to point A to point B. I told my self i would sell my Altima to get a better car, but you know what...it still runs and my life would be no better with a different car, so i decided to keep it and spend my money else where. Sure, this car may be uncomfy, but i can always buy some seat cusions to make in comfy.
 
Originally posted by: Gibson486
when you grow up, cars really become overrated. In the end, you realize all it does is brings you to point A to point B. I told my self i would sell my Altima to get a better car, but you know what...it still runs and my life would be no better with a different car, so i decided to keep it and spend my money else where. Sure, this car may be uncomfy, but i can always buy some seat cusions to make in comfy.
Click to expand...

I agree. At 21, I don't care about how well my 240sx handles anymore. I'd rather have a small SUV or wagon for the utility. There are better things to spend money on than going fast 2% of the time. I wouldn't buy a Civic though. I'd look for a wagon or van or pickup, because you'll need the room when you go to college.
 
You can check insurance without doing much homework. Go to autotrader (online) and find a Civic and WRX like you might want. Autotrader has the VIN listed. With the VIN, you can call your insurance company and tell them that you are thinking of buying a new car, but you want to compare the insurance prices. Tell them same as you have now on all the coverage to help you compare now and what they have for either model. It would talk about 20 minutes tops.

Of course, the Camary may be tiptop again soon... 😉
 
At 20, owning a Focus and then moving to a Vibe, these cars are something that I have no problem owning. For one thing, gas is a big thing, especially since I drive a lot. At an average of 30 mpg, I can feel my wallet i nmy pants if you know what I mean. If I recall, the wrx (2002) has a pretty high insurance rate because they weren't very good against thieves.
 
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