Need a new daily driver <$25k

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Dec 26, 2007
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If anybody is interested in another perspective here is the girl that went with and what she had to say:

Civic Si
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-The coupe was nice - the backseat did not seem that small and the saleman's knee was not digging into my back. Unlike my knee in the tool's back at Subaru)
-Had nice inside features - tech package, etc.
-I feel the sales guy really kind of tainted this veh and the first impression, which as we know, means everything.
-If the height and being comfortable is an issue with you and being your (potential) veh, then the veh should be voted out.

Overall: No thanks!


Mazda Speed3
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-Was a fun ride, a good drive.. It was nice to see you giddy and it was nice to feel the speed. But realistically?? Having a veh (<---- Sorry, work short hand) with that much power really will just bring you trouble. Tickets. Tickets. Oh, and refilling all the time is expensive.
-These seats were not as HORRIBLE as the Ford's...
-With the mpg concern, that would be enough to stop the deal right there. MPG is just estimated, depending on how you drove and the veh itself, it could be lower than this... -Which is just more issues. You don't know what the future will bring and why put so much money into a car when you have great other options.
-It was great space and nice inside.

Overall: Fun veh, great ride, will always be enjoyable but not practical/just doesn't make sense.


Ford Focus ST
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-The seats REALLY fucking bother me. It was easier to get out of the BRZ in the back than in the front passenger seat in this thing.
-Fun ride, had good pick up and was enjoyable to be in the passenger seat of.
-Too many things to play with tech wise.. It was too much going on in a veh. I don't know the kind of tech packages it has or was in the veh that was were in. But it was overwhelming and is begging for issues down the road with not paying attention.
-The ride of the veh seemed like it was easier to handle and manage with the manual tran

Overall: Fun veh but there are some parts that could be better.


Subaru BRZ
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-First of all... What a fucking sexist douche bag.. That was all I got from that guy. I know his kind... And he is a fucking tool. Due to the first impression issue, I feel this has altered my view of the veh. If I could have been in the driver seat, I know I would have enjoyed the drive better.
-While the back seat was small, the ride was smooth. And being in the back, I have the best POV for this. Woooooo.......................
-It was a fun, little car that was beautiful.. Oh my GOD, was it BEAUTIFUL. Like... Makes my panties wet and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!
-It would have been such a fun car to drive around. I really feel this deserves another drive to be taken on more than just an 'around the block' ride. Seriously. WTF.

Overall: I would have loved this car if was able to enjoy it and the full potential (you know, without the douche and with the highway)


VW GTI
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-As much as I hate to say it... The hatchback was not atrocious and so much better than the sedan. <-- sedan=GLI
-The tech features were great and set up was awesome.
-The veh was a fun ride, so much that we got lost in it!! There was a back seat and will be able to hold some of your shit, but the trunk is still a bit small.
-Really, honestly, truthfully... I have never been a fan (or hater) of the VW vehs, but I mean... I don't think about vanilla ice cream but I don't hate it, either. This veh blew me away. It was great, fun, and so enjoyable.
-A negative? Being in it didn't instantly make me want to jump your bones. Oh.. The plaid. Yuck. But hey, seat covers? I'm Scottish so I am not as bothered by plaid as I should be.

Overall: This was great car and ride. I don't know the pricing or options, so aside from all that.. It has my vote.

VW GLI
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-RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. AS FAR AS YOU CAN!! Only people in ruts and boring lives get cars that feel like THERE SHOULD BE A CAR SEAT IN THE BACK!!!
-I can't get over the feel of this car... Just.. No.

Overall: Fuck that shit.

I liked the GTI, Focus ST, BRZ, and Speed 3 (in that order).
 

Dr. Detroit

Diamond Member
Sep 25, 2004
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Also, do you have a ST?

I have a Titanium hatchback. Prior car is a Saab 9-3 Aero V6 Turbo 6spd & Ford Contour SVT. I needed a automatic and good mileage as my commute moved to over 50-miles a day in SF Bay Area traffic.

You want a power seat, so much easier to get into a comfortable position. Once you have one you will not want to go back to a ratcheting manual seat.

The ambient lighting in the Focus comes in 6-colors - fully adjustable for brightness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WbNoLrCy_8

Dual zone climate control - another feature that once you have its tough to go back. Kinda like Automatic headlights & Wipers -a great useful feature that once you have - its great. Same goes for an auto dimming rear view mirror. Heated seats in the winter of Ohio - another must have option. Ava will love you for a warm backside in the winter.

Focus has flat folding seats - the bottom seat cushion flips up and rear come down to form a flat floor. Most just have the rear that fold down and form a weird angle.

Another cool feature on the Focus is no gas cap - just open the door and fuel up.

You need to remove the 2012 Civic SI from your list as the 2013 is a overhaul of the interior and exterior.

You thought about the Dodge Dart with the turbo engine? Interior is not as high quality, but great drivers car and they are somewhat cheaper.

Love the GTI - just cant get past the VW fanbois & that god-awful plaid.
 

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
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I'm betting m lunch that O/P will end up with a $7K used chevy cobalt or similar.
 
Dec 26, 2007
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Hey OP what did you end up with? I was in a similar boat and ended up with a 2012 GTI :)

Nothing yet, but am 99% sure I'm going with a GTI.

I'm betting m lunch that O/P will end up with a $7K used chevy cobalt or similar.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

Aug2012 thread was created. And no car yet?

Incoming 400.00 craigslist car.

Correct. No car yet. But my current car is better than a $400 CL car. I also wouldn't buy a used Cobalt or Civic or anything either. If I wanted cheap I'd just get a new Civic (or the SI). The reasons I haven't gotten a car yet are:
1) I'm fairly certain I'm going with a GTI, but want to test drive the others (like the Speed3) again. Ideally back to back. The GTI vs Speed3 are really what I'm torn between. But the ST is still in there and so is the SI. It's not easy to find dealerships that have these in stock beyond the GTI and SI.
2) I am waiting to see what the 2013 Civic SI is like
3) I'm busy with life. Finals are coming up, work is busy, studying for certification exams, etc.
4) I wasn't entirely sure when I was going to buy, but knew it would be a few months out when I created the thread at the earliest. I wanted to spend time looking at everything and I knew with school/work I wouldn't have a ton of free time to go do all of this.
5) Buying closer to the end of the year should help me get a better price.

I have other reasons but that should be plenty of reasons why I don't have a new car yet.
 

PhoKingGuy

Diamond Member
Nov 15, 2007
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True. Si = zero torque, and on a pretty gimped platform from what they once were.

Having driven all of these, I know they all have their own specific and unique character. The fact he can't figure out what he wants means he doesn't know what he wants.

I did them all once and it was a very very very clear indicator which I would get.

I say this as a VW fan, but IMHO, unless you want the DCT, there's no reason to pick the current GTI over the ST.
 

halik

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
25,696
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Yeah, I stand by my bet. You will end up with some made for hertz econobox, likely used.

If they still made sunfires, this thread would be over
 

Dr. Detroit

Diamond Member
Sep 25, 2004
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Yeah, I stand by my bet. You will end up with some made for hertz econobox, likely used.

If they still made sunfires, this thread would be over

Nothing wrong with a J-body Sunfire Convertible

dscf05548vu.jpg
 

Dr. Detroit

Diamond Member
Sep 25, 2004
8,523
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Yikes.. I was just there a couple weekends ago looking at the Titanium trims and they were going for that price..

Frontier gave me $4K off my Titanium and a very fair trade in after working on them for a few days. Titanium's are $4K off as well.

Too bad the 2013's deleted the auto dimming rear view, the HomeLink, and the Auto Rain Sensing wipers. It did gain standard back-up camera though.
 
Dec 26, 2007
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The SI is really only in it because of it's price. It would be $50-75/mo less than any of the others. I can afford any of them, hence why I'm looking. But I also have student loans that I want to pay off sooner rather than later. So yes while I could afford the ST, or any of the others, is it worth the extra $50-75/mo over the SI? Since the answer for me is "yes the others are worth the price increase", the followup question becomes do I want to make that price jump? It's $3-5k (depending on trim levels) between the two. Loaded up how I would buy either it's $5k difference. While that isn't a ton of money, there is plenty of other things that $5k would buy or be better used for (aforementioned student loans). The SI doesn't feel like it has any torque and the high revs aren't anywhere near as enjoyable as the Speed3 or GTI or the ST.

I'm debating the "just need a more reliable car that's somewhat fun to drive to get me to and from work" vs "a fun car to drive that also gets me to and from work." It's the need vs want. Yes I want a GTI/MS3/ST, but I don't need the extra stuff those offer.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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Have you tried the V6 6MT Mustang yet? Who knows, it might light your fire. It's quite a step up in performance compared to the others. You can mod the Speed3/GTI to the same power level, but pushing up the FWHP on those makes things a bit squirrely even with the best tires up front. Still fun on rolls though.

Personally that's my pick for fun performance-oriented car for ~$25k new. Good fuel economy, grippy, roomy but not massive, cheap insurance, relatively roomy under the hood for access, heaps of mod potential, etc.