what car should I get thread #34824236482

[.:Chr!sVR6]

I love my jetta, but I'm sick of driving automatic and am not sure of long term reliability. I'm about to hit 42k which puts the value of my car at about 13000, maybe 12.


Here is what I want: Manual transmission, 13000 maximum pricetag, somewhat good gas mileage, (~25 mpg+) dont really care about body style, as long as it isnt a crossover, suv or truck. I would like something alittle more reliable that the 2.0t (even though it is a good engine imo) Must be somewhat fun to drive...

Here is what I have in mind...
-an unmolested mk4 R32 (problem is anything in my range usually has 100k+)
-8th gen civic si (these also seem to be pretty high mileage in my price range)
-any 2.5L, mkv/mkvi volkswagen (i hear these are somewhat slow?)
-clean 5th gen prelude

What am I missing? How reliable are mk4 R32's? Should I totally rethink what I want?

pic of my current car (with hipster filter, of course)

[one swell foop]

It depends on how much space you want and where you live. If I was looking to buy a new-ish car right now that was reliable, safe, and got great gas mileage, I'd get a Honda Fit Sport. That model is built in Japan. They actually loose money on every one they sell, and because of where it is assembled, build quality is top notch. Gets stupidly high gas mileage, will last forever, carries a bunch of crap for the size, maintains resale value, insurance will be cheap, tires are small so you won't have to spend a fortune on those when it's time for new ones and you can park it in spots most cars wouldn't fit in sideways.

Yes, it doesn't have a lot of HP, but it also weighs almost nothing. Reviews I've read of it from people that like sports cars and hatchbacks have been very positive and refer to it as eminently tossable. It'd be fun in corners.

Not sure what the used values are like, but considering they are around 18k new, you should be able to find on in your price range used. just remember, get the sport version as it supposedly has a little more pep. I'm very much a sporty/sports car guy and my current plans, when my VW bites it, is to pick up a fit sport when I can afford it and, when I have an extra garage space, get an old Lexus SC 300 and drop a single turbo supra motor in there so I have a sleeper with around 500hp for the weekends and a great city car with stupid gas mileage and low insurance for every other time. I think it's a good plan!

[Aonarch]

What size is too big, or too small?

MX-5?

[.:Chr!sVR6]

It depends on how much space you want and where you live. If I was looking to buy a new-ish car right now that was reliable, safe, and got great gas mileage, I'd get a Honda Fit Sport. That model is built in Japan. They actually loose money on every one they sell, and because of where it is assembled, build quality is top notch. Gets stupidly high gas mileage, will last forever, carries a bunch of crap for the size, maintains resale value, insurance will be cheap, tires are small so you won't have to spend a fortune on those when it's time for new ones and you can park it in spots most cars wouldn't fit in sideways.

Yes, it doesn't have a lot of HP, but it also weighs almost nothing. Reviews I've read of it from people that like sports cars and hatchbacks have been very positive and refer to it as eminently tossable. It'd be fun in corners.

Not sure what the used values are like, but considering they are around 18k new, you should be able to find on in your price range used. just remember, get the sport version as it supposedly has a little more pep. I'm very much a sporty/sports car guy and my current plans, when my VW bites it, is to pick up a fit sport when I can afford it and, when I have an extra garage space, get an old Lexus SC 300 and drop a single turbo supra motor in there so I have a sleeper with around 500hp for the weekends and a great city car with stupid gas mileage and low insurance for every other time. I think it's a good plan!

I was looking at fit sports on autotrader...they seem to be really well priced. Only thing is my neighbors across the street have one and they already had to get rust repair on the doorsills
Car is an '08 but then again they dont wash it very often....

[.:Chr!sVR6]

What size is too big, or too small?

MX-5?

I forgot to add, nothing is too small! I would actually like to downsize from my jetta, as anything else I drive is too big, and I love how small my Superbeetle is.

[one swell foop]

I've never lived somewhere rust is a problem (moss in the PAC NW, but not rust). As long as there is paint on the car and a protective coating underneath, you should be fine, right? If you buy a car that has spent its life somewhere where the roads aren't salted you should at least be able to get one with no issues like that. It'd be a little more expensive to travel to get it, but you could make it a road trip.

[josh_did_what]

$13k should get a great example of this:



If you can find one.

[iggysju]

Have you considered a Mini?

[vwpiloto]

How about an S2K? It'll be high mileage, but they're reliable and relatively simple.

[deagle]

just my luck that i'm looking for a mk5, auto, less than 100k miles, in upstate NY, but don't have $money !!!!

good luck with your search

not sure what this winter will bring but i also would consider subaru WRX or audi quattro

both are prob more than $13k though .....

[bob570]

Yeah, if you're looking for reliability I'm thinkin' a MK4 R32 is not where you want to look. MK5's were a huge upgrade over MK4s in every way except for looks. Faster, handle better, more reliable, the only thing that wasn't as good about MK5s was the looks in my opinion. I'm really not sure why you are worrying about reliability when your car only has 42k.

Why not a MK5 GTI with a 6 speed? It's pretty much the same thing you have now except lighter and manual.

[.:Chr!sVR6]

I've never lived somewhere rust is a problem (moss in the PAC NW, but not rust). As long as there is paint on the car and a protective coating underneath, you should be fine, right? If you buy a car that has spent its life somewhere where the roads aren't salted you should at least be able to get one with no issues like that. It'd be a little more expensive to travel to get it, but you could make it a road trip.

I dont know if upstate ny is particularly bad or what...you would not believe the rust here. If you dont diligently wash your car at least every other week you will see rust. Hell, I wash my car once a week from april to at least november and I have rust bubbles in 3/4 of the door sills.

[.:Chr!sVR6]

$13k should get a great example of this:

(RSX pic)

If you can find one.

Haven't thought of these, I'll have to do some searching

[.:Chr!sVR6]

How about an S2K? It'll be high mileage, but they're reliable and relatively simple.

I have been looking at these too...only worry is how well the top will hold up in the winter. Can you get decent hard-tops for these?

[turkey_club]

[VWstung]

My car!!! lol
TT 225 deff fun to drive, 94k miles tho
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-TT-225Q-in-NJ!!

[bob570]

I dont know if upstate ny is particularly bad or what...you would not believe the rust here. If you dont diligently wash your car at least every other week you will see rust. Hell, I wash my car once a week from april to at least november and I have rust bubbles in 3/4 of the door sills.

We use salt here in Michigan too. I hate it, it pisses me off so much. Which is why I have an old MK3 2.0 beater for winter.

I also know someone who owns a Fit which they bought brand new in 08 which already has rust.

[vwpiloto]

I have been looking at these too...only worry is how well the top will hold up in the winter. Can you get decent hard-tops for these?

Yes you can, but they're pricey and make Miata hardtops look cheap. I paid $3K for mine, although I bought it new (it's an own hardtop; hydroformed aluminum). Used ones can be found for less, but you'll have to be patient until the right one comes along. There are other hardtops, such as ones from spoon and mugen as well, but they too are pricey, but again, used ones can be found at decent prices if patient (I'm wasn't patient enough).

[Lurkin bunny]

Yeah, if you're looking for reliability I'm thinkin' a MK4 R32 is not where you want to look.

Don't have much to add except that my R32 has been perfectly reliable since day 1 of ownership. Only time I had to get it towed is when I ran over a nail and it destroyed my front tire. As everyone knows the fix a flat kits that came with them (no spare tire due to the rear pan setup with the awd) suck and don't work.

have you thought about a e36 m3 for your prices? It might take a month or two but you can definitely find the right one for your price range and sub 100k miles.

[feels_road]

-any 2.5L, mkv/mkvi volkswagen (i hear these are somewhat slow?)

I don't know about that. A newer 2.5 MT Golf with the 170hp 2.5 is pretty quick. Also, they are the most reliable car VW has ever built (more reliable than the average Honda or Toyota, according to Consumer Reports). Certainly much more reliable than anything else on your list.

[Samsquam]

Also, they are the most reliable car VW has ever built (more reliable than the average Honda or Toyota, according to Consumer Reports).

HA!!! 93 and up doesnt fit the vw bill of reliable. let me know when your new "rabbit" hits 400,000 km's like mine has a week ago. old vw trumps any new vw in reliability.

[mookieblaylock]

I have been looking at these too...only worry is how well the top will hold up in the winter. Can you get decent hard-tops for these?

rwd sucky on ice, requires much more attention in winter

[FuelInMyVeins]

8th gen Si or Accord V6. You might also try to find Acura Cl Type S 2003 with manual, but those are rare to find.

[Robski92]

Prelude

[TooFitToQuit]

I'm here to recommend my usual Honda Fit

[josh_did_what]

Im not sure how fun to drive these are, but IMO they look nice and the interior is a nice place to be.

[one swell foop]

Maybe I'm reading too much into what you asked for, but when you said you wanted something reliable what I heard was, "I don't want to spend a ton of money on maintenance". That would rule out the BMW, Subaru, VW, and Audi suggestions (I just replaced the second throttlebody in five years on my car at $400, the fluids are stupidly expensive and when small things break they are often picey to replace so don't tell me VW's don't cost a lot to maintain). The Mini seems like a good option, but that's based on my ignorance of their maintenance costs, however, they are considered a premium brand and will likely price parts and service based on this. They also tend to hold their resale value very well, which means one in your price range is going to be beat up and/or high mileage.

As I pointed out in my initial post, tire cost is something that you should consider. You won't ahve to do it too often, but if you get an all out sports car like the S2k it'd be a waste not to put good, stick rubber on there, at which point you're going to go through tires much more quickly and they're going to cost a hell of a lot more. The Fit has tony little wheels with tiny little tires which means they're cheaper to replace.

Small and lightweight is where you want to go with this.

[sandiegan]

Im not sure how fun to drive these are, but IMO they look nice and the interior is a nice place to be.

I had one (03 6MT V6). One wheel burnies. Not all that fun due to size/handling.

[iggysju]

rwd sucky on ice, requires much more attention in winter

Any wheel drive sucks on ice. Did you mean rwd sucks in snow?

[BRealistic]

2.5 mazda3?

[mhjett]

HA!!! 93 and up doesnt fit the vw bill of reliable. let me know when your new "rabbit" hits 400,000 km's like mine has a week ago. old vw trumps any new vw in reliability.

LOLOLOL. I bet your cave is also more reliable than my house.

I don't know about that. A newer 2.5 MT Golf with the 170hp 2.5 is pretty quick. Also, they are the most reliable car VW has ever built (more reliable than the average Honda or Toyota, according to Consumer Reports). Certainly much more reliable than anything else on your list.

Yep, 2.5 MkVs are actually quite peppy, at least when it comes to around-town low-end torque. Get one with a manual trans and you'll probably enjoy driving it, although you may miss the turbo rush of your 2.0t.

[Ross1013]

8th gen Si or Accord V6. You might also try to find Acura Cl Type S 2003 with manual, but those are rare to find.

I'll go along with these. /obvious bias

Prelude

Also a good choice if OP doesn't mind driving an older car. However, at nearly 3000lb it's not exactly leaps and bounds more agile than the 7th-gen Accord V6 and is much less powerful. I do like the SH ATTS though, and the Accord has an open diff.

Im not sure how fun to drive these are, but IMO they look nice and the interior is a nice place to be.

I think mine is quite fun to drive despite having the 5AT. With a 6MT they are very speedy...like low 6s to 60mph.

I had one (03 6MT V6). One wheel burnies. Not all that fun due to size/handling.

Compared to what, though? An S2K or ITR, sure. But at around 3200lb they are not that big.

Any wheel drive sucks on ice. Did you mean rwd sucks in snow?

The S2K will be even worse due to low weight and frisky suspension. Big diff between that and a big, solid 5-series or something in the snow.

[Mr Miyagi]

E36

[.:Chr!sVR6]

2.5 mazda3?

I was looking at these and mazdaspeed 3's as well...dont mazdas have awful rust problems though? My uncle has an MPV (pretty sure that's the name) minivan and the rust is unbelieveable...pretty sure it's an '03 or '02 though.

That being said, mazdas do catch my eye from time to time.

[.:Chr!sVR6]

My dad had one of these (albeit sedan and auto) and it was an all around good car. Thats actually the car we traded for my Jetta