[MMcG]

Narlus - I was doing some quick reading on the new Mazda 3s and found out that a lot of the safety features in that vehicle are derivatives of Volvo safety technology - Not sure if you are considering new at all the the new Mazda 3 hatchback (I think they call it a 5 door) looks mighty nice - and pretty damned sporty.

Keep me posted on what you go with. Thanks!

Mark

 

[narlus]

will do, i will check around for the mazda. thanks!

 

[Acadian]

check your e-mail Tim..

 

[Lex]

I've got a 2002 Jetta 1.8T Wagon and it's probably the most fun I've ever had driving a car. It's the same engine you get in the Audi A4 and although it doesn't have the Quattro it's still amazing to drive. Almost no turbo lag and I've never gotten less than 25 mpg doing just normal driving around. On the highway I've gotten close to 30 mpg consistantly for the last 2 years. Granted, I've done a lot of travelling by myself, so the car hasn't been weighted down too much, but I've gotten about 25+ mpg with 2 people, 2 DH bikes and all of the gear to go with them. One drawback is the fact that you have to use the expensive gas because of the turbo, but it only really works out to a little over a dollar per tank.

The thing I've learned over the last couple of years is that the dealership you buy the car from is as important as the car itself. The dealership I go to has the most amazing service department and service manager and I would never take my car anywhere else. Even now that my warranty is up I will still go there because I know they'll find the problem and fix it. I haven't had any serious problems with my VW, but they are expensive to fix after the warranty expires. I love how it drives so much that I don't care.

On the Mazda front, my wife just bought a 2003 Protege5 about 6 months ago. Great car and, assuming the moron who worked on it last is no longer working at the dealership, it should last a hell of a long time. He forgot to put the oil pan plug in properly and the car dumped all of its oil on the highway. Once again great dealership. New engine on the way with no questions asked and a shower of apologies from the service manager. And I didn't even have to medieval on anyone.

 

[narlus]

as the dead kennedys said..."trust your mechanic". thanks for the info alex.

 

[Hawkeye]

A friend of ours has a Vibe, and I would advise against that.

When riding in it it is very hollow almost "tiney" and it seems like the motor is working way to hard very buzzy. and cheap plastic all over.

I just hate riding in it, almost as much as they hate owning it.

 

[narlus]

2000-2002 audi a4 quattro. i'm getting one of those and i'll have <10K for it. AWD, manual tranny, many engines floating around. 1.8t, 2.0, 2.7t, 2.8 3.0 etc

i actually did find a '00 audi A4 quattro w/ about 70K on it for 10K. brakes were gone, clutch was gone, and the check engine light was on.

no thanks.

still looking around...the mazda3 looks nice but it's over what i want to spend (we just got a new honda odyssey EX, woo hoo. mmike, come to the dark side). right now, the two WRX wagons i saw were sold by the time i called. looks like the '00 accord lx might be beckoning me...

 

[MMcG]

i actually did find a '00 audi A4 quattro w/ about 70K on it for 10K. brakes were gone, clutch was gone, and the check engine light was on.

no thanks.

still looking around...the mazda3 looks nice but it's over what i want to spend (we just got a new honda odyssey EX, woo hoo. mmike, come to the dark side). right now, the two WRX wagons i saw were sold by the time i called. looks like the '00 accord lx might be beckoning me...

Narlus - what's your budget for your second vehicle bro - I'm following your search kind of closely if you remember.

 

[Cash-Money]

my friend just test drove/almost had to purchase (because of how fun it was) 2000 a4 1.8 that was selling for ~9k from a local chevy dealer

 

[narlus]

Narlus - what's your budget for your second vehicle bro - I'm following your search kind of closely if you remember.

i'd like to keep it at or under 10K, but could go a couple thousand higher. we just put a lot of $ into our minivan, so i'd rather not spend too much for my car too.

 

[MMcG]

i'd like to keep it at or under 10K, but could go a couple thousand higher. we just put a lot of $ into our minivan, so i'd rather not spend too much for my car too.

Tim - I'm not sure if you are a Nissan fan, but there are some good deals to be had on 2004 Sentras - they are a decent little car for the money.

 

[Kntr]

Subarubaruba Forester. When I get my next car, it will either be a new Subaru STI or a Subaru Outback.

 

[jacksonpt]

so...attributes i want in a car:

preferably used (better deal), but nothing older than say '99
manual tranny
fun to drive (very subjective)
good mileage (~30mpg city would be good, even mid-20s is OK i guess)
good maintenance record/v. reliable
decent space
can get a trailer hitch (i want to use a hitchmount instead of roof rack)
would like to keep the purchase to ~10K or so

What about a Toyota Matrix? Sorry, I'm not going to read through the 2 pages of previous posts. You can get them with a 6-speed, they are fairly peppy (subjective, like you said), they get pretty decent gas mileage (I think high 20s in town), good space, good functionality, toyota quality (need I say more?), and can probably be had for about $10k with reasonable miles.

 

[DNA]

NO FOCUS!
It is the most recalled car in the history or cars.
Stick with toyota, honda, nissan. I love VW style but they are prone to electrical issues. And I know people who got 2-3 lemons in a row(why they kept going back I'll never know).
Are you looking for a wagon, sedan, coupe?(I work at a dealer as much as i hate to admit it).

Don't hate on the Focus. The recalls were largely, if not entirely, in the first year (2000, I should know, I have one from that year). Since then it has earned high marks for reliability and value.

 

[MMcG]

What about a Toyota Matrix? Sorry, I'm not going to read through the 2 pages of previous posts. You can get them with a 6-speed, they are fairly peppy (subjective, like you said), they get pretty decent gas mileage (I think high 20s in town), good space, good functionality, toyota quality (need I say more?), and can probably be had for about $10k with reasonable miles.

I bet it'll be hard to find a used one though. They are only a couple years old as a model aren't they?

 

[idontknow]

I wouldnt get an 04 sentra. if you looked at a sentra go for an 02 or 03. also look at the altima. not sure what they are going for but you might be able to find a newer one for not much.

 

[Fathead]

I bet it'll be hard to find a used one though. They are only a couple years old as a model aren't they?

I've checked out Toyota Matrix listings on occasion (buying a commuter next year, just keeping an eye on things). . . there are plenty of '02s and some '03s at cars.com and carmax just as examples.

Keep in mind the 6spd is for the XRS, which requires premium fuel and burns a little more of it.

 

[MikeD]

I really don't get why you haven't already gotten an Impreza or Outback Sport wagon yet...they fit pretty much 100% of your criteria.

 

[bmorekirby]

97-98 camery, you can usualy find one for 10,000 or less. Honda accord 95-99, also good in the same price range. VW is bad ass, but like you said, not good in sonsumer reports.

 

[narlus]

I really don't get why you haven't already gotten an Impreza or Outback Sport wagon yet...they fit pretty much 100% of your criteria.

couldn't find one under 10K that was a '00 or newer. almost pulled the trigger on a WRX wagon (found two, one w/ 90K and one w/ 80K) for 13K and 12K but they were both gone by the time i called.

settled for an '01 honda civic. yeah, i am boring.

edit - almost got an '00 accord for the same price and mileage, but the civic i got was certified and w/ warranty.

 

[ÆX]

i found my golf tdi w 25k for 12.5 grand. it was a great deal and i have loved every minute of it. i use a hithc rack on it and it works fine. leg room could be more for adults in the back.

go to tdiclub.com for everything you would ever need to know about them. great helpfun peole over there. they acutually gave me a tip where i found my tdi.

spend an extra 2-4k and go diesel! long live soot!

it if fine for bikes but a 100 lbs bucket of camping stuff was too much.
i put some rack straps fron the hatchback crack on top to the rack to keep it from bouncing and it was dialed.

anyway i vote tdi.

bottom line, it will change your life! you will never buy a gasser again!
lol

 

[narlus]

what about cold weather starts w/ no power socket available?

 

[Toshi]

what about cold weather starts w/ no power socket available?

from http://www.tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ/TDiFAQ-2.html#b

Cold Starts - This is one of the big questions that non-TDI drivers have: How well will it start in cold weather? The answer is that they behave quite well. Volkswagen was confident enough in the cold-starting ability of this engine that there is no engine block heater designed to suit the TDI engine.* For those living in truly cold places - we're talking Edmonton or Winnipeg cold, those in balmy Boston have nothing to worry about - there are ways of making the block heater designed for the previous 1.9 turbodiesel fit this engine, it's not easy but it can be done.

"balmy boston", heh. anyway, good luck with the civic. can't really go wrong with that choice.

 

[mirage542]

look at the Honda Element little more money wise

 

[narlus]

yeah, balmy boston my ass. although i was in temperate ireland last winter, my dad said buzzards bay froze over last year. hopefully there won't be another winter like it ahead.

 

[jacksonpt]

I bet it'll be hard to find a used one though. They are only a couple years old as a model aren't they?

I believe they are just finishing their 3rd model year, which means leases should be coming in soon. They probably aren't new enough to still be dealer demo vehicles, but I would suspect that there are enough of them out there that used ones are starting to find their way to the classifies of local papers.

 

[jacksonpt]

Keep in mind the 6spd is for the XRS, which requires premium fuel and burns a little more of it.

Why does the XRS require premium fuel?

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

Join the Ridemonkey WRX Wagon Owners Club. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Westy]

Join the Ridemonkey WRX Wagon Owners Club. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Fathead]

Why does the XRS require premium fuel?

It gets the ~173hp motor (same as Celica GT-S), which gets its power from additional valve lift in the upper RPMs (up to something like 8K). Owners seem to like it, but some complain about it being gutless in the low end.

 

[jacksonpt]

It gets the ~173hp motor (same as Celica GT-S), which gets its power from additional valve lift in the upper RPMs (up to something like 8K). Owners seem to like it, but some complain about it being gutless in the low end.

I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't realize normally aspired engines required premium octane.

 

[Westy]

I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't realize normally aspired engines required premium octane.

Octane requirements are mostly affected by the compression ratio of an engine. A forced induction has an artificially increased compression ratio. Some high performance normally aspirated engines engines use high compression ratios to squeak out an extra bit of power and efficiency.

 

[Fathead]

Octane requirements are mostly affected by the compression ratio of an engine. A forced induction has an artificially increased compression ratio. Some high performance normally aspirated engines engines use high compression ratios to squeak out an extra bit of power and efficiency.

What he said. Chevy LT1, Nissan's hot 3.5 (depending on tune. . . differs per model), Nissan's Spec V motor, Toyota's screamin' 1.8. . . all require premium, per each manufacturer.

I ran regular in my LT1 once and it ran like absolute crap. Similar stories from owners of the above mentioned motors.

 

[Cash-Money]

so i shouldn't be running cheap 87 shell gas in my volvo turbo wagon?

 

[SkaredShtles]

so i shouldn't be running cheap 87 shell gas in my volvo turbo wagon?

Depends on what sort of compression it has.........

-S.S.-

 

[Toshi]

Depends on what sort of compression it has.........

-S.S.-

forced induction screws with the compression numbers. turbo cars usually have nominally lower compression ratios, but since they're packing in the air with the turbo...

 

[Repack]

What he said. Chevy LT1, Nissan's hot 3.5 (depending on tune. . . differs per model), Nissan's Spec V motor, Toyota's screamin' 1.8. . . all require premium, per each manufacturer.

I ran regular in my LT1 once and it ran like absolute crap. Similar stories from owners of the above mentioned motors.

And don't forget the M3- 333hp out of a NA 3.3L I6. One of the vrey few NA motors to put out 100+ hp/L. High octane is burning cash of your motor doesn't need it. High octane rating prevent the fuel from detonating prematurely in high compression engines.

yeah, balmy boston my ass. although i was in temperate ireland last winter, my dad said buzzards bay froze over last year. hopefully there won't be another winter like it ahead.

He forgot to mention that the previous winter was just as bad. Strike 1, Strike 2...

 

[freeridebiker21]

get a subaru 2.5 rs there really fast and fun to drive you could put a bike rack on one. check em' out

 

[JMAC]

Used Subie Impreza or Impreza Outback Sport wagon (same car, slightly different suspension and finish). Cheaper than the WRX if you don't need the power, tons of fun to drive in the mountains...handles incredibly. Plus, if you hook an aftermarket turbo up later, you have .5L more engine than a WRX.

MD

Edit: The Mazda 3s look cool, but they're going to be more expensive, as they're new in 2004...older Protege 5, perhaps? Those are neat, too, but less powerful than the 3, I believe.

My mom has the Impreza outback sport wagon and thats what i would always use for going to races ect. It's a fun car to drive the things I don;t like is that for one don't buy it if you're over 6 feet high. Way to cramped inside also I think this is with all subarus they have really limited turning ability. Like when you're in a parking lot it's a pain sometimes. I;m just being picky that wouldn't keep me from buying one.

 

[JMAC]

2003 mazda protege 5.

I second that or a one of the newer volvo v70s