Location: Philly on one side, Pittsburgh on another, the Green Between...
Posts: 5,857
What Car Should Fishr Buy?
Let's just say a Fishr is thinking about a new(er)car...shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! My 13 year-old, 240K mile, never had a major repair, gets nearly 30 mpg even now, Honda might get jealous. Here is what I am thinking:
1) Reliable -- see Honda stats above.
2) Good gas mileage
3) Sporty/sports car -- fun to drive
3-A) Two door is cool, but it needs a back seat because sometimes I have teh missus and teh Little Fish
4) Front wheel or four wheel drive
5) Preferably coming off a lease to beat depreciation and get a better car
6) Less than $25K
I love the Infiniti G37, but they JUST started making AWD this year. I'd have to wait another two years for it to come off a lease. The Nissan 350Z is sweet, but RWD. I like the idea of a hybrid, but at 240K miles, I would have replaced 3 batteries at between 3 and 8 grand apiece, depending on what you read.
So, the bottom line: Does The Fish Car exist? What sayeth JPs?
1. Off-lease BMW 3-series coupe or sedan w/X drive (328xi). The gas mileage isn't great though.
2. Audi A3 or A4. You can get a new A3 close to what you're looking to pay or an off-lease A4.
3. How about an off-lease Cadillac CTS-4 (cuz I'm from Detroit)
If it's around 35 I'd go with an Audi, I can't think of many 'sporty' cars above this; mine does 68 but it's an ugly box and a diesel to boot.
__________________
*****************************
Walk on
With hope in your heart
And You'll Never Walk Alone
*****************************
There's no free lunch, especially when it's served with special sauce (lostdog)
***************************** My Log - PC Plod
I don't even know what that means? The WRX is some kinda lesbian car to you?
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
VW GTI MK5. I've got an '06, 200HP gas turbo six speed. Fun ride for this grandpa.
__________________
\"Be like a lion, who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower. You only throw a stick at a lion once.\" Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991)
Honda Civic Si. Cool coupe, 197 hp, and great mileage, about 23K new.
Kirk's GTI suggestion is good, too. That would be my second choice.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
__________________
\"Be like a lion, who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower. You only throw a stick at a lion once.\" Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991)
I don't even know what that means? The WRX is some kinda lesbian car to you?
subaru once had an add campaign with a focused audience on lesbians if i remember right
My parents recently got a 2008 v6 accord coupe, fast, decent milage, and reliable. Also you don't need to buy premium gas if i remember right. I don't know if it would be my choice, but it would be in the mix.
I second the Audi A3 or A4 comment. You can get used A3s for a really good price since they don't retain their resale value off the lot very well. I own one and have had nothing but great things to say about it. It is technically a wagon, which will also help you on insurance prices.
I would also recommend an A4 Avant. They are beautiful cars, come AWD, and are terribly practical. I'm a big love of the wagon though, so I am biased towards these.
I personally am not a huge fan of the WRX. Sure, they are very fast 4-bangers, especially if you go the STi route, and feature AWD, but are you looking to run this car on the track or have every riced out honda civic si try to race you at every stop light? The car carries a persona with it that I personally don't see suiting you. Also, the interior is poor, at best, in my opinion.
Personally, I'd be looking at an Avant in your situation, since they come AWD. It doesn't matter a whole lot between RWD and FWD in the snow. They can both suck for different reasons, one just understeers and the other fishtails. Personally, I wouldn't want to drive FWD on ice due to understeer, but I also can understand the appeal of keeping the car straight in the snow, which is easier in FWD. Invest in good tires, become familiar with your E-brake, and be concious of what your rig does and the difference diminishes.
__________________ My BlogUSERNAME: guest PASSWORD: beachhead
afghanistan: such a shitty place, even Bono doesn't care about it.
I looked up the Subaru ad campaigns. Seems legit to me, I was a little shocked that a mainstream company would actually target that audience, more a comment on our society than anything. I am not sad they do, it shows a pretty forward thinking company. Doesn't make them a "lesbian" car in my books. Their track record speaks for itself.
I'd buy one in a heart beat if I was in the market for a new car. Although I like the lines of the older models better.
WRX FTW, although I suspect we are gonna be looking at the baser Impreza at the price point indicated, but maybe not, looks like the Canadian ones start around $30k for the not STI models.
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
I have a Subaru and I'm not a lesbian...although I do prefer the company of women
They have the best AWD in the business and are very reliable. I live on the Canadian prairies and have 5 months of winter driving every year, so AWD is much more important to me than it would be for someone that lives in a warm climate.
__________________
I want to be pushing weights when I'm 70 instead of a walker in an old folk's home.
+1 if good gas mileage is a criteria, I wouldn't even consider a subaru.
I LOVE my Nissan Altima! The CVT engine is mega-awesome on gas (or would be if I didn't drive so aggresively), the car is great in the snow, has fantastic acceleration, corners like a dream, and aside from oil changes and new tires, doesn't need any major maintenance until 100k.
I have the four-door, but from what I hear, the coup is even better! (and in your price range)
__________________
Renegade HR: Recruit great people. Inspire them to do amazing things. | http://renegadehr.net
+1 if good gas mileage is a criteria, I wouldn't even consider a subaru.
I LOVE my Nissan Altima! The CVT engine is mega-awesome on gas (or would be if I didn't drive so aggresively), the car is great in the snow, has fantastic acceleration, corners like a dream, and aside from oil changes and new tires, doesn't need any major maintenance until 100k.
I have the four-door, but from what I hear, the coup is even better! (and in your price range)
I am a fan of the Subaru (obviously) BUT
The gf and I purchased a new car recently. Although we were looking for less expensive so the Subaru wasn't even mentioned.
We looked at the Vibe, Rio, Matrix, Fit etc.
For a price vs mileage vs interior space.
Nissan won. We went with the Versa with the CVT.
Just another + for the Nissan and CVT.
Og.
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
Jane - the Maxima is GORGEOUS! Like you said, a bit too $$ though (for that money, I'd go with an Infiniti instead - also owned by Nissan).
Og - I LOVE the CVT engine. Don't think I could go back to a traditional transmission.
I was pushing the envelope dollar-wise with the Maxima, as it was. I ended up getting a great end-of-the year deal, which got me in just under the wire of my budget. HOWEVER, what I really DID want was the Infiniti.
Someday........
I may be the only one here, but i got a mazda3 as a rental, and i fucking loved it. Great pick up on it, sporty looking, small, great gas mileage, and cheap (under 20k). They're a step down from the status of BMWs or Audis, but they're a really fun car to drive, and mazdas are generally a reliable name. Give one a test drive at least, and see how you like it.
FWIW, a Subaru Legacy was my first car, and it was dependable, but a lot of stuff went wrong with it. It was around 10 years old though, but generally reliable.
I then got a Toyota Tercel, which was small, no pick up, but my sister is still driving it, and has like 130-140k miles on it, and basically nothing wrong with it.
My last car was a Honda Accord that i loved. It had great pickup on a V6 (the new 4 cylinder have just as good pickup as 6s now though for the general consumer), was ok looking, and very dependable. Had 110k (and almost paid off) on it without any repairs until someone ran a red light and totaled it.
__________________ True Protein 5% off discount code: ZHS099 www.trueprotein.com
__________________ 2009: No races, No times. Slow year. So, now you're 96 cals short. You're now in starvation mode. Doomed. - LostDog
Blog entry: November 1, 2009, Pancakes LiveSTRONG daily plate log
What Car Should Fishr Buy?
Linear Mode
