| Author | Message | ||
     Geforce |
AWD does wonders... I love it on my Silverado SS with STS Turbo...schweet sounds from a 6.0 LQ9... frellin tranny sucks balls though. | ||
| Gearhead |
Thanks, guys, I really appreciate all your input. This car is for my wife so the supercharger or turbo are out unless she’s going to pony up the extra $$’s. We drove two more today and I’m sold plus she really likes them also. I’m impressed with the ride and the performance and the additional mileage will be welcome as well. I just wish the boy-racer rear spoiler wasn’t so common on them! Oh well, I just have to keep reminding myself, it not for me. | ||
| Court |
While we are on this . . . I need a car for a kid. Any reccomendations for something in the $20,000 range that is fun. He;s looked at a Jetta. Any suggestions? | ||
| Swordsman |
Huh. If I got to pick out any car I wanted for under $20k, I think I'd go with.... um.... probably a basic Mini Cooper. They start at $19,200, and you can always go back and customize later. A Smart Fortwo cabrio would be awesome. Not fast, just quirky-cool, and the cheapest convertible in the States. Starts at ~$17k. On a more mainstream note, I think the Mazda 3 is supposed to be the best all round small car out there, and lots of tuner options, if the kid is so inclined. ~SM (Message edited by Swordsman on June 12, 2009) | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
Court, get him a jeep! Most fun you can have on 4 wheels. Well maybe too much fun depending on his maturity level. | ||
| Reepicheep |
A lightly used Saab 9-3 SE (do they call them Aero's now?) would be a heck of a lot nicer then a Jetta. I haven't looked, but I bet there are some SMOKING good deals on Saab's right now... | ||
| Swordsman |
Isn't Saab going the way of the dodo? ~SM | ||
| Froggy |
No, it got bought from GM. | ||
| Crusty |
I haven't looked, but I bet there are some SMOKING good deals on Saab's right now... Why would anyone want to buy a car that's smoking? (Message edited by Crusty on June 12, 2009) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Who knows what the future holds, thats why I am guessing they are smoking good deals right now. Lots of the Saab parts are common with other German cars, and there are lots on the road so used parts should be reasonably available for a long time. So its a bit of a gamble, but they are really nice cars. | ||
| Bads1 |
On a more mainstream note, I think the Mazda 3 is supposed to be the best all round small car out there, and lots of tuner options, if the kid is so inclined. The thing is though these really aren't kids cars. Insurance will whack the crap out of them. I have a close to 17 yr old and my insurance won't let him touch the car unless I pay through the nose myself. Any of the cars stated above a kid isn't going to afford well unless hes a clean record driver and over 25. | ||
| White79bu |
My wife and I bought a brand new 06 SS sedan. It is a very nice car. We have had a few problems with our but my wife was playing Daytona 500 in the snow and had an incident. We have had a few brake issues and the stock tires are shot at 27,000 miles. I would recommend the SS just for the motor alone. It will make getting on the freeway much easier. We went on vacation last year and got as high as 33 mpg running 75-80 mph and loaded down. | ||
| Xl1200r |
A lightly used Saab 9-3 SE (do they call them Aero's now?) would be a heck of a lot nicer then a Jetta. And they'd both be as reliable as Yugo. Court, I worked as a mechanic for a long time - I would stay away from both Saab and VW, based on multiple first-hand experiences. Lots of the Saab parts are common with other German cars, Except that Saab is a Sweedish brand, and 9-3 chassis is the same as a Chevy Malibu. BTW - the unreliableness from a Saab comes from the electronics and things of that nature, not so much the mechanical aspect. There are a lot of options in the "fun" $20,000 car range. I like the SS/SC Cobalts, and you get a v6 Camaro for simlar money (300+hp), but I know you're not into the GM family of vehicles given the current...eh... we'll call it an "ownership crisis", lol. Company isn't much better, but I would second the Jeep. As much as I want a new Camaro, a Jeep or 4x4 pickup may very likely be the next in line for me. Mini's are cool, but way overpriced for what you get. Owned and bult by BMW, but open the hood - it's got a dodge engine in. $19,000+ for Neon??? Mazda 3s are good, the turbo version is a hoot. | ||
| Crackhead |
Saab = is EU pricing with GM relialibility I liked the Mazda 3 when we test drove it. We got a used Subaru Outback only the non-turbo version though  | ||
| Gearhead |
Well, thanks again for all the input!! I bought my wife a silver, 2dr. 2006 Cobalt today. I really wanted an '08 but this one only had 20,500 miles and was a Certified Used car from a local dealer. It's a well optioned 2LT with 16" alloys, fog lights, white face gauges, Pioneer stereo upgrade, XM and more. Traded the old Monte in and came out better than expected, it's a nice upgrade for her but it's already hard to pry me out of it! It's like driving a big slot car, lots of fun!! Thanks again!! www.racingwithralph.blogspot.com | ||
| Xl1200r |
Gear - stick or auto? And that Pioneer is a kickin' system. I love the factory sub in mine. Court - wanted to add - the only VW I'd buy right now would be a TDI car... not really because they're *that* good (though I don't think they're bad, per se), but more so because they're the only game in town at that price point. This is the crap I think about while driving home from work, lol. I GOTS THE BADWEB ON THE BRAIN!!! | ||
| Gearhead |
It's an automatic. Since I don't get to drive it, I'm O.K. with that but if it were mine, it would be a manual!! | ||
| Court |
Certainly been interesting looking for a car in the $25K group. I think, from what I've read, I'd be interested in a Mini or hold out for the new SHO. I just extended the current lease for 6 months . . . . I'll keep looking. | ||
| Spike |
My wife and I have a 2005 Mazda3 5-door with the 160hp 2.3L that I am very fond of. I can't speak for all the current competitors, but back in '05 the Mazda3 stood head and shoulders above all the other "econoboxes" from a driver's perspective. It's still FWD with an open differential so it pushes the front end most of the time and wants to spin up the inside tire out of tight corners, but other than that it feels very responsive and tossable. The 2.3L is a gem too, it pulls decent off the bottom for an N/A 4-banger and mine put 143hp to the front wheels. If you can give up the back seat the Mini Cooper is also a lot of fun to drive, but not with the base motor. 118hp at the crank makes the car feel wheezy and is insulting considering the $19k+ sticker price. Of course, if you're willing to spend ~$22k on a Cooper S you need to at least test drive a Mazdaspeed3. The 'speed3 lacks the neat-o factor of the Mini, but it more than makes up for it with 100hp more and a real back seat. I haven't driven a turbo Cobalt SS, but from what I've read it's every bit as fast (if not faster) than the Mazdaspeed3 and has a lower sticker price, but when you're not enjoying the boost you're stuck driving a Cobalt. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I found that even driving the Cooper S was a little bland. It was a quick, but no quicker than a handful of other cars. It handled good, but no better than a handful of other cars. It was cute - that's all it really had. but when you're not enjoying the boost you're stuck driving a Cobalt. Hey now! | ||
| Jb2 |
Court, Just revisited this thread and seen your note about the Jetta. JB3 just bought an '09 and really likes it. Considering he just came out of a Ram 1500 with a Hemi and a rock crawling package I'd say that's a pretty good call for the Jetta. The one he bought has a sport/performance(GLI?) package of some kind but he really likes it. I still think my plain-Jane '08 F150 is a lot of fun for a four-wheeled vehicle but it has too many tires, leans the wrong way and has no kickstand...  JB2 | ||
| Court |
I'm not looking for quick . . . that's what a Porsche is for and it does it well. I am looking for inexpensive (less than $70,000) transportation for commuting to and from home to work. Be mindful that having 425HP in NYC traffic is no more fun/useful/exhilarating than having 50HP. My average commute speed is about 12MPH with occasional blasts up to 30MPH . . . my intent is not to make the Kessel Run in "less than twelve parsecs"**. **Knowing readers will understand that the "made the Kessel Run in "less than twelve parsecs" statement is foolery and was made as an idle boast since a parsec is a unit of distance not time. | ||
| Pammy |
I just bought my daughter a Scion XD on Sunday. It is a cool car for a young person(or the young at heart). It has excellent fuel mileage rating. Great crash rating. Killer stereo for an inexpensive vehicle.I paid less than 18K out the door. The insurance was reasonable through Geico. I feel good about the purchase. | ||
| Spike |
If "inexpensive" means "less than $70k" niggling about the differences between $19k and $22k cars seems a bit silly. My cousin has a new 528i. At first I thought it was silly to spend that much and get the 2.8l, but the car is silky smooth and gets excellent mileage for its size. When you do put your foot in it the engine spins all the way to 7k rpm with no drama and moves the car along smartly. It won't "wow" you with acceleration, but the car doesn't feel underpowered in the least. Aside from that, it's a nice car with a very solid feel. If that seems a bit excessive, you can pick up a pre-owned E90 328i for ~$30k and still have substantially more car than anything mentioned in this thread so far. | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
**Knowing readers will understand that the "made the Kessel Run in "less than twelve parsecs" statement is foolery and was made as an idle boast since a parsec is a unit of distance not time. HERETIC! Take your 'crazy science' mumbo jumbo somewhere else. If HS said it, it must be true. I still think a jeep is the most fun to be had on 4 wheels but if I was looking for a car I could dig the cobalt. If I was commuting in NYC tho, I'd just get the biggest POS beater I could find. Or a scooter. | ||
| Pammy |
Oh, that out the door price was with a 7 year 100K bumper to bumper warranty. | ||
| Fast1075 |
I have to side with MMM on the Jeep thing..I love my Jeeps...all three of them! | ||
| Court |
>>>>I'd just get the biggest POS beater I could find. Precisely and that quest has been narrowed to a Jetta and Mini. The SCU has been driving a really neat Mercedes convertible. She went in the other day to buy a 2009 and the sales folks were less than honest (unless it's true that Mercedes-Benz's are "so rare" as to command several thousand over MSRP) so she simply walked. She's not working and will be spending a lot of the summer at the beach so I extended her lease 6 months. But at the end of that she wants something that kinda falls in that "drive for a year and toss" catagory. There look like some killer options. Heretic? . . . . . . nah, scientific fact. Just let me say that Hans Solo may have fooled a couple of the folks present when he made that baseless boast but to Ben Kanobe it was obvious that Solo's claims were to be questioned.
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| Pammy |
And everyone knows that an 18 parsec run is just that. Sheesh Court... | ||
| Pammy |
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