Tell me about....

[Tsar]

Well it's time for me to sell my F-body and get something else. I was hoping to wait until graduation but one recent development has forced my hand. So my car is for sale (link in my sig) and I'm trying to research a fun to drive replacement.

I'm interested in them in this particular order (all new, no used):

Mini Cooper S
Dodge Caliber SRT-4
VW GTI
Subaru WRX
Mazda Speed 3

They are all in the same ball park, money wise, but I was wondering if you had any experience with any of them, or heard something bad/good, whatever. I want to know it all. If you have a car suggestion you can add it to the list, maybe I'll look at it.

Ok lets get to the talking part,

go go go

[JL8Jeff]

I look at VW cars as 50/50. Half of them have run great and never have problems and half of them break down and leave the driver stranded. I know relatives, friends and co-workers that have owned VW's and it truly was split on the results. The worst of them ended up with lemon law cases. So I would drop that down on the list. My mom has had quite a few Dodge cars and she always has some form of major problem with them so I would drop that down as well. The only problem with the WRX is a couple people I know managed to wrap them around trees thinking they could do anything they wanted with them and you can't in bad weather. So that's not a problem with the car, but driver error. I would lean towards the WRX.

[Frosty]

I'd personally go with the Maz-duh 3 or the WRX. MiniCooper? I didn't know you were a yuppie. GTI? See Mini comment and add that the car is junk. Dodge Caliber? Seriously? You finally came out of the closet?



On a serious note, I think the Mazda and WRX will give you a nice blend of performance and comfort. The Subaru will be reliable, I don't know much about the MazdaSpeed 3 but people I know with the run of the mill 3 have had no issues with theirs.

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I'd personally go with the Maz-duh 3 or the WRX. MiniCooper? I didn't know you were a yuppie. GTI? See Mini comment and add that the car is junk. Dodge Caliber? Seriously? You finally came out of the closet?



On a serious note, I think the Mazda and WRX will give you a nice blend of performance and comfort. The Subaru will be reliable, I don't know much about the MazdaSpeed 3 but people I know with the run of the mill 3 have had no issues with theirs.

I heard coopers are fun to drive plus its FI so I will mod it, eventually and it should be a track beast. CSRT4 has 285 horses, just as much as my lt1 used to have - torque steer should be fun if I throw some extra parts on there.



Yea... VW are kinda junkie, at least that's their rep anyways, but its in the price range

[WildBillyT]

WRX or Mazda. I wouldn't bother with a Dodge anything at this point.

[BigAls87Z28]

I would stay away from the vw. The new rex looks like dog ****. I'd look at the lancer ralliart over the wrx. No way on the caliber either. You think your interior sucks now...
I like the new turbo mini and its a solid car. Mazda is also a good car but id go mini.
Uf you are going to consider the caliber the go for the better cobalt ss which has been getting outstanding reviews about its performance.

[Tsar]

This is good, keep it coming.

I agree with Al that new subaru's are but fugly.
As far as as the Cobalt goes, I don't think I can haul stuff in it, well comfortably at least. Cars I listed have a decent amount of space in the back so I can throw my snowboard in there and go riding, not sure if i can do that in a Cobalt. But I will look at it, can't hurt. Thanks for the suggestion.

So vw really sucks, huh

At least I got another vote for the Mini Copper (and nothing bad was said about it), I'm starting to like that car.

[The Fixer]

My neighbor's friend had a Cooper S for a while. I don't know how it compares to the new generation Cooper S, but the old one rode great. It was like driving a street-legal go-kart! My only complaint was waiting for the boost to come on and the lack of low-end torque made it feel boring off the line. Torque is more important than HP on the street, cause that's what gets you moving out into highway traffic.

[WildBillyT]

Originally Posted by Tsar

This is good, keep it coming.

I agree with Al that new subaru's are but fugly.
As far as as the Cobalt goes, I don't think I can haul stuff in it, well comfortably at least. Cars I listed have a decent amount of space in the back so I can throw my snowboard in there and go riding, not sure if i can do that in a Cobalt. But I will look at it, can't hurt. Thanks for the suggestion.

So vw really sucks, huh

At least I got another vote for the Mini Copper (and nothing bad was said about it), I'm starting to like that car.

I know two people with Mini Cooper S's (a really good friend, and my cousin) and both of them love the car. I've driven it and it's nice. The only reason I didn't include it is because it seems like a car you own for a short while until you have to get something more practical. It doesn't strike me as something you own for 5+ years or so. If you don't need that type of life out of a car, then go for that.

[Squirrel]

The original LT1 crew just keeps gettin smaller
But my take:
Mini - Meh, if its your style, one of my friends had one, said driving it in the snow he had to buy new packs of underwear every week or so... but you had a TA so youd be used to it
Caliber - Have no clue what it is, but chrysler will be going bye bye if this keeps up
Vw - I love Gti's awesome cars that respond amazing to mods, and bitches love em
WRX - these things are getting uglier every year
Mazda - My mom has a regular 3 series and i think its an awesome car, handles great, rides nice, and i cant find anything to say bad about it

[jims69camaro]

http://www.miniusa.com/

[79CamaroDiva]

"one recent development had forced my hand"


There's no mini-vitals coming is there?

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Don't really know much about the cars, but I would point out the mileage...I'm fairly sure the WRX gets worse than the LT1 you're used to. Everything else will get much better mileage.

Question: Why no cobalt ss/ion redline? It's the same category as those cars.

[sweetbmxrider]

well i have seen many cases where people drove mini's through big puddles and seized the engine. i would stay away. the intake is designed to perfectly suck up a bucket full no problem. like jeff was saying, vw's seem to be hit or miss. when they miss, they cost most money. can't say anything against the mazda or dodge and of course the subaru is butt looking but the drive train holds up great and the stock bottom end can handle good boost. all wheel is always a plus!

[NJSPEEDER]

Caliber is a pile of crap, avoid avoid avoid!!!

Mini S is a nice little car, handles well and has a surprisingly smooth ride.

Mazda 3, nice car, not as peppy as the WRX or the Mini would be off the line, once they get rolling a little they do ok

WRX, great car. My bro has one. Rides great, handles very well, just gets questionable mileage for the size and power. Dunno why, scubbies just never put down any MPG

VW GTI, you are basically buying an image car. They seem great but VW quality can be suspect. They spent several years at the bottom of initial customer satisfaction and never seem to get too far off the bottom of the list.

For me the debate would have to be between the 3 Speed and the Mini S. The 3 offers a little bit more space, the Mini is a more fun car to drive. Prices aren't far enough apart for that to be a big deal. The Mini will retain value better than any other car you listed.

[lastcall190]

My friend and his brother have WRXs. The former still has his and it has run absolutely great, and with blizzaks on his winter wheels it gets through basically anything from November till whenever (also gets mid 20s regularly with his MPG and ). His brother just sold his with 160k miles bone stock and got $6k for it. So the resale is there, and he just did gas/tires/oil with it, in fact it may have still been on the stock clutch. They are nice cars. Don't have any opinions on the others, besides I have been told by any mechanic I've spoken with to stay the F away from VW... The Mazdas are nice, a coworker has one and it's a nice car, but kinda $$ in my opinion... good luck. Wish I had more "first hand" opinion but I don't.

-J

[BigAls87Z28]

Cobalt SS comes in a Sedan with all the equipment that the coupe has. While its not a hatch, its a decent sized compact.

Only thing I can think of would be the Volvo C30. VERY stylish...very cool.

[NJSPEEDER]

Yeah, I dunno what Subaru uses for their clutches, my bro is at about 75K on his stocker and all, and I mean all, of his driving is through town. Living in Ewing and working in Hamilton, the only time that thing sees the highway is if he drives to his friends house in Yardley. lol

[BonzoHansen]

Originally Posted by Tsar

This is good, keep it coming.

I agree with Al that new subaru's are but fugly.
As far as as the Cobalt goes, I don't think I can haul stuff in it, well comfortably at least. Cars I listed have a decent amount of space in the back so I can throw my snowboard in there and go riding, not sure if i can do that in a Cobalt. But I will look at it, can't hurt. Thanks for the suggestion.

So vw really sucks, huh

At least I got another vote for the Mini Copper (and nothing bad was said about it), I'm starting to like that car.

I believe Ms Diva loves her HHR. If hauling is your thing.

Of that list the Mini or the Suby is where I'd look first.

[sweetbmxrider]

stock subaru clutches can get over 100k pretty easily.

i'll say it again, stay away from the minis. they are a blast to drive but they suck in weather and are notorious for hydrolocking the motor because the intake is poorly designed.

[BigAls87Z28]

OHHHH YEAH!! **** how did I forget it!!
HHR SS!! 220hp with the auto, 260 with the manual. You can get all the same things from the Cobalt on the HHR including the big Brems and suspension. You can also get the optional digital display to show a bunch of info. I got to play with it at Indy, very cool!!!

[Tsar]

Some great responces here while I was in class!

Originally Posted by NJSPEEDER

For me the debate would have to be between the 3 Speed and the Mini S. The 3 offers a little bit more space, the Mini is a more fun car to drive. Prices aren't far enough apart for that to be a big deal. The Mini will retain value better than any other car you listed.

I thought about that, and really liked that fact because somewhere down the line I will get rid of it

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

Only thing I can think of would be the Volvo C30. VERY stylish...very cool.

I like the design of the C-30 but there are only handful of Volvo dealers in NNJ and they only have a couple in stock and their prices are pushing 30k. I know they can bring me one from god knows where but I might be buying a car on my next trip home. So they need to have one in stock. But I do kinda like the car, well at least from the pictures.

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

Of that list the Mini or the Suby is where I'd look first.

Well Mini if the first one on my list so far. I used to love Subaru's but they have made their cars exceptional fugly in 08 and 09, almost like they did it on purpose That's the only thing that prevent the WRX to be higher on my list, I know the car will be good, but every time I see it I hurl a little.

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

i'll say it again, stay away from the minis. they are a blast to drive but they suck in weather and are notorious for hydrolocking the motor because the intake is poorly designed.

Quick google shows that the intake is on top of the engine, how big of a puddle are we talking about?
I had a dsm before and my intake was a few inches of the ground so I'm not too worried. THanks for the concern though.

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

OHHHH YEAH!! **** how did I forget it!!
HHR SS!! 220hp with the auto, 260 with the manual. You can get all the same things from the Cobalt on the HHR including the big Brems and suspension. You can also get the optional digital display to show a bunch of info. I got to play with it at Indy, very cool!!!

I'll take a look at it when I'm looking at the cobalt, but its not really the type of a car I'm looking for. It has more serious over tone to it instead of fun to drive

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by 79CamaroDiva

"one recent development had forced my hand"


There's no mini-vitals coming is there?

God no, the recent development would be my car is not working properly or at least not to my liking (reason why its for sale). In an awesome condition it would cost about 4k (kbb), I need like a grand to fix it. That's 25% of the value of this beast. I would rather spend that extra grand on something new and reliable, something that I can drive around and not think about repairs

Plus I was gonna buy a car when I graduate anyways, I was just hoping to get an Evo X, but now I can't. So yea, new car - one of the next times I go to jersey.

[CHRIS67]

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

Cobalt SS comes in a Sedan with all the equipment that the coupe has. While its not a hatch, its a decent sized compact.

Only thing I can think of would be the Volvo C30. VERY stylish...very cool.

I have the Cobalt sport, comes with the 2.4L not the 2.2 and with the SS suspension. Lots of fun to drive and gets 32 MPG. Really to small for long drives for more that 2 people though.

[MonmouthCtyAntz]

Out of those cars I think the GTI is pretty sharp.