Morning Discussion

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  By: kbaxter x Show Full Post

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  Things I'm looking for, in order of importance:
  1. Fun Factor - I want a car that responds when I hit the accelerator, and can handle a corner on a California road. This is foremost a weekend and fun car to explore the state.
  
  2. High Reliability and Low Maintenance Costs - I don't drive to work, so this isn't a daily driver. But, I want this car to work when I can drive it and not have to worry about extravagant maintenance costs when routine work is required.
  
  3. Cost - I'm not a millionaire, I should stay below $50,000.
  
  Here are the cars I've been looking at for reference:
  1. Lotus Elise
  2. BMW 1 Series
  3. Mazda Speed3
  4. Volkswagen GTI
  5. Subaru Impreza WRX

  Oct 05, 2010 1:30pm PDT
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  Things I'm looking for, in order of importance: 1. Fun Factor - I want a car that responds when I hit th... : kbaxter
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    Take a look at the Mini Cooper S too. It seems to fit well with what you have listed. The Lotus is ti... : magistersmax
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      Some other cars you may want to look at that I don't know too incredibly much about: Infiniti G Coupe ... : magistersmax
      • 2 door for sure, hatch doesn't seem to be a huge deal either way. A3 is another good option. I was ... : kbaxter
    • Not sure how accurate the maintenance/reliability on VW is - it seems to be hit or miss. I've never had p... : surround
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      I hadn't considered the Mini Cooper S. I'll add that to my list and start looking up reviews for it. I... : kbaxter
      • My dad absolutely loves his Cooper S. For less than $30,000 he decked it out with a nice interior and al... : magistersmax
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      The Mini Cooper is one of the most faulty cars put on the market. Which sucks more and more every time... : Rigg5
      • CR rates newer models as pretty reliable. : ThereCanBeOnlyOneCat
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    GTI owner here. love it. : hirez
    • ^^ ditto. : surround
    • ^^^^^^ : pancake humper
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      That's a lot of support, I'll bump this car up my list. : kbaxter
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        All of the cars in your list are very different from each other :( : pancake humper
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          I know, I haven't bought a car for me since 2000. I am trying to recreate the feeling of my first car... : kbaxter
          • GTI handling is amazing. But most of those other cars feel like they are on rails too. I would go driv... : pancake humper
    • The aftermarket tuning community for GTIs is fucking massive too. You can get so many parts that you can... : deject
    • ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ : mwasher
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    Elise all the way if it's just a fun weekend car. That or you can wait for the BMW 1M. : CrustaR
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      BMW, as a brand, is boring. : deject
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        mrfunky, you disappoint me. :[ : CrustaR
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          They're good cars, but when you look at the price tag, there are plenty of options that seem more interes... : deject
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            If you are ever in the austin area I would like to invite you to take a ride around a track with me. ... : twifosp
            • I'm not saying they're not the best to drive, or that they're bad at all. I'm sure they're great to driv... : deject
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            If you are ever in the austin area I would like to invite you to take a ride around a track with me. ... : twifosp
            • Since you double posted can I take this second offer for the ride around the track?!! : DJ Clipdat
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      will he be able to get the 1M under 50K? : dahanese
      • I have a hard time seeing how they can sell a 1M, the 135i is expensive. Maybe if they eliminate the 135i... : yakz
      • Unsure...depends on the base price. : CrustaR
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    you willing to go used? even just 3 yrs old or newer you have a ton of options in the 50k range. : darcspeed
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      I would be willing to go used. But, the car would have to be quite low mileage. What did you have in ... : kbaxter
      • 07-08 BMW 335i can be had in the $30-35K range. Get it low miles and certified and you're good to go in a... : darcspeed
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    Nissan 350Z / 370Z Honda S2000 Should fall in there quite nicely I believe. Honda does some really ex... : SilverSnake
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      A good friend, who's a mechanic told me to steer clear of the 370Z. Maybe I should press him a little ... : kbaxter
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        I'd love to hear more on that, because I'm totally buying one of those as soon as they appear on the used... : SilverSnake
        • I'd also like some elaboration. 370Z is on my short list and I haven't heard any major complaints yet. : Head Rush
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        The most well known issue that I've heard of is that you'll need an oil cooler if you want to do track da... : yakz
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          Note: if you look at a 370Z make sure it has the sports package. The touring package doesn't include the ... : yakz
          • Sweet, thanks for the info. I'm looking at picking up a 350Z in the next 6months or so and drive that ... : SilverSnake
      • Also, http://www.the370z.com/ is a very active forum if you're interested. : yakz
  • Cadillac CTS-V : YerMothah
  • Mitsubishi Lancer Evo maybe? Those looks like a ton of fun : melkore
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    Go the WRX no question. Put the extra into some modifications and you'll have the funnest damn car on the... : akirabob
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      I drive a Mini Cooper S but I've been wanting to get the WRX hatchback for a while. : jcrockerman
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        A buddy of mine has an S and it's awesome but it's a bit small and not so great on the snow for my tastes... : akirabob
        • I live near LA, so FWD isn't so bad. If I lived where it snowed, I would only drive AWD : jcrockerman
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    Mustang GT : NexusOne
    • Fastest car you can get for the price and can compete with the BMW M3. : TEXIT
    • This is a great answer. : FormerHPB
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    Miata? Maybe with some modifications? : Arcanum
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      I really don't like the Miata, I drove a friends and it just felt overrated. : kbaxter
      • Ever drive a turbo charged one (like a serious one, not the Mazdaspeed one)? : zakazi
      • what year? the more recent versions have added more power, not a shit ton but more. And was it an automa... : Turd Ferguson
  • Love my G35! Kind of fits with what you're looking at too, I looked at a few of the cars on your list my... : Begawkiness
  • 2011 Mustang GT w/ Brembo brakes. : ant_hillbilly
  • WRX or 1 series : DJ Clipdat
  • Lotus Exiiiiigeeeeee : Dravenport
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    Everyone who has a mini cooper s seems to really like it. I have a mazda 3 from 2004 and it was pretty g... : Lucy Labia
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      also corvette could be fun. : Lucy Labia
      • oh yeah and some of the porche options look pretty good. Living in NYC now so it doesn't make sense to... : Lucy Labia
  • Buy a Cadillac. Anyway, low maintenance costs... that leaves out the BMW, and Lotus. High reliability... : Pettytheft
  • WRX STI. Maintenance and parts are cheap compared to Lotus or BMW (though BMW now is including maintenan... : Freon
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    A '99 - '03 AP1 S2000 would be very cheap and a shit ton of fun. A '04 - '09 AP2 S2000 would be a litt... : Patch-e
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      i want an s2000 : ( : arizona bay
      • They're selling cheap these days on the used market with fairly low miles. I think I remember seeing ton... : Freon
  • corvette : gmd
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    Porsche Boxster S. Hands down the most fun car I have ever driven. The cars I was considering before I b... : phiglit
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      (or the Cayman S if you want a coupe, but everyone told me the maintenance would be awful when I was look... : yakz
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        It all depends on the mechanic. If you can find an honest mechanic outside of a dealership that has his h... : phiglit
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          most German cars are; a welcome side-effect of their ability to over-engineer the shit out of everything ... : zerog83
          • The Caymans (and Boxsters?) are mid-engine vehicles, which might complicate things. : yakz
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    I'm not sure that you can possibly beat a used Corvette for your 1-3. : yakz
    • you can get a new one just under 50k, they went back up slightly in price due to old people buying the gr... : gmd
    • http://tinyurl.com/25rexlc : yakz
    • iawtp - fun factor would be an 11 on that car compared to the others. Also, if looking at new Subaru s... : zyklonbee
    • ^^^^this is probably the best bang for your buck for your criteria. : gyrfalcon
  • 2010 Genesis Coup 3.8 v6 with Track package. : HL3dsx
  • all of those work on the fun angle - i think 2, 3, or 4 are your best bets. i have the 128i and it's amaz... : dahanese
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    Get the Elise, it's the sexiest out of all those cars. : jingletard
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      Actually, I think it's called the Exige. Either way, it would absolutely be the best choice. : jingletard
      • Because it's not a weekender car, it's a track car. : yakz
• sounds like you want a STI or EVO. both can be had for $35K new both are a blast to drive maintena... : vassili_zaitsev
• S2000, but I think those need some good TLC maintenance. : Xencer
• Used S2000 + the rest of the money on sticky tires, track days, autocrosses and driving schools. The N... : adev
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  I own a 135i and it's a great car. Exceptionally quick, as nimble as most two seat sport cars, has a larg... : gyrfalcon
  • Except they're ugly :P : Xencer