i've got a budget to handle a vehicle in the price range of $12,000-$15,000. yes i know for that price there aren't a whole lot of NEW cars in my range. so help me figure out what i should look at either new, or fairly new that would be a good option.
i need decent fuel economy, doesn't have to be stellar but 25-30 highway would be good.
i need more than 140 hp. i'm so tired of owning a slow ass car. doesn't have to be 300hp rwd or any @!#$ (in fact, fwd or awd is preferred) just something with maybe 170 or 200 or so would be awesome.
would prefer a wagon/sedan,or 5 door hatchback.
basically, i want a nice step up from the cavalier. i'd like it to be a nicer vehicle in everyway. does not have to be a stellar car, but a step up is important.
what do you guys recommend to look for?
if you want mileage and something decent, maybe look into the 06ish turbo diesel vw beetles, $60ish and they get like 1100-1300 kms. sure it wont snap your neck with retarded performance but they take well to modding and have an aftermarket following
Aside from the HP, how bout a scooby? 2.5l, AWD, Good Mileage, 12-15k with low miles, or bump to a wrx with higher mileage..
newer legacy gt is in about that range. with some tunning you can better your gas milage out of them. thing is that with the awd you will lose gas milage. all depends on what brand you would like to drive.
Rosario wrote:Aside from the HP, how bout a scooby? 2.5l, AWD, Good Mileage, 12-15k with low miles, or bump to a wrx with higher mileage..
yes please
If I can find a decent one for a decent price I would love to get one. Can anyone name a good year? Easy to maintain? Reliable? I don't know much about subarus to b honest
blucavvy wrote:Rosario wrote:Aside from the HP, how bout a scooby? 2.5l, AWD, Good Mileage, 12-15k with low miles, or bump to a wrx with higher mileage..
yes please
If I can find a decent one for a decent price I would love to get one. Can anyone name a good year? Easy to maintain? Reliable? I don't know much about subarus to b honest
In my opinion I would get either a 2004 or 2005 wrx they are one of the best looking wrx's subaru has ever made to date, so are the new 2011's as well. I'm a very big Subaru fan and would buy any one of there cars.
Well I would suggest a civic(yes I own a 2011 brand new) that is a couple years old SI being you want more hp.These can be bought in that range with no issue.I know the local honda dlrs seem to get these here and are certified.But you can scope around in your area to see what the availability is.Solid,dependable,lots of potential.My recommend,but subs are nice and like those,but a new one for me was touch out of what I wanted for a new car payment!
Not sure if they fit in your price range (no idea what they go for in the US) but what about a SAAB 9-3? Either 2.0 or V6.
Of course I may have a biased opinion. Subarus are also great cars. I have a few co-workers that have WRX wagons and love them.
Not sure what US prices are like, but I just finished car shopping, and didn't end up with much.
I wanted a Scion tC, but there wasn't a Scion dealer for quite a distance, so I couldn't test one. It does seem to fit your needs, though. 180 HP, low price tag, decent MPGs, lots of standard features and lots of options to cover everything else you might want. It also has 4 wheel disc brakes, which is almost unheard of at that price range.
The 2.5L Mazda3 was okay for power, but I found the driving experience to be uninvolved and detached. There was indication of what you were doing. Also, if you end up in the automatic, it has a manual mode, but its completely hopeless. It takes a full second to change gears, and if you change to a high gear for mileage, it'll just downshift back anyways. I was going to trade my Fit (yes, already) for one, but I couldn't justify the drive. Maybe I'm just a picky arse.
Of course, you could just get a used 7-ish year old Jag XK8. It'll be unreliable as @!#$, but it'll look nice and when it works, you'll be happy as hell with it.
2010 Honda Fit LX
Just get a newer cavalier....aka the cobalt....
Thats what i did anyway...
Mods: Synapse Charge Piping, Short Throw, Bad-Mab Dp, Dejon Intake, BYT Tuned!
Parts For SALE! Pacesetter Header(ECO),17'in Resonator, Alternator, Starter, Viper Alarm.
thanks for all the awesome suggestions guys! keep em coming
Don't rule out srt-4's and PT turbo cruisers. My budddy had a black on black 5speed Pt turbo that was a cool dd, and has plenty of potential for upgrades and was dirt cheap...just stay away from the auto's
Looking at Subarus, you can find 02-05 wrx all day in that price range, and you can also find 2.5i's (about 170hp) into 08 for under 15k.
The saab 9-3 was a good recommendation, looked at those and I was in the same exact price range as you.
Also maybe look at a pre-06ish audi A4, you can get awd and sedan or hatch.
Also, I know you said sedan is preferred, but an rsx-s is at or below that range and you can pick up a really nice one with low miles for that.
Plenty of options out there, just gotta look for the right deal. Good luck!
Find a 2004-05 Subaru Forester XT. Make yourself an angry toaster.
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NCR-SCCA
Nic Sharp wrote:blucavvy wrote:Rosario wrote:Aside from the HP, how bout a scooby? 2.5l, AWD, Good Mileage, 12-15k with low miles, or bump to a wrx with higher mileage..
yes please
If I can find a decent one for a decent price I would love to get one. Can anyone name a good year? Easy to maintain? Reliable? I don't know much about subarus to b honest
In my opinion I would get either a 2004 or 2005 wrx they are one of the best looking wrx's subaru has ever made to date, so are the new 2011's as well. I'm a very big Subaru fan and would buy any one of there cars.
My favorite as well, although the 06-07 was pretty nice as well.
to the OP, are you willing to travel? Theres one in nashville, about 9 hours from you. Look on ebay, lots of good deals.
Those Cobalts are expensive, I got mine for 13k
Mods: Synapse Charge Piping, Short Throw, Bad-Mab Dp, Dejon Intake, BYT Tuned!
Parts For SALE! Pacesetter Header(ECO),17'in Resonator, Alternator, Starter, Viper Alarm.
I really considered a cobalt, and I test drove a few of them and liked them, but the resale value is what killed it for me, didn't wanna end up in a situation like when I bought my cavalier and was upside down for like 4 years. Not knocking them at all, like I said I loved them, but when you start spending a bit more money you want to look for something that will hold value fairly well.
It is a cheap car to begin with for what it is. I plan to run mine into the ground. Haha.
05-06 Mazdaspeed3 can be had for around $15,000, i've looked at a couple ads for them. Can't say no to 260hp 280ft/lb of torque, FWD 2.3L turbo. Handles retardedly well.
Thrice . wrote:05-06 Mazdaspeed3 can be had for around $15,000, i've looked at a couple ads for them. Can't say no to 260hp 280ft/lb of torque, FWD 2.3L turbo. Handles retardedly well.
Or if you want AWD, look at a Speed6. Or if you want cargo space and AWD, a CX-7. I just bought one a little over a month ago and it's amazing. I have mazdaEdit reflash software and a catless downpipe and it feels like I gained 30-40 horsepower. Plus, with the software you actually gain MPG's - since I just flashed mine I can't comment on mileage, but I've read about 25 MPG highway for AWD models. The thing handles excellently, the brakes are phenomenal, and the interior is comfortable and looks very upscale
ebrown0104 wrote:Thrice . wrote:05-06 Mazdaspeed3 can be had for around $15,000, i've looked at a couple ads for them. Can't say no to 260hp 280ft/lb of torque, FWD 2.3L turbo. Handles retardedly well.
Or if you want AWD, look at a Speed6. Or if you want cargo space and AWD, a CX-7. I just bought one a little over a month ago and it's amazing. I have mazdaEdit reflash software and a catless downpipe and it feels like I gained 30-40 horsepower. Plus, with the software you actually gain MPG's - since I just flashed mine I can't comment on mileage, but I've read about 25 MPG highway for AWD models. The thing handles excellently, the brakes are phenomenal, and the interior is comfortable and looks very upscale
will definately look into this, those mazdaspeed 3's are right up my alley.
so apparently wedding ring>new car.
