Looking for a new car

[Accept2]

The TT is cool. If I was going to get a small car, it would be one of those. I drive the big pig A6 Twin Turbo, but I still love those TTs.............

[Emthrax]

I second the Mazda3. Don't be fooled by its small size, I can fit 3 guitars and my Mesa Boogie in that thing. Plus accessories. Hahaha!
Here's mine... small pic.

[horns666]

That's a nice car Emmy..

I gotta ..well Val has a Ford Focus, the sporty one..small but roomy..no complaints, The focus has been VERY dependable..and GREAT on gas...and has a nice sounding factory stereo..and it did fine during a good collision..Val and Vinny were hit pretty hard..and they both came out fine..the car is as good as bew again..they replaced everything ..about 8K worth..so it better be..the other party claimed full liability..I didn't pay squat and they got the car back to norm..they even fixed a couple of other dings too..that was a couple years ago..no probs...not a one!

She still loves it..I'll get that car eventually and buy her something else when she's tired of this one..

I think I would go Honda, Toyota or VW on the next buy...for her...she like those convertible Beetles..

I got my winter beater and my toy Cobra..and it doesn't get sexier than a Cobra IMO..what esle would I drive..I'm a sexy bitch!:ROTF:

I'm really waiting for Ford to unveil their new Pinto..

Retro is "in"..

[Deneb]

I'm looking at buying a new car late this year. As I've never really had a fun car to drive (my current ride is a '96 Saturn SL-2 ), I'm really looking for a sport coupe. To add to that, I'm looking at a budget of the mid-ish $20K range. I'm also concerned about reliability, as I plan to have this car as my only car for 6 years or so. Lastly, as I live in Ohio, the car will need to face some snow.

With that in mind, I think my current fave is the Mustang. I also sort of liked the 350Z but it takes premium/91 octane go-go juice, so that's a drawback, as is the Nissan's small trunk area. I thought a bit about the Acura RSX Type-S and the Mitsubishi Eclipse but both of those require the 91 octane gas.

So what do you gearheads out there have to say about those cars, particularly from mechanical standpoints? I already dig the styling of the Mustang, so no real need to comment there. But I'm trying to get a feel for all of these cars in terms of what reliability might be like.

I'm also open to suggestions for other cars to consider though ragtops are out. (Hey, we get winter here sometimes...)

Thanks in advance for the responses.

The Acura doesn't require the gas, it's just suggested. The thing with octane ratings in gas is, it may or may not need that. You may run 91 in it and it will run like shit. You may run 87 and it will run like shit. I've got a friend at work who drives this Audi. It says run 91 in it. He runs 89, and that's the best suited grade for it.

My civic ran 91 and was great, my accord with 91 sucks.

If you're looking at a new car, look for a Honda.

[zeegler]

I am now the proud owner of a 2004 Mazda6 "M6s" (the six-cyl one) and couldn't be more thrilled with it! These cars have had great reviews and, having owned many cars (and I do my own maintenance and minor repairs, etc.) this one totally rocks! I highly recommend them.

~Annah

Here's my baby:

That is fucking pimpin' Annah!! I love those, especially the blown Mazdaspeed 6 with 274 horsepower, and AWD.

[audiophile]

Find a low mileage 95-99 Lexus SC300
Luxury Sport sedan

It's a Toyota = reliable
It's has the non-turbo Supra engine in it & is a 2 door = sporty
Can have traction control with a 'snow' setting = flexible
And is decked in luxury = pimpin

I think the '98up are 91octane, but prior wasn't, not sure the crossover.
Still looking for that info.


Anyways, It's what I'm lookin for.. Had my Rx7 sporter, Had my Blazer suv, now time for a change and sport sedan sounds nice.

There's the SC400 as well, but that's the 8cyl and don't have enough history on 8cyl toyotas to be educamacated.
Seen enough out there with pretty high mileage to know they can keep on truckin if taken care of.

[RacerX]

Audi. Incredible reliability,

[Mr. Poon]

Considering the snow issue, go with the WRX. I had one and it was a great car- went like hell, was unstoppable in the snow, and was very comfortable. I traded that for a new Legacy GT, which I like even more, but that's in the mid-20 range. Worth the extra money, though, in my opinion. The WRX is awesome, though- they didn't win all those World Rally Championships for nothing.

[Crusher]

I had a Mazda3 that I bought brand new and had nothing but problems with it since day 1. I had to bring it back to the shop at least 6 times for different ailments. I had a Toyota Corolla for 12 years before the Mazda that gave me no problems for 10 years and had well over 200K on it. The Mazda I bought must have been built on a Friday afternoon. I got rid of it and bought a Honda Accord about a year ago and have had no problems at all

[Emthrax]

Wow?! I can't believe you had so many probs with your Maza3! And brand new too! You must have got a real dud, that sucks. There are different ones, which one did you get?
Mine has been incredibly spifforiffic, it's like a little racecar. Great gas mileage...awesome, simply.

The Honda Accord Lx... yes. GREAT cars! We had one for 12 years that was 15 years old when we finally sold it. Freaking energizer bunny that thing was. Went everywhere all over the country and back again several times. Only thing... parts are a bitch to get, but if you buy new you prolly won't need 'em. You better not! Hahaha!

[slayer]

Just a suggestion, but I saw a commercial of a new Hundai roadster thingy, looked pretty sporty for them!! Anybody know what it is? I only saw it once and it was a quick commercial. Jack.

[zeegler]

I've had 2 Mazdas. I have a 1988 MX6 that I bought used for dirt cheap and proceeded to drive the living shit out of it for 8 years. It simply would not die. In all the time I had it, it got new tires and brakes a couple of times, and I had to replace my alternator once. It now sits in my driveway, waiting for me to get around to selling it. Stills runs good with over 300k on it.

We also have a 2002 Mazda Protege 5. It's not the fastest car in the world but it handles like a go-kart, and is a friggin blast to drive. It hasn't had any problems at all.