Your NEXT car.... what will it be?
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Thursday, September 16, 2010 03:54
VIEWED: 23206
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I LOVE my 1999 Saturn LS
but Saturn is now a thing of the past.
IF I need to get a new one sometime in the near future, my Son says a Beetle or Smart Car, but I'm considering this:
Chevy Aveo
Am I nuts, or is this a decent ride for the money?
And what are YOU considering?
The I-can't-afford-a-Delorean Chrisisall
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I'd recommend either a Honda Civic or a Mazda3.
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Quote:Civic is a little large these days, but Ooooooh, Mazda 3 is NIIICE. A third more in price, but I might be able to deal with that....
Originally posted by ecgordon:
I'd recommend either a Honda Civic or a Mazda3.
The laughing Chrisisall
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Mazda 2 looks sweet too!!! And even a tighter turning radius, I presume!!!
The laughing Chrisisall
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90% sure my next car will be a Mazda Protegé5:
Predates the Mazda3, but same basic premise. And with a set of MazdaSpeed springs and antiroll bars, they handle *quite* nicely. Nice ones go for around $3200 these days.
If not that, I'd go for the Lexus IS300 Sportcross:
Same concept, but nicer. Downside? Only available with automatic transmission. And a nice used one is still above $10k.
Other possibilities:
Honda Element.
Subaru WRX/ Saab 9-2x (Same car, different badges, but both made in Japan by Subaru).
I've got a 2003 Civic now, and I hate it. It's the epitome of boring and bland. My wife likes it, so it's all hers. I'm a longtime Honda fanatic, having owned no fewer than a dozen of 'em, including six CRXs and four Civics. The only Honda I really regret selling was my '91 Accord Wagon, so my next car will be another wagon. Need something to haul dogs and bikes in, and I hate SUVs. Wagons give all the practicality of an SUV, but handle better, get better mileage, and look better to boot.
But Chris, if you really like the Saturn, look at a new Buick Regal. Same underpinnings as the Saturn Aura, I believe (sourced from German Opel, aka GM of Germany). It's actually getting good reviews.
Mazda2 is sweet, but might be a bit too much like a Geo Metro in size and mission. I've seen it, and I kinda dig it, though.
My buddy David has a very sweet Mazda3 Sport, which is very nice, but he swears he misses the Protegé he had before it.
Something's gone wrong at Honda, and I fear my love affair with them is at an end... :(
AURaptor's Greatest Hits:
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.
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If I had the cash ($26,000) I know a guy who can get me one of these...
2011 (Last production year) Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The's cars are not for sale to the general public.
They are big and safe (75 MPH front and rear crash rating) and get remarkably good mileage for a two ton, V-8 powered car. I currently own a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquise (Nearly the same vehicle) that gets 22 mpg, (mixed highway and city driving) has 118,000 miles on the odometer and it needs a tune up!! All tweaked out, It should get about 24 mpg.
It's sad that the American, full frame, rear wheel drive car is becoming extinct. These things can take a pounding.
NYC Taxi Crowns are routinely hitting 300,000 very hard miles.
Or if I really had money... I'd take a 2011 Mustang GT....
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Quote:I like small one man fighters.
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Mazda2 is sweet, but might be a bit too much like a Geo Metro in size and mission. I've seen it, and I kinda dig it, though.
The laughing Chrisisall
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Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:I like small one man fighters.
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Mazda2 is sweet, but might be a bit too much like a Geo Metro in size and mission. I've seen it, and I kinda dig it, though.
The laughing Chrisisall
I hear ya. Remember, *SIX* CRXs. It's as small a car as I've found that I can actually get inside and drive. If you really like small and nimble, look at a Miata. There are very few cars at any price that can keep up with a Miata on a twisty road. Unfortunately, nobody much over 6' tall can fit in 'em, or I'd have had a half-dozen of those instead of the CRXs!
So back to your quandary: Beetle = NO. Terrible reliability, high maintenance costs. VWs are nice when they're in warranty, and pure hell when they aren't. Virtually ALL of m old VW buddies from the racing days have gotten the hell away from Vee-Dubs and gone to Subarus, simply because they got tired of the hassles of the damn things always breaking down and being next to impossible to diagnose.
Smart Car: Ditto. Smart started as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch (the watch company); I'm not making this up. What should be simple and cheap (like a Swatch) ended up heavy, over-engineered, and expensive (like a Benz). They don't even get decent mileage, either, for what you give up (any semblance of utility or storage capacity, for instance).
If you want to be a glutton for that kind of punishment, go for it.
Heck, if you like Saturn and you like small, why not try to snake a deal on a Saturn Sky roadster? They actually look really sweet, and you're going to be able to get parts for a good long while...
AURaptor's Greatest Hits:
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Briglad:
If I had the cash ($26,000) I know a guy who can get me one of these...
2011 (Last production year) Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The's cars are not for sale to the general public.
They are big and safe (75 MPH front and rear crash rating) and get remarkably good mileage for a two ton, V-8 powered car. I currently own a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquise (Nearly the same vehicle) that gets 22 mpg, (mixed highway and city driving) has 118,000 miles on the odometer and it needs a tune up!! All tweaked out, It should get about 24 mpg.
It's sad that the American, full frame, rear wheel drive car is becoming extinct. These things can take a pounding.
NYC Taxi Crowns are routinely hitting 300,000 very hard miles.
Or if I really had money... I'd take a 2011 Mustang GT....
Can't you pick those up at police auctions for a few grand?
AURaptor's Greatest Hits:
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 20:32 To AnthonyT:
Go fuck yourself.
On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you.
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 18:26 To President Obama:
Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar.
Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.
... go fuck yourself, Mr. President.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
90% sure my next car will be a Mazda Protegé5...
My buddy David has a very sweet Mazda3 Sport, which is very nice, but he swears he misses the Protegé he had before it.
I had a '96 Protege that was great, but I gave that one to my son when he was in college, and he still has it. It still runs great, no problems whatsoever.
On a recent trip visiting him I rented a Civic and really liked it, although I would have preferred a manual transmission.
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