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Shifty Needs Your Help in Buying a Car
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Comments
Yeah, but it's the kind of brand/model hopping that a lot of us car nuts, or to put it more gently, car afficionados, can identify with, I'm sure. I sometimes buy and sell a couple of cars in the same day...in my fantasies, fortunately. Jay Leno does it for real - although maybe he buys and keeps many more than he sells - while many of us just do it in our minds. Can other Edmunds readers identify with this pathology?
1) 2002-07 Subaru Impreza WRX/STi. Good rally-type cars from what I've heard and seen.
2) 2000-03 Nissan Maxima. If you get the SE model you have a great sports sedan with a top-notch motor (3.0 dual-cam V-6)
3) 2003-05 Honda Civic Si. These are different from the garden-variety Civics (made in England); I've driven them and they're quite fun, almost Alfa-like.
4) 2000-05 BMW 3-Series coupes. To some, the pinnacle of driving fun; I'm pretty sure you can find plenty of those in the Bay Area.
5) 2000-05 Saab 9-5 Aero. Maybe not on your radar, but again, I've driven them and they're pretty quick. Not sure if you want to put up with Saab bugaboos again.
STi won't work because it is hideously ugly. Does Subaru even HAVE a styling department? Fun car though!
Never drove a Maxima or an Si. Hmmm, might be fun to try out.
BMW 3 series---too troublesome. All my friends have trouble with them as they age. Also too small for me. Very cramped inside.
I might consider a 5 series however.
Saab---ditto, way too troublesome, horrible resale.
I really can't be breaking down. I need a very high standard of reliability.
So it's either German + warranty, or Japanese w/wo warranty, or American "buy dirt cheap take your chances".
"Of course any self-respecting MINI owner knows that the British Marquee's dozens of options and customizations will raise the average price by thousands of dollars..."
In reality, this car with just a few options will cost me $23K + t&l so I'm in $25K....for a STATION WAGON!
As Peter Egan used to say, his only rationale for buying a new car, which he rarely has done (once I think, although his wife buys them) is for how it looks. It has to be so tempting and enthralling that reason goes out the wind. The new MINI did that for me, but I'm not sure the Clubman is as compelling or handsome a design package overall.
Besides, have you ever met the kind of people who owned the original Travellers? Just a touch eccentric to say the least.
I'd have to see one up close. I don't need to carry "stuff". I've got a beater for that.
I bought a new Mazdaspeed3 in July and I've been very pleased with it. It's fairly practical yet it is a real blast to drive. The MCS handles a bit better, but the Mazdaspeed has a usable rear seat as well as decent cargo space. I'm certainly not ready to give up my Club Sport, but the Mazdaspeed is an entertaining change of pace. Methinks that I'm going to install the Mazdaspeed Cold Air Intake(@25 hp, $300) and take the little beast to a few few track days next summer.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I drove that car and really liked it. Watch the torque steer on the track though.
I thought so too, but I've seen more than a few independent dyno tests that seem to validate that number. Mazda claims that their CAI intake and exhaust together add 30 hp. The dyno information indicates that the exhaust is only responsible for 5-7hp of that increase.
I drove that car and really liked it. Watch the torque steer on the track though.
Absolutely. The car rewards smooth control inputs, and slow-in, fast-out is the preferred strategy. Aside from the torque steer, I've been surprised by how neutral and planted the car feels in the corners.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Oh well, I am not saying it is really ugly or anything, just a little odd. It's hard to make a broken line look good.
http://www.turbomagazine.com/tech/0402tur_dyno_tricks_problems/index.html
Seeing is believing I always say.
the problem is that one can't just add up the various HP claims for each component. It doesn't work that way. If the CAI claim is 25 and the exhaust is 15 and the pulley is 10 and the chip says 30, that doesn't mean you get 80 when you're done.
But if they'd let you run your own dyno tests and bring the parts back if they don't give 30 HP, well that's fine I guess. Then you're only out the dyno time and a bit of your own labor rather than $500 bucks for little or nothing if the claims are not accurate. OR you've proved that it was all worth it.
I'd especially want a dyno by-back arrangement with a CHIP.
The dyno tests that I referenced were found on several Mazda-specific boards. The guys who fitted CAIs to their Mazdaspeed3s almost always showed a 20-25 hp increase. A lot of these before/after dyno runs were performed at shops that had absolutely no financial interest in the outcome. I also tend to think that Mazdaspeeds own numbers are valid, if only for the reason that they would want to maintain a credible prescence in the aftermarket community.
I'd especially want a dyno by-back arrangement with a CHIP.
I'd trust any chip/reflash marketed by Jim Conforti or Steve Dinan, but anything else I'd want to see with my own eyes...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
It makes no sense. Mazda runs the stock air intake to the grille. How much "colder" air can you get?
I'd bet a sizable sum on this one, using my friend's dyno.
But whatever. Put it on, have fun, I'm sure it "helps" at any rate. Stock air boxes do tend to have a bit of restriction to keep annoying intake noises down.
Well, read for yourself.
"Stavana is coy about how much power these bolt-on Mazdaspeed Accessory pieces produce, but our test numbers suggest at least 25 hp, which would put the Mazdaspeed in the same territory as the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru WRX STI."
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
But....if we add the catback exhaust, and the CAI and we add "coy" to all those, and Edmunds "test numbers" (whatever that is), then maybe real world is around 15--20HP HP?
That would make sense to me anyway. Figure 5-8HP for the CAI and 10-12 for the cat-back. I could live with that :P
SPEAKING OF EVOS: -- still a car on my list. I came *real* close to closing a deal but I did a lot of investigating on how to get rid of the absurd rear wing---but alas, it's not so easy. While I could see the wing for $$$, I'd still need to buy an aftermarket trunk lid and match the paint (and drill for emblems and rear brake light). It's bad enough having to pay the $$$ price for an EVO but then adding another $1,500 or so just to get RID of something....also it was yellow, not my fave color.
I love EVOS, as if you couldn't tell. They are great little cars, too, nearly bullet-proof.
Lancer lightweight
I drove one of those, and they are....um...spartan to say the least.
Geez, look at those prices for a 2006 stripper model. EVOs have great resale and they're usually gone in a red hot minute.
I think 27 year old kidneys are a little more resilient then... Wait how old are you again? :P
Actually I am well preserved but I'm exhibiting old fart tendencies while car shopping. Things like "heated seats" and "Xenon headlights" creep into my shopping list.
Why when I was a lad, ANY seats would do, and headlights were optional. As was a roof. The only heated seats came from the exhaust pipe.
What have I become?
Well, at least I still like to drive fast!
Is it just me or does it seem like a large portion of the EVOs for sale on cars.com, ebay, autotrader, etc. have salvage titles?
With the EVO, I noticed as I was driving one really hard for the first time, that I really underestimated the accuracy of the steering and the rapid turn in. I was waiting for the car to "set" but it was right THERE---it goes where you point it.
The Viper you drive like a cowboy, just hold on and go YEEEEHAW!!! and hope for the best. A good driver can really hustle them around, but you have to work hard and pay attention. EVO is a lot easier---and maybe that's why people get into trouble---not so much warning that things are about to get ugly. The Viper gives you plenty of warning I think, or so I'm told. I never dared drive one that fast, it's beyond my skills after 130 mph or so.
I made an offer on a 2003 Cooper S, nice low miles car, but the owner turned down $16,000, which I thought was more than fair. So I walked. I'm not paying a penny more.
Now I'm looking at a one-owner 1999 BMW 528i, super clean, with NAV, roof, and the other options, 110K miles but all dealer-serviced and all services ticked off in the book, right on time. I'm thinking of offering $7K on this one, because the AC doesn't work and I'm allowing for the "Hans/Dieter" syndrome, which translates into at least $2,000 in repairs for anything with a BMW logo on it.
Like I said, I'm like a fat cat right now. I have a car to drive, I have cash, so I can just walk away from any deal I don't like. I can FEEL the power--LOL! (not that plunking down $16K for a used car is chicken-feed to me).
I love BMWs, although I have not owned one for many, many years. I still read about them and occasionally entertain fantasies of buying one. So your expression of interest was enough to make me do a little looking and I came across this beautiful (and expensive) 5-spd example:
528i 5-spd Sport
Pertinent to your potential purchase is the following quote:
My knowledge of BMWs is extensive and I work with them professionally.... In looking for a pre-'01 style 5-series I wanted to avoid the clumsier steering systems on the 540s -and the fuel economy- and I could not get a '99 or '00 528i: Be informed that BMW North America is on the verge of receiving a class action lawsuit for not recalling continued failures of the improperly assembled dual Vanos units on the '99 and '00 2.8L motors.
You might try to determine if the sellers allegation is based in fact.
Good luck... is yours a manual or auto?
james
Upon reflection, if there were a serious problem with an eight year old engine, it probably would have self-destructed long ago. :P
james, just talkin' to himself here.
The weakest part of these cars (and the 3 series) is the cooling system.
The Miatas are dirt cheap, the Z3s are now starting to drop below $10K, but the Boxster S is still holding fairly strong pricing, regrettably for me. The MINI resale continues to be very strong as well.
These would be second cars. I'm very happy with the Subaru and its ruggedness and abilities in bad weather. It's been a very cheap car to own and run.