How's Mazda? I'm thinking about an RX-8.

dorokusai

The only thing they get is an end to their suffering. Now back to our scheduled programming.

Ron - Have you thought about Audi? A3....TT perhaps?

avelanchefan

Well I have the GTI Farhenheit and it is one of the greatest cars I have owned. The acceleration of this vehicle is so underated that I almost giggle everytime I push on the gas from a dead stop. Whats more with a mere 1500 dollars you could make this vehicle rival any v6 on the road from a dead stop. Getting a GIAC 2nd stage chip, with a new exhaust system put over 250hp AT the wheels...not before.

While I do not condone street racing of any type I was driving home about 2 months ago, and these freaking cholos in a soup-ed up Acura CL with the V6 SOHC Vtech (thats in all the current Honda Accords and Acura cars) and a **** can, kept on wanting to drag me. This went on for about 5 stop and goes from red lights. I was ignoring them but then p##sy was uttered loud enough for me to hear over the radio. Next light I gave in, and honestly I did not think much about it at the time (it being a v6 and all) but I crushed them from the light, and it was never really even a race.

This is running stock with the DSG transmission. (Shifts much faster than a standard tranny)

Ron this is for you! Read Below. But not sure why you think the ratings are low, but the GTI has 8 airbags, the package two leather seats mold to your body and it is very comfortble. The 6 cd sound system was actually a nice surprise and it does not make me want to upgrade it, comes with 3 month satellite service. I love the center HUD display between the tachometer and the RPM gauge. It gives you a ton of options that you can display. Highway driving is very very quiet.

http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars/12070/2007-volkswagen-gti.html

One thing I am glad to see you doing is test driving everything out there. VERY smart. Next time that is what I am going to do. But the next car I will be seriously looking at is the lexus IS series like jStas mentioned. Everytime I see it, it screams luxury, with a touch of bad **** speed and appeal to it. That or maybe a Passat.

dorokusai

The DSG tranny takes getting used to if you're a WWII style shifter but it's smooth as silk.

audiobliss

avelanchefan wrote: »

Well I have the GTI Farhenheit and it is one of the greatest cars I have owned. The acceleration of this vehicle is so underated that I almost giggle everytime I push on the gas from a dead stop. Whats more with a mere 1500 dollars you could make this vehicle rival any v6 on the road from a dead stop. Getting a GIAC 2nd stage chip, with a new exhaust system put over 250hp AT the wheels...not before.

While I do not condone street racing of any type I was driving home about 2 months ago, and these freaking cholos in a soup-ed up Acura CL with the V6 SOHC Vtech (thats in all the current Honda Accords and Acura cars) and a **** can, kept on wanting to drag me. This went on for about 5 stop and goes from red lights. I was ignoring them but then p##sy was uttered loud enough for me to hear over the radio. Next light I gave in, and honestly I did not think much about it at the time (it being a v6 and all) but I crushed them from the light, and it was never really even a race.

This is running stock with the DSG transmission. (Shifts much faster than a standard tranny)

Ron this is for you! Read Below. But not sure why you think the ratings are low, but the GTI has 8 airbags, the package two leather seats mold to your body and it is very comfortble. The 6 cd sound system was actually a nice surprise and it does not make me want to upgrade it, comes with 3 month satellite service. I love the center HUD display between the tachometer and the RPM gauge. It gives you a ton of options that you can display. Highway driving is very very quiet.

http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars/12070/2007-volkswagen-gti.html

One thing I am glad to see you doing is test driving everything out there. VERY smart. Next time that is what I am going to do. But the next car I will be seriously looking at is the lexus IS series like jStas mentioned. Everytime I see it, it screams luxury, with a touch of bad **** speed and appeal to it. That or maybe a Passat.

Wow, your little advertisement has me wanting one now! :D

Ron-P

Who do you mean by CS?

Consumer Reports.

The Eclipse is a teenage girls' car.

I like teenage girls. Umm, well the one's over 18, yeah, those ones.

Ron - Have you thought about Audi? A3....TT perhaps?

Out of my price range.

But not sure why you think the ratings are low

Reliability. I'm sure it's a sweet ride but reliablilty gets below average scores. German engineering has yet to impress me as for lasting quality.

cmy330go

Ron-P wrote: »

Consumer Reports.....

That's what I was affraid of. FWIW I never put much trust in consumer reports. I've see far too much inaccuracy from them in the past.

Ron-P wrote: »

....Reliability. I'm sure it's a sweet ride but reliablilty gets below average scores. German engineering has yet to impress me as for lasting quality.

See above.;)

But in addition to that. I've had a few Germans. So far the one I owned the longest was my 2001 BMW 330i. I drove it off the lot with 6 miles and traded it at just short of 80,000. The car was not totally trouble free, but the 2 problems it had, happened within the first 30k miles. Not only that, but I only had to have that car aligned once at 20k. From then on it drove straight as a string without any uneven wear. I also never had to replace the brake pads or even have the rotors turned. This is amazing to me since it was hard not to drive that car hard.

On the other hand....I traded it on a certified 2003 Lexus GS430. I bought the Lexus with 32k and it now has 76k. This car does not get driven nearly as hard as the Bimmer did. I had the rotors turned twice within 20k miles, then finally just replaced them with upgraded rotors. Plus this car won't hold an alignment to save it's life. Costing me a very expensive set of tires. I've also had to have the steering wheel replaced due to the finish delaminating, and had to have the radio replaced. I too have an air bag light that randomly rears it's ugly head, yet the dealership can't seem to chase it down. On top of this.....the car is boring as hell to drive. Sport Sedan my ****.

I've found that regardless of class that 9 times out of 10 a German car is just flat out a better drive than it's Japanese or American counterpart.

Just another 2 cents worth from Dave.:D

shack

cmy330go wrote:

That's what I was affraid of. FWIW I never put much trust in consumer reports. I've see far too much inaccuracy from them in the past.

I'm not sure what their testing methodology is, but I used to follow their advice on lots of consumer products and half the time the stuff they said was great ended up being crap. :mad: From what I have discerned, their rating on autos is even worse. I don't even consider their advice anymore

cmy330go wrote:

I've found that regardless of class that 9 times out of 10 a German car is just flat out a better drive than it's Japanese or American counterpart.

The VWs I've owned have been outstanding. My GLI was sold with 120,000 miles on it with only one transmission problem that was due a design fault since it (the tranny) was the first year of production. My daughter's New Beetle has 113,000 and no real issues (other than her running the car with no oil which melted the impeller in the oil pump and warped the heads :rolleyes:). I've also had 3 Hondas with no issues even with lots of miles. My 93 Mustang had 185,000 miles on it when I parked it and had never even had the rocker covers off and the only replacements were the radiator and AC clutch. The two Focus' and the ZX2 Escort have been pretty good as well...but they are basically Mazda drive trains which helps.

My problem vehicles have been Mopars. A Plymouth van with a disintegrated transmission at 45,000 and several electrical issues and a Dodge Caravan with various electrical problems. I put well over 110,000 miles on each of them...but I won't be buying another.

billbillw

avelanchefan wrote: »

http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars/12070/2007-volkswagen-gti.html

Compare to this:
http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars/12066/2007-mazdaspeed-3.html

"seats worthy of a BMW," "but way quicker than a VW GTI,"

and Here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/14234/2007-mazdaspeed-3.html

"Power, grip, brakes, agility—it’s all there in quantities so prodigious as to encourage pure evil in the hearts of men. On a busy two-lane the Mazdaspeed 3 flies past a line of semis so effortlessly as to convince you of your immunity to traffic. It attacks turns with a viscous bite and sticks to pavement with Fixodent-quality adhesion."

"2007 Mazdaspeed 3:

Highs: Felonious power, crisp steering, Porsche brakes, fits of giggling.
Lows: Wheel-wrenching torque steer, spongy shifter, dash rattle.
The Verdict: It may cause jail time, but never boredom"


Ron, If you can't tell, I'm not going to give up until you test drive one of these!

avelanchefan

billbillw wrote: »

Compare to this:
http://www.caranddriver.com/bestcars/12066/2007-mazdaspeed-3.html

"seats worthy of a BMW," "but way quicker than a VW GTI,"

and Here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/14234/2007-mazdaspeed-3.html

"Power, grip, brakes, agility—it’s all there in quantities so prodigious as to encourage pure evil in the hearts of men. On a busy two-lane the Mazdaspeed 3 flies past a line of semis so effortlessly as to convince you of your immunity to traffic. It attacks turns with a viscous bite and sticks to pavement with Fixodent-quality adhesion."

"2007 Mazdaspeed 3:

Highs: Felonious power, crisp steering, Porsche brakes, fits of giggling.
Lows: Wheel-wrenching torque steer, spongy shifter, dash rattle.
The Verdict: It may cause jail time, but never boredom"


Ron, If you can't tell, I'm not going to give up until you test drive one of these!

Your correct on all of that Bill. One of the fellows in our local VW club has a speed3, and it is hands down quicker than the GTI. Although I find the GTI to be a little more luxurious inside. The leather quality is better, and I think the trim is nicer than the speed3. But it sounds like they have improved the interior in the 2008 model.

Jstas

shack wrote: »

The two Focus' and the ZX2 Escort have been pretty good as well...but they are basically Mazda drive trains which helps.

Uhhh...no they aren't. Engines are Ford, depending on options you got a transmission from Ford or Mazda in very late model Escorts. Ford never really used Mazda drivetrains. The first Escorts came with the 1.8/2.0L versions of the OHC engines also known as the EAO engine. That engine was the basis for the OHC turbo engine in the Thunderbirds and Mustangs and got as big as the 2.5L in the Rangers. The 1.6L was a "Kent" engine because of where it was made in England. That engine is still used at the basis for Formula Ford. The Escorts started coming with the 1.6L and 1.9L CVH engines in 1984. CVH stands for Canted Valve Head and it had the valves canted to match the hemispherical combustion chamber design of the head. That's right, Escorts had Hemi's. The Zetec engine is based off of the DOHC from Ford and it came from the European Escort which got that engine in 1992 I think it was? Can't remember for sure. We didn't see the Zetec engines here until 1995 I think, in the Contour/Mystique.

None of them are Mazda engines actually, none of the transmissions are Mazda transmissions either. Except for the sole 5 speed G5M transmission from Mazda. Every other transmission and engine is a Ford designed and built item. In fact, alot of Mazdas actually use the Ford engines and transmissions.

What the Escort does share but only from about 1991 on is the Mazda B platform. Even the ZX2 is built on that. But from 1984-1990, the Escort was built on the Ford CE14 platform. Those Escorts were all Ford.

If you want, I can run down the genealogy of the Focus too.

audiobliss

Indeed, the MazdaSpeed3 is a beast! I'd be tickled to death to be able to drive one to school everyday!

shack

wrote:

If you want, I can run down the genealogy of the Focus too.

No thanks.

Ron-P

cmy330go wrote: »

That's what I was affraid of. FWIW I never put much trust in consumer reports. I've see far too much inaccuracy from them in the past.

It's not perfect, nothing is but it is a valuable tool and has good information in it. I've never found it to be inaccurate myself.

Ron, If you can't tell, I'm not going to give up until you test drive one of these!

Bill, I'm sorry I just don't like the stationwagon look of the Speed3. Looks are 50% of the car for me and performance is the other 50%. I'm trying to find something with a good balance.

My MINI handled like a dream but as far as performace goes, it sucked. A 5-speed 120hp 4-banger, pretty much guttless under the hood. But, that was ok, the car had style. I don't race, I don't drive fast, I just like to cruise so performace is not a big issue with me.

My Coworkers husband has a Speed3, she says he loves it, he also races his Miata. But she said his Speed3 is in the shop quite a bit for little things.

billbillw

Ron-P wrote: »

Bill, I'm sorry I just don't like the stationwagon look of the Speed3. Looks are 50% of the car for me and performance is the other 50%. I'm trying to find something with a good balance.

Stationwagon? Doesn't look anything like a stationwagon to me. Seems kinda strange you are willing to look at the GTI and previously owned a Mini, both of which are essentially the same body style, except in a 2 door.

Oh well, I tried. I just think you should always see a car in person and drive it before ruling it out.

I would have never considered a Passat until I drove my 2k, 5 speed/V6 version. Very under-rated car that was never tested by magazines with that drivetrain.

Back to VW reliability, I've had mine since new (Aug-2000), now with 115,000 miles. Its never stranded me. It had a couple of small issues under warranty (leaky water pump and valve cover gaskets) and a couple of recalls that were covered for free (mass air flow and something else I can't remember), but otherwise, its been 100% reliable. Just 1 brake job, 1 new battery, 2 new sets of tires, filters, and oil changes. Hard to find fault with that over the course of 7+ years.

Ron-P

Oh well, I tried. I just think you should always see a car in person and drive it before ruling it out.

Very true, and I haven't signed any paperwork yet. I'll need to find another local Mazda dealer, no way am I going back to the one I just went to, the pressure was horrid they gave me when looking at the RX-8. I'll give one a test drive, just for you Bill.

It's also good to hear about GTI's reilability.

bobman1235

I have a VW horror story, but to be fair, the car was a 1993 with 130k miles on it at the time. Oil pump went while on the highway, snapped the timing belt and damaged a piston and cam shaft... blech. Car never really worked well after that, as you can imagine.

During that ordeal, every mechanic I talked to (and there were many) said that they hate VWs not necessarily because of their reliability but their tendency to break catastrophically and in a very tough-to-fix way. When the consensus of an unrelated group of mechanics is that a car is a pain to own, I tend to listen to them.

dorokusai

Ron-P wrote: »

I like teenage girls. Umm, well the one's over 18, yeah, those ones.

If you weren't already a Polk Scholar, you certainly are now....delicious

Good luck in what you end up with Ron as it really looks like your doing some honest to goodness work. It will be a winner or a weiner but at least you tried in the end.

sabotg

Back to the RX-8 for a minute. When I was researching the details on this vehicle I found a ton of posts about the rotary engine having to be rebuilt after only 30K. Apparently this has something to do with the Mazda recommendation of only using a 5W-20 oil in the car. I was at an autoshow this summer and asked one of the Mazda car reps about this issue. He responded that he couldn't comment! WTF can't comment? I was totally dismayed by this as I think it's a sweet ride. I'm not an expert on the problem but there seems to be a ton of RX-8 owners out there that are having issues with their cars. Just something I'd bring up with the dealer before purchasing.

Aqs612scag

Have you look at the Nissan Altima coupe? Pretty fast and reasonably priced too.

http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroadtests/13025/tested-2008-nissan-altima-35se-coupe.html

Jstas

Hey, want a Subaru Impreza WRX but don't like the looks? Grab yourself a Saab 9-3! It's mechanically identical but slightly different suspension tuning and different looks.

http://www.saabusa.com/saabjsp/93s/index.jsp?model_viewer=5

Starts at just over $28K

audiobliss

What?!?!?! I've never heard that and never would have guessed it!!!

bobman1235

Jstas wrote: »

Hey, want a Subaru Impreza WRX but don't like the looks? Grab yourself a Saab 9-3! It's mechanically identical but slightly different suspension tuning and different looks.

http://www.saabusa.com/saabjsp/93s/index.jsp?model_viewer=5

Starts at just over $28K

How is that even remotely true? Saab is owned by GM, Subaru is an affiliate of Toyota. They're not even related.

Not to mention Subaru is a nice reliable car (from everything I've heard and experienced, having had a few in my family and owned one) while Saabs are just overpriced money pits.

billbillw

Jstas wrote: »

Hey, want a Subaru Impreza WRX but don't like the looks? Grab yourself a Saab 9-3! It's mechanically identical but slightly different suspension tuning and different looks.

http://www.saabusa.com/saabjsp/93s/index.jsp?model_viewer=5

Starts at just over $28K

I think he's confused. The Sabb 9-2x was a rebadged Impreza wagon, but the 9-3 has nothing to do with Subaru. The 9-2x was discontinued last year.

At that time, GM owned 20% of Subaru. No longer the case, no more 9-2x.

avelanchefan

How about the new Subaru WRX STI's coming this year. Holy shiznit!

# 305-hp 2.5-liter DOHC intercooled, turbocharged SUBARU BOXER engine
# 290 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm
# Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive
# MPG: (manual) 17 city / 23 highway^
# 18 x 8.5-inch 5-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels
# Brembo® performance brake system
# STI high-performance-tuned exhaust system with quad stainless-steel outlets

http://www.subaru.com/shop/overview.jsp?model=IMPREZAWRX&trim=STI&command=overview

Ron-P

Nice Subaru too bad it's about $10k over my budget.

Back to the RX-8 for a minute. When I was researching the details on this vehicle I found a ton of posts about the rotary engine having to be rebuilt after only 30K. Apparently this has something to do with the Mazda recommendation of only using a 5W-20 oil in the car. I was at an autoshow this summer and asked one of the Mazda car reps about this issue. He responded that he couldn't comment! WTF can't comment? I was totally dismayed by this as I think it's a sweet ride. I'm not an expert on the problem but there seems to be a ton of RX-8 owners out there that are having issues with their cars. Just something I'd bring up with the dealer before purchasing.

The older rotary engines were prone to the seals failing prompting a rebuild of the engine. The newer "Renesis" rotary engines are much better and don't have this problem.

brettw22

Those Altima coupe's are nice looking, but you have to be in the mood for a FWD coupe.........

Face

brettw22 wrote: »

Those Altima coupe's are nice looking, but you have to be in the mood for a FWD coupe.........

I agree. Styling wise, it's a more affordable version of the G37 in my eyes.

Ron-P

Aqs612scag wrote: »

Have you look at the Nissan Altima coupe? Pretty fast and reasonably priced too.

http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroadtests/13025/tested-2008-nissan-altima-35se-coupe.html

Somehow I missed this one. A nice 4 seater coupe. Not as sharp looking as the Eclipse but it's priced only a couple grand more, so it fits the budget. Looks like my test driving is not quite at an end.

Ron-P

I just did some online comparing of the Altima Coupe to the Eclipse Coupe.

Both are rated very high with regards to reliability. The Altima has a few more horses under the hood, 7 actually, and it's about 500lbs lighter so it'll be a bit faster. The Altima has a more luxurious interior, not near as sporty. The exterior looks are the same, not as sporty looking as well. I still like the looks inside and out of the Eclipse. But, I want to go test drive the Altima, hopefully today.

Face

In person they're much nicer looking. Plus you won't look like a teenage girl driving one.