Buying a new car

[dustinr 10+ year member]

Hey everyone,

I'm going to be hitting up the car market as soon as I get off of my deployment and am interested in getting other peoples opinions and ideas for a new or newer used car. My budget is around $15,000-$24,000, but would like to stay around the lower side of the budget so I can do some modding and a new system install. A few cars that have already caught my eye are:

Acura RSX Type S 02-06

Volkswagen GTI MKV 06-08

Mazda MazdaSpeed3 New

Infiniti G35 04?

Honda Civic SI 06-08

Some MUSTS I am looking for in my new(er) vehicle:

Reliable (As in a daily driver, except for winter)

Efficient (MPG must be around 25 for city and at least 29-30 for highway)

Fun (I want something I will enjoy to drive on a daily basis, manual is a MUST)

Interior (The interior is very important to me, I was looking at EVOs and WRXs online and the interior on them didn't appeal to me.)

Space (I want something I can fit a small SQ setup in yet still have cargo room. Also, if and when I have passengers, I want them to be comfortable ie: leg room)

Performance/Aftermarket life (I want something with a little oomph and a aftermarket status so I can give it a little more oomph //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif I might try the track too)

Resell Value (A car that will actually keep its value and be worth something when I decide to sell it)

That's really about it, for now. So if you have any first hand experience with any of these vehicles, just shoot me some opinions & suggestions! I'm also open to other vehicle ideas too.

Thanks!

Dustin

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[crunktimes.com 5,000+ posts]

I would go from favorite to least favorite: G35 > GTI > RSX > Honda > Mazda

I would probably go G35 or 350Z if it is a practical size for you because I think they look the best, you should not have too much trouble with loosing boatloads of cash on anything except the Mazda and the Civic would probably hold the resale value the best but you are still driving another Civic.

Have you considered a DeLorean?

 

[tv559 10+ year member]

Well if you must have 25mpg in city and around 30 Highway get a honda civic. Otherwise my vote goes to the G35.

 

[EGGmane 10+ year member]

My vote goes to the G35. One of my buddies mom has one and it is very nice, has a lot of room and still has some get up. Not sure about the gas mileage though.

 

[MikeATL 10+ year member]

My '06 G35 coupe got about 18 in the city, and I'd expect the same of the sedan - I was looking to get better gas mileage and lower payments and pretty much came up the same list as you...and down to the Si/MazdaSpeed 3/Altima. I like manuals but couldn't stand one in Atlanta traffic, and ended up w/the Altima for the extra room as I have kids.

My vote is for the MazdaSpeed 3 based on your req's- that's a mean little machine and a lot of bang for the buck!

 

[jkyards]

If you want a good selection id try a parts locator. One place that can find you a good short or long block for a Audi A4 dodge engine is TEXAS Junkyards, Junk Yards in TEXAS TX salvage recycler. They have a link somehow to multiples of thousands of recycling centers and will locate the best one for you.

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

If you want a good selection id try a parts locator. One place that can find you a good short or long block for a Audi A4 dodge engine is TEXAS Junkyards, Junk Yards in TEXAS TX salvage recycler. They have a link somehow to multiples of thousands of recycling centers and will locate the best one for you.

is this spam?

but really audi s4 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif lol prolly not the best car for you situation lol.

g35 is really nice fun to drive, you should sooooo get a smart car and put a slamming system in it like lol. Id say vw would be my choice then again i bought a saturn and couldnt be happier unless i had the money for an evox orsimilar. Also scion TCs arnt bad cars either

 

[jkyards]

If you want a good selection id try a parts locator. One place that can find you a good short or long block for a Audi A4 engine is TEXAS Junkyards, Junk Yards in TEXAS TX salvage recycler. They have a link somehow to multiples of thousands of recycling centers and will locate the best one for you.

 

[wr11shredz 10+ year member]

get a 06+ impala ss w/ 5.3L V8

 

[dustinr 10+ year member]

is this spam?

but really audi s4 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif lol prolly not the best car for you situation lol.

g35 is really nice fun to drive, you should sooooo get a smart car and put a slamming system in it like lol. Id say vw would be my choice then again i bought a saturn and couldnt be happier unless i had the money for an evox orsimilar. Also scion TCs arnt bad cars either

Yeah, I really like the Scion TC as it is another option for me.( I don't know if it is fast enough though ) I don't really want anything too loud for a system either. Something with a good response, and clean punchy bass. I was thinking about 2 SI BM's or 2 eD SQ10's.. maybe the new mags I dunno yet. Has anyone out there had a previous install in one of these car and could give a little input on how it went, difficulty wise?

p.s. I COULD get a used evo or sti, but the insurance is crazy. **** that.

get a 06+ impala ss w/ 5.3L V8

lol.. GM is ****ed.. plus why would I want a v8 with the gas prices these days?

 

[sick1 10+ year member]

?? HHR SS or Colbalt SS ??

They both have all your "must haves" covered.

 

[lbjshaq2345 10+ year member]

tC is definitely a fun car. +Supercharger and it's an extremely quick little car. Computer stops the car at ~120mph though. I've had the car a year and am still finding things.