Car advice

Flynnski

Flynnski

Member
Looking to buy a hot hatch to be my daily driver. Looking at the wrx, mazdaspeed 3, and focus st. Budget is around 10k so there not low mile cars. If anyone has any experience or thoughts on these would love to hear them.
 
That seems like a really bad idea unless you are basically a mechanic. If you have $10k for a car, buy a lower-tier car that will actually last for a while and have relatively cheap upkeep. For $10k I’d be looking at a Nissan Sentra, Ford Focus, Kia Forte, Honda Fit, or something in that type of class.
 
I've heard bad things about the Mazdaspeed, end up as moneypits real quick. Subarus are known for being high maintenance. The Focus could be great, doesn't has as much of a negative reputation as the others. Turbo Volvo or Saab could be a little more unique too if that tickles your fancy.
 
14296199:iFlip said:
That seems like a really bad idea unless you are basically a mechanic. If you have $10k for a car, buy a lower-tier car that will actually last for a while and have relatively cheap upkeep. For $10k I’d be looking at a Nissan Sentra, Ford Focus, Kia Forte, Honda Fit, or something in that type of class.
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He’s not looking for an economy car. A better option for a more reliable fast ish car would be a Toyota Celtics GTS or Acura rsx type s
 
as dope as awd would be with the wrx, id go for the focus st for reliably. you can find yourself a pretty low mile clean example for around 10k.
 
14296204:ScaryDumpTruck said:
He’s not looking for an economy car. A better option for a more reliable fast ish car would be a Toyota Celtics GTS or Acura rsx type s
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yeah but you are gonna have a hard time finding one of those is decent shape and they are older.
 
14296204:ScaryDumpTruck said:
He’s not looking for an economy car. A better option for a more reliable fast ish car would be a Toyota Celtics GTS or Acura rsx type s
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The problem with those is that I need more room. I have a 2001 v6 mustang that’s been my daily for the past few months but it’s extremely underwhelming power wise and barely fit my ski gear
 
14296208:dognuts said:
as dope as awd would be with the wrx, id go for the focus st for reliably. you can find yourself a pretty low mile clean example for around 10k.
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Yeah I love the way the wrx hatches look but I’m gonna need something reliable. I was also looking at civic si and gti however my friend has a gti and it’s been a pain maintenance wise
 
Gonna throw another hat in the ring, the Volvo C30. Uses the Euro Focus/Mazda 3 chassis, so parts are cheap, and the Volvo Turbo 5 banger sounds fantastic, is reliable as hell, and can lay down some good power. It doesn't hurt that they look cool as hell. You can definitely get a good one for $10k. If ya want more space, the V70 T5 (either 2001-2007 or 1998-2000) is another reliable option, but its really hard to find them with a stick. (The 850 Turbo is just a slightly older version of the 1st gen V70, also fantastic).

Edit: The other bonus to Volvos is that they often aren't thrashed as hard as your other options. At least where I live any Speed 3/WRX/FoST or similar has been driven really hard.

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**This post was edited on Jun 9th 2021 at 11:06:17pm
 
screw these cowards join the wrx gang just change your oil every 3000 and keep her reasonably stock and you're fine there is plenty of examples of 200000+ mile wrxs also none of these other cars have had a vape installed to the dashboard like a wrx has
 
14296214:Flynnski said:
Yeah I love the way the wrx hatches look but I’m gonna need something reliable. I was also looking at civic si and gti however my friend has a gti and it’s been a pain maintenance wise
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Wrx isn’t the move if you want something somewhat reliable. I would go with a speed 3 they are dope af and not shitboxes.
 
The thing you have to understand is that buying ANY performance car has tradeoffs and usually those tradeoffs center around reliability and expense of maintenance. I have a GTI with 4 rings and it's great (Audi a3 2.0t fwd 6 speed). That being said, I take care of it and give it parts and love when it needs it. I've spent around 1k on it since I've bought it in maintenance items that it needed and that's just me working on it. GTI's are awesome cars and so is the Focus ST. All the WRX's came with the wrong engine though. If you can handle a little bit of maintenance, I'd recommend an A4 Avant 2.0t because you can get an AWD fun and quick wagon that's pretty reliable. That being said, if you're paying someone else to do everything on your car then you really can't afford to buy anything other than a Japanese small suv or hatchback because at $120 an hour, having your car worked on gets very expensive very quickly.
 
14296265:Schoess said:
The thing you have to understand is that buying ANY performance car has tradeoffs and usually those tradeoffs center around reliability and expense of maintenance. I have a GTI with 4 rings and it's great (Audi a3 2.0t fwd 6 speed). That being said, I take care of it and give it parts and love when it needs it. I've spent around 1k on it since I've bought it in maintenance items that it needed and that's just me working on it. GTI's are awesome cars and so is the Focus ST. All the WRX's came with the wrong engine though. If you can handle a little bit of maintenance, I'd recommend an A4 Avant 2.0t because you can get an AWD fun and quick wagon that's pretty reliable. That being said, if you're paying someone else to do everything on your car then you really can't afford to buy anything other than a Japanese small suv or hatchback because at $120 an hour, having your car worked on gets very expensive very quickly.
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Yeah I plan on doing as much of the maintenance stuff as I can by myself. I have a few friends that can help me with that. An a4 avant would be my first choice but I haven’t been able to find one in decent condition with a stick
 
14296270:Flynnski said:
Yeah I plan on doing as much of the maintenance stuff as I can by myself. I have a few friends that can help me with that. An a4 avant would be my first choice but I haven’t been able to find one in decent condition with a stick
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In that case, the GTI is your best bet by far IMO. The WRX motor is stupid and dumb, Mazdaspeed 3 goes Zoom Zoom Boom, and the Focus ST is more expensive and is less comfortable day to day. A Mark 5 or 6 GTI is great, my gti is a 2006 mark 5 with the 2.0t FSI and I love it. Don't be a 12 year old, buy a stock one and keep it that way. Clean and nice cars hold their value and will stay reliable for you. Replace broken parts with good parts but modifying it is a money pit that's not worth it at this point in your life yet. You could buy the nicest mark 5 in the universe for less than 10k, or a pretty decent mark 6 for 8-10. The mark 5 has a few less issues from my knowledge such as using a timing belt rather than the later TFSI and TSI chains which suffer from guide issues and whatnot that gets v expensive v quick.

Lastly I'll say this.... Everyone thinks they want more power more power more power, when in reality they can't drive for shit and couldn't take a stock corolla around a track at it's limit let alone a modified hot hatch. Don't buy into big dick power gainz flex blessed bro big turbo culture. Focus on improving your driving skills as all of these cars are more than quick enough already and you'll have more fun and your friends will be left in the dust when you do make it to a track. (Also gokarting is stupid fun and the best way to train)

**This post was edited on Jun 10th 2021 at 10:00:44am
 
Get a mechanic to check out whatever you're looking at before you buy it! Really learn how to drive them and any of these cars will suit your needs as well as any other. Learning to wrench on them will be frustrating and hard but it's worth the money saved and skills learned. Don't make dumb decisions and crash like I did as a cocky 18 year old.

-wrx is fun and great in all ways if you're lucky with the engine

-mazdaspeed is like the wrx but worse in every way except the transmission is great

-civic si and focus st feel similar to me and the fwd really ruins the experience. The weight also seems weird on them, but reliability is a plus

-A4 avant is fun and drives really nicely, but has expensive issues and isn't as quick as some of the others

-I've heard GTIs and similar are great drivers but also expensive af. Had a lot of friends sell VWs when they couldn't afford basic maintenance and repairs

-Dunno a ton about the Volvos and Saabs but they seem like great alternatives. If I was in the market, this is where I would focus the most heavily on tbh. Very safe and fun to drive while being far less flashy and less likely to be abused.

**This post was edited on Jun 10th 2021 at 11:08:05am
 
14296288:ReturnToMonkey said:
Get a mechanic to check out whatever you're looking at before you buy it! Really learn how to drive them and any of these cars will suit your needs as well as any other. Learning to wrench on them will be frustrating and hard but it's worth the money saved and skills learned. Don't make dumb decisions and crash like I did as a cocky 18 year old.

-wrx is fun and great in all ways if you're lucky with the engine

-mazdaspeed is like the wrx but worse in every way except the transmission is great

-civic si and focus st feel similar to me and the fwd really ruins the experience. The weight also seems weird on them, but reliability is a plus

-A4 avant is fun and drives really nicely, but has expensive issues and isn't as quick as some of the others

-I've heard GTIs and similar are great drivers but also expensive af. Had a lot of friends sell VWs when they couldn't afford basic maintenance and repairs

-Dunno a ton about the Volvos and Saabs but they seem like great alternatives. If I was in the market, this is where I would focus the most heavily on tbh. Very safe and fun to drive while being far less flashy and less likely to be abused.

**This post was edited on Jun 10th 2021 at 11:08:05am
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Some good points, however I can't agree that fwd ruins the experience of an SI or Focus ST. RWD is my favorite wheel drive but hot hatches are their own thing and both of those cars objectively handle so well.

Also a4 avant is just a bit heavier than gti with the same motor, but for those who think they need awd it's there. Still plenty quick I would argue.

GTI's are expensive af for people who go to the dealer and say "what's wrong with my car plz fix"

Volvo/Saab is very cool but keep in mind that being a more niche brand, you're buying parts from less places with a smaller online community and less people who locally know what they're doing with them. I don't think they would be any cheaper to own and operate than an si/FST/wrx/gti/etc. That being said, every car is different and you could have a good or bad experience money wise with anything. Even a stock ass camry.
 
14296293:Schoess said:
Some good points, however I can't agree that fwd ruins the experience of an SI or Focus ST. RWD is my favorite wheel drive but hot hatches are their own thing and both of those cars objectively handle so well.

Also a4 avant is just a bit heavier than gti with the same motor, but for those who think they need awd it's there. Still plenty quick I would argue.

GTI's are expensive af for people who go to the dealer and say "what's wrong with my car plz fix"

Volvo/Saab is very cool but keep in mind that being a more niche brand, you're buying parts from less places with a smaller online community and less people who locally know what they're doing with them. I don't think they would be any cheaper to own and operate than an si/FST/wrx/gti/etc. That being said, every car is different and you could have a good or bad experience money wise with anything. Even a stock ass camry.
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All great points. I prolly would come around to the fwd if I drove them longer but every fwd car I've driven was disappointing. My roommate had an Avant for 2 years and the AWD was really good but the rest of it felt pretty over engineered. Also very true about the dealerships lol
 
14296297:ReturnToMonkey said:
All great points. I prolly would come around to the fwd if I drove them longer but every fwd car I've driven was disappointing. My roommate had an Avant for 2 years and the AWD was really good but the rest of it felt pretty over engineered. Also very true about the dealerships lol
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I would recommend trying a Veloster N, or any old fwd hot hatch like a mark 1 or mark 2 VW.... OR a Fiesta ST. No one is bored in a Fiesta ST!
 
14296300:Schoess said:
I would recommend trying a Veloster N, or any old fwd hot hatch like a mark 1 or mark 2 VW.... OR a Fiesta ST. No one is bored in a Fiesta ST!
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One day! As far as ownership goes, I'll stick with my 4Runner lol. I can't afford the trouble a sports car would get me in right now and when I can, I'm all about small size. Planning a 280z with an RB swap.
 
14296305:ReturnToMonkey said:
One day! As far as ownership goes, I'll stick with my 4Runner lol. I can't afford the trouble a sports car would get me in right now and when I can, I'm all about small size. Planning a 280z with an RB swap.
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3rd gen 4 runner? 4th? I work from home now and want to buy a j100 Land Cruiser as our second car so we have a small sporty car to daily and a solid 4wd big suv for taking grandparents to dinner and picking up the homies on pow days.
 
14296300:Schoess said:
I would recommend trying a Veloster N, or any old fwd hot hatch like a mark 1 or mark 2 VW.... OR a Fiesta ST. No one is bored in a Fiesta ST!
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I've always been drawn the Veloster N in that fugly baby blue. Such a funky 3-door hatch.
 
Find a quattro A3 with low kms/miles. Got mine for 12 cad and had 80000 km on it at the time. Small tune and its a wicked machine for the winter and summer.
 
14296313:Bigruss39 said:
Find a quattro A3 with low kms/miles. Got mine for 12 cad and had 80000 km on it at the time. Small tune and its a wicked machine for the winter and summer.
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Yes but no awd+stick. DSG is great but it's no substitute for manual. Also Haldex AWD is basically FWD 80% of the time which means you carry around a lot more weight 80% of the time for no benefit. It's quattro but not true quattro
 
14296309:BrandoComando said:
I've always been drawn the Veloster N in that fugly baby blue. Such a funky 3-door hatch.
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I worked for a dealer group for awhile and we had a Hyundai dealer. I got to drive a bunch of them and they're easily the most fun hot hatch I've ever driven. Golf R, Focus RS and Civic Type R are all nowhere near as good IMO from a fun factor perspective.
 
14296307:Schoess said:
3rd gen 4 runner? 4th? I work from home now and want to buy a j100 Land Cruiser as our second car so we have a small sporty car to daily and a solid 4wd big suv for taking grandparents to dinner and picking up the homies on pow days.
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3rd gen. I think the J100 seems a lot like the land cruiser version of it and there's no doubt that would be a great vehicle. Especially in good condition.
 
14296322:ReturnToMonkey said:
3rd gen. I think the J100 seems a lot like the land cruiser version of it and there's no doubt that would be a great vehicle. Especially in good condition.
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Have you done the Tundra brake upgrade yet? My brothers 4runner is 300k+ miles and counting and I have nearly bought one at least half a dozen times haha.

I want to find a unicorn though. 99-00 Green over Tan 5 speed sr5 4x4 with rear diff e locker and heated seats
 
14296325:Schoess said:
Have you done the Tundra brake upgrade yet? My brothers 4runner is 300k+ miles and counting and I have nearly bought one at least half a dozen times haha.

I want to find a unicorn though. 99-00 Green over Tan 5 speed sr5 4x4 with rear diff e locker and heated seats
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That would be such a cool 4runner. Good luck finding that unicorn under $25k with how the 4x4 market is right now. My brother did the tundra brake swap on his silver 98 auto sr5. He's been scouring pick-n-pulls for years trying to find a factory supercharger. Even with the v6, it's a bit of a dog on 33s
 
14296325:Schoess said:
Have you done the Tundra brake upgrade yet? My brothers 4runner is 300k+ miles and counting and I have nearly bought one at least half a dozen times haha.

I want to find a unicorn though. 99-00 Green over Tan 5 speed sr5 4x4 with rear diff e locker and heated seats
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No, I have never heard of that brake swap... After looking into it I probably will sometime but I have had zero issues with braking in two years. I haven't towed anything though. I'm also just above 300k miles, and she still runs pretty well. My uncle's was over 450k and also running like a whistle when he got T-boned last year :(
 
14296307:Schoess said:
3rd gen 4 runner? 4th? I work from home now and want to buy a j100 Land Cruiser as our second car so we have a small sporty car to daily and a solid 4wd big suv for taking grandparents to dinner and picking up the homies on pow days.
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this is the move. I have an 06 4runner with a 3" lift on 33s and a 2015 awd bmw 328. when i'm not skiing or camping or biking, gas in the 4runner suuucks
 
That supercharger would be so nice to have, especially for skiing when sometimes going up a mountain pass the NA v6 really starts to lose power. I'll have to start checking out junkyards

14296328:BrandoComando said:
That would be such a cool 4runner. Good luck finding that unicorn under $25k with how the 4x4 market is right now. My brother did the tundra brake swap on his silver 98 auto sr5. He's been scouring pick-n-pulls for years trying to find a factory supercharger. Even with the v6, it's a bit of a dog on 33s
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14296338:BedBugDoug said:
been my favorite car ever since I saw it on Forza 3 or something in 8th grade and I'm 26 now. for a cool 45 large you can import one.
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45k for a rally icon like that would be pretty tempting if I wasn't so poor. I've always loved the Audi Sport Quattro from the same era. Those Group B homologation cars are so cool
 
14296329:ReturnToMonkey said:
No, I have never heard of that brake swap... After looking into it I probably will sometime but I have had zero issues with braking in two years. I haven't towed anything though. I'm also just above 300k miles, and she still runs pretty well. My uncle's was over 450k and also running like a whistle when he got T-boned last year :(
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Wow 450k is insane! Well I'm guessing you're a gentle driver if you've had no issues. From everything I read it's a bolt on swap. You can just order new calipers, rotors and pads from anywhere and slap em on lol.
 
14296332:danbrown said:
this is the move. I have an 06 4runner with a 3" lift on 33s and a 2015 awd bmw 328. when i'm not skiing or camping or biking, gas in the 4runner suuucks
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v8 or v6 4runner? 4th gen is dope!
 
14296335:ReturnToMonkey said:
That supercharger would be so nice to have, especially for skiing when sometimes going up a mountain pass the NA v6 really starts to lose power. I'll have to start checking out junkyards
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Driving my wife's highlander up little cottonwood, vs driving a 6 speed manual up little cottonwood is 2 completely different drives lol. AT + uphill/downhill = suck
 
14296346:Schoess said:
Wow 450k is insane! Well I'm guessing you're a gentle driver if you've had no issues. From everything I read it's a bolt on swap. You can just order new calipers, rotors and pads from anywhere and slap em on lol.
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I'm not the gentlest driver but I want my wear parts to last a while! I try to avoid breaking hard usually. My first car was a Tahoe and I blew through the brakes so fast on that.

14296348:Schoess said:
Driving my wife's highlander up little cottonwood, vs driving a 6 speed manual up little cottonwood is 2 completely different drives lol. AT + uphill/downhill = suck
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A 6 speed manual could mean anything haha! My 4runner is a 5 speed manual
 
14296342:BrandoComando said:
45k for a rally icon like that would be pretty tempting if I wasn't so poor. I've always loved the Audi Sport Quattro from the same era. Those Group B homologation cars are so cool
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True that, honestly 45k doesn't seem like a lot for that car.
 
14296347:Schoess said:
v8 or v6 4runner? 4th gen is dope!
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it’s a v6. I got a great deal on it while I was home visiting the east coast years ago, it’s only got 130k miles and is in phenomenal shape. lags a little up the canyon but I knew I wasn’t going to be towing anything and didn’t need that much power so I didn’t seek out a v8. definitely my favorite car I’ve ever owned though, i’ll keep it forever

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Join the NS mk1 vw crew (just me as far as I know). You can pick up a clean one for 5k and then use the rest of the money to make it cool.

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14296350:ReturnToMonkey said:
I'm not the gentlest driver but I want my wear parts to last a while! I try to avoid breaking hard usually. My first car was a Tahoe and I blew through the brakes so fast on that.

A 6 speed manual could mean anything haha! My 4runner is a 5 speed manual
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Well specifically it was a mark 6 gti. Don't mind the vastly different car, I'm only talking manual vs auto is a huge quality of life increase when you know what you're doing and care about how you drive.
 
haha not sure CIS Jetronic is a new car enthusiasts best intro to a fun daily. Very cool car though, my good homie is super into VW and is building a mark 1 caddy with a 1.8t. The goal is to make 200hp with 2000lbs total weight.

14296431:MichiganCatFart said:
Join the NS mk1 vw crew (just me as far as I know). You can pick up a clean one for 5k and then use the rest of the money to make it cool.

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That's sick, I drove subarus for awhile before I was into cars and realized how bad boxers are. That v6 is amazing and 06 is a perfect era of cars where you get modern conveniences and reliability without the overly electronic and hard to service aspect of later model vehicles. I think cars and trucks from that gen will get really expensive when we start moving to all electric since it's the last of the breed of cars you can buy and maintain yourself almost 100%.

14296377:danbrown said:
it’s a v6. I got a great deal on it while I was home visiting the east coast years ago, it’s only got 130k miles and is in phenomenal shape. lags a little up the canyon but I knew I wasn’t going to be towing anything and didn’t need that much power so I didn’t seek out a v8. definitely my favorite car I’ve ever owned though, i’ll keep it forever

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They're more than 45k I believe...

14296342:BrandoComando said:
45k for a rally icon like that would be pretty tempting if I wasn't so poor. I've always loved the Audi Sport Quattro from the same era. Those Group B homologation cars are so cool
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14296436:Schoess said:
They're more than 45k I believe...
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Looks like you're right. On Bring A Trailer, most of the Delta Integrale Evos are $50-60k. Some mint special editions are close to $100k. Still, for the price of a new 5 series, I'd much rather take the Lancia
 
14296435:Schoess said:
That v6 is amazing and 06 is a perfect era of cars where you get modern conveniences and reliability without the overly electronic and hard to service aspect of later model vehicles
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I totally agree, very well said.
 
 
 
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