HS Senior needs a new car

1QuikV6

Registered User
Im looking to retire my Tbird and go for a new car. Im a senior in high school so unfortunately i can't go for big hp like the new goat or GT. I have to go Compact-style. Anywho, I looked at the Focus, Vibe, an Si, Matrix (not impressed), SRT4 and neons,a MazdaSpeed Protege, and a Lancer.
While all of these cars compete directly ive noticed that save for the obvious manufacturer nameplates they all are very good about bang for the buck. ANd also a 5 speed is gonna be the only tranny i consider.

SRT4? 5.9sec 0-60...

SVT Focus? C'mon a 6 speed, isnt that fun enough? Nope, but add an aftermarket S/C and lets play.

Vibe? Fun little car with a good amount of punch... And i like the VTEC style valvetrain

Si? Except for the funky shifter and hatchback body it is OK. But still it is a Honda which is good and bad. I wish they had kept the Coupe bodystyles

Matrix? WooHoo no fun factor at all.. nothing like the Vibe ironically.

SRT4? Boy would i love to test drive one of those

Neon? Not bad but still an Econo-Car

Lancer? HeHeHe We all know about the new 271hp Evo

MazdaSpeed Protege? Turbocharged fun and Kenwood system

Id like y'alls opinion... Im trying to go for a new car and spend less than... say... 25k
 
Personally, I don't see much point in buying new for high school and college(?), but that's not the topic. For HS/college I don't think you should spend a whole lot since you'll drive less than you think, and very likely will have your eye on something else when you get out of college (not that you should, but usually the case). That said, go for bang for the buck:

Dodge SRT4 is probably the best for little money, performance-wise, but not fit & finish (from what I've read). The price is right.

The Matrix/Vibe are the same car internally. You can get the 6 speed with the upper model. All models have a 1.8l, but the top models have 180hp vs 130hp. Very little torque difference, but one redlines at 6k, the other at 7600. If you felt a difference between the two, they probably didn't have same engines. The Toyota has the better warranty, something to watch for in a car that needs to last you 5 more years. You can get a base to mid model Matrix under $20k, but for the 180 hp you'll be into the twenties. I believe that's the engine shared with the Celica. The smaller HP engine models you can also get in AWD.

All the way to $25k, I'd get the WRX, with the hatchback. More room, I think $500 less, and they just look better (to me).

VW Jetta, 1.8l turbo. Under $20k and the interior looks like a BMW.

Mini Cooper S. I know, tiny and a lot of people can't stand them. They run great, BMW styling, handle like no body's business. If I didn't have a child, I'd consider it. A lot of quality and refinement for the money.
 
I say Mini Cooper S as well.

But another thought is this; if you like the SRT4 but don't like the neon aspect, isn't the PT cruiser GT the same turbo drivetrain? Personally I wouldn't buy any Chrysler, but as I said if you were considering the SRT anyway...
 
I considered the WRX but insurance is killer on those things. The Matrix was ok, not really that much fun, felt kind a bulky and the Vibe had a taunt steering and didnt have much body lean. I liked the Focus a lot and also the Mazda. Both seemed to be built well and had a lot of standard stuff like the Mazda had a stock Kenwood system complete with a sub and a 400W amp. The Focus had a lot of standard stuff to although 170hp isnt that bad. Insurance is also killer on SVTs.
Mini Cooper? Um... way too small.... VW Bug? I thought only queers drove those?:p
SRT4 is a sweet ride with a lot of stuff but i think the hood looks dumb with the scoop and the rear wing look slike its from a Honda

So i guess its down to the SVT, Vibe, SRT4, and MS Protege

Also I like the PT Turbo but doesnt it start at like 26k?
 
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Jetta is not a Bug.

Of the cars you list there, the only one I'd get would be the SRT4. I don't like the Vibe in appearance, I prefer the Matrix with the 60 mos/60k mi powertrain warranty. I don't care for the Focus, although it is supposedly a great car with European-like feel. Wouldn't know first hand.

I would not own a Protege. Fell from the top of the ugly tree and hit every ugly branch on the way down. Stereos don't make up for lack of styling. You can add a stereo a lot easier than re-engineering the car.
 
theres always the kia rio

for $20k you can buy one, and a lifetime membership to AAA and a few years worth of bus passes :p
 
I highly doubt the SRT-4 is gonna be any easier on insurance than an SVT Focus or WRX if anything it'd be higher than the focus.

I personally think that even the the focus isn't as powerful as the SRT-4 it's more balanced it handles and has speed the neon like a typical american car is about the straights.
 
you'll change your mind when you find out about insurance, man...i was gonna do the same thing, but it was cheaper for me to keep my bird thatn buy a focus

insurance prices are ridiculus in canada right now but i got quoted 10000/yr and I have no accidents, and 1 ticket for 15 over, needless to say i hung up on my broker. so compared to paying 3000/yr for the bird, with 3x the power.

it's not worth it.


and I have no accidents, and 1 ticket for 15 over.
 
I wouldn't buy a new car yet if I were you. Take a look at 1999 -2000 GTPs or Nissan Maxima...both will perform similar to your SC and won't be terribly high on selling price or insurance.

Of the cars you listed the Neon would be my pick.

David
 
Oh sorry, thought i read Bettle, not Jetta, sorry, misinterpretted there. I like the Jettas especially the ones with the nice 18" wheels and 1.8T. And i hear theyre reasonably fast.
Also I pay $607 per 3 months with one speeding ticket (60/40), an illegal equipment warning (underglow) and being 17 (18 on Jan.5th). A quote for a 89 SC 5 speed wasnt much better either. :D

I jus want something reasonable that is new and that is a somewhat kind of a sleeper.

I drove a 2001 Maxima SE 5 speed and was very nice, not too bad in the performance area and was pretty luxurious for the price. Then again my neighbor takes very good care of it.
 
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No one mentioned this

why not just get an 86 GTS Corolla? 130 hp/150tq out of a 16 valve 4 banger,RWD, and is fun as hell, and its very easy to get the car out of its own weight:D...i think it weighed in somewhere around 2100 or so pounds....but hey, maybe its just me...since you live in virginia, you should be able to pick one up pretty cheap......

stephen

--edit--

i was quoted something like 45 bucks a month for minimum insurance.
 
This is the only Focus I'd drive :D

WhatTheHell.jpg


Thomas
 
NIIIIICE! I think I'd much prefer the Mustang tho! I think I'd be going towards the SVT Focus or the Neon SRT4... Otherwise... if its just for saving gas and your off to College.. buy a golf cart. (if ur living on campus of course:p) I'm sure one of ur buddies up there will have a car to get u to far away places.
 
Oh im likin that Focus BIG time. Theres another V8 powered RWD Focus on Cardomain.

Well theres a lot of performance stuff for the SRT4 and SVT Focus. Wouldnt mind tweakin it a little.
 
In a few years I will be in the market for a new car. I find that the WRX's and the Audi 1.8T (same engine as Jetta 1.8T) are really nice. I wouldn't mind hopping around town in either of those.

If I were in your shoes, I'd pick up a Nissan Maxima, or something similar. They are comfortable, luxurious, and if you keep up maitenance, they'll last quite a while. It may not be very peppy performance wise, but you are buying for a beater, not a race car.
 
I would avoid the Matrix/Vibe, as the seem to have a problem with the back window. I don't think that they have fixed it yet, they liked to shatter when you close them hard, as they have some 13 holes drilled into them. Don't know about you, but that just doesn't sound like fun to have the glass shatter on your groceries, or speakers.
 
Very true... Id kill them if i got glass in my MB Quart's.

If i were to shell the $$$ for a Maxima then i could probably spend the same and get a 93-95 Lightning like my friends. his insurance is amazingly cheap for a 15 second truck. he pays like 160 buck a month for it. Not bad for 240hp and 340 lb/ft out of a 351W. If i am to go used then i think I'll go for a truck, and possibly the Lightning route (N/A 93-95)
 
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the MazdaSpeed protege's are fun, but I really like the Protege 5, it's a neat looking wagon, I just wish I had a chance to drive a manual (the Mazda Rev it up was a cool event). I think Toyota was gonna make a version of the Matrix that had the Celica GTS drive train in it which has some modding potential and is also a Toyota.
 
What about the new Scion's? I kinda like the Xb. And it has a heck of a lot of mods on the options list.
 
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