Help me choose a new car!

Yes, Miata, I know. Here's the situation: I used to autocross a lot long ago, (won my local STS trophy in a Neon ACR if that tells you how long ago) but then I started having children and no longer had time for it. I have three grade schoolers now and have gone through a bitter divorce ending with me paying about $1600 a month child support and I get to see them three weekends a month. The weekend I don't get them is the third weekend of every month and as luck would have it that's when my local SCCA club has their events. So it looks like I'm back in the autocross game as long as I can afford a suitable car. Right now I'm driving a crapped out 94 Volvo 940 Turbo wagon that I paid $500 for 3 years ago.

So anyway.... Here's what I want: I want a new or newish car that won't eat up time and money on maintenance. I want it to be safe transportation for my three kids ages 5,8&9. I want it to be competitive in stock or a mildly prepared class, maybe a street tire class? (whichever is cheaper cause I'm broke!) I'd also like it to be reasonably economical.

So, sorry for the long winded post and thanks in advance for your replies.

If you autocrossed a Neon in the past, the newer version answer might be Mazda 2

Much discussion here:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/mazda2-thread/46371/page1/

Is that kind of spend within your budget?
In my area, Mazda is offering 0% for 60 months on these.

+1 on the Deuce, though space for those 3 kids might be an issue.

Yeah I can probably afford that. I like it. I'll look into whether or not I can seat three kids in the back. If not, no biggie, the 9 year old can ride up front soon. I pulled off and checked out a Hyundai Accent hatch the other day. It looked like it had lots of room inside despite the size and good power and MPG with the new GDI engine. The Velostar they had there looked cool too, like a modern take on the CRX, but no center seat in the rear. I figured they both handled like crap as Hyundai doesn't exactly have Mazdas pedigree for performance. That's why I asked you smart folks.

Javelin wrote: +1 on the Deuce, though space for those 3 kids might be an issue.

We have done a couple 3hr trips with our three boys in the back - ages 5,8, and 10.

For the base version of the Mazda2 you are likely looking at a payment of $250 per month over 5 years. The saving in fuel will likely be $80 to $100 per month which could offset the increase you will see in insurance rates from a '94 Volvo.

Have you considered selling off a kid? OK, that might not be practical for you, so Mazda seems to be the place to shop. Even stepping up a size to the 3 will still get you a fun autocross car.

We were rather big fans of the Hyundai Accent—if you ignore the shift suggestion light and actually rev it up some. Gusty and fun, with what I think might be the only six-speed in the segment. We even posted corner weights.

Whether it would be a competitive autocrosser is another question, but it's worth exploring. Not sure if it's legal in the new STF class, though.

A bit more understeer than we'd like, but nothing you couldn't solve with more rear bar. Same story with its cousin, the Kia Rio. Avoid the automatic transmission, though.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/new-cars/2012-hyundai-accent-se/

What about a locost?

Welcome!

Funny you mention a Locost. I've technically never owned a Mazda but I bought a 91 totalled for my locost build for next to nothing, tore it down and cut it up in my garage with a sawzall and quickly became a fan of the build quality. Then I kicked the Miata's parts around the garage for a couple years while I built the rest of the frame suspension etc. When the time finally came I fired up the 200k mile plus 1.8 I paid $350 for, ran it on the hacked up 91 harness and it worked like a charm. I used a pair of 99 (IIRC) rear axles in a 89 (again IIRC) RX7 LSD. All Mazda parts right down to the spindles and brakes. That car was super reliable right down to the electrics even after some on and off autocross abuse. Of course I had to sell it because of the pending divorce and some guy flew one way to my home in WV and drove it to Florida, across the country and up the California coast to his home in Oregon without a single mechanical failure. (except for a fender stay, but that was my craftsmanship to blame)

Anyways, ever since I've had a ton of respect for Mazda cars. I hope they still make them like they used to. I think the 2 is gonna be my new car. Now finding one stripped down in an understated color with the manual trans may be challenging, but I'm gonna start looking.

Thanks again folks!

RossD wrote: What about a locost? Welcome!

Chop the roof off the volvo and call it a locost?

The 2 or the Fiesta would be good advice. depends if you want "down syndrome" or "down syndrome smiling" styling. Just remember, you can always put two kids in the truck of a miata.

OK, now that I'm done kidding, if in the "new" segment, the Mazda 3 would fit the size requirements, but not all that competitive(still, anything is fun). Honestly, it is currently harder to get a used vehicle than new, so idk what I'd recommend there.

Just go ahead and run the Volvo.

GRM where do you rank the accent relative to the other bsegment rides?

Are Protege5s still competitive in stock classes?

used Focus ST or SVT?

Sentra SE-R?

I almost bought a 2 myself. You can find a base stick shift for about $14k, maybe a bit less. You may also want to shop the Honda Fit. About $1k more, but a really nice car. Tons of room and handles surprisingly well.

Forget understated, buy the flashiest Mazda2 you can! It'll show the ex that you're HAPPY!

Newer Hyundais don't handle badly at all. I have a 2011 Elantra Touring and I am certain that it would hold its own in HS against a Mazda 3 etc. That said, the Touring has been replaced with the slightly smaller Elantra GT. I am betting that it is a very dynamic little car, and is sized more appropriately for a young family than is the Accent/Fiesta/Mz2.

Zero to 60 for the duece is 10+ seconds? My old Neon ACR did it in 8 and change. I'm afraid this little car might feel a little slow. Love the look of it though. Should I opt for a Mazda 3 instead? I could probably swing that. I still have to force myself to keep driving every time I pass that Hyundai dealership. I love the look of that little Veloster or whatever the h that thing is called. Anyone have any beta on those?

The veloster is pretty cool in my book. And they have a turbo now

Cool thing about the honda fit, mazda 2, ford fiesta etc is they are part of this new B spec thing so the manufacturers all have kits you can buy with suspension etc

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/b-spec-racers-honda-fit-vs-kia-rio5-mazda-2-mini-cooper-hatchback-comparison-tests

Jaynen wrote: Cool thing about the honda fit, mazda 2, ford fiesta etc is they are part of this new B spec thing so the manufacturers all have kits you can buy with suspension etc http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/b-spec-racers-honda-fit-vs-kia-rio5-mazda-2-mini-cooper-hatchback-comparison-tests

Excellent point. I wasn't aware of this.

Thing is, WV is very hilly. My mom's Honda Fit has to work very hard to haul me and my 3 kids up the hill to my house. That poor engine's obnoxious histrionics make me think I need something with more power when I wind that poor torqueless beast.

Well a mazda2 has maybe 10% more effective power than a Fit. Maybe slightly faster but definitely of the same ilk.

Im pretty confident i could top local h-stock with a 1g mazda3. Had an 04 for a while and loved the heck out of it, only ever got rid of it because my better half trashed it out pretty well before we ever met. 130k miles with nothing but a set of brake pads and a battery replacement, though.. it definitely hits the reliability marks.

Id love another one, honestly. The 2.0/auto we had avg'd 30 in city driving and the lowest highway number it would hit was 35. If you had the ac off 37-39 was typical and i got 42 once in a very flat place. It was one of those situations that makes you wonder why cars like the Mazda2, Fit, et al dont get better mileage...

Yeah, if you think the Mazda2 will be down on power for you, I would look at the previous-generation Mazda3 (non-super-happy-grin). Vigo's 2.0 is the exception, most people prefer (and got the best mileage) with the 2.3/5-Speed combo.

I certainly would have preferred a 5spd and met a guy with a 2.0 5spd who reported the same 42mpg with some minor hypermiling, but i didnt buy the car, it just came with the fiancee.

The brand new Focus drives AWESOME. It packs 160hp and seems to get some pretty decent mileage, and I loved it even with the rental-spec automatic. Car seats appear to be a tight fit, but you don't have that restriction. If it wasn't for that, our 05 Focus wouldn't be in the driveway anymore.

What about a couple year old WRX?