In reply to Evanuel9 :
The best thing you can ever do is ignore whether or not a car has a cool factor.
When we got the Datsun 39 years ago I thought it to be one of the most uncool cars ever. We have had so many great times in the car; if I'd not given the car a chance those great events would have never happened.
In reply to CyberEric :
I did not realize how long this thread has gotten - big apologies to everyone for my ramblings!
I mean you're right, but the current list is cars that are available that I like yaknow. Mazda3 isn't out but it's not at the top of the list, same for zx3, xrs, and fiesta. then those others are near the top of the list. The 6 just feels like too big of a car.
The FR-S is at the top of my list, but I just don't know if I can realistically afford one. So the only reason i'd cross it off is because of money (not subie engines). I get why people don't like them but the fa20 is fairly reliable. If the $5,900 FR-S seller answers that is the car I'm buying, if not i have to settle for less or possibly make a bad financial decision.
Regarding EP3 - I've read that the suspension was terribly designed. Is that not the case?
In reply to Tom1200 :
Thank you - fair enough. I care about fun above all else but lack of cool factor is at the back of my mind,. just got to get rid of that naggle.
i just can't get the FR-S out of my mind. The finances really don't make sense (except for the one where the seller isn't responding), but it is just a true, proper, ground up, rwd, sports car chassis. Otherwise I think I'll go with a cheap mazda2 or one of tyhe other cars and put the money towards mods.
Here's the thing, you're going round and round in circles. It will never stop until you just pick what you want. There will always be another car that has different virtues, you're not going to get one that has every single one. Recap it this way for yourself and then pick from there:
B segment cars: they are what they are, the cheapest of the econo boxes on the road. That doesn't mean they are penalty boxes, but their primary mission is point A to point B for as little money as possible. The Fit and Mazda2 happen to have the most sporting characteristics of the bunch, and I am a big fan of both. I wouldn't even agree the Mazda has a sportier platform, they are equal. However, they are economy cars. They are ridiculously slow, and are pretty spartan. You would have fun on a track day, but make no mistake you would be a rolling roadblock.
The Civic, Mazda3, Focus ,Cobalt/HHR SS, Protege is the next step up. They are economy cars at heart, so many of the same things apply. However, they are quicker and overall more capable. This becomes especially true when you're talking about the support models such as the SS or the Si. They will feel a little less raw, but will be significantly quicker on a track.
The Celica and Prelude are sports coupes. They will be more sporty feeling than any of these other cars. The SS cars from GM are quicker by the stopwatch but these cars will feel more sporty overall. They are a lot of fun but will not have that complete raw feeling you've talked about. Personally I'd forget the Frisbee twins. Too expensive and too trouble prone.
I know you said you aren't interested, but I'm telling you don't rule out the Honda accord. There is a reason it has won countless awards from automotive journalists. It's an amazing car, and is very capable on the track.
I went through this exact exercise with all three of my kids recently. Forget the cool Factor. What will be cool is the smile on your face when you pick the car that you want for fun. What it looks like doesn't matter. As a racer and an instructor, I can tell you once I strapped in the car I have no clue what it looks like on the outside anymore.
Pick one and go have fun!
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
TThanks again lol. You're right of course. I'll post again once I have an update, got a couple more test drives scheduled tomorrow.
Evanuel9 said:In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
Thanks!! That's really really clean.
I've narrowed down my list to the
fit
mazda2
protege
celica GTS
8th gen SI
How would you rank/compare them? From reading, they seem to all offer sharp handling, analog experience, and tossability. The GT-S has a great engine, protege is bigger with more power than the little guys, and the little guys are very go-kart esque.
I've only driven the fit and own the civic. Civic is not as alive in the steering because it has an early electric rack, but the rest of the car is great. Shifter is one of the best in a fwd. Chassis is stiff, tons of well documented aftermarket paths. The K engine is head and shoulders above any other 4 cylinder, maybe the Celica engine can compare but I haven't driven one. The way you can use the entire rev range up to 8200 rpm makes up for a lot.
You'll need to log in to post.
