Car recommendation?

[gnef]

I know this isn't the best forum to ask for recommendations, but I think some of you have good ideas as to what I may be interested in, so I will pose this question here as well as other auto-specific forums.

I currently drive a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, and honestly, I love driving it. It now has a bit over 108 thousand miles on it.

I am a high school teacher, and am quite certain that I need to let go of the car now. I've been thinking of the practicality of the gas and insurance, as well as environmental factors (I only get 20mpg on premium fuel).

So what would be some of your recommendations? Let me help by listing some things I would like in a car, and some things I'm thinking of.

Safe. the STi is actually extremely safe, and something I like about it.
Not easy to break in or steal.
reasonable insurance costs with comprehensive coverage
decent gas mileage on 'regular' gas
practical for carrying things (people, groceries, etc.)
somewhat recent model (within 5 model years hopefully)

not as important but what i would prefer:
manual transmission
decent power for acceleration (would prefer something that didn't take 13 seconds to get up to 60mph, but i'm not expecting STi quickness)
rear wheel drive or all wheel drive
easy for me to work on for repairs and maintenance

what i've been considering:
Civic
Accord
mazda 3

which is a bit limited so far, and doesn't really fit in with what i've been trying to accomplish. I know I may be asking too much with my preferences, but do you have any ideas?

edit - good suggestions for details. price range, i would say maybe around 10-12k used.

 

[270winchester]

Toyota matrix? good gas milage, lots of room for 5 people and cargo, etc.

 

[Aaron1100us]

What is your price range?

This is a good one for safety, speed, fuel economy, all wheel drive, 6 speed manual and 4 doors with plenty of room.

MazdaSpeed 6.

25 MPG, 270HP turbo charged 4 (0-60 in 6 seconds), 6 speed manual, all wheel drive, 6 speed, side air curtains, side impact air bags plus driver and front passanger air bags. Also has GPS navigation. Around $28-$30,000 new

 

[gnef]

thanks for the suggestion for price range. I've updated my first post.

I plan on going used, and would like to stay around 10-12k.

the mazdaspeed 6 looks really nice, and I'll have to look more in to it. thanks!

 

[iced_theater]

I own a Mazda 3 and so far it's been a good car for me. I've read lots of posts about gas mileage for them and it seems half the people get somewhat poor mileage, while the other half gets very good mileage. I own the 3 S manual hatch and have been averaging 30-32 mpg mixed driving. Some guys with the 2.0 liter manual get mid-high 30's average.

 

[dudemar]

If you look around hard enough, you can get a good <'02 Audi. Their resale value is usually very low, it can be had for 10-12 grand. You get AWD, good power, handling, etc. The only drawback for you would be insurance and DIY repairs...

The reason why I suggested this is because I own a '99 Audi A4. It gets decent mileage on a 2.8L V6 (18 city/27 hwy) and in my experience has good power/handling characteristics, and is incredibly tough and reliable. Some d*****bag rear-ended my car in a hit-and-run (he hit my parked car), my Audi was pushed 1 1/2 car lengths. His front end was totaled, while my car suffered some obvious cosmetic and mechanical damage. After repairs my car still runs great.

It's the "Pila" of cars!:rock:

Dudemar

 

[jugg2]

Out of your three choices I would say Civic or Accord. To open things up a little bit, anything made by Toyota or Honda. My grandfather was a automechanic, and he wouldn't buy anything else. He was a very smart man, so I trust his judgement. I have no experience with Subaru, but I have not heard anything bad about them either. Personally I would stay away from European brands, because they have been recently shown to be not as reliable as they used to be. Plus a lot of them are owned by Ford now; nothing against Ford, but I wouldn't buy one. I hope this helps!:thumbsup:

 

[9volt]

If you are going to consider FWD, are willing to stretch your budget a little and don't need to put people in the back often I would consider a Mini Cooper S. They extremely safe even though they are small.

If you look at a Mazdaspeed 6 you should look at the Legacy GT/Outback XT. They are similar in performance and size and have a slightly detuned STi engine.

 

[scott.cr]

If you are going to consider FWD, are willing to stretch your budget a little and don't need to put people in the back often I would consider a Mini Cooper S.

Agreed!! Although the Mazda3 is also a pretty sweet car... the Civic has finally caught up with it in terms of equipment offerings (GPS navi, better stereo), the '3 still offers leather seats and a way nicer interior.

Back to the Mini, my wifey just picked up a Cooper S and with only two options: Sport suspension and limited-slip diff. WOW, what a great handling car!! And quite a peppy performer. Its gearing is relatively tall but you can leave it in 6th gear at freeway speeds, drop the hammer and this car will hit 110 mph like nobody's business. And VERY predictable at-the-limit cornering performance. You can get awesome full-throttle exits from turns and the car just slingshots onto the straight.

Drawbacks: Busy ride w/ sport suspension (but hey... my wife drives it daily with no complaints), not much room for groceries unless you fold down the rear seat.

Pluses: Great build quality for the $, easy to park, great visibility.

BTW, watch out for your insurance premium, ours took a jump with the Mini (it replaced a Honda Element).

 

[Flying Turtle]

I would echo the advice of getting pretty much any appropriate model from Honda or Toyota. Granted, they may not be very exciting, but their economy and reliability is hard to beat. I'm also partial to Mazda. Heck, even Hyundai now has excellent models, though maybe not quite as refined as the Japanese cars.

Geoff

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Go with another Subaru. WRX wagon(will stretch your 10-12k), an Outback, or a Legacy GT.

BTW, I kept the STi. I really like it, just only drive it when the mood strikes me.

:buddies:

 

[9volt]

Another option is the Saab 9-2x. It's a Impreza that was redone by Saab. Pretty much all Subaru, but looks alot nicer.

 

[gnef]

hmmmmm, good options. I will look into these other options. thanks for the ideas!

 

[InTheDark]

If you like the Sti, another Subaru would be a good choice. Maybe a used 3-4 year old Forester or Outback Sport. The Legacy outbacks might be a little out of your price range for a later model. It would have to be N/A to use regular gas.

1) It would be as safe as your Sti
2) Lower insurance for either of those models
3) They aren't a popular target for theives (they're not flashy), so they're pretty safe
4) Decent gas mileage (mid 20's, although some report getting up to 30mpg)
5) Can carry more than your current car
6) AWD
7) Would be similar to your Sti in maintenance

After driving an Sti though, you probably won't be happy with the acceleraton. You could go for the Forester XT which shares a similar (detuned) engine with the Sti, or a WRX wagon, but then you're back to premium gas and poor milage.

 

[jzmtl]

I'd keep it if I were you. Gas and insurance is part of the price you pay for a fun car.

 

[jezzyp]

Try the standard impreza or I swapped my impreza for a forester - I average 32 mpg 2.0 non turbo.

If you like subaru you won't like anything else as nothing handles like a nawd subaru - you just feel like you are being pushed (rear drive) or pulled (front drive)

 

[steed77]

Lots of good ideas here. Just a few cars "to look at" to add to the pile.

VW GTI (01-04)
Good power, good fit and finish, FUN to drive, parts available

Jeep wrangler
fun drive, easy fix

BMW 3 series and / or the A4

Good luck! If you were looking to drop a bit more $$ I would look at the R32 :twothumbs

 

[BB]

I would look at the fuel mileage very closely as your reason for changing... I have a 2001 Honda 4 cylinder Accord with 90,000 miles on it and get probably pretty close to 20-22 MPG--most of it now is around town driving and involves a lot of little (300-500 foot) hills. Used to get ~30 mpg on freeway commute--I don't think it will get better than 26 now--and the dealer could not find anything wrong (thinking about getting a OBDII analyzer to see if I can find anything strange). Been a very reliable car otherwise.

Even if you got a car that got 30 MPG--would it save you that much money (assuming that your current car is still reliable and you are not spending big bucks to keep it running).

I used to be a big fan of buying used cars--but the new cars are pretty reliable and can get good mileage. With all of the electronics, electric motors, computers, etc.--I am now worried that I would be buying somebody else's problems.

And even if you buy a car from friends with low mileage and good history--the older cars can just become a maintenance pit. Even my in-law's very clean low mileage from friend 5-7 year old VW Jeta just keeps coughing up problems (electric sun roof--doesn't work, electric radiator fan--bearings went out, passenger side window--goes down, won't go up, etc.)...

You might just live with the current car (and a AAA gold towing membership if stranding is a problem) for now and see what comes out in the next few years (maybe that 74mpg diesel, or serial hybrid?).

-Bill

 

[dano]

The Mazdaspeed6 has been discontinued.

I have a Mazdaspeed3, which is a rocket, gets 30MPG (when not being driven hard) and has decent interior room. Also, my insurance DROPPED about 600 a year as compared to my WRX, which it replaced.

Only drawback: the interior is full of rattles, which is annoying, and somewhat surprising considering Mazda's rep. for building solid cars (maybe it's the Ford sneaking in?).

-dan

 

[Fallingwater]

My recommendation is probably a bit extreme, but here goes anyway:
Ditch the Subaru. Buy a tiny economic utility car, and use the money you save up to buy a medium motorbike.

This way you get the thrills on the bike, but you still have a cheap car for when it's raining or freezing cold.

If a less drastic solution is needed, how about a Mazda 3? It's not very sporty, but it's also not expensive to run, maintain and insure.