Looking for a new car again...this time seriously.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Murcie_LP640
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RE Bora: They're nice cars, inside and out. My grandmother has a 2001 Wolfsburg (1.8T 5-speed, 150hp rated but shares more with the 180hp motor than it does with the earlier 150hp ones) and it's still very strong at 125k miles and the interior is very well screwed together but it's not particularly convenient and has a few small ergonomic issues.

The 6 probably uses slightly cheaper materials inside but the layout is very good and there's nothing that can really be complained about inside and it remains very comfortable for long stretches. Engine is identical to the 2.3 in the 3 aside from minor packaging changes (and almost the same as the one they turbocharged for the Mazdaspeed6 and Mazdaspeed3, minus direct injection), and at least on US models can be made to make an absolutely glorious noise for free without doing anything permanent (airbox restrictions for sound removal are removable). Drive one, any doubts will clear.
 
The Mazda6's steering is absolute heaven. The 1st gen's steering is about as feelsome as the Protege's. The 2nd gen uses electric, but it's still better than the concurrent MX5.

The bad part is: If you're looking at a first generation Mazda6, it's buzzy. It's noisy, it thumps over bumps and you can hear the tires rumble over the road from inside the car. Think four-door Miata and you get an idea of what it's like. For some people, that's part of the Mazda charm, for others, that just makes it not as good as an Accord. Try before you buy.
 
homeforsummer
318s are nice enough (a friend used to own an E46 and I've driven a couple of E36 Compacts with the 140bhp engine - in the Compact the performance is reasonable as it's the 16v version, regular 318i models use an 8v one with less power) but I suspect if you got a four then you'd secretly always be wishing for a six...
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That's always the thing that's kind of turned me off from the 318is. The other popular 3-Series model for this price range is the 323i with the 2.5L straight-six which I've been told is a good engine. E46 323s are a little rarer but there are a lot of E36 examples.

homeforsummer
I completely missed that you were looking at Boras.

The V5 and VR6 sound fantastic and performance is pretty good too (especially with the more powerful V5 - it went up from 150 to 170bhp at one stage). I'd really like a VR6. In the UK various things make it way too expensive for me to own one (mainly road tax and insurance - the fuel consumption I can live with) but in Oz it might be more realistic. I've not heard anything too bad over here about them though I think some of our American friends might have experienced something different.

I expect without AWD the V5 is probably going to be less expensive to maintain.
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I agree on the sound of the V5; sure makes a great noise! The main reason why I've been looking at it though is because of the looks. This to me looks very classy, and it's 12 grand which is right in my price range.

homeforsummer
Lexus has come top of virtually every customer satisfaction and reliability survey in the UK pretty much since the IS200 came out, so that's an immediate bonus. From road tests I have at the time it seems to drive well too, though not necessarily as well as the equivalent BMW. I remember comments about the engine lacking a little torque too since it's a fairly small capacity six.
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I've heard a lot of good stuff about the IS as well but I'm not entirely sure the 200 would be the pick. If it was an IS300 maybe, what with the naturally aspirated 2JZ, but they're a fair way out of my price range.

niky
The Mazda6's steering is absolute heaven. The 1st gen's steering is about as feelsome as the Protege's. The 2nd gen uses electric, but it's still better than the concurrent MX5.

The bad part is: If you're looking at a first generation Mazda6, it's buzzy. It's noisy, it thumps over bumps and you can hear the tires rumble over the road from inside the car. Think four-door Miata and you get an idea of what it's like. For some people, that's part of the Mazda charm, for others, that just makes it not as good as an Accord. Try before you buy.
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The NVH isn't that big of a deal to me. Having put up with the Sierra's leaf-sprung suspension and virtually non-existent sound-deadening for a good 6 months or so I'm fairly sure I could live with a Mazda6's ride and NVH. I might try and get a test drive of the Luxury Sports down at my local dealership to see what it's like.
 
Update: Today I test drove a 2005 Mazda6 Luxury Sports and after stepping out of my dad's Accord Euro into that the drive actually felt kinda similar. However, the Accord gets the brownie points for the interior. Compared to the 6 it looks and feels great quality. Where the 6 claws it back though is through its agility. Obviously I wasn't able to give it the full beans but there's a fair bit more feedback through the steering wheel than the Euro (although the Euro I drove was an '08 with the infamous electrically assisted steering; I'm not sure the previous generation has that) and it inspires a little more confidence. The stick shift doesn't seem as good though; the Euro's stick shift I think would have to be top of its class. The 6's still isn't bad though, I'd happily live with it.

One thing I do have to ask though for people who have had experience with either of them; is an aftermarket head-unit possible considering that the head-units in both of them sit flush with the dashboard? Reason why is simply because I want to be able to plug my iPod in so I don't have to burn ten-billion-and-one CDs for my music. I think it's definitely down to the Euro and the 6 now though and I'm kinda leaning more towards the 6.
 
Murcie_LP640
One thing I do have to ask though for people who have had experience with either of them; is an aftermarket head-unit possible considering that the head-units in both of them sit flush with the dashboard? Reason why is simply because I want to be able to plug my iPod in so I don't have to burn ten-billion-and-one CDs for my music. I think it's definitely down to the Euro and the 6 now though and I'm kinda leaning more towards the 6.
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It's definitely possible with the 6 (and you can even make the steering wheel radio controls continue to function), though it requires a dash kit. That said, you can also install a 3.5mm input jack to any of the factory 6 head units. Info here. This is cheaper but you'll have to use the iPod for song control.
 
My dad had a 3.5mm Aux factory installed into his '08 Euro but he told me it cost $400 to put it in there.

I'm not really that keen on the dash kits I've seen for either of them though so maybe I might have to go with the 3.5mm jack like I had in the Skyline. I might ask my local audio specialist if they can fit dash kits to either of them so maybe I can slot the Skyline's Kenwood unit in there or alternatively sell that and get a headunit without a screen.

Leonidae@MFT
How about E36 M3? They're in your price range now, aren't they?
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There's one for $15,750 but it's done a slightly worrying 270,000kms. The rest of them are nearing and/or above 20 grand.
 
Older Accords had wonderful steering. Smooth, creamy. But the 6's steering will always feel more direct and responsive, whichever generation of 6 you're driving.
 
My 2 cents would be a BMW E36 325i or 328i.

328i is from 1996 - 1999, Rear drive, fairly lightweight, both sporty and luxurious, world-renowned engine

140Kw and 290Nm!!
 
that Volkswagen Bora V5 could be pretty damn cool too if it were AWD...

IS200 is lovely but unfortunately gutless... and the IS300 only came to Aus in Auto... :-(

Then if not these then probably the Liberty... lol
 

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