Turbo buys a new car - Decision made!

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CodeRedR51

CodeRedR51

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So my project G20 I feel is fading faster than I can keep up with, so I have decided to either keep it as a 2nd car and obviously get something to drive daily, or just get a new car and let the G go. After some debating I went ahead and applied for a car loan and was approved.

Loan terms:

- $14,000 max amount
- Car must be 2005 or newer
- Car must have 60,000 miles or less on it
- New or Used condition

Obviously you can't get many new cars for under $14k these days and the ones that you can get are ho-hum. I'm still fairly young, so I still want something "sporty", but still needs some cargo room and fairly good mileage. What I really want is a 2005-2006 Toyota Corolla XRS, but since they only made them for 2 years with the 2ZZ engine, they are a bit difficult to find. This car is preferred.

My requirements:

- Manual transmission (I wouldn't mind a dual clutch/dsg type auto, but hard to find with loan requirements)
- Compact car only sedan, hatch or coupe (Sentra, Corolla, Golf, etc)
- Drivetrain doesn't matter
- Must meet loan requirements.
- Dealership listings preferred.
- Located within 500 miles or so of Phoenix, AZ
- No Civics. :lol:
 
Yeah, I'm with Harry. Those are the most obvious choices, at least to me anyways.

For $14k you can get a really really nice car.
 
I'd say look for a Subaru Impreza great car, Chevy Cruise (They have a very smooth ride, also good on gas), Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Jetta, you have many, many options.
 
I'd say Golf GTI. I had an R32 for four years, and loved every minute of it. Golfs make a great choice for several reasons:

-Practicality: tons of usable space in the hatch. Mine served me very well on many camping/mountain biking trips

-Interior: GTIs and Rs both have some of the most comfortable stock seats I've sat in. Plus, I'm a sucker for that plaid :D

-Transmission: the 6-speed in the GTI is a joy to row. Every time I drove one, it made me really sad the R32 was DSG-only.

For the money, I just don't think you can find a better blend of usability and fun. Except maybe a Mini, those are a riot to drive. But you'll give up quite a bit of interior space compared to a Golf.

$14k would get you a very nice, low-miles Mk V. If mileage is less of a concern and you're not in a hurry, you could maybe find some Mk VIs for that money too.
 
Harry6784
Looks like the most popular cars in your area that fit your requirements would be a Miata (duh), BMW 3 series, Mustang, RX-8 and a few Mini Coopers. What I would personally get if I was in your situation:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=608030680&listingRecNum=3&criteria=feedSegId=28705&rpp=250&yrMx=2015&isDealerGrouping=false&sf2Nm=miles&requestorTrackingInfo=RTB_SEARCH&yrMn=2005&sf1Nm=price&sf2Dir=ASC&stkTypId=28881&PMmt=0-0-0&rn=0&zc=85004&rd=500&crSrtFlds=stkTypId-feedSegId-pseudoPrice-pseudoYear-pseudoMileage-fuelTypeId&stkTyp=U&mlgMx=60000&prMn=0&drvTrnId=27102&drvTrnId=27103&sf1Dir=DESC&fuelTypeId=31763&fuelTypeId=31765&prMx=15000&aff=national&listType=3
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A car like that requires a manual transmission. :p
VinnyBoy
I'd say look for a Subaru Impreza great car, Chevy Cruise (They have a very smooth ride, also good on gas), Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Jetta, you have many, many options.
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The 2005 Cobalt I had put a bad taste in my mouth for GM vehicles. Never again. Impreza crossed my mind, but might be a last resort.
huskeR32
$14k would get you a very nice, low-miles Mk V. If mileage is less of a concern and you're not in a hurry, you could maybe find some Mk VIs for that money too.
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I definitely looked. That MkV GTi for around $12k had way too many miles. If I could find one for less than $14k with the DSG I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. Remember, less than 60k miles is a requirement on the loan.

Edit: ^^^ Regarding the GTi, I just found this:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/4478851946.html

Now, the loan I applied for was for getting a car through a dealer. If I can call them tomorrow and have it transferred to a non-dealer loan, I can get a car from a private seller newer than 2005 with 120k miles or less. Obviously I would want to keep it as low mileage as possible, but it opens up my options. I find that most new car dealers don't sell used cars older than 2-3 years old unless the car is in fantastic condition for it's age.
 
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I'm biased towards American cars, so let me suggest some of those first.:lol:

Firstly, how do you feel about the Chrysler Crossfire? RWD, 6-speed stick, very nice V6 engine. They're solid cars, probably the best Mopar built before the Fiat takeover.
Here's a fully loaded one

Otherwise there's obviously the Ford Mustang, though for less than $14k you'd probably have to settle for a V6 model.
Something like this

Now if you look into imports, the VW GTI is the most obvious choice. If you're willing to live with something smaller and not so powerful, the Fiat 500 is also a hoot to drive. The MINIs I would stay away from, they're not that reliable and expensive to service. If you really want something that'll run like clockwork, you could always get a Mazda 3. Great fun to drive and with the bigger 2.5L engine they're quite brisk as well.👍
 
CarManiac 425
I'm biased towards American cars, so let me suggest some of those first.:lol:

Now if you look into imports, the VW GTI is the most obvious choice. If you're willing to live with something smaller and not so powerful, the Fiat 500 is also a hoot to drive. The MINIs I would stay away from, they're not that reliable and expensive to service. If you really want something that'll run like clockwork, you could always get a Mazda 3. Great fun to drive and with the bigger 2.5L engine they're quite brisk as well.👍
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Going to say no on your American suggestions. To be honest, not a fan of many American cars, just don't interest me.

I second the GTi, I know I posted this tread asking for suggestions, but when the GTi came up I pretty much instantly settled on it. Now it just depends on if I can find one similar to this:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/cto/4496743243.html

Local to me. I'm not sure what the rules are with purchasing a vehicle from another state.

lvl1dnIghT7un3R
How about a MazdaSpeed3?
"2.3 Liter Turbocharged 4-Cyl. 263 hp and 280lb ft. 19-20mpg city"
"6-speed manual transmission"
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Still too expensive and/or hard to find in good shape unfortunately. This one is nice:

http://flagstaff.craigslist.org/cto/4471422430.html

It's local, but the only one listed on craigslist within the requirements.
 
This is about the 4th time I've recommended to somebody...

image.jpg


The Golf! Preferably a Mk.V GTI.
 
Yeah the Mk V GTI looks like the best bet for you, an it comes with a manual of the DSG. Just have a read up to see if the DSG is reliable as I imagine it wouldn't be cheap to repair/replace.
 
R1600Turbo
A car like that requires a manual transmission. :p
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As does the RX8 that was mentioned in a previous post, although the US extended warranty on them is very good.
 
Just had a chat with the loan company, I have to get a car from a dealership and it can be purchased from out of state. So I do have a little wider range to look. A trip to LA or San Diego to pick up my new car and spend some time on the beach doesn't sound like a bad weekend. :)
 
R1600Turbo
........
Still too expensive and/or hard to find in good shape unfortunately. This one is nice:

http://flagstaff.craigslist.org/cto/4471422430.html

It's local, but the only one listed on craigslist within the requirements.
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That one has 75k miles though. The one I listed has only 47k and it is "or best offer" so you can probably get it for 14k.

I agree that they can be hard to find but it's still possible to find them if you search long enough.

Edit: Just read that you have to get it from a dealership. That might be a bit harder with the $14k and under 60k miles requirements.
 
R1600Turbo
I definitely looked. That MkV GTi for around $12k had way too many miles. If I could find one for less than $14k with the DSG I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. Remember, less than 60k miles is a requirement on the loan.
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GTIs must fetch a bit more out west than they do here. Less than 60k miles for $14k is right around what they usually go for here. Though a quick look around online shows that there may not be as many available as I originally thought.
 
huskeR32
GTIs must fetch a bit more out west than they do here. Less than 60k miles for $14k is right around what they usually go for here. Though a quick look around online shows that there may not be as many available as I originally thought.
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Yeah I did a search on AutoTrader and the one car that was closest to my needs was over 800 miles away.
 
I talked to the bank today, I guess they will loan more if I come up with a bigger down payment. So I might be able to go as high as $17k on a new or used car...

So, every day on my way home I drive by the local Ford dealer. Today I decided to stop and see if they had any of the 1.0L EcoBoost Fiesta's. They did have 3, two of them hatchbacks. Took it out for a test drive and here's my impressions:

Pro's
  • Love the styling on the hatchback
  • Very little turbo lag, even with the A/C on
  • 3 cylinders sound so awesome! (the air box is so cute!) :p
  • Plenty of room for myself
  • Quiet - many times I found myself needing to upshift and didn't know it
Con's
  • Don't like the feel of the buttons, the A/C fan speed knob 'clicks' which leaves a bad impression IMO
  • Only steel wheels available on the EcoBoost model....lame
  • Half the interior is tan, I like my interiors blacked out
  • Shifter feels...meh
  • Had the heated seats option. Umm, why? Cloth seats in Arizona...
Didn't get a good feel for the steering, only made a few turns. That's the problem with living in a flat desert with a grid system for streets. So my question for everyone is: Would you spend $15k on a used GTi with 60k miles plus with probably little to no warranty, or would you buy the nice new Fiesta with practically no miles and a 5 year powertrain warranty? Decisions, decisions.
 
Because leather is awful during the summer as I'm sure you know.

I'm more interested in what dealer you went to and what kind of deal they were going to offer you.
 
LMSCorvetteGT2
Because leather is awful during the summer as I'm sure you know.

I'm more interested in what dealer you went to and what kind of deal they were going to offer you.
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Cloth seats...

And the Ford dealer down here in Casa Grande. They didn't make an offer because I told them I wasn't ready yet.
 
R1600Turbo
Cloth seats...

And the Ford dealer down here in Casa Grande. They didn't make an offer because I told them I wasn't ready yet.
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Lucky you most dealers try to push the issue even if I say that. I don't plan to go down that way any time soon even with my planned Tuscon trip. Also I don't get your issue with Cloth seats...

The last to vehicles I owned before my current car was a car with Leather seats (ironically a Ford) and a Dodge pickup with cloth seats. The Leather seats were horrible due to how well they retained the outside temperature. If it was 108 that day (which is often) then the seats let you know. If it was 50 outside the seats let you know it as well. There was no real winning until the AC or Heater kicked in.
 
LMSCorvetteGT2
Lucky you most dealers try to push the issue even if I say that. I don't plan to go down that way any time soon even with my planned Tuscon trip. Also I don't get your issue with Cloth seats...
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The issue isn't with the cloth seats. The issue is with an unnecessary heated seat option in a car with cloth seats in Arizona.
 
Vinyl is a decent compromise but you don't see that too much anymore.
 
R1600Turbo
The issue isn't with the cloth seats. The issue is with an unnecessary heated seat option in a car with cloth seats in Arizona.
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Oh that part, I saw it but forgot to respond to it correctly my mistake, sorry. That is a stupid option for Arizona indeed.

Slash
Vinyl is a decent compromise but you don't see that too much anymore.
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You must love living cheap :p
 

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