I have no need for my SUV anymore as it just accumulates junk and sucks gas. I'm looking for a sporty car with AWD, some decent power, and available used under $15,000.

4/10/2006 9:49:27 AM

WRX.
Ahmet

4/10/2006 9:50:48 AM

EVO's are fun, but would be hard to find under 15k.

4/10/2006 10:02:41 AM

dsm

oh wait, do you want reliability too?

4/10/2006 10:12:49 AM

SUVs suck gas, but you're going to be racing your sporty car up and down the road nullifying the advantage anyway.

4/10/2006 10:21:35 AM

wrx is about your only choice

unless a 2.5 rs is fast enough for you

4/10/2006 10:21:36 AM

I do like the WRX quite a bit. There's a few others that come to mind which, depending on age and mileage, could be had for under $15k:

A4 Quattro
Eclipse GSX
Passat GLX 4Motion
S60 2.4 Turbo AWD

4/10/2006 10:48:36 AM

wrx

awd dsm (eclipse gsx or talon tsi), but those are older. you can get one for a lot less than 15k, though.

4/10/2006 10:49:47 AM

im also hung up between a 2003 WRX and an A4 Quattro. trying to set a budget of around $15k

4/10/2006 10:54:38 AM

^have you had a chance to drive the two and compare?

4/10/2006 10:58:41 AM

^^^^ the passat and the a4 are pretty much the exact same car...

4/10/2006 11:06:33 AM

I've driven the WRX and I must say they are pretty fun. You could get a WRX or 2.5RS for that price easily

My gut instinct tells me to stay away from Mistu and VW as I have known people that had them and said they were a headache.

4/10/2006 12:30:16 PM

Out of those you should go with the wrx. I'd stay away from DSMs. The other cars probably wont be as sporty (or quick) as the wrx.

4/10/2006 12:34:00 PM

So, not to go off topic here, but why do you need AWD?

Of that list the only one I'd stay away from is the Volvo - just makes a heavy car heavier, and their FWD offerings won't handle much differently - they all eventually understeer. You could easily get an S60 T5 under 15k now.

If you have to have AWD, I'd probalby end up with either the A4 1.8t quattro or WRX, depending on wether you want a bit more luxury or a bit more sport.

4/10/2006 12:48:15 PM

WRX

/thread

4/10/2006 1:02:54 PM

VX

4/10/2006 1:34:00 PM

Can't believe no one has recommended the saab-aru 92x

4/10/2006 1:44:32 PM

Subaru SVX?

4/10/2006 1:55:15 PM

Ford Tempos had AWD options, and for god's sake look at it............who WOULDN'T want to drive a fine machine like that

4/10/2006 2:12:18 PM

Quote :

"either the A4 1.8t quattro or WRX, depending on wether you want a bit more luxury or a bit more sport."

thats a hard decision

how big of a difference is the luxary factor between the two? how much sport difference?

4/10/2006 2:12:33 PM

the a4 is a lot more roomy and has a nice interior.. i would say its a significant difference.

stock for stock, the sti would smoke it... but, its not hard to get more power out of the 1.8t

4/10/2006 2:18:39 PM

eh, STi is way out of the 15k price range, though

its hard enough finding an unmodified 1-owner no wreck 2003 WRX in NC for less than 15k

[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 2:31 PM. Reason : 2003]

4/10/2006 2:30:24 PM

haha, i like the fact that the 9-2x doesnt look like the most riced out stock car ever

but the bastards moved the ignition out of the center console

4/10/2006 2:34:47 PM

^Well then it's not a SAAB at all.

4/10/2006 5:14:39 PM

^they really haven't been saabs since the previous 9-3. Anyway, the 9-2x isn't anywhere near 15k. get a wrx. Or an svx because then you can pretend you know you're cool in a way everyone else can't comprehend. Or talk about how great a NA flat-6 sounds.... you can rub elbows with 911 owners until they see the constellation on your keychain or they see the asahi instead of beck's....

[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 5:31 PM. Reason : the beer line made some sense until I typed it and realized nationality prefs dont reach beyond cars]

4/10/2006 5:29:49 PM

the 1.8 t a4 is a pig w/ 180 hp stock a wrx has like 225 i think and weighs 1-2 hundred pounds less

but the 1.8 t is nicer sounds better and with a call to apr can be alot of fun too.

but then there are plenty of places to call to make a wrx faster too....


basically if you want speed go wrx if you want leather and comfy go 1.8t a4/passat

4/10/2006 5:34:10 PM

here's a list of a few wrxs out there for 15k, granted... it's national, but whatever. it can be done:
http://tinyurl.com/lkdw6

I'll also add that the wrx is a good car at what it does. It was so well regarded not because it was so clearly better than anything that had come before it, but because it was the first cheap fast 4wd usable sedan available. If the evo had gotten here first, it might have fared as well, although mitsu doesn't compromise enough to flesh out the model lineup to saleable volumes the way subie does, 2.5Rs, outback, wrx, sti, wagon or sedan, manual or auto...

you said sporty,cheap, awd. == wrx



[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 8:56 PM. Reason : -]

4/10/2006 5:38:27 PM

if you want a nice solid car, get the audi. if you want a fast/fun car, get the wrx.

even chipped, im not impressed w/ the A4 at all performancewise

4/10/2006 5:40:02 PM

if you want to deal with the electrical problems that VW's are known to be plagued with then the A4 would be cool

the list length of the electrical system-based TSB's that VW puts out are mind boggling

4/10/2006 6:25:32 PM

94 Range Rover Classic LWB



http://tinyurl.com/o8vk9



[Edited on April 10, 2006 at 8:57 PM. Reason : -]

4/10/2006 7:11:11 PM

Quote :

"if you want to deal with the electrical problems that VW's are known to be plagued with then the A4 would be cool "

specifics?

4/10/2006 9:12:18 PM

slaptit is a idiot and doesn't know what hes talking about.

4/10/2006 9:52:37 PM

i know... i just wanted to see what he says..

4/10/2006 10:20:00 PM

Suzuki Aerio. You can get a brand new one with AWD for around 16 before rebates, so a used one ought to be under 15. Or you can pm MaxxedOut95 because he works at the Suzuki dealership.

4/10/2006 10:26:52 PM

^^^look up the TSB's for jettas and whatnot, they have extensive lists

VW's have long been known for electrical gremlins moreso than other manufacturers

4/10/2006 11:26:27 PM

not true.

4/10/2006 11:27:46 PM

slaptit...

vw uses bosche just like 40-50% of the manufacturers out there... the only difference is they use a maf and a speed-density system (i don't know why) but anyway... you're wrong.. there aren't too many problems with stock vws

4/10/2006 11:50:22 PM

Quote :

"the only difference is they use a maf and a speed-density system (i don't know why) but anyway"

you mean motronic?

4/10/2006 11:54:47 PM

rule out the passat, you won't find a 1.8T with awd & you don't want the piece of shit motor the 2.8 is.

4/10/2006 11:58:51 PM

umm... they have a map and a maf.... i'm used to cars with one or the other.

4/10/2006 11:59:09 PM

well, not in your price range anyway, but here's a 1.8T 4motion with a stick and 29k miles! (buy-it-now is 19k)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volkswagen-Passat-GLS-1-8T-Tur-2004-VOLKSWAGON-PASSAT-GLS-1-8-T-TURBO-4-MOTION_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6020QQitemZ4629608603QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

4/12/2006 12:31:00 PM

hey, looks like the w8 4motion is a real depreciator! you could probably get one of these if you could stand the mileage and nobody will ever accuse you of driving a rice-rocket, whether a w8 is more sophisticated than a 1.8T a4 is up the personal pref, though...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volkswagen-Passat-W8-2003-VW-Passat-W8-4motion-Leather-Sroof-Auto_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6020QQitemZ4626346743QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


this one's currently at 10,200 with 70k miles!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volkswagen-Passat-W8-4Motion-2003-VOLKSWAGEN-PASSAT-W8-4MOTION-4-0L-W8-LOADED_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6020QQitemZ4629430445QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
that's frickin' hot.... (actually pondering swapping the 90k ls v8 for a passat 4motion....)

[Edited on April 12, 2006 at 12:36 PM. Reason : first link was for the 1.8T]

4/12/2006 12:34:52 PM