You lost me when you said WRXs are boring

4/25/2011 8:55:33 AM

I like the traction advantage...

I've blown away a MS3 with 30 more whp than me.. (290 vs 260) in the leggy so... i don't get your boring.

4/25/2011 9:03:17 AM

Oh I never said they're slow or not fun to drive. I do like WRX's. Not too fond of the interior. I wouldn't mind a newer one but they're a little out of my price range.

4/25/2011 9:09:15 AM

Quote :

" Out of all I've driven I like the feel and exterior/interior the most. GTIs and WRXs are boring IMO not to mention more expensive on the long run."

In this quote of yours are you talking about the styling being boring then? Depending on which model I'd agree with that, but I wouldn't say the design is inferior to an MS3 either.

4/25/2011 9:52:21 AM

Quote :

"If I were to buy a VW it would be a newer GTI but again they're not as reliable and I think they look way too generic in both the body style and interior trim and design. "

VW GTI generic? Might want to rethink MS3, as it will be cheaper and more generic, both inside and out. I don't think I've ever mistaken VW GTI for another car. Far from generic.

4/25/2011 9:57:03 AM

VW made the new ones feel cheep to cost cut so they can compete with the focus in price...

They screwed up the one thing they had going for them... Not being a cheap feeling POS

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 10:12 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2011 10:10:11 AM

^yeah I got that impression. They're just not as unique looking anymore.

-What about an 07/08 SI? I love my Civic so much and I do like the newer SIs. Can find an 07/08 with low milage for $16-18k.

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 10:31 AM. Reason : s]

4/25/2011 10:28:34 AM

The Si, for what it is, is a good car. However it's inferior to its competition (GTI, MS3, WRX, Cobalt SS) in performance. You mentioned being interested in a hatchback, which isn't something that the Si is available as. If you don't care about the hatchback part I'd say it's worth a test drive. You also might want to consider looking for a clean RSX Type S to drive maybe? I dunno what year was the last they were produced but they're better than the Si and have a hatchback.

4/25/2011 10:38:16 AM

Agreed i just like Civics. I realize they don't match the performance of their competition (but do get better MPG without the turbo) but it's more about me and less about other cars. My GF's roommate just got an 08 and I'll see if he'll let me drive it around. I do like the look of some hatchbacks but then again I feel more comfortable leaving stuff in a trunk than an open hatchback. I'm looking for a speedy practical car that gets decent gas mileage but is also fun to drive.

RSX's last year was 2006 I believe? Yeah that'd be tough finding a clean one.

4/25/2011 11:03:09 AM

^In my experience you won't get better gas mileage if you're driving the Si hard. Honda's performance VTEC engines are all short on torque and they make up for it with short gear ratios so you have to rev the engines fairly high to get any serious thrust. My S2000 gets bad gas mileage for what it is. It's not RX8 bad, but it's not good.

As far as security concerns over stuff in a hatchback I'm not sure I understand your fear. All hatchbacks these days have covers. Unless you remove the cover nobody can see what's in your trunk.

4/25/2011 11:07:14 AM

Quote :

"VW GTI generic? Might want to rethink MS3, as it will be cheaper and more generic, both inside and out. I don't think I've ever mistaken VW GTI for another car. Far from generic."

Agreed (but then I had one so i'm not impartial ). And I didn't really like the appearance of the MS3, but that again is 'to each their own.' Not to mention the build/engineering quality of a GTI versus the MS3 is way better IMO.

Quote :

"They screwed up the one thing they had going for them... Not being a cheap feeling POS"

Did they do that to the Mk6? Cause my 2008 mkV, is solid as hell. Way more substantial/quality feeling than any japanese car I considered in 2008.

Quote :

"The Si, for what it is, is a good car. However it's inferior to its competition (GTI, MS3, WRX, Cobalt SS) in performanc"

I drove a new 2008, and while I *loved* the nav/electronics, I had to beat the shit out of it to have even a slight amount of fun. I realize that's what those cars are all about, but even when I was thrashing it it still didn't feel like I was getting much done...


As far as gas mileage goes, I got averaged 22mpg driving around town in my GTI, and that was driving around very aggressively most of the time. 4 cyl + turbo ftw. Tke what did you get in your S2000?

4/25/2011 12:12:35 PM

Quote :

"You also might want to consider looking for a clean RSX Type S to drive maybe? I dunno what year was the last they were produced but they're better than the Si and have a hatchback."

performance wise, I don't think they RSX type S is that much better than the Si

4/25/2011 12:42:53 PM

Quote :

"And I didn't really like the appearance of the MS3, but that again is 'to each their own.' Not to mention the build/engineering quality of a GTI versus the MS3 is way better IMO."

From what I hear and what I've read you run into more issues down the road with GTIs especially with the electronics. As far as build quality all I know is the newer Mazda's have gotten great reviews in regard to reliability. 265 HP in a FWD car is a bit much but it was fun to drive.

Quote :

"^In my experience you won't get better gas mileage if you're driving the Si hard. "

True I meant more on the highway. I get 40+ on my Civic on the highway but can get down to 23-24 in the city with the VTEC.

Quote :

"I drove a new 2008, and while I *loved* the nav/electronics, I had to beat the shit out of it to have even a slight amount of fun."

Yes exactly. The torque curve on the SI's aren't that great. I know I'd have much more fun in a GTI.

4/25/2011 12:52:20 PM

What about an A4 Wagon? I like those. Pretty fast too.

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:20 PM. Reason : or A3 3.2L hatch. Those are nice. ]

4/25/2011 3:02:06 PM

Quote :

"As far as gas mileage goes, I got averaged 22mpg driving around town in my GTI, and that was driving around very aggressively most of the time. 4 cyl + turbo ftw. Tke what did you get in your S2000?"

My "daily driving" is about 60/40 highway/city and with the occasional VTEC burst its around 21-23 mpg. However the gearing is quite short (running a 1/4 mile pass requires shifting into 5th gear) so cruising on the interstate (without drafting) is 28 mpg at best (cruising with a pack has netted me 32 in the past). And not that it's terribly relevent, but 80 minutes of track time (roughly one tank of gas) driving flat out will get you 11-12 mpg.

Quote :

"True I meant more on the highway. I get 40+ on my Civic on the highway but can get down to 23-24 in the city with the VTEC. "

You won't get anywhere near that on the highway with the short gearing the car comes with. Additionally the VTEC on your regular civic is quite different than that of the "performance" models. When you're crusing at 75 mph with the engine at 4,000 rpm its not hard to realize you're sucking down a lot of dino juice

^there's no point in getting the 3.2 over the 2.0T for the A3. Heavier engine that's just powerful enough to make a difference. Handling is inferior however. And a nice $500 chip will give you more power than the 3.2 with ease

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 4:17 PM. Reason : k]

4/25/2011 4:14:55 PM

2009 was the earliest A3 2.0T with AWD Quattro right?

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 4:43 PM. Reason : oh but there's no manual Quattro is there. Hmm. ]

4/25/2011 4:25:52 PM

imho the ms3 is better than the gti, feels more fun.

4/25/2011 5:02:41 PM

oooooh I like the 2011 Evo MR Touring.

4/25/2011 5:10:11 PM

Quote :

"Additionally the VTEC on your regular civic is quite different than that of the "performance" models."

Its all the same baby

4/25/2011 6:55:28 PM

^troll

4/25/2011 9:59:29 PM

I would ask if you had taken both apart but you would have snapped bolts off in your cams

Camgear bolt said 12ftlbs so i hit it with an impact

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 10:04 PM. Reason : .]

4/25/2011 10:04:28 PM

FML >.<

Did I mention I snapped one of the exhaust manifold bolts off in the engine block back in 2002?

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 10:08 PM. Reason : ]

4/25/2011 10:08:14 PM

burn...

4/25/2011 10:20:59 PM

^^

4/26/2011 6:49:03 PM

what about a X6M? Practical. Lots of space. 0-60 in 4.0 seconds.

4/26/2011 7:26:49 PM

lol, how did we go from mazda 3 to bmw x6m all the sudden? you sure you can afford that?

4/26/2011 7:44:02 PM

I wish. It starts at like $179,000. Can you get a 30 year mortgage for a car? hahah.

4/26/2011 7:55:08 PM

the x6 is a terrible terrible car

4/26/2011 9:59:11 PM

yup.

4/26/2011 10:40:29 PM

did anybody see the top gear episode for the x6?

4/26/2011 11:00:28 PM

I didn't see the episode but it appears they weren't trilled with the road test. They seemed to like it when they took it off road though:

http://www.germancarforum.com/x6-sac/32618-top-gears-x6-off-road-review.html

Quote :

"Bizarrely, the X6 is so duck's bum watertight that it floats across deep bits. Hit the shallower parts at speed and the car will also use its very flat undertray to skip across water. Possibly not what BMW engineers had in mind, but effective and undeniably spectacular. And it might have sent 30-foot jets of spray into the air, but a quick look inside the engine bay revealed not a drop under the bonnet. Seals that good usually come on the Space Shuttle."

Quote :

"Through half-light and pure, expanded, high-resolution wetlands light, through time and effort. The X6 doesn't miss a beat, never fails, nor stops. Our little mobile bit of the 21st century doesn't fail us, and takes any preconception you may have of an ‘urban SAV' and stuffs it - this BMW can be as hardcore as it looks."

4/27/2011 12:07:17 AM

Ill tell you one piece of advice, buy the car that you love. Not the one that everyone else says is the best. I would follow that unless the car you love is a complete mess (think explodes on start, or breaks every 2k miles)

Unless your actually planning to race it, or are going to pretend to be a race car driver every time you buckle in then the .2 seconds that one car is faster than the other is not going to make your day any worse or better. What you like for interior styling may be different than everyone else.

Also people like different cars, I am sure there are some pontiac aztec fans out there who love the styling to death.

Test drive them all, there are a lot of cars in your range that are nice, you have the gti, ms3, wrx, colbat ss, civic ss.

They are all a million times better than a ford explorer or a honda accord.

In reguard the the gti vs ms3, I didn't see any huge difference in build quality or engineering. The GTI does feel a little more solid on the inside, but not overly so. I would say the MS3 will last just as long as the GTI as far as engineering quality, and you wont have $200 sensors break

4/27/2011 12:23:46 AM

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0610_gti_civic_mazdaspeed3_dyno/index.html
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2006/10/gti_mazdaspeed.html
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0610_gti_civic_mazdaspeed3_dyno/mazdaspeed_3.html
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/2007_all_stars/0702_2007_volkswagen_gti/index.html

4/27/2011 11:22:01 AM

And you're selling a GTI....

Ok I like the interior of the 2007. Maybe I was looking at a different trim level. I think I see the light. Looking at the torque curves and from the one time I drove one it was really fun. I'll definitely consider a GTI. I like yours. I think I just need to drive one again.

4/27/2011 12:30:24 PM

^ yeah i'm pretty far from impartial in this one. But honestly if I was going to buy a 07-08, I'd probably get a certified one so you get the extended 2 year warranty (assuming that starts after the factory ends, and not on purchase). I haven't had any real problems with mine, but I still don't trust it

4/27/2011 12:59:33 PM

Yeah how easy is it to find 07/08 re-certified manuals? Going to start looking around.

4/27/2011 1:17:19 PM

Going to go drive an 08' GTI tomorrow. If i like it...

Black 2 door. Re-certified with 2yr/24,000 warranty. Wouldn't mind a 4-door but they're too hard to find.

[Edited on April 27, 2011 at 3:35 PM. Reason : s]

4/27/2011 3:08:13 PM

Got the 2008 GTI.

After driving it for 2 weeks I LOVE IT. I'm so glad I went with the GTI over some of the other cars I drove.

Sure it's not the fastest but it's by far the most comfortable. The interior and seats are much nicer than similarly priced Mazdas, WRXs, and Civics. The black leather seats with electronic lumbar support make it feel like a BMW.

The clutch is amazingly smooth and the torque at such low rpm is fantastic.

I DID get the aux input moved to one of the pop out buttons on the dash. Having the aux input in the glove box is silly.

The best part is I got it certified from VW. So after the factory warranty is up (another 8k miles until 50k) I get another 24k/2yr on top. Plus the 2.9% APR on a used car is awesome.

Quote :

""VW GTI generic? Might want to rethink MS3, as it will be cheaper and more generic, both inside and out. I don't think I've ever mistaken VW GTI for another car. Far from generic.""

I saw the light after driving it. It's far from generic. The inside is fantastic with the red lights and blue dash lights. Feels like a space ship at night.

[Edited on May 11, 2011 at 11:27 PM. Reason : s]

5/11/2011 11:25:12 PM

Dunno why but I love those wheels it's a bummer they weigh a crap-load or I'd have a set

5/11/2011 11:35:59 PM

Ya, they're baby Lamborghini wheels. well done sir.

5/11/2011 11:57:19 PM

I never noticed the similarity until you mentioned it. I do like the wheels a lot.

5/12/2011 12:03:52 AM

I ended up getting a 2005 Mazda3 hatch. I love having a 5-speed again.

5/12/2011 5:17:27 PM

I like the gti rims as well. I dont think they would work on any other cars.


das auto

5/12/2011 5:20:49 PM

Congrats!!! Ditch the boat yet? My neighbor is buying the civic. Much easier than trying to find someone to buy it and getting it there.

5/12/2011 5:20:54 PM

One of my co-workers is probably going to buy it for $500 as a "character-building vehicle" for her daughter.

5/12/2011 6:37:06 PM

haha I feel bad for her.

5/12/2011 6:59:07 PM

whats hard about finding a notary? lol

selling a car is stupid easy.

[Edited on May 12, 2011 at 7:49 PM. Reason : .]

5/12/2011 7:49:29 PM

Ok ok. The truth is the car is technically still under my mom's name because we kept it on the family insurance for the discount. We just never got around to switching the title to me. My mom's quite busy and I'd rather just sell it locally where I don't have to go to a notary twice. We're both busy and I'm lazy.

5/12/2011 8:10:33 PM

ah ok, that makes sense.

5/12/2011 8:14:22 PM

Bump

8/27/2011 11:23:27 AM