VW Rabbit, Civic, Focus, Mazda3, etc.

hatchback is a plus. i guess id rank "fun to drive", then utility, then quality, then fuel economy. I'd like something new or close to it w/ a good warranty. My gf and I are settling down and trying to stabilize things so we(she) wants to have something new.

I'm kinda leaning toward an '08 Rabbit which bumped the 2.5l motor up to 170hp and raised the rev limiter 500rpm. base msrp is $14,9. The con i guess is good ol VW reliability. Its a decent car w good utility and the best power of the pack.

9/17/2007 2:11:53 PM

A honda or a toyota

'cause it'll run forever on the cheap

that being said, we have an '07 Jetta and a VW is a fun car to drive.

[Edited on September 17, 2007 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2007 2:18:41 PM

vw reliability is a con? keep in mind this is the base-level motor.. which vw actually has a pretty good rep. for. a friend of mind had 450k miles on his stock 1.8 8v (its an 89) when he pulled it for a vr6 swap.

my 91 has ~170k miles and compression was still dead on. i pulled the head at the request of the guy buying it to replace the head gasket.. more of a preventative measure b/c the car is for his brother in new york (and would have to make the trip up there).. i daily drove it for a year and it never left me stranded. i did some work, but mostly maint. stuff (bushings, belts, hoses, etc).

another guy i know has a new rabbit (07 i guess) and the 2.5 feels decent.. it is peppy, i was actually a little surprised.

vw gets a bad rap b/c of "electrical issues" which is usually just a few poorly designed parts (coilpacks, window regulators, sensors, etc).. the problem is that the one part goes bad on every one of them, so everyone seems to have some story about how shitty they are based on the fact that the coolant sensor breaks on every one of them.. which, realistically, should reflectly poorly on the manufacturer of the sensor (bosch), but thats not really how ppl see it.

that said, test drive it.. all cars will break.. some maybe more than others.. but i forsee a mk5 rabbit 2.5 being a good car as long as the maintenance is taken care of.

also, hit me up if you ever need work done.. we've got the shop open now..

edit:
i almost bought a new rabbit when i was shopping for a car.. but i ended up with a 98 audi a4 1.8tq instead.. its been pretty good except some of the same maint. issues (cv boot, bushings, mounts, and did the timing belt b/c i didnt know when/if it was done before).. and the turbo had a blown wastegate, which made me a little sad, but is fairly common on the early 1.8t.

[Edited on September 17, 2007 at 2:23 PM. Reason : edit]

9/17/2007 2:20:38 PM

what shop? thats cool, man.

I test drove an '07 150hp Rabbit and it wasnt too bad. it felt torqey, but def not too revvy. supposedly the '08 brings in a lighter flywheel and a hotter cam w/ raised limit and it feels a lot different. i'll drive one of these soon. might be good.

then i drove the 2.0T GTI and was like damn i wish i didnt just do that.

9/17/2007 2:32:31 PM

yeah.. the gti is fun.. even better chipped.

the shop is:
http://www.apextuning.com
yes, we're still working on the website (just gotta add some more content) but the contact info is there.

[Edited on September 17, 2007 at 2:41 PM. Reason : ..]

9/17/2007 2:41:31 PM

Quote :

"all cars will break.. some maybe more than others.. "

Best statement ever posted

9/17/2007 2:56:49 PM

Quote :

"i guess id rank "fun to drive", then utility, then quality, then fuel economy."

Since quality is your third choice I'd say go for the VW. I'd put the Civic at the top of the list otherwise.

9/17/2007 3:08:15 PM

The cons to the civic is that its not very utilitarian, probably the least of the bunch. it also doesnt have much driver room and head room isnt so great for me. the interior is of less quality and the power is much less than the VW.

pros are price, fuel economy, and reliability

9/17/2007 3:12:26 PM

toyota matrix

9/17/2007 4:12:10 PM

does it have to be a brand new car? if not, get a late year integra gsr or type r.

9/17/2007 5:22:05 PM

How about up to 17K?

Mazda6, Altima base models FTW.

Or if you go for used, you can get the higher end Mazda6/Altima models with the bigger engines for that price.

If you want hatchback, go for Matrix or Rabbit. Not much else in that price range for new. If you go used, you could pick up an MB/BMW/Audi station wagon.

9/17/2007 5:32:58 PM

Quote :

"does it have to be a brand new car? if not, get a late year integra gsr or type r."

WTF? And how is a Type R reliable, economic, and utilitarian?

9/17/2007 5:56:32 PM

buying a new car is retarded, unless you are buying a car that you will truly enjoy and keep for a long time. you are buying a commuter car. you already do your own maintenance and fair share of modding. why do you need warranty?

just pick up '98-'05 accord I-4 and be done with it.

[Edited on September 17, 2007 at 6:55 PM. Reason : f]

9/17/2007 6:55:04 PM

cuz those are borrrrrrrrring. and the fun cars have piss poor reliability

9/17/2007 8:51:05 PM

Whatever happened to:

Quote :

"I'm thinking about getting a new GTi or maybe even an A3."

?

9/17/2007 9:30:35 PM

^ i believe you're being sued, sir.

/message_topic.aspx?topic=494638

[Edited on September 17, 2007 at 9:46 PM. Reason : d]

9/17/2007 9:45:47 PM

boring or not it can be had for 5 grand and solve all your problems.

every car made goes 70mph

[Edited on September 17, 2007 at 10:19 PM. Reason : I like hatchbacks and wagons]

9/17/2007 10:18:59 PM

I'm reeling in the budget.

^what car?

9/17/2007 10:53:00 PM

hmm i say 1997 ford escort wagon, pick them up all day long for $1500. blow a head gasket? $65 later you are good to go.


i just picked up one last week.

9/17/2007 11:07:02 PM

glad to see nobody has mentioned hyundai

I don't like VW as a cheap car.. parts are expensive and are more often needed to be bought at a dealership. maintenance is a bitch like having sealed transmission systems that require special procedures to do a flush. then there's the rotors that wear down and need to be replaced more or less every brake job.

mazda is ford's version of vw. They're ok.. I just don't like them a whole lot.

9/17/2007 11:09:42 PM

the korean cars have really come a long way, actually. theyre not half bad deals.

I like Mazda3 sedans, but theyre kinda pricey and don't come w/ shit base. not even A/C or ABS

9/17/2007 11:14:43 PM

I don't think getting a new car is economical in the slightest but i think the new rabbits look nice.

9/17/2007 11:20:07 PM

scion tc

9/17/2007 11:45:29 PM

Quote :

"WTF? And how is a Type R reliable, economic, and utilitarian?"

you're speaking from personal experience?

9/17/2007 11:50:45 PM

why would you need any experience to realize that car that comes without A/C from the factory, has stiff suspension, lack low end torque, has no space, uses premium gas and carries high insurance premium is not economical, practical or utilitarian?

reliable? sure.

9/18/2007 12:26:15 AM

I just noticed nobody said Nissan Versa.

Looks like that's another option in your price range. :E

9/18/2007 12:35:24 AM

Quote :

"mazda is ford's version of vw"

what?

9/18/2007 12:36:01 AM

^ as far as parts availability and probably on average more expensive maintenance.

9/18/2007 3:04:23 AM

Quote :

"And how is a Type R reliable, economic, and utilitarian"

hah..
they are all of the above.

and you can find a lot for under $17K..

Quote :

". i guess id rank "fun to drive", then utility, then quality, then fuel economy"

def. fun to drive, very utilized, quality... well its a honder, and mine gets 40mpg (thats the most i've ever gotten).

9/18/2007 8:37:10 AM

base models make me

If you're dead set on buying off the lot, atleast buy one that has been driven in their program for higher up employees. We got my 626 off the lot with just over 6,000 miles on it. It had been very well maintained by the one manager who drove it, and with a little negotiating became a much better deal (of course, I got all top of the line... doubt you'd find a bare bones base model in that situation). If you're going for an economical car, have you considered the new Saturns? I used to loathe them, but they're starting to look better, can take a beating, and they're typically very easy to maintain. I haven't driven a new one, though... so it's just food for thought.

9/18/2007 11:17:10 AM

If you're going for this price range you honestly need to stick to the Civic.

I have a pretty beast hard time believing the Rabbit, with its greater weight and raspy engine, drives better then a Civic. That 2.5 VW motor is terrible in this day and age.

9/18/2007 11:32:43 AM

a base VW isnt a base jap car. all it really lacks is leather, heated seats, nice wheels, and sat radio. It has power everything, 6disc changer w/ MP3, etc.

a freaking base Mazda3 doesn't even have A/C or ABS!


I'm perfectly fine w a DOHC 20valve 5banger. especially w/ the new cam and rev limiter for '08.

civics are too small in both utility and for me. my heads always hitting the roof and shit. The Si was fun to drive though.

9/18/2007 11:49:25 AM

get a sun roof and stick you head out of it and drive.

prob. solved

9/18/2007 12:36:42 PM

Why not buy and couple year old car?

9/18/2007 12:48:21 PM

"and" should be "a"

9/18/2007 1:30:21 PM

New VWs are rather nice, I'm a fan of the Rabbit as well, if you just have to have new.

Otherwise, you have a pimp ass car that's all sorted, and there are a bazillion 2ish year old cars to pick from...
Ahmet

9/18/2007 2:18:23 PM

Rabbit > civic

9/18/2007 3:14:25 PM

Quote :

"I have a pretty beast hard time believing the Rabbit, with its greater weight and raspy engine, drives better then a Civic. That 2.5 VW motor is terrible in this day and age."

but its not teh germans!11one!!!1 Seriously though, if he doesn't fit he doesn't fit.

I think the rabbit looks better then the civic but they both look like like their price point and function dictate.

[Edited on September 18, 2007 at 6:56 PM. Reason : .]

9/18/2007 6:55:49 PM

Says the man who's driven nothing but hondas... There IS a difference.
Ahmet

9/18/2007 11:14:05 PM

I'm sure there is.

I honestly considered buying a rabbit for about as long as SandSanta did.



[Edited on September 18, 2007 at 11:32 PM. Reason : I have the dvd if you want to borrow it, but i think some of them (read all) run over 15 grand]

9/18/2007 11:31:24 PM

If you can't fit a clothes dryer in the back of your car, then it's not utilitarian. I'm serious. If you can't fit a 3' x 3' cube in the car you will regret it.

Also, consider used vehicles and you can do alot better than the shitboxes you mentioned.

9/18/2007 11:33:15 PM

how about something like a slightly used forester?

9/18/2007 11:53:51 PM

bought the '08 Rabbit last night. got a solid deal and a roof/bike rack, too.

someone has to negate all the H2 Hummer types out there...

9/20/2007 10:37:51 AM

nice.. got some pics?

9/20/2007 12:46:53 PM

yeh its a fun little car, actually.

Nothing much to look at. Just a white rabbit w/ dubcaps... but i keep em clean.

9/20/2007 12:56:25 PM

under 15?

9/21/2007 7:46:03 PM

If you got it for under 15, congrats. I was looking at the '07 Rabbits last year, and spec'ed out like I wanted I was hitting 17-18K.

(So I got a Marauder instead. )

9/21/2007 7:54:09 PM

Quote :

" i guess id rank "fun to drive", then utility, then quality, then fuel economy."

I drive a Toyota Matrix for about 16k. It is everything you want. But it could have been a lot more fun if it had a little bit more power.

9/21/2007 9:59:30 PM

at least you stayed euro.

9/21/2007 11:36:39 PM

honda, toyota, or nissan?

9/22/2007 12:12:06 AM