Anyway, I've thinking about my next mods (this slope in quite slippery). I had read that fitting a hard top would improve chassis rigidity, but I was dubious and then pleasantly surprised when it did. So I'm thinking of getting chassis braces and really trying to tighten up the car.
Anyway, I've thinking about my next mods (this slope in quite slippery). I had read that fitting a hard top would improve chassis rigidity, but I was dubious and then pleasantly surprised when it did. So I'm thinking of getting chassis braces and really trying to tighten up the car.
Are you sure? I was under the strong impression the 2010 Mustang GT only puts out about 320, and it has a more powerful donk than the 2005 GT, like Thaed has got there.
Also, we have car news at the same time - Spent a few hours today cruising around in a classic Third-gen Camaro, My old man just bought a Merc 200 SLK (Which I think is ugly as fuck, but it goes alright, I haven't driven it yet, though), and I found out that the header on the MIGHTY VAN is on the way out - but on the upside, I got my mate to chuck some goop on it that should stave off disaster for a while, and if I'm lucky, for a long while. Price you pay for secondhand motors, I guess.
Are you sure? I was under the strong impression the 2010 Mustang GT only puts out about 320, and it has a more powerful donk than the 2005 GT, like Thaed has got there.
A) I missed that he got a 2005 GT and not a new GT. a 2010 is 320 on what unit of measure? I'm talking horsepower and in America we get a 5.0L V8 with 400 hp.
A) I missed that he got a 2005 GT and not a new GT. a 2010 is 320 on what unit of measure? I'm talking horsepower and in America we get a 5.0L V8 with 400 hp.
Yeah, I'm talking Horsepower. But I know the 2010s only have a 4.6 L V8, one of the ford Modular engines, I'm sure the 5.4 only went into the Mustang SVT Cobras. I do know they have that new five liter Coyote engine that they're putting in the 2011 Ford Falcon GT that pumps out about 450HP, are you sure you're not confusing it for the 2011 model - seems possible, since the Falcons and the Mustangs - other than sounding like a sequel to West Side Story - have shared engines in the past.
Not sure when the switch happened, but I know we have the Coyote V8 now. I can't believe you guys get 450 hp, stupid US emissions requirements. >_>
Oh, shit, you do too. That sucks!
However, if it's any consolation, it would be easier for you to legally get a supercharger on it, I suppose. Fucking mod plates down here can be a nightmare.
I got really mixed feeling about stick X auto right now. I liked the stick a lot for my turbo charged UNO or for my VW Gol TSi, that were pretty fast small ghetto cars. But now I got a much more comfortable and bigger Nissan Versa Sedan (or Latio or Tiida here). It's got a 6 speed stick shift transmission which is awesome for taking off, or really comfortable in highway speeds, but I think since it's got a soft suspension and more comfort pretensions it would be better with an auto transmission. Around here in Brazil automatic gear boxes are not half as popular as in America.
So I'm thinking of letting my MX-5 go. I love the driving experience, but after almost a year of ownership I can pretty honestly say I don't fit in the thing. Also, the road and wind noise on the highway is rather absurd. And while we're finding faults, the trunk has trouble with my longer guns.
So I'm looking for suggestions from my fellow forum mates on something small and fun to drive. I don't want another out and out sports car, probably just a sporty car. I just drove the FIAT 500, really liked it. It had loads of head room even when I sat bolt upright like I prefer. The only real problem I had with the car is that the 101 hp 1.4 was lacking. It's a good engine, but I'm not sure I wanna go everywhere revving the nuts off the engine. Ideally I'd want an Abarth.
So here's my list of cars to check:
VW GTI FIAT 500 Subaru WRX Ford Focus Ford Fiesta VW Beetle Hyundai Genesis Coupe Chevy Cruze Honda Fit Honda CRZ Mini Cooper
Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.
Eh, I wasn't enamored with Pete's when I drove it. I'd have to drive one in stick shift.
You can test drive mine! ^___~
I will say that the shifting was a lot smoother than my previous car, however I felt that it didn't accelerate fast enough between 3rd and 4th gear. I just really love the gas mileage and also the fact I have to change my oil ever 5,000 miles vs 3,000 miles.
My buddy had a GTI. Tons of room to tune it, and I hear it's a fucking beast in the corners when you put some nice sway bars on it. He only ever had awesome things to say about it, and coincidentally only got rid of it so he could buy a Miata.
WRX STI is nice and quite speedy. If you've had decent experiences with your Mazda dealership, take a look at the Mazda Mazdaspeed3. That's what I've got and it's a pretty incredible car. Loads of power, lots of room in both the front and back. Trunk is generous since it's a hatchback, and it's got pretty great tuning options.
From the list you mentioned though, I'd go with the Fiesta, GTI, Mini Cooper or CRZ, depending on what your priorities are. The CRZ is probably going to be the most reliable.
Mini is coming out with a Coupe soon. Probably worth looking into.
EDIT: According to Top Gear, it's not. You'd be better suited with a Mini Cooper S hatch with the JCW tune pack, and I wouldn't blame you. That was one of my dream cars in high school after I got hooked on old-school chase movies (Awwww yeah, The Italian Job).
EDIT: According to Top Gear, it's not. You'd be better suited with a Mini Cooper S hatch with the JCW tune pack, and I wouldn't blame you. That was one of my dream cars in high school after I got hooked on old-school chase movies (Awwww yeah, The Italian Job).
Heck yeah. The only problems I had with my Mini Cooper S was the fact that it kept breaking around the 75k mile mark, and the repairs were expensive. Other than that, the car was fantastic. I loved driving it.
Also the tires were insanely expensive (like $250 per tire). They're an odd size, low profile and the S model has no spare so run-flats are encouraged (they kept me from being broken down on the side of the road).
Also the tires were insanely expensive (like $250 per tire). They're an odd size, low profile and the S model has no spare so run-flats are encouraged (they kept me from being broken down on the side of the road).
Z rated as well, I'm assuming.
I'd love to do a ridiculous engine swap with a Mini. Maybe drop in one of those Mazda performance racing rotaries that performs at peak around 14k RPM. That'd be a blast.
I'd love to do a ridiculous engine swap with a Mini. Maybe drop in one of those Mazda performance racing rotaries that performs at peak around 14k RPM. That'd be a blast.
Hahaha, that would be hilarious. Replace the back seats/trunk space with nothing but a big engine, re-engineer the car so that it's 4WD or RWD..
I'd love to do a ridiculous engine swap with a Mini. Maybe drop in one of those Mazda performance racing rotaries that performs at peak around 14k RPM. That'd be a blast.
Hahaha, that would be hilarious. Replace the back seats/trunk space with nothing but a big engine, re-engineer the car so that it's 4WD or RWD..
Or get an old BMC Mini that's already RWD. Knock out the back seats and install a fuel cell and support gear (CB and radio, radar detectors and anti-fuzz stuff, a fanless SSD computer for recording data about the trip). Swap the engine, add some more headlights, maybe a turbo or two, and build a ridiculous fucking road rally car. Enter that shit in the Gumball 3000.
WRX STI is nice and quite speedy. If you've had decent experiences with your Mazda dealership, take a look at the Mazda Mazdaspeed3. That's what I've got and it's a pretty incredible car. Loads of power, lots of room in both the front and back. Trunk is generous since it's a hatchback, and it's got pretty great tuning options.
From the list you mentioned though, I'd go with the Fiesta, GTI, Mini Cooper or CRZ, depending on what your priorities are. The CRZ is probably going to be the most reliable.
I'm not married to the list I made, it's just what I could think of off the top of my head. :P Additional suggestions are appreciated. The STi is sadly a bit out of my price range, I need to keep it around $25K or less. Also, when I drove the STi I didn't like it that much, I liked the plain WRX better.
updated list: VW GTI FIAT 500 Subaru WRX Ford Focus Ford Fiesta VW Beetle Hyundai Genesis Coupe Chevy Cruze Honda Fit Honda CRZ Mini Cooper Mazdaspeed 3 Mazda 2?
Gotcha. Well, for the cars I'm familiar with here's my opinions (I was in the market around a year ago and did a ton of research before buying, using Consumer Reports and Top Gear reviews primarily). My personal priorities were:
Fun to drive Agile/speedy Decent looking body style Reliable and with a decent warranty At or around $20-$25k Comfort for being driven every day to/from work
I wasn't really considering fuel economy, trunk space, stereo or seating so keep that in mind.
VW GTI FIAT 500 Subaru WRX Ford Focus Ford Fiesta VW Beetle Hyundai Genesis Coupe Chevy Cruze Honda Fit Honda CRZ Mini Cooper Mazdaspeed 3 Mazda 2?
Mini Cooper - Really fun to drive, the S model packs some significant punch. It was in my price range, the styling is nice, and even though I wasn't so worried about fuel economy it's actually fairly economical (note that for the S you need to use high octane gas). The downside is that it's not too terribly easy to work on the engine yourself (at least, it wasn't for me), and it's not terribly reliable after several years. Also, the sport suspension makes it ride pretty rough when coupled with low profile run-flats, so it's not terribly comfortable.
VW GTI - I test drove one of these and it just didn't feel very solid. Plus, when I was looking through Consumer Reports I noted that VW's in general weren't looking to be terribly reliable.
Honda Fit - Not very quick or agile, although a very practical car. Also very reliable, being a Honda.
Mazdaspeed 3 - My current car. The major downside is fuel economy, as it takes high grade gas and gets around 22-25MPG during my daily usage. Also, it's towards your higher end, as I ended up getting mine for around $20k.
Good luck! The best recommendation I can give is to figure out what your biggest priorities are (if you haven't already) and then start reading through all the data you can. For me, Consumer Reports ended up being the most efficient.
Comments
Anyway, I've thinking about my next mods (this slope in quite slippery). I had read that fitting a hard top would improve chassis rigidity, but I was dubious and then pleasantly surprised when it did. So I'm thinking of getting chassis braces and really trying to tighten up the car.
Also, we have car news at the same time - Spent a few hours today cruising around in a classic Third-gen Camaro, My old man just bought a Merc 200 SLK (Which I think is ugly as fuck, but it goes alright, I haven't driven it yet, though), and I found out that the header on the MIGHTY VAN is on the way out - but on the upside, I got my mate to chuck some goop on it that should stave off disaster for a while, and if I'm lucky, for a long while. Price you pay for secondhand motors, I guess.
However, if it's any consolation, it would be easier for you to legally get a supercharger on it, I suppose. Fucking mod plates down here can be a nightmare.
So I'm looking for suggestions from my fellow forum mates on something small and fun to drive. I don't want another out and out sports car, probably just a sporty car. I just drove the FIAT 500, really liked it. It had loads of head room even when I sat bolt upright like I prefer. The only real problem I had with the car is that the 101 hp 1.4 was lacking. It's a good engine, but I'm not sure I wanna go everywhere revving the nuts off the engine. Ideally I'd want an Abarth.
So here's my list of cars to check:
VW GTI
FIAT 500
Subaru WRX
Ford Focus
Ford Fiesta
VW Beetle
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Chevy Cruze
Honda Fit
Honda CRZ
Mini Cooper
Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.
I know Pete and Ryan will back me up.
I will say that the shifting was a lot smoother than my previous car, however I felt that it didn't accelerate fast enough between 3rd and 4th gear. I just really love the gas mileage and also the fact I have to change my oil ever 5,000 miles vs 3,000 miles.
2-GTI
3-CRZ
I do know you gringos have a problem with the WRX, but it's a good, cheap, and powerful car.
From the list you mentioned though, I'd go with the Fiesta, GTI, Mini Cooper or CRZ, depending on what your priorities are. The CRZ is probably going to be the most reliable.
EDIT: According to Top Gear, it's not. You'd be better suited with a Mini Cooper S hatch with the JCW tune pack, and I wouldn't blame you. That was one of my dream cars in high school after I got hooked on old-school chase movies (Awwww yeah, The Italian Job).
Also the tires were insanely expensive (like $250 per tire). They're an odd size, low profile and the S model has no spare so run-flats are encouraged (they kept me from being broken down on the side of the road).
I'd love to do a ridiculous engine swap with a Mini. Maybe drop in one of those Mazda performance racing rotaries that performs at peak around 14k RPM. That'd be a blast.
updated list:
VW GTI
FIAT 500
Subaru WRX
Ford Focus
Ford Fiesta
VW Beetle
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Chevy Cruze
Honda Fit
Honda CRZ
Mini Cooper
Mazdaspeed 3
Mazda 2?
I can't really justify owning a car. But I am tempted.
Fun to drive
Agile/speedy
Decent looking body style
Reliable and with a decent warranty
At or around $20-$25k
Comfort for being driven every day to/from work
I wasn't really considering fuel economy, trunk space, stereo or seating so keep that in mind. Mini Cooper - Really fun to drive, the S model packs some significant punch. It was in my price range, the styling is nice, and even though I wasn't so worried about fuel economy it's actually fairly economical (note that for the S you need to use high octane gas). The downside is that it's not too terribly easy to work on the engine yourself (at least, it wasn't for me), and it's not terribly reliable after several years. Also, the sport suspension makes it ride pretty rough when coupled with low profile run-flats, so it's not terribly comfortable.
VW GTI - I test drove one of these and it just didn't feel very solid. Plus, when I was looking through Consumer Reports I noted that VW's in general weren't looking to be terribly reliable.
Honda Fit - Not very quick or agile, although a very practical car. Also very reliable, being a Honda.
Mazdaspeed 3 - My current car. The major downside is fuel economy, as it takes high grade gas and gets around 22-25MPG during my daily usage. Also, it's towards your higher end, as I ended up getting mine for around $20k.
Good luck! The best recommendation I can give is to figure out what your biggest priorities are (if you haven't already) and then start reading through all the data you can. For me, Consumer Reports ended up being the most efficient.