what do i choose?

[thebetterhalf]

Okay, I crashed my Maxima last Tuesday on Eastbound 6th Avenue at Sheridan (if anyone sees the crushed guard rail right before the Sheridan exit ramp, that's me). It's totaled. Brief recap:
It was about 12:30 at night, I was leaving Stu's. I was in the middle lane and looked down for a few seconds. When I looked up, I was drifting into the righthand lane where there was a car that i was about to hit. Well, I overcompensated to the left, completely lost control, spun out and hit the guardrail facing oncoming traffic. It was a real blast, let me tell you.
Anyway, now I have to get a new car. (:D ) but am not completely sure what to get.
I really like Jetta 1.8t's and I liked the VR6 I drove too. Stu says that 1.8t's are better up here though (because the turbo won't lose as much power from sea level as the naturally aspirated VR6 would (?)- sorry if I fucked that up stu)
Golf 1.8t gti's are badass too, though.
Also, a turbo saab 93 convertible is cute, but I don't know much about saabs.
Lastly, maybe I should get an rx7 or civic si or something. I do like the euro styling better, though, I think.
last thing - I can't spend too much initially. i can put probably 8,000 down but don't want to finance more than 7,000. So maybe I should get a new car for 15,000 with 0%apr. But I don't think I really like any brand new cars that only cost 15,000. What to do?
I need your guys' advice. Thank you!!!

[b18cya-T]

turbo saab's are COOL! you coud find an older model for pretty cheap

[thebetterhalf]

Yeah,they're really not too bad. I found some 99's fully loaded, leather, convertible, everything for like 17,000. I figure I could work them down about 3,000 from there.

[b18cya-T]

i think we're the only ones here!

[nolimitsoldier]

i'd say go for a 1.8T dub, I've driven a lot of cars and I will say that German is the way to go, and I love VW. Saab's are dope too!

[2002jettavr6]

if you get a saab hope you have a lot of money to keep it running they like to break down a lot

[BluByU]

My newfound advice is to pull up a copy of the most stolen cars, and forget all of them. We just had a really badass 99 subaru 2.5RS, turbocharged! This car screamed, and it sold for a measly 11,600. That would be perfect for a replacement! If you want, you and STU can come down to my work and look for the next car. PM me for the details.

[gothemperf]

get a new civic SI thay dont sell very well so thay go for about 15k and youe would get a good intrest rate

[BoraTurbo]

if you want to go fast for Fairly cheap upgrades, go 1.8t. If you want to go super fast for like 5,000 in upgrades, go civic or acura.

[stu]

Jess I thought that you wouldn't want a Civic, and RX-7's are RWD.

[MadMaxine]

RX-7's rule! I love mine! RWD is awesome and if you do get one get the FC not an FD. FD's have the tendency to catch on fire. ;)

[stu]

Originally posted by MadMaxine
RX-7's rule! I love mine! RWD is awesome and if you do get one get the FC not an FD. FD's have the tendency to catch on fire. ;)

At least you'd be warm when your stuck in a ditch in a blizzard.

P.S. I love RWD, it's just not as practical for someone who only has one car to drive. Unless it is my Beetle, God I hope it doea alright in the snow.

[MadMaxine]

yeah that's for sure. i have a pontiac too, that's my winter car.

[Violator]

Originally posted by BluByU
My newfound advice is to pull up a copy of the most stolen cars, and forget all of them. We just had a really badass 99 subaru 2.5RS, turbocharged! This car screamed, and it sold for a measly 11,600. That would be perfect for a replacement! If you want, you and STU can come down to my work and look for the next car. PM me for the details.

Hell yea, get the 2.5RS and turbo it...I was with alex when he drove it the other day and it pulls, although he didnt get to redline (lack of space to drive in). PLus it's kinda sleeper, intercooler under the hood just like the WRX, no one would know until they saw your taillights
;wor; AWD Turbo

[Bedlam]

Well...my personal vote would be...depending on how much you want to spend....

1) Acura RSX
2) 1.8T
3) Nissan Z car.. (yum)

Saabs are a lot of fun, but if you talk to anyone...and I do mean ANYONE that has owned one for a while...they will tell you that the older ones all have the exact same problems at the same times in their lives. Wheel bearings, timing chains, blah blah...

Hopefully my insurance will be done before too much longer and I'll have my new car as well.

-Bedlam

[john]

I think you should buy my supra. Really. Talk about bang for the buck... :)

[12seccivy]

get whatever floats yer boat.. looks like you picked some good ones,except i would stay away from SAAB. they are expensive to own,they seem to break a lot more than most cars..
just my .02 worth

[lucaq]

I think that the reputation that Saabs have for breaking down alot is kinda old and outdated. The GM900 series Saab is supposed to be very reliable and time proven. She is not talking about getting a 1989 turbo 16v saab! Those are the ones that were in the shop ever other week.

From what i remember when a sales person was giving me their pitch when i lived in CA, SAABs have a 100k waranty on their turbos now and they are really standing behind their cars to prove to the public that they are more reliable than they used to be. Their bumper to bumper is 4 year 50k, which is what VW has from 2002 on. Plus, they are unique and come with some GREAT OEM components(SWEET BBS Wheels, Bosch, Lucas-Girling, Hella...).

I'm not a fan of the subby's personally, but they do make a great cars. The 2.5RS has some nice displacement which is not to common for a japanese car in its price range (correct me if i am wrong, but most would be in or around 2.0L, right?).

I get this weird feeling (can't describe it) from subbys that they have no personality...just my opinion. I know that WRXs are fast and that AWD is great for launching but it really is an overrated option for the snow. I have a friend that has TWO WRXs and he loves them and thinx they have TONS of personality, so it is totally a matter of personal opinion about their personality (i drive a car made in the 80's, it inherently has personality!) and def don't not buy one because i feel that way.

IMHO AWD is fantastic for racing, and launching, but is overrated as a safety feature for the snow and ice (please note i said safety feature). I think that FWD cars are nearly as good in the snow and that people get a false sense of security out of AWD cars. What they don't realize is that AWD does not help them stop, and that is what is really important in bad weather conditions. What good does it do you to be able to get going faster on the ice if you can't stop any better than an jetta (for example). I think that this false sense of security that AWD/4WD offer makes these cars more dangerous...notice what kind of cars are traveling at unsafe speeds in bad conditions some time. An Audi A4 FWD w/ snow tires can stop quicker than a stock Audi A4 Quattro, i guarntee it!

[GirlienCivic]

My vote is the 1.8t Jetta or Golf, I have a friend who has both of them and they are awsome all season car that doesn't take TOO much money to tune. But in the end do what you want with it and don't let others sway your opinion, they're not the ones that are going to be driving it, you are so choose what will make you happy!

[LsVtecGirl]

I say get what you think you want. Who cares what anyone else says?? But I think the RSX is cool, or the civic. (Obviouslly I am biased to Honda). But it sounds to me like you are most interested in the Jetta. Like everyone said that would be a faily cheap, easy car to upgrade. good luck, let us know what you get!

[Brian]

golf's/jetta's own in the bang for the buck arena. I couldn't be happier with my purchase. 30 hp and 60 ft/lbs of torque for a few hundred dollars in mods. It's the next best thing to a supra.

[2000SiVTEC]

I love my jetta. It is a very nice car for the money. However I do have to disagree with the suby and snow thing. My sisters 2.5rs owns my Jetta in the snow all day long. Both have good brakes an such. Butr the Jettas interior is a little nicer, but it is also around 2-3k more than a 2.5RS.......But personally i am biased towrd teh Jettas. I like the 4 doors, I also like the look of the car better.

[CSMsi311]

To sum up what lucaq said:
awd/4wd just adds weight to a car which adversely affects braking performance. More weight, more momentum. I read a Car and Driver article about this exact topic. They tested i believe A4 and A4 quattro. Both with all season tires and with snow tires. The normal A4 with snow tires did the best, in everything but acceleration. I'd rather have good braking than acceleration in the bad weather.

I like the VW's. Very nice cars all around.

Jason

[Talonstylz]

Get a 91 Volvo 240! j/k I loved my brick but they r slow unless u dump a wad of cash into em. Volvo 850 R's are fast as hell and go for about 14k. Know a guy whos 850R is runnin 14s at bandi with a boost controller and a few other "cheap" mods

[GiRLieGirL SoL]

get the golf those look tite

[S4AudiGirl]

My S4 has quattro and kicks a$$ in the snow. Stopping and going. Don't listen to them about quattro being bad! They are just jealous 'cause they wish they had AWD to launch at the track! J/K. I do reccommend Audi/VW though, plenty of bang for the buck. You can find some great deals on used A4s, just ask John! :D

[newt2]

You can get a 4th Gen Prelude VTEC for well under your price range. It's not the fastest car on four wheels, but it's quick and will last nearly forever. Plus you'd have a few grand left over for mods.

[exciv2000]

Yeah, they're making pretty decent power out of the Supercharged preludes. Only problem with that is their ringlands.

[SinisterWRX]

I got a 2000 Civic SI for sale, electron blue. $14,000 obo. pm if you want to check it out.

Hector