Most Fun Daily for under 25K
10-12-2010, 04:00 PM
#41
Boost Pope
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But I think you may be exaggerating just a tad.
I have to admit, I've not previously looked at the actual cost of maintenance items here, so it's entirely probable that there are better sources than those I've found in the last few minutes of Googling. But I'm seeing that brake pads for the Mondial are $35-$40 per axle at RockAuto, pad hardware kits are $5-$9 / axle, and caliper service kits are $3.82 each. Rotors are pricier- I'm seeing them in the $200-$250 range, which is about what you'd expect to pay at the dealer for a Ford Focus. Heck, I've seen folks pay a lot more than that for "big rotor" kits for Miatas.
Ok, so there's no question that ongoing maintenance will be more expensive than for a Civic. But isn't that like saying that Budweiser is cheaper than Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale? Well of course it is. But that doesn't keep us from paying more for something that you're just going to **** out an hour later.
Yeah, I've got most of the parts, the engine and transmission are already at the fab shop, and I've kind of gotten bored with the idea. Honestly, I'm just in this terrible funk of late, and I don't think that raw, brutal speed is the answer.
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10-12-2010, 04:11 PM
#42
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raw, brutal speed is always the answer.
better yet is the same kind of speed in corners.
and don't get a boxster. only middle-aged guys thinking that a cheap version of the 911 is just as good. They're fun, don't get me wrong, and I almost bought one before I grabed my Evo 9. A boxster S, actually. I just felt like it would have been a terrible daily driver. The clutch felt so much more stif than the evo's aftermarket clutch. But looking back I should have bought it since I could have grabbed it for $23k
better yet is the same kind of speed in corners.
and don't get a boxster. only middle-aged guys thinking that a cheap version of the 911 is just as good. They're fun, don't get me wrong, and I almost bought one before I grabed my Evo 9. A boxster S, actually. I just felt like it would have been a terrible daily driver. The clutch felt so much more stif than the evo's aftermarket clutch. But looking back I should have bought it since I could have grabbed it for $23k
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10-12-2010, 04:18 PM
#43
I'm Miserable!
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Infiniti G35 S
VW Jetta TDi
Lexus IS250
2001 M5 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-...item35ad021568
VW Jetta TDi
Lexus IS250
2001 M5 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-...item35ad021568
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10-12-2010, 04:30 PM
#44
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I opted for a 3-series BMW. Sure, they are pretty common around here, only slightly less common than Honda Accords it would seem, but that has its advantages: It's not terribly hard to find well cared for used ones (I had a much lower budget, so avoiding beat ones was critical) or spare parts. And it has a reasonable balance between luxury, practicality, performance, and economy, not to mention mod potential if I feel like it. Most people forget that the phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none," ends with "Though often better than a master of one."
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10-12-2010, 06:25 PM
#46
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Let me be clear: I never suggested that the OP buy either a Ferrari or a Boxster.
Ok, so there's no question that ongoing maintenance will be more expensive than for a Civic. But isn't that like saying that Budweiser is cheaper than Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale? Well of course it is. But that doesn't keep us from paying more for something that you're just going to **** out an hour later.
Ok, so there's no question that ongoing maintenance will be more expensive than for a Civic. But isn't that like saying that Budweiser is cheaper than Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale? Well of course it is. But that doesn't keep us from paying more for something that you're just going to **** out an hour later.
Ah, ok.
I just remember folks being surprised at scheduled maintenances. I remember my uncle had the first year Boxster and was surprised how much the oil change and spark plugs cost. It was over $1k....I think $1300? A lot of it was labor. I might've missed something...but a 30k service for my Sienna was a LOT cheaper than that (I had them doing a tranny flush as well).
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10-12-2010, 08:18 PM
#48
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go big. any homologation special. stratos, e30 m3, audi sport, gtx, 205t16, rs200, delta integrale, gt40, porsche 959/962. i'll take one of each please. i think all 2 door ferraris fit this definition as well.
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10-12-2010, 09:20 PM
#50
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sorry, i forgot to ask, am i allowed to go slight over budget?
http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/index.html
btw: everybody knows, your daily is your tow vehicle.
http://www.kirkhammotorsports.com/index.html
btw: everybody knows, your daily is your tow vehicle.
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10-12-2010, 09:47 PM
#51
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It may bear saying, since I know that I'm often flippant or glib in these matters, but the opinions I've given above are not meant as humor. I am putting a lot of thought into this. One of the generic maxims of my elders that I'm starting to appreciate as I see more and more grey hair in the mirror every morning is that you're only young once, and within the bounds of reason (and preferably without compromising your retirement savings), you ought to at least try to enjoy it.
Now, I despise the idea of cars as status symbols. I think that's pretty well established by the '90 Miata I'm driving now, the one with nearly a quarter of a million miles on it that's painted several different colors and has only a shred of soft-top material still attached to the frame. But it's a whole different thing to buy a car which is intrinsically cool without being ostentatious than to merely plop yourself down into the latest offering from the AMG group and make sure that all your friends notice the key fob when you casually set it on the bar while ordering your pomegranate martini.
And it's hard at times, actually.
I've driven the Boxster S, and as a car I just absolutely love it. It's quick, handles well, the gearbox feels incredible, the brakes will rip your face off, and for a Porsche, it doesn't try very hard at all to kill you by plunging you off the side of a cliff backwards. It's a great thing to drive. I'm not even bothered by the "poor man's Porsche" attitude that half the universe seems to subscribe to. (I liked the 914, too. Maybe that says something.) The only problem with the Boxster is that they're practically a fungible commodity these days. Look around any parking lot here in Carlsbad and you'd think that they were coming free in the mail along with the Saturday coupon flyer and samples of Tide. It's not that they tip the ****-o-meter off scale like a Hummer or a Carrera GT3, quite the opposite- they've fallen into what we in the audio business call the noise floor.
If you're gonna do it, do it right I say. The man's already got a Miata, so that's the purist sports car urge satisfied. And by all means, go ahead and buy a cheap V6 Aerostar. Yank out the seats and install a Class III hitch. They're convenient to have around.
But if the time has come to plunk down some real money on a "responsible" car, don't be a lemming. If you buy a BMW or a Subabishi or a Merc, well, you might as well just go ahead and wear a pre-distressed Ambercrombie ball-cap offset to one side and have some random Chinese letter tattooed onto the back of your neck. You can deposit your personality at the concierge desk, no claim check will be issued.
At the dealer? I can certainly see that.
But c'mon, do we really need to pay for the marketing department's idea of the Ownership Experiance? I don't care how good the coffee and bagels are, this is a Man's Car, dammit! The oil and spark plugs go in the same way as they did on my '71 beetle. That 986 holds 8.72 quarts of Mobil1 ($71.91), takes a P838 filter ($13.29) and runs BKR6E plugs ($13.74 for 6).
Ok, I understand that labor costs money, but even at $80 / hour (which is slightly more than what I charge for my services as a consulting engineer), did it really take them two whole days to do an oil change and spark plugs?
It doesn't have to be a Maserati. It doesn't have to be a Jag or an Aston. It doesn't even have to be a DeLorean (although they, too, are plentiful in the high teens to mid 20s.) But for the love of all that's holy, you're not going to have this chance every day, so please, buy something interesting.
Now, I despise the idea of cars as status symbols. I think that's pretty well established by the '90 Miata I'm driving now, the one with nearly a quarter of a million miles on it that's painted several different colors and has only a shred of soft-top material still attached to the frame. But it's a whole different thing to buy a car which is intrinsically cool without being ostentatious than to merely plop yourself down into the latest offering from the AMG group and make sure that all your friends notice the key fob when you casually set it on the bar while ordering your pomegranate martini.
And it's hard at times, actually.
I've driven the Boxster S, and as a car I just absolutely love it. It's quick, handles well, the gearbox feels incredible, the brakes will rip your face off, and for a Porsche, it doesn't try very hard at all to kill you by plunging you off the side of a cliff backwards. It's a great thing to drive. I'm not even bothered by the "poor man's Porsche" attitude that half the universe seems to subscribe to. (I liked the 914, too. Maybe that says something.) The only problem with the Boxster is that they're practically a fungible commodity these days. Look around any parking lot here in Carlsbad and you'd think that they were coming free in the mail along with the Saturday coupon flyer and samples of Tide. It's not that they tip the ****-o-meter off scale like a Hummer or a Carrera GT3, quite the opposite- they've fallen into what we in the audio business call the noise floor.
If you're gonna do it, do it right I say. The man's already got a Miata, so that's the purist sports car urge satisfied. And by all means, go ahead and buy a cheap V6 Aerostar. Yank out the seats and install a Class III hitch. They're convenient to have around.
But if the time has come to plunk down some real money on a "responsible" car, don't be a lemming. If you buy a BMW or a Subabishi or a Merc, well, you might as well just go ahead and wear a pre-distressed Ambercrombie ball-cap offset to one side and have some random Chinese letter tattooed onto the back of your neck. You can deposit your personality at the concierge desk, no claim check will be issued.
But c'mon, do we really need to pay for the marketing department's idea of the Ownership Experiance? I don't care how good the coffee and bagels are, this is a Man's Car, dammit! The oil and spark plugs go in the same way as they did on my '71 beetle. That 986 holds 8.72 quarts of Mobil1 ($71.91), takes a P838 filter ($13.29) and runs BKR6E plugs ($13.74 for 6).
Ok, I understand that labor costs money, but even at $80 / hour (which is slightly more than what I charge for my services as a consulting engineer), did it really take them two whole days to do an oil change and spark plugs?
It doesn't have to be a Maserati. It doesn't have to be a Jag or an Aston. It doesn't even have to be a DeLorean (although they, too, are plentiful in the high teens to mid 20s.) But for the love of all that's holy, you're not going to have this chance every day, so please, buy something interesting.
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10-12-2010, 09:56 PM
#52
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I dislike my wife's '03 cooper S. definitely a fun quick car I will give you that, but to live with....not anywhere as nice in any category as the subaru (earlier sti in question in the OP). Cooper needs more power, needs a limited slip (available certain years?), needs less electrical gremlins, needs better headlights/highbeams (compared to a subaru), hi beam indicator is brighter than the sun and right in your face, wwwaaayyyyy louder road noise than any subaru I've had, interior sucks, plastic-y, rear end is always dirty, less storage or rear passenger room (important IMHO for a daily), I dunno. cooper was a letdown for me. She pretends to like it. But the cooper gets about 10mpg more than my subarus even with me driving it. Low 30's. Every time I drive it I want to gut the supercharger and throw a 2554 on that bi-ach. I may have to when (not if) the supercharger fails. I'm this close to convincing her to trade it in on a forester.
Last edited by TurboTim; 10-12-2010 at 10:22 PM.
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10-12-2010, 10:19 PM
#53
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Another reason to go subaru. My '05 outback XT has a 2700lb tow rating and tows my ~2200lb boat/trailer easily on the highway and stops surprisingly well even with the tiny legacy 2.5i brakes they stick on the OBXT's. 6cyl cars have 3000lb rating. I bought mine a year ago for $11.5k/92k miles, limited too with the fancypants leather heated seats interior and the HUGE moonroof which makes it an awesome daily driver. It ended up needing an exhaust valve shortly thereafter but nevermind that 
Opensource tuning FTW. Cheap parts. Easy to work on. Sound badass. Man I have a hardon for subarus.
My '04 sti got like 14mpg, my OBXT gets 22-24 highway.
Opensource tuning FTW. Cheap parts. Easy to work on. Sound badass. Man I have a hardon for subarus. My '04 sti got like 14mpg, my OBXT gets 22-24 highway.
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10-13-2010, 03:43 AM
#55
It hasn't been suggested yet, so I'll suggest it: 2000-2002 Audi S4.
/cue fifty people bitching about how their mom's cousin's Rabbi's neighbor had a 2.7T A6 and had all sorts of problems
But seriously, a FAST, well-built one can be had for less than $20k these days. As freakishly fast as they can be, it's still a VERY presentable, subtle-appearing car.
*Or just do like I did and buy a C5 Z06.
/cue fifty people bitching about how their mom's cousin's Rabbi's neighbor had a 2.7T A6 and had all sorts of problems
But seriously, a FAST, well-built one can be had for less than $20k these days. As freakishly fast as they can be, it's still a VERY presentable, subtle-appearing car.
*Or just do like I did and buy a C5 Z06.
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10-13-2010, 07:33 AM
#56
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Joe Perez - yeah, my uncle had it done at the dealership. I was just trying to add the "hey, it's either a PITA to work on for maintenance" or will cost $Texas b/c of the labor hours involved. Around here, dealer hourly labor rates are probably right around $90-100 for typical dealerships....higher end cars like Porsche would probably be above $100/hr.
I just didn't want the OP to buy a car he could afford to find out that scheduled maintenance will be unaffordable or require a LOT of swearing, broken knuckles, specialized tools, etc.
I've seen a ton of Lotus Elise/Exige with upgraded supercharger kits (and testfitted turbo kits) for TurboXS. The cars are a blast to drive (270whp on a 1950lb car? sign me up!!). However, even skilled techs hate working on them b/c it's such a tight fit. There's some cars that I'd dread working on (even just changing plugs).
If I didn't have to worry about those kinds of things, then I'd definitely put the Boxster S on the top 5 of fun daily cars to drive. Heck, I'd almost suggest a Lotus b/c of the hotness factor. They are a pain to get in/out of and aren't the most comfy car to drive for many hours (like some of our Miatas still are? Ha!)....but sexy factor=10/10.
Audi S4? Sure, why not! Those are 4-door cars. I'd probably pick an AMG instead b/c they're less common. After riding in a C32 at a Mercedes event (remember those things the manufacturers did when they had money?) with a professional driver (probably named 'Hans' or 'Klaus')...I was sold after the 105 mph powerslide across FedEx Field's parking lot.
I just didn't want the OP to buy a car he could afford to find out that scheduled maintenance will be unaffordable or require a LOT of swearing, broken knuckles, specialized tools, etc.
I've seen a ton of Lotus Elise/Exige with upgraded supercharger kits (and testfitted turbo kits) for TurboXS. The cars are a blast to drive (270whp on a 1950lb car? sign me up!!). However, even skilled techs hate working on them b/c it's such a tight fit. There's some cars that I'd dread working on (even just changing plugs).
If I didn't have to worry about those kinds of things, then I'd definitely put the Boxster S on the top 5 of fun daily cars to drive. Heck, I'd almost suggest a Lotus b/c of the hotness factor. They are a pain to get in/out of and aren't the most comfy car to drive for many hours (like some of our Miatas still are? Ha!)....but sexy factor=10/10.
Audi S4? Sure, why not! Those are 4-door cars. I'd probably pick an AMG instead b/c they're less common. After riding in a C32 at a Mercedes event (remember those things the manufacturers did when they had money?) with a professional driver (probably named 'Hans' or 'Klaus')...I was sold after the 105 mph powerslide across FedEx Field's parking lot.
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10-13-2010, 07:52 AM
#57
Want fries with that?
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It hasn't been suggested yet, so I'll suggest it: 2000-2002 Audi S4.
/cue fifty people bitching about how their mom's cousin's Rabbi's neighbor had a 2.7T A6 and had all sorts of problems
But seriously, a FAST, well-built one can be had for less than $20k these days. As freakishly fast as they can be, it's still a VERY presentable, subtle-appearing car.
*Or just do like I did and buy a C5 Z06.
/cue fifty people bitching about how their mom's cousin's Rabbi's neighbor had a 2.7T A6 and had all sorts of problems
But seriously, a FAST, well-built one can be had for less than $20k these days. As freakishly fast as they can be, it's still a VERY presentable, subtle-appearing car.
*Or just do like I did and buy a C5 Z06.
It's a ******* bitch. It's retardedly expensive to own and operate, it's not fun in the slightest, it's not that comfortable, it's ugly, and it's impossible to work on. The ******* front end has to come off just for a ******* timing belt job.
Credit where credit's due though, it has a bitchin' sound system and it is fast. Even for a 3800lb car it can haul *** if need be.
ITT: Pusha reveals what a butt-tard he is
EDIT: And you say it can be fast... They can be extremely fast, but ANY mod you make to one of these cars will take it out of DD territory right away.
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10-13-2010, 12:13 PM
#58
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I dislike my wife's '03 cooper S. definitely a fun quick car I will give you that, but to live with....not anywhere as nice in any category as the subaru (earlier sti in question in the OP). Cooper needs more power, needs a limited slip (available certain years?), needs less electrical gremlins, needs better headlights/highbeams (compared to a subaru), hi beam indicator is brighter than the sun and right in your face, wwwaaayyyyy louder road noise than any subaru I've had, interior sucks, plastic-y, rear end is always dirty, less storage or rear passenger room (important IMHO for a daily), I dunno. cooper was a letdown for me. She pretends to like it. But the cooper gets about 10mpg more than my subarus even with me driving it. Low 30's. Every time I drive it I want to gut the supercharger and throw a 2554 on that bi-ach. I may have to when (not if) the supercharger fails. I'm this close to convincing her to trade it in on a forester.
I will agree with you on 75% of these comments, however most of them have been addressed in the 05 R53 and then in the later turboed R56's
Road noise is ridiculous in the MINI. I hate that part for sure. Still overall like the car A LOT more than my gf's 02 WRX (other than the ease of working on it)
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10-13-2010, 12:24 PM
#60
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I will agree with you on 75% of these comments, however most of them have been addressed in the 05 R53 and then in the later turboed R56's
Road noise is ridiculous in the MINI. I hate that part for sure. Still overall like the car A LOT more than my gf's 02 WRX (other than the ease of working on it)
Road noise is ridiculous in the MINI. I hate that part for sure. Still overall like the car A LOT more than my gf's 02 WRX (other than the ease of working on it)
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