jmacman12
Active member
Whenever I want to buy a new car I always write everything down on paper to weigh the plus's and minus's, so I can see which makes sense. Then I narrow it down and go test drive a bunch of those cars (even if I can't afford it) so that I can compare all of them and use certain things as barometers. That way even if I don't know the car very well, I'll know something is up after having driven more than a few.
I'll make you a mini list to help visualize things.
Cobalt SS
The good
- Cheap to maintain
- Good on fuel
- Cheap replacement parts
The bad
- SC isn't fast or reliable, TC is out of budget
- Cheap "plastic-y" interior
- Small trunk opening and small trunk space
- Rear leg room/head room is minimal in coupe
- Demographics who own are young and they're thrashed
SRT4
The good
- Fast
- Easy to work on
- Lots of available parts
The bad
- Not the most reliable
- Demographics who own are you and they're thrashed
- Cheap "plastic-y" interior
- People brand you as a Neon driver
Mazdaspeed 3/6
The good
- Very refined high quality interior
- Fast
- Lots of cargo space
- Easy to mod (accessport)
The bad
- Pre 2007.5 Mazdas are WAY MORE prone to body rust
- Bad PCV/smoking turbo (speed 6 is more prone to issue)
- Usually thrashed as well
BMW E46
The good
- Good fuel eco
- High quality refined interior
- RWD
- Great handling
The bad
- Known to have body rust
- Known to consume oil
- Vanos issues?
Miata
The good
- Fun to drive
- Good on fuel
- Easy to mod (potential)
The bad
- Will rust or already has
- Minimal space for cargo
- Cold in the winter (soft top)
- Handling issues in snow? Non LSD and no weight over rear axel?
From skimming this thread these seem to be rather debated, so hopefully that can help you weigh your options a little better. My write up was brief and not very conclusive though haha.
You're looking for a blend of interior quality, performance and utility and frankly there aren't that many cars out there that offer all that WITHOUT some form of compromise so it's up to you to figure out what you're willing to sacrifice on!
Honestly man if I were you I'd look at B6 A4 Wagons. Great cars, just stay away from the allroad. Heck even a WRX wagon would be nice. They're around that range in auto and sometimes if youre lucky a single owner old lady will be selling hers, I've seen it on more than one occasion.
Best of luck.
I'll make you a mini list to help visualize things.
Cobalt SS
The good
- Cheap to maintain
- Good on fuel
- Cheap replacement parts
The bad
- SC isn't fast or reliable, TC is out of budget
- Cheap "plastic-y" interior
- Small trunk opening and small trunk space
- Rear leg room/head room is minimal in coupe
- Demographics who own are young and they're thrashed
SRT4
The good
- Fast
- Easy to work on
- Lots of available parts
The bad
- Not the most reliable
- Demographics who own are you and they're thrashed
- Cheap "plastic-y" interior
- People brand you as a Neon driver
Mazdaspeed 3/6
The good
- Very refined high quality interior
- Fast
- Lots of cargo space
- Easy to mod (accessport)
The bad
- Pre 2007.5 Mazdas are WAY MORE prone to body rust
- Bad PCV/smoking turbo (speed 6 is more prone to issue)
- Usually thrashed as well
BMW E46
The good
- Good fuel eco
- High quality refined interior
- RWD
- Great handling
The bad
- Known to have body rust
- Known to consume oil
- Vanos issues?
Miata
The good
- Fun to drive
- Good on fuel
- Easy to mod (potential)
The bad
- Will rust or already has
- Minimal space for cargo
- Cold in the winter (soft top)
- Handling issues in snow? Non LSD and no weight over rear axel?
From skimming this thread these seem to be rather debated, so hopefully that can help you weigh your options a little better. My write up was brief and not very conclusive though haha.
You're looking for a blend of interior quality, performance and utility and frankly there aren't that many cars out there that offer all that WITHOUT some form of compromise so it's up to you to figure out what you're willing to sacrifice on!
Honestly man if I were you I'd look at B6 A4 Wagons. Great cars, just stay away from the allroad. Heck even a WRX wagon would be nice. They're around that range in auto and sometimes if youre lucky a single owner old lady will be selling hers, I've seen it on more than one occasion.
Best of luck.
