Car shopping - need ideas

[Marky]

Car shopping for me

I am a blank slate, only conditions are late-ish model, manual, sedan or wagon, ideally turbocharged and not a wrx or evo

Looking in the 10 - 18k range and whatever I get will likely get the basic reflash / exhaust etc treatment eventually

Best contender so far is looking like the mazda 6 MPS - bit left field, but I\'ve always liked the look of the atenza/6 and they seem to be a relatively safe bet.

Alternatives - GT/B4 Legacy? Running a blank on what euros are "good" as such - the 1.8t audis looked good until I saw how much power they don\'t have... Falcon or commodore are both just overkill, too big a car for what will be mostly just used by me only (as much as I\'d love to make big V8 noises everywhere)

Any ideas are welcome, just getting some second opinions really

[funkytown]

ford xr5 / focus thing? audi S3?

[Kiwi_Fozze]

Could pick up a reasonably tidy v7 impress for that....

[boon]

18k would get you a Version 8 STI if you shopped around...

(But that\'s a WRX )

Would get you a real tidy H6 Legacy/Outback, they\'re quite a nice drive. Similar outright power to a WRX/LGT but way more linear.

[ADIKT]

Get a BL/BP shaped GT and work your magic on it

[Scoobydoo]

VW Golf GTi

Don\'t think 18k will be enough for a Focus XR5 (too new), but they are next best thing to a Golf GTi

I reckon if I wasn\'t so into Subaru\'s.. that\'s what I\'d get

EDIT: One like this: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/auction-646692533.htm

But most of the later model / lower km ones start at around the 20k mark

[2000 legacy b4]

Just stick with the gt-b hahaha, Idk why your even selling it in the first place :L

[rslegy]

Toyota caldina GTT 2ltr turbo and awd

[marc]

 Scoobydoo said:

VW Golf GTi

Don\'t think 18k will be enough for a Focus XR5 (too new), but they are next best thing to a Golf GTi

I reckon if I wasn\'t so into Subaru\'s.. that\'s what I\'d get

EDIT: One like this: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/auction-646692533.htm

But most of the later model / lower km ones start at around the 20k mark

Thats what the mrs wants , none the less not bad cars if theyr looked after..

Then again what the hell.. I drive a honda

[Roo]

Thank me later

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/stagea/auction-648942497.htm

[2000 legacy b4]

Lol at the 310cca battery in there

[Kiwi_Fozze]

Flatmate just got an st focus.... 2.5 turb... Nice car, bit pricy though.

[Roo]

Can I also chime in here and steer you away from european cars?

If you can\'t afford a brand new euro, you can\'t afford one at all..

[sirwrx]

Have a look at the legacy 3.0R. similar power to the auto GT wagons.

[Guest]

I\'d go euro just for the comfort level, my 97 Quattro a4 beats the s*** out of my forester for comfort inside, completely different level to be honest the forester is s*** compared to it.

my audi has been totally reliable a damn site better than the crap forester which has cost a fortune and on a hell of a lot less KM\'s too.

[GorGasmSpecB]

 Roo said:

Thank me later

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/stagea/auction-648942497.htm

EW ew ew. no.

I used to have a C34 Stagea. The BP/BL Legacy is leagues ahead.

For that money I think the BP/BL Legacy is a better car than the MPS6 in all areas bar interior. They are pretty reliable vehicles with good power potential.

Manual only of course.

[Marky]

One car I can rule out is the n/a legacys, I know people love them here but to me it\'s in the same boat as a v6 commodore, camry, diamante etc - it\'s not what I\'m wanting, still want something kinda entertaining (yes I have driven them manual and auto). They drive nicely but I have no brand loyalty haha

Steering away from anything bogan, so no stagea/skyrine, no wrx, no evo, I want something a bit less of a theft risk for starters. Caldina is out of the question too, they\'re either too old or the later model ones are all auto. Not too worried about if it\'s euro or japanese or whatever - all cars have their faults, just a matter of being aware of what to look for.

The XR5 focuses (Focii?) are cool wee cars but they are up the top end of my $ bracket so probably won\'t go that way. Have driven one and it really surprised me though (similar to the mazda 3 MPS I guess? Super torquey FWD).

Will just keep an eye out, something will pop up sooner or later which catches my eye. So far the atenza still looks like the go-er, quite good value for the $ spent and no real recurring faults I can find. Have driven the legacy and mazda both a while back and I thought at the time the mazda was the better drive... will re-visit that before I do anything though as they\'re both each other\'s only real competition. Pro\'s and con\'s to both - plenty of comparisons online which go either way as well

[DRFVDR]

Only thing I can add if that you do look at euros MAKE sure it is not a jap import, Te spec of them is different enough to be a pain in the arse for getting parts ( my missus had a jap import Audi and only parts for the japanese spec parts was second hand )

[boon]

 Marky said:

One car I can rule out is the n/a legacys, I know people love them here but to me it\'s in the same boat as a v6 commodore, camry, diamante etc - it\'s not what I\'m wanting, still want something kinda entertaining (yes I have driven them manual and auto). They drive nicely but I have no brand loyalty haha

Have you driven the H6 ones? My old man has a EZ30R Outback and it goes at least as well as my V3 WRX did.

[GorGasmSpecB]

Something wrong with you V3 I reckon

I had a 3.0R 6 speed which I sold mainly because it was too slow.

Super fun to drive though, like a giant Honda euro R

[ADIKT]

The manual h6 legacys go hard

[DacerX]

yeah i have to admit they are dam nice, gotasubys new one is amazing

[Roo]

But you can rwd that stagea and be super drift king

[lunchie]

For what its worth.

Golf GTI

My mum owns a series 5 golf and I have spent long hours driving it and another Gti golf series 5. They are extremely good fun to drive and the only issue with them is the mechatronics control chip on the DSG gearbox can sometimes go but this is covered by most warranties, anyway the 6 speed manual is the one to go for anyway.

The 2004-2008 model makes 200hp and hits 100kph in mid 6\'s while still getting around 10kms per ltr around town and 12-14kms per ltr on the open road. Think 600-800km\'s from a 60ltr tank.

Also bare in mind the engines are VERY tunable and a simple reflash nets you 240hp with high 5 seconds to 100 and insane 80-120kph passing times due to the massive torque these engines make.

They are also a full 5 star NCAP safety rated car and look good as well, easy enough room for 4 adults or 2 adults +3 kids.

Being a VW they are also the cheapest of the Euro brands to service (compared to audi, bmw and merc), mums annual service through the VW dealer is $150 which includes new oil and several filters (oil and something else) and a full check over of the car.

3ltr legacy

As a 2nd option my brother owned a 3ltr 2004 legacy for several years. It went very well, was nice and smooth and effortless to drive due to the torque. Used a decent amount of fuel around town 9kms per ltr but on the open road it still got better than 10kms per ltr.

Performance wise it was torque and effortless rather that fast (in the sense of a wrx that is) but it still hit 100 in the low 7\'s. The factory Mcintosh sound system is awesome too as is the leather interior if you can get it.

Super reliable chain driven engine too which is very thrash resistant and good for towing.

2ltr turbo legacy

The 2ltr turbo legacy of the same era (2003-2009) as also great cars but seem to have a few more niggles than the 3ltr NA cousins. They are however noticible quicker and with a simply catback exhaust and a reflash they can punch out 165-180kw atw (much more than a stock GD chassis WRX and not far off a stock sti).

They also have the nice GTB option too with the tasty bilstein suspension and bigger 18inch wheels which look the business too. Added awesome points if you can find one with the stock STI front lip which makes them look so much more aggressive and staunch.

Focus ST (2006-2010)

The Focus ST\'s are a great option too but as most have said 18k is the very very low end of that market and you may end up with a car with highish kms for that amount. That said they are a great car with arguably the best sounding engine this side of an ej20 with anti-lag going through a pine tree rally stage lol

They are known to be a tough robust engine with better than average low down torque and the factory hp claim of 225 can be made to nudge 300 with just a reflash and a new exhaust.

Quaife also makes a great front LSD for their gearboxes which can be bought and installed for just over $1,000 giving you an extremely potent 300hp superhatch that can easily mix it with the evo\'s and sti\'s on track or on road using the diff to help put down that power off the line and pull it out of wet corners without just spinning away the inside tire.

5 star NCAP too and will probably hold its value the best of them all.

Hope some of that is helpful, feel free to PM me if you have any other questions

[Roo]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/350z/auction-650831922.htm

Not bogan, leave it stock to keep it a sleeper. I know a guy in aus with the track spec like this, ran a 13.6 stock. farken quick for an n/a rwd. Plus they sound so win

All they need is an aftermarket LSD and an exhaust and you\'ll never have so much fun