Hey all,
I am in the market for a new car asd the Sunfire has become a money pit lately and is showing her age. I feel like every day I drive it I'm going to break down. I need the piece of mind of a "new" or new car. I was looking at a few types and I wanted opinions from owners or drivers who have experienced them. I will take them into consideration as i shop around.
ScionTC: It has Toyota reliability and is available with alot of options, including exterior mods and the supercharger. Will these options run it up so high in cost that something esle is better?
Hyundai Tiburon v6: I've heard these are fairly and they are good looking too. They are also fairly inexpensive and are pretty common used. I've seen anywhere from 12-17K for used mileage used and high teens for new.
Civic SI: The new Civics are really nice looking, reliable, and pretty fast for a sport compact. Then probably run in the high teens pricewise to 20K for the newest body style.
Cobalt SS: I have heard good things from people on this site but I am leery about GM reliability. This one will go over 20K for sure amd I want to be sure that it stacks up with imports for this price.
The next two were kind of my dream cars and I think I could find a pre-owned one with lower mileage for around 25K: they are the 350Z and G35. There is a tradeoff to getting them used as they are:
1. used and may have like 40K on them and may have been abused
2. may have problems pop up faster because they are broken in and used
3. worse gas mileage due to v6's
4. insurance is higher
They are my dream car and I would LOVE to own one but is the "bling" factor worth the negatives that I listed?
I am a graduate student but I have money that will be available. I can't afford much more than 25K and insurance also factors in. Should I get the brand-new compact or try for a used 350/g35?
Thanks
Ferrari....a man roles with nothing less.
Disclaimer: I will probally offend you with what is written in this post.
Out of the first 4 cars you listed I'd have to say the tC is the best choice a few guys here at work have different scions and the dealerships just seem to treat people better and with buying a new one you may want to look into the Toyota Extended warranty on it a guy here swears by it. very reliable and very good on gas even with the TRD supercharger they are still under warranty if the dealership installs it lots of TRD parts.
I'm in the same boat that you are and a 350Z or G35 would be awsome I'm right now looking at an 2004 GTO because its been a dream car that has toped my list as of late and pending everything I should have one here on Saturday but we'll see how it all goes.
Quote:
Ferrari....a man roles with nothing less.
lol, I wish
Quote:
Out of the first 4 cars you listed I'd have to say the tC is the best choice a few guys here at work have different scions and the dealerships just seem to treat people better and with buying a new one you may want to look into the Toyota Extended warranty on it a guy here swears by it. very reliable and very good on gas even with the TRD supercharger they are still under warranty if the dealership installs it lots of TRD parts.
cool, thanks. I've heard good things about the Scion TC. The Tiburon is nice but I still feel unsure about Hyundai's (even though Hyundai is much improved from the 90's). I like the Civic but it is kind of a dime-a-dozen car these days. The Cobalt SS is not common but pricey.
Quote:
I'm in the same boat that you are and a 350Z or G35 would be awsome I'm right now looking at an 2004 GTO because its been a dream car that has toped my list as of late and pending everything I should have one here on Saturday but we'll see how it all goes.
I've seen GTO's going for 20-30K used but it is even more of a gas-guzzler. I am in love with the 350/G35, especially the G35, and if I got a good deal, I can't see myself refusing it
Any other opinions are appreciated, especially those who have driven or owned these cars.
GTO > 350Z/G35
... in pretty much every respect.
But that is besides the point.
From your list, I would look at the Civic.
Yeah, from your list I would go with the new Si. I didn't like them a first, but they have grown on me. I thought about getting one, but decided not to go with a coupe.
I work on Wall Street, but didn't force you to take out a loan you couldn't afford.
I also love the G35 and the 350z. In my area when I was looking a used one can be had for a resonable price. I dont see too many problems with picking up a used one. They are good cars and Nissan is very reliable.
Have you thought about an 06 Spec V? Since the 07's are comming out you could probably get a good deal on one. Great on gas, insurance wont be too bad, very reaonsable price, great room for a small car, and the power isn't too bad either. Plus its a 6-speed with LSD.
Just a thought.
I say shoot for your dream though. You automatically fail if you dont try.
JinxedZ THE LOVED ONE wrote:GTO > 350Z/G35
... in pretty much every respect.
But that is besides the point.
From your list, I would look at the Civic.
yep he said it so it has to be true, i mean i love how this guy is so cool that he turned his opinions into facts like that, wow just amazing how cool he is.
seriously though, out of the first 4 cars i like tc's the best. i think they look great, have a pretty nice aftermarket, good gas and insurance, and they are pretty cheap. and i LOVE 350's i would seriously look around for one, because if you buy one of the other cars and you drive by a lot 3 days later and see one for 20g's wtih 30k miles your gonna go home and shoot yourself in the face ahaha. good luck.
Only issue with the New Civic Si's is they are hard to come by and alot of the dealers especially around here are selling them around $27k because they are so popular.
Yeah, that's what I've been seeing with the Civic SI's around here and that is what I want to avoid. So use driving a Civic marked up $5K!
If I decide on a sport compact, I'm leaning toward the Scion more than anything although I'm still not completely sold on the looks yet
On the GTO, they are sweet cars, but I'm not looking for a gas guzzler like that for my commute.
I'll make sure there are no 350/G35s for 20K before I give anybody any money
I'm pretty sure they don't exist with less than 50K on them!
give a look at the ford fusion
you may be pleasantly suprised if you drive one
ScionTC: Slow even with the supercharger only a tick or two faster in the quarter than a stock Z24 3rd gen, good basic transportation, hardly a performance car without a supercharger it runs with 2.2OHV J bods
Hyundai Tiburon v6: see above, only this motor cant be boosted, its very fragile, prob a worse choice than the Tc as far as reliability and modding not to mention worse gas mileage, after all these days 172hp from a 4 banger is far from extraordinary, in a V6 its pretty pathetic
Civic SI: Good speed, gas mileage, K series can be taken far with mods, right on par price wise with the above and certainly a better choice , but your going to wait a few months for one from a dealer they cant keep them on the lots, certainly the envy of many 4 cylinder ppl you can get these with navagation systems for the same price as a cobalt ss which does not have that option, AND another great feature of this car is that it has a Limited Slip Diff STOCK, this is optional on the cobalt and another 795 bucks
Cobalt SS, theres 2 models of the SS, the 2.4 is on par with the Scion or Tib, prob a tick faster than either they run mid to low 15s bout the same as a sunfire GT or Z24 and really the cobalt would be a laterial move from either of those cars not really a step up or down
The supercharged one, easily the fastest of the bunch and will be the most expensive, they have weak axles and clutches its a well documented fact on cobaltss.net but really its not an issue unless your drag racing, the LSJ is a stout motor, prob doesnt have all the bells and wistles as the Civic si, I know the heated seats are pretty nice in the cobalt, not sure if the Civic has those or not
Id say your top picks are the Civic or the SS/SC do you want more speed or some luxury thats the tradeoff, if you like the Civic Si and dont want to spend that much money , consider a used RSX type S, its basically the same car without the LSD tranny, the RSX is a great car, you could prob get a used one in decent shape for around 10k, even if its a base RSX its still 160hp and as nice as the Scion or Tibby
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
g35 sedan all the performance with more room... then slap on a s/c and surprise the hell out of people
Simple answer for the people suggesting Sentra SpecV, Fusion, and G35 sedan: I am looking for a 2 dr coupe so I'm not looking into a sedan.
Rodimus: thatnks for the "analysis", thats the kind of review I need. Since the SI's are in such high demand now, I wouldn't be surprised if the SS/SC was going for a similar $$ amount right now! Any opinions on the 350Z/G35 which I could possibly get used?
Hopefully I can get to checking out dealers in the next week
Rodimus Prime wrote:ScionTC: Slow even with the supercharger only a tick or two faster in the quarter than a stock Z24 3rd gen, good basic transportation, hardly a performance car without a supercharger it runs with 2.2OHV J bods
Hyundai Tiburon v6: see above, only this motor cant be boosted, its very fragile, prob a worse choice than the Tc as far as reliability and modding not to mention worse gas mileage, after all these days 172hp from a 4 banger is far from extraordinary, in a V6 its pretty pathetic
Civic SI: Good speed, gas mileage, K series can be taken far with mods, right on par price wise with the above and certainly a better choice , but your going to wait a few months for one from a dealer they cant keep them on the lots, certainly the envy of many 4 cylinder ppl you can get these with navagation systems for the same price as a cobalt ss which does not have that option, AND another great feature of this car is that it has a Limited Slip Diff STOCK, this is optional on the cobalt and another 795 bucks
Cobalt SS, theres 2 models of the SS, the 2.4 is on par with the Scion or Tib, prob a tick faster than either they run mid to low 15s bout the same as a sunfire GT or Z24 and really the cobalt would be a laterial move from either of those cars not really a step up or down
The supercharged one, easily the fastest of the bunch and will be the most expensive, they have weak axles and clutches its a well documented fact on cobaltss.net but really its not an issue unless your drag racing, the LSJ is a stout motor, prob doesnt have all the bells and wistles as the Civic si, I know the heated seats are pretty nice in the cobalt, not sure if the Civic has those or not
Id say your top picks are the Civic or the SS/SC do you want more speed or some luxury thats the tradeoff, if you like the Civic Si and dont want to spend that much money , consider a used RSX type S, its basically the same car without the LSD tranny, the RSX is a great car, you could prob get a used one in decent shape for around 10k, even if its a base RSX its still 160hp and as nice as the Scion or Tibby
all of this is pretty much correct, although i dont think you give the supercharged tc as much credit as you should. there are two in town that i have seen at the track. both stock (one has exhaust actually) and ive seen both in the 14's. actually saw the one with the exhaust run a 14.4, guy was so stoked haha
and also if you looking in that price range, look around for used wrx's and srt4's as well. the wrx is a GREAT GREAT daily driver and has some power, and respond really well to mods, and as long as you dont plan on going much over 300 hp will be a great car. and the srt4 is an amazing little fwd car, good power, pulls really hard up top. the later years have factory lsd, and can stand ALOT of power, and also respond very well to mods. ive seen both of these cars go for very cheap. in fact i just saw a wrx in my local deals and wheels go for 12k with 45k miles on the ticker, and saw a 04 srt4 with 54k miles on it go for 14k last month. so if you like either car look into them, test drive them.
Ior Redline, you can find an 05 for round $16,000. And its just as fast as the SS/SC.
<~~~~PWN3D!!
I know the G35 can be had for 20k There was one here in Dayton, OH Black with the tan interior going for 20k but it sold a few days ago
Sport Compact Car and Motor Trend both tested the TRD SUpercharged TC at 15.1
1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85
Thanks for the help...
I don't know current new car prices very well but it seems that the prices are unrealistically high around here (Charleston SC)... I see new Scions, Civics, and Tibs going around 20K and 350/G35s going for close to 30-35K. I thought the former would be closer to 15K and the latter closer to 25-30K? Geez
From your list.
1. G35/ 350Z
2. Civic Si
3. Scion tC (Tied)
3. Hyundai Tiburon (Tied)
Wild Card: GTO, Mazdaspeed 3, 07 Sentra Spec-V, Focus, Fusion, Mazda 6.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
I'd go for the tC personally (not that I'm biased or anything lol). There are TONS of mods available for the tC. As far as boost goes...
1. TRD supercharger:
Benefits: if the TRD supercharger is installed by a Toyota dealership, you will NOT void your warranty... but if you "upgrade" the supercharger (upgrade the pulley, etc) you WILL void the warranty.
Cons: you don't get as much power for the money, as some who have had the TRD supercharger wish they would have opted for a turbo.
2. Turbos: (many great options here including Greddy, ZPI, Dezod, Turbonetics, and more)
Benefits: many many options to choose from, and is easily upgradable. You are more in control of how much power you want out of it and have many many options to choose from.
Cons: Voids the warranty (but warranty voiding is based on whether or not the installed aftermarket part contributed to the failure of whatever went wrong).
Here's a good post on scionlife with some of the options available for the supercharger and turbos...
TRD supercharger vs. Turbo options
PLUS!!!!! You can't beat Scion customer service... period. I had an air bag sensor recall on my 2006 tC. (It was a voluntary recall that only affected 17 tC's) For my "Inconvenience" I was first sent a free Scion shoulderbag, 4 cds, and a keychain. Then, after my recall I was sent a card saying something along the lines of "Scion would like to apologize for any inconvenience the safety recall has caused you. We would like you to go to this site, and enter this code, and choose from any of the gifts available for free... as our way of saying we value you as a customer and are sorry for any inconvenience this recall has caused you." So I picked a 1:24 scale Jada tC car. All that free stuff just for a recall. Not to mention any time you call them for anything, it's like you're talking to a long lost friend. They're always so nice and helpful... and that's not JUST Scion, when i call Toyota Financial to make a loan payment they're always very nice too.
Plus, there's a "Toyota representative" that comes onto Scionlife, who reads things that Scion owners post to keep up on things, and keeps us up to date on any updates or anything.
I would say look into the Sentra SPEC-V, 05-06. My bro is on his second one and he loves them. Its his second one b/c he tried to make payments on an STi and then couldn't when he went back to school, and not becuase the Sentra was bad or anything. They really don't handle like a sedan, they are pretty sporty from the factory and he got his down to the low 15's in one summer with just bolt ons.
As for the TC they are really expenzive on the west coast, i have a friend who works at a dealer and says the dealer is paying people 2 or 3 grand more then they bought for them on trades. They are really hard to come by out here and as a result very expensive.
I know a WRX is a sedan also but they can be had for low miles in the high teens and low 20's out here, especially if you get the bug eye ones, 02-03. Like said above with just basic bolt ons they get in the low 14's pretty easilly and are reliable.
My order with the cars you presented
1. Cobal SS/SC
2. TC
3. Si
4. Tiberon
Hope that helps.
PSN ID: Phatchance249
Shawn McKenzie wrote:I would say look into the Sentra SPEC-V, 05-06. My bro is on his second one and he loves them. Its his second one b/c he tried to make payments on an STi and then couldn't when he went back to school, and not becuase the Sentra was bad or anything. They really don't handle like a sedan, they are pretty sporty from the factory and he got his down to the low 15's in one summer with just bolt ons.
As for the TC they are really expenzive on the west coast, i have a friend who works at a dealer and says the dealer is paying people 2 or 3 grand more then they bought for them on trades. They are really hard to come by out here and as a result very expensive.
I know a WRX is a sedan also but they can be had for low miles in the high teens and low 20's out here, especially if you get the bug eye ones, 02-03. Like said above with just basic bolt ons they get in the low 14's pretty easilly and are reliable.
My order with the cars you presented
1. Cobal SS/SC
2. TC
3. Si
4. Tiberon
Hope that helps.
Scion has "Pure Pricing"... everywhere in the country you pay the same amount on a NEW tC with the same options. Used however, yeah it's usually more expensive to buy used than new when it comes to tC's because they are harder to come by. While wasting time waiting to call my tattoo guy back on touching up my tat, me and a friend went to look at cars just for the heck of it. There was an Acura/Subaru dealership who had a 2006 tC, silver just like mine, with NO "extra" factory options AT ALL... 22,000 miles, going for $17,800. FYI, brand new that same car went for $16,800. I was curious as to what they'd offer me for mine (IF I decided to get rid of it, which I woulddn't because I LOVE my car)... because I don't even have 12,000 miles on mine yet, and I got the side/curtain airbags also. I didn't have the time though LOL.
With Scions, new is the way to go. You may have a wait in order to get one, but it's usually cheaper to buy new than used. Which is good for those wanting to sell theirs because they hold their resale value very very well.
