what car should I get?
August-9th-2002, 08:44 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
what car should I get?
I am think of selling my slow *** auto Protege by December.
I can spend up to $24k. I have narrwo it down to the following cars:
MS Protege
Subaru WRX (sedan or wagon?)
Toyota Matrix
Nissan Altima
New Accord - 245 hp
Mazda6 - It arrives next spring so I mught have to wait longer
VW Jetta VR6 or 1.8T
Pontiac Vibe
Yes, it need to be a 4 door, practical "family" car. That's the only way I could get the wife to agree (she's paying for it).
Any other suggestions?
I can spend up to $24k. I have narrwo it down to the following cars:
MS Protege
Subaru WRX (sedan or wagon?)
Toyota Matrix
Nissan Altima
New Accord - 245 hp
Mazda6 - It arrives next spring so I mught have to wait longer
VW Jetta VR6 or 1.8T
Pontiac Vibe
Yes, it need to be a 4 door, practical "family" car. That's the only way I could get the wife to agree (she's paying for it).
Any other suggestions?
August-9th-2002, 09:39 PM
#3
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 146
well...it depends on what your looking for.
if you want a fast fun car and don't really care about interior refinement i'd go for the wrx.
for someting to fit a family in i'd go w/ the new accord.
i also really like the jettas....1.8Ts rock.
if you want a fast fun car and don't really care about interior refinement i'd go for the wrx.
for someting to fit a family in i'd go w/ the new accord.
i also really like the jettas....1.8Ts rock.
August-9th-2002, 09:49 PM
#4
Protege Enthusiast
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: westerville, ohio
Posts: 122
MS Protege
Subaru WRX (sedan or wagon?)
Toyota Matrix
Nissan Altima
New Accord - 245 hp
Mazda6 - It arrives next spring so I mught have to wait longer
VW Jetta VR6 or 1.8T
Pontiac Vibe
Can you say Ugly!
Go with the Mazda 6!
Subaru WRX (sedan or wagon?)
Toyota Matrix
Nissan Altima
New Accord - 245 hp
Mazda6 - It arrives next spring so I mught have to wait longer
VW Jetta VR6 or 1.8T
Pontiac Vibe
Can you say Ugly!
Go with the Mazda 6!
August-9th-2002, 11:53 PM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Stick or auto? That will affect your choice.
The Altima is very nice and very fast (with the V-6). And huge inside. Very practical. And it has more than enough torque for the auto. Despite what Car and Driver reported, several have run under 15 secs in the 1/4. With the stick, mid-14's. An awesome car that even your grandmother will like riding in. The shock valving is a little off (too stiff front, too soft rear), but it handles well despite that. Plus, if you live where they sell 93-93 octane, it performs even better than it does in CA (with 91). The 4-cyl runs just fine on 87.
The WRX doesn't work very well with an auto. And the sticks perform best if driven like a rental car. But there is a huge aftermarket for them. And you can get them in the ever-practical wagon form (although it's not much of a wagon, just like the Protege5...that is compared to something like a Volvo or even a Focus/Matrix).
The Matrix/Vibe are also cars that have to be hammered to be fast. The difference between a 7800 rpm redline and 8200 rpm redline is about 1 sec 0-60 (with the 180hp motor in the Celica GT-S).
The Jetta is very nice, and the 1.8T is the motor to get, especially with the auto (although the VR6 does better with the auto than the Passat's V-6). Very nice car, good aftermarket, a little soft in stock form, but the sport package comes with nice 17's.
All of the cars have the negative of requiring hi-octane gas, so you have to figure that into the cost of operation. (There are a lot of whiners on the '02 Altima forum who complain about the cost of Super compared to Regular.)
Forgot to mention that I have a '02 Altima 3.5 SE V-6 5-speed. If you don't want to buy one, don't test drive it. That's what pushed me over the edge.
The Altima is very nice and very fast (with the V-6). And huge inside. Very practical. And it has more than enough torque for the auto. Despite what Car and Driver reported, several have run under 15 secs in the 1/4. With the stick, mid-14's. An awesome car that even your grandmother will like riding in. The shock valving is a little off (too stiff front, too soft rear), but it handles well despite that. Plus, if you live where they sell 93-93 octane, it performs even better than it does in CA (with 91). The 4-cyl runs just fine on 87.
The WRX doesn't work very well with an auto. And the sticks perform best if driven like a rental car. But there is a huge aftermarket for them. And you can get them in the ever-practical wagon form (although it's not much of a wagon, just like the Protege5...that is compared to something like a Volvo or even a Focus/Matrix).
The Matrix/Vibe are also cars that have to be hammered to be fast. The difference between a 7800 rpm redline and 8200 rpm redline is about 1 sec 0-60 (with the 180hp motor in the Celica GT-S).
The Jetta is very nice, and the 1.8T is the motor to get, especially with the auto (although the VR6 does better with the auto than the Passat's V-6). Very nice car, good aftermarket, a little soft in stock form, but the sport package comes with nice 17's.
All of the cars have the negative of requiring hi-octane gas, so you have to figure that into the cost of operation. (There are a lot of whiners on the '02 Altima forum who complain about the cost of Super compared to Regular.)
Forgot to mention that I have a '02 Altima 3.5 SE V-6 5-speed. If you don't want to buy one, don't test drive it. That's what pushed me over the edge.
August-10th-2002, 12:21 AM
#8
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Dallas, Texas
Posts: 1,122
I would probably go with the WRX, tho I haven't driven the Altima. However, the MS Pro WILL be cheaper than either one, but not quite as fast. The new C&D has an article about it, and the sticker is ~$20k. Might be worth considering, although C&D complained that the Pro had a lot of torque steer and rode a LOT harder than the MP3, hard enough to be obnoxious on rough streets. Ride quality is a matter of personal taste, but the WRX and Altima will have a more comfy ride than the MS.
Accord? Yawn.
The V-6 4-door sedan will only be available with an automatic- only the coupe gets the 6-speed. Honda has been gradually softening up the Accord; although the last V-6 Accord isn't as spongy as say, a Camry (which IMHO feels like a Buick now), the engine and transmission have IMHO been tuned to feel too much like a Mercedes- easy to drive smoothly and fast once you get rolling, but too sluggish from a standstill. A fast car, but not a QUICK car.
Mazda6? I think it looks really, really nice. I would wait for this one. All the reports I've read have said really positive things about it.
OK, that's enough for now.
Accord? Yawn.
The V-6 4-door sedan will only be available with an automatic- only the coupe gets the 6-speed. Honda has been gradually softening up the Accord; although the last V-6 Accord isn't as spongy as say, a Camry (which IMHO feels like a Buick now), the engine and transmission have IMHO been tuned to feel too much like a Mercedes- easy to drive smoothly and fast once you get rolling, but too sluggish from a standstill. A fast car, but not a QUICK car. Mazda6? I think it looks really, really nice. I would wait for this one. All the reports I've read have said really positive things about it.
OK, that's enough for now.
August-10th-2002, 01:03 PM
#9
Protege Enthusiast
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 55
Originally posted by 90&00 Protege
Point that needs to be clarified...the Mazda 6 will be in showrooms in December 2002 as a 2003 model.
A cheaper route would be to keep your current Protege and stick a BEGI turbo kit on it in spring...thereby saving a whole lotta cash for you to do something else fun with.
Point that needs to be clarified...the Mazda 6 will be in showrooms in December 2002 as a 2003 model.
A cheaper route would be to keep your current Protege and stick a BEGI turbo kit on it in spring...thereby saving a whole lotta cash for you to do something else fun with.
August-10th-2002, 01:19 PM
#10
Protege Enthusiast
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: miami
Posts: 343
but then he's still stuck with the auto tranny. u could change the tranny, but do u really wanna do that?
i'd go with the altima, mods for scooby are a whoooole lota extra $$$$
but then again, if u wait for the sti to come out u could probably pick up a WRX for a lil cheaper.
-Jason
i'd go with the altima, mods for scooby are a whoooole lota extra $$$$
but then again, if u wait for the sti to come out u could probably pick up a WRX for a lil cheaper.
-Jason
August-10th-2002, 03:14 PM
#12
Protege Newbie
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Washington, D.C.
Posts: 46
If the Mazda 6 is cheaper than the Altima, it would be worth waiting until 2003, certainly not right when the hit the lots. Then in the summer of 2003 they should have the hatch and wagon versions. These cars look amazing, and gas mileage should be the same as the P5. The Altima is a great car, though, but I heard it can get really expensive with options.
Personally, I would never buy a car that needs 92 or 93 octane. That can get really expensive.
You will also save money if you wait longer, as well. Not only do you lose value when you trade in a car and get a new car, but you have to pay taxes as well (unless you lease, in which case you're taxed only on payments). People forget the taxes, but it can cost well over $1000 to several $1000s on a $24K car. Thus, the more often you buy cars, the more you give to Uncle Sam.
If you want a car that will last forever, compare the Altima to the Honda. The Jetta is good too, and may have the coolest interior and "german" feel. The other cars are less "family" oriented, though clearly the Vibe/Matrix and Subby wagon are utilitarian.
If you're gonna wait anyway, I would WAIT to test drive them all. If you test drive some now, you'll want to get it!
But if you wait and do it at once, you'll give them all a fair shake.
I just bought a P5, but initially thought I wanted the Vibe. When I test drove that P5, it was the most fun, was easier to see out the back, and I felt the safest in it because it handled so well. So I'm an advocate for really doing your homework!
Good luck.
Personally, I would never buy a car that needs 92 or 93 octane. That can get really expensive.
You will also save money if you wait longer, as well. Not only do you lose value when you trade in a car and get a new car, but you have to pay taxes as well (unless you lease, in which case you're taxed only on payments). People forget the taxes, but it can cost well over $1000 to several $1000s on a $24K car. Thus, the more often you buy cars, the more you give to Uncle Sam.
If you want a car that will last forever, compare the Altima to the Honda. The Jetta is good too, and may have the coolest interior and "german" feel. The other cars are less "family" oriented, though clearly the Vibe/Matrix and Subby wagon are utilitarian.
If you're gonna wait anyway, I would WAIT to test drive them all. If you test drive some now, you'll want to get it!
But if you wait and do it at once, you'll give them all a fair shake.
I just bought a P5, but initially thought I wanted the Vibe. When I test drove that P5, it was the most fun, was easier to see out the back, and I felt the safest in it because it handled so well. So I'm an advocate for really doing your homework!
Good luck.
August-11th-2002, 01:04 AM
#13
F-15 Crew Chief
Join Date: May 2002
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 568
i TOTALLY agree with quikmp5.....the toyota matrix and the pontiac vibe are ugly! 
the matrix looks good on tv, but i saw one driving down the road the other day, and it's horrid looking!
i drove my friends jetta 1.8T when we were TDY in florida, and it was FUN (well until he almost got a ticket for doing 75mph in a 35mph - when the cop saw us in our military uniforms, he let my friend off with a warning!).
the honda accord is TOO common.
my dad was going to buy one, but i talked him out of it when i made him realize they're all over the place! 
the matrix looks good on tv, but i saw one driving down the road the other day, and it's horrid looking! i drove my friends jetta 1.8T when we were TDY in florida, and it was FUN (well until he almost got a ticket for doing 75mph in a 35mph - when the cop saw us in our military uniforms, he let my friend off with a warning!).
the honda accord is TOO common.
my dad was going to buy one, but i talked him out of it when i made him realize they're all over the place!
August-11th-2002, 07:32 AM
#15
Mazdago 1931
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Finland
Posts: 296
Originally posted by 90&00 Protege
Hatchback Mazda 6 is due in May 2003, the wagon at the end of the 2003 as a 2004 model.
Hatchback Mazda 6 is due in May 2003, the wagon at the end of the 2003 as a 2004 model.
There are other new engines also. Mazda2 has 1.5L engine with ~113hp which is nearly same as European 1.8L (114hp)
So the direction is VERY promising....