Possible 2nd Car

[Raza]

How was it that you reacted less harshly to the suggestion of a VAN than to a Scion TC?

I don't object to the existence of vans.  They're useful and people need them.  But fuck the tC. 

[Raza]

I just really like the Accord Sport and its way more practical then the Civic or Cooper.  Besides, youre comparing a small wagon to one of the roomier midsizers; the only added practicality of the Saab will be the boot which will only be applicable in the rare event that RAZA needs to dispose of more then 2 bodies.  Otherwise, the Accord has a more comfortable and roomier cabin, better interior, better fuel economy, and a better hwy cruiser.  But yeah, its way over the limit, im just an Accord fan boy

189.5" long (basing the generation on MSN's valuations of what would fall into my range, 03-07).  I don't think it'll fit at my house; definitely not in the garage, and probably not parallel to it. 

The Accord's just too big.  I couldn't see myself driving a car that large. 

[Raza]

How 'bout one of these?

Hmm, I do like those.  But Rags is right, they're rare as all hell in manual.

[Raza]

Or these?

A friend of mine suggested the sedan to me before.  I think it's too flashy for where I'll likely have to park it.  And they're just not that good to drive.  I drove one in 04, it was okay, but nothing special.  The wagon looks awesome, but they didn't sell it with a stick as far as I can tell. 

[Soup DeVille]

FWIW, the civic was surprisingly practical for a hatch, and although they are getting up in age now, the used ones seem to fall into two categories; ragged out and beaten on or really, really well taken care of.

[Xer0]

189.5" long (basing the generation on MSN's valuations of what would fall into my range, 03-07).  I don't think it'll fit at my house; definitely not in the garage, and probably not parallel to it. 

The Accord's just too big.  I couldn't see myself driving a car that large.

Another idea hit me; why not a Mazda3 or Focus hatch?  Smaller, practical, available with a stick, and decently reliable. 

[2o6]

Another idea hit me; why not a Mazda3 or Focus hatch?  Smaller, practical, available with a stick, and decently reliable.

Those are also good suggestions, and you can get a really nice Focus for next to nothing. Especially if it's just a winter beater, so who cares?

[Rupert]

I think Raza just likes the attention we all give him in these threads.

Anyway, Raza, you twit, Viggen.

[MrH]

A nice Viggen would be a good choice.  But I just can't recommend it in good faith.  I drove a lightning blue one, completely fell in love with it.  I was all set to sell the protege5 and get it.  The dealership then pull over 14 pages of repair work on it.  Everything went wrong, from electrical gremlins, to the entire ECU needing to be replaced multiple times, to head gaskets.  Just a disaster of a car reliability wise.

I still love the design, the look, the practicality, and the way it drives.  Car definitely has a lot of character.

[Rupert]

It's a second car, so who cares about all that? Driving awesome cars with issues is the real test of an enthusiast, after all.

[r0tor]

This is a no brainer really - get something awd or 4wd.  You have a fun car you will be driving on nice days, this extra car will be driven on crappy days which awd or 4wd would shine.

Works great for me

[GoCougs]

FWD and AWD hatches aren't differentiated enough from RWD sports cars?

In this/that price/performance class, not even.

IMO if you're gonna tie up the time and resources on 2nd car do it for something that is WAY different.

[MexicoCityM3]

In this/that price/performance class, not even.

IMO if you're gonna tie up the time and resources on 2nd car do it for something that is WAY different.

Doomsday ready Jeep comes to mind.

[CALL_911]

Cougs raises an interesting point. I always did think I'd love an older 4Runner to keep along side my primary car.

So I throw in a vote for a 4Runner.

[BimmerM3]

Didn't read the whole thread, but I thought I'd provide this bit:

As long as you're not planning to move furniture or drive more than one other person, a MINI is plenty practical. My step mom leaves the back seat on her's down probably 75% of the time.

And the back seat isn't unusable when necessary, especially if you have some short people. That said, if you're planning on driving more than one passenger on a regular basis, I'd probably look elsewhere.

For the record, I don't think she's had any major problems with hers (2002 I think, though only about 80k miles). She seems to complain about maintenance/repairs being expensive, though I'll admit that I'm not really sure if they're expensive compared to other cars or she just complains because car maintenance/repairs are expensive in general.

[MX793]

In this/that price/performance class, not even.

IMO if you're gonna tie up the time and resources on 2nd car do it for something that is WAY different.

Yes.  A diesel 1-ton with duallies and stacks would fit the bill.

[GoCougs]

Or a classic muscle car. Or a jeep. Or a bike. SOMETHING different at least.

[Rupert]

I could get on board with a Chimp wagon.

[Raza]

I think Raza just likes the attention we all give him in these threads.

Anyway, Raza, you twit, Viggen.

I never said I didn't like the attention.   

I do think about the Viggen.  If I can find one in good condition, it would be a great choice.  But, I do plan on keeping it for years, which may be an issue down the line, parts-wise, which really wouldn't be an issue with the 9-2X.  Viggen's on the list though.  Not top 3, but top 10 easily. 

[Raza]

In this/that price/performance class, not even.

IMO if you're gonna tie up the time and resources on 2nd car do it for something that is WAY different.

I can't think of something more different from a 2 seat, rear drive, open top sports car than an AWD wagon or FWD hatch and still have it be something that I would drive.  Do you have any suggestions?

[Raza]

Cougs raises an interesting point. I always did think I'd love an older 4Runner to keep along side my primary car.

So I throw in a vote for a 4Runner.

No SUVs, vans, pickups, or coupes.  SUVs and vans are too big, I wouldn't be caught dead in a pickup, and coupes are too impractical to be my practical car.  When I have my own house, a beater SUV is definitely in the cards, but not right now. 

[Raza]

Another idea hit me; why not a Mazda3 or Focus hatch?  Smaller, practical, available with a stick, and decently reliable.

I'm worried about rust on those guys, but definitely considering it.  I remember hearing that the Focus was especially bad with rust and I think I remember hearing about Mazda rust issues.  I still want this to be a car I can enjoy driving and own for some time. 

[Raza]

Or a classic muscle car. Or a jeep. Or a bike. SOMETHING different at least.

A classic muscle car that's FWD or AWD and a stick?  If I wanted to spend the money on another winter-questionable car, I'd get a E39 540i 6 speed, not some old piece of crap (at 10K, you can't really buy any nice American classics, and any European classics might be too fragile to be worth it, other than a 911, and for 10K you can't buy a decent one of those either).  And I'm not sure how some older RWD coupe is more differentiated from my sports car than a FWD hatch or AWD wagon.

A motorcycle that's winter drivable?  I'm not even interested in having a bike where I live right now, but, regardless, this is the COMPLETE opposite of what I'm looking for with this purchase.


Come on man, look at the criteria.

[Raza]

I could get on board with a Chimp wagon.

I couldn't.  It's the size of a house and RWD. 

[Rupert]

Wagonize a Toronado.

[hotrodalex]

Wagonize a Toronado.

[Eye of the Tiger]

A classic muscle car that's FWD or AWD and a stick?  If I wanted to spend the money on another winter-questionable car, I'd get a E39 540i 6 speed, not some old piece of crap (at 10K, you can't really buy any nice American classics, and any European classics might be too fragile to be worth it, other than a 911, and for 10K you can't buy a decent one of those either).  And I'm not sure how some older RWD coupe is more differentiated from my sports car than a FWD hatch or AWD wagon.

A motorcycle that's winter drivable?  I'm not even interested in having a bike where I live right now, but, regardless, this is the COMPLETE opposite of what I'm looking for with this purchase.


Come on man, look at the criteria.

$10K will get you one hell of a nice Beetle. Heat sold separately.

[ifcar]

[Raza]

I have recently come to the conclusion that they're a bit fragile, otherwise I'd definitely consider the SVT Focus (just not in the ugly 5 door guise).  Rust is also one of my main concerns.  It's car cancer.  Whatever I buy, I'd like to keep it for years to come.  The Z4 isn't going anywhere.  There's nothing that I would want to replace it with other than another Z4, so that's a pretty perfect decision.  I'm not looking so much for a "beater" as much as an "affordable second car".  If the Focus doesn't have longevity issues, it's a contender, but the newest one is almost 10 years old already now. 

[2o6]

I have recently come to the conclusion that they're a bit fragile, otherwise I'd definitely consider the SVT Focus (just not in the ugly 5 door guise).  Rust is also one of my main concerns.  It's car cancer.  Whatever I buy, I'd like to keep it for years to come.  The Z4 isn't going anywhere.  There's nothing that I would want to replace it with other than another Z4, so that's a pretty perfect decision.  I'm not looking so much for a "beater" as much as an "affordable second car".  If the Focus doesn't have longevity issues, it's a contender, but the newest one is almost 10 years old already now.

You cannot call a Focus "fragile" and in the same breath say you want a Viggen.