Help me choose a car!!

"mazdaspeed2" (mazdaspeed03) 01/23/2014 at 14:41 • Filed to: None

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Due to rust I will most likely be selling my car this spring. It is a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege and I hate to let it go, but I am going to need a car for commuting. Fortunately, my parents are willing to buy the majority of it as their way of helping me pay for college. Unfortunately, this means they have to approve it and living in New England they won't approve a miata (or any other rwd convertible). My budget is around 11-12k. It has to be somewhat practical and reliable. I am thinking about a mazda 2 right now. They are actually pretty good handling cars with a couple hundred bucks into the suspension (lowering springs, various braces). I am open to just about anything as long as it is fun. My parents won't go for rwd, I tried explaining that with snow tires it would be fine but they won't budge. It is their money and they have to approve it, but I do have a lot of input. Oh, I prefer handling to straight line speed and japanese for reliability and cheaper parts.

EDIT: Has to be manual!

Brian Silvestro > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:43

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http://www.cars.com/go/search/deta…

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:46

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Try and find one of these.

(mine is not for sale)

mazdaspeed2 > Brian Silvestro 01/23/2014 at 14:47

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I would have to drive it, but from reviews I have read the mazda 2 will out handle it. The mazda is also down about 300 pounds on the fiesta. But, I will definitely check it out.

jariten1781 > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:48

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2nd gen Forester XT is the perfect college car. Plus it's a fun not too difficult/expensive project to slowly morph it into an STi.

Klaus Schmoll > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:48

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Why not simply go for a newer version of your car? I don't know if an MS3 can be had within your budget, but a normal Mazda 3 with the biggest engine options and a few mods to further improve the handling should be possible. Also, if your parents approved of the Protege, they should be fine with another Mazda.

AM3R > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:49

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Used WRX because fun, AWD, and tons of them in the northeast.

Brian Silvestro > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:49

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Wow I didn't realize how light that car is. The Fiesta does offer the 1.0L though, added coolness factor.

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mazdaspeed2 > Klaus Schmoll 01/23/2014 at 14:51

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I found speed3s, but they all have at least 80k miles on them. But I am definitely going to look at them and normal 3s. Thanks for the ideas.

Sn210 > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:51

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My wife might be trading in her 07 Civic LX (auto) w/ 60k soon... Not sure if that's fun enough for you but I'd rather see it go to another Jalop than a dealer.

mazdaspeed2 > Brian Silvestro 01/23/2014 at 14:51

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That is true haha.

mazdaspeed2 > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 01/23/2014 at 14:52

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RS?

DatASSun > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:53

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Go AWD .. or maybe Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V !

I had a 2004 it was faster than the mazda speed (no offense) and is in your budget .. could go Volvo .. its RWD your parents wouldnt know and you can drift it !

mazdaspeed2 > AM3R 01/23/2014 at 14:53

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Incredibly overpriced, and often beat to shit.

mazdaspeed2 > jariten1781 01/23/2014 at 14:53

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Didn't think of that, I will look!

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 14:53

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not any more.

Sn210 > Sn210 01/23/2014 at 14:54

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I would have offered you my 08 LX Manual w/ 65k, but I just traded it in!
These bastards have it now, and they want more $ than what they gave me!
m.infinitiofnorwood.com/listing.php?id=727807423

mazdaspeed2 > DatASSun 01/23/2014 at 14:57

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I personally don't like nissan and my car handles better than the sentra which is more important to me. But I do like the volvo idea, I will look!

Shift24 > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 01/23/2014 at 14:58

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Great cars but up here not so much. Not sure where you live but in the rust belt those turn into rust buckets. A friend had one with about 130K and the frame was starting to rot so he quickly got rid of it for a newer Impreza.

DatASSun > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:00

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No Problem man .. again AWD would be fun too .. and then you can really talk about handling .

mazdaspeed2 > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:00

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Don't get me wrong, I would like to own one. The problem is finding one in good condition here. I did look at some but they are just not good value here.

mazdaspeed2 > Sn210 01/23/2014 at 15:01

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Sorry, has to be manual and I am looking for a little more fun than that haha.

N/A POWAAAHH > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:12

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Any subaru really. Impreza, legacy, forester. All of them are good, cheaply modded, engines grow on trees, what's not to like!

AM3R > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:17

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Don't worry I completely agree with you haha... The stock vs modded ratio in my area is easily 2:1, and I don't wanna buy a beat to death car.

so much fun though

Shift24 > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:22

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Well seeing as your a Mazda guy i would say Miata but we saw how that could turn out yesterday. To be honest if it were me i would get ether of these two in the links. The 8th gen Si are great little cars that are pretty reliable and quick (0-60 6.3 MT). I know 2 people who have them and like me live in the rust belt and i havent seen any rust issues. One is an 07 Fiji blue with 145k and the other is an 06 black with 100k. Yeah vtec kicked in yo but its a civic so it will last forever and its a chain not a belt so no 100K timing belt changes. There are really 2 problems with them. Third gear can be a bit of a problem child. I have never had the problem and my friend hasnt either but third will sometimes pop out if the cars been beat on. Like i said never happened to me at running up to redline (which is like 8.8K) but seen videos of it happening. Also Honda put camber into the rear tires so the car will grip in corners. They handle better than any FWD car i have ever driven but with that comes a bit more tire wear. But if you get the right tires it will fix the problem.

Coupe

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/de…

sedan
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/de…

Sn210 > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:27

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No worries, I knew your answer before I posted but it was worth a shot! Good luck with your search.

Mini Cooper?

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > Shift24 01/23/2014 at 15:34

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I keep mine in central OR where its dry most of the time so there's not much to worry about rust.

aebome > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 15:36

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What about a Fiat 500 Turbo? Not an Abarth, but still 30% more power than a regular 500. This is a little higher than your price range given, but maybe negotiation? http://goo.gl/qS7Mo3

Or a Honda Civic Si? http://goo.gl/DH4nFA | http://goo.gl/uYfn1f | http://goo.gl/EcXRck |

Shift24 > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 01/23/2014 at 15:45

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Yeah which i bet is great to be able to do but he is in New England which is part of the Rust belt and if its his DD its going to rust away

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > Shift24 01/23/2014 at 15:49

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Probably. mine has a rubberized under coating as well applied to the entire bottom of the car which helps.

JEM > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 16:13

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New England?

The correct answer here is Jeep.

RidgeFish > Klaus Schmoll 01/23/2014 at 17:14

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Came in to say this same thing, I just sold my 2008.5 MS3 with 40K for $14500 but I know there are higher mileage examples out there for much less. Absolutely best bang-for-the-buck daily driver with lots of space and tons of fun!

mazdaspeed2 > JEM 01/23/2014 at 20:15

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Not really my style, but I do respect them.

mazdaspeed2 > AM3R 01/23/2014 at 20:17

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It is more like 4:1 here haha. One of my friends has one, it is a bugeye and he bought it with 90k or so for $12,000. Pretty bad value if you ask me.

mazdaspeed2 > DatASSun 01/23/2014 at 20:20

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Yeah, problem here is awd is typically $3-4k more expensive than a comparable fwd or rwd car. I will keep searching but so far it just isn't worth it to me for the money.

Dsscats > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 20:22

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MS3?

mazdaspeed2 > Shift24 01/23/2014 at 20:26

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I actually thought of that as well and I took one out for a test drive a couple weeks ago. It was pretty much identical to the coupe you sent me and in great shape. I honestly didn't like driving it. I'm not entirely sure why but it just didn't feel great to me. The power and steering were all fine (quicker than my car), but I just couldn't really connect with it. Believe it or not I had more fun driving the mazda 2. In every measurable way it was worse performance wise, but something about it was just fun. I will definitely have to test both out again though, I was really surprised I didn't like the civic.

mazdaspeed2 > N/A POWAAAHH 01/23/2014 at 20:27

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Around here they are very overpriced. I would definitely own one but they just are pretty bad for used value here.

mazdaspeed2 > Dsscats 01/23/2014 at 20:33

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I have looked trust me haha. It is doable in my price range, but the quality isn't that great. Hard to find one under 90k that appears to be taken care of.

mazdaspeed2 > aebome 01/23/2014 at 20:35

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I can't stand the styling of the fiat, I know they are great cars but I can't bring myself to like it. Actually I tested an si a couple weeks ago and I didn't like it. I am definitely going to test one out again though because they are definitely a solid choice for my budget.

mazdaspeed2 > Sn210 01/23/2014 at 20:39

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I would absolutely love a cooper s, but reliability and maintenance costs scare me being a broke college student and all... So naturally I will be on the lookout for one!

N/A POWAAAHH > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 20:50

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right, new england premium.. Mazdaspeed 6 if you can find one

mazdaspeed2 > N/A POWAAAHH 01/23/2014 at 20:55

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Believe it or not they are arguably more overpriced than subarus haha. You hit at least 15k for one in decent shape..

N/A POWAAAHH > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 21:02

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Wow! If you to jump through hoops, you can import one across the border, as they sell for $12k canadian or less here.

AM3R > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 21:04

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Sheesh. I saw a local bugeye with 140k miles on it for $5500 and I thought it was a bad deal, but the more I think about it the more I think it was a decent deal haha

mazdaspeed2 > N/A POWAAAHH 01/23/2014 at 21:16

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That would probably end up costing just as much after it is imported haha, but yeah I was amazed how much people wanted for them.

mazdaspeed2 > AM3R 01/23/2014 at 21:19

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That would be a steal here haha... I saw an 04 or 05 wagon with 188k on it, yes almost 200,000 miles, for $7k!!

Dsscats > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 21:54

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Hold out for one if you can. They are truly awesome care. There is someone around here who jumped theirs and it never had a problem.

Dsscats > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 21:56

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Also, WRX, cheap Evo, saab 9-2x (the aero is the WRX engine one) or a civic SI. They are popular for a reason.

mazdaspeed2 > Dsscats 01/23/2014 at 21:58

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I will definitely look for one, I would love to have the big brother of my car haha.

mazdaspeed2 > Dsscats 01/23/2014 at 22:02

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awd is very overpriced here unfortunately, and I drove an si a couple weeks ago and I didn't really like it. I want to take an si out again because I want to like it and awd would be great if I could get a good deal on one.

Dsscats > mazdaspeed2 01/23/2014 at 22:27

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SI? Which generation? Also, could you get a blob eye or bug eye WRX in your range? I knew Evo was a stretch, but here, a good bug eye commands around 7k

mazdaspeed2 > Dsscats 01/24/2014 at 08:35

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It was on 07 coupe, not sure what that generation was. Bug eyes are hard to find here in good shape and the best one I found had over 100k on it. It was listed for either 12 or 13... It would be possible to do here but definitely not worth the money. There is a huge premium on awd here which really sucks. I was looking at regular imprezas versus regular Mazda 3s and the subarus were all much more expensive. I just don't think awd is worth all the extra money.

Dsscats > mazdaspeed2 01/24/2014 at 18:30

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I have a subaru, and it is a pretty amazing car. 100,000 miles is nothing on those

mazdaspeed2 > Dsscats 01/25/2014 at 01:30

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One of my friends is a huge subaru fan, so I will have to talk to him and take him with me to look for any potential problems. Awd with snow tires definitely would be nice to have commuting with the winters we have been having.

Dsscats > mazdaspeed2 01/25/2014 at 02:29

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We have now had our's for 44,000 miles and not one thing went wrong, except for one of the rear lights which was a $6 fix.

mazdaspeed2 > Dsscats 01/25/2014 at 02:35

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That is good to here. My biggest concerns are whether or not the car was abused/modded and whether or not it has rust.

Shift24 > mazdaspeed2 01/25/2014 at 04:26

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Never driven a mazda before so cant comment on the 2 but from a guy who isnt a small car guy i was impressed by those little K20Z3s and the handling. But its coming from a person whos DD is a 96 K1500, so anything is sharper and easier to feel though not going to say more fun because straight pipe V8 and 4WD.