Cars For The Newly Enthused

"procrastinate" (procrastinate) 04/25/2015 at 14:35 • Filed to: None

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Hello Oppo,

Long time reader, first time poster here. I have just recently been converted into what you would call an enthusiast. After hanging around a few friends who call themselves car enthusiasts and reading Jalopnik for a while I have gone car crazy and am craving a great driving experience. I was hoping this community would give me some advice.

First a little background. I’m a Canadian university student in his low 20s in the province of Ontario where prices are high and insurance rates even higher. I have looked at several cars including the gti, fiesta, focus, and especially the brz. I know the brz stands out from that list in both a car sense and a practicality sense. I am leaning towards it mainly because I am a foolish youngster who has decided that at my age I should enjoy cars as much as possible before having to settle for the more practical. After checking Autotrader for a little while it seems that the average price for a 2013 brz is around $24,000, which seems high for a 3 year old car, but what do I know. So after clearly seeing my bias for the brz I am hoping this wonderful community can recommend either something better, an alternative means of purchase, or even just some car advice.

P.S. thought I would add that I have never driven a manual before but definitely want to learn and will probably get this car with a stick shift

$kaycog > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 14:38

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Welcome to Oppo! We always look forward to new victims friends.

procrastinate > $kaycog 04/25/2015 at 14:41

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Thanks. Cant wait to be a fully functioning participant

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 14:43

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Welcome mate. We’re all perfectly normal here.

TTercel > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 14:47

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Heh I am a graduate from University of Guelph, it’s cool to see people from Ontario on here. If you are going to have student debt I’d say get something cheap and fun. Civic/Miata are usually good bets. After I graduated and paid off school debt I bought a 2005 Legacy GT Limited. Previously I had a 2000 Honda Civic hatch that I would autocross on weekends. Fun little car and super reliable in comparison to the Legacy.

procrastinate > TTercel 04/25/2015 at 14:52

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Thanks for the reply. I'm in a coop program so student debt should be non existent if not at a minimum. The Miata is definitely a good option but I have a strange aversion to civics.

Confused Miata > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 14:55

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Buy a Miata. It's not as shiny as the BRZ or as practical or as fast.. but they're cheap to buy, run, and insure (at least in the US). Plus you get to take your top off and proclaim to the world that you are excited about cars . By the time you're ready for something more the BRZ will be cheaper. I also suggest a 1990 or newer 300zx turbo.

procrastinate > Confused Miata 04/25/2015 at 14:59

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Any specific Miata in mind or are they all valid options

Justin Hughes > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 15:16

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I’ve written about what a BRZ is like to live with day to day . That might give you a little more insight about how it works in the real world.

That said, I started in Miatas, and I still love them today. They just don’t happen to fit my needs at the moment, while a BRZ does (barely, in some cases, but yeah). For the price of a BRZ, you could buy a 90s or early 2000s Miata, plus a completely practical car that could be your winter beater. An older Impreza would give you AWD and let you pretend to be a rally driver.

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 15:16

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Many folks would say NA, but I prefer the looks of the NB

Have a gander at user Lourus’s NB. It looks great, it’s practical, and you can flog the crap out it on a track day.

If the NA is more your style, his is also great.

promoted by the color red > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 15:20

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Mazda2 or Mazda3. It’s “practical” enough to sell to your parents, but has that Mazda DNA to keep it fun. Plus you can order it in hatchback shape, which is handy when you have to move in/out.

procrastinate > Justin Hughes 04/25/2015 at 15:20

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Haha. I don't know if having two cars. Would be an option. I would need to find a parking spot for the second and insurance for two cars would be terrible. How's the Miata in the winter?

CaptDale - is secretly British > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 15:21

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I agree with TillTheWheelsFallOff:Brocoma. The NA is a great car and many enthusiasts but them, but now a lot of them are either tired and beaten, or modded to death. With the NB you get a newer car, better looks and can usually find a good one fairly cheap.

procrastinate > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma 04/25/2015 at 15:22

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It appears we have the same taste. His NB looks fantastic

procrastinate > promoted by the color red 04/25/2015 at 15:28

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Mazda3 is definitely a viable option and if I was to get one it would definitely be a hatchback but I was gravitating towards a brz or Miata mainly because it would be more fun to drive.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 04/25/2015 at 15:32

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it means this here....

Justin Hughes > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 15:38

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It’s all in the tires. On the way to an ice time trial, I’ve had SUVs go screaming past me, only to find them buried in a snowbank a few turns later while I go putt-putting right by on snow tires. Same goes for the BRZ, too. The only issue may be ground clearance if they don’t plow your roads quickly enough and you end up dragging your belly through it. But overall, I’ve found that the same qualities that make a Miata or BRZ great handling cars in good conditions make them handle slippery conditions well, too. It’s the same handling - the traction limits are just a bit lower.

If you can afford it, and store it during the off season, you may also want to consider getting a hardtop for a Miata driven year round.

Confused Miata > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 15:41

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I like them all. It's hard to say no to pop up headlamps. I would go for a Mazdaspeed NB if you can find one that hasn't been ruined and isn't too much. Otherwise go cheap .

JasonStern911 > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 16:11

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Canadian? Import an R34 and bask in the jelly of Americans that can’t.

wiffleballtony > Confused Miata 04/25/2015 at 17:02

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Username checks out.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > procrastinate 04/25/2015 at 18:39

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Why don’t you go for something older and cheaper, like a Blazer or a fox-body?

TTercel > procrastinate 04/27/2015 at 08:20

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Civics are really great cars, they just get a bad rep because of the majority of less than great owners. If you don’t like Civics then I’d say look into Miatas/if you are crazy enough MR2/MR-S.