"Snuze: Needs another Swede" (markg)
09/07/2018 at 21:05 • Filed to: None
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"Snuze: Needs another Swede" (markg)
09/07/2018 at 21:05 • Filed to: None | 0
| 15 |
I think I’m going to be in the market for a new, or new-ish, car here sooner or later. I took the Cruze to the mechanic today. I know it needs a turbo ($500) and brakes (have pads, $50-100 for rotors) and the associated labor. There’s also a new mystery clunk that it exhibits when accelerating from a stop. A common Cruze problem is upper strut mounts, but some owners have also had issues with front swaybar end links and lower motor mounts. I’m thinking it could also be a CV or maybe a clutch hub. So I’m thinking repair bill could be anywhere from $1000 to $2000 depending on the mystery clunk. I just put $1000 in it a few months ago to fix a leak in the VVT actuator and another leak in the coolant system.
If the fix ends up being really expensive I’m just going to cut my losses. Otherwise I may put a little money in it with the intention that I still don’t really trust it but it will buy me sometime to look around some more.
I’m an engineer, I understand trade spaces, so I don’t have a lot of hard and fast rules for my next car other than it’s got to have a stick, be “fun” (which is a subjective term), and fit in my budget of low $20k range. Beyond that I can tell you a few hard no’s. No Miata. I hate to say this but my wife rode in my friends and she has long legs and was very uncomfortable in it, so that isn’t going to work for us. I’d like at least decent gas mileage but that tends to be a tradeoff with “fun”. Cruze pulls a constant average of 34.6mpg for reference. Circling back to the Miata, I’d also want something with more space than that. I’m open to new or used but this is going to be my daily so it needs to be reliable so if I go used I’d prefer something with lower mileage (30k range or less).
Currently I’ve driven a Camaro LS and Mustange Ecoboost. These two are literally just different flavors of the same apple. Camaro is lighter and a bit more fun to drive. Mustang makes more power on paper but feels “boaty” to me. Mustang does win points back for having a somewhat nicer interior and more space (Camaro trunk is almost non-existent). I’ve also considered a used Cadillac ATS since it’s basically a 4 door Camaro with a lot more refinement on the inside. It would probably be at the top end of my budget but I could make it work. At this moment I’m kind of waffling between these three. I got a little impulsive and almost traded the Cruze last weekend and talked to 2 Chevy dealers and a Ford dealer and all 3 are aggressively contacting me to try and get me to buy something, so I wonder if it might be a good time to try and park a deal.
So what else am I missing? I looked at some BMWs but there wasn’t too much in my price range that interested me, mostly old Z cars or stuff with too high mileage. There were one or two gems but they were on sketchy looking “buy here, pay here” type lots. Has Mercedes made anything fun recently with a stick? Is there anything Japanese I’m overlooking? I’m not a huge 370Z fan, but I suppose it might be worth going to test drive one.
Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2018 at 21:51 |
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I’ve driven a few. The new Si is excellent.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2018 at 21:53 |
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Has Mercedes made anything fun recently with a stick?
I think the last stick-shift Mercedes you could
buy was a Chrysler Crossfire?
Is there anything Japanese I’m overlooking?
You could get one of thems TL/TL-S/TLX thing-thangs...
I can’t say I’d recommend a VW/Audi or BMW if you don’t like the occasional repair bill... But it would be a hell of an upgrade from a Cruze.
I say Golf GTI!
MrDakka
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2018 at 21:59 |
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Porsc he Cayman; specifically the 987. Just make sure the IMS issue has been fixed.
Or if you don’t like high mileage Porsches, go British and grab yourself a Lotus Elise.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Lotus/Elise
Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2018 at 21:59 |
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Go drive as many as you can. ATS seems like a lot of car for the money(LSD and magnetic shocks available I think) but I’ve heard the 2.0T engine has had some issues.
Cars that come to mind:
86 Twins
228i/428i
Genesis Coupe
Fist/Fost
GTI
Maybe WRX
And finally, it’s a little out there but hell , you only live once:
nermal
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2018 at 22:07 |
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You need a new GTI.
Logansteno: Bought a VW?
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2018 at 23:09 |
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S omething that caught my eye recently was the Hyundai Elantra GT Sport. 1.6T with 200hp, handsome looks, nice interior, available manual transmission. A local Hyundai dealer to me has them for under $20k right now.
I want to recommend a GTI, but given the multiple thousands of dollars mine has needed in repairs already and the fact that I have another appointment at the dealer coming up with some kinda major issues and only have 68k miles , I just can’t.
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Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
> MrDakka
09/08/2018 at 00:31 |
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I’m happy to see I’m not the only one recommending a Cayman, just to be clear, the 2006-2008 had a more robust IMS design. Most people choose not to replace it because failure rates are very low and replacement is very difficult...
I found a 2008 in his budget with fairly low miles.
Derpwagon
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/08/2018 at 03:29 |
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My Civic SI is fun, gets good milage (low 30s in freeway driving, high 20s mixed whether you’re nice to it or not), fit my car seat without having to move the fronts forward, only comes in stick, has generous legroom front and rear , a big trunk, a great stereo with factory Bluetooth, and it's a Honda so reliability is there. Tradeoffs, front wheel drive (limited slip helps a lot though), playskool interior, and the boy-racer image.
Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/08/2018 at 07:17 |
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Doesn’t want to spend $2k to fix the car he’s got, has no problem dumping $20k into another car??????
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
09/08/2018 at 08:27 |
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Maybe. It depends on A. What the problems are, which is why I took it to an actual mechanic to get a professional diagnosis and B. What the final cost is going to be.
I also just put $1k into it this spring to fix other problems. Also one of the things that is failing is the turbo which I had replaced 2 years/30k miles ago. Seems awfully soon to get it replaced.
Conversely, this time could be the magic fix and the car will never give me any issues again for a long time. Who knows?
But if my estimates are correct above, then in the last 6 months the car will have needed its total value in repairs. At this point I think it’s a valid to ask the question - keep sinking money into the car or put that money towards a new car? I mean its a Cruze, its an economy car, its not like I’m trying to keep a classic or highly desirable car on the road.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> Logansteno: Bought a VW?
09/08/2018 at 08:28 |
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I didnt know about the Hyundai GT, I may have to check that out.
Also, truth be told I’ve never been a big VW/Audi person for the reasons you’re describing. Everyone I know who’s had one has had similar tales.
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Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/08/2018 at 09:11 |
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Likewise, all cars need work. Would you rather fix what you have or make payments + fix a different car. Anything you’ve listed as options will cost you far more when they need repairs and you’ll still be making that payment every month.
$3k/yr is still only $250/month, which is still cheaper than a car payment on a $20k vehicle. + you are saving on insurance and fuel costs.
Likely the turbo was not replaced correctly, causing it to fail early. Going to guess the screen never got replaced, causing it to lack proper lubrication. Either that, or you drive hard then turn it off, causing oil coking, to which, you’d have the same issue with any turbo car.
Honestly I’m just trying to wrap my head around the whole my car needs $1k in work, I’m just going to buy another car instead, my budget is $20k. It’s always boggled me. So wait, you can’t afford $1k, but you have $20k to blow instead?
Not trying to light you up, just trying to rationalize this line of thinking. I mean, if you just want a different car, that’s cool, but IMO a $1k repair doesn’t warrant spending $20k instead.
I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/08/2018 at 09:53 |
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Manual? Fun? Reliable? Good fuel economy? Decent storage space? I have an answer, but you won’t like it.
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Snuze: Needs another Swede
> I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
09/09/2018 at 16:32 |
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But I don't dislike it either. Its also shocking what one of those in good condition is worth.
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I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
> Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/09/2018 at 17:00 |
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https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-honda-crx-si/
Especially with low miles. I have to keep an eye on this one:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-honda-civic-crx-2/