Friend Car Suggestions

"rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S" (rb1971)
02/03/2014 at 14:50 • Filed to: None

A friend of mine is currently about 175k on her 2006 3 series (similar to the one pictured), and a bunch of things have gone wrong lately so she is considering buying a new (or CPO) car. Her budget probably tops our around $27.5k. She has a strong preference for a manual. I would say she is moderately into cars.

Her main utilization modes are:

1. Short (<10 miles) commute daily.

2. Regular 2-hour trips from Napa to San Francisco, mostly highway. Wants to be able to park on the street in SF, which rules out anything huge.

3. Irregular trips from Napa to SoCal.

As the car guy in this group of friends, I am going with her Saturday to look at cars. Here's my list so far:

1. Fiat 500 (/Abarth). Does anyone have any experience driving these on the highway? Do you just get tossed around or is it planted? Would it be terribly uncomfortable for 1-2 people to drive 500 miles?

2. Subaru BRZ. She likes Subies and her whole family has them, but was worried they are "insufficiently sporty". I haven't been in one of these but while waiting for a tow Saturday we saw one of these and she liked it.

3. CPO 128/135/328.

4. Ford Fusion (is this available in manual in any configuration?)/Ford Focus.

Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

DISCUSSION (38)

djmanila > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:52

Focus ST

GhostZ > djmanila
02/03/2014 at 14:53

This.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > djmanila
02/03/2014 at 14:54

On the list! See #4.

Audi-os, amigos > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:55

I'm having a real hard time trying to narrow this one down given your list...a 500, a BRZ, a small BMW or a Fusion?

Are trashtrucks and unicycles in contention?

Brian Silvestro > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:56

Fiesta ST!!!!

Stupidru > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:56

Tell her to buy a brand new GTD. Manual, sporty, great for trips, available with 6-speeds + 1 for going the wrong way.

MSRP = $27k

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Audi-os, amigos
02/03/2014 at 14:57

I personally think the newer 3 series and Fusion are too big and will be rejected as soon as we look at them based on size alone. I've recommended Fusions to several people in the past few years, two of whom now own and love them - but they are both in places where urban parking is not an issue. It's on the list mostly since we'll already be at the Ford place looking at a Focus, which I probably should have put first.

GhostZ > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:58

Not just a Ford Fusion or Ford Focus. It has to be the Focus ST .

DollaMoneyAve > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:58

I'd love to help, but first I'll need her phone number...

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Stupidru
02/03/2014 at 14:58

Good call! Thanks, I'll add the VW dealer to the list. I had no idea there were any manual diesels available in the US other than in truck form.

jariten1781 > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:58

Mazda 3, CPO G37 (coupe if she'll do 2 doors), CPO A5

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Brian Silvestro
02/03/2014 at 14:59

This, if she doesn't like the abarth. I think the fiesta is cheaper to insure too so if she gets dinged or something it might be easier/cheaper to get taken care of.

warren31 > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:59

e90 335i

Audi-os, amigos > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 14:59

Does she have a preference for sporty coupes/sports cars? It sounds like she does if she's afraid the BRZ will be "insufficiently sporty" (she also sounds awesome).

Mazda 3 perhaps?

Mathias Rios > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:01

She already has a decently modern/sporty car, what's wrong with it? I can't imagine that a BMW would start breaking down at under 200k miles.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Audi-os, amigos
02/03/2014 at 15:01

She was worried that non-BRZs were insufficiently sporty, and was not aware of the BRZ until last week.

Mazda 3 = good suggestion as well. Added to the list.

And she can drink me under the table using my weapon of choice: bourbon. So she is pretty awesome generally.

Stupidru > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:01

VW makes the Jetta TDI and Golf TDI in manual, but Audi does not offer any diesel+manual options in their lineup. So you can get a VW sedan, hatchback, or wagon in diesel+manual

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Mathias Rios
02/03/2014 at 15:02

The last year there have been a lot of problems (I am told). Once a car leaves you stranded with a $1000 tow+service bill, and the car is worth only a few multiples of that, I think it's time for a change.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > GhostZ
02/03/2014 at 15:02

Hey, you don't have to sell me! I love the Focus ST.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:03

135 /thread

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:04

THe fiesta ST is plenty roomy for 2 people on a long road trip. 4 people? Not so much. I imagine the 500 would be a bit tighter of a squeeze but not much worse than the fiesta. Since you live where there is no snow, I'd lean towards the BRZ, the Fiesta ST, or even a miata if she doesn't need a backseat.

But I think I would steer her towards a mustang, camaro, or challenger V6. Yes they're not uber-jalop but they're stone-age simple, readily available in a wide variety of colors and options, and will old a decent chunk of value for the next few years if she decides to turn it back in for a new car. They're also all RWD, with manuals, and can be had as a convertible (well......not the challenger). If she doesn't do any track blasting, there's a reason why V6 convertible pony cars are classic "chick cars" - They're damn solid picks for a girl who wants some cool looking car that isn't overly complicated to own and drive.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Stupidru
02/03/2014 at 15:04

Thanks. Everyone I know here in the bay area with a diesel (well, except for the one person with a W123) has an Audi, and a couple were interested in manuals. I will admit that I haven't really kept up with the VW offerings as well.

Montalvo > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:06

I heard good things about the 500 but I would prefer the 135 or the Focus.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
02/03/2014 at 15:07

I suspect we might end up there, but the journey is half the fun.

She already asked what I wanted for my 1M.

Stupidru > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:25

Take a look. I don't think you'll be disappointed

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-v…

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/ro…

I know that when it comes time for me to get a new car in a few years I'll have my eye on one of these

Steve Zissou > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:29

There is a manual fusion, if you're going to look at a Fiat Abarth you should consider the Fiesta ST. I think it's a little bigger and it's loads of fun. Although the interior is pretty clearly econo.

Mathias Rios > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:30

Usually those kinds of things are dealer gouging though. I don't know how handy your friend is with a wrench, but I am sure she could save hundreds if she does some DIY + preventative maintenance work. To me a 2006 is practically new :P My car is 1999 and has 212K miles and I do all wrenching. Very low cost to maintain and it's german too.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Mathias Rios
02/03/2014 at 15:32

My friend is great but she's not going to wrench it herself.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:33

Journey away indeed.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:36

The Fusion can be had with a 1.6 liter turbo + 6 mt + FWD.

If you are leaning toward Ford and if she likes sporty, maybe hold out for the new Mustang?

AM3R > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:55

Kinja'd!!!

135i. You could even have her go for an E92 335i. The 135i can easily be had in a manual, it's great for 2 people, the back seats are usable as long as you aren't all over 6 feet tall, and it's so much fun. It also looks great .

Victorious Secret > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:56

Fusion has a 1.6 Turbo and manual available.

Dunnik > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 15:59

Regarding the Fiat 500, I haven't driven the Abarth, but I've logged quite a few miles in the 500. I'd strike it off your list, it's not much of a highway car. It's not bad, mind you, for a (very) small car, but as the speed gets up it starts to feel a bit unstable and wind noise in the cockpit is significant. Were it not for Condition #2 - the 2 hr highway trip - it would otherwise be a good choice (in non-Abarth form, it's a bit of a chick's car anyway).

Mathias Rios > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 16:11

I guess that makes sense. I'm still curious to know what has gone that wrong on a less than 10 year old BMW.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Stupidru
02/03/2014 at 16:41

As an aside, if they would make a diesel/manual/quattro A3 I'd be interested. (And I'll just assume they do in ROW.)

Stupidru > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 16:57

I've been saying this for years- the first automaker to offer that combo will have my sale immediately! I don't have another 20 years to wait and import one from the grey market

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 18:27

The 1.6 turbo (engine out of the fiesta ST) is available with a stick in the fusion

Kinetis > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
02/03/2014 at 19:13

If it's less than 7 years, a Mini Cooper S.

A more reliable choice, Subaru WRX.

An out there choice, HFP supercharged Honda CRZ.

A run it to the ground choice, Honda Civic Si.