"SmugAardvark" (SmugAardvark)
03/15/2018 at 15:27 • Filed to: None
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"SmugAardvark" (SmugAardvark)
03/15/2018 at 15:27 • Filed to: None | 0
| 19 |
Good morning/afternoon Oppofriends. I’m looking into possibly replacing my daily driver, a very bland Nissan Cube. After having my C5 for almost two months now, it’s become difficult to live with my lowly Nissan everyday. Hoping to get some advice, maybe look at some cars that I hadn’t previously considered.
On the plus side, I can’t really complain too much about the car. It has never broken down on me, only little items have needed fixing/replacing, and it got me from Florida to California with all my worldly belongings piled from floor to ceiling and no issues. It’s also a 6-speed manual, which is neat. It’s also super practical for my life, in that it has tons of interior space, but a compact exterior with a tiny turning radius (I live in an urban setting). It only has ~85,000 miles on it, so there should be plenty of life left if I decide to hang on to it.
However, there are a fair share of negatives too. There’s the lack of power, the tall and unaerodynamic body, the spongy suspension, lack of steering feel, seats with no support, and it’s just no fun to drive. Despite being an economy car with only 122 hp, it gets pretty underwhelming gas mileage, averaging about 25mpg combined (thanks in large part to being shaped like a refrigerator box).
To replace it, I’m not going to need a sports car, but at least something I won’t be miserable with. I do have a few criteria though.
Cost: Under $6,000
Mileage: Under 125,000 miles
Body style: Wagon, sedan, hatchback, possibly an SUV
Year: Preferably mid ‘90's or later
Other: I don’t want something too ordinary (Camry, Accord, etc). Manual transmission is nice, but not required. Cruise control is a great option, mostly for my daily commute. I would prefer not to buy a money pit, if it can be helped. Enough room for two people, a dog, and all the necessary accouterments to go camping or vacationing for a long weekend. AWD is nice for Tahoe trips, but totally optional.
Cars I’m at least considering: Cadillac CTS, Mini Cooper S, VW Golf, Volvo S60, Subaru Impreza/Saab 9-2X, Subaru Legacy, Infiniti G35, Audi A4, Mazda 6 wagon, Mercedes E-Class wagon, Saab 9-5 wagon, Isuzu Vehicross (because, why not).
There must be some great choices out there that I’m missing. So let me know! Alternatively, feel free to tell me I’m being stupid and should just keep my Cube.
For your troubles, here are a bunch of Citroen 2CV’s doing their best impressions of race cars.
HammerheadFistpunch
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 15:33 |
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Keep it. Cloudy days may the sunny days brighter.
BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 15:36 |
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Doug DeMuro had a Nissan Cube.
If the Cube is good enough for him, it’s good enough for any of us.
(Yes, I know he didn’t like it.)
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SmugAardvark
> BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
03/15/2018 at 15:41 |
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Yeah, I actually talked about it with him once. We somehow independently came up with the same conclusion that the car is okay in some aspects (basic transportation and reliability) and not okay in other aspects (everything else).
Tristan
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 15:42 |
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It’s nice to have something bland that gets decent mileage for mundane every day tasks... But, that said- I avoid driving my wife’s 2016 RAV4 like the plague. I hate every boring bit of misery about it.
punkgoose17
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 15:56 |
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Other options that are probably harder to find but are supposedly fun with a manual transmission and practical: Mini Clubman S, Ford Focus ZXW, and Mazda Protege Speed
E92M3
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 16:17 |
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It’s hard to find a good used car in your price range. I say keep it, at least you know what you have. Keep saving up in the meantime. When you get to $10k the options really open up.
Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 16:59 |
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Bmw 128i with a roof rack?
winterlegacy, here 'till the end
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 17:05 |
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If you are tired of the Cube but still want a bread box, pick up an xB or an Element.
If you want a wagon, pick up a Legacy wagon (or even the Outback version, if you can find one with a stick.) Just stay away from first gens - their interiors are abysmal for tall people. Second gens are a lot better interior-wise for legroom, and they also have true cupholders.
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SmugAardvark
> winterlegacy, here 'till the end
03/15/2018 at 17:27 |
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I sort of want to get away from the rolling box layout. Just not enough there in regards to driving enjoyment.
I do genuinely like the Legacy though. Heck, I’d even be enticed if I found a relatively low mileage Forester XT from around the mid-naughts. I like the Baja too, but for whatever reason, they retain value like crazy.
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SmugAardvark
> Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
03/15/2018 at 17:28 |
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Love the 1-series, but I don’t think it will suit my needs. A 3-series wagon, on the other hand...
Schaef_Camaero Z/28
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 17:28 |
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I feel like I was in a similar situation about a year and a half ago, so I’ll throw in my 2¢ and you can draw your own conclusions.
I have my Camaro that for the past hand full of years has done more sitting than driving and I had a ‘91 Festiva that was my daily beater. It was light as a feather, with a 5-speed and hatchback making it entertaining to drive and practical. It also got 43 mpg. I had the opportunity to upgrade to an ‘06 Corolla for not much money. It was vastly more comfortable for my 75 mile per day drive with it’s A/C and cruise control, etc. and still returned 35 mpg with the automatic. Despite being a better car in every way, it was soul sucking to drive every day. I also didn’t care about it very much. I got bumped in traffic one morning, which spider webbed the already faded and scuffed paint, shrugged it off. A lady pushed a shopping cart straight into my front bumper as I was sitting in it, I just gave her a “what the hell??” look and went on my way. After about a year and a half I was itching to drive something somewhat entertaining every day again & I set out looking for a Saab 9-2x. I bought one for $8.5k in June of ‘16. It’s been a great car overall, albeit more expensive to own than the Corolla. I have spent nearly 2x as much on maintenance/repairs in the same time frame and it gets 25 mpg on premium gas. I’m back to rowing my own gears and I love having a hatch again. However, I got rear ended this past November. No real damage, but the bumper needs repainted. Had I been in the Corolla, I would have told her to pay more attention and been on my way. Instead I got her insurance info & left work early that day to go get estimates ($7-900). For reasons I won’t get into, I haven’t had it repainted yet, that’ll come in another month or two. Then a couple weeks ago I got bumped at a stop sign by someone looking at their phone... If I still had the Corolla, I wouldn’t have even got out of the car to yell at the guy. I’ve found it is both enjoyable and stressful to own two cars that you really care about, and to keep them clean & maintain them. Sometimes I miss having a ‘beater’.
TLDR: Sometimes it’s nice to have a cheap comfortable car to get you from A to B that just works like it’s supposed to every time and requires minimal upkeep.
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SmugAardvark
> E92M3
03/15/2018 at 17:30 |
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I could spend more, but it’s going to be my daily beater. I’ll be adding lots of miles and keeping it well-maintained mechanically, but not meticulous on detailing. The interior is going to be consistently covered in dog hair, so there’s that too.
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SmugAardvark
> punkgoose17
03/15/2018 at 17:32 |
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The first brand-new off-the-lot car I ever bought was a Mazdaspeed Protege. I loved it, but did have some issues keeping it running right. I will grant that part of that was because I did modify quite a lot of the car.
However, I wouldn’t be opposed to a Protege 5 if I found one with reasonable mileage.
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SmugAardvark
> Schaef_Camaero Z/28
03/15/2018 at 17:33 |
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That’s great input, thank you very much!
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winterlegacy, here 'till the end
> SmugAardvark
03/15/2018 at 20:45 |
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The Baja is a Legacy with a truck bed. What’s not to love?
Cash Rewards
> winterlegacy, here 'till the end
03/23/2018 at 16:22 |
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The price? They made and sold so few that those who have them want insane prices for them now.
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winterlegacy, here 'till the end
> Cash Rewards
03/23/2018 at 17:37 |
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The Baja holds an insane amount of value because they all tend to be quite well taken care of. Utes/trucklets of that size were a dime a dozen.
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Cash Rewards
> winterlegacy, here 'till the end
03/24/2018 at 15:15 |
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In the us? With 4 wheel drive?
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winterlegacy, here 'till the end
> Cash Rewards
03/24/2018 at 15:22 |
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All wheel drive - IIRC only autos were capable of front wheel drive, manuals were forced to 50/50 splits.