Looking for a new daily

"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
08/24/2018 at 14:31 • Filed to: ASK OPPO, Oppopinions, HELP, Daily driver, DD, new car, car shopping

The quest to dump my 2012 Ford Fusion continues. I’ve had a few suggestions come along, but I honestly am so overwhelmed with the different possibilities here. Basic (slightly flexible) requirements are:

A round $10k but definitely can’t go over $15k.

H as a back seat.

P referably a 4 door, but a 2 door with big enough back seat to get two forward-facing car seats in will work too. This would only be for short trips in town, maybe twice a month . If we go on any long trips or anywhere with the whole family, we take the wife’s Odyssey .

Somewhat e quivalent MPG to a 2012 Ford Fusion SEL.

Manual or dual clutch. I’d accept an automatic for a truck/suv though .

S omewhat sporty. I’m not doing any track days or anything right now (though the ability to do that would be a plus). I just want the drive to and from work to be a little more enjoyable.

Comfortable to drive

I’d also like to have something with a good factory stereo with bluetooth if at all possible.

I’ve looked at a bunch of different cars, but I haven’t been able to test drive anything since there aren’t really any examples for sale locally. I’ll most likely have to travel to test-drive and purchase anything like this. Some cars I’ve considered:

Subaru Legacy GT

Mazdaspeed 6

Mercedes E55 AMG

BMW 540i (E39)

Volvo XC90 V8

Volvo S80 V8 (no option for manual or dual-clutch, but man that V8 sounds nice with an exhaust )

Mazdaspeed 3

Ford Focus ST (this would have to be an early year, pretty base trim)

Ford Fiesta ST (same as the Focus, would have to be an early year base trim)

Acura TL Type S

VW Golf GTI

Subaru Baja XT

Lexus GS350 ( no option besides auto, but I would swap that out)

Lexus GS430 (no option for manual or dual-clutch, but the V8 sounds would make up for it )

Audi S4 (B5 or B6)

Subaru WRX

BMW 330i (E46)

BMW 335i (E90/E91 )

VW Jetta Sportwagen

VW CC 3.6

Volvo S60R or V70R

As you can see, it’s quite a long list, and I’m very scatter-brained. With the exception of the S60R, I haven’t driven any of these.

And I’m sorry for the long post here. I just don’t know where else to go find such a variety of opinions on a wide range of cars. Oppo is the perfect place for that. The point of this post is basically me trying to whittle down the list based on experiences/knowledge from people who know more about these cars than I do. Then, once I narrow down the list to just a few options, I’ll go out and try and find one to test drive.

So Oppo, what do you recommend? Have a missed anything that I should add to the list?

DISCUSSION (27)

Ash78, voting early and often > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 14:37

Go to Carmax on a weekday morning and try to find the closest analog to most of those, then drive them. I’ve found a test drive can really whittle down the list quickly. For example, I ruled out most Lexi because I found their interiors too plasticky compared to the competition. But I had been pining for a GX for years until then. It clears the mind in a zen sort of way. It’ll also help you whittle down the list when you find a few of those classes probably don’t really work for you.

With a list like that, y ou are a Marketing and Product Development nightmare, btw :D

Chariotoflove > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 14:38

Forgive me for not remembering if you previously posted this, but why are you looking to offload the Fusion?

bob and john > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 14:40

If you have the GTI, look at the Audi A3. its pretty much either a GTI with a nicer interior (if you get a manual one) or its a de-tuned golf R (if you find an older hatch with the DCT and AWD)

Sovande > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 14:50

Volvo C30. More room than it looks like from the outside (I am 6'4" and have ridden in the backseat), and fun to drive with a few basic mods.

Tripper > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 14:53

Dat color!

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 14:59

Manual AWD - WRX

Automatic FWD - GTI

Wildcard RWD - BMW 335is(manual or came with a dct as an option) hard to find though but $15k is doable

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Ash78, voting early and often
08/24/2018 at 15:29

That’s a good point. I might have to go do that on my day off one day.

And yeah, I keep my options way too open to ever fit into any marketing box, lol. There are just too many good cars out there to limit yourself to one genre .

OmerCarrothers333 > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 15:32

I’m biased to say GTI, because I have one. My youngest just switched to a booster seat before last fall, so forward facing car seats work. If you go with an MK6, make sure the timing-chain has been taken care of, because the tensioners have been known to fail. The MK7 seems to be an all-time great hot hatch.

If you’re in the neighborhood of being six-feet tall, Ford’s Ecoboost hot-hatches might be on the small side for kid car-seats. I was checking those out, and whichever kid was sitting behind me, would have got squashed when I moved the seat back for me to fit.

Beware of the MazdaSpeed6, those have rust issues.

Depending on the year, the Subarus have head-gasket issues.

With the issues I’ve had with my wife’s MDX, I’m starting to hate Honda V6s. If you’re not mechanically inclined or have access to the right tools, replacing the alternator, which should be easy, becomes a very costly job.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > bob and john
08/24/2018 at 15:34

Hmmm, I’ll have to look into that one. Thanks!

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
08/24/2018 at 15:35

WRX over a Legacy GT or Mazdaspeed 6?

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 15:41

For me? Yes, the mazdaspeed 6 does not get phenomenal feedback for reliability. There are more WRXs so more chance to find a nicely kept car in color/options you want plus there is the hatch body style if you’re into that and it’s just smaller tend to be more fun(and it’s still very usable) . I guess if comfort is really a concern then the legacy may win out.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Chariotoflove
08/24/2018 at 15:47

I think I have before, but it’s been a while. The transmission is messing up due to issues with TCU. Apparently it’s a common problem in the Fursion , but Ford never issued a recall for it. They have a TSB out that calls for $300+ reprogramming of the TCU, but other Fusion owners I’ve talked to said it doesn’t improve things that much. I do a lot of interstate driving so the hesitation with downshifting or hanging in a gear really isn’t fun to deal with.

Plus the 2.5 just has no pep to it. I really have to be careful merging on the interstate on my way into work in the morning. I have to go from ~ 35mph to 6 5mph in about 4 0ft., in traffic. So I need to be able to accelerate quickly or get run over (which has come close to happening a few times). Although, t hat’s more so the fault of the terribly designed on- ramp and people too afraid to hit the gas and go when merging. But still, something with better acceleration and more control over what gear I’m in would really help.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Tripper
08/24/2018 at 15:47

Flash Green Metallica is THE best Volvo color ever made. I don’t care what the Polestar fanboys say.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 15:47

That Volvo in that color. But it has to be that color.

Otherwise E55. But I'm biased. Though they're only auto. Love mine. I assume you were thinking 211 chassis, the less reliable but supercharged one?

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Sovande
08/24/2018 at 15:49

I completely forgot about the C30, lol. How much can you do to them with mods?

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
08/24/2018 at 15:56

Ok. I’d heard a few rumors about the Mazda’s reliability , but hadn’t dug too deep into that. I do like the hatchback, but that gen of WRX is pushing the top end of my budget that I really can’t go over at the moment. I was looking more at the WRX wagons from ~ 2006. And yeah, the comfort aspect does play in here with this being a daily that I’ll be sitting in traffic in.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > OmerCarrothers333
08/24/2018 at 16:00

I’m 6'2". I guess I need to go sit in a Focus or Fiesta first, even if it’s a new one, just to makes sure I fit well and leave enough space in the backseat.

And I appreciate the insight on the others. GTI is starting to seem like the safe choice here, but I always like to keep my options open, hahaha.

Sovande > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 16:02

I am making somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 hp at the crank and 375 torques. That’s with a tune, downpipe, exhaust, intercooler and turbo inlet pipe. I have lowering springs a nd a bigger rear sway as well. Makes for a comfortable, but quick car.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Sovande
08/24/2018 at 16:08

Oh wow. Those are solid numbers . I’m assuming that’s FWD? Did they even make an AWD C30?

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 16:26

I’m a bit biased but LCI e90. 10,000 miles on mine now and I still like it a lot.

OmerCarrothers333 > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 16:26

Dude, I have test drove so many goddamn cars since 2010, it’s stupid.

As it stands, my picks for family cars are as follows:

Hatchback - Golf or current Mazda3

Small Sedan - Jetta or current Mazda3

Mid-size Sedan - Honda Accord or current Mazda6

Small-ish SUV - Honda CRV or Mazda CX5

3rd Row SUV - Mazda CX9 or Toyota Highlander

TFSIVTEC drivesavolvo > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 16:27

S40 T5 AWD, pretty much a 4 door C30 and can be had with a stick, I know cause I own one.

Chariotoflove > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 16:43

Makes total sense.

I understand the on ramp issue. This is a huge problem in Texas, where people sashay up and them merge at 35 mph into 65 mph oncoming traffic. This is one time when more horsepower really helps. When I had my RX-8, I didn’t have a lot, but I could wind the rotary up and make the pass/merge. If it didn’t have that pep, I wouldn’t feel safe. I t’s so nice now having 420 hp to do it.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
08/24/2018 at 17:03

LCI?

Sovande > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 17:08

They didn’t make a factory AWD, but people are making them now. Taking the AWD from and S40 and fitting it to a C30. There is a bunch of info out there and it apparently works just as if it were stock.

You can also put an LSD in the FWD cars and get some traction help that way.

You can also find V50 T5 AWD cars with a 6 speed manual, but they are kind of rare.

Captain of the Enterprise > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 17:59

Of the given list I’d go with the Acura but that’s not based on actually driving but reputations and knowlede I have of the cars on the list.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/24/2018 at 22:59

It’s the term BMW uses for their mid model facelifts. For the e90 it’s 09-11