Looking to Replace the Celica...

[sentra_dude]

Ok TAU friends, I'm finally getting serious about replacing my 16 year old Celica. If I could ship it back to Japan and have it refurbished, add about 70 or 100 hp, and stiffen up the suspension I'd do that, but I'm pretty sure Toyota isn't offering any programs like that. I guess I'm a little bit attached to my Celica, but it's time to move on. Without going any further I'll mention that I test-drove a Celica GT-S (approx 2006 vintage), which I did not enjoy very much. In theory it sounds excellent, it weighs less than my car, has more power, and it has smaller overall dimensions. I am always campaigning for those noble goals with cars, but because of the reduction in size the trunk is smaller and crucially I am too tall for the cabin (all other faults could be forgiven if it weren't for that one thing). I also don't like the buzzy I4 it has; I'd like a little bit of torque please. So the most obvious choice is sadly off the list.

My first dabbling in car shopping was a few months ago, but it was more because I was bored and needed something to do so I went and test drove a bunch of cars I knew I would never buy, Mustang V6 & V8 MT, Audi A3, Mazda Speed Miata , 07 Honda Civic Si (a friend's car) among others. In reality those are all out of my price range, which I still haven't really nailed down. It started out as $8,000; but then I found out I wouldn't be able to get much for that, so it went up to $10,000; which put me within reach of cars like WRXs, & RSX Type-Ss, but to get a decent one of those you need to spend a little bit more, which means my budget is now pushing on $12,000+. So a bit of a floating budget I guess, but hard ceiling of $15,000.

I am pretty set on the WRX, but I've brought together a list of contenders:
02-03 WRX
02-04 RSX Type-S
02-04 IS300
03-05 Honda Accord Coupe I4/V6
03-05 Mazda 6

Manual trans is an absolute necessity. WRXs are hard to come by in my part of the country so that's why I've had to expand my horizons a bit. Deciding points include: reliability, decent luggage capacity, not slow as a dog, decent handling, good looks (very subjective I know), fairly new, and a price of $10-15K.

For the last few days this WRX has been occupying my interest: (03 WRX 68K miles, $11,900)
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/inview/detail.jsp?dealer_id=100024758&dealership_view_name=streetimages&car_id=241914589



I was pretty excited when I found this car because I'd been searching without luck for a local WRX for quite a while. I went out and visited it, I looked it over in detail for 25 minutes, discussed the car with the dealer, and test drove it and I was fairly happy with it, and was seriously considering buying it once I'd had a mechanic check it out. Then I went back today and took it to a mechanic who looked it over and unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I found out that it was previously wrecked. In addition it has no service history and it is missing the original keys, it just has some copies. The mechanic told me it was a professional repair job and the car is in good shape as far as he could tell, but there's no way I'm going to buy a car that was wrecked. It is pretty disappointing since I let myself get my hopes up on this one, even though I knew I shouldn't have. The car really does seem fine, but the key word is that it seems fine, and I just have to tell myself that there are other Rexs out there. This is a large purchase so it deserves reasoned thought and not quick decisions and I spent nearly 3 months of hard looking for my last car, and that was only a $3000 car! This is the first car I've seriously considered buying so the search continues...

If anyone has more suggestions for other cars to look at I welcome them. 

[danidmas]

Considering your previous car, I'd say the WRX is the more suitable car for your needs to bad the one you saw was previously wrecked... although I've never liked the headlights of that model year... but well, I'm sure you'll find a WRX sooner or later, and you can always look for one a bit further from your place, and then drive the car back home like Sameer did with the 348

The RSX is the Integra, right? that could be another possibility...

[ARMAN]

Keep on looking, sad that that Rex was crashed before, I'd be looking at service history and original look/service on the car that is not that cheap just like you. Good luck with the search and keep us updated

[TNT]

cobalt SS/TC FTW 

[sentra_dude]

Dani, I kind of like the bug-eye Scoobies, they definitely have a unique look.

Yep, the RSX is the new name for the Integra. Too bad Acura cancelled the RSX! Driving back would certainly be fun, and if I can find a car that is worth flying out to see I might consider it.

cobalt SS/TC FTW 

TNT, I actually went to a Chevy dealer not too long ago and window shopped some Cobalts, but none on the lot were MT and the dealer made me wait forever and pulled all this stupid pricing bullshit with me (more than the usual) so I've pretty much lost interest in those.


Today while driving around I happened upon two cars in my list so I made some test-drives. First off was an 02 IS300, unfortunately equipped with an auto, but it was still a chance to get a feel for the car. I really like it! Besides the ridiculous factory euro-tails it's a pretty sharp looking car. It drives nicely, and to have a RWD turning radius again is wonderful! Among other benefits of RWD... And considering that pretty much any car equipped with a manual becomes about twice as interesting to drive as its auto counterpart, I think an IS 5spd will be quite a fun car.

The other car I drove was a Accord V6 Coupe, in auto form as well. The Accord is a bit more stodgy than the IS, but there is still something going on when you goose it. For comfort, bulletproof build quality, ease of maintenance, and enormous trunk space not much can touch the Accord Coupe. I'd love to try out the 6spd, as I'm guessing it's the same as the sensational S2000 gearbox (maybe wishful thinking). The Accord is a bit boring but very practical, and maybe just that little bit of fun with the 6spd. 

[PaulGT2164]

I love miatas. I just bought another one a few weeks ago.

[sentra_dude]

I love miatas. I just bought another one a few weeks ago.

I love them too! My dad owns a '95 and no other car puts a smile on your face like a Miata! I've driven all three body styles, and the only two problems are that I feel cramped because of my height and the trunk space is not large enough for the suitcase and briefcase I have to haul with me every time I go to and from work.

[DMF]

Can't go wrong with the WRX... I'd choose the IS300 as well

[danidmas]

Yeah, the IS300 doesn't sound like a bad option actually... what about BMW? I know we always end up proposing the same damn beemers... but they're fun and sporty, so why not?

[sentra_dude]

Yeah, the IS300 doesn't sound like a bad option actually... what about BMW? I know we always end up proposing the same damn beemers... but they're fun and sporty, so why not?

BMWs, or any German cars for that matter, are out of the question for me. They are great cars, but unless someone gives me a brand new BMW that has a rock solid warranty I won't touch one. I need a  reliable car and I don't want to spend huge amounts of money to fix it when it does break (and it seems every person I know that owns a German car talks non-stop about how fucking expensive they are to fix, and how often they break ). I'd love to have an S54 M Coupe, E39 M5, GTI or any number of other German cars, but oh well.

A few days ago I drove a 6spd Accord Coupe V6, and a plain RSX 5spd. They are both nice cars, but I prefer the Acura, and as insurance is very high on the RSX Type-S, I will stick with the base RSX. The only thing that would be weird about getting an RSX is that my parents own an 05 RSX (automatic). I at least know what to expect with an RSX!

Tomorrow I'm hoping to drive an IS300 5spd...

[DMF]

I was wondering if you were still able to find 5 speed IS300s.. awesome that you found one.. take some pics and give it a good test drive.

I tried to get my Dad to buy a 5 speed IS300 a few years back but ended up finding a W203 C240 6 speed for a decent price instead.

[sameerrao]

For $15k you can get a E36 M3, maybe a E34 M5 (early 90s model), B5 Audi S4, perhaps a pre 2000 Boxster. Granted most of these will have high miles and might be expensive to service. They all have their own pros/cons. Just wanted to add some choices.

[sentra_dude]

For $15k you can get a E36 M3, maybe a E34 M5 (early 90s model), B5 Audi S4, perhaps a pre 2000 Boxster. Granted most of these will have high miles and might be expensive to service. They all have their own pros/cons. Just wanted to add some choices.

The most shocking thing I have discovered while searching the used car listing is just how f'in cheap the "pre-owned" Germans are. All I can say is I'm glad I'm not one of the poor saps who bought one of those new and took that huge depreciation! Just one example: I found a 5 or 6 year old S600, which appeared to be fairly clean and was offered for $25K! That was a ~$120K car when new!

I finally drove a 5 spd IS300 today.



This particular car is out of my price range, but it was a chance to drive a 5 spd IS so I took it for a spin. It has a nice gearbox, and it's actually somewhat similar to the Celica gearbox, with fairly long & notchy throws. The I6 engine has lots of torque and makes a nice sound and I love the IS steering wheel. The best part is that it's a RWD car. With an intake the engine must sound really nice.

I am really leaning towards a base RSX 5 spd because they are cheap to buy, operate, and insure while still having fantastic handling and being fun to drive. On a sidenote, I found a beautiful 2001 blue Honda Prelude SH today just by chance, but of course someone already had a $7000 deposit on it (a solider in Iraq, so I'm happy to give up the car to him). Every time I find something good it's gone before I can get to it. I'm going to try and look at an RSX tomorrow, hopefully it won't sell before I have a chance to look at it.

[danidmas]

I think I'd go for the S600 LOL! gansta' style!

Jokes apart, that IS300 looks pretty good... and being RWD and I6, it's definitely one of the options I would really consider... the RSX sounds ok too, good handling and as you say... it will be probably cheaper to maintain, but the RWD factor is just too strong to be missed

[MartinR]

Jokes apart, that IS300 looks pretty good... and being RWD and I6, it's definitely one of the options I would really consider... the RSX sounds ok too, good handling and as you say... it will be probably cheaper to maintain, but the RWD factor is just too strong to be missed

I agree, looks like a very solid car and RWD is obviously a huge plus. If there's any way you can find one that fits your budget, then I think it'd be a great buy.

[DMF]

Too bad you missed your chance on that Prelude.. and it was an SH! Even if you can find a Type-S prelude, I'd snatch it up over a RSX.

[sentra_dude]

RWD would be great! I'm so tired of FWD hahah, even though half the cars I'm considering are FWD.

Too bad you missed your chance on that Prelude.. and it was an SH! Even if you can find a Type-S prelude, I'd snatch it up over a RSX.

Yep, as I was walking around looking the car over, I thought, "this could be perfect if it's not already taken..."

[Slusbe]

wow sentra_dude, I'm surprised you even managed to find a manual IS300, they're so rare. I fell in love with them when I had the chance to drive one though. That gearbox is butter. And you can do SO much to that engine too (its a 2JZ for gods sake)

[sentra_dude]

Update:

I'm back on the task of trying to find a car again now that I'm back from vacation. Today I drove a couple different cars, and one, which was a baaad idea to test drive, an S2000.


2002 S2000 88K miles, $13K

Wow, what a car! The car fits like a glove but there's no trouble with headroom. Everything is at your fingertips in the car, the a/c controls, the radio controls, and even the shifter is in the perfect spot. I'm usually not a fan of digital gauges, but in the S2000 it works very well, and the rev counter feels very racy, not the least because of the 9,000 rpm redline. The seats are top notch and the interior is very well designed and well screwed together. The steering wheel and gearbox are excellent and it's really a thrill to run it allllll the way up to 9,000rpm. You can really feel the power kick in above 6,000 rpm, and it's amazing to rev to 7,000 and still have quite a bit of revs left to play with. The handling is of course the best part of the car, and I didn't really find the ride to be that harsh. It's no Lexus ride, but in my limited time driving the car it didn't seem to be outrageously firm.

The car is actually in my price range too, so that's why I shouldn't have been looking at it.
Too bad it's hopelessly unpractical for commuting on the interstate with a suitcase and a large briefcase, but damn... If you can pick up a rough-around-the-edges example today for $13K, just imagine in 3-5 years, it sure would make a nice second car.

Back into reality with a Prelude:

2001 Prelude 83K miles, $9.9K

This is quite a nice example, and I might even have some money left over if I bought this one, $9,995. I think it's a really sharp looking car on the exterior, but on the inside it falls down a bit. It doesn't really bother me all that much, but the interior feels like it's from an early 90s car instead of a 2001 car. The seats are also kind of weird, I feel like I'm sitting on them instead of in them... Besides the seats and premium fuel (can anyone who uses premium fuel comment on how much of a drag it really is to have to pay the extra cost for it?) I'm pretty happy with that car.

And finally, I've found a '05 RSX for $12.7K with 52K miles which I have no pic of, but it's dark grey and pretty clean. I drove it around quite a bit today and I'm happy with it, but god damnit if I hate used car dealers! I sit down with the guy to try and work out a price and all he does is throw numbers at me and try to pressure me into buying then and there. Even trying to get the bottom line price was pretty much impossible since he kept shuffling the numbers for trade-in, actual car price, etc around, no doubt trying to confuse me into paying more than I want to pay. The most annoying thing was they slapped on a $500 "paper work fee" to the price, making it $13,200 instead of $12,700 which is what I went in thinking was their starting figure, which they didn't mention until I was serious about buying. It still seems a good deal, but I just might skip the car on the sole fact of how they treated me. Fucking hell, just be straight up with the pricing! Anyways, rant over...

[zot09]

The S2K is a VERY nice car...I'm actually looking into one as well  The 02's also have some minor updates compared to the first model which make it better(glass rear window for one). From what I've read, they are very reliable cars considering the level of performance they offer, the only thing you have to look out for is the tires...especially the ones on the rear. They can easily last less than 10k. Another thing to be careful for is that the AP1's have no TC, and are notorious for having their rear-ends kick out. Besides that, it's an awesome car...imaging driving top down and hitting 9k RPM  If you don't need to carry many things/people, and can live with a hardcore 2-seater, then by all means, go for the S2K!!!

The Prelude is a very nice car as well, but like I said, if you can live without the extra space and are willing to pay the extra $3k, then go for the S2000. As for the premium fuel...it does add up... I use it in my car, and end up spending roughly $45-$50 per week(around $4.10/gallon). So I basically spend ~$150/year than I would with using 87 octane, which isn't a deal breaker, but it does add up.

The RSX is also another nice car, I have a few friends that have them and they're very happy with it. Also, compared to the other two cars, it has a considerably lower amount of miles, although since they're all Honda engines they should easily go past 200k.

In order of what I'd get, it would be:
1) S2K
2) RSX
3) Prelude

Good luck