[pne]

at 4 years and 40k my parents civic's faux chrome door handles are starting to flake off. When it first rolled off the lot the map light would stay stuck on unless you jiggled it. Every car will have something or other wrong, but i'd rather have a broken cd player than a faulty transmission.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseD13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif hmm thanks for all of the recommendations! stick is fine my family is a car family (and i used to race go karts...not the woods ones, the hardcore racing type). basically my situation is that my dad wanted me to drive his 86(?) 944 turbo, but my mom isnt cool with that. its pretty old and beat up and always needs work. not to mention its bright red and is a cop magnet. we can probably sell it for like 8k or so, which leaves me with my budget. the only thing i could think of was like a civic or maybe a scion tc. i would love rear wheel drive, but there arent any that seem to come to mind. also, id rather get a car that is atleast late 90s or newer. getting an early 90s car would defeat part of the purpose of replacing the porsche.

Turbo 944!! if it were me I'd put the $$$ into that. Those things are a blast to drive. Although it would probably cost more than $8 grand to get it running, and still may/may not serve as a daily driver.

My boss used to autocross his, and beat on it pretty regularly. His daily driver is a 968.

Someone recommended a mazda protoge. My friend had one of those and used to autocross it regularly during the summer. I used to help him tweek it and tune it up when I was in college, and get it prep'd for race weekend. They are really well made cars IMHO.

1999-2000 Civic SI would be a safe choice. Might even be able to find one already tuned and dialed in the way you like. They are cop magnets though.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...icleId=44128#4

I autocrossed a friends late 90s Audi A4, Quattro/Turbo. That thing was a beast... total blast to drive. It was relatively stock too, he chipped it, headers, exhaust and susp-work. Not sure how reliable they are though.

 

[MorpheusZero]

A lot of B5 A4 1.8Ts were plagued with both coil failures and ABS sensor problems. Both items were in low supply and huge demand and as such were very hard to find and very pricey as well. The S4 biturbo (2.7T) was a slightly different matter, but the turbos fail in those rather regularly ($6k), even with preventative maintenance. But then again, you can't get an S4 for under $8k.

 

[zowie]

When you're buying a used car for under $8k, you want to look for models that LOSE, not hold, their value because if it's a faster depreciating car you can get what was originally a more expensive car for the $8k. E.g., a car that when it was new three years ago cost $20k vs one that cost $15. Of course you want one that is faster-depreciating because of supply and demand, not because it is a sucky car.

 

[zowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plus_c /img/forum/go_quote.gif At 11k miles and less than a year, the CD player should not be failing. Ever. To me, that says the gap between GM and the Japanese in initial quality is still significant.

It doesn't say anything. The car manufacturers don't make the cd players.

 

[no1likesme]

if you are going for a fwd car I would definatly take a vw jetta or golf over a civic. I have a friend with a civic and another with a jetta both being manuals and the jetta trumps the civic on every front. the jetta is much more nimble and quick, gets better fuel economy and has MUCH more room inside, i am 6'6" 280lbs and I can sit upright in the back seat of the jetta but cannot in the front of the civic.

 

[gshan]

Though we're talking about an older model Civic Si, is it still going to be significantly more expensive in the repair department compared to a standard Civic? I'm assuming OP will want a very low cost to own vehicle, unless overall repair costs on the different Civics is negligible.

 

[MorpheusZero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zowie /img/forum/go_quote.gif It doesn't say anything. The car manufacturers don't make the cd players.

You could argue that technically it's irrelevant since it's the CD player manufacturer's problem and not the car manufacturer... but the car manufacturer chose to go with a sh!tty CD player... it really does say something about the car IMO.

 

[MorpheusZero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Though we're talking about an older model Civic Si, is it still going to be significantly more expensive in the repair department compared to a standard Civic? I'm assuming OP will want a very low cost to own vehicle, unless overall repair costs on the different Civics is negligible.

The B16 is a very reliable engine, never really needs tune-ups etc. That's the main difference between the Si and standard civic. You shouldn't see much of a difference if any difference between them.

 

[ChaseD13]

about the 944, its not just the cost, but its the whole idea. its not big enough to drive others around in, i should have some time on the 911, its not 100% reliable, especially since my dad was driving it lately, and he doesnt drive "nice".

I think it's going to come down to the jetta or the civic.

 

[roastpuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MorpheusZero /img/forum/go_quote.gif The B16 is a very reliable engine, never really needs tune-ups etc. That's the main difference between the Si and standard civic. You shouldn't see much of a difference if any difference between them.

Yeppers. The Civic Si doesn't differ all that much from a regular Civic, and with proper maintenance and avoidance of blatant abuse it should perform just as reliably. B16's are excellent engines, and the basic drivetrain is also quite solid.

 

[MorpheusZero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roastpuff /img/forum/go_quote.gif proper maintenance and avoidance of blatant abuse

The former actually doesn't matter much IMO, they're very robust and reliable in general, but the latter I would be concerned about. Many people with Si's do not treat them nicely. But, for the most part, you can beat on these cars all day and they will come back asking for more.

 

[no1likesme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseD13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think it's going to come down to the jetta or the civic.

[size=medium]JETTA!![/size]

IMO the jetta just feels like a faster car.

 

[nineohtoo]

Quote:

1999-2000 Civic SI would be a safe choice. Might even be able to find one already tuned and dialed in the way you like.

It covers a lot of your bases well, despite being a torqueless wonder. Its fuel efficient, has the space you need, will be easy and affordable to maintain, it's a Honda so it's reliable, and considering it's an Si, it's bound to retain its value and even go for more than KBB down the line(I was shopping for a 5th gen hatchback, and maybe only one out of six cars were going for KBB prices, while others were WELL over, and still selling :\ ). It's definitely not gonna be a track car, but it doesn't look like thats what you want anyways. I have a coworker and a friend who drive them, one whom I installed an alarm for, and I absolutely loved driving it when it was in my possession. Plus if you ever decide you want to make your drive to work or school a little faster, the B series responds well to bolt ons, unlike my D series...

I personally would opt for the same generation Civic hatchback for about half that budget. Save the rest for when you decide to get a car you really want to keep. and If you really need the car to be faster, you can use the rest for a swap or boost

 

[XxATOLxX]

Comparing the MKIV Jetta to the Civic, I'd recommend the Jetta all the way. Its much better built than the Civic, the interior is solid, not flimsy. I also find it more fun to drive than a Civic. The Monsoon stereo on it is one of the best I've heard in a car too.

Now on engines, the Honda Civic and the Jetta GL engines are equally slow. With consistent maintenance, they are just as reliable. If you can find a 1.8T at that price, then I'd recommend getting that. Its slightly less reliable and has more known problems, but when the car has 4-5 people in it, the GL engine just isn't enough.