Need Some Suggestions With Cars

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@ nakkers

Good to learn stuff, googled the Micra. My kind of car, even better than the Accent. And a racing series. I think suspension bits are available for it. All you'd need is stiff anti-roll bars and you're home free. This gets better all the time.
 
nakkers said:
On the flip side, drove a Micra and a Spark recently and both were excellent little cars.
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You go into econoboxes like that with low expectations. I've had a rental Spark a couple of times and they're better than one would expect. Sure, they look a bit goofy and when you slam the door, it goes "tinnnngggggg". But they ride and handle decently, have surprising interior room (not much trunk space, though), the controls all work nicely, anything but the cheapest models have cruise control and A/C.

I rented one in Mexico figuring on "when in Mexico, drive what the Mexicans drive". First rental car I've ever had with a manual transmission. This was indeed the cheapest model with no cruise control, but it did have air conditioning (probably mandatory in Mexico). Rental agencies in Mexico charge big bucks for automatic transmission and big bucks for the bigger vehicles that they know the American tourists will want!

The Spark has a full model redesign for 2016 and the new one is a lot less goofy looking, and probably with much more refinement.
 
Well the Micra has a MSRP of <$10k last I checked. That's pretty sweet.

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Spark, Micra, Mirage all have a version starting just under $10k. They are absolutely rock bottom stripped out base models. Manual transmission, crank windows, bare steel wheels, no air conditioning, no power locks. If you want ANYthing you will be paying several grand more!
 
nakkers said:
The model I drove was the turbo version with 18" rims and auto trans.

I didn't find the engine all that impressive and just felt like it rode junky over rough roads. I'm sure it's because I'm getting closer to 50 years young and all the young folks like that look. Low, big rims, etc.

It just didn't seem to ride very well.
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Big rims make for a terrible ride on the street, especially in small cars. Even something like a dodge journey feels a lot worse with 19's than it does with 17's.
 
That probably didn't help matters, but more of an issue is that the Veloster is a previous generation Accent (or Elantra?) with a different-looking body but the same not-well-sorted suspension and numb, isolated steering (and that is something that I will not tolerate). I wanted to like those when they came out, but there's no steak to back up the sizzle.

The aforementioned Chevy Spark is nicer to drive despite not looking like much.
 
Brian P said:
That probably didn't help matters, but more of an issue is that the Veloster is a previous generation Accent (or Elantra?) with a different-looking body but the same not-well-sorted suspension and numb, isolated steering (and that is something that I will not tolerate). I wanted to like those when they came out, but there's no steak to back up the sizzle.

The aforementioned Chevy Spark is nicer to drive despite not looking like much.
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Brian,


Thanks. You're much better at stating things matter of fact and in less words.

This is exactly what I should have stated.
 
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Brian P said:
but the same not-well-sorted suspension and numb, isolated steering (and that is something that I will not tolerate).
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Can somebody explain what this means? Is it about a lack of direct mechanical link between steering wheel and tires or is it about rubber mounted suspension components? It would seem that the isolated and numb steering is a result of trying to provide a modicum of ride comfort.
 
inreb said:
Can somebody explain what this means? Is it about a lack of direct mechanical link between steering wheel and tires or is it about rubber mounted suspension components? It would seem that the isolated and numb steering is a result of trying to provide a modicum of ride comfort.
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The Elantra steering is electronic, you don't really get any "feedback" from the front wheels. It makes the wheel feel a little numb. And its true that most people stick a good sway bar in the rear or some KYB struts to help the car track better in corners. The steering is exceptionally smooth though, feedback or not!
 
JP0160 said:
The Elantra steering is electronic, you don't really get any "feedback" from the front wheels. It makes the wheel feel a little numb. And its true that most people stick a good sway bar in the rear or some KYB struts to help the car track better in corners. The steering is exceptionally smooth though, feedback or not!
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Electronic? I should have guessed:p
 
My vote would go to the Honda Accord or Acura TL. Great fun cars to drive. I owned a Subaru STI up until 2 months ago (stolen from my driveway during the night) and it was the most fun car I ever owned but it was just terrible on gas. I drive mostly in the city and I would usually get between 13 and 13.5L/100. The AWD system was simple amazing in the snow and rain.
 
veteq said:
My vote would go to the Honda Accord or Acura TL. Great fun cars to drive. I owned a Subaru STI up until 2 months ago (stolen from my driveway during the night) and it was the most fun car I ever owned but it was just terrible on gas. I drive mostly in the city and I would usually get between 13 and 13.5L/100. The AWD system was simple amazing in the snow and rain.
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Surprised thieves even know how to drive stick.
 
veteq said:
My vote would go to the Honda Accord or Acura TL. Great fun cars to drive. I owned a Subaru STI up until 2 months ago (stolen from my driveway during the night) and it was the most fun car I ever owned but it was just terrible on gas. I drive mostly in the city and I would usually get between 13 and 13.5L/100. The AWD system was simple amazing in the snow and rain.
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What did you replace it with?
 
Boots said:
Surprised thieves even know how to drive stick.
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These guys were good, we believe the car was taken between 2-5am. The alarm never went off, I didn't hear the engine starting either and the STI was loud. They left behind the fuse box cover.

GreyGhost said:
What did you replace it with?
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I am getting old and after 25+ years driving "manual" I decided it was time for an automatic, got the Audi S5.
 
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Gotta give a +1 to the WRX. I had one a bunch of years back, fantastic car. Quick, good looks, handles good, sounds great, a tank in the snow.

Fits the OPs bill too with 4 doors and a trunk but still sporty and fun to drive... I prefer the hatch look even though its a departure from the original Impreza.

Back in a Subaru (BRZ this time) now after a while without a fun car. Hate the payments, don't care about mileage (not bad but our TDI is the long range tool), really nice to actually enjoy driving somewhere.
 
@veteq did you post a pic of the Audi then pull it? It shows up in the Tapatalk thread preview, but not the thread itself.

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Joe Bass said:
@veteq did you post a pic of the Audi then pull it? It shows up in the Tapatalk thread preview, but not the thread itself.

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here is the photo I posted.

25703240995_8b575a9fef_o.jpg
 
One of the few coupes that I like. And that colour. Very nice indeed. Joe Bass likes this ?

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