Sporty lightweight robust car recommendation
May 31, 2015 12:22 AM Subscribe
I'm unironically mourning the demise of my '95 Del Sol.
Looking for a lightweight, sporty, fun, comfortable car. If everything works out, anticipating that in a year/12 months time that I'll have to do a 20-30 minute rural highway commute (on good highway). However, I'd like capability to deal with rough roads.
Please recommend me an appropriate vehicle.
Drove on/off for many years, mostly off. My first and only "adult" vehicle purchase was a '95 Del Sol that I loved to bits but died tragically at the beginning of this year.
Anticipating to have to deal with a daily commute of about 15km (in retrospect, that's not bad at all; I'm doing 23km currently and 14km previously, and 20 minutes bus+walk previouslier) but also anticipating needing to travel on less-well-maintained roads and gravel/dirt/unmaintained roadways.
Have researched the WRX, WRX STi, VW GTi, and the new 2015 Mustang with the turbo-four/EcoSmart engine.
Not a fan of Subaru aesthetics (currently driving a 2008 Outback; excessive amount of car for me, but decent and 'dad-like' but lacking in pickup) but I know that lots of people are Subaru enthusiasts. The STi is in the lead for me, but I'm not loving its looks nor price/performance.
Are there other good candidates for small sporty cars that can occasionally deal with adverse weather conditions?
Drove on/off for many years, mostly off. My first and only "adult" vehicle purchase was a '95 Del Sol that I loved to bits but died tragically at the beginning of this year.
Anticipating to have to deal with a daily commute of about 15km (in retrospect, that's not bad at all; I'm doing 23km currently and 14km previously, and 20 minutes bus+walk previouslier) but also anticipating needing to travel on less-well-maintained roads and gravel/dirt/unmaintained roadways.
Have researched the WRX, WRX STi, VW GTi, and the new 2015 Mustang with the turbo-four/EcoSmart engine.
Not a fan of Subaru aesthetics (currently driving a 2008 Outback; excessive amount of car for me, but decent and 'dad-like' but lacking in pickup) but I know that lots of people are Subaru enthusiasts. The STi is in the lead for me, but I'm not loving its looks nor price/performance.
Are there other good candidates for small sporty cars that can occasionally deal with adverse weather conditions?
Best answer: How about the Scion FR-S (Toyota GT86) or its sibling, the Subaru BRZ? I loved the older generation of STis, but I'm not a fan of the new look. Have you thought about a Nissan 370Z or an Audi A1 or A3?
I also concur with AlexiaSky that you might want to take a serious look at the Mazdas as well.
posted by the_wintry_mizzenmast at 2:40 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I also concur with AlexiaSky that you might want to take a serious look at the Mazdas as well.
posted by the_wintry_mizzenmast at 2:40 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
An Audi TT Quattro doesn't have a lot of ground clearance for rough roads (which will be a problem with many of the vehicles you might consider), but it might be a good option.
posted by box at 3:45 AM on May 31, 2015
posted by box at 3:45 AM on May 31, 2015
Best answer: I bought a stick shift FR-S in March and am deeply, deeply enamored of it. Not a ton of ground clearance, but no problem on reasonably flat dirt roads (though you do feel those bumps). I know I'll need snow tires and a big bag of rock salt in the trunk this winter, but great gods of the sacred curvy highway is that thing fun to drive.
posted by amy lecteur at 4:18 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by amy lecteur at 4:18 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
gravel/dirt/unmaintained roadways.
I think it would help if you were more specific about this. Any car mentioned will be fine on plain gravel roads, but if "unmaintained" means ruts and mud, then you may want something like Outback or Forester (which comes in a turbo version for extra zoom) instead. And if unmaintained means old logging roads, then you might need a truck.
(I'm also guessing that from your use of km, you are not in the US, which means that your list of available cars is likely different.)
posted by Dip Flash at 5:17 AM on May 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
I think it would help if you were more specific about this. Any car mentioned will be fine on plain gravel roads, but if "unmaintained" means ruts and mud, then you may want something like Outback or Forester (which comes in a turbo version for extra zoom) instead. And if unmaintained means old logging roads, then you might need a truck.
(I'm also guessing that from your use of km, you are not in the US, which means that your list of available cars is likely different.)
posted by Dip Flash at 5:17 AM on May 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
if you loved your Del Sol, you'll probably love a S2000. Lancer.
Untaintained roads... Outlander, Murano.
posted by at at 6:04 AM on May 31, 2015
Untaintained roads... Outlander, Murano.
posted by at at 6:04 AM on May 31, 2015
For the prices of some of the mentioned cars, you could buy TWO Miatas, and use one for parts or as the "beater" and the other for whatever.
I dunno. I just like the idea of two cheap fun cars.
posted by Thistledown at 6:18 AM on May 31, 2015
I dunno. I just like the idea of two cheap fun cars.
posted by Thistledown at 6:18 AM on May 31, 2015
The Honda S2000 is really fun, light, reliable, and the engine (in the 1st generation) revs to 9,000 RPM.
Used BMW Z3s are pretty similar but are a little more comfortable to drive. The coupe is kind of ugly but can be REALLY cheap if you like the way it looks or don't care.
Those are both sporty, fast little front engine, rear-drive roadsters which will have some issues with ground clearance on rough roads. The ride in the BMW would be a little better than the Honda though.
For newer stuff, Mazdas are really fun and are front wheel drive which will help in the wet or on snow (Does it need to drive through snow? That will make a BIG difference here.) unless you go back to 2007 for the all-wheel-drive MazdaSpeed 6 (which would be an excellent choice if you can find one in good condition) or the MX-5 Miata (which is similar to the Z3 and S2000 but smaller, lighter, slower, but more efficient and a better value).
They did make the MazdaSpeed 3 (the "go fast" version of the regular Mazda 3) until 2013. It's front-wheel-drive and if it were AWD there would be one in my garage right now to replace my 2007 Mazda 3 2.3sport. Read-drive is more fun and usually better performing for sporty cars but it's a pain to drive in the snow even with some really serious snow tires. AWD is, for me, a way to get closer to the RWD experience but can drive a LOT better in the snow.
The Miata is often a good choice for this kind of thing because they're really fun, pretty efficient, not the fastest but reasonably quick, and cheap enough that it can be an additional car rather than your only car.
Kind of an off-the-wall suggestion is an Infiniti G37x. It uses the same sporty, rear-drive platform as the Nissan 370Z suggested above but with the ATTESA-ETS all-wheel-drive system (one of the best and most advanced such systems in the world). The VQ series engine is excellent and powerful. The ride, handling, and performance rivals the BWM 3-series and Audi A6 but it's a LOT cheaper and they're a pretty good value (though you don't mention budget) on the used market.
posted by VTX at 8:06 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Used BMW Z3s are pretty similar but are a little more comfortable to drive. The coupe is kind of ugly but can be REALLY cheap if you like the way it looks or don't care.
Those are both sporty, fast little front engine, rear-drive roadsters which will have some issues with ground clearance on rough roads. The ride in the BMW would be a little better than the Honda though.
For newer stuff, Mazdas are really fun and are front wheel drive which will help in the wet or on snow (Does it need to drive through snow? That will make a BIG difference here.) unless you go back to 2007 for the all-wheel-drive MazdaSpeed 6 (which would be an excellent choice if you can find one in good condition) or the MX-5 Miata (which is similar to the Z3 and S2000 but smaller, lighter, slower, but more efficient and a better value).
They did make the MazdaSpeed 3 (the "go fast" version of the regular Mazda 3) until 2013. It's front-wheel-drive and if it were AWD there would be one in my garage right now to replace my 2007 Mazda 3 2.3sport. Read-drive is more fun and usually better performing for sporty cars but it's a pain to drive in the snow even with some really serious snow tires. AWD is, for me, a way to get closer to the RWD experience but can drive a LOT better in the snow.
The Miata is often a good choice for this kind of thing because they're really fun, pretty efficient, not the fastest but reasonably quick, and cheap enough that it can be an additional car rather than your only car.
Kind of an off-the-wall suggestion is an Infiniti G37x. It uses the same sporty, rear-drive platform as the Nissan 370Z suggested above but with the ATTESA-ETS all-wheel-drive system (one of the best and most advanced such systems in the world). The VQ series engine is excellent and powerful. The ride, handling, and performance rivals the BWM 3-series and Audi A6 but it's a LOT cheaper and they're a pretty good value (though you don't mention budget) on the used market.
posted by VTX at 8:06 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I used to have a '97 VTEC del Sol. The only non-Miata I found that was more fun to drive (aside from the aforementioned technical successor, the S2000, which I never drove) was a Mini Cooper S. Similar top horsepower, but totally different power band, incredible cornering, and the sixth gear I always missed in the del Sol. But this was back towards the end of the first engine configuration in the Mini, when they still had superchargers instead of turbochargers.
My wife and I don't own a car anymore so we drive a lot of car share vehicles and the occasional longer term rental. For currently available hepped up hatchbacks I'd consider the Golf GTI or GTD and whatever the sportiest version of the current Ford Focus is. The basic Mazda 3 handles well but I haven't had the opportunity to drive the sportier variant of it, and there's supposed to be a new Mazdaspeed 3 coming in a year or so. And if you can wait for that, the Civic Type R is also supposed to be coming over here next year, so you'd probably want to give that a test drive as well. If you can. I suspect the first couple thousand of those will be earmarked for preorders and ridiculous dealer markups.
Oh, and a friend here has a Fiat 500 Abarth, which is cute and zippy, but it's got a cramped, noisy cabin. The engine noise is fun for a quick trip around town, but I wouldn't want to drive it for extended periods. The VTEC was bad enough on the highway, and the Fiat is much louder. :-/
posted by fedward at 9:16 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
My wife and I don't own a car anymore so we drive a lot of car share vehicles and the occasional longer term rental. For currently available hepped up hatchbacks I'd consider the Golf GTI or GTD and whatever the sportiest version of the current Ford Focus is. The basic Mazda 3 handles well but I haven't had the opportunity to drive the sportier variant of it, and there's supposed to be a new Mazdaspeed 3 coming in a year or so. And if you can wait for that, the Civic Type R is also supposed to be coming over here next year, so you'd probably want to give that a test drive as well. If you can. I suspect the first couple thousand of those will be earmarked for preorders and ridiculous dealer markups.
Oh, and a friend here has a Fiat 500 Abarth, which is cute and zippy, but it's got a cramped, noisy cabin. The engine noise is fun for a quick trip around town, but I wouldn't want to drive it for extended periods. The VTEC was bad enough on the highway, and the Fiat is much louder. :-/
posted by fedward at 9:16 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Former Del Sol owner here; when my ship comes in I plan on purchasing a CR-Z to fill the hole in my heart left my its absence, which is the currently-in-production spiritual successor to the CR-X/Del Sol line of cars. I'm not sure how well it would handle adverse road conditions, but it sure looks cool.
posted by jordemort at 10:11 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jordemort at 10:11 AM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I live in Northern Utah and my Hyundai Elantra has been surprisingly agile in adverse weather conditions. With good tires I've been through a lot more than I thought this sporty little car could handle. It's a 2006 and I've had it for two years. I'm a big fan.
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:53 AM on May 31, 2015
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:53 AM on May 31, 2015
My 2012 Hyundai Veloster. I bought it new. I live up a wind-y, curvy, potholey rural road and it is 20 miles to the nearest town. The Veloster is totes fun to drive, has a great sound system, is easy on mileage and has been extremely reliable these three years. I still love it!
posted by Lynsey at 11:05 AM on May 31, 2015
posted by Lynsey at 11:05 AM on May 31, 2015
Seems like the closest to consensus of car editors is the 2015 VW GTI is the car of the year. Assuming it is in your price range, I am certain you would be quite quite happy with it.
posted by jcworth at 11:30 AM on May 31, 2015
posted by jcworth at 11:30 AM on May 31, 2015
You might want to look at the Juke, or the soon-to-arrive Golf Alltrack.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2015
posted by kickingtheground at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2015
Response by poster: Cool, thanks everyone for broadening my search! This will be in a year and I'll be looking at used/out-of-lease 2015/2014 vehicles. I'm very likely moving out to the Northern end of Vancouver Island and anticipate running around the BC interior/Yukon. So, yeah, a jeep or SUV is really more what I should be looking at, but man, I miss driving sporty little things.
FR-S, I totally dig the look, what's under the hood, and the price, but thought that it might ride a little too low, but maybe not an issue?
I totally thought that the BMW Z3s were way out of my price range, but they stopped making them in 2002? So I guess that while they're in my price range now, I'm really looking for a vehicle made after 2010 and preferably 14/15.
VW GTI, I'm not convinced that I'm a hatchback kind of guy, although I like the looks of the Veloster and the GTI STi is one of very few cars in this range that offers leather interiors.
The CR-Z! However, it only has 120 ponies under the hood.
Likewise, I love me the S2000s but they're strictly a city car and I've heard that when they're going to be reintroduced, they're going to be hybrids - that's going to add a lot of weight and I think that strays from the Del Sol/S2000 spirit.
I'm surprised that no-one has chimed in about the Ford's turbo-four vs. the straight 6 vs. the V8. With the turbo-four, this is the first time I'd seriously buying American, given the choice. I drove a Chevy Cav from the '80s during the late '90s for a few years and ran it into the ground.
Thanks for the Infiniti G37x and Nissan 370Z suggestion, they weren't on my radar.
I've always liked small cars (my first crush was on a Fiat Spider from the '70s) but I feel that the Minis/Fiats are more city cars.
As for Mazda, maybe I'm still stuck in highschool mentality but I've never been a fan of the Mazda aesthetic and they weren't in real consideration.
I dig the Audi TTS (not the base TT), but it's kind of in the unhappy valley of price/performance. Might as well spend another 10k and get a Porsche Cayman S.
posted by porpoise at 6:16 PM on May 31, 2015
FR-S, I totally dig the look, what's under the hood, and the price, but thought that it might ride a little too low, but maybe not an issue?
I totally thought that the BMW Z3s were way out of my price range, but they stopped making them in 2002? So I guess that while they're in my price range now, I'm really looking for a vehicle made after 2010 and preferably 14/15.
VW GTI, I'm not convinced that I'm a hatchback kind of guy, although I like the looks of the Veloster and the GTI STi is one of very few cars in this range that offers leather interiors.
The CR-Z! However, it only has 120 ponies under the hood.
Likewise, I love me the S2000s but they're strictly a city car and I've heard that when they're going to be reintroduced, they're going to be hybrids - that's going to add a lot of weight and I think that strays from the Del Sol/S2000 spirit.
I'm surprised that no-one has chimed in about the Ford's turbo-four vs. the straight 6 vs. the V8. With the turbo-four, this is the first time I'd seriously buying American, given the choice. I drove a Chevy Cav from the '80s during the late '90s for a few years and ran it into the ground.
Thanks for the Infiniti G37x and Nissan 370Z suggestion, they weren't on my radar.
I've always liked small cars (my first crush was on a Fiat Spider from the '70s) but I feel that the Minis/Fiats are more city cars.
As for Mazda, maybe I'm still stuck in highschool mentality but I've never been a fan of the Mazda aesthetic and they weren't in real consideration.
I dig the Audi TTS (not the base TT), but it's kind of in the unhappy valley of price/performance. Might as well spend another 10k and get a Porsche Cayman S.
posted by porpoise at 6:16 PM on May 31, 2015
Best answer: I've got an FR-S and I cannot recommend this car enough. I've put 15k miles on it in 5 months, so I do a lot of driving, and I've done a decent amount of rural driving. I've bottomed out twice from backroads. I still take her on backroads fairly often.
Fun, reasonably comfortable, cheap, great service program, it's a goddamned Toyota/Subaru so it will last forever, and just enough ground clearance that if you're careful you shouldn't bottom out (both times I was going waay too fast for an unpaved road). Also it looks GREAT. Have I mentioned how much fun it is?
33 MPG on the freeway at 65.
Last but not least, I fit a full-sized bed from Ikea and the frame in the back. The rear seats fold down and it's got a surprisingly spacious amount of cargo space. And I've fit 5 in her before.. it wasn't for long, and it wasn't comfortable, but it is technically possible.
I'm a huge cheerleader for this car because I want to see Toyota/Scion/Subaru build lots of them. They are incredible machines.
For what it's worth, I got mine certified pre-owned with 3,000 miles on it, for just under $20k. It's a hell of a lot of car for that money.
posted by special agent conrad uno at 6:58 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Fun, reasonably comfortable, cheap, great service program, it's a goddamned Toyota/Subaru so it will last forever, and just enough ground clearance that if you're careful you shouldn't bottom out (both times I was going waay too fast for an unpaved road). Also it looks GREAT. Have I mentioned how much fun it is?
33 MPG on the freeway at 65.
Last but not least, I fit a full-sized bed from Ikea and the frame in the back. The rear seats fold down and it's got a surprisingly spacious amount of cargo space. And I've fit 5 in her before.. it wasn't for long, and it wasn't comfortable, but it is technically possible.
I'm a huge cheerleader for this car because I want to see Toyota/Scion/Subaru build lots of them. They are incredible machines.
For what it's worth, I got mine certified pre-owned with 3,000 miles on it, for just under $20k. It's a hell of a lot of car for that money.
posted by special agent conrad uno at 6:58 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks kickingtheground, I discovered a new category (Crossover) that might be interesting. And so that's what those cool looking little guys that I've been seeing around town are called.
The Juke only comes with a CVT, though - yuck. The Fiat 500X might be worth a look, though.
posted by porpoise at 8:20 PM on May 31, 2015
The Juke only comes with a CVT, though - yuck. The Fiat 500X might be worth a look, though.
posted by porpoise at 8:20 PM on May 31, 2015
The Mazda CX5 (mostly for posterity's sake) is supposed to be about as fun to drive as a crossover can get.
posted by VTX at 8:16 AM on June 1, 2015
posted by VTX at 8:16 AM on June 1, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by AlexiaSky at 1:25 AM on May 31, 2015 [3 favorites]