New car... CRZ, Civic Si, Veloster, or FRS?

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FLounder

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Its getting to be about time to start seriously shopping for a new or nearly new car. Looking to replace my fiances 03 RSX. We have it pretty much narrowed down to four cars we want to look at/test drive. Im thinking that buying something a year or two old, with low miles would be best, to save some money. We will have a large down payment ($8k or so). Any opinons on this? I mean buying new would get a lower interest rate, but its still more money.

The stipulations for the car are that it must be small, manual transmission, get good gas mileage, be long term reliable (plan on keeping it till at least 100k miles).

Personally i like the Civic Si or the Scion FRS, but the crz or veloster may be more practical. Any opinions, advice, or experience with any of these cars (or other car suggestions) would be appreciated :D
 
on that list, frs...

P.s. civic si oil change is such a PITA. That alone makes me wish we bought a EX...
 
Fr>ff. I prefer the BRZ, but on that list I'd go with the frs.
 
We haven't driven any of them yet. She drives like a grandma and performance is not that major of a factor since she will drive it much more than me. However, I'm going to sell my integra soon, so having something fun to drive sometimes would be nice.

I think the brz is more expensive than the frs, plus the scion dealer is a mile away, and the Subaru dealer is kinda far. It would be fun to get a sporty little rwd car. She really seems to like the crz the most, based on looks and gas mileage only...
 
lol, Cel. I don't think they want the maintenance costs of a BMW.
 
the CRZ and veloster are compared often, they get about the same mileage, and have about the same power. the crz is a little more nimble, but the veloster is much more simple (for everything... modifications, repairs, cost of ownership is lower) . the crz will be worth more given a veloster in the same condition well, because its a hybrid and it's a honda. the auto and manual in the veloster is proven solid - however the flappy paddle DCT is fucking junk, and if you decide to get it you deserve the time you will spend at the dealership getting it fixed, and refixed :) it is truly BAD.

that being said... the brz is more expensive than the frs because it is more polished. more grown up lines, more creature comforts.

the Si will be the most expensive i would think. i hear there have been issues however with the k series blocks in the newest Si losing oil pressure due to the rings sticking.
 
My vote is FR-S. But.... - for someone that just putzes around, there are far better / practical choices. CR-Z is nice, but the lack of a back seat put me off. The cargo room is surprisingly decent. Honda imported few of them, so resale values will be excellent.

The only Veloster I have driven was a turbo 6MT version. I was very underwhelmed by the feel of the car and the power it puts down. I'd say it puts down an honest 175, not the 201 or what ever they claim. I would think the base car/engine is a better package. One thing I can say is that the styling won't age well. This means shitty re-sale values.

2012+ Si. The 2.4 is much more suited to the non lead foot than the earlier 2 liter due to more torque. The car has nice seats, a great stereo, and is pretty loaded out. This will blow the doors off of any of these other cars in a drag race (not that that matters). I have a 13' and average 32mpg. My only complaint is that the revs are a tad high in 6th gear. I can't speak to the oil pressure issue... but I do know this is the same motor from the TSX, and similar to many many Honda products.
 
well you are right, because it PUTS DOWN about 170-180whp depending on the dyno. so that would net the offering at the crank. it DOES have decent back seats and you CAN stuff 8 wheels/tires inside and have room for 2 passengers other than yourself.
 
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Hmmmm let me think about that for about .01 second.

Personally I rank the Veloster up there with the Aztek, for me it's one of the ugliest cars put out in the last 20 years. Some people love them and that reminds me about how some people also like fat ugly ass girls too.

each to their own.
 
Good input guys, thanks!

Another consideration is that this new car will be used for hwy trips, since my xterra gets such bad gas mileage. Her RSX is pretty noisy and bumpy on the hwy... i wonder if any of these new cars are smooth on the hwy.
 
Thoughts on a jetta/golf TDi?

Also think about the future, How we'll does a car seat fit?
 
I think the gf's next car will probably be a tdi of some sort. Wishful thinking says the A3 tdi.
 
Drove a hybrid rental car for a few days on a work trip in Chicago. I would ride a bike the rest of my life before I parked one in my garage.
 
Drove a hybrid rental car for a few days on a work trip in Chicago. I would ride a bike the rest of my life before I parked one in my garage.

All In the car, that's like saying all honda are slow because you drove one with a d15
 
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