I've looked into all the horror stories of the '13 FR-S's but the 14s seem to be pretty solid besides a few quality of life complaints.
Has anyone heard differently?
I've looked into all the horror stories of the '13 FR-S's but the 14s seem to be pretty solid besides a few quality of life complaints.
Has anyone heard differently?
If you want to go a cheaper route, you can get a regular Impreza and at least make it look more sporty. Add on the mesh grill and black the wheels out and it looks pretty good. The sedan that is. I don't like the Impreza wagons for some reason, but love the WRX hatch. Go figure.
Better gas mileage than a WRX, still AWD.
Chrysler I would guess.
You've got the Charger, right jmc?
I own a 2008 speed 3. I love my car and it handles fine in the winter with all seasons and with a dedicated set of winters the car will get better mileage than an evo or sti and yet still be fun to drive and affordable. You will not get an STI or EVO new for below 30k and certainly not one that is unmolested used. There's a real mark up at the dealerships right now, at least near me.
The fiesta st is another option you should consider. If you have questions regarding the speed feel free to pm me. There is huge community support and new or used you can make a very informed decision. There's similar information for the evo and sti but like I said price is an issue there.
Unfortunately I calculated the miles today I'd be putting on it and am probably going to have to go with a used car instead of a lease. I wasn't interested in financing so I'm gonna have to go through some certified pre owned or used vehicles this week.
Focus ST with the Recaros (ST2 trim) new is under 30K and is by far the best car in that price range for all around enjoyment, space, etc. The wrx comes in a close second (New 2015, not the 2014 and older with the piece of shit 5 speed made of glass), with the Speed 3 behind that.
Test Drive the Focus ST and the Mazdaspeed 3 and you'll see why the ST is superior. The torque vectoring in the Focus ST completely eliminates torque steer, and it handles almost like a RWD Car when you are pushing it.
I'm a mazda guy, and love the Speed3's... but that Focus and Fiesta ST's are trouncing competition on pretty much all levels.
AWD is not necessary, really anywhere in the US for daily driving (Aside from places where the snowfall per year is measured in feet). Being from Jersey, I know you get snow but not even anything near what I get in Hudson Valley, NY. AWD comes with added weight and a ton of drive train loss. So your 250 HP FWD or RWD Vehicle will be quite a bit quicker then your AWD 250 HP Vehicle.
You could look into a used Focus St, but if you gotta go used you will more than likely get the best deal going with the Speed 3.
Just budget in good all season tires or snow tires and you'll be fine in the winter.
I'd take any year Speed3 over any 2014-Older WRX because of the shitty transmission. If you can get a used STI in your price range, that is a whole other story since they have the 6 Speed Trannies that are very strong.
Ugh that's a hike but doable. They are rare as hell. Thanks for the info.
For those interested:
http://www.peopleschoiceauto.com/m_d...86937328402432
It probably has some issues including the need to have the VVT chain replaced, that's approximately a 2k repair at a dealer because it involves a slight tear down of the engine. Turbo seals might be bad (could be checked by idling the car for 20 minutes), and I would do a compression test for sure to check the health of the engine.
School is about 54 miles, roughly 110 round-trip maybe two days a week and about 6500 a year.
I can do a lease, ill just need 12-15k miles per year. But I'll probably be smart and stay closer to 20k or something so I can get it for around 200/mo or less. Not gonna put anything down unless I can sell my truck first.
It's basically, 20k lease, or 10k used because of how little I'm looking to pay each month. I'm sure i'll end up with something closer to the 23-25k range though.
Gonna go test drive that focus, Mazda s3 and some imprezas/wrx tomorrow. Sister has a friend that works at Subaru dealer, might be a good thing.
Keep an eye out for used cars on the subaru lot, maybe drive by the mitsubishi lot that sells evos. A lot Speed3 guys trade their cars in for those cars and so there tends to be 1-2 available at a given time time. Good luck! If you come across a used speed 3, let me know and I'll give you a list of things to look out for.
Imprezas can look so badass. Parking back at the apt early this morning, I saw some dude getting up and out tinkering with his STi. We kinda saw each other, did like supdude nod eye contact, whatever. He was starting a pour to top off some fluids, and I walked by and said, "it's looking good" or something, but kinda started off Mitch Hedberg-mumbling and he prob just heard LOOKN GUD. Wondering if I failed and hit on a guy or he knows what's up.
It was all black, wheels and tires and all over so clean and sharp. My car did a flaccid Beta shrinking nearby, but it's cool. Several pretty interesting cars in my parking garage. I'll have to post some to BG, cause I like them and I know some people here would. 2 STis, a GT-R (biiiig time boner), Lancer Evo or two, some matte paint lime green murdered out Lexus (Saudi rich kid @grad school or something, saw him once), few others. I'll take a lap and some pics when I'm free and it's not so brisk.
No Model S love though. But I've seen maybe 4 or 5 different ones in the metro area since moving around new years. Usually get a little chub and neck turning.