I'd choose the Speed also...

Can you buy a Nissan Stagea in the US?

http://liveimages.carsales.com.au/du...te/5742340.jpg

You might also want to check insurance cost on the Mazdaspeed (if it's a factor).

never seen one,guess its kinda like holden in that its just a different body on a typical frame and not sold in the U.S like commodore VS GTO ,but the nissan looks like its a stretched sentra?--josh

It's from the Skyline/GTR platform

My wife has one. We call it a sports wagon in Australia, they come in as grey imports from Japan but I suspect the emissions are too high for the US??

Anyway, V6 turbo, awd, 5 speed goes very well 0-60 in 6.5 & carries the kids to school in true sleeper style. Great RC carrying potential...

nice!,if i was to ever own a ricer it would be a skyline GTR,bad arse 6 bangers right there! and id venture to say it isnt the emission but competition in there own company,cant have too many models flooding the market,which is whay GM is now GOV't motors--josh

I found a good site awhile ago. People just submit reviews about a car they have owned. I find it pretty interesting and very imformative. I'm sure there are sites like it, but here is one - http://www.carsurvey.org/

looking at the website my vote goes for the mazda.

No, the US is more or less devoid of Hatchback/Estate/Touring vehicles. We only have a small handful offered here.

We drove a "one notch below the top of the line" F150.

We currently have an 09 Ram. Ride is butter smooth (argue with me as much as you want here, this is the best riding truck right now...period), and engine is powerful as hell. In the Edmunds review it tied the Tundra for the tow test (tow large trailer up a steep incline) and it's acceleration was least affected by towing/hauling. Had the second best 0-60 time (behind the Tundra). I attribute that to the Tundra having a 6 speed and the Ram only having a 5 speed.

People have their own opinion about trucks and cars, but in the end you buy the car that fits your criteria and needs. If you buy a car simply because you are a brand loyal nut, then you are losing out, plain and simple. This was our criteria: power and ride quality. We rarely do significant hauling towing (usually just a bike in the bed and a small u-haul trailer with another bike on it), so that wasn't a huge factor for us, but it does it fine anyway. The Ram had the best ride and had plenty of power. Ride is butter smooth and it is every bit as quiet as our BMW (up to about 90mph, at least), and is damn fast for a 5000lb+ vehicle, especially once it gets going.

Not to take away from Chevy or Toyota though, they make great trucks as well. The Tundra is just a bit overpriced (in my opinion) and we never got to drive a Chevy (the salesman at the Chevy dealer was a jackass - it was obvious we wanted a 1500 model and he would only let us look at a 3500 for whatever reason, so we left without a test drive).

But buy what suits you best. It's well known that the Dodge gave up some payload capacity to improve ride, so if you do serious towing all the time, step up to a Ram 2500/3500 or get a different truck.

never a big fan of dodges,they typically rust out VERY quick in ohio atleast.if i was to get a doge truck it would be this SRT-10--josh

http://www.shadetreemechanic.com/ima...Quad%20Cab.jpg

I hate Dodges. Big POSs, and now they are owned by the Italians...
Chevy...disappointing IMO.. I hope they turn it around.

I like Fords quite a bit. Never did until I got my Mazda, (30% owned by Ford, and shares a number of parts.) My new car is a Ford/deer mauler that's a 3-row family hauler. Bought w/ 16K miles & 100K B2B warr for a steal.

The Mazda is fantastic. For the year I was buying, Mazdas were rated nearly as reliable as Toyota, and above Honda and Nissan. It has been. I only paid to have my (R) brakes done once, then I've done them myself. I just buy new Wagner rotors and pads, and its ~ $200 for the whole car and an hr of work. The only real repair has been replacing the EGR valve, which I did for $120.
Linc is right about the sheetmetal, it is thin, and more rust prone than I would have thought. OTOH I do live in the east coast where they drench the road in salt. FWIW, my chevy truck before that ended up with quite a but of rust too. I did sound deaden (Raammat) the car, so that helped alot. For the 15K I paid for a fully loaded hatchback, I can't complain. So much fun to drive still. Manual tranny FTW.

Sadly no. There are very few wagons offered, and many have been discontinued. Mazda did have a 6 series wagon, but it didn't sell and was dropped. Everybody buys big trucks/SUVs in the states.

My mazda 3 is a sport wagon, and its the best. Compact and sporty, yet with tons of room for hauling and cargo. I don't ever need to tow anything big, so I really have no use for the big, slow, sloppy driving trucks.

I'll never get another one for my daily driver. Driving a big automatic truck is like laying a chick while wearing 5 condoms. Seems like you should be having a good time..if you could only feel what was going on.

depends on where you live though,there are still alot of people livin in the sticks out here and fords and chevy trucks are a must,dodges dont have the ground clearance and a sport wagon would crush its driveline even trying,they're still are some cool lookin ones out there though.--josh

I'm on sending this one...couldn't agree more!!

Wow, leave for a few hours and come back to this! OK, I don't want to get into a Chevy vs Ford debate (or any brand for that matter), so I will say this:

1: I definitely don't want a truck or a conventional wagon. I don't consider a hatchback a "wagon" even though it is basically the same when you get down to it.

2: I would like a decent amount of power. Something along the lines of 200+ HP and equal torque in a mid-size sedan or sport compact. Turbo is nice because I can get decent mileage as long as I am gentle on the pedal, yet have the power when I want it. However, I am a little leary about the added complexity and increased material stresses that forced induction produces. I'd like longevity. This is probably the main reason why I would not choose the Speed3.

3: Out of the pile of vehicles I looked up, the two choices in the original post most closely match my requirements based on specs, personal experience, price, and various reviews.

4: Another requirement would be to have a rear suspension that can handle around 60lbs of static load in the trunk (modest stereo) without the car bottoming out on bumps, or requiring upgraded suspension components. I had to take the system out of my current car because the suspension arms would hit the rubber bump-stops on bumps that would not faze a normal car. But at the same time, I don't want the car to exhibit a ton of body roll.

5: Price is in the mid 20k range.

Time to go german then, GTI it is

Of the two cars, I'd go for the mazda. It seems like everyone likes their mazda.

True, but I'd say its maybe 5-10% of truck owners that actually need that. The rest are blacktop cowboys. When the OEMs start putting 20in rims and LPR tires on the SUV, you know where its meant to go.

I grew up in Denver, and everybody drives a truck there, yet most everybody lives in the city and the only offroading the truck gets is a dirt mountain road with a little washboard. Some people actually go into the deep woods hunting/hiking and need a 4x4, but not too many ever use it that way. Just makes me laugh a bit anymore.

BTW.. what year of car is that in your av? It looks very close to my brother's '73 firebird...

http://www.takefiveaday.com/wp-conte...ge-Screen2.jpg

1987 nissan vanette like mine :lol:
full on 67 BHP diesel
40mpg
top speed of 77mph


oooohhhh yeah!!

and i also HATE off-road cars with 20" rims...WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO NEED A HUMMER'S TORSEN DIFFS IN THE CITY!!???

i also hate modern utes (SUV, you know...small, not highlift trucks) you put half a tonn in them and they look like they are carying 3!!
my van towed 2 tonn on rock on a trailer and it hardly knew it was there!
who in the world wants a ute that can do 200mph!!!
as the the F series of trucks...there isnt much the average F250 in our little town can do that my crap box van cant...i mean what the hell!

the world has gone mad when it comes to cars IMO

but i like the mazda (not that weve ever had one)...we are shopping for a new small car at the moment, toyota never lets us down, but the mazda was so much smoother. drive by wire is a let down though.

I do...

Last few I ran did not keep up, not dragging, on the interstate, down 2 lane twisty road (no hills in LA, pretty flat). Ran a few regular wrx and a few sti models, the sti were much closer. I do know how to drive overpowered rear wheel drive stuff, so maybe I had the edge over the spoiled college boys in the subies? Who knows, but they are familiar with the ford's tailights.

On a track, or with comparable drivers, the difference would really show. A 4wd low cg car should easily best a 2wd truck, but so far I am still in front. Seemed like I was pulling harder on the straights, and not wussing out as hard on the corners. My truck does have 285 nitto rubber all the way around, if that makes any difference.

Next time you run a sti in your lightning get back to me on the "reality"... I only know what I have experienced... Maybe they were all bad drivers? Or I am very good? Or I got the "A" everything lightning? I ran one guy in a stock wrx with my 2000 zx12r stapped in the back of the truck. Another 700lbs in the bed does actually help the launch, and it was cold out. My truck loves cold weather, seems like it picks up 50hp in 40f compared to 95f...

I know the numbers say what they say, but on the street those numbers do not really tell the whole story. SVT got the suspension tuning right on this truck, not the best ride, but it sticks hard in the corners.

Auuug, VW were designed by meth addicts and assembled by double jointed monkeys!!!

If there was one mfg that I would never buy it would be VW, nothing lasts on those cars, worse than saturn from what I have worked on. Parts are expensive, and in limited supply as well. The new beetle is possibly the worst car I have ever ridden in, and that is saying something...

why?
arnt you form aus too? we can use that kind of speed anywhere legaly anyway :rules: (it would be kinda cool if we could)


OH OH OH!!! GET AN ORIGINAL MINI COOPER!!!!
i got to drive one of them on hoon night here (friday night)
sooo funny to watch the people who own pimped out holden commodores go reound corners...they have to slow down...but the mini can stay at the speed limit while taking the turn, it's like trying to push over a brick from the bottom edge :lol:

my dad build a new diff for his mini, so 1st gear was same as 2nd used to be, 3rd little lower than 4th used to be, effectively giving him a whole extra gear, then he re-built the engine to suit it. high torque cam, not any of this high reving stuff.

end result, after a few 300psi compression ratio problems (piston muck up, silly thing fired on the compression gague and blew it up!), was a mini cooper that could cruise at 100kph while just doing a tick over 2500rpm so it'd hum along quite nicely.

There's some funny stuff in there...I'm picturing you running moonshine

If you're only using 'college boys' as your measure...well there's your problem. It takes a while before you learn to drive a turbo Awd fast. Go find an experienced driver who isn't still learning to change gears, then tell me who's faster

Yeah, I am

Every car (except maybe your van! :mdr:) can exceed the speed limit, you've just gotta know where you can get away with it on the roads. I have a few favoured places where there's no traffic (single carriageway), no speed cameras or hidy holes for the wallopers to get you & hello 200-250kph

I'd love to have a rip in a Maloo...it'd suck to own one though, couldn't take the kids with me!!

man you havent felt speed/power till you have been in the MANette:lol:

yes against the law is all very well and can be fun. like the only straight 3km strip we have here in tas...permenant speed camera in the middle, but someone has ALWAYS painted over it's lenzes :rofl:.

but one of those utes arnt much good for doing anything more than the grocery shopping or going fast.
what is the point in owning a car like that?

the trouble is...not-so-fast-cars follow the same principle as the fast ones, high revs, more HP, turbo's, high torque band.

i find it funny when a mates van (VW turbo diesel) has to rev in order to get the turbo spinning just to pull the rubber duckie up the boat ramp.
his engine is bigger, more pwerfull and has a turbo...
i can idle up the boat ramp with my crap box.
hell i hardly ever use 1st gear because it's easier to start off from a rest in second.

i still think engines have gone backwards...but dont worry...i designed a new engine that can take any fuel, from diesel to hydrogen and produce a better torque/power band, anyone wanna loan me a few thousand to help develop it?:whistle:

Manette - love it!

If I really wanted a ute I'd buy one - I don't have one so I guess I don't really want one

I wouldn't speed in TAS either, don't you have unmarked cars parked by the side of the road merrily snapping away? Targa would be a whole lotta fun though

LOL DICK

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...kswagon013.jpg


my car :na: wonder if theres any meth lost in there

They are nice cars, just do not ever try to take anything apart on them. I swear that vw designers were raised by wolves or something. You could take apart every other brand out there and you would be lost when it came time to get a vw door handle out. I have done it for close to 20 yrs, and it took me almost 2 hrs to get a new jetta door skin off, and it bolts on... They just seem very awkward in their designs, not very elegant. Maybe just me. I am sure if I raced a sti with a vw I would be able to see the merrit of owning one...

Keep looking for that meth JJ, god knows you need some!

wait on...my dream car happens to be a 1972 VW beetle.
the thing was so well put together it floats!! piece of pie to work on and very simple!!
need i mention it was also the first car made with the aid of a wind tunnel.
sure, the man who demanded them to be made was a little whacked, but the car itself is pure genius! IMO:yipi:

the newer VW's are the same as the rest of modern cars IMO. not much unique about them.
at least you can fix a beetle, rather than being forced for fork out um-deen-dozen $$$ for a new black box!!

good point,guess everyones situation is different.
and the pic is of a 73 SD in front and 69 in the back.i have a 76 with a 462 stroker but i coudnt find any good shots of a 76 on google,so i took this one.--josh

I like the speed 3 but if you need something a little bigger you might want to check out a dodge caliber.

Man, that picture brings back memories. I had a 73 with the stock 455 (not HO or SD) back in the early 80's when I was stationed in Japan. Wish I had kept it. Still my favorite car to date.

I love it! Now that i got my insurance check back from my nissan i am in the market for a type4 Jetta 01-04 diesel at there going price around here i should have a good 2-3g left to dump under the hood turn the little 90hp 212ft/lb of tq into and 250hp 400+ ft/lbs of tq (at 1900 rpm btw) MONSTER.... if youve never rode in a really hopped up older diesel jetta you have no idea how much fun they are and you can still get 40-50mpg

as for the new car i would look into the new mini-s or w/e they are FUN to drive, kinda like an over sized gokart on crack....:yes:

hmmm....I do that with 3 cylinders....good thing I got's three more! :na:

We just traded in the wifes LR3 for one of those little Jeep Patriots. Kind of a step down, but the 25mpg in a little SUV aint too bad.

the new ones suck balls...they are hardly a mini anymore!!
the old ones kick nuts because they are even smaller and even more go-kart like!!
they did lack the power a little but it wasnt hard to pump that up a bit!

Dont worry JT i got my powerstroke still :na: as compared to our trucks... a third of the weight and 1/2 the power should be FUN....

IMO, I would get a Civic Si, 200hp, lighter weight and better mileage (i think?)... you can't beat Honda engine reliability. I have just turned over 320,000km (200k miles) in a '99 Civic EX sedan, and have had ZERO problems with it, they are just built well , plain and simple, being beat only by BMW as far reliability goes.

http://www.gizmag.com/most-reliable-...s-in-uk/13298/

You will need to beat my nissan 720 pickup which had a mild engine rebuilt at 380K miles. I still have the truck, but don't drive it anymore. Waiting for Lutach massive brushless controller for a E-Nissan conversion.:mdr:

Bringing up this old thread to post my new baby (finally): 2011 Kia Optima SX T-GDi

I know what you're saying "Really?? Kia?". If you would have told me last week that I was going to get a Kia, I would have laughed in your face. I remember the days doing car audio and remote starter installations swearing when working on a Kia/Hyundai. They were cheaply built crap heaps.

Judging by the age of this thread, you can see I've been looking around for quite a while waiting until my current car ('05 Mazda 3) was paid off since I had to take a loan off it to replace flood-damaged appliances items last year. I've looked at lots of vehicles from the Smart ForTwo to a full-size truck, but couldn't find anything that really did it for me.

Then, last Friday, I took my step-son to his football practice and had some time to kill. So, hearing a radio commercial for Kia saying they are liquidating 2011 stock, I decided to take a look. As soon as a I saw this car, I was hooked. Then, the test drive made it a slam-dunk.

This is the fully loaded turbo version, with all the bells and whistles (proximity ignition, NAV, rear camera, power everything, heated and cooled seats, panoramic sunroof, HID headlights, LED taillights, traction control, bluetooth connectivity for calls and streaming music from your cell, etc, etc). The tiny 2.0L 4 banger does surprisingly well power-wise while getting 26-28mpg combined city/HW while being quiet, but for passing, that turbo kicks it up to 275HP/270ft-lbs torque; no problem off the line or passing! There's no discernible turbo lag and it shifts very smoothly. Not a 'Vette to be sure, but does nicely as a family car that's fun to drive.

I did my usual "kick-the-tires" routine and it passed everything: I can lean on the flatter parts of the metal and nothing flexes/dents (try it sometime; you'd be surprised), the gaps for all the seams are consistent (not 1mm gap at one end and 4mm gap at the other), everything is secure (no slop on any of the interior parts like seats, center console, etc when moved by hand), doors have that nice solid "thud" without any rattle, etc.

It came with the "high-end" Infinity sound system. It's "ok", but not high-end by my standards. Still, it sounds decent. Since the radio doubles as the interface for the reversing camera and navigation, I don't see myself upgrading. Besides, I'm over the time where I "needed" 1,000w sound system to satisfy me.

http://scriptasylum.com/forumpics/kia1.jpg

http://scriptasylum.com/forumpics/kia2.jpg

http://scriptasylum.com/forumpics/kia3.jpg

http://scriptasylum.com/forumpics/kia4.jpg

Body style looks sporty/aggressive. Nothing like the old Hyundai crap.

I have been giving it up to Kia/Hyundai for a while. They used to be junk, that has changed. Their quality and ratings are at the top of the charts now.

It's funny, I heard a saying that if Toyota and Honda stay up at night worrying about anything, it's Kia/Hyundai.

Good looking car their Brian! Congrats!

Can I have your engine - Its just what I need