recommend a sporty cheap car with a stick.

[JustinH]

I'm looking to get rid of my superclean 98 nascar f150 and pickup a four cylinder, sporty looking car thats cheap (under 20k), and takes 87 octane fuel, and gets good gas mileage.

I have it narrowed to two cars. I'm 6'4'' so I don't fit into alot of super small cars, so I don't want alot of them.

I'm looking at a white 05 scion tc with no options, except floormats, stick shift, four cylinder. Nice little car, very cheap, I think its like 16k.

Also I'm looking at a mazda 6 with a stick, and a four cylinder.

Right now I think the toyota-scion kills the mazda in every aspect.

Has anyone heard much about the new tc's? Decent car? I know they have the camry powertrain, and for 17k they are giving these things away.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[brianl703]

Saab 9-2X Linear with the GM discount. It's a rebaged Subaru, so it has AWD. Comes in at $16,821 after discount.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I've read the the tCs are a great bang for the buck. I don't know much about the Chevy Cobalts, but their giving them away.

 

[TooSlick]

Subaru Impreza Sport or last years VW Jetta, with the 2.0L engine....The AWD Sube is excellent in the snow and holds almost as much as the Sube Outback!

TS

 

[55Test]

I wonder how much a supercharged Cobalt would run after discounts. 200something horsepower in a fairly small car would be pretty quick, and according to fueleconomy.gov, the supercharged Cobalt gets 29mpg highway, but it does take premium fuel.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I would get the Scion! FOr $16-17K you really can not beat it! The 2AZ-FE engine in it and the transmission are both right from the Camry!! That engine has forged rods,forged pistons etc

 

[JHZR2]

If that saab dal is right, Id say to go for that... ont heck of a car that Saabaru is

Id consider the mazda 6, or the mazda 3 might be a nice choice as well... A little cheaper and Id bet better real world acceleration and economy.

You might think of a stripped Acura RSX, itll last forever, be reliable and get good economy.

The cobalt is nice, but then youre getting into the range of "think its sporty but really is not in any way" zone, along with the corollas that have side skirts and spoilers, civic coupes with big spoilers, etc.

The Civic Si, if you can stand its styling, would likely be a good car. A friend traded his in though because it was too high strung for heavy traffic.

Consider picking up a late model E30 BMW 318i (90 or 91), or an early model E36 BMW 318i ir 318ti hatchback. Does not get much more fun to drive than the E30 BMWs. True to the BMW form... and cheap yet robust.

The scion tc is the only pallatable one of the marque. It has good styling and is a nice little car, especially for the price. I cant comment on how seating is for a 6'4 person (Im the same height), but you might consider getting a cheapo manual transmission toyota camry, that just has AC, CD player, and ABS/4 wheel disc brakes. I cant imagine that one wouldbe too pricey, itll get 34 MPG (Im pretty sure thts the EPA spec on the 4cyl MT camry), and still would be relatively lively.


JMH

 

[blupupher]

Have you looked @ the Hyundai Elantra GT (Sedan or Hatch)? For less than $15k you can get leather seats, sunroof, ABS/TC, 4 wheel disk, power windows and locks, tilt, cruise ect. Yea the engine is not the most powerful (138 hp) but gets pretty good mileage, has a 5 yr/60k bumper to bumper 10 yr/100k powertrain warranty, and Hyundai quality is much better than it was a few years ago.
If you get the sunroof, your 6'4" frame may be too tall, but withoug the sunroof, you should fit.

 

[JHZR2]

I rode in a sonata fancied up v6 version, and was impressed... Im a big fan of vinyl seating, and dont really like leather (the last of my choices between the three seating surfaces). But it felt pretty nice soft and smooth, the seats were comfortable, the car rode well, it wasnt bad. If the elantra is half as good as that v6 sonata, its a very decent car for the price.

There is something just weird with the thougt of being 'upscale' in a $15k car just because it has all the fancy stuff... Of course its just about as weird as the thought of being upscale when driving a jetta, being sporty when driving a corolla, etc... nothing wrong with the vehicles, just something wrong with the buyer sentiment and the sellers' advertising claims.

Can you get the elantra GT with cloth seats? It would be a good deal and enticing to me if I could get it without leather... Not that I need a car right now fortunately.

JMH

 

[Silver02ex]

I'm surprise no one has mention the Neon SRT-4... I know it's about 22-23K. I would say if you want power for a cheap price that's a way to go. A friend of mine was able to pull 13.8 in the 1/4 mile with a boost controler and an intake.

 

[labman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Silver02ex:
I'm surprise no one has mention the Neon SRT-4... I know it's about 22-23K. I would say if you want power for a cheap price that's a way to go. A friend of mine was able to pull 13.8 in the 1/4 mile with a boost controler and an intake.

---

I looked at a Neon before I bought my Cavalier. The same dollar in a Neon gave me no ABS,no tach, and a smaller gas tank. Check the price of a Cobalt with the Ecotec and a 5 speed.

 

[blupupher]

quote:

---

Originally posted by JHZR2:
...

Can you get the elantra GT with cloth seats? It would be a good deal and enticing to me if I could get it without leather... Not that I need a car right now fortunately.

JMH

---

The Regular GLS is a cloth version. It also deletes the sport suspension of the GT, rear drums, no fog lights, no black bumper strip around the car, and a few other minor things. There is also a GLS Hatchback that has the sport suspension and 4 wheel disk, but still cloth seats and such. Still includes power window, locks, keyless entry, tilt, cruise ect all standard. A GLS is about $1000 or so cheaper depending on options.

 

[rpn453]

I bought a Mazda3 GT hatchback last year. I wanted a 4 door, and IMHO it was the best car for the price. I'd get another one if mine got written off tomorrow!

 

[cousincletus]

I an 6'5" and found the Cobalt to be surprisingly roomy for a small car. The Ecotec engine seems to hold up really well as I have heard of no major problems with it. I would least consider buying an American car. A lot of people who work in this industry would be grateful.

 

[ALS]

Have you looked at the Hyundai coupe?
There seem to be a lot of them running around by me. Plus That 10 year 100K warranty Hyundai offers has to be worth something.

 

[gfcrane]

I traded my Maxima for a Scion tC about two months ago. Great little car and fun to drive. The mileage so far (600 mi) is 25-26 mpg mostly around town, haven't taken any long trips yet. The car rides surprisingly well for the 17 inch wheels and 45 aspect tires. Mine is an automatic so the base price was $16,800. I bought most of the options and got it up to 19,000, but I wasn't trying for the lowest price. The base model has just about everything one really needs and stuff one doesn't but everybody likes.
As a bonus, the oil drain plug and filter are just behind the bumper in plain sight with a vertically mounted oil filter. Transmission pan also has a drain, unlike others (GM). The option I use most is the cargo area cover because I haul my golf clubs in the back.
As you can tell, I like the car and the dealer actually accepted my trade-in price without argument. I think they are a real bargain if you don't mind ordering and waiting for a month for delivery.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Scion tC or Saturn ION 3 Quad Coupe. With the GM discount now, in the $15K range brings a sporty car to your driveway that gets 35MPG.

 

[mikemc]

In no particular order: 1) Acura RSX. My brother had a type S. 200 hp, 6 speed and it was a screamer. 2) Nissan Sentra Spec V. It has the 2.5 Altima engine and a 6 speed, looks like a hoot to drive. 3) Chevy Cobalt. We love our 2.2 Ecotec Cavalier and the new Cobalt coupe with a stick sounds nice, especially with the deals GM is making. Others have posted good choices,. Have fun choosing. Test drive all and get the one that makes you smile the most!

 

[JeepZJ4.0]

The Mazda 3 5-door with a 5 speed is killer! It's really comfortable and very quick. While I like the tC (I am part of the demographic Scion aims at), it is rather porky and not as quick as I would expect. The Mazda 3 5 door is a much better balanced vehicle. Even with the auto it was quick. My friend drove his 110 on the freeway (i havent been in the car with him since) and despite the speed, it was quiet and stable... even during the lane changes at that speed (the only thing sloppy was my almost soiling myself). The Toyota Corolla S i drove with an auto was quick.. i'm sure its a blast with the stick.

FYI.. all my friends that own these cars are at least 6 feet tall...I'm 5'8"... boo.

 

[T-Keith]

The gas mileage on most of these newer "sporty" four cyinders is pitiful. To me 28mpg highway is not good mileage for a four banger.

I'd pick up something from back when small cars didn't weigh 3000 lbs.

-T