OT - Picking a New Car, NCAA Style
MGoCommunity, I'm in the market for a new car. I'm looking at the 2011 model year, but am starting with 2010 since most cars I am looking at are not getting major updates. I have a preliminary set of 16 cars that I am going to bracketize in an NCAA single elimination division format and test-drive in pairs, with the champion being the car I buy. The bracket currently looks like:
Division A
1. Volkswagen GTI
2. Mazdaspeed3
3. Subaru WRX Hatchback
4. Mini Cooper S
Division B
1. Subaru WRX Sedan
2. Honda Civic Si Sedan
3. Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan
4. Kia Forte Koup
Division C
1. Nissan Altima Coupe
2. Hyundai Genesis Coupe
3. Chevrolet Camaro Coupe
4. Ford Mustang Coupe
Division D
1. Ford Fusion
2. Subaru Legacy
3. Mitsubishi Lancer
4. Volkswagen Golf TDI
Spare Tires
Scion tC
If anyone has a suggestion as to swapping things in/out, shifting cars between divisions, etc, it'd be appreciated. I'm always looking for cars that I haven't thought of. Please note that nothing in the bracket is really seeded correctly, that'll be done later.
My stipulations are: Manual Transmission, base price $25,000, final price $30,000, decent fuel economy.
Changelog:
C4 - Swapped Scion tC with Ford Mustang
Swapped C1/C2 with D1/D2
I vote for C4, but only if in SS form.
Make sure your car is blue and paint maize wings on it. Then it shall be the greatest car ever.
And... I would have to say - as much as I hate Beetles... it would be the perfect choice for this.
New cars are for suckers.
Thats a very good potential 1 vs. 2 matchup in Division D, with the Altima coupe against the Genesis coupe. I am biased because i drive an Altima, and love it, but both are great cars.
All I can say is that the Ford Fusion better cover up the Subaru Legacy's inbound passer.
Put a Dodge on that list before I have to break the sad news about your sexuality to your parents.
You know what's awesome? The Challenger, Dodge's 20-30k bracket sports car? Doesn't come in a manual. Dodge lost All of my respect when I learned that.
The only Dodge worth owning is a Viper.
Also, Consumer Reports rates most Dodges at the bottom end of their categories due to reliability and quality issues.
He scored 4 touchdowns in one game. Not a season, just one game.
End of discussion.
Damn, I thought this thread was going to involve rich boosters and black SUVs.
I have a GTI. I like driving to work.
No Mustang? Really? The '11s are going to murder all those cars in the horsepower department (except perhaps for the Camaro) and beat half of them in the mileage department.
Low Power-to-Weight Ratio. Mustangs are too heavy to be fun to drive, unless they can drop the weight of the new ones by about 500 lbs.
However, I will take that into consideration.
Both of those cars come in a manual and seem to fit with (are better than similar) cars that you have on your list. The mustang really doesn't get great fuel economy, but it will be one of the better drives you'll have. The Fiesta is new and will be much lower than your price range so you can add all the bells and whistles. It is a very popular car in Europe.
The mustang really doesn't get great fuel economy, but it will be one of the better drives you'll have.The 2011 one is supposed to be 30 MPG.
That is better than I thought. My dad had a mustang (years ago) and it got low 20s (it was a 3.8L). Apparently there is something called technology development that I wasn't aware of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSVfgQYnbaA&feature=player_embedded
one of the funniest auto reviews ever. watch all the way to the end. trust me it is worth it.
Are you now or only formerly a Yooper? Because I highly recommend the Subaru for winter driving. All Subarus are AWD, even the WRX, which I have heard fun things about. Seriously, you will never pick up a shovel again.
Currently, but moving to Chicago.
Camaro ftw
Premium Plus package - got the badass LED lights. Just wanted to let everyone know how awesome I am.
BTW, don't buy American.
That's cool man - not enough cash for the S5? Don't worry, we can't all be ballers.
/oh jeez snarf snarf
One of these three is not like the other:
Chevy Camaro
Honda Civic
Mini Cooper
Is it that the Civic is made of plastic?
I like both the honda and golf TDI if fuel economy is more important, if it is performance, I like the WRX or the GTI.
I just got a new cc, 2010, and with a stick it was the same price as a gti with leather. 6 speed manual, 2.0 turbo, seats 4 very comfortably, big trunk and I get 32 on the highway.
Id totally recommend it.. its a more real-person car than a gti, but the same price
If you end up getting a Ford with a manual transmission, you really need to get Sync. Being able to continue a conversation while shifting gears and turning the corner is worth it's weight in gold.
Also, another car you could add to the list is the Volvo S40.
I'm putting in a vote for the TDI. Can't beat the combo: great mileage (~40 mpg mixed hwy/city), while still having plenty of acceleration due to it's high torque.
I got an '09 Jetta TDI about a year ago, and am still loving it.
I think the Ford Fiesta is going to be a pretty good/popular car. I'm not keen on the naming. It also seems that Ken Block has gone from the Subie to the Fiesta this year.
I also would add that you can't beat the value of a Subaru. I have the 09 Forester base model in manual transmission. You have to love the AWD aspect.
They just unveiled the new Sti at the NY auto show. They brought back the sedan Sti if you weren't into the hatchback.
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/04/new-york-2010-subaru-wrx-sti…
I really wish I had the financial means to afford an Sti.
I wish I did too. Unfortunately, I don't. I will have to take a look at the Fiesta.
I've seen a couple of those around town, and they look like they'd be damn fun to drive.
I'm a sucker for AWD sporty cars. Hatchback gets you a little bit of storage space too.