Goodbye, Geo Prizm

[Warner]

Hey, guys. Long time no see. I hope everyone is doing well!

I don't know if anyone here remembers my white 1994 Geo Prizm, but it's the only car I've owned. I've had it for about 7 years (and it was bought new by my grandmother, so it's part of the family!) and it has served me well. Anyway, I hit a curb this past weekend. It was dark and rainy and I couldn't see where I was supposed to turn in to a shopping center. This is the first big mistake I've made driving this car and it was a costly one. The airbags deployed when my wheel hit the curb! My car is fine (the wheel is a little bent), but the cost of replacing airbags is twice what my car was worth, so I've decided to get a new car. I'm sad for both the nostalgia and money

Basically, I'm looking for advice on what kind of car I should buy. I'm torn between spending ~$25k+ on a sports car I love and spending <$10k on an economy car.

My initial desire (which is still present) was to get a used '06/'07 Subaru WRX STI. I was hoping to find one for no more than $25k with <70k miles in any color but blue (but I suppose I can compromise on color if the price is right). I found one close to me (north Dallas area), but it sold right before I took a test drive. Since then, I haven't seen another and I don't have a whole lot of time to wait (I'm driving on a donut).

Another car that I recently thought about is a '01-'05ish Miata. I've driven my friend's '99 Miata and it's quite fun, even if it's not that fast. The great thing about this car is the price. I've found a couple '04s for about $9k each with about 60k miles. This would save me a lot of money and still be a fun car, but there is an obvious downside--the car is tiny! I wouldn't be able to fit anything substantial in the trunk or anywhere in the car. I'm not so worried about lack of passenger space, however.

The only other thing I've seen that caught my eye was a 2005 Corolla XRS with 83k miles for $10k. This would still be slightly fun and sporty (6spd manual and 170hp), but basically an economy car.

I'm open to cars much less than $10k too, provided they're in good condition and will last for a while.

Any suggestions? I would love sporty, but could also go for economical. If it's an economy car, though, I'd like to spend as little money as possible (but I'd at least like to get a car that will last a few years without major problems)

tl;dr: Any suggestions on cars to buy? If sporty, I can go up to about ~$25k. If it's an economy car, I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible. I'm open to new and used cars, but used will likely interest me more.

Thanks, guys! It's nice to be posting here again after so long.

[theholycow]

IMO: DIY replace airbags from junkyard. It sounds scary but from what I've read it's really not hard. Continue enjoying Prizm.

Otherwise you have to go with your instincts. A car that someone else convinces you to buy is a bigger gamble than one that you already know you want.

What about a Hyundai Genesis Coupe? Base price is $22,250 and it's pretty darned cool. RWD, turbo I4, 6MT, 210HP@6000/223ft-lb@2000, etc...

[AHTOXA]

We are neighbors now, Warner.

[Shadow]

If you are concerned about the safety provided by your airbags, I'd advise against even considering installing replacement units from a junkyard. I read an interesting article in Car and Driver magazine a while back about the life expectancy of airbags. It seems that nobody knows for sure how reliably airbags will operate after XX number of years. The editors at Car and Driver thought that up to 20 years should be fine, but beyond that may be questionable.

A lot of German cars actually have airbag expiration dates printed on the door jamb sticker. I've seen 15-year expiration dates on some earlier German cars, but I'm not sure if they still post expiration dates on the newer cars. The whole idea of an expiration date might just have been to avoid a legal mess, but it still illustrates the fact that auto manufacturers don't even know for sure how long airbags will deploy reliably in older cars.

BTW, here's a great video of the '73 Chevy Impala, which was supposedly the very first car to use airbags:

http://vimeo.com/1553230

[bk7794]

what about the WRX? and the next gen of WRX like the 08-11?

What about the civic si? Economical, and fun and sporty. Plus you can get a used one for probably 12-17k...just got to find the right seller...one that looks like he wouldn't beat on the car.

[Warner]

We are neighbors now, Warner.

Oh, really? Yeah, I see that now. That's pretty cool. What happened to Chicago?

IMO: DIY replace airbags from junkyard. It sounds scary but from what I've read it's really not hard. Continue enjoying Prizm.

Otherwise you have to go with your instincts. A car that someone else convinces you to buy is a bigger gamble than one that you already know you want.

What about a Hyundai Genesis Coupe? Base price is $22,250 and it's pretty darned cool. RWD, turbo I4, 6MT, 210HP@6000/223ft-lb@2000, etc...

I've thought about that, but with it being 18 years and 130k miles old, I'm not sure how much more time/effort/money I want to put into it. I don't have any tools and no place to work on it (I live in an apartment). Plus, like Shadow said, who knows if the used airbags would work properly? I don't know much about that, but it sounds risky.

The Genesis Coupe is an idea. I may take a look at those.

what about the WRX? and the next gen of WRX like the 08-11?

What about the civic si? Economical, and fun and sporty. Plus you can get a used one for probably 12-17k...just got to find the right seller...one that looks like he wouldn't beat on the car.

I've never driven a Civic Si, but I've driven a base model Civic coupe and I don't like it at all. The handling feels really numb and sterile to me. Less importantly (but still a small factor), I'm not the biggest fan of how the car looks, especially the huge dashboard.

WRX is another decent idea, and I'm not against them, but for many of the ones available I feel like I'm paying such a close price to what the STI costs that I should just get an STI. Granted, they're not easy to find around here right now, but I would kick myself if I bought a WRX and a nice STI showed up a couple weeks later for a couple thousand more.

I'm actually meeting with a private seller tomorrow to look at another STI! It's black with gold wheels and has a few Cobb mods. I'll let you guys know what happens.

I came this close to buying a 2012 Mustang GT today. I test drove it and tried to haggle with the dealership. If they had come down a little bit more, I'd have bought it. It was a base model with no options. I can understand why they wouldn't come down in price any more, though (I don't think they'd have made any money on it if they did). I'm not too disappointed, since it was base EVERYTHING (no Brembo brakes, cloth seats, normal stereo, no HIDs, etc.). That 5.0 V8 sure makes a hearty roar, though.

[Shadow]

[
I came this close to buying a 2012 Mustang GT today. I test drove it and tried to haggle with the dealership. If they had come down a little bit more, I'd have bought it. It was a base model with no options. I can understand why they wouldn't come down in price any more, though (I don't think they'd have made any money on it if they did). I'm not too disappointed, since it was base EVERYTHING (no Brembo brakes, cloth seats, normal stereo, no HIDs, etc.). That 5.0 V8 sure makes a hearty roar, though.

I love the new Mustang GT, but I'd hold off buying one until Ford does something about the manual transmission issues. I heard some rumors about upgrading the synchronizers and switching to a lower viscosity gear oil, but I'm not sure if those changes have been implemented on the newest Mustangs rolling off the trucks.

FWIW, the Genesis coupe is a great value. For the money, I can't think of a car I'd rather have.

[4onthefloor]

WRX is another decent idea, and I'm not against them, but for many of the ones available I feel like I'm paying such a close price to what the STI costs that I should just get an STI. Granted, they're not easy to find around here right now, but I would kick myself if I bought a WRX and a nice STI showed up a couple weeks later for a couple thousand more.

For what it's worth, '09+ WRXs are faster than their STi counterparts. The suspension setup is also more manageable for everyday city driving. Also living in Texas you will burn more fuel due to AWD without reaping many of the benefits. I guess AWD isn`t the only consideration when buying a Subaru though.

[Boston Fit]

Some other ideas:

VW GTI
MINI Cooper JCW
Mazdaspeed3

[AHTOXA]

Warner, I moved out here with my job and haven't looked back. Dallas suits my preferences and, most importantly, hobbies much better than Chicago did.

[tankinbeans]

Not a performance geek, but I'd go with the Corolla XRS. Sleepers for the win. You're less like to have people trying to goad you into doing something stupid; that'll be your own decision.

Also, given you're familiar with the Prizm you'll be very familiar with the interior. Hehe.

You could always go for a Rio/Accent or a Versa (if you're a masochist). Much luck

[Warner]

^^The XRS actually sold right before I went to look at it.

Good news, though, guys! I just made a deal for that Black '07 STI I mentioned. I'm going to the bank with the owner tomorrow to hopefully get all the paperwork done. At worst, I'll be done with it Monday, but I hope to have it tomorrow. I'll post pics and details once it's in my hands. I'm super excited!

[padauk_dust]

Wow! Very exciting. Best of luck with the car; though I'm sure you won't need it. Pretty safe buy as I understand.

Helluva car, that! Congratulations.

Looking forward to some pics!

[Warner]

Thanks! Everything was worked out and the car is now mine! Pics are posted here