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Calling Mehmet a nut behind the wheel is just barely scratching the surface
We had a convo off forum about it - I felt if I carried over my dislike of anything Subaru, it would be seen as beating a dead horse.
But really, if you're dead set on an 86, I'd stick to 2017+. By that point, they had received many improvements that made them a decent car, but the price is obviously higher.
My vote is Mk6 or Civic Si. But have you considered Focus STs? Or even the Fiesta ST? NC Miata or even early ND?
if i were you... G35S or G37S or Si would be my choice...
They are all reliable... VQ drinks gas but with a lot of power, relatively speaking.
Si feels light and nimble but seriously slow AF... again relatively speaking... But that 6MT tranny tho.... The car is so easy to drive that the clutch requires no skills...
Some good suggestions. Ford STs are something I didn't consider. Fiesta might be a little snug for me, but they're competitively priced. ND's are unfortunately clear out of my price range and I am clear out of an NC Miata's size range. G37s seem to be really holding their value. Lots of higher mileage ones with strong asking prices. Going to see what other test drives I can fit in this week.
I'm in talks with sellers of two BRZs, a GTI, and an 8th gen Civic Si. If the GTI or Civic turn out to be irresistible deals, I'll take them. I think an 86 remains my top choice.
I would get a 4 door GTI.
I thought about it more.
It's the best and most fun and versatile all around car.
Don't care what Mark it is as long as the owner did the maintenance on it.
They aren't hard to work on and a blast to drive with even the slightest of supporting mods.
and although FWD, they are pretty balanced for hitting the track and autocross circuit.
OR...do what I do. Accept that not all your cars need to do the same thing...and instead of spending
$15K on one...spend 4 on a fun track day car like a beat up miata and 11 on a mechanically sound 4
door sedan. Maybe even auto for traffic.
Some good suggestions. Ford STs are something I didn't consider. Fiesta might be a little snug for me, but they're competitively priced. ND's are unfortunately clear out of my price range and I am clear out of an NC Miata's size range. G37s seem to be really holding their value. Lots of higher mileage ones with strong asking prices. Going to see what other test drives I can fit in this week.
I'm in talks with sellers of two BRZs, a GTI, and an 8th gen Civic Si. If the GTI or Civic turn out to be irresistible deals, I'll take them. I think an 86 remains my top choice.
Budget and reasons are all overrated. YOLO - Acurazine
While i dont like the M/R/RS/AMG whoring, but i understand the business perspective of it... But hey at least they actually offer performance bits instead of being all show no go... unlike i dont know ... Acura
Last edited by oonowindoo; 10-04-2019 at 04:40 PM.
Current status: Still waiting for insurance. The plan was to be in my new car this weekend, but it looks like that may take a little longer.
My excitement for the 86 has tempered a bit. Insurance premiums are considerably more for these as well.
I've found good examples of an 8th gen Civic Si and a MK6 GTI. The GTI has more mileage than I would like, but I could see myself keeping it long-term. The Civic is significantly cheaper. It would be a fun daily/track learner for a couple of years. I'm staying as flexible as possible, and if either of these two cars work out I'll be happy. It'll come down to which price makes the most sense.
The goal for this weekend is to amass as many options as possible. There's a G37, maybe a Legacy/WRX... we will see.
Go drive them all and keep your emotions out of it.
Make a pros and cons list...make a decision. Go to sleep and see if you wake up excited about your decision the next morning.
That'll be your answer.
Current status: Still waiting for insurance. The plan was to be in my new car this weekend, but it looks like that may take a little longer.
My excitement for the 86 has tempered a bit. Insurance premiums are considerably more for these as well.
I've found good examples of an 8th gen Civic Si and a MK6 GTI. The GTI has more mileage than I would like, but I could see myself keeping it long-term. The Civic is significantly cheaper. It would be a fun daily/track learner for a couple of years. I'm staying as flexible as possible, and if either of these two cars work out I'll be happy. It'll come down to which price makes the most sense.
The goal for this weekend is to amass as many options as possible. There's a G37, maybe a Legacy/WRX... we will see.
It's a 2013 Focus ST with 79000 kms (a little over 49k miles). Picked it up last Tuesday. I'll post a longer update later, but I wanted to share the purchase. This thing is a friggin blast to drive.
but knowing Aman.
No...he just wastes all his money on car mods on the Need for Speed, not in real life.
He'll probably hit us with a "I just bought tires" or "finally replaced the interior bulb"
in like 8 months from now. I was going to guess 3 months but winter is coming and he
won't take his mittens off for modding.
Thanks guys! I'm quickly falling in love with this car. It's extroverted and exciting in a way none of my past cars have been.
Originally Posted by RPhilMan1
Hey nice ride! Great choice. That's pretty low mileage for a 2013! Mine is at 84k miles now. Has it ever been modified?
Now sure how packages are in Canada but looks like you got the ST3 with HID and full interior bits (heated seats, infotainment)?
It's the perfect balance of commuter car/daily driver while being fun to drive, and with plenty of torque!
25-27 MPG city is hard to beat.
Any plans?
Thanks Phil! I'm glad you chimed in - I've been revisiting your thread a bit the past couple of days. As far as I know it hasn't been modified - It's got a history of regular dealer visits since new so I'm assuming it wouldn't have been much, if anything.
Canadian packages are a bit weird I think. This has the HIDs, heated seats, and SYNC infotainment. But there's no sunroof or navigation, which I thought were standard the US ST3s. They may have been standalone options here.
From my reading, it sounds like an intercooler should be the first upgrade if I want to do any sort of aggressive or spirited driving (which I do). I don't think heat soak will be a problem heading into winter up here, but the intercooler is something I want to upgrade come spring. I'm also expecting to go with a more aggressive front brake pad/brake fluid if I start doing HPDEs - as I'm sure you know it uses the brakes to replicate the effects of a limited-slip differential. Apparently this can get the brakes pretty hot on a track day.
Originally Posted by rockstar143
now that you're here I bet he's got plans!
You paved the way!
Originally Posted by rockstar143
but knowing Aman.
No...he just wastes all his money on car mods on the Need for Speed, not in real life.
He'll probably hit us with a "I just bought tires" or "finally replaced the interior bulb"
in like 8 months from now. I was going to guess 3 months but winter is coming and he
won't take his mittens off for modding.
As a matter of fact, first thing I need to buy is probably winter tires. But this car will be different, I swear!
Originally Posted by charliemike
Aman, PM me your address. I’m about 90% sure I still have my Cobb AP from the same year Focus ST I had. Has tunes on it (of course). Yours for free.
CM, that is exceptionally generous of you. Thank you. I would love a Cobb AccessPort. Sending PM.
Originally Posted by civicdrivr
Congrats! Recaros or nah?
Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
If Recaros:
If no:
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
You get 27mpg city???
I think the ST3's all have Recaros.
Oui, Recaros! They're snug, but still fairly comfortable. I'm working on improving my fit, both inside and outside the car.
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Long(er) update:
Having a car totalled has to be one of the least pleasurable ways of changing vehicles. It's costly, time-consuming and stressful.It's been about 5 weeks since the accident and in that time I've been in 4 different rentals/loaners. I'm still waiting for my settlement cash. That aside, I'm happy with what I'm driving today. Very happy.
I had my eye on a MK6 GTI, also a 2013, with about twice the mileage. It's a cool car, and I think I would've been happy with one of those too. The seller ended up getting more than I would've paid for it. Good for him.
I also seriously considered one 8th-gen Civic Si - It was pretty clean for its age, had some modifications that I liked, and the price was okay. It became a little exhausting trying to schedule a test drive with the seller. I didn't really appreciate multiple last-minute cancellations.
I was getting pretty close to the end of my time with my rental. I ended up taking a day off work purely to look at cars, focusing mainly on GTIs. I'd seen this ST on local classifieds before, but it was out of my price range. by a couple thousand. It showed up again when I was browsing on my day off. Considering my circumstanes, I decided to go look at it and see if the dealer would play ball.
It was cleaner in person than the photos depicted, and the dealer was willing to negotiate. The final bill was $13650 CDN, +TTL. It's a number I'm quite happy with.
I am having a blast driving this thing around. It has more than enough torque, and plenty of torque steer to go with it. All the driver controls work great - I like the seats, shifter, pedals, steering wheel - everything I regularly touch works well. The Recaros are snug, and I'm a big boy, but it works. The interior is honestly a perfectly fine place to be - it doesn't rattle, creak, or feel loose or cheap. The audio system works great, even at higher volumes. I've noticed my dislikes about this car are things I don't really care about - the font on the instrument panel is a little too italicized for me, and the steering wheel volume controls are on the right side of the wheel instead of the left. That's all I can think of.
I would just like to re-iterate how much fun it is driving this thing around. I'm finding excuses just to go out for a drive again, taking back roads I haven't been on since the Accord (probably the last car I really had fun with). It looks cool, it sounds cool, and it feels cool. This car seems extroverted in many ways, and that's what I was looking for in my next car.
Glad you finally got back into another car that makes you want to go drive. Everyone that I know that has owned one of those has always raved about how much fun they are to drive. Congrats on the pickup. Enjoy it!
09-30-2019, 12:31 PM
The car is so easy to drive that the clutch requires no skills...
Oui, Recaros! They're snug, but still fairly comfortable. I'm working on improving my fit, both inside and outside the car. 
Congratulations!