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OT: Cars

aufheben said:
I should have looked at a GR86/BRZ when I was car shopping several years ago. I probably would have had to call out/work from home a lot during the winter though, but it would have been fun.

If I can find something used/pre-owned for $25k or less this whole thing becomes way more realistic.
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aufheben said:
An affordable RWD sports car would be awesome. I just didn’t know they still existed.
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It's basically a Miata in Italian clothing.

That one is certified too. They are tiny, so make sure you take a spin in one first.
 
Profet said:
It's basically a Miata in Italian clothing.

That one is certified too. They are tiny, so make sure you take a spin in one first.
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I could pull something like this. I like the extra space the GR86/BRZ has though. Even if you can only fit smurfs in the back two seats it’s still extra space. I also read online that you could fit a set of tires in the trunk. If I can find one that’s </= $25k I’m gonna have to test drive it.

Had no idea there were cars like this out there. My friend got his license like 6 months before everyone else and I had so much fun in that Porsche 924. He crashed it several times and constantly had to be pulled out of the snow but fun was had.
 
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Honestly how do you buy a used car if you’re not a mechanic? Do you just check it out, look at the Car Fax, and hope for the best? Especially if you’re buying a shipped vehicle without personally seeing it.
 
aufheben said:
Honestly how do you buy a used car if you’re not a mechanic? Do you just check it out, look at the Car Fax, and hope for the best? Especially if you’re buying a shipped vehicle without personally seeing it.
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I bought a Porsche shipped from Washington state years ago with no inspection. I got lucky. All it needed was a battery but I wouldn't do that again. You can have used cars inspected. When I sold that same Porsche thevout of state buyer had me drive it to my local Porsche dealer for a PPI (pre purchase inspection). Depending on the year warranty status, etc things can be different. Pictures can hide a lot. Dark cars like black can have a lot of scratches hidden in pictures. Some dealers will be covered by lemon laws. Some will give a 30 day warranty. Shipping a car can be another $1000-$2000. I wish I could step in to help you. The car fax is just a help. It isnt an inspection. Many things will not show on a car fax.
 
NickyFotiu said:
I bought a Porsche shipped from Washington state years ago with no inspection. I got lucky. All it needed was a battery but I wouldn't do that again. You can have used cars inspected. When I sold that same Porsche thevout of state buyer had me drive it to my local Porsche dealer for a PPI (pre purchase inspection). Depending on the year warranty status, etc things can be different. Pictures can hide a lot. Dark cars like black can have a lot of scratches hidden in pictures. Some dealers will be covered by lemon laws. Some will give a 30 day warranty. Shipping a car can be another $1000-$2000. I wish I could step in to help you. The car fax is just a help. It isnt an inspection. Many things will not show on a car fax.
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Appreciate it. All good though, I’m not in dire need of a vehicle. I’m just gonna save as much as I can and maybe in the future I’ll find a good deal on a Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ.
 
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aufheben said:
Yes I forgot to specify I’ll only drive manual. The 2024 GTIs are the last generation to have a manual transmission. My main sticking point is the AWD—partially because of snow and partially because of handling. f*** I wish I could just get the Golf R.

The interiors are one of the things I love about VW.
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This seems crazy to me, but I am somewhat out of touch. Is this strictly on GTIs being imported to NA or right across the board?
 
Profet said:
There is something to be said for not "keeping up with the Joneses."

As you get older you'll realize that most Americans live far beyond their means. And that's perfectly fine and within their rights. But that doesn't mean that you have to as well.
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When I was younger and did not have any money I wanted so many things. Now that I'm older and can afford a few things I find I do not really want much in terms of material things.
 
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Grifter3511 said:
This seems crazy to me, but I am somewhat out of touch. Is this strictly on GTIs being imported to NA or right across the board?
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Across the board.

EU regulations have changed and the DSG (dual clutch automatic) is more fuel efficient. So they cant sell the manual in Europe any longer.

With Europe being their largest market for manual Golfs/GTIs... They are ending production of them.

So we lose then too.

No more manuals for GTIs or Golf R's here in the States or Canada or anywhere.
 
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Profet said:
Across the board.

EU regulations have changed and the DSG (dual clutch automatic) is more fuel efficient. So they cant sell the manual in Europe any longer.

With Europe being their largest market for manual Golfs/GTIs... They are ending production of them.

So we lose then too.

No more manuals for GTIs or Golf R's here in the States or Canada or anywhere.
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Porsche moved away from manuals to the PDKs for a while but then started making some manuals again. I never heard that about Europe. That is bad news. Ferrari stopped making their gated shifters after the F430 in 2009. Now they used gated shifters are in huge demand.
 
The WRX STI isn’t that hard to find but I don’t know if I can commute with 16/22 gas mileage. What other fun can be had for $25k? Manual. AWD/RWD.
 
aufheben said:
That’d be fun. My babysitter let me drive her Mustang when I got my permit lol. I don’t know if I can make do without Apple CarPlay…I know that severely limits the options.
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Honestly... it's going to be hard to check all the boxes at that price point.


Since you have transportation and this isn't an emergency... I would save another $5k or so and see if other options start to open up.
 
Profet said:
Honestly... it's going to be hard to check all the boxes at that price point.


Since you have transportation and this isn't an emergency... I would save another $5k or so and see if other options start to open up.
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Yeah I’m mostly just curious about other makers since I’ve only driven VWs. I wanted to buy the 2018 VW Jetta I was leasing but the lease ended right during COVID and the dealership said I couldn’t buy the car, so I was kind of scrambling and just took the nearest manual VW I could find.

It will probably still be GTI vs. WRX in the end but I am intrigued by this GR-86/BRZ car.

It’s sad the filter results on Auto Trader. 15 manual vs 5,000 automatic. That’s an absurd ratio.
 
aufheben said:
Yeah I’m mostly just curious about other makers since I’ve only driven VWs. I wanted to buy the 2018 VW Jetta I was leasing but the lease ended right during COVID and the dealership said I couldn’t buy the car, so I was kind of scrambling and just took the nearest manual VW I could find.

It will probably still be GTI vs. WRX in the end but I am intrigued by this GR-86/BRZ car.

It’s sad the filter results on Auto Trader. 15 manual vs 5,000 automatic. That’s an absurd ratio.
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Uh... what?

I think you got taken. With leases you pre-determine the purchase price of the vehicle. It's called the residual. Sounds like the car was worth more than the residual and the dealership wanted to be able to sell it. You actually don't even need to talk to the dealer about buying out a lease, as they aren't part of the transaction. It's between you and the finance company (lease title holder).
 
aufheben said:
The WRX STI isn’t that hard to find but I don’t know if I can commute with 16/22 gas mileage. What other fun can be had for $25k? Manual. AWD/RWD.
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How many miles a year do you drive? What MPG do you currently average?
 
Profet said:
Uh... what?

I think you got taken. With leases you pre-determine the purchase price of the vehicle. It's called the residual. Sounds like the car was worth more than the residual and the dealership wanted to be able to sell it. You actually don't even need to talk to the dealer about buying out a lease, as they aren't part of the transaction. It's between you and the finance company (lease title holder).
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I don’t remember the exact reason. I had no idea what I was doing so it’s possible. I think my dad said that dealership had a lot of turnover during COVID.

NickyFotiu said:
How many miles a year do you drive? What MPG do you currently average?
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20,000

According to my car’s mpg calculator I get 40.
 
aufheben said:
I don’t remember the exact reason. I had no idea what I was doing so it’s possible. I think my dad said that dealership had a lot of turnover during COVID.


20,000

According to my car’s mpg calculator I get 40.
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40 mpg? Impressive. Don't know many cars that get that. So around 500 gallons a year or $2000 a year in gas give or take. So if you get 30 mpg highway it will cost you an extra $670 a year give or take. Not the end of the world.
 
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aufheben said:
Yeah I’m mostly just curious about other makers since I’ve only driven VWs. I wanted to buy the 2018 VW Jetta I was leasing but the lease ended right during COVID and the dealership said I couldn’t buy the car, so I was kind of scrambling and just took the nearest manual VW I could find.

It will probably still be GTI vs. WRX in the end but I am intrigued by this GR-86/BRZ car.

It’s sad the filter results on Auto Trader. 15 manual vs 5,000 automatic. That’s an absurd ratio.
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I haven't checked in on this thread for a while, but I think you're going about choosing a new car the right way, as someone who actually cares about what kind of car you're getting. Drive as much as you can before you need to make a choice and just get the right car for you with no prejudices.

I've heard only good things about GR-86/BRZ, except that they're still not very powerful. That said, I think as long as you're driving it for your own enjoyment and not to show off, you're in for a good time. Miatas are just as good/better in that respect, but they're way overpriced on the used market (except my friend's heavily modded NA Miata that someone needs to steal from him to save his own sanity, but that's another story...).

There's always something about a Mustang -- even though a GR-86 is on paper, clearly more my kind of car, I'd have a hard time choosing one over the other...

One note, basically, the more options you give yourself to choose from, the happier you're going to be with the car/price you end up with. A couple things you said made me think:

-Apple Car Play is surely nice to have, but if it's your limiting factor, I'd think about living without it. It sounds like you're more interested in the driving experience, and I'm sure you'll cope, though it might be annoying at first. As a guy who's never owned a car that even has a screen (though rented several), I am surprised by how important the infotainment UX is for purchasers these days, but I guess it makes sense.

-Don't force yourself to just have RWD/AWD. A great-handling FWD car can be a great deal of fun to drive (the best Civics, a GTI, your Jetta, for instance).

NickyFotiu said:
40 mpg? Impressive. Don't know many cars that get that. So around 500 gallons a year or $2000 a year in gas give or take. So if you get 30 mpg highway it will cost you an extra $670 a year give or take. Not the end of the world.
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Such a good post! This is exactly the sort of math most car buyers do not do!
 
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