Ok everyone, here is the deal. Since the day I turned 15, i've been driving my terrible terrible hunk of chunk better known as a 1998 Chevy Monte Carlo. I learned to drive a manual about 8 months ago and now I'm looking into a new car. I wouldn't purchase the car till Spring of 2009. Here is my deal: i don't know ALOT about cars. I have researched and so on as much as my brain can hold and there are still lingering questions. So, before i continue, let me list the cars I'm interested in and Why. (listed in the order of most interested in to least interested in)

1. 2009 Scion TC
Why? The price is perfect. I'm about to graduate and don't have 30,000 to spend on a car. Beyond that, i was thinking of Supercharging it. So it'd hit around 20k for 201 HP. Plus, i love the look.
2. 2009 Civic SI
Why? Pretty much the same as listed above. Good performance. Dependable. And best of all, NOT A CHEVY.
3. Volkswagen GTI
Why? Price is meh at best. But i like the way the car felt when i drove it and i like the overall look.
4. Mazda Speed 3
Why? Performance is highest factor. Otherwise, i dont like the price too much but the look isn't too shabby.
5. 2010 Chevy Camaro
Why? 300+ Hp @ 6 gear manual. Looks great. But... Its brand new.. so there will be bugs and kinks. And like i stated above, i kind of wanna stay away from Chevy. Heck. I'd prefer to stay away from GM.

So yea. I apologize if this question has already been asked. I'm just stumped and a friend of mine referred me to this site. If need be, email me what ya think at inflames@ku.edu. Make sure in the subject line you say "Answer to Car question: TC is best bet" or something to that effect so that i don't delete it on the spot.

Thanks.

-AJ

 

What do you want to do with the car? What's important to you in a car? All of those vehicles have their own advantages and disadvantages that need to be weighed against your tastes.

 

I would say mainly... I'm looking for something that will perform for a long amount of time without being pricey. As in, if i wanna get up and go, i can. But i don't want a fast car that will roll over and die in two years. So more or less, i want performance, price and longevity to be the highest points. I grew up in a family that revolved it's life around stock car racing, so I have no issue going fast. In fact, I'd prefer it.

 

It will come down to preference between the Si and the s/c tC then. Both cars have unimpeachable reliability, and they cost about the same to buy and run for a while.

The GTI is German, so it's built like a tank... but it's German, so it's needlessly complicated and costly to keep up.

The MS3, if you can afford it, would be a nice option. Plus, if you do any sort of nationalized autosport at all, Mazdaspeed will literally throw money at you.

The Camaro... well, we'll leave that alone.

 

I agree that tC and the Civic will be your best bets of the two.

The German car will break, and it will be costly. The Chevy will break and it will be costly. The Mazda will break catastrophically and it will be costly. I speak from experience on all fronts there.

Drive both the Scion and the Honda and simply pick the one you like best. I'll tell you the Scion's purchase process and community will be far better than the Honda, but if that doesn't concern you pick on the car alone.

-Alex

 

Scion tC

Best resale value
Best Quality
Great Safety
Good MPG
Killer looks, community, aftermarket
Awesome Reliability
Lowest cost of ownership (i.e. maint., repair, insurance, etc.)
AAA rated lowest cost to insure (as a brand, they don't break that down into specific cars)

AND!!! You can buy one from me! ;)

Nah, Alex is right, the Civic is a fine car as well. I think the tC is overall a better choice for most people, but look at them both. The Honda might have that one little button that makes all the difference for you!

Good luck!

 

The Camaro is beginning to grow on me, but seeing it for 3 years, and having to see it for another 5 makes me question wtf is wrong with GM, plus the interior is worse than a 96 Kia.

tC/Civic for value per dollar.

I'd go with the GTI if heavy modding was out of the question (that's why I got an 08 tC and a turbo for it). They're reliable and with a warranty, you won't need to worry about cost of maintenance. Plus Volkswagen is the current market leading in resale value.

http://www.kbb.com/kbb/newsandreview...ctedTabIndex=1

 

I say wait till the new scion model comes out. the tC can't be around MUCH longer. the body style is almost 6 years old. But if you don't wanna wait i say go for the tC.

BUT you gotta remember that, if you plan on financing the car, you can't finance the supercharger with it. Scion WON"T do it. you'll have to pay for it separately, and in full at time of purchase. (unless you wanna do payments on a credit card)

 

Car came out in June of 2004, that makes it 4 years and 5 months old.

 

i'd say go with the tc and save most of your money for a house!

 

So you dont have $30,000.00 to spend on a car...well that pretty much eliminates the Camaro

 

good call. my bad!

 

id go with the civic si as its got good hp numbers out of the box,if ya turbo it you will have about 300+ and will be very realiable ...i love the new 4 door si seen one the other day witha turbo mannn was so sick..or you can even look into the rsx aswell...i feel the honda will kill the tc as far as performance wise ...also you are in the midwest so i would really factor that in to this ....ive got a box and it does the job but when it snows in and around kc it sucks...im looking into getting a used suabru sti...you can pick em up rather cheap seen them as low as 21,000 used so think about it...awd 300 hp does not need mods and can drive it everyday ....

 

lol thought id get flamed for saying a honda is beter than a toyota..lol

 

i would go with the tc, because i have had mine for a year and six months now and have had no problem with it. Ive already put 26000 miles on it. The performance is ok from the factory but with a few bucks a cold air and an exhaust will give you a upgrade!!! Also tC's are somewhat cheap for performance parts, if you are planning on upgrading a car you should always research that aswell.

 

tC, your on the Scion forums afterall,

but I would check out the Civic though, since the car is so similar to the tC.

 

whoaaaaaa hey dont you work for toyota STNC??and you are saying check out the civic?? thankyou for saying the truth its about time someone can promote another car even if you own something else ..dont get me wrong toyota is a great car but for you i really think civic or a awd drive will suit ya ,,,,i feel that is one reason i can not sell a certain car i would be way to honest to the buyer ...

 

I promote for Toyota/Skion, lol, and yeah, I would suck at my job if I didn't know the competition. Because if I say that the Camry handles the best, I would need to drive the Accord, Malibu, etc, to prove that for myself.

I did some comparison when I bought my tC, it was between the tC, Civic, and the Eclipse. The Eclipse, way to expensive for what it offered, and the Civic is still in identity crisis, the end of it just ends so abruptly, and its depressing.

But yeah, check out the competition, that will prove to you how good the tC really is!

HA! Didn't see that last line coming, burn!

tC FTW!

But seriously, go check out the Civic