It's that time again... Unnecessary car-shopping with the fella that owned a Celica that one time.
-
On old Oppo, you were subject to these posts on a nearly weekly basis. Actually, probably more a few years back. Anyway, in early 2020, I begrudgingly committed to yet again to keep the fleet unchanged. Looking at all the events that have unfolded in the world and in my life since January, that turned out to be a very good decision, financially speaking.
That said, it's time to plan on burning money on something other than unexpected home repairs. It goes "beep beep."
Here's the short list of contenders:
- TL 3.7L SH-AWD 6MT
- TSX Wagon
- MR2 Spyder MT
- Z4 Coupe 3.0si MT
There have been and will be other candidates, but these are the four I keep coming back to. I've been watching reviews, going on forums, you name it, on these four and many others. The Golf Alltrack is hovering around, but is newer and ubiquitous, so it's not really a point of focus at this time.
All of these are definitely more expensive than any other vehicles I've purchased for myself (have you seen what clean later-model Spyders are going for now? Good Lord), so that will be the toughest mental hurdle for sure.
I hope to heat up this search, immediately after I pay for the new roof coming in December and probably the rest of my student loans... Someday
-
@Dr-Zoidberg Oh gods man we have enough Alltracks, don't listen to us Alltrack guys! It's still a VW trap!
Also, I don't know how many people cross shop a TLX wagon and a Z4, but you're likely the only one. The hatches make them practical, at least!
-
Alas, two of my finds yesterday have already sold.
Did I say alas? Hooray, two of my finds yesterday have already sold!
-
@cb At least there's a little variety this time! Coupey-hatch, wagon, sedan, and... mid-engine convertible?
-
But that’s not the generation of Z that Toyota helped with!?
Your car shopping is like mine, and many others here, it could go full practically or not even remotely so all in the same search. -
I can say with some confidence that the Z is a great choice
-
Find a nice Datsun 710 wagon.
-
Is this replacing the sportcross or adding to it? If not replacing it, I'd pass on the TLs since that'd be very redundant with the IS (though a side-by-side comparison of the wagons might be neat).
Have you considered a nice Tercel?
-
@dr-zoidberg buy a Honda s2000
-
New VWs are boring, old VWs are old.
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/d/alpharetta-1986-volkswagen-scirocco/7235044381.html
But if you decide to shop Germanic for your old crap cans (because let's be honest, a Z4 is too rich for your blood), this Scirocco is very nice. But out of those, I'd probably go Z4 simply because it isn't an old formerly practical car but rather an old not particularly practical German car and it's nice to shake things up.
-
@dr-zoidberg I love my TSX wagon. I'm sitting in it right now waiting for my wife. It's fun to drive and the right amount of car for most things. You want to find one with the tech package, then you get some useful toys and better sound. I found mine with 42k with the tech.
-
I can say, having owned both the TSX (in sedan guise) and the TL, they’re both awesome. The TL is legitimately fast, but your gas mileage is appropriately poor. The TSX is more practical overall.
-
@interstate366 My current vehicle -- I'm sure you can sympathize with your rebadged Aristo -- gets poor mileage so I'm prepared to make a sacrifice, especially if I can find the 6MT
-
@dr-zoidberg A friend had a TSX wagon for a few months. It wasn't a bad car it was just a bit boring. We chatted about it and agreed it needed a manual or a V6.
-
@415s30 The testimonials I've been reading are quite positive. It's bigger and more useful than my car, but is also heavier, less powerful, and barely more fuel efficient. That said, it's also 10 years newer.
-
@dr-zoidberg yep. At least with the TL you can hang with VQ cars and (non-Coyote) Mustangs and such to make up for it.
-
@e90m3 well mine has the paddle shifters, I have the Z for going for a real drive. I find the tsx pretty sharp like a good Honda and the paddles make up for some loss of control, i often shift earlier in it than it would normally. I would say it could use a good turbo or the supercharger that is available for $4k. But you can rev it high. The sedan came with a V6 if you wanted it but not the wagon. I have thought about a turbo or supercharger kit but it gets good mileage and I really don't need it to do more.
-
@dr-zoidberg yeah i would like to put a turbo on it or the $4k supercharger kit but it's pretty good all around and it does what I need while being comfortable. There aren't many around either so I find that fun.
-
@415s30 I do have a weakness for obscure vehicles that are otherwise inconspicuous...
-
@e90m3 I mean, no one ever accused me of being fun. Though I am a little worried about spending big bucks on a car slower than my current ride.
-
@interstate366 Have you been having any problems with the 3.7? They are subject to a TSB that also affects the MDX and such, for bad oil rings leading to excessive oil consumption. I admit a couple of forums I've been on had rather terrifying anecdotes, several users on their 2nd or 3rd motor from the teething years. My dad's oil rings on his MDX with the 3.7 were replaced last year.
-
@dr-zoidberg I have some oil consumption, but not enough to meet Acura’s threshold for replacement. It was 1 quart per 1000 miles and mine was over twice that. So that’s...not bad, I guess. Other than that, it’s only gone through an alternator.
-
@interstate366 Ugh, the oil consumption on a low-mileage vehicle just irks my tater. My Civic and Integra did that, too.
-
@dr-zoidberg FWIW my TSX did it too.
-
@dr-zoidberg Well, AestheticsInMotion bought a bike, and JustJeepin bought a Jeep, so someone needs to fill that role of endlessly spamming us with vehicles they aren't actually going to buy. Might as well be the guy who invented the genre.
