Fun Daily Driver Suggestions in Snow Country?

[Tom '74 911]

Howdy -

I didn't see a thread on this in the first few pages, though I know it gets discussed a lot so if there's a recent one that applies, I'd be happy with a link. . .

Looking for suggestion for a fun daily driver for $15K. Is it possible w/that budget?

I live in Idaho in a ski resort town, so it has be good in all 4 seasons. I currently drive a '99 Subaru Outback which is a GREAT car - you can't beat it's practicality - but I am jonesing for something more fun to drive as my p-car has been out-of-action since late spring.

It'd need to be good in the snow, seat 2 adults + 2 kids min., fun to drive and put a smile on my face (it's been a sad summer w/out my p-car). Needs to be a manual! MPG is important, but not the driving factor.

I have no idea if either of these are w/in my budget, but been thinking of either a Mini Clubman or Subaru WRX/STI (used of course).

I'd love to hear some other suggestions. . .

Thanks,
Tom

[onewhippedpuppy]

What size kids? I had very similar criteria when shopping for a new driver, except for three kids and less concern about snow. I have three kids, with one in a baby seat and one in a booster. For my kid needs I found the compact sedans and many of the midsize as well be too small to realistically load three kids with their massive child seats. I ended up compromising on the manual gearbox and picking up a 2002 Audi S8 with 84k for well inside your price range. If you need a stick and a really decent sized back seats your options are sorta limited, an E39 M5 was the only car with a stick that met my space needs. An Audi Allroad or A6 would work, but the 2.7T motor maintenance scares me. A standard 5-series would work as well with a good set of snow tires. Also worth considering is a Subaru Legacy GT, it's bigger and more mature than the WRX and can be had with a 6-speed.

If you actually only need seating for 4, look at the RX8. They're a blast to drive and can seat four adults with the rear suicide doors. Plus I'm selling a nice one at the moment, I even have a set of snow tires.

[azasadny]

MazdaSpeed3 is great year 'round with Bridgestone Blizzaks on it for the winter driving. 6spd manual and 263hp, 280ft/lbs of torque. Seats 4 adults and is a hatchback. I love mine!

[don911]

BMW xi. I bought a 07 328xi E92 (coupe) earlier in the year. It's a really sweet car. I'm not sure you can get a nice one for 15k but you could get a E46 series for 15k.

[BReif61]

Originally Posted by azasadny

MazdaSpeed3 is great year 'round with Bridgestone Blizzaks on it for the winter driving. 6spd manual and 263hp, 280ft/lbs of torque. Seats 4 adults and is a hatchback. I love mine!

I came in here to say this.

[1990C4S]

Small kids = 964 C4

[pavulon]

used outback xt or forester xt manual w/ a set of summer and winter wheels/tires. done.

[Tobra]

I am with anesthesia on this one, tough to go wrong with the Suby on snow tires in the winter

[TimT]

w r x

[tevake]

Can a decent 964 be had for $15K?

[aigel]

Originally Posted by tevake

Can a decent 964 be had for $15K?

I doubt it. $20k would be more like it. The advantage is that it will still be worth $20k in 5 years from now.

G

[Tom '74 911]

Thanks for the ideas.

My kids are 10 & 7, so no child seats anymore. It'd be nice to be able to squeeze 3 of the smaller buggers in the back once and a while.

My Outback really covers the bases and is a great car, it's just that I'm lusting for something a bit more sporty.

I've thought about a 964 C4. . . a lot. It'd work, but really, I need something a bit bigger. Also, I already have a '74 911 w/tons of goodies, 3.6L etc... (even though it's not in a drivable state at the moment) so I've got the lightweight, raw, fun car covered.

I just looked up Mazdaspeed 3 - looks a lot like the hatchback Subaru, which I really like. I'll have to look into that further, I think a friend might own one that I could take for a spin.

I'm not as familiar w/Audi's or BMW's - I'll do some searching to educate myself. My initial reaction to them is: aren't they a lot of maintenance and expensive to own? Maybe my misguided, uneducated view?

Thanks,
Tom

[RWebb]

something AWD and cheap

cheap because the other morons out driving will smack into your car dozens of times

if a used Subaru is out, then why not a small BMW with their AWD system - X3 down to the 325xi, 325ix or whichever they had some years ago

[vash]

i think a Sport (they call it a GT i think) Legacy wagon is cool as hell. i'll never forget a track day when some kid was dicing with ferraris in his light blue GT wagon. i actually sold that guy my mazdaspeed3. i wasnt a super fan. car was fast..yes. interior was plasticy..torque steer galore.

VW Gti?

[MarcoB]

Tom:

I'm selling my 05 Legacy GT Wagon w/ a 5MT - only year they put the 5 speed in the turbo wagon.....very sporty (250 hp), but with all the Subie practicality! Send me a note if you would like to see pics!

[aigel]

Originally Posted by vash

... my mazdaspeed3. i wasnt a super fan. car was fast..yes. interior was plasticy..torque steer galore.

+ 1 - except that I liked the interior. Mine was an 08. I can't see it do well in the snow. it was pretty low to the ground stock and very happy to spin the wheels on wet or slippery surfaces even at very little throttle ...

G

[zotman72]

A3, I have 6 speed 2.0 turbo fwd but with dedicated snows (blizzaks) it gets around Colorado admirably. Carries 4 adults comfortably and with APR stage 1 makes 270 hp and 300 ft lbs torque . YMMV

[chocolatelab]

Something different maybe.

Jeep Wrangler 4 door. Certainly fits the 4 season need. If you want a car to tinker with and wrench on there are many many opportunities. 7 and 10 are perfect ages to go back country with, especially in your neck of the woods.

Again something different.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by MarcoB

Tom:

I'm selling my 05 Legacy GT Wagon w/ a 5MT - only year they put the 5 speed in the turbo wagon.....very sporty (250 hp), but with all the Subie practicality! Send me a note if you would like to see pics!

This. I had a 2005 Legacy GT wagon that was a fantastic car only let down by the automatic gearbox. The manual would make this nearly perfect. Good sized back seat, lots of room in the back of the wagon, very quick stock and with a few easy mods can be downright fast.

I'll offer another counter to the Mazdaspeed3, as I drove one while looking for an RX8 replacement. For the price the interior is fine, but I wasn't a fan of the ropy gearbox throws, turbo lag, relatively course motor, and lots of body roll. Different strokes of course, and I was comparing it directly to the RX8 that I was driving daily at the time.

Tom, you'll have more maintenance and repairs on a German car, guaranteed. But you'll also generally speaking get a more enjoyable drive. BMW and Audi can both be hit or miss depending on model, so make sure you do specific research. As an example, my S8 does not suffer from many of the common issues found on other models and is known as a generally reliable car. For BMWs you can expect to overhaul the cooling system (radiator/waterpump/t-stat) and suspension bushings around 100k, and some models have specific problems. Audis also suffer from premature bushing wear and most have timing belts that require a change in the 80-90k range, again with other issues by model. Lots of folks on here with a lot of knowledge, so if you post what you're interested in I'm sure you'll get a response.

[vash]

Originally Posted by aigel

+ 1 - except that I liked the interior. Mine was an 08. I can't see it do well in the snow. it was pretty low to the ground stock and very happy to spin the wheels on wet or slippery surfaces even at very little throttle ...

G

mine was an 08 too! the MS3 snobs called it an 08.5..whatever.

i cant see it do well in snow either..the wheels spin when the turbo figured out that lag thing and sent all that fun to the wheels.

the interior was like made of paper..it would scratch so easy. put a snowboard in that thing and it would make the interior look like an etch a sketch.

an 05 legacy would be sick..didnt that car come with a momo wheel with paddle shifters?