Quote:
Originally Posted by Porchdog
So I'm looking for a commuter car. It has to be a stick shift, I prefer hatchbacks and it has to be sporty. It doesn't have to be crazy fast - my commute is 12 miles of twisty, hilly secondary road with a maximum speed limit of 45.
I am in no particular hurry and I don't want to invest to much. I started out looking at GTI's, Focus/Fiesta ST's and Mazda 3's
I am seeing lots of 2nd generation Mini's with low miles at reasonable prices - so i'm tempted. They are a bit on the small side, but I don't haul kids around any more. These always appealed to me but I always had an impression that they were prone to be broken down.
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Have you looked at the Audi TT? I really liked my 2001 TT coupe with the 225 HP motor. I did a minor tune to 250 HP and drove it 110K miles with only minor issues. The instrument pod started dying so I had it repaired by an online shop for ~ $300. Other than routine maintenance including timing belt and water pump the car was perfect. It did everything well and with the hatchback could carry a surprising amount of stuff. Fantastic interior design, materials, and seats. I was in an accident with it (got t-boned) and it protected me very well. Sadly the car was a total loss. That was 4 years ago - I might still be driving it otherwise.