Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

I love the Protege5!!!
Good luck with whatever new car you decide on!

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

In that price range the only thing that stands out for me is Mazda3.

Does Honda still make that Civic Si hatch?

Is an SRT-4 under $19,000?

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

I forgot about the Civic Si hatch...

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

In that price range the only thing that stands out for me is Mazda3.

Does Honda still make that Civic Si hatch?

Is an SRT-4 under $19,000?

naw,i just checked into an SRT-4 2 months ago... 22k

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

SRT-4 is at least 20K, and the SI is a piece. I got my ION Redline for $17K after all the rebates, and they dyno at over 200fwhp.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

SRT-4 is at least 20K, and the SI is a piece. I got my ION Redline for $17K after all the rebates, and they dyno at over 200fwhp.

how is that saturn ion redline?

do you have pics of it?

that may be an option...

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

haha, don't know if you want another mazda but I think the 3 is the best car. maybe you could get get into a mini for that? srt-4 probably not.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

Mazda 3 5door would be my choice. In that liquid grey-ish color.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

I like the Si hatch.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

Buy belacyrf's SVT.

Teh...

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

Buy belacyrf's SVT.

Teh...

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

I got my ION Redline for $17K after all the rebates, and they dyno at over 200fwhp.

how is that saturn ion redline?

do you have pics of it?

that may be an option...

In this same vein, you could be the first guy on your block with a Cobalt SS.

Although, while they do look to be an impressive package, I'm not too sure I'd be the first one to line up for any new GM product.

Might be better to wait a year. At least the ION has been out for a while, so most of the kinks should have been ironed out of that one by now.

If I were buying something for $19,000 I'd probably pick up a Mazda 3S - the evolution of the Focus C170 platform is wonderful in my opinion.

>8^)
ER

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

As much as it pains me to recommend a GM, all the local autocrossers are excited about the Cobalt SS and ION Redline with optional LSD.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

NEW not used car.

and

One that handles well
One with good power
One that I can autocross without a major risk of the engine blowing up like the Protege 5
One that has a bunch of cool features

and

$19,000

do not go together. Is $19K out the door? if so you're looking at Kia, Hyundai, Chevy Aveo, base Cobalt, Base Neon.

The only cars that come to mind as to fitting your requirements are the ones that you don't want.

Good luck.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

GTI w/1.8T

VW has had some quality issues as of late tho.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

This is what I am looking for in a car:
One that handles well
One with good power
One that I can autocross without a major risk of the engine blowing up like the Protege 5
One that has a bunch of cool features
what I can afford and ive come up with a maximum of

$19,000

Probably with a max price range of $19,000 and the criteria you listed you are probably limited to:
1. Mazda3 either i or possibly the s model.
2. Mini Cooper base model where the S will be much more then $20,000.
3. Civic Si HB might be very close to $20,000 or even a bit more.
4. Leftover 2004 SVTF with factory rebates will be under $19,000.
5. Chevy Cobalt SS is over $20,000.
That is all that I can think of at this moment.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

For that price, the Mazda 3s 5 door is your best bet. If you are dead set against the 3, the Nissan Sentra SE-R is the only other car in the under 19K price range that offers more power and as good handling as the 3.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

Why 19K and not 20 or 21?
( The montly difference between 19 and 21 would be about 50-60 per month ot standard interest )
Is there a certain payment you are trying to stay at?
As mentioned before, if you're trying to stay at 19 OTD ( out the door ) plan on looking for a car with a final price tag of around 16.5-17K before TT&L ( guessing, not sure what tax rate you have and other such laws where you live )
What about the trade? is there any equity or are you buried in it?
That's going to limit your options some I would think.

FWIW, I'm hearing left over '04 Mustang GTs can be had for under 20K if you can find any mildly optioned 5 speeds. Really good rebates on them in fact, but 5 speeds will be hard to find.

Good luck!!

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

<font color="blue">Mini Cooper or Mini Cooper S.</font>

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

Acura RSX (not type S) is $20,000 MSRP with an invoice of around $18K.

Toyota Corolla XRS – MSRP: $17,455
-6-speed
-170 hp (Celica GT-S, Matrix XRS engine)

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
MSRP $18,499
-162 hp MIVEC engine (variable valve timing and lift (I believe))
-I'd be a bit leary about buying a Mitsubishi, though

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

Acura RSX (not type S) is $20,000 MSRP with an invoice of around $18K.

Try buying one at that price!

Toyota Corolla XRS – MSRP: $17,455
-6-speed
-170 hp (Celica GT-S, Matrix XRS engine)

Damn near impossible to find with a 6 speed!

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
MSRP $18,499
-162 hp MIVEC engine (variable valve timing and lift (I believe))
-I'd be a bit leary about buying a Mitsubishi, though

In Mitsubishi's present state, I'd be leary about buying one also.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

I'd get a used, certified Civic Si hatch.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new car..

SRT-4 is at least 20K, and the SI is a piece. I got my ION Redline for $17K after all the rebates, and they dyno at over 200fwhp.

how is that saturn ion redline?

do you have pics of it?

that may be an option...

It is probably the best car I have ever owned. The quality is great, the power is great (14.5 1/4 mile), and I love the way it looks. Here are some pics of mine I took just after I bought it.

http://www.focaljet.com/ubbthreads/showf...ge=3#2416538861

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

Acura RSX (not type S) is $20,000 MSRP with an invoice of around $18K.

Try buying one at that price!

Toyota Corolla XRS – MSRP: $17,455
-6-speed
-170 hp (Celica GT-S, Matrix XRS engine)

Damn near impossible to find with a 6 speed!

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
MSRP $18,499
-162 hp MIVEC engine (variable valve timing and lift (I believe))
-I'd be a bit leary about buying a Mitsubishi, though

In Mitsubishi's present state, I'd be leary about buying one also.

It might be difficult to get an RSX around $19K, I'll admit that.

I haven't looked into finding a Corolla XRS before; I know the Matrix XRSs were also damn-near impossible to find with the manual, at least a year or so ago.

I kinda think the Corolla XRS is one of those forgotten-about cars. I don't think I've ever seen one on the road – ditto the Ralliart Lancer. I also noticed Mitsubishi dropped the wagon version of the Ralliart Lancer after just one year. I've never seen one on the street, but the Mitsu dealer across for the gas station I frequent has at least three of them on the lot.

I'm with Kris – used Si or even a used RSX. If you're concerned about reliablity, get the warranty and make sure it's certified. No offense to new-car buyers, but I don't think I'll ever buy a new car again when you can get a slightly used one for thousands less and still get a bumper-to-bumper warranty. Just a thought. As you've probably found out: New does not mean trouble-free.

 

Re: It\'s official! I am sick of my Protege 5 and I want a new c

I've seen Certified Used RSX-S' for under $20k. Or save a few pennies and get the Si Hatch. I'd get a Honda product before I got a Lancer--the one Jeff built for Kaminari was junk, I hated that car. Gutless, cramped, zero suspension travel when lowered, I felt like I was driving a bad rental car.

PS: I got to drive an RSX-S with the 'regular' JRSC on it & header--now that was some SERIOUS fun. Especially with the 6speed. When your warranty is up you could go that route--or even the 'full race' with Hondata and more boost. Nummy.