New car day

Mott the Hoople said:
The Misses just got promoted with a sizable raise in pay. As a payback she said I could buy a new sports car but my budget is $45k tops. Which can buy a decent sports car but isn’t going to buy a race car. I’m not a mechanic and I’m not wealthy so other financial factors come into play. Like cost to own. I intend to drive this car daily.

With the financial limits I have I can eliminate a European car as their reliability and cost to own suck. Particularly the latter.

So I have limited my choice to three types. They are;

A muscle car
A hot hatch
A roadster

After doing my research I have decided on one car in each category.

Mustang GT, which is at the high end of my budget. A Civic type R which is in the middle of my budget and a Mazda MX-5 Club spec, at the low end of budget.

The Stang is the fastest in straight line speed and though they have improved the handling it doesn’t handle nearly as well as the other two. The Stang would stomp the Civic type R in a drag race, the type R has terrible launching characteristics but the Type R would beat the Stang on a road track. It’s handling is just that much better. It also has the highest cost to own.

The Type R is probably the best compromise. It’s way lighter than the Stang, is more fun to drive and with 300hp, given the weight difference, isn’t much slower. It’s also the most practical daily daily driver. It’s cost to own is significantly lower than the Stang but surprisingly is equal to the MX-5. On the down side the styling sucks. It looks cartoonish and looks like something an 18 yo would drive.

The MX-5 has upgrade its power to 181 Hp and it only weighs 2350lb. It unquestionably has the best handling and though far less power than the other two is extremely rewarding momentum car for those who know how to drive. You can also push the limits of an MX-5 in a manner you can’t do in the other two if you don’t want to wrap yourself around a telephone pole or go to Jail. Its also a convertible. On the down side it’s The slowest and least practical though it’s the most reliable of the three.

So what are my priorities? In order they are;

Fun to drive
Great handling
Speed
Reliability
Cost to own
Practical

Practical is at the bottom of the list as I already have a hatchback that serves that purpose and I intend to keep it.

So the winner is the MX-5. In terms of being fun to drive, particularly with the top down, it walks away from the others. With the hp increase to 181 and the improved aero design it’s top speed is around 145 mph. A significant improvement over the 2018 model that tops out at 125 mph. Certainly slower than the other two but plenty fast for road driving. I’m not going to drive on a track or drag race. It’s also the most reliable of the three based on statistics I’ve reviewed. In the end, for me, being the most fun to drive wins out.
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Can't buy your own car?
 
Adolf_Twitler said:
I highly recommend meeting some wholesalers!

Wholesalers can save you a lot of money. Wholesalers who strictly buy from Automobile Auctions will allow you to attend the Auctions as a guest, for a fee of course, and they will bid for you, and if your bid wins, add on another fee for the purchase.

Many sales at the auctions go for about 50% of the Blue Market Price.

Many times the automobiles come from low mileage rental or lease cars that are in excellent conditions.

All you really need is a letter of credit from your lender!

If I were to buy my wife (if I had a wife) a car, I would probably be looking at late model Lexus, Infiniti, and BMW's.

Those are all luxury sports cars!
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It's clear why no one would marry you. Respectable women want real men not pussies like you.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
What color will your new Mazda be? Cop-Magnet Red? Old-Dude Silver? Dope-Dealer Black? lol
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Crystal soul red.

2019-mazda-mx-5-1.jpg
 
Grumpy said:
Yes they do. Most troopers I knew when I did the installs of light bars, communications gear in the new cars preferred the Stang for it's speed and agility.
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agility???!!!! They're eating too many doughnuts. LOL Don't get me wrong they have done wonders in recent years to improve Mustangs handling but "agility" is not a word I would use to describe them. LOL
 
Phantasmal said:
Congratulate her on her promotion.
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I am so proud of her. She had a serious problem at her former employer where one of her subordinates made it impossible for her to do her job. She gave them multiple warnings that she was frustrated but isn't the type to say "It's either me or her" as that would be black mailing...but that's exactly what she meant and they did nothing to stop her subordinate from undermining her and they wouldn't let her fire her so she found another job...at a higher paying position too.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
OMG. It's beautiful, Mott! I love that color red. And that sleek styling, those wheels. How do you like it so far???????
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Well I'm having a tough time being patient as it's still in the break in period but so for so good. I haven't had a chance to red line it yet but it's handling is absolutely amazing. Definately better than the 2006 model I had and better braking too. It has a limited slip differential, which my previous one did not and when you're aggressively cornering it makes a big difference. So far I'm pleased. It does have all the modern safety electronics and one of the first things I did was turn them off. They're so annoying they'd like to make you wreck! LOL
 
Mott the Hoople said:
agility???!!!! They're eating too many doughnuts. LOL Don't get me wrong they have done wonders in recent years to improve Mustangs handling but "agility" is not a word I would use to describe them. LOL
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Come on down here and try to out run/maneuver one then I'll listen to you.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Well have them get rid of their radio and you got a deal! LOL
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Oh take my word for it they don't need the radio to nab a Mazda MX5. I had a friend who had a Mazda Miata and like you he thought it was the baddest car made on the back roads. He found out differently when he couldn't shake the FHP Mustang sitting on his rear bumper. BTW along with a hefty fine he lost hus license for 6 months. You don't know what handling is till you've driven a formula car, that is a handling dream.
 
Grumpy said:
Come on down here and try to out run/maneuver one then I'll listen to you.
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Moot has no idea how a Mustang built after 1973 handles. He's afraid to drive one for fear of being mistaken for a Republican.

My sister had a Mustang II back in the day and that car would corner like it was on rails. My '98 GT could hang. I installed GT suspension parts in my daughter's '05 V6 and have murdered BMWs on twisties. These were all solid axle cars. Then in 2015 the Mustang went with an IRS and became a true canyon carver.
 
Dark Soul said:
Moot has no idea how a Mustang built after 1973 handles. He's afraid to drive one for fear of being mistaken for a Republican.

My sister had a Mustang II back in the day and that car would corner like it was on rails. My '98 GT could hang. I installed GT suspension parts in my daughter's '05 V6 and have murdered BMWs on twisties. These were all solid axle cars. Then in 2015 the Mustang went with an IRS and became a true canyon carver.
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All that and a 460 HP engine makes it the perfect police car.
 
If you haven't purchased yet, I strongly suggest a Corvette.

Push that peddle down and you'll be in another universe in 3 seconds.
 
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