Paradox of choice, what would you choose and why?

[mslbebiz]

Hey guys,

I'm cursed as being a maximizer (vs a satisficer) in my choices and buying a car can be a pain in the ass because of it - I just can't decide. My choices are also all over the place as you'll see haha.

I'm mainly looking for something newer (coming from a mid 2000's BMW 3 series), that is sporty and really fun to drive with less reliability/maintenance worries than owning an out of warranty German luxury vehicle brings.

What would you buy from this list, and why (taking into consideration the price differences as well, as everyone likes to have more money in their pockets).

In no particular order:

Subaru BRZ ($26k, brand new)

Fiat 500 Abarth ($22k, brand new)

VW Golf GTI ($20k, warranty remaining)

Nissan 370Z Roadster Touring Sport ($28k, waranty remaining)

Lexus IS-F (High $30's, little warranty remaining)

I'm looking for the best QUALITY of drive, vs quantity. In other words, some vehicles may be much more impressive on paper but don't amount to the same pleasure of driving as something that may be much smaller or less powerful.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Winter considerations? I've not seen a 370Z (4.7" between road and car) driving around in our Calgary winter. The Subaru (studded would be interesting) or the Lexus IMO, both with extra winter tires you're good for year round use. The VW and Fiat will not be as trouble free as the Japanese vehicles, the fun factor would be there though. I'd say the only vehicle of the bunch I could live with day to day would be the Lexus.

I was in a Z convertible last year, it did not have any cup holders at all. Just an FYI. I would not worry much about the BRZ and the small rear seats, a real grown-assed adult ought to have their own car rather than sitting in the backseat of your car. Get a rack for snowboards, etc. Your friends will gladly swap vehicles if you need a bigger ride for the day or weekend.

[mslbebiz]

I see 350Z's all the time around here, and other big power RWD cars like Jaguar XKR's, Porsche 911's, Caymans, Boxsters, BMW M3's, and even the occasional Corvettes up here in E-town. Maybe we're just braver, or dumber. If you're gonna be dumb you gotta be tough right lol. I've had no problem in my 3 series though, and favor RWD even in winter. So much better balance.

[max_boost]

BRZ. I like new.

[mslbebiz]

If it makes any difference, I drive only 20k round trip to work downtown daily, and ride my cafe bike a lot of the spring/summer/fall days as well.

[RX_EVOLV]

Are those prices right? If you are buying brand new from dealer you will need to consider PDI/Freight and taxes as well.

For example, a quick check to subaru.ca shows that a basic BRZ (no options) with tax is $30,439 off the lot.

A $20K GTI, you are probably looking at ~2010 model? which in that case there might be little to no warranty remaining, unless you are buying CPO, which you will need to account to dealers fee + tax (+ markup)

Same for the Lexus. The cheapest ISF on kijiji right now is $39k, and it's a 2008 so you won't have warranty on it..

[mslbebiz]

Yeah, the prices are all right. The BRZ and Abarth would be + GST/dealer fees. The GTI is a 2011 with around 35k of warranty remaining. The ISF I'm looking at has warranty until the end of '14.

[Skyline_Addict]

I daily drive my Subaru BRZ and with winter tires (non-studded) I have had no problems in winter so far. My car is otherwise stock so I have not had any issues with ground clearance too, at least where I travel. I've only been stuck once, but that was when I accidentally backed up into a huge snow drift right outside my house. Traction control is helpful but when it is super icy out you need to be more careful, but the same goes with any car. I think if I upgraded to Hakkas or got studded tires next season, it would make a huge difference. Needless to say the car is a blast to drive in the winter and you can definitely have some fun with it.

As far as driving quality (as you describe it as pleasure), the BRZ/FR-S gets rave reviews for being a driver's car for a reason. Depending on your school or thought, the shitty tires it comes with makes it more or less fun, but the car has a lot of potential to be tailored to your liking without a lot of money (wider tires, suspension, etc.). If you plan to go FI, or anything aftermarket for that matter, the aftermarket support is huge for such a new car and will only grow. There are a dozen FI options available from the industry's most reputable companies.

Maintenance (including oil changes) are at 10k km intervals and is pretty straight forward stuff. Zero issues with my car in the first 12k kms. Last thing to remember is the car is a small, sporty 2+2 so make sure it suits your lifestyle (family, going skiing, etc.) or that you have another vehicle for that. If you're counting on Subaru or STi to release a factory turbo version of the car, I wouldn't count on that, at least not anytime soon. Everytime I read an article about that, it's nothing I hold my breath for.

From that list, if I were to do it again I would still pick the BRZ and the IS-F would be a close second (if at that price).

[vtec4life]

BRZZZZZ

[M.alex]

Viper w/ winter tires.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by mslbebiz
Hey guys,

I'm cursed as being a maximizer (vs a satisficer) in my choices and buying a car can be a pain in the ass because of it - I just can't decide. My choices are also all over the place as you'll see haha.

I'm mainly looking for something newer (coming from a mid 2000's BMW 3 series), that is sporty and really fun to drive with less reliability/maintenance worries than owning an out of warranty German luxury vehicle brings.

What would you buy from this list, and why (taking into consideration the price differences as well, as everyone likes to have more money in their pockets).

In no particular order:

Subaru BRZ ($26k, brand new)

Fiat 500 Abarth ($22k, brand new)

VW Golf GTI ($20k, warranty remaining)

Nissan 370Z Roadster Touring Sport ($28k, waranty remaining)

Lexus IS-F (High $30's, little warranty remaining)

I'm looking for the best QUALITY of drive, vs quantity. In other words, some vehicles may be much more impressive on paper but don't amount to as good of a feeling as a driver as something that may be much smaller or less powerful.

I'd buy a BRZ, 370Z or an IS-F. Abarth's suck, A GTI would bore you coming from a 3-series.

An IS-F has the nicest interior out of the 3 IMO so I'd go for that. Plus, it's more useful as a DD than a coupe.

My brother has a BRZ and it's absolutely useless as a 2+2. It's 2 + people with no legs.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by mslbebiz
I see 350Z's all the time around here, and other big power RWD cars like Jaguar XKR's, Porsche 911's, Caymans, Boxsters, BMW M3's, and even the occasional Corvettes up here in E-town. Maybe we're just braver, or dumber. If you're gonna be dumb you gotta be tough right lol. I've had no problem in my 3 series though, and favor RWD even in winter. So much better balance.

Decent point, the the Z has something like 4.7" to work with, my non-Z car has 5.5" and does just fine. Although Z owners here seem opinionated on the inches issue (insert "that's what she said...":

http://forums.nicoclub.com/350z-for-...g-t471766.html

[flipstah]

Actually when I think about it, a cargo box would solve any issues regarding hauling.

If I had to do my purchase again, I would've bought a coupe + cargo box.

[mslbebiz]

Originally posted by flipstah


I'd buy a BRZ, 370Z or an IS-F. Abarth's suck, A GTI would bore you coming from a 3-series.

An IS-F has the nicest interior out of the 3 IMO so I'd go for that. Plus, it's more useful as a DD than a coupe.

My brother has a BRZ and it's absolutely useless as a 2+2. It's 2 + people with no legs.

Have you driven the Abarth? Just wondering what you're basing that opinion on because I've heard from many people that own or have owned much higher end cars that have more fun driving it than their big supercars. The thing is a blast.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by flipstah


I'd buy a BRZ, 370Z or an IS-F. Abarth's suck, A GTI would bore you coming from a 3-series.

An IS-F has the nicest interior out of the 3 IMO so I'd go for that. Plus, it's more useful as a DD than a coupe.

My brother has a BRZ and it's absolutely useless as a 2+2. It's 2 + people with no legs.

Why would a GTI bore him? It's one of the best all around cars. At $20K depending on options it's been around the block a few times. He's coming from probably an E46 330.

Yea BRZ, don't bother driving anyone in the back but I think it's a cool looking car. Budgetballer approved cause it's super low maintenance, looks good, handles well and decent power to get around town.

[n1zm0]

I don't think i've ever seen an IS-F being driven around in winter, plenty 350Zs and G35 coupes though.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by mslbebiz


Have you driven the Abarth? Just wondering what you're basing that opinion on because I've heard from many people that own or have owned much higher end cars that have more fun driving it than their big supercars. The thing is a blast.

Personally I think the BRZ and Albarth would be very easy to live with, but I like small cars. We all would love a day of Abarth:

[mslbebiz]

Honestly it's usually just me commuting or joyriding in my vehicle, sometimes with another person in the car. Rarely more than 1 passenger. If I need to haul passengers or anything else, my wife has an SUV as well. My wife understands that my car is for ME haha.

[mslbebiz]

Originally posted by max_boost


Why would a GTI bore him? It's one of the best all around cars. At $20K depending on options it's been around the block a few times. He's coming from probably an E46 330.

Yea BRZ, don't bother driving anyone in the back but I think it's a cool looking car. Budgetballer approved cause it's super low maintenance, looks good, handles well and decent power to get around town.

The GTI's actually pretty nice, an almost loaded 3dr '11 with leather, sunroof, 6 speed manual and less than 50,000 kms. It also comes with a lifetime powertrain warranty through the dealer network. I was planning to reflash the ECU though and all the VW service horror stories are putting me off.

A reflash on the Abarth is good for around 40hp, and probably none of the service nightmares VW is known for. The Fiat 500's surprisingly have a really strong reliability record too.

[mslbebiz]

Originally posted by n1zm0
I don't think i've ever seen an IS-F being driven around in winter, plenty 350Zs and G35 coupes though.

They're pretty rare to see in general I think.