Help Me Pick a Winter Beater

[94boosted]

I sold my winter beater at the end of spring and now I need another one. I'm looking for something that is AWD, sporty and fun to drive. I spend a lot of time out on Ghost Lake with the SASC so a good AWD system is important to me. Budget of 30K max. Here's what I've been thinking:

08-11 Mitsu EVO X GSR
Pro's: Great AWD
Con's: Weak Clutch, Weak Clutch Master, S-AWD Pump

08-11 Mitsu EVO X MR
Pro's: Great AWD, Twin Clutch
Con's: Transmission Repair Costs, S-AWD Pump

07-11 Subaru STi
Pro's: Great AWD
Con's: Engines aren't know for their reliability (ring land failures, rod knock etc.)

08-09 BMW 335xi
Pro's: Quick
Con's: X-Drive AWD any good?, BMW repair costs

09-10 Infiniti G37x(s)
Pro's: ?
Con's: Automatic only, depreciate quickly

08-10 Lexus IS250 AWD
Pro's: ?
Con's: Slow

Is there anything else I'm missing? Anything about the above that's wrong?

[muse017]

Perhaps 10-11 AUDI S4 or S5? It's pretty solid vehicle.

[Cos]

.

[94boosted]

I thinkI the 10-11 S4 and S5 are a fair bit over my 30k price point.

The one Sorath sold would of been nice but it was an auto.

[ddduke]

Originally posted by 94boosted
I thinkI the 10-11 S4 and S5 are a fair bit over my 30k price point.

The one Sorath sold would of been nice but it was an auto.

So are the Infinitis on your list.

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by 94boosted
The one Sorath sold would of been nice but it was an auto.

Originally posted by ddduke


So are the Infinitis on your list.

[Axe]

Acura TL SH-AWD? There are a few 2010's on Kijiji with manual transmissions. I don't have personal experience with this car so can't comment on pros/cons of the awd or maintenance.

Kijiji

I drive a '10 LGT which I love (and with winters on it's great on Ghost) but it's a step down from what you are looking for based on based on your list from a performance perspective

[Sorath]

Originally posted by ddduke


So are the Infinitis on your list.

and the evo x mr.

I would steer away for an evo x as a winter beater.

The ayc pump goes in our climate and is costly to replace. unfortunately not a recall despite it happening to almost all, mine was no exception. Luckily i still had warranty if not, at that time wouldve cost me $4000 to fix, though i hear its alot cheaper to fix that now.

Personally out of that list, i would pick 335xi. I loved my e92 in the winter, with studded winters that thing was indestructible in the winter, with the audiophile package, still the best factory stereo to date. Only issue i had with it was the fuel pump, which i hear now is a 10 year warranty(recall). Trying to book a service appointment with either bmw dealerships were a pain too but it being once a year service im ok with that.

[94boosted]

Originally posted by ddduke


So are the Infinitis on your list.

That's why I've got it (Auto) listed as a Con

Originally posted by Axe
Acura TL SH-AWD? There are a few 2010's on Kijiji with manual transmissions. I don't have personal experience with this car so can't comment on pros/cons of the awd or maintenance.

Kijiji

I drive a '10 LGT which I love (and with winters on it's great on Ghost) but it's a step down from what you are looking for based on based on your list from a performance perspective

I honestly didn't even know you could get a TL SH-AWD with a manual, thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to have to do some more research on those cars.

Come to think of it I should of added the Legacy GT to my list because I do really like those cars as well.

Originally posted by Sorath


and the evo x mr.

I would steer away for an evo x as a winter beater.

The ayc pump goes in our climate and is costly to replace. unfortunately not a recall despite it happening to almost all, mine was no exception. Luckily i still had warranty if not, at that time wouldve cost me $4000 to fix, though i hear its alot cheaper to fix that now.

Personally out of that list, i would pick 335xi. I loved my e92 in the winter, with studded winters that thing was indestructible in the winter, with the audiophile package, still the best factory stereo to date. Only issue i had with it was the fuel pump, which i hear now is a 10 year warranty(recall). Trying to book a service appointment with either bmw dealerships were a pain too but it being once a year service im ok with that.

Thanks for the feedback on the EVO Sorath. Most owners I've talked to basically said the same thing... awesome car but beware of the pump.

My only concern with the BMW is what repair costs would be like compared to say a Subaru, Mitsubishi, Infiniti or Lexus. I've always been a bit nervous about off-warranty German cars lol

[BlueHaloGirl]

What about a Mazdaspeed6?

[BavarianBeast]

Originally posted by 94boosted

My only concern with the BMW is what repair costs would be like compared to say a Subaru, Mitsubishi, Infiniti or Lexus. I've always been a bit nervous about off-warranty German cars lol

N54/N55 is cheap to maintain. The only real problem the N54 had is HPFP and carbon buildup. Chances are the HPFP has already been replaced and a wallnut blast only costs about $900 from BMW and only needs to be done every 90,000km or so.

I would get the 335xi if an S4 is out of the question. Audi > BMW when it comes to Alberta winters imo.

[Darkane]

I have a 2010 TL SH-awd 6sp and it's wicked.

Great sounding v6, 305hp. Honda smooth shifting!

[zieg]

Well the cons you have for the STi aren't really an issue with a good tune. The factory tune has a lean spot which causes those issues but once that's taken care of you're golden. I was lucky enough to find mine with a recent proper dyno tune, and it had been running an OTS cobb tune most of its life. As well the 07s didn't have that problem to nearly the same extent as 08+.

As for the BMW, from my readings xdrive isn't that great on ice because it's relying on ediff technology front and rear, and has no center diff (just a clutch)..

I don't know much about the Lexus AWD system but I was told the newer ones do use a center diff, but nobody knew much about it and I sort of lost interest in the car anyway, so didn't bother looking into it further.

The Infiniti system is called ATTESA E-TS (look it up, lots of info online) and uses a clutch system similar to the bmw but I don't know if it has ediffs front or rear. I found the thing felt like it weighed way more than it actually did and again lost interest before pursuing further.

[Sorath]

Originally posted by 94boosted


That's why I've got it (Auto) listed as a Con




I honestly didn't even know you could get a TL SH-AWD with a manual, thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to have to do some more research on those cars.

Come to think of it I should of added the Legacy GT to my list because I do really like those cars as well.




Thanks for the feedback on the EVO Sorath. Most owners I've talked to basically said the same thing... awesome car but beware of the pump.

My only concern with the BMW is what repair costs would be like compared to say a Subaru, Mitsubishi, Infiniti or Lexus. I've always been a bit nervous about off-warranty German cars lol

Ive never had an issue with my bmw, with the exception of the fuel pump, which is warrantied. honestly go and drive one if you have never. imo that car drives better than a b8 s4. btw the 335 is much better to maintain than any sti or evo, ive owned so many lol

edit: honestly dont know why the lexus IS and Infiniti G is on that list, It sounds like you want a fun car to drive, that should cancel out those boring cars already.

[BrknFngrs]

Originally posted by Sorath
The ayc pump goes in our climate and is costly to replace. unfortunately not a recall despite it happening to almost all, mine was no exception. Luckily i still had warranty if not, at that time wouldve cost me $4000 to fix, though i hear its alot cheaper to fix that now.

Maybe I'm thinking of something else but I had it in my head that they addressed this issue with a software update a few years back? Something along the lines of delaying the pump pressurizing the system until the fluids were a bit warmer so as to put less strain on the pump?

[Sorath]

Originally posted by BrknFngrs


Maybe I'm thinking of something else but I had it in my head that they addressed this issue with a software update a few years back? Something along the lines of delaying the pump pressurizing the system until the fluids were a bit warmer so as to put less strain on the pump?

Nope, still an issue, i know it has gotten cheaper to replace.

$1500~ IIRC

[flipstah]

I voted for the BMW because it'll be nicely appointed inside while you go sideways. You still want to be comfortable, right?

The interior is boring IMO but it works and is timeless.

EDIT:



vs.

[never]

Originally posted by BlueHaloGirl
What about a Mazdaspeed6?

If you're going to consider the LGT, you should check out the 06-07 MS6s. I had one for a while with some moderate mods and it was a blast in the winter.

Could probably get one fairly cheap now.

[Redlined_8000]

I voted on the G37XS. Solid reliable cars, proven motor, look decent, RWD bias AWD, comfortable for a DD.

Negatives is it will not be competitive for ghost lake and not as fun to drive as the Evo or Sti.

Also G37 has a bit lack of head room for guys 6ft or more. Especially with a helmet (not sure of ghost lake needs helmet)

The biggest negative on the evo is that AYC pump for sure.

Acura TL-SH 6sp is something to look into. Its got a Honda big block motor 3.7L haha.


Also the thing about buying a used Evo or Sti is they will be abused 90% of the time. Almost every owner mods these cars and almost every owner drives the crap out of them. So again might be another positive to look into a G37 or TL for the used market.


G37
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/c...ationFlag=true

TL-SH AWD 6sp
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/c...ationFlag=true

[clem24]

Man this is hardly a beater thread hahaha. Funny that out of all those, the 335xi is by far the cheapest (as in starting at $12k). It's insane to think how much car that kind of money is buying you in a 335. If you're wanting to avoid issues, why not a 328?

There's also the 535's. Would totally rock a 535xiT 6MT..