BigTyla goes car shopping!

[BigTyla]

My wife and I are in the process of closing on a house, and once that's out of the way I'll be in the market for a new vehicular acquisition. I figured now was as good a time as ever to get a head start and test drive some cars since I have such a long list of cars I’d like to check out. I figured I’d share my experiences with you all while getting some input on your thoughts about the kind of car I’m looking for. Here are some things you need to know:

1) Have ’02 Explorer. Four doors not necessary, especially with wanting more kids.
2) Have DSM as a project vehicle. Want a low-maintenance vehicle. Any modding if at all will be light.
3) Would like a car I could enjoy on the autocross course. The DSM may or may not cover that spectrum so I’d like my future car to also be able to serve that duty.
4) Will not necessarily be my daily driver, but will likely be the case.
5) Would like to spend less than $33k with a $45k maximum. Bang for buck a factor.
6) Car must have less than 60k miles.
7) I have plenty of time to wait. I’m a patient guy and am willing to wait a few months for a good deal, especially since I still have to put the finishing touches on the DSM!
8) I live in the boonies. No BWM, Mitsu, Subaru, Lexus, Porsche, or VW dealerships within 80 miles of me, so warranties on these brands mean very little to me.

Some of the cars I want to look at include but are not limited to:

1) Honda S2000 (used)
2) Scion FR-S
3) Mitsubishi Evo X (used)
4) Subaru WRX STI hatch (used)
5) Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (used)
6) Ford Mustang GT500 (used)
7) Ford Mustang GT with Track Pack
8) Ford Focus ST
9) Porsche Cayman S (used – will have hard time finding one within 100 miles)

I will keep my review of the vehicles I drive in a separate post. Let me know what you think, and take a guess at which car I’m favoring so far!

[IPD]

$5 says it's the focus ST. that car is so much win.

[BigTyla]

2011 Subaru WRX STI – the first car I drove. Felt more mature on the inside than it did on the outside. Could really get used to the sound of the boxer motor. Shifted very well and handling was good. Suspension tight but not too rough. Definitely good enough for daily driver status. The car I tested was not a hatchback, and I would prefer the hatchback body style. Wasn’t a fan of the big wing on the back. Felt like the one on the Evo fit the car better in terms of looks. Interior was decent but not mindblowing.

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X – drove this immediately after the STI. Wasn’t a very fair comparison because this Evo had a Cobb tune, intake, exhaust, and probably a couple of other light mods done. Easily the fastest car I drove all day. Very responsive throttle. Really like the seats. Didn’t hug me too tight and were supportive enough for long trips. Recaro did a great job on them. Handling felt superior to the STI, including the steering. Shifting was comparable to the STI. Like the STI, I would classify the interior in the Evo as sufficient. Definitely nothing to write home about. Liked the looks of the Evo a lot more than the STI. My only complaint was the exhaust on the Evo. I don’t recall what brand it was, but I can imagine the buzz heard in the interior getting old after awhile. It wasn’t as loud as VR4Dani’s Evo that has a testpipe, so it would be likely be livable for daily driving for me. Really can’t make a verdict on the exhaust one way or the other until I were to actually own and drive it for awhile. Overall very impressed with this car.

2013 Ford Focus ST – neat car. Really liked the interior. This one was the ST3 package with the Recaros. Seats felt about the same as in the Evo. Steering wheel had an excellent design; the best feeling wheel of all the cars I drove except for the FR-S. Very responsive steering, decent power but obviously nowhere near the Evo or STI. Shifting felt good but the gates were extremely close and I often found myself overshooting third. Would take getting used to as I’m used to much wider gates. Clutch would engage not even a tenth of an inch off the floor. Very surprising to me for a car like this. Reviews on torque steer mitigation from this car were correct. Ford did an excellent job with this car.

2013 Ford Mustang GT – incredible car for the price. Interior was fine. This car was a basic GT package. No Brembos or track pack. Seats were good for a non-race design, but would likely want the Recaros that come with the track pack. Car was definitely fast. Shifted well, but it felt like it really wanted a lot of input compared to the other cars where it just glided in gear. Wouldn’t hold it against this car. Stock exhaust and it still sounded great. Could really get used to that classic V8 Mustang sound. After the other three test drives though, this car felt heavy and large. Very long front end, quite wide, and less responsive handling than the other three cars. Didn’t feel nearly as engaged in this car as the others I drove.

2008 Lexus IS-F – the only car with an automatic that I tested all day. Originally went to this dealership to test an S2000 and a 335i, but they had coincidentally sold both that day. This car did not disappoint. The paddle shifting seemed more responsive than most other cars with this technology, but still lagged my input more than I would like. Car had a lot of power. Pulled almost as well as the Evo, and would have definitely been the faster of the two if not for the mods on the Evo. V8 sounded incredible. Handling was good. Braking was even better. Massive brakes on this thing that were replaced by the dealership. Interior was the nicest of all the cars. Leather was good. Wife would enjoy driving this car and would like this one the most due to the auto trans. Hefty price tag for a 2008 model though.

2013 Scion FR-S – really wanted to give this car a chance. Heard a lot of reviews about lack of power and phenomenal handling and wanted to see for myself. Went to this dealer to test a manual model but they said it had not yet arrived. Should get it in next week. Had a barely used model with an auto and offered me a test drive, so I gave it a go. The salesman I was working with was probably the best I had dealt with all day. He took me through some nice backroads with varying pavement qualities to really get a feel for the car and that was greatly appreciated. This car is, in a word, brilliant. Handling is out of this world. Responsive steering. Suspension is surprisingly soft for a car that handles this well. Steering wheel felt amazing. Seats were very supportive and comfortable. Engine was raspy but quiet until you really got high into the powerband. Despite scathing reviews on its lack of power, I found the acceleration in the car to be adequate. Definitely the slowest of all the cars I tested, but forgivable for a brand new car at $25k with everything else in the car being absolutely brilliant. Honestly have nothing to complain about for this car. Toyobaru hit this one out of the park.

[J-Groove]

Sounds like a fun list of cars to test drive.

Also check out the Mustang BOSS 302 Leguna Seca Edition.

I would recommend checking out the Sky Redline / Solstice GXP

-John

[IPD]

oh yeah. solstice hardtop is dead sexy too.

[AdamVR4]

2013 Scion FR-S – really wanted to give this car a chance. Heard a lot of reviews about lack of power and phenomenal handling and wanted to see for myself. Went to this dealer to test a manual model but they said it had not yet arrived. Should get it in next week. Had a barely used model with an auto and offered me a test drive, so I gave it a go. The salesman I was working with was probably the best I had dealt with all day. He took me through some nice backroads with varying pavement qualities to really get a feel for the car and that was greatly appreciated. This car is, in a word, brilliant. Handling is out of this world. Responsive steering. Suspension is surprisingly soft for a car that handles this well. Steering wheel felt amazing. Seats were very supportive and comfortable. Engine was raspy but quiet until you really got high into the powerband. Despite scathing reviews on its lack of power, I found the acceleration in the car to be adequate. Definitely the slowest of all the cars I tested, but forgivable for a brand new car at $25k with everything else in the car being absolutely brilliant. Honestly have nothing to complain about for this car. Toyobaru hit this one out of the park.

We've got ~50 miles on ours (asphalt grey, 6 spd MT, Bespoke, 3M bra). Ordered an OEM arm rest for it yesterday (~$180, to replace the aftermarket one I already have, haha)... We will replace the boy-racer door sills this weekend.

[BigTyla]

Sounds like a fun list of cars to test drive.

Also check out the Mustang BOSS 302 Leguna Seca Edition.

I would recommend checking out the Sky Redline / Solstice GXP

-John

I had honestly not even thought of the Sky/Solstice. Might have to put that one on the radar. No GXPs or Redlines within 75 miles though.

As for the Boss, I'd probably test the regular version. The Leguna Seca doesn't give as good a bang for the buck IMO, and I'd be hard-pressed to find one close too.

[BigTyla]

We've got ~50 miles on ours (asphalt grey, 6 spd MT, Bespoke, 3M bra). Ordered an OEM arm rest for it yesterday (~$180, to replace the aftermarket one I already have, haha)... We will replace the boy-racer door sills this weekend.

Coincidentally the one coming into the dealership next week is exactly the same. Is this an omen?

How do you like it so far?

[AdamVR4]

Coincidentally the one coming into the dealership next week is exactly the same. Is this an omen?

How do you like it so far?

It's a little boring keeping it under 4000 rpm's during the 1000 mile break-in, but it's beautiful and comfortable. The only thing I wish it had is radio controls on the steering wheel because the touch-screen bespoke is a little bit of a PITA while the car is moving. If they ever make that a factory option I'll upgrade.

I believe the high pressure fuel pump is ticking, which is very common... So now there are 2 sewing machines in the garage. We'll put some miles on it in the country this weekend

[BigTyla]

It's a little boring keeping it under 4000 rpm's during the 1000 mile break-in, but it's beautiful and comfortable. The only thing I wish it had is radio controls on the steering wheel because the touch-screen bespoke is a little bit of a PITA while the car is moving. If they ever make that a factory option I'll upgrade.

I believe the high pressure fuel pump is ticking, which is very common... So now there are 2 sewing machines in the garage. We'll put some miles on it in the country this weekend

I can imagine the break-in period being an issue. Hard to keep a high-revving car like this under 4k, especially when that's the sweet spot.