yes, you can make a Civic fun to drive

you sell it, and use the proceeds to buy a nice sports car

get yourself a Mercedes or a BMW or an Audi thats fun to drive and your problem is solved

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
yes, you can make a Civic fun to drive

you sell it, and use the proceeds to buy a nice sports car

get yourself a Mercedes or a BMW or an Audi thats fun to drive and your problem is solved

If he does that he’ll be buying himself a money pit and headaches galore.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Any car, even a Civic, can be fun once if you attach a JATO rocket to it

off topic but jato story.

They Call Me Mister 500
In the mid 1990s, I posted excerpts on alt.folklore.urban from Andy Granatelli's book, 'They Call Me Mister 500' in which he described attaching jato units to a race car and testing it late at night on highways near Chicago. Later, they toured short track racing venues and would use the jato units to wildly accelerate the car for the amusement of the fans watching from the stands. So yes, if Andy Granatelli is to be believed, attaching jato units to a car and setting them off has been done with some scary moments, but without fatality.

Before you buy, try out a Volkswagen Golf GTI. Sporty, fun to drive, and you can get it with a manual gearbox. I'm 6'2" and 225 and I loved driving it. If I needed a fuel efficient, fun to drive, daily driver, the GTI would be it.

under 20k, 4 doors an a manual.


Mazda 3

I would also say look at the Mazda 3. Just bought a certified '18 in early July with 3k miles. If you get the '18 Touring or Grand Touring, it comes with the 2.5 NA engine which is pretty peppy. Mines 6speed and I'm loving it, though it's my first manual, so I'm a noob. The '19 I think they changed the trim levels so idk what they call them now. Mine ended up being 23,900 out the door. I was looking at the civic and GTI as well. I think all 3 would be great in their own respect, just felt all around the Mazda 3 made the most sense for me. You could get into a basic 3 or civic under 20, but GTI will be a little harder obviously. I thought the BRZ/FR-S/86 was a bit more money, but maybe you can get one under 20. They definitely seem like cool cars. Here's my buying thread from a month ago.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...935/m/2810034854/p/1

quote:

Originally posted by rbert0005:
The last few years of Acura can run on mid grade gas.

Bob

Good to know, thanks. Might me a new ILX in our future, though with the 8 speed dual clutch transmission.

I think you can get a brand new Ford Fiesta ST (ST not the ST-Line) for under $20k with 6 speed manual, 197hp, 200lbft of torque and by all accounts, it's a hoot to drive. Most testers say it's more fun than the Ford Focus ST. I bought a new 2017 Focus ST 3 last year and it's a really fun car.

Honda Civic's have a very active performance community and are one of the best platform's to build a great handling and practical car. You can opt for one of the factory versions (SI) or build your own. You won't get even close to the cost to purchase or maintain one of the German alternatives. Check out some of the Civic and Honda forums.

I love "pocket rockets" and the Civic is one of the best on the market right now.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo w/6 speed manual. 208HP, fun to drive.

Ride a bicycle to work for a couple weeks then the civic will seem much more fun.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
I think you can get a brand new Ford Fiesta ST (ST not the ST-Line) for under $20k with 6 speed manual, 197hp, 200lbft of torque and by all accounts, it's a hoot to drive. Most testers say it's more fun than the Ford Focus ST. I bought a new 2017 Focus ST 3 last year and it's a really fun car.

Forgot about the Fiesta ST (FiST), this would be a fun choice if backseats aren't really used. I'd probably have gone Fieata ST if I didn't have kids.

What about a 5-6 year old Lexus IS 350? I think they are all automatic. You can get one that is a about 5 years old with around 50,000 miles for around $20,000. 0-60 is around 5.5 seconds. If you want newer and less miles you could check out the IS 250.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
yes, you can make a Civic fun to drive

you sell it, and use the proceeds to buy a nice sports car

get yourself a Mercedes or a BMW or an Audi thats fun to drive and your problem is solved

If he does that he’ll be buying himself a money pit and headaches galore.

I disagree.
My A4 was not a single bit of a headache or a money pit.

Buy a slightly used Audi A4 with the turbo and Quattro add a set of coil overs and you will have a car that is a blast to drive.
Routine maintenance and she’ll run a long time with no major issues.
You can buy from CarMax and have it shipped from the south for no rust and their extended warranties are hard to beat.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
yes, you can make a Civic fun to drive

you sell it, and use the proceeds to buy a nice sports car

get yourself a Mercedes or a BMW or an Audi thats fun to drive and your problem is solved

If he does that he’ll be buying himself a money pit and headaches galore.

I disagree.
My A4 was not a single bit of a headache or a money pit.

Buy a slightly used Audi A4 with the turbo and Quattro add a set of coil overs and you will have a car that is a blast to drive.
Routine maintenance and she’ll run a long time with no major issues.
You can buy from CarMax and have it shipped from the south for no rust and their extended warranties are hard to beat.

I had an A6 about 10 years ago and it was the biggest POS I’ve owned. To each their own.

My 15 CPO Mercedes C300 was around 27k OTD.
Bought last year with 16k mileage, so still practically new-ish. Trouble free apart from a few warranty covered items.

Granted, it's definitely a bit more expensive for routine maintenance than my prior Acuras & Hondas.

quote:

Originally posted by SigSauerP226:
Forgot about the Fiesta ST (FiST), this would be a fun choice if backseats aren't really used. I'd probably have gone Fieata ST if I didn't have kids.

It is an absolute hoot. Every day, all day. It's not fastest car I've owned, nor the quickest, nor most luxurious.

But what it is, is the most fun car I've driven. Every trip is fun. Mine's a 2016 model.

The back seats are useable. Our 14 year old rides back there, just fine.

19,580 out the door. 2620 lbs. curb weight and 197 HP under the hood and only available with a 6 speed manual. BTW, 39 mpg at 75 mph and 32 mpg in town when you are light on the pedal. Note, the Civic R is faster but not real sure if it can equal the handling of the lighter Fiesta and it won't yield the fuel mileage or utility.

Ford Fiesta ST, Best Bang for the Buck in a performance car in the World

quote:

Originally posted by VictimNoMore:

quote:

Originally posted by SigSauerP226:
Forgot about the Fiesta ST (FiST), this would be a fun choice if backseats aren't really used. I'd probably have gone Fieata ST if I didn't have kids.

It is an absolute hoot. Every day, all day. It's not fastest car I've owned, nor the quickest, nor most luxurious.

But what it is, is the most fun car I've driven. Every trip is fun. Mine's a 2016 model.

The back seats are useable. Our 14 year old rides back there, just fine.

Does your teen sit behind the passenger? Those seats looked real tight to me, but I didn't climb back there.