Gf's commute
 

is 75 miles roundtrip and it is getting hard to stay on top of the e39, we are at 118k miles now. There are a few new squeaks and rattles, etc. Choices (these incorporate her likes/dislikes):

1. Stay course, do nothing, keep (but now that I'm quite busy again, it's a PITA for me to take care of). Each sound/diagnosis visit means calling around indies - that I have to do - and perhaps two cars traveling together to drop off etc, etc.

2. Honda CR-Z. We test drove one. They were ridiculously overpriced when new (MSRP of $22k) but now at the used prices (low to mid-teens for a lightly used one), not bad at all.

Pros: great drive feel, excellent steering, suspension, seats, short size makes it easy to street park, awesome mileage (real world indicates 38mpg combined on regular - higher than EPA). It's a Honda! Truedelta indicates incredible, Fit-like reliability, even with the nonsense hybrid additions.

Cons: stupid TPMS system makes two sets of wheels/ very difficult (special tool and air down/up procedure required to reset - even after buying two sets of sensors otherwise linked to VSA :rolleyes:). TWO SEATER, this is kind of a big deal. Also SLOW-ish (might not be as big a deal for her).

3. MCS? The base coop is much more in line with the crz in terms of positioning but I remember its engine as unpleasant/thrashy, perhaps a retest is in order. MCS only seems to get around 30-32mpg on premium in the real world, so the fuel cost difference between it and the Honda could end up significant after a few years (at 18k miles/year). That is on top of the higher price of entry.

Pros: more of a real car, faster, better brakes, BACKSEAT!
Cons: price, worse ride, RFT's/no-spare, more MINI/bmw repair headaches/fuss, do not look good at all in Truedelta reliability surveys

Cars she thought of: Veloster, 500, perhaps Abarth... Fiat was quickly ruled out. We don't need a cute car for 6000 or even 10000 miles/year. We need a workhorse for 18000 miles/year and it needs to be dead reliable. Fit's would be of interest but again a bit slow, not that sporty and insanely expensive on the used market.

Mazda3?

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/...pnbnve0jpg.jpg


Isn't FC getting rid of an MCS?

As far as the two wheel thing goes, does it really matter if she just lives on winter tires in that car?

Oh, manual & hatchback form factor are requirements. Fiesta could have been an option, but there are ZERO used hatchback & manual fiestas in our 100 mile radius.

I'm not sure I'd really put an MCS in the "dead reliable" category.

But what about a Jetta/Golf TDi? That would certainly play well on the fuel economy front.

I'd buy a Fit long before I bought a CR-Z. Seems much more useful, more fun, and nearly as efficient. There's a reason those CR-Zs aren't selling.

Mazda3 is a good choice.

Fiesta? The 1.0T is kind of a kooky idea but has more torque than the base engine and the platform is supposed to be great fun to drive.

I just got annoyed, I thought Honda wouldn't make life so difficult. To put it more clearly, you need two sets of TPMS sensors. Fine, however, the car doesn't recognize them when you change from one set to another and push reset (like most cars) but you need to actually enter write down sensor id/codes and enter manually through some $200 device. Then air down/up to reactivate. If you ignore and want to live with the light on on your dash, then you cannot turn off VSA. In the winter. :rolleyes:

More likely, she would keep all-seasons on at all times. She has had dedicated winter tires for years now (both on the Civic Si and the 528i) so it's peace of mind for both of us. Another option is that she would mount and remount twice a year, probably what we'll end up doing.

That's the problem with MCS's. They are ok for milder use, but we really need a lot of trouble-free miles out of this car. She doesn't like how Jetta's look, no go on that. Golf TDI's are quite expensive used, just like the Fit. Those two cars you have to buy new.

If you haven't driven a CR-Z, don't rush to judge. It is definitely more fun to drive than a Fit, we both thought that. It certainly gives up convenience and resale, but those might be ok if it's baked into purchase price (they are much cheaper than Fit's used). They don't sell at $22k but at $14-15k slightly used it's a different proposition. Why would you think a Fit is more fun to drive?

Mazda3 is not a bad idea, I was thinking of them all along, I'm not sure why they dropped out of the running.

The Mazda3 2.5 is rated 20/28 by the EPA. Even if it beats that, that's piss poor, hardly better than the 'ole 528i. Just the regular over premium advantage. The 2.0 is more acceptable but still not great at 25/33. The better Mazda's seem to be 2013 with the DI engine showing 38mpg highway.

Re: FC's car (wasn't that JST's earlier?)... I'd guess it's way out of warranty at this point. Also the 2007+ MCS seems to get better with time, earlier cars are showing a lot of engine/timing issues.