Vehicular annoyance
 

It's no secret I've been stuck in the "what next?" phase for a while. I've kind of mulled over a bunch of options but I'm getting close to needing to do something....

A couple years ago I replaced the clutch in the Mazdaspeed. It had 168,000 miles at the time (close to 200k now) and it had been slipping in the higher gears for a long time. I probably should have put a new stock clutch in it, but the stock clutch wasn't capable of holding the power and I didn't want to deal with babying it. Well, bad decision. The clutch I put in, a Clutch Masters brand, is failing. When the clutch gets hot it won't disengage fully. I believe they made a bad batch of pressure plates where the spring fingers don't have the right heat treatment, and they lose their springiness. A couple of online posts I've found suggest I'm not the only one with this problem. It's been getting progressively worse and when I got home from work yesterday the clutch wouldn't fully disengage. The car is probably worth three or four grand with a good clutch. I can't in good conscience sell it to someone without telling them about the issue. So I think I need to replace it. But I'm thinking once it's fixed... should I sell it, and the Boxster, and get one vehicle to replace two? It would save money on insurance, and allow us to have garage spots for all of our cars (the Mazda lives outside currently).

The car is an awesome winter beater (LSD, ground clearance and snow tires). It has a lot of utility. It's generally been very trouble-free. It's comfortable. It's fairly cheap to insure. It's quick enough to be interesting, and it handles well enough to be interesting. Visibility out of it is really good. And if someone dings it in a parking lot, NBD. Mechanically it's top notch (except the clutch).

The minuses are it's old, it's loud, the tech is very dated on it (no Bluetooth), the mileage is abysmal. Did I mention it needs a clutch? :lol:

So let's say I sell both cars and I've got $35k to work with. Maybe a little more. What to get?

* Model 3 is interesting for a daily driver (yes, honestly) but too expensive, even used. How cheap is it possible to score one of these, used?
* Civic Si or Type R? I find them to be hideous, and honestly I think I'd be embarrassed to be seen in one. But I'm told they're amazing to drive. Type R Kinda blows the budget, Si is both ugly and bland?
* GTI? I worry about reliability. I'd probably get a DSG only because the stock clutches on the manual trans cars are known to slip :lol:
* BMW - nothing remotely interesting except an E90 M3, and .. no.
* Subaru - no.
* Mazda - Unfortunately they don't make anything interesting that isn't a Miata.
* Camaro? Kind of intriguing, but not sure I can tolerate the view out for a daily driver. I don't love the interior, either. But ... V8 and manual and RWD? :D

What am I missing?

I’d suggest considering a 2 year old A4, you get the new body style and it is a great car. It is fun, has a great engine and very comfortable.

The only A4 that I found remotely engaging is the S4 and I think that's outside the price range. The basic A4 2.0T is pretty bland.

GTI is probably your best bet. A four-door with hatch, would be plenty practical.

But, why would another Mazda 3 not be the answer?

Also, as an aside, what do you think of your wife's CX-5?

:+1

I've settled on the idea that for reasonable money, if you are a car person in search of a new(ish) car, the answers are GTI or Miata.

Nothing is perfect, but I think those are closest.

I mean, if you’re actually going to drive it regularly, a low option Model 3 would save a lot in gas money. But it would also be boring.

Given that you’re going to replace the clutch anyway, it kind of seems like all answers point to keeping the Mazda as a beater, though.

Civic Type R, and remove the rear wing.

Does that actually make it any better? I think you’re better off just owning it.

I'd second the GTI, with the Perf Pack you get an LSD and the R's brakes. I can confirm it has great winter traction... Our GTI clutch has never slipped (we are right at 4yrs/40k) with APR low tune all along (290ish hp) but Cara doesn't drive it too hard.

That said you have annoyances, love/hate with BMW, VAG, etc. So I'm not sure what to recommend. You know all of this stuff anyway.

If you are nearing 200k on the Mazda3, sounds like it's done its job, time for something new. No reason to keep squeezing it as a daily perpetually. Let some kid enjoy it (or wrap it around a tree).

The negatives are the front is quite ugly, the interior will take getting used to (if ever) and they are very common (becoming more so by the minute).

However, a reasonably well set-up (I'm not talking for the track), electric RWD car is going to drive pretty damned well. Certainly not boring to drive, but maybe Nick meant boring to own, the new Camry/3-series if you will. In that he is right...