The Cars I Didn't Buy
I had it all figured out. I would trade in the Grand Marquis I had inherited from my father’s estate on a new MINI Cooper S. Though a fine vehicle, the Marquis was a soft-riding Yankee large barge of the type my father really loved and I, well, not to put too fine a point on it, don’t particularly care for. Nice car, but not me.
The MINI, on the other hand, held the promise of CRX-like agility with way-better-than-CRX acceleration. I’d been to the MINI website and used the “configurator” function and had it all spec’d out into a proper bit of kit. It would be British Racing Green, of course: the only proper colour for such an endeavour, eh, old chap? Jeeves, fetch my hounds and paddock boots straight away; the fox hunt awaits!
As they say, men make plans and God laughs at them.
The journey began innocuously enough. We went to the 2007 Cleveland Auto Show to look at potential replacements for my wife’s ailing minivan, but we wandered past the MINI display so I could show them all what I was getting. “I don’t know,” my wife said, “It looks too small for the kids in the back.”
“They’ll fit.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Here, I'll show you.” I put my oldest son in the back, behind the driver’s seat, then got in the front and adjusted the seat and the tilt wheel so everything fit perfectly. I had one hand on the shifter and the other on the wheel; I could picture myself flinging the MINI down the windy back roads. I was all set to crow “See! I told you so!” when I became aware of faint, desperate pleading coming from somewhere behind me.
“Can I get out now?”
I looked in the back. My son was wedged in behind me, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He was in eighth grade at this point, and not finished growing. (Two and a half years later, he’s still not finished growing.) The MINI’s back seat, on the other hand, was not going to get any bigger.
It was at this point that I realized I was not getting a MINI. The realities of family-hauling logistics dictated that I would have to go up at least one size increment.
I spent most of the rest of the day looking for cars that promised the driving dynamics I wanted, at the price I was willing to pay, and which would fit my son in the back behind the driver with room to grow. Several cars that would have been highly desirable (Mustang, Tiburon, Eclipse) flunked the kid-has-to-fit-in-the-back-seat test; the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution would have made the cut if I hadn't looked at the window sticker.
At the end of the day, I had a short list of four to look at: the Volkswagen GTI, the Subaru Impreza WRX, the Mazdaspeed 3, and the Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged. According to the buff books, they all had 0-60 times between 5.9 and 6.3 seconds, skidpad numbers in the 0.80-0.85g range, excellent ABS brakes, and the kind of driving dynamics I wanted. My senses are not so finely tuned that I’ll ever really notice a four tenths of a second difference in acceleration, or 0.05g in cornering. It was all going to come down to which car would have the best fit, subjectively speaking.
Cobalt: The Chevy was the first car I test drove, and I'd sort of surprised myself by even considering it. The Cobalt is bolted together at Lordstown--the same plant that will forever bear the shame of inflicting the infamous ‘78 Monza on an unsuspecting world--and so when I went to the Chevy dealership to look at it there was an elephant in the room with the phrases "build quality" and "reliability" stenciled on its hide. The Cobalts I’d seen in the flesh seemed to have all the parts screwed in correctly, and J.D. Power and all will tell you that GM has improved its quality control from the nadir it had reached in the dark days of disco--but, speaking subjectively, that wasn’t quite enough to overcome the negative brand equity. On the other hand, it was the cheapest and nicest looking of the four, so I was willing to give it a sporting chance to win me over.
My Cobalt test drive covered about three or four miles of city streets in early-evening traffic. I didn’t get to explore the outer edges of the performance envelope, but the parts I did get to experience weren‘t bad. The ergonomics of the driving position were good; the steering was better than I’d expected; the car had no obvious vices. I resolved to withhold final judgment until I’d sampled the other three, but the first impression was a favorable one.
About a week later, I learned that we would be carpooling with another family that fall, and it would be my job to drop the teenagers off at the high school in the mornings. That more or less made four doors a requirement. In 2007 the SS Supercharged came only in a two-door model. (Chevy did eventually offer a four-door SS.) One could have, I suppose, swapped an SS Supercharged drive train and suspension into a four-door body, but that sort of warranty-voiding mad science was well beyond my pocketbook. So much for the Cobalt.
WRX: I tested an ‘07 Impreza WRX sedan, and then went back for a second test drive of a wagon. The route the salesman took me on included a nice squiggly stretch of road in a recreational area where I was encouraged to “drive it like you own it.” I did.
The WRX’s driving dynamics were superb. It had sprightly acceleration with no detectable turbo lag; it sailed through the corners with confidence. The ergonomics of the cockpit were up to Subaru's usual high standards. I had fond memories of our '90 Legacy, and I knew the "Rex" would be good in snow and bad weather.
The sedan I drove the first time was painted a dignified below-the-radar color called Urban Gray. The sleeper vibe of the gray sedan was somewhat canceled out by the fully functional intercooler hood scoop and the big wing on the decklid; a more extroverted "boy racer" look than I would prefer. Also, it had the highest MSRP of the four. Still, I liked it.
Mazdaspeed 3: On this test drive, I was accompanied by the Missus and our youngest son Alex. The very enthusiastic salesman drove it for a few miles so he could "show you what Mazda's 'Wild Child' can do" before letting me take over. I suspect it was really because he enjoyed playing with the 'Speed 3. Can't say I blame him.
We got on the local freeway, blasting around the inner loop of a cloverleaf at an honest 70 MPH. The salesman wound it up near triple digits on a straight and then announced he was going to execute a "simulated emergency lane change." A flick of the steering wheel, and the Mazda was in the other lane almost before your senses could register the shift in direction. I looked into the back seat. My wife had a death grip on the passenger assist handle, and was quietly preparing to meet her maker. Alex had a big smile and wide eyes and said, "Dad, you gotta get this car! This is awesome!"
It was--awesome, that is. Where the WRX and the GTI were refined, the Mazda was more into brute force. The 'Speed 3 accelerated like a thing possessed and cornered by clubbing the laws of physics into submission. That aggression was mirrored in the fender flares and the front end treatment, which projected an air of not-to-be-messed-with. Overstated, extroverted, and buckets of fun to drive.
Mazdaspeed 6: While it wasn't on my list, I did have a chance to sample a 'Speed 6, the fire-breathing version of the Mazda 6 sedan. It was a bigger car than the others, and you could feel that weight in spirited maneuvering, but it drove wonderfully. It was also several thousand more than I wanted to spend.
The Decision: After sampling the GTI, the Rex, and the 'Speed 3, choosing between them proved harder than I expected it to be. I suggested to my wife that maybe we could get one of each. She gave me a stare so icy that it would've frozen an active volcano.
I didn't really think she'd go for it, but you can't fault a guy for trying.
All three cars had four doors and seated five. The back seat of the 'Speed 3 was maybe a little snug for me, but I fit comfortably into the Rex, and the VW has about an inch more fore-and-aft space than the Subie. If I had to justify the selection on purely objective criteria, that would be it.
It really came down to personality. I've always been attracted to the concept of the sleeper, the car that nobody notices until after it blows by them. The 'Speed 3 is the anti-sleeper; it demands to be noticed. The '07 Rex isn't as extroverted as the 'Speed 3--few things in this price range are!--but the hood scoop and the wing still give it more of a boy racer/tuner car vibe than I would like. (The current generation WRX is much closer to the 'Speed 3 in styling.) The GTI is more understated, especially when painted gray like mine, and from most angles is indistinguishable from a base-model Rabbit. That makes it a better fit to my personality, at least at this stage of my life.
I probably would have been nearly as happy with the Mazda or the Subie as I am with the GTI--and there have been a couple of snowy days when I've started to have second thoughts about not getting the Subaru. While I think I made the right choice for me. I can't really say a bad word about the other two finalists.
I generated the MINI illustration using the "configurator" function on MINI's website; That Car Guy shot the picture of the Cobalt SS; the black WRX came from Flickr user Robert Himler; the 'Speed 3 came from Flickr user abun.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
George on December 15, 2009 at 04:28 AM
Did you ever try the Sentra SE-R?
epilonious on December 15, 2009 at 05:59 AM
Great write up and I understand how you came to your decision, but I'm still heartbroken that you chose a car from _that_ company.
For the love of God I just cannot support Volkswagen. I had one of the bad "new" (MKIV) Golf's that I inherited that just started crapping Expensive-German-Parts right after the warranty expired. Thus it cost me about $300 a month just to keep going with me constantly going "I'm sure this will be the last thing... then I can save up and fix some of the things that were wonky when I first got it" until the alarm system decided to set itself off _while I was driving it_ and start stalling the car ... then I pulled right into a Mazda dealership and said "If you can get me into something that is not that horrible car *point* I'm taking it home" and left in a new 2004 Mazda3 5-door gleeful and philosophizing whether anyone got screwed.
The whole affair has set me against VW forever: I will forever see them as little addicts who's expensive-German-part habit gets real nasty right after the warranty passes. The fact that VeeDubs have a fan-club that rivals Honda in terms of zeal and reality distortion didn't help.
I eventually mellowed some but am still convinced of the following things:
1. The MKIV's were particularly bad. About 1 in 5 of them was just a complete piece and the other 4 were merely reasonable. I was happy to see a lot of the people _swearing_ I was crazy and professing their love for their 2002 GTI suddenly say that it went crazy, kept needing $2000 worth of work, broke their heart, and that they had to get rid of it.
2. VW-USA is a horrible, horrible company. They are basically the epitome of irresponsible and unaccountable. They refuse to acknowledge problems, stamp "driver's fault" on as many warranty claims as possible, and treat dealers just as bad as customers.
3. The best thing about VW is their ad-agency.
That all being said... I'm interested to hear how your GTI holds up. It's been 5 years and two MKs since my (awful) experience so there is actually a good chance that VW bolted things down better and the 2.0 TFSI and plush interior will hold together and continue to impress for decades.
clarke on December 15, 2009 at 07:56 AM
did you try the MINI Clubman? AFAIK the Clubman is the same size from the drivers seat forward, but is +8 inches more in the back.
Anthony Cagle on December 15, 2009 at 08:15 AM
I've heard the Cobalt is actually a really good car, especially for tuner-boys. I've been kind of crushing on the Evo and WRX lately. . .used, of course. Like you, the ricer styling kinda turns me off, but I can totally see me racing along back roads pretending I'm in the Paris-to-Dakar rally. . . .yeah, that's it. . . . .
Shawn on December 15, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Cookie, regarding the Subaru's in your search: did a salesman think to tell you about the WRX Limited? They were sold in 2007 and came with tonier interior trim and sans rear wing. May have met your maturity needs a bit more. Today they're pretty desirable, especially among older WRX fans. Also, and now biased-speaking as I own one, did you consider the Forester XT? It's even more stealthy, has the same or better speed of the WRX due to lower gearing, and is cheaper to insure. Also, I normally love red in interiors but that Cobalt interior screams "dayglo", not "sporty".
To epilonious: I owned 2 mk. IV GTI's in the past. The first was built in Germany and had problems from day 1. The second was built in Brazil and was much more stout and reliable. I think their build location made a difference as far as how tightly they were screwed together, at least at the time. And at least none came from Mexico, like the Jettas.
Rob the Audi guy on December 15, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Hey Cookie; I don't think you test drove a WRX. WRXs do not have the huge spoiler, or AS big of an intercooler scoop. I think you drove a WRX STi, because that is what you pictured. STis have a huge rally inspired wing, taller hoodscoop, and instead of foglights, they have a panel that says STi. I have NOT heard of WRX's coming standard with huge wings.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on December 15, 2009 at 05:34 PM
To answer some of the comments:
-- The Sentra SE was never on my radar.
-- IIRC, the Clubman didn't come out until a year later, so it wasn't an option when I was in the market.
-- epilonious, to answer your query about the GTI, I finished out the 50,000 mile warranty period with absolutely no problems. At 53,000 and change, the high-pressure fuel pump failed. Even though it was out of warranty, VW-USA picked up half the repair cost as a goodwill gesture. If that's the only major engineering casualty I ever have, I won't complain too loud--other than that, it's just been scheduled maintenance and normal consumables (filters, one set of brake pads, new tires, and so forth). The car is still as solid as the day it got on the boat. After your Mk IV experience, I can understand your VW aversion, but so far I'm doing OK.
-- Rob, the Subies I tested weren't the STI, which was out of my price range. I tried a plain old WRX sedan and a wagon. The sedan's wing wasn't as big as the STI's, but it was still more prominent than I would have liked.
...m... on December 15, 2009 at 06:18 PM
...that mini looks *gorgeous* in green with a black roof - i've never seen that livery on one in real life...
...m... on December 15, 2009 at 06:22 PM
...my turbobeetle ran about two to three thousand dollars per year in maintenance throughout its lifetime; the fact that my fussy little hand-built british exotic has a lower cost of ownership i think speaks volumes...
Patrick OLeary on December 16, 2009 at 04:41 AM
For the life of me, I've read through this three times, and see detailed descriptions of every car you tested *except* the GTI, the car you actually bought. Am I missing something?
Patrick OLeary on December 16, 2009 at 04:44 AM
Okay, I just read the title again, so that helps. And I see the link behind the mention of the Vee Dub is to an article you wrote about the actual car. Should have had my coffee first. Move along.
SomeOtherSteve on December 17, 2009 at 06:42 AM
Alas, the poor Mazdaspeed6 receives only the slightest of mentions, and much less than the Cobalt to boot. I went to the Washington Auto Show in late 2006 and took a close look at the Mazda6 lineup. I really liked the hatchback a lot. I tried to find a 4 cylinder hatch with a manual, but they were not easily found, On the other hand, I could find a Mazdaspeed6 with a hefty rebate for only a small amount more than the 4 cylinder Mazda6. I couldn't resist. I don't drive it nearly to its capabilities, but I certainly enjoy driving it. My wife liked the car, too. Seven months after we got the Mazdaspeed6, she put herself into a Mazda6 wagon.
Lee on December 18, 2009 at 02:36 PM
Had a similiar experience and ended up justifying a used MINI Copper S by saving about 14 MPG when compared to my Yukon XL and driving 60 miles per day with $4.00 per gallon gas. Paid for my car payment by the gas savings until gas dropped back down to sensible levels. Now it's mine and I get to enjoy driving my go cart back and forth to work.
Billman on December 18, 2009 at 02:52 PM
All for the better because the British Racing Green on the Mini is metallic, or at least it was in 2006 when I bought mine in Blue. It's sickly looking in person, more like a pine green.
Darrell on December 18, 2009 at 03:29 PM
I've heard that the Mazda 3 wants to be driven hard; indeed, it doesn't ride or handle so well if not driven hard.
I looked around a few years ago, and wound up going with an '06 Toyota Matrix. I sometimes wish it had a bit more poop, but it's done everything I've asked of it, had zero problems, gives me 30-32 mpg in the city, about 40 on the highway. I do not baby the car.
Chuck on December 18, 2009 at 03:35 PM
Well, between that car needing more "poop" and somebody "shi**ing" their door recently, I'd say this place is turning into crap LOL. (Just kidding!)
Brother J on December 18, 2009 at 04:51 PM
I've had two Volkswagens. First was a 1984 Rabbit GTI which accelerated like a rocket, handled beautifully and was more sure-footed than the BMW 320i (1977) that my Dad owned. I could take a cloverleaf at freeway speed in the GTI. The bimmer had a nasty habit of diving off to the outside of the curve. I had to sell that car after having it about 3 years when I moved to NYC where it wasn't practical or necessary to have a car. I hated to give it up though.
My second VW was a 1989 Jetta GLI with the 16 valve engine. It was also a pleasure to drive, which I did for exactly 10 years and one week.
Both cars were easy on the wallet repair wise, though as the Jetta passed the 80K mile mark, things like the radiator had to be replaced, followed by the heater core. IIRC, I also replaced the clutch at around 70K miles, but I got well past warranty before it needed any significant work.
John on December 18, 2009 at 05:07 PM
You're a wimp.
Instead of listing to your own voice, you wimped out, plain and simple.
You have no testosterone left.
Look in the mirror. See the wimp?
Sorry sad sack.
MINI OWNER
Patrick Carroll on December 18, 2009 at 10:42 PM
Thanks for the notes about how you made your choice. If Mazda survives, I might consider one of its products when my 2007 Honda Pilot meets its maker; sometime around 2020, I'd guess.
Oh, BTW, John: Please stop posting when drunk. You're getting yourself a bad rep.
Chris Long on December 19, 2009 at 10:42 AM
My story is very similar.
In 2004 I was looking to move on from my '95 VW GTI VR6 with 170K on the clock. I looked at the Lancer and WRX, thinking AWD would be a good idea in Minnesota. Thought them a bit pricey. Then I drove a Cooper S and was hooked. So much fun. I even let the pervasive marketing campaign work on me; I was going to be a member of 'the club!'
I was ready to pull the trigger and order a JCW-optioned Cooper S when I saw an ad for a used 2002 VW GTI 337 model with only 4,900 on the odo. Took one more test drive of a Cooper S, then went right to the VW store, drove the used 337 (my first time with the 1.8T), and bought the VW the same day. The GTI may not be quite as nimble as the Cooper, but it's zippy enough and is so much 'more car.' For almost $8K LESS than a new JCW Cooper S, I wound up with, essentially, a 3-door Audi A4.
My current lusts favor CPO C-Class and CTS-V, but when the time comes, I'll be a fool to not look at another GTI.
Hucbald on December 19, 2009 at 12:46 PM
I didn't buy a TR7 once. Got an X1/9 instead. Best decision I ever made concerning vehicles.
I've been driving 4-door full sized pickups for years, but am thinking of a VW Jetta Sport Wagon TDI for my next ride (I have to carry stuff, and usually hide it under a pickup's tonneau cover). Had an '89 Jetta Carat and it was a fabulous little car, and the pickup's mileage stinks. May get a light duty diesel pickup though, after I read about some real world experience with them. If a 2WD can get 30+ MPG, I'll be sold.
Given your possibilities, though, I'd be in that WRX. Then again, I'm not a family man.
kenny heggem on December 24, 2009 at 05:16 PM
I have a friend that snatched up a leather clad silver last of the line MK4 GTI 1.8t. He got a hefty discount as the brand new MK5 was shining in the show room
Yesterday he complained that it had a coil pack warranty issue.
It has over 50k and not one thing has gone wrong. The car is driven constantly commuting to his work in the south bay from his home in Piedmont, Oakland CA.
I have a 92 16 valve GTI and I would qualify the car as average in terms of reliability.
I bought the MK2 in 2000 for just over 5 grand and it had 107k miles with lots of records, care of New Dimensions since new. Looked like a new head gasket was put in as well as Neuspeed cams on the 90k mark. Also a rebuilt transmission just after that around 95k.
Maybe whoever let it go at the used car lot I purchased it from (a trade in at the nearby dealer for a 2000 Passat I was told) was selling to avoid more problems?
The worst year was this one. Fuel pump for $175, alternator for $350, Interstate battery for 100, and complete clutch including a new arm to the transmission that snapped a week after replacing it....for $700. So under $1600 was the worst of the worst in the 70k of smiles and high octane gas in over 9 years.
Otherwise it has received 2 radiators, a secondary fuel pump, motor mount, new TT exhaust and Borla muffler, a powers steering leak, and brakes since I purchased it in 2000 and over 70k ago.
Just for fun every suspension piece is new, and I had full Neuspeed sway/stress bars, KW coil overs put in for over $1500 a couple years back.
My gramma's 95 Camry has been more troublesome and expensive to repair.
Seems my made in Mexico sled was worth every penny as at least when it needs something done the issues are usually a cheap fix.