Looking for a new car - help me choose

Hey TW,

I just switched jobs and my commute is much longer than before. I want to keep the mileage low on my Taco, so I'm looking for a new commuter vehicle.

I want it to be AWD, manual transmission, and decent on gas. I would prefer a new vehicle, rather than used. What should I get and why?

This is what comes to my mind first:

 

My personal preference is NOT Subaru. Their AWD system requires all four tires match in circumference. If you ruin a tire, that can mean 4 new ones. Some shops will turn a tire down to match the others, but I'd prefer not to do that.

 

Fuck Subaru …… that will be all

 

Manual transmission, AWD, decent on gas.
Ford Focus RS, its got either the 2.0 or 2.3 ecoboost engine, a 6 speed manual transmission, super fun to drive in the city. Heck threw some semi aggressive tires on and a one inch spacer kit and it could be fun on some light trails as well.

As a Ford dealer tech I would take a Focus RS over a Mustang 5.0 manual transmission most any day.

 

• A new car cost at least $20,000.
• Your Tacoma gets what MPG?
• Additional car insurance?

The economy of buying a new car to save $20/ week in gas is terrible. Even at $100/ week it would take you about 4 years to make it just break even. Drive the truck for another 6 months on the commute and decide if the economy is worthwhile. ​

 

Golf R. Comfort beats focus RS. They still make them new, they're AWD manual hatchback. Quick and fun but not full sports car. Consider the benefits of VW warranty which is pretty good. There are horror stories about focus RS if your not careful. Yes every car has its flaws but the Focus RS has a lot of horror stories considering you probably wont get any kind of warranty with it.

 

Not knocking VW's I have heard the interior start breaking down after a few years. Not saying Ford is perfect by any means, they did mix up the headgaskets between the Mustang and Focus RS engines for a few months.

 

And Toyota still hasn’t figured out how to get a frame to last more than 6 years without aftermarket coatings…

 

I had a 17 jetta that got totaled by someone. this was 6 months ago. That was old generation(non updated interior) only thing that was "breaking down" was a slight fade on the dash, clear previous owner didnt know what sun shades are. But there are flaws everywhere. A perfect car would be a million dollars.

 

And this perfect car would totally be worth a million dollars.

 

Focus’s are junk. RS is decent and the only saving grace is the manual tranny because of how many problems the focuses have with the auto.

VW isn’t a bad choice. Can be expensive for repairs and some older VW’s have electrical issues not sure how the newer ones are.

Subaru isn’t bad, I’d probably go with a Subaru if I wanted a cheaper car with awd. Not a cross trek though. Every manufacturer has customers that had some problems or a lemon. So a person or two here with a bad story shouldn’t scare you off. Lots of Tacoma horror stories here if you dig around.

 

The RAV4 does not have a frame. Don't know how that holds up back east. No stick shift, tho.

 

You could get a Ridgeline, it won't be a manual and it will cost more than a Crosstrek. The Honda would ride better, and there's plenty of open storage.

 

Story time kids!

I too was looking at a commuter to save some money on gas as I drive around 1400 miles a week.

I was about to pull the trigger on financing for a golf R (white with a manual transmission @$46k) and the conclusion above hit me like a ton of bricks. You won’t be saving money for years down there road. It’s simply not worth it….especially in the current market.

anyway, these are wise words. Still have just the truck and have no complaints

 

I’d recommend a Golf R too. Just traded mine in on my Taco. Had it for 4 years… from deep snow to summer pavement… it never missed a beat.

I positively hate VW on every level possible but the driveability and performance of the Golf R is Audi/Porsche like.

mileage on fuel isn’t great… but really isn’t bad. I did a lot of highway driving and saw an average of 9.1/L per 100k.

my taco sees on a great tank 12.5L/100K.

I have had Subaru Outback’s and would happily take the Golf R every time. Unless you are hauling gear everywhere.

300HP and decent fuel economy. Yes please.

But it won’t go off-road unless by accident.

Also the driver safety features are excellent and I miss them.

 

All good points. In my case, it would take me over 10 years to recoup the costs, assuming gas prices stay the same. But, I do tend to drive my vehicles for a long time, so keeping it for more than 10 years is fine with me. This new commuter vehicle would enable me to keep my modded Taco for longer time, and this is my biggest motivation.

Will a Ford or VW last that kind of timeframe?

Honda will, and I would definitely consider a Ridgeline, but I won't buy an automatic if a stick is available elsewhere.

 

the golf R seemed like the most fun and options for the cost. However, I couldn’t find one with high mileage. Even older ones. I’m sure they are out there, but nothing like what you find on Tacoma’s.

If you are gonna do it, golf R would be my vote as well. They are NICE

 

Lots of car manufacturers last ten years. I am under the impression that most cars will give you… dare I say 200,000 miles with regular maintenance as is scheduled in the owner’s manual?!! Ha ha ha I say that because I see tons of cars used on Craigslist and Facebook market place 8-15 years old with 185,000-300,000 miles now I haven’t personally gone and check compression or for engine noise or even transmissions slipping BUT I see so many of them that leads me to believe that they go that far with ‘normal’ use and probably irregular maintenance. So if you’re looking for a second car, go test drive a bunch and see what fits your comfort, driveway and most importantly your wallet; then enjoy it.

 

Bottom trim Toyota Corolla.

 

Miata. You don't need awd every day, and the days you do you already have a 4wd truck you can use.