OT: car advice

[Louis]

OK, for you guys demanding a stylish hatchback, how about this? (I'm assuming 650 hp is enough for you)

Notice, no drop-cloth to protect the back from the soon-to-be filthy MTB.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Louis

OK, for you guys demanding a stylish hatchback, how about this? (I'm assuming 650 hp is enough for you)

Notice, no drop-cloth to protect the back from the soon-to-be filthy MTB.

Nah. That MTB, won't ever see dirt.

[staggerwing]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

I LOVE hatch backs...wife's car is a hatch back. I was thinking coupe because I figured it would have more leg room...if it doesn't, I'd prefer hatchback.

Oh, in case it wasn't clear, I love hatchbacks too, just not the new Civic. The current Honda's also feature perversely busy instrument layouts, and it gets worse as one moves higher up the food chain. Again, they had this figured out ages ago.

Lets see, over the years I've had a 1980 Dodge Colt (really a Mitsubishi with an odd twin stick transmission, a 4speed with an overdrive lever, worked for all gears, including reverse), a 1989 Honda CRXsi, a 2005 Mazda 3s, and presently, a 2011 Volvo C30; hatchbacks one and all.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by staggerwing

Lets see, over the years I've had a 1980 Dodge Colt (really a Mitsubishi with an odd twin stick transmission, a 4speed with an overdrive lever, worked for all gears, including reverse), a 1989 Honda CRXsi, a 2005 Mazda 3s, and presently, a 2011 Volvo C30; hatchbacks one and all.

I see you've left out the greatest hatchback EVER: the Acura Integra / RSX!

More seriously, I really liked my '97 and got 265k miles from it with few significant mechanical issues. I would have gladly bought the exact same car (but new) in '14 when I finally sold it, but Acura went upscale and no longer made anything like it. (So I bought the Subie Impreza.)

[Polyglot]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

Philly used to have a program where if you got an electric and put in a charger, you'd get a reserved for electric spot in front of it. Council is apparently getting rid of the rule (was hoping to go that route for my parking).

Are you sure that this has already been cancelled? If it is still available and you can live with the range limitations, an electric BMW i3 meets all your requirements. It should require less maintenance than any internal combustion engine as there is no need to change oil, nor spark plugs... (in one year we have not spent a penny on maintenance, which bugs me because the car came with three years of free maintenance which we aren't using). It is comparably short but is large enough to fit two bikes inside with the rear seat folded down. It even fits my daughter's upright base. I'm a bit taller than you and I don't even put the seat all the way back, so the leg room is there. You can fit 4 adults inside. It has one of the smallest turning circles of any car sold, so combined with the short length, you can't do any better when parking in Philly. It also has thermoplastic body panels that are particularly resistant to minor shunts in the city. It out accelerates virtually any of the other cars mentioned so far. The battery pack comes with an 8 year or 100K mile guarantee. It was the most efficient car sold in America until this year and is the greenest car built (built in a 0 carbon footprint factory and has likely the highest percent of recycled materials used for manufacturing and more of the car can be recycled that virtually any other car.) With snow tires it is fantastic in the snow even though it has rear wheel drive because of the very low center of gravity and perfect weight distribution and narrow tires with comparatively large contact patch.

The negatives are that they are outrageously expensive to buy new (but are VERY cheap used or when leased, you can get a two year-old car in the high teens or low 20's). You need charger availability at home and/or work. You have range limitations (unless you get the range extender version).

Propulsion expenses will be about half of your Subaru. You are more than welcome to come over and take our car for a test drive.

[likebikes]

probably worth throwing toyota prius into the ring.

[weisan]

I paid $1700 for this little car three years ago and had been having so much fun driving it around...

(Pictures - not actual car but looked the same)





I only drives it three miles from the house to the train station every day and commute the rest of the way through train and my bike. I only need to top up gas maybe once every three weeks or so. It certainly qualifies as one of my best "purchases" and if you are so inclined to throw more money into it (I wouldn't), it can be done.

[Louis]

Tell the truth, Weisan, THIS is your Accord:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_JkEMANzwg

[staggerwing]

Originally Posted by Louis

I see you've left out the greatest hatchback EVER: the Acura Integra / RSX!

More seriously, I really liked my '97 and got 265k miles from it with few significant mechanical issues. I would have gladly bought the exact same car (but new) in '14 when I finally sold it, but Acura went upscale and no longer made anything like it. (So I bought the Subie Impreza.)

While I never had one, after finishing graduate school a friend implored me to help him chose his first new car. While the final decision was his, I may have had something to do with his purchase of an ice white, 94 Integra GS-R.

Truly, one of Honda's finest.

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by Polyglot

Are you sure that this has already been cancelled? If it is still available and you can live with the range limitations, an electric BMW i3 meets all your requirements. It should require less maintenance than any internal combustion engine as there is no need to change oil, nor spark plugs... (in one year we have not spent a penny on maintenance, which bugs me because the car came with three years of free maintenance which we aren't using). It is comparably short but is large enough to fit two bikes inside with the rear seat folded down. It even fits my daughter's upright base. I'm a bit taller than you and I don't even put the seat all the way back, so the leg room is there. You can fit 4 adults inside. It has one of the smallest turning circles of any car sold, so combined with the short length, you can't do any better when parking in Philly. It also has thermoplastic body panels that are particularly resistant to minor shunts in the city. It out accelerates virtually any of the other cars mentioned so far. The battery pack comes with an 8 year or 100K mile guarantee. It was the most efficient car sold in America until this year and is the greenest car built (built in a 0 carbon footprint factory and has likely the highest percent of recycled materials used for manufacturing and more of the car can be recycled that virtually any other car.) With snow tires it is fantastic in the snow even though it has rear wheel drive because of the very low center of gravity and perfect weight distribution and narrow tires with comparatively large contact patch.

The negatives are that they are outrageously expensive to buy new (but are VERY cheap used or when leased, you can get a two year-old car in the high teens or low 20's). You need charger availability at home and/or work. You have range limitations (unless you get the range extender version).

Propulsion expenses will be about half of your Subaru. You are more than welcome to come over and take our car for a test drive.

I really appreciate the offer! They've suspended current applications already in the queue and aren't taking new ones. It's probably also out of my affordable range right now...it's a reboot time and a bit tighter.

[martl]

Originally Posted by ceolwulf

Turbo is basically an air compressor driven by a turbine placed in the exhaust (hence "turbo"). When the engine is under load, more exhaust flows out, the turbo spins up and pushes more air into the engine, more air and fuel = bigger bang = more power. The principle is when you're just cruising along on the highway or steady speeds you get the economy of a small engine, but when you need the power of a big engine you step on it and it's there.

Downsides are quite a bit more complexity and potentially more (expensive) maintenance.

They used to be used only on performance cars, and they're a lot of fun when tuned that way, but now manufacturers have figured out that you can basically game the EPA fuel economy test by tuning a turbo engine so that it's off boost most of the time during the test. That's why you get odd things going on now like a big heavy Ford Fusion coming with a 1.6 litre engine. So it does wonders for the CAFE ratings for the manufacturer but may or may not give you quite as good fuel economy in the real world. Most of them are quite good though.

Small correction: From an engineering point of view, a turbo is better suited for a diesel engine, where it will enhance efficiency, than for an Otto engine (= in cars, gasoline), where it primarily boosts performance at the cost of low efficiency at rev ranges where the turbo does not yet work = added fuel consumption.
Efficiency for turbo-loaded Otto-engines is bad as the compression has to be reduced. This has only been somewhat compensated quite recently by pulling all kind of sophisticated mechanical and electronical tricks, so that the reduced inner friction of the smaller engine overcomes the Turbo disadvantage.

[Aaron O]

Originally Posted by martl

Small correction: From an engineering point of view, a turbo is better suited for a diesel engine, where it will enhance efficiency, than for an Otto engine (= in cars, gasoline), where it primarily boosts performance at the cost of low efficiency at rev ranges where the turbo does not yet work = added fuel consumption.
Efficiency for turbo-loaded Otto-engines is bad as the compression has to be reduced. This has only been somewhat compensated quite recently by pulling all kind of sophisticated mechanical and electronical tricks, so that the reduced inner friction of the smaller engine overcomes the Turbo disadvantage.

Uhmmm...thanks for that clarification

[malcolm]

Originally Posted by rnhood

The Honda Fit is very decent, if it has enough room. Superb reliability and mileage. The Civic is great too and a bit more sedan'ish.

Didn't read the entire thread but I can't think of anything that would meet your needs better than a fit. Small but roomy, reasonable pep, cheap to buy and operate and honda reliable.

[martl]

Originally Posted by Aaron O

Uhmmm...thanks for that clarification

i can give you a one-sentence abstract: In non-diesel-engines, a turbo isn't there to improve mpg

[Kobe]

Sat in the Kia Niro at the Philly Auto Show, plenty of room for me at 6'6". Kia has come a long ways and has an outstanding warranty. Plus 52 mpg in the city.

http://www.caranddriver.com/kia/niro