[voyageur]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Hey Guys, I've recently moved to Toronto and I am still settling to the new place. As winter approaches, a car becomes a necessity more than anything else.
My daily travel is around 30 kms one way. As a lot of people would know, Cars aren't very expensive in Toronto but the insurance is. Your insurance premium has one of its dependency on the kind of car you buy (how safe it is).

Hi Pratyush,

Welcome to Canada!

If you are looking at leasing a car and if you are interested in Toyota, I have a close friend working in a dealership. He can get you a good deal on new cars.

I chose to lease a Toyota myself for a few reasons (despite hating them):
1) New country hence I have to find good garages for used cars
2) Don't want the hassle of things breaking down and running around to fix it yet
3) I didn't want to right away go for a car and put strain on my savings.

I can also give you a contact for insurance guy with whom I got my policy. I'll pm you my number.

Probably everyone should meet up sometime. It would be great to meet a few bhpians here.

Hope this helps. Cheers!

[mohit]

While not relevant right away, for those of you looking for an independant Toyota mechanic, Rick at Aussie Auto in Mississauga is a great guy. He is ex Toyota / Lexus and is popular with the forums crowd. He is not as cheap as some Chinese owned places but is genuine and honest.

Since there was talk of buying used Toyotas, thought would share.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

I won't recommend the 2 tire approach. Longer life on rear tires doesnt mean they are safe, in hot weather they will actual get worse with age and while you will see full tread depth the rubber will become too hard to provide the rated safety.

Really depends on the tires you pick and the miles you are putting on the tires in a year. Also depends on where you park the car. Cars parked in garages do not go through extreme heat cycles. Performance tires connected to the drive train wear out in a year or 15k miles (maybe less depending on driving style and tires). That is certainly well with in the life expectancy of the other 2 tires which would end up lasting 30k miles. Also Tirerack tires are fresh and have gone through less number of heat cycles in their storage. I cannot say that on the tires for which they offer a deal in the local tire shop. If the tires have seen 2 or 3 winters sitting in storage, they may be a lot more brittle when new, compared to well maintained old tires (on cars stored with care).

Apart from the penny test/tread test, it is needless to say one needs to check the health of all 4 tires every week or every couple weeks. Dry rot, uneven wear, cracking, bulging, feathering, heel to toe and such. If I determine the front tires ( mine is a RWD) would not last twice as long, I may end up replacing all 4 tires prematurely. Actually 2 tires while there is still some life left in it. The 2 tire approach is for people who take care of their car, especially tires.

I agree, our lives depend on 4 small patches of rubber, all other safety features are irrelevant when you have bad tires.

[RSM_TorqueZoner]

So, I've finalized that my budget for buying a used car is $15k. Right now, I'm most inclined towards the latest gen Mazda 6 but want to consider other options. I live in CT and can do the purchase anywhere within a 200-mile radius, New York or MAS or wherever.

My priorities -

1) The car/ SUV must handle well. Period
2) Must be safe, I've a 4-month-old son!
3) Adequate space and good comfort
4) Moderate Reliability

I don't care about gadgetries, except for BT.

I love the latest CX-5, but this gen is outside of my budget as it was launched only in 2017.

What are my options, considering I'm looking at models above 2013 with under 50k miles on the odo?

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by RSM_TorqueZoner

So, I've finalized that my budget for buying a used car is $15k.

What are my options, considering I'm looking at models above 2013 with under 50k miles on the odo?

Have you looked at the japs available at your nearest carmax?
https://www.carmax.com/car/16348701

Get a jap sedan mazda 6, altima, Camry, accord, that has low miles and still under warranty. You need to split hairs to know what is better among such cars. Go with the one that you can get in the color choice and options

[mail4ajo]

Anyone with exp on small affordable sports car? I have plans of getting an ADV bike next year for touring. Wife is insisting on getting a car and even selling my existing bike.

Looking at a RWD with MT, fun to drive and not so powerful under 25K. Will be mostly 2 or 3 times per week use. Basic research points to Miata, BRZ/86, Fiat 124, 370Z. Any one who owns or owned these?

[ApriliaNut]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Anyone with exp on small affordable sports car? I have plans of getting an ADV bike next year for touring. Wife is insisting on getting a car and even selling my existing bike.

Thankfully, it is not an american forum, or folks would have advised you to change the wife.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Anyone with exp on small affordable sports car? I have plans of getting an ADV bike next year for touring. Wife is insisting on getting a car and even selling my existing bike.

Looking at a RWD with MT, fun to drive and not so powerful under 25K. Will be mostly 2 or 3 times per week use. Basic research points to Miata, BRZ/86, Fiat 124, 370Z. Any one who owns or owned these?

Cant go wrong with a Miata. New or second hand. Everything a rag top sports car should be. And reliable too!

Go second hand and buy a 4.2l, supercharged Jaguar XK cabrio and get change from your 25k.

Jeroen

Jeroen

[Jomz]

S2000, the car which is under 25K and appreciates in value.
I owned one.

Sold for the same price I bought, after putting 20k miles on it.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Thank you so much for all the replies! A couple of clarifications:
1. Parking isn't a problem, I have the whole covered garage to myself.
2. Driving with G2 is allowed all the time, the only real restriction being I cannot let a learner (G1) drive my car.
3. Hondas (specially Civic) as stated above have a high premium, hence that isn't even on the radar.
4. All my research on RAV4's tell me they are ridiculously expensive.
5. Personally, I am also okay with the Corolla, I would do a TD to see if it suits me. It's a bit more flashy than I like though.

Again thank you for all your suggestions! I will update the thread whenever I finalize the deal.

Might want to check this ad from Thornhill Hyundai.. price seems decent.

Edit: Didn't see the small print. Could be demos.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Cant go wrong with a Miata. New or second hand. Everything a rag top sports car should be. And reliable too!
Go second hand and buy a 4.2l, supercharged Jaguar XK cabrio

I guess it will mostly will be the Miata. Already started learning about the car. Will skip the Jag suggestion though. Not sure how easy they are to find support for in case of high mileage cars

Originally Posted by Jomz

S2000, the car which is under 25K and appreciates in value.
Sold for the same price I bought,

I checked out 2 at the local car dealer. What you said is 100% right. Both cars were very high mileage, 07 & 08, 22-25K . Looked modded and interiors worn bad.

Also added Focus ST and Hyundai Veloster to the mix. Both are cheaper, but seem to have reliability issues.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

I checked out 2 at the local car dealer. What you said is 100% right. Both cars were very high mileage, 07 & 08, 22-25K . Looked modded and interiors worn bad.

Check this forum for s2000's nearby you.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/cars-sale-109/

the 2000-2003's had the crazy high 9000rpm engine. But absolutely no torque at low end

2004-2005 had a new engine which revved only to 8000 rpm, but easier to drive

2006+ finally had traction control and drive by wire throttle. The most valued ones are 2006+ models.

Hardtop is worth 4k, as long as it is OEM.

Let me know if you have any s2000 questions.

Another cheap car which has the same feel is Mazda RX8. You might want to save $6k for maintenance though.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

I guess it will mostly will be the Miata. Already started learning about the car. Will skip the Jag suggestion though. Not sure how easy they are to find support for in case of high mileage cars
.

As I said you can not go wrong with a Miata. It is everything you want in a small rag top sports car. Rear wheel drive, rag top, good handling and reliable too. In fact it is so close to the perfect it is actually boring. It is the car that gets bought by people who secretly wanted a classic MGB, Triumph or Alfa Spider. But instead of following their heart and fulfilling a dream they buy into Japanese perfection and reliability. And a true proper rag top does not come with any of that. Part of the charm as they say.

The Jag on the other hand is no little ragtop sports car. It is serious sports car with huge performance, looks gorgeous and just happens to come with a roof that comes down.

How about a 60.000 miles car at less than $ 21.000,—?

https://www.carmax.com/car/15922353

60 K miles, that is barely run in. I have 165K miles on my XJR and that is the earlier V8 too! Plenty of workshops around that can service a Jag. No great shake. It is very simple British engineering at best, nothing too it. Even the average American mechanic can figure it out. But the total package, look and feel is so different from any other car.

You drive a Jag in the USA, every time you stop for gas you will have people come over to you and complimenting you on your car. You are in the USA, a petrol head walhalla. Get something special whilst you can.

Jeroen

[arun687]

Just moved to the US of A early this month. Looking to buy something fun to drive yet practical by the year end.

I was thinking of a 2016+ CPO Mazda 6 GT or a 2019 VW Jetta SEL Premium / 2019 Mazda 3 GT. I was budgeting ~15k for used / ~20k for new ones.

Am I looking at the right cars? Has to be fun, practical, automatic and fuss free to maintain. I love the gadgets and hence looking at top end models and also would love to have the modern conveniences and safety features like Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, auto high beams, blind spot monitoring etc.

[hema4saran]

Originally Posted by arun687

Just moved to the US of A early this month. Looking to buy something fun to drive yet practical by the year end.

I was thinking of a 2016+ CPO Mazda 6 GT or a 2019 VW Jetta SEL Premium / 2019 Mazda 3 GT. I was budgeting ~15k for used / ~20k for new ones.

Am I looking at the right cars? Has to be fun, practical, automatic and fuss free to maintain. I love the gadgets and hence looking at top end models and also would love to have the modern conveniences and safety features like Adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, auto high beams, blind spot monitoring etc.

US Jetta is completely different from the one sold in India. I never driven a Jetta here but you will take big resale hit in case if you want to upgrade in one or two years. Mazda is generally budget friendly and it is getting popular among the Desi crowd nowadays. I am not sure you will be able to get new Mazda 6 in $20k budget. Try CarMax as well. They provide good options and some warranty too on the cars they sell. Can you please share the location where you are residing also your daily driving distance? Keep in mind that Mazda 3/Civic will feel little cumbersome if you are keeping a child seat in the rear.