Also, they’re separated by 40-odd years and multiple size classes. Of course they don’t handle as well. They’re not meant to. They’re cruisers. Handling is not the sole judgement of a car.
Come to think of it, why do most so-called "car enthusiasts" dislike high-performance sportscars of today? They're not too tricky to drive *cough* RUF CTR *cough*, are mostly well-built and comfortable enough to be used for daily driving etc. What's not to appreciate?
Personally, they are way out of reach for me so I couldn't care less about them. If I wanted to spend money to go fast, I would just mod what I have anyways.
TIL James Hetfield has an interesting car collection. Also, I didn't even recognize him... He's aged a lot in a couple of years...
The UK's most and least reliable cars. Brands: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20069 Small cars: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20042 Compact cars: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20053 Midsize cars: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20054 Luxury cars: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20063 Small SUVs: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20062 Compact SUVs: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20064 Midsize SUVs: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20066 Luxury SUVs: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20065 Hybrid/Electric: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20068 Coupe/Convertible/Sport: https://www.whatcar.com/…/2019-what-car-reliability-…/n20067
A look back at Poland's biggest impound lot between 2005 and 2017. http://classyrydah.com/2020/05/03/w...pp6IEx_yP9VeGEnfZhIHvT5br3-gfwM8uAp2SwDPTZx1Y
Well, what an unusual day of car-hunting. All the hot rods felt rock solid, and the "sensibile" cars either sold out from under me or sketched me out. Maybe it's a sign that my fortunes are starting to turn? Stock Veloster Turbo, 2013 model. Drives very nicely, has enough power, suspension feels just right, but the owner mentioned a small (like a couple of drips small) oil leak. He doesn't know what it's from because he just let the dealer take care of the oil every 3000 miles under some kind of lifetime-oil-change service he bought, and hasn't had it changed since the leak started. Stock 2004 Ford Focus ZX3. It was cheap enough that I could have paid cash for it, and if it had been anywhere close to good, I probably would have. Seller called me when I was a few minutes away from his house to tell me he'd just sold it to someone else. Stock 2015 Hyundai Accent GLS. Nice and easy to drive, but all kinds of little "issues" that scared me. Playing-cards-in-bicycle-spokes sound from undercarriage, speed dependent, disappears below 5-10 MPH. Engine feels spry enough but at low RPMs it feels off, as if all throttle positions above 75% are exactly the same; above 3000ish RPM it wakes up and delivers its full power. My Escort was the same way and it never grenaded, so maybe that's just the way small engines are, but I'm suspicious of the way it sometimes seems to feel like it gets stronger all at once. Interior was stained and smelled of cigarette smoke. Most definitely not stock 2005 Dodge Neon SRT4. So many mods even the dealership doesn't know what they all are (one of the stickers seems to indicate it has upgrades to something turbo-related from a brand I've never heard of), so all I know is, it frickin' rips. Not sure if it feels quite as urgent when lightly pressing the pedal as the sketch-tastic Mazdaspeed 6 I drove a few days ago (dealer mechanic said it wasn't running crazy boost right now), but it's definitely a quick car. Super-short-throw Hurst shifter will take some getting used to, also has some kind of loud, crackley rice pipe that's just waiting for you to downshift and stomp on it without noticing the nearby cop. But it feels tight as a drum. Little bit of interior wear, but it doesn't feel loose or janky at all. Would the products used to detail an engine bay lead to a uniform oily feeling on parts that an engine normally wouldn't be able to get oil on while still running? As for that sketch-tastic Mazda, I absolutely loved the way it drove, but it definitely felt a little haggard in some ways, and the interior was a garbagefest of rotted leather. Dealer said it had been sitting for 5 years while they battled endless engine problems, before discovering that the engine was not even salvageable due to a mistake Mazda had made while assembling it, and putting in a used engine from another MS6 (they kept throwing around the term "JDM" and said the reason they could get an engine with only 30K miles on it was something to do with "having to pull the engine at 50K km" so I wonder how many felonies-that-shouldn't-be are hiding under the hood). Is it even worth trying to get the paperwork related to the work done to this car, or get it taken in for an inspection? Soon I might be going to check out a 1983 Plymouth Sapporo (think Mitsubishi Galant) custom turbo, wanted to drive it today but apparently the owner is waiting on a new steering box. Photos in ad confirm that it has been autocrossed. Definitely a unique car that I could see myself loving, but I've heard non-good things about the 2.6L Mitsubishi engine. Someone in my town has a 2004 Mini Cooper S manual that I could afford with cash, worth a try?
I wouldn't buy anything modded from someone I don't know unless it was built by a local speedshop with a good reputation. Mini Coopers aren't the least reliable cars, but parts prices are way up there (friend paid close to $300 for a water pump). I have never heard of a Plymouth Sapporo, so I would assume it is not easy to find parts for. I would get the Veloster inspected to at least find out where the leak is from, and if that doesn't look good then find something else.
I suggest buying an unmodded, non-classic car if you need a daily driver. And not the Mini, since they were not so good in the reliability department. If the oil leak isn't relaed to a big problem, the Veloster looks like the best one of the bunch.
