spacecadet said:_ said:In reply to pointofdeparture :
can't pick up a kei import for less than 10k.
Honda Beat are definitely at the $7k pricepoint in TX. Not sure where you are located.
The "wealthst coast". The problem with the Beat is the lack of parts availability, it's old, and hardly anyone makes anything for it, including repair parts.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Lmfao at that video. That's crazy.
How about a Suzuki Cappuccino but the engine smokes? $6000
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/d/columbia-suzuki-cappuccino/6990492559.html
In reply to slowbird :
my Current Miata smokes, so I see no loss here. Lol.
This one might be a rollover risk but: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/d/laurel-1992-daihatsu-mira-turbo-5-spd/7001760613.html
Another vote here for the Mazda2. Mine was one of the most fun cars I've ever owned. Miata wheels/tires are a perfect fit and can be found anywhere for cheap. I had coilovers on mine and it weighed ~2,150lbs in STF trim with ultrashield seats and a tiny battery. Only 100hp so it wasn't particularly fast, but loads of fun to drive.
pointofdeparture said:Some close friends of ours have one. Long story short: meh. They only came as a CVT in the US and it is an absolutely dismal CVT.
The C&D article said something to the effect of "The redline is (x) but you'd never know it because the transmission never goes there,"
Nissan, Chrysler, and Subaru in particular, have excellent CVTs, that drive exactly as you would hope for a transmission that has infinite gear ratios. Toyota CVTs seem like a campaign to make people hate CVTs and insist on traditional automatics.
In reply to Knurled. :
Can confirm. Drove the yota cvt. Wretched. I own a subie cvt, not bad.
Knurled. said:
Toyota CVTs seem like a campaign to make people hate CVTs and insist on traditional automatics.
That is hilariously accurate. Drove a 19 corolla in city traffic on thursday and kept thinking "man, this is such a new car, how can the trans have E36 M3 the bed so fast?" before remembering it was a CVT and thats how it was supposed to feel. Terrible.
OP: This may be a little big/heavy, but an early Focus in a 2D hatch is pretty light, huge aftermarket, very cheap and available duratec power. IIRC they were not much over 2000lbs and the dura 2.0 is a very willing little lump if you let them breathe.
could always import the 6 speed manual from the UK to swap in.
Import, but no parts availability issues unless you need body parts,
Toyota Echo Hatch
From the Canadian market.
Knurled. said:pointofdeparture said:Some close friends of ours have one. Long story short: meh. They only came as a CVT in the US and it is an absolutely dismal CVT.
The C&D article said something to the effect of "The redline is (x) but you'd never know it because the transmission never goes there,"
Nissan, Chrysler, and Subaru in particular, have excellent CVTs, that drive exactly as you would hope for a transmission that has infinite gear ratios. Toyota CVTs seem like a campaign to make people hate CVTs and insist on traditional automatics.
Really? The last Nissan rental I had just used "simulated" gears which is completely stupid for a CVT to do. The Subaru does something similar, but not nearly as bad.
I will say the Versa CVT I drove way back actually performed as I expect a CVT to. If you floored it, it would accelerate in the highest ratio until it hit peak HP and then the RPM would remain there until you let off the gas.
I drove the Scion IQ thinking it would be like a modern Mini, and fun to zip around town.
The thing does not have a fun bolt in its body. It goes beyond the CVT gearbox; it corners like a car ten times its weigh. You would not want to slalom this car.
ProDarwin said:Knurled. said:pointofdeparture said:Some close friends of ours have one. Long story short: meh. They only came as a CVT in the US and it is an absolutely dismal CVT.
The C&D article said something to the effect of "The redline is (x) but you'd never know it because the transmission never goes there,"
Nissan, Chrysler, and Subaru in particular, have excellent CVTs, that drive exactly as you would hope for a transmission that has infinite gear ratios. Toyota CVTs seem like a campaign to make people hate CVTs and insist on traditional automatics.
Really? The last Nissan rental I had just used "simulated" gears which is completely stupid for a CVT to do. The Subaru does something similar, but not nearly as bad.
I will say the Versa CVT I drove way back actually performed as I expect a CVT to. If you floored it, it would accelerate in the highest ratio until it hit peak HP and then the RPM would remain there until you let off the gas.
They must have changed something recently then. The Subarus I experienced were what I guess you'd call their "early" CVTs (think Impreza and Legacy, not Justy!) and they'd run at whatever RPM made sense for how much acceleration you wanted. The only downside is that there was no auditory sensation of acceleration, you'd just look down and notice you're going 45 on a surface street.
Maybe that's why they apparently changed it to have pseudo-gears. There may be some sort of wear mitigation factor at work, if the "fixed" ratios are a little different every time.
The other thing, now that I think of it, is that the Toyotas have horrendous NVH compared to, say, a Subaru engine or a Mopar with a 2.0 or 2.4 Chrysler/Mitsubushi/Hyundai engine. (That I can't think of the architecture name right now) I don't know how Toyota could screw something up that bad, but Corollas with CVTs just feel like they're about to fall apart at anything over an idle.
Maybe that's why they don't want the engines to rev very much.
Has a manual Mitsubishi mirage been mentioned? Seems like it checks your boxes. It at minimum checks the slow box
slowbird said:This one might be a rollover risk but: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/d/laurel-1992-daihatsu-mira-turbo-5-spd/7001760613.html
Yu could be just like Marty from Mighty Car Mods. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0KnUFYB--iONSJCJu6cXR_rhKY8Pk4d
79rex said:Has a manual Mitsubishi mirage been mentioned? Seems like it checks your boxes. It at minimum checks the slow box
Yes, on the first page...
GIRTHQUAKE said:Oh, maybe a Mitsubishi Mirage? There has to be a few manuals around here in America- and since they're so plentiful (and are Mitsu's) they've gotta have SOME aftermarket.
Didn't someone have a thread about importing a new Mazda 2 from Puerto Rico?
Came here to say Mazda 2. It's light, frugal, tossable, and fun. Could use a little more power, but no easy buttons there. Mine has been dead reliable since purchasing new in 2013. Now has 132000 miles of DDing, autocross, ice time trials, and general mistreatment. Never left me stranded. You can disable the stability and traction control with the push of a button.
Also considered: Yaris hatch, first gen Mini, Scion TC, Fiat 500 turbo
you will likely be importing Mirage parts from Malaysia and Indonesia since they are super popular there.
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