Buy a New Car? Me?
4/25/1

[A reader wrote in at a time that I was feeling particularly verbose and he suggested that I get a new car such as the Focus I�m driving now. He also asked if the Focus and Echo were related. Here is my response]

Ah, debt is a wonderful thing, and I've been thinking about picking up some more of it, but my next car will more than likely be one of the following:

1992-1996 Honda Civic EX Sedan with manual transmission

1994-1999 Nissan Maxima SE with manual transmission

1993-199? Subaru Impreza (added late, no discussion below)

Some lame truck

I've studies and researched the cars and those are the ones that stand out as far as power, reliability, and Japaneseness. The civic is an appliance, I know, but a very well styled one. I find it funny that the current Mercedes are using the early 90s Honda taillights and rear cab window area styling. The Maxima just shines above the rest of the other larger sedans. Plus, since Nissan doesn't play the big engine, small engine game, you know that any used Maxima you see in those years has the 190 hp engine.

The SC2 has a few 100k left in it, really. The kid who ran a stop in front of me in November was not the car's fault. The bearings were related and got replaced in January. The rain wreck last month was my fault. This wreck, the bearing spindle shearing off, was [more than likely] due to faulty parts being installed in January.

The car is still fun and light and gets 32 mpg. Find a car with a hp/lb ratio of 0.056 and that mileage, and I'll think about buying it. But the thing is, I have one and it's almost paid for.

The focus is a great car. I'll probably write a review of it. The Focus was designed by Ford Germany and it feels very Japanese/German. It is based on the Mazda 323/Ford Escort and was to be offered with the 2 liter V6 of the MX-3, but that wasn't offered here. I have driven both an Echo and a Focus and I like the Echo better. The Echo is the same car as the Vitz (which we don't get) but the Vitz only comes in a hatchback. The Echo is ahead of it's time, the Focus is right on time. The American car/ Japanese car thing you may be thinking about is that the Pontiac Vibe will be the same car as the Toyota Matrix. I love the Matrix. I hope it is as good as it looks like it will be, but by that time the Focus ZX5 will be out.

If I were to get a Focus, I'd get the ZX3. If I were forced to buy a new car now, I'd get an Echo. If I was just to buy a car with 12k bucks, I'd get a 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4. If it had to have four doors, I'd get a Maxima. If I still wanted a car under 2500 lbs, I'd get the Civic. If I wanted handling and control, I'd get the Subaru.

The Saturn with the traction control is still nice. If Honda made a fiberglass car, I'd have it.