A new 1984 GTI in 2017?

So, my nearly 18 year old Civic which has been pulling triple duty for rallycross, road rally, and occasional daily driver still has needs after a ton of labor and waaaay too much money in new parts.  It’s as perfect as it will ever be suspension-wise, but the drivetrain is tired, the body is fugly, and random parts fail on a semi-regular basis.  The car no longer has A/C which makes summer a bit balmy, and more worrisome, decent parts are getting a bit thin in the local pick and pull.  While zillions were built and sold, many of these have returned to earth here in the rust belt.

What I want is the equivalent of a brand new 1984 GTI - zero power options, very light curb weight, 5 or 6-speed manual, decent MPG, and a comfy security blanket in the form of a warranty.  I also am trying to be frugal (read: cheap as hell), so would like to set a budget of around $10K.

What recently caught my attention was Chevy’s clearance on in-stock 2017 models, which means you can get a Spark LS hatchback with a 5-speed for a hair over $10K (plus tax, tags, etc).  While this isn’t exactly an enthusiasts choice, when viewed through the filter of a “new 1984 GTI”, it actually specs out pretty close in horsepower, power to weight ratio, dimensions, etc.  The fact that it has some fun stuff as standard - working A/C, Apple CarPlay, and far better crash safety than that GTI - is a nice benefit.  It also gets me started at a good baseline - all rubber and perishable items are new and non-rusted, which means any minimal work that needs to be done should be easier.

I realize I can get a “better” car by going a few years used, but too much older and the tons of road salt they dump around here will take its toll.  My plan would be to rustproof anything purchased within an inch of its life to slow down progress of the evil tin worm.

What says the hive?

Shoot - mods, could you move to the Grassroots forum?

entry level korean car I think up your alley. I would avoid the spark it looks like a coffin.

Moved to the GRM forum.

In reply to Ed Higginbotham :

Thanks for the assist!

New Ford Fiesta or a light used Mazda2

IIRC lightly-used 500 Abarths are going for that money now.

John Welsh said:

New Ford Fiesta or a light used Mazda2

A Fiesta ST would be ideal but it's well over budget...I'd go with the Fiesta over the Mazda2 for future parts availability.

fidelity101 said:

entry level korean car I think up your alley. I would avoid the spark it looks like a coffin.

Ironically, it is an entry level Korean car (Daewoo Matiz), it just happens to come equipped with a bow tie on the nose.  

Hyundai Accents seem to be trading about $1,500-2,000 higher for similar spec...haven’t checked the equivalent Kia.  Fiestas are trading higher still, and the hatchback (preferred) is a higher cost option.

To be honest, I’m surprised you can even buy a brand new car for the $10K mark in this day and age.

I would recommend avoiding the Spark and the Mitsu Mirage. Even if the price seems attractive, they will suffer more significant depreciation right away.  

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/lets-talk-about-chevy-cobalt-ss-turbo-2008-2010/134328/page1/

I see the <10k with 25k-40k miles - which isn't anything for a car that runs to the 200k mile range. It's got a bit more poke than the ones you're describing, but I'm getting it for a catch all.

But if that's not your thing, I agree that the Mazda2 is the closest I've seen to a spiritual successor to the CRX/GTi/etc of ye old times past. If you do them up right they look really cool too.

Fiesta is same only with more power.

In reply to iceracer :

yeah but that ford interior... bleh

also the mazda2 interior may look simpler some of the plastic is the type that scratches easy and leaves marks. I know when I owned mine the hatch area inside had marks everywhere because i would pack that E36 M3 full of crap for a long weekend trip and etc.

also be sure not to get the base model the seats are much cheaper and you don't get cruise control or fog lights... no cruise control?! what is this? 1950?!!!!

I like the Fiesta. Would have bought a 3 cyl one a couple years ago if it wasn't for a kid on the way and that back seat is TEENY. I still like them though.

I think that if you're in the market for something new in that price range you should go test them all out and see what you like the best. They're all going to depreciate badly so I wouldn't worry about that. Just find what you like, (maybe keeping in mind aftermarket support?) and buy it and have fun.

Came here to recommend the Mazda2, saw that I'm the umpteenth person to do so. A friend has one that he uses as a recce car, and it seems to have held up pretty well. He got the touring model, I think. It's the one with cruise control.

Get out there and drive them all.

We were looking 6 months ago and ended up with a Sonic which wasn't even a consideration when we started looking.

My son was quoting various small cars earlier this week. The Kia salesperson quoted $11,800 for a 2017 Kia Rio5. That seemed like a decent deal to me.

There is literally an equivalent of the Mk1 GTI in europe.  Unfortunately we don't get them here.

Thanks for all the feedback!  A low mile Mazda 2 would definitely be worth considering, but for whatever reason, they are unicorns in my area (plus a 200 mile radius).  Used opens up many different doors - Fiesta/2, Focus, etc - although I'd like to find the sweet spot of someone else taking the first 2-3 year depreciation hit while adding as few miles to their new car as possible.   

I'd love a FiST/FoST, but even used they are at least $3-5,000 above the budget at this point (at least in this area) and turbo'd. I'm also trying to stay normally aspirated if I can, which also rules out the Abarth (concerns about "Fix It Again, Tony" not withstanding).

I definitely agree I need to get out there and drive them to refresh my memory on just what 100hp feels like.  My RX Civic has (had) 127hp and is no rocket ship, but it's a fun momentum car.  I have a SCCA A-Sedan Camaro to scratch the speed itch, so while this little scoot doesn't need to be fast, it should at least be a hoot to toss about.  Slow car fast, and all that.

The 2016-2017 Spark isn't too horrific looking (prior gen was a horror show) and I like the full stripped-down-to-nothing vibe, including the hand crank windows.  That said, given how much the US market loves tiny cars, I know residual value will crash 14 milliseconds after I sign the contract.  The smarter play is lightly used; lately it seems that the local inventory is nearly 100% autotragics, or 60-70K miles with an abnormally high price tag.  

Sure wish Mazda hasn't discontinued the Deuce... 

red_stapler said:

There is literally an equivalent of the Mk1 GTI in europe.  Unfortunately we don't get them here.

Mmmm....Polo GTI.....

** EDIT ** - Whoops....maybe that's the Up! GTI?  Either way...the forbidden fruit is always tastiest.

For such a generic car like that, a fly and drive should be really painless.  Find one you like on Autotrader at a dealer, head south of the rustbelt (pretty much anywhere in the country to Altanta is $200 on Southwest) drive it home.  

Then you get the best of both worlds, let someone else take the depreciation hit and you get a southern car with no rust.  Only fear I have with buying a used economy car is they are generally treated like the cheap disposable cars they are.  

If used is ok, you can try holding out for a Mk3 Focus 5-speed that has lower miles.  Mine was bullet proof for 80K; I only sold it because we need to thin the heard - we'll be down to 4 cars in the driveway soon (once we sell the E30...), but one is the DIL's 81 El Camino....

I wouldn't call it a GTI successor per se, since they're a decent size car and close to 3,000lbs, but with springs/struts and a steeda sway bar it was a lot of fun to drive.  I wound up putting an Injen intake on it, which wakes it up a little more and makes it fun but is a little noisier (close to stock at part throttle, not bad all at WOT and cheapo cone filter on the front of it - the injen filter/sheild combo that came with it made it uncomfortably loud).

If I didn't get the Miata, I'd have kept the Focus for a good long time.

In reply to OldGray320i :

This aligns with my interests. What details on specific spring strut away bar or bars? Did you try an ecu tune on that mk3?

1st-gen Honda Fit.

Mk3 is that the SVT generation? I had an SVT and it was a great handling fun to drive little car. And the interior was quite nice.