Garage
SPRING HAS SPRUNG – What you gonna’ drive?
SPRING HAS SPRUNG
What you gonna’ drive?
The arrival of spring is many things to as many people. If living in the North or Northwest portions of these United States, spring’s arrival may mean little more than another month of snow and ice. And if you’re in the sunbelt the spring may be but a brief respite between chilly temps and oppressive heat. Where I live in Northern Virginia, we can put away the snow shovels, give our cars that full body wash to rinse off the salt, and if lucky enough to have a droptop, drop the top. If you don’t have that weekend ride, however, please read on.
As a season or a mindset, spring is just about perfect for that weekend roadtrip, especially if lucky enough to have a weekend car. The key, for most, is to not spend so much on a rec vehicle that it restricts your budget for those important things – like, you know, life! – playing out during the week. Setting budgets without knowing your income or spending can be problematic, but $15K for automotive recreation seems reasonable; if you borrow $10K of that (plus taxes and registration), it’ll keep your monthly nut around $350 over 36 months of financing.
In this search we could expend 10,000 words on 50 different cars, but I’d prefer to focus on three pre-owned cars available for that $15K. All three deliver something different, and one – the VW – would easily meet your daily needs, along with those recreational needs on a weekend.
MAZDA MX-5 MIATA: As an owner of a ’21 Miata, I have a real affection for this sportscar, in any of its four iterations. For those looking to get a collectible, the number of clean examples of the first generation – NA – is getting smaller, but a clean driver can still be found for around $10K. For driving, however, I’d pursue the 3rd-generation MX-5, offered between 2006 and 2015.
What is known – by both Mazda and enthusiasts – as the NC is the last of the Miatas offering sheetmetal inspired by the Lotus Elan, and with that bodywork delivers a relaxing visual vibe missing from the current ND, introduced in 2016. The NC also enjoys a healthy stance, even when sitting on its standard wheelset and rubber. Power is 2.0 liters of normally aspirated four, delivering 170 horsepower through the standard manual transmission. An automatic is optional, and while the ‘slushbox’ wouldn’t be my preference, I’m at a life stage where I can understand if it’s your preference.
Given the years in which it was produced, you’ll find a wide range of miles and conditions. Those Miatas of this generation in need of some TLC are easily less than $10K, while those needing little if anything will probably sit in the mid-to-high teens. And if what you find is stone stock and you have an interest in modifications, there are a lot of aftermarket mods available for the NC – including, as you might know, a Chevy V8.
VOLKSWAGEN GTI: Dropping by our local Cars and Coffee this past weekend netted roughly a dozen VW GTIs or the upmarket Golf R (the GTI’s all-wheel drive, overachieving stablemate) on display. Regardless of powertrain, the hatchback’s 4-door utility is a great disguise for its grin-inducing dynamic. When shopping new, expect to pay something north of $30K, which is still low relative to the median price of new cars. But we’re talking $15K – and that directs you to the Mk7, produced between 2014 and the debut of its replacement, the GTI Mk8, in 2020.
While the first ones are now a decade old, you should still have a selection of 2-owner, clean CarFax examples within this budget. A quick check of the CarFax website, while restricting our search to within 100 miles of downtown Dallas, netted a clean, low-mileage (52,000) 2015 GTI at Classic Chevrolet-GMC in Cleburne. The silver SE in unmolested condition had an asking price of $15,900 – and given the relatively low miles, seems like quite the deal. By the time you read this Classic’s example is probably gone, but you get the idea…and I wish I wish I was in the market for a GTI!
FIAT 500 ABARTH: This, of course, is the outlier, and created an internal debate between Fiat and Mini. The Fiat is arguably more distinctive, largely because the much ballyhooed(?) return by Fiat to the U.S. netted damn few retail sales. The recent debut of Fiat’s all-electric 500e, however, reminded me of the subcompact’s intriguing architecture, and nothing will put a smile on your mug faster than the 500 Abarth’s turbocharged four.
The challenge beyond locating an attractive pre-owned example is finding the dealer conversant with Fiat’s many virtues and possible issues. It’s no longer Fix-It-Again-Tony; given the low number of retail Fiat outlets, it’s more like Find-It-Again-Tony. But we think the search for a good one will be worth it, as the 500 Abarth is huge fun to drive. And although not as spacious or utilitarian as VW’s GTI, it’s far more livable than Mazda’s Miata.
A recent search netted a surprising number of more basic 500s, with prices between $5K and roughly twice that. Expanding our CarFax search to 200 miles of Dallas allowed us to see a 2015 Abarth with 77,000 miles, a clean CarFax report (no accidents!) and an asking price of just under $10K. It won’t – as they say – last long…
Obviously, with $15K there are any number of viable choices for spring weekends. And while I’m married to my Miata (‘til death do us part!), an equally attractive option would be to find something interesting in March or April and, if willing to accept a small loss, sell it during the following winter, using those proceeds to find something equally interesting over the next year. As a good friend reminds me, you only live once…and they won’t let you park anything (beyond your walker) at the nursing home!
