Comfort and daily driving - Should I go with a sports coupe?
 

Hey folks,

I'm buying a new car end of this year/beginning of 2013 (it's been decided) Time to say goodbye to my awesome Suzuki Esteem 1998 (lol).

I'm having hour long conversations with my dad, brother and girlfriend about what type of car I should jump to; sports(coupe) or sedan. I'm pretty much the only one that is considering a sports coupe, my family is pushing me to grab a comfort sedan like the Kia Optima or the Sonata. Their argument is that when I start having kids a coupe will prove uncomfortable. I personally don't see a problem with buying an SUV for my girlfriend while I can drive the sporty car :laughabove:

BUT, I would be driving quite often, commuting most of the time (think 100KM daily or more). Question is, how would a car like BRZ, FR-S, GC, or Porsche Cayman (seriously I'm faling in love with this one, although I would have to buy a 2007 model to be able to afford it) handle the commute? Would the engine noise become a pain in the butt after a while, is it comfortable? Will the inside of the vehicle be pleasant on my eyes and bring joy to my heart?

I guess I'm just looking for some support from the community so that I can show my family I'm making the right choice hahaha, someone give me a hand ;)

Depends on what you look for in DD cars. If you don't care bout mpg go for GC & Cayman, cuz I don't recall those two car been nice MPG.

Also how many ppl gonna be riding? Do you driving your friends around w this car? Cuz if you're planning to bring 2~3 friends then coupe is lil bitch.

Next is weather condition. Does it snow there? If it is, FR isn't the best.

Figure those things out & test drive around & see which car fits the best for ya

Thanks for the response. The Porsche isn't bad, 32MPG Highway 23 City. I wouldn't be driving anyone around I think, I always drive by myself unless we go out somewhere and I offer to take them.

Regarding snow... usually in Toronto it does snow a lot. This year however, zero snow but I can't take that into consideration given that driving during winter it's a guaranteed to have snow for at least 3 months.

FR-S was snow tested :D

Whereabouts do you commute from/to? (fellow Torontonian here)

100km/day will probably lighten your wallet in a porsche regarding gas, insurance and actual price of car. If I were you, I would be looking at th FR-S or the 2013 GC 2.0T for practicality's sake. Only issue with these guys is that they are both going to be first-year models (2013 GC is a redesign with new engine). That is my setback as I am wary about 1st yr models. I too am looking for a car soon, but the above worries me a little.

I commute from Oakville to Toronto, next year it will be from Milton (401->427->Gardiner)

Yeah the Cayman might be pushing it possibly. What are your thoughts on the Optima or Sonata over say a GC 2.0?

Also, my brother has a 2011 GC Premium fully loaded and I don't really want to get his same car haha

Toyota has a pretty good warranty thing going on for their first year models. If something is all bugged they'll bring it in to fix.

Plus for commuting all I can say is... hypermile. :P

I think the BRZ/FRS is worth it... It'll get ~30mpg, it'll be fairly comfortable, and it'll be damn fun.


But I'm biased. This is FT86Club

Pulse and glide! Should be able to pull 45mpg on the highway like that rofl. Can't do that in a turbo car.
Engine noise on the FRS...well it'll be revving 2600 at 60, tad over 3100 at 75, you decide if that's too much. You can always remove the silly intake noise pipe. I have a feeling this car might have a bit of annoying drone on the highway.

It sounds like your not married and don't have kids yet. Get the sports car.

Winner! :happyanim:

Lengthy commute indeed! It would definitely suck to have the same car as your brother, although yours would be redesigned and more powerful! (assuming you get 2013) Sonata/Optima, will probably be a more economical solution, but they wouldn't be as fun as the GC or Fr-S.

I am still a little scared. I got the first year of a redesigned sunfire. And I had nothing but trouble. While under warranty, they kept on saying they couldn't replicate the problem, and would not help me out. I know it is GM (and I was 17 at the time) and this is Toyota(and I am older and lawsuit happy if it happened again), but it has changed my mindset. An alternative I have thought of, is to lease it and if it is problem free, buy out the lease afterwards. (a little bit of insurance and peace of mind i guess)

1. low center of gravity of the porsche and fr-s would make it handle better as a FR in the snow

2. porsche and fr-s get good mpgs with the fr-s a bit better

3. since your commute is a pretty good distance, buy new, dont get a used car thats going to leave you stranded, in the snow, COLD

4. GC has a bit more room than the porsche and fr-s but thats about it...

5. ohh yeah and the fr-s is going to have better reliability than either cars

6. do i really have to say more?

Why would you say it's more reliable exactly?

Toyota and Subaru are known for their reliability. Hyundai is making a name for itself with some good cars, but it'll be a while before I trust them. Porsche makes great, but not exactly reliable, cars.

Yeah Toyota is one of the most reliable brands out there alongside Subaru. Change oil and put gas, and that thing will take you across the world.

BTW @ OP - thank you for posting in the right thread :thumbsup:

I'm married but no kid though and still drive sport cars....believe me, when it comes to car, get what you want or you will be miserable driving what everybody else prefers....unless they paying for it, they got no saying....
Funny when you get married, everyone keeps pushing you to have kid...i always told them to f@ck off unless they paying for my kid....

I hear ya, it's what I keep telling them. I'm not going to drive a car I don't feel I belong in...

Just based on your driving scenario, you will be stuck at the highway traffic with long stop-n-go situation. In that case, getting a comfy ride is probably more important than getting a fast ride.

Check the cars base on whatever make you comfortable. FR-S/BRZ and Caymen are a bit smaller with less space. If that is not your concern, go for it.

In terms of reliability, here is the rating for 2011 JD Powers based on initial quality study for various manufacturers. You can probably dig through the site to find the quality of each individual cars. (Not FR-S or BRZ though).

http://www.jdpower.com/news/pressrel...spx?ID=2011089

hah I notice this, everyone push you to get married and have kids. I always wonder if it is a misery loves company or is it genuinely so great they have to recommend it to everyone? Either way it is very expensive and I think people don't always think it through before having kids.

As for ride comfort an affordable economy car should be softer than an affordable sports car. My personal commuting is 99% by myself and if traveling for family functions or going out with friends 1 of them has a sedan.

People tend to overlook the fact that everybody can have kid but not all can be a parent....I can't be a father at this point because i havent learn how to share :lol:

are you commuting 100km (62 miles) each way? or total?

You could just have 2 cars. When i was commuting that's what i did.

I drove a 1996 civic hx (40mpg) to work & had a 2000 Z3 hatchback.

For 3 reasons. Saved money on gas, could have a car i could drive into the city w/o caring as much if some1 keyed it / i scraped the curb parallel parking / it got stolen / general bad stuff, & put less miles on the fun car i loved.

You could get a Scion xB. it gets good mpg, is very comfortable & roomy, comes w/ traction control / abs / electronic brakeforce distribution / power everything / engine immobilizer / remote doorlocks / etc.. all standard.
& you can get one for 6-7 grand for a 2005.

I say get the most inspiring car you can find and drive the hell out of it. If that means a luxury cruiser, so be it. If it means a sporty coupe, rock on.