do you guys not get the toyota ft86 yet? am asking seriously, cause i think they will go slightly cheaper than the brz? here, the ft86 is available for preorder... i have no idea when they are coming though... i just wondered whether it is the same there... and i was surprised to see the back seat photo of the brz... how the hell do anybody with legs sit in the back??? might as well just ditch the back seat to save some weight... oo and i would choose the caravan+brz combo...

 

I couldn't reduce my life down to a two-seater, but since you don't have the same problem, FR-S/BRZ all day.

 

A couple of thoughts. First, how old are the kids? Any sort of rear facing in the fit is tight. If you plan on carrying the kids at all in the car, be sure it actually works.

Second, if it were me, what I would do is this: keep the sonata unless you just despise it, at least for now. Two simultaneous car payments are pricey; my wife and I are going with offset replacements. Her 04 accord will get replaced after the loan on my 2010 gets finished. It gives a chance to save up in between purchases, and you don't have two cars potentially needing repairs simultaneously.

 

I've read that since many sports cars are 2-seaters, insurance rates are typically based upon the number of seats with 2-seaters being higher. This is why you see even Ferraris with 4 seats but zero leg room. This is about the only thing that explains it, or they are designing for people without legs in the back.

 

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Honda Pilot / Honda fit

Yeah it's a bit slow, but has always had plenty of power to haul when its just me, which is when I tend to take the curves how I like....

The pilot is a great car and would recommend it highly over any Domestic brand (though I am loving the design team at Ford....the new Escape and Edge are HOT! I saw a white Edge Sport on Black rims (dealer) with the Black grill and was droolin'

as for the second car, I would say the fit....this car is tough and always provides! though a used WRX would be nice

 

Having actually seen an FR-S in person and been inside of one, the backseats are useless. I'm not a tall guy at all, and even when setting the seat to a position comfortable for me, I still couldn't imagine anyone above age 10 sitting in the backseat comfortably.

That aside, I would still recommend it. You will still have a family car (so it's not as if your family is going to dogpile into the FR-S for Griswold-type outings), plus every review of the car has been very good. Someone else said that while the Fit was "fun to drive," they said the FR-S/BRZ was "funner" [sic], but in that comparison, that would be an understatement, considering how it's been compared to a Porsche regarding behind-the-wheel experience with handling.

You've already had a Fit, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to try something new, especially when there's something as new and as praised as the FR-S.

Also, someone mentioned an Evo, and as you said, it's well out of your budget (not saying that you can't afford it, but you did mention that you didn't want to spend more than a certain amount). While it might be more spacious (which would be good since it can fit your entire family comfortably, unlike the FR-S), it's a lot more performance that, while fun, is a lot more than your accustomed to and may not really utilize since its such a big jump in performance, even though it's also a lot of fun behind the wheel. But going from a Fit to a 200 hp lightweight sports car will definitely make your commute far more entertaining.

 

We don't have kids but we could do fine with the Forester and Fit that we do have unless we had to haul all 8 grand kids at once in only one car.

 

I have my 09 Fit(totally not required toy car) and 2010 Caravan.

Made a few mods to the Caravan. It is much more comfortable on those long trips. With the rear seats down no worries about loading up for a trip. Just keep tossing shit in - the wife takes everything.

The van was a few hundred less than the Fit too

 

Ok guys... just to not finish the thread I started...

First off, thank you all for the replies. I was on my way to the Honda dealership and had decided to go fully loaded Pilot/ Fit sport no nav combo. However, the Dodge dealership was right next door and the wife suggested we at least stop and check out the Caravan R/T since it was $15000 less than the loaded Pilot. We did and it offered way more room, very nice interior, and ample storage with its Stow n go thing. The coolness factor is out the door, but not worth $15000 in our opinion. The kids are way more comfortable and I'm paying $200 less a month than my truck that I traded in. Hated to see it go but oh well. So now I'm stuck driving my wife's 09 Sonata (older body style). It gets me from a to b, but it is a boring vehicle. My wife feels bad that I traded in my truck, and oddly, she wants me to get myself something nice. I say oddly cuz she's usually the penny pincher. Now I need to decide if I should drive the Sonata for a while ( I owe 13k on it paying 3xx a month) or get into something else. So that's where I'm at. Again, thanks for the feedback, just didn't want to leave everybody hanging. Oh and in case anybody is in a similar situation maybe needing a van... hope this thread helps. I have always been a Honda guy, I've had a civic si, a fit, and an element. It used to be that Honda offered the best bang for the buck( and still does in some cases) but not when it came to getting a van (fully loaded ODyssey or Pilot was over 42k). Thanks to all

 

Good to hear that you got a pretty good deal on the Caravan.

Regarding your Sonata, you're not upside-down on that loan, are you?

 

No, according to KBB and NADA, I'm up about 2k

 

Why not just trade it in (and use the extra $2k toward a down), especially if you clearly want a sportier car while your wife agrees and approves?

 

Thats exactly where I'm at. It would be my daily driver. I'm the only one working right now so even tho she's like " get yourself something nice", i'm still the one paying the bill... that's why i always keep the fit in mind, cheap payment, more money for mods. but then i think, isn't it dumb to trade in an 09 sonata that i owe 13k on for a 18k fit. yea the payments might be the same or a little less, but i'd be paying an extra 2 years starting over.. tho it would be a new car... i don't know.. or just wait, save up for a down for the BRZ, which at $28k price is close to a camaro ss, wrx sti, challenger r/t. higher payment, less money for mods n other things.

 

Those are all good points to consider, especially in your situation that you just explained, particularly with you currently being the breadwinner of the family. But if you can afford it without stretching your budget, just do what makes you happy.

I might be alone on this, but I could care less about mods, though I don't doubt that being in California has more or less conditioned me to steer clear of them due to issues with compliance with the law (i.e. potential fix-it tickets) and smog checks. Don't get me wrong -- I modded my Honda that I had 11 or 12 years ago and it was fun doing it, but in hindsight, I wouldn't have minded having held onto the money and putting it toward something I get more out of. Personally, I'd rather have a fun car and keep it stock than have a regular car that is fun to mod but still not nearly as fun to actually drive. I get more of a kick out of driving than I do from putting stuff in and butt-dynoing the car, hoping that I can do something quicker than before.

 

Sti or Evo dude...

Stock is already tricked out. Practical...fuel economy isn't great but it's FUN!



Preowned isn't that bad...c'mon

 

I'm not sure if that's within the OP's budget, but if it is, they're both a lot more pratical and faster, but the Evo is at least pretty good in terms of involvement... check both of these quotes from articles about the FR-S/BRZ that reference it specifically:

"The FR-S's steering — although quite light — offers a granular precision not available since Mitsubishi's Evo IX disappeared."
2013 Scion FR-S: 10 Things You Don't Know

"When it comes to purity of purpose, you'll be hard-pressed to find a car that delivers this much speed and involvement under $50,000 — Mitsubishi's Evo X being one possible exception."
2013 Subaru BRZ Full Test and Video

If you can manage to pay a little extra, you'll get four doors and room for five along with a lot more hp and torque and still have a pretty fun car that is similarly involving, but in a different package. Also, you'd be able to get your hands on one easily, whereas the FR-S and BRZ will likely be difficult to get for at least a couple more months, maybe longer.

 

From a fun perspective, I would certainly get the BRZ! Very different from the fit. However, from a financial perspective ... and from a "sometimes there may be times when daddy has to drive his car to pick up the kids" perspective. I can't really recommend anything but the fit.

Also, it not going to help the OP, but in my opinion there is a reason that certain car companies offer long warranties. It's because they are going to break frequently. Repairs are free ... but you're still stuck getting to the dealer and waiting in line. So there's some sort of tradeoff and you have to decide for yourself is all.

 

I keep coming back to the Fit. So all the Subie dealerships I was trying to work with lowballed my trade by 1500 to 2k. f them. I figure I'll stick with the Fit. no power but definitely fun to drive. My local dealership has 0 Fits at the moment.. but told me they have a white sport manual coming in June. Thinking of puting a deposit on it but whites not my favorite color.. leaning more to gray, blue, and have toyed with the idea of orange or black. A dealership across town has a white and black sport auto and a few base standards. My only dilemma now is i'm thinking of waiting a few months to see what the 2013 offers. I actually test drove a mazda speed 3 yesterday, lots of torque, but thats about it.. not too impressed with the looks of the car or the dash either. test drove the mazda 3 sedan.. no. Test drove a mazda 2. it was quite fun, but seemed more like a 12k car than a 15k car. My goal now is to find something i like for under $300 a month. I think i can hit that with the fit with my trade in. So base? sport? auto ? manual? color? Im thinking dark gray rims and a swift springs drop.. I think any colors mentioned above will do.

 

Manual for MOAR fun