Recently, I learned that Kyle drives a 13 year old VW Golf. Offhand, I know that the MkIV and MkV Golf’s only had a maximum of 150 hp and literally no torque. Realistically with the age on the bearings, Kyle’s Golf probably has 80-90 hp. On top of that, he mentioned that it was in the shop recently.
(Probably nicer than Kyle’s)
So I’ve decided to dedicate this post to showing Kyle what car he should purchase to replace the Golf when it eventually kicks the bucket.
Kyle, this is for you.
Now when I started thinking what car could fit the criteria of a Golf, but also of a Japanese sports car, I hit a dilemma. Naturally, I was inclined to recommend the Subaru WRX STi hatchback, but then remembered Kyle probably doesn’t have a spare $40k lying around.
So I decided to look into things more in the price range of the Golf and had a little history lesson along the way. In 2000, Mazda began to use the slogan “ZoomZoom” to describe their cars. The simple, onomatopoeia, catchy slogan slowly became a manufacturing motto of Mazda’s engineers, and the based their designs and builds around an idea. The idea that no matter how old, wealthy, or knowledgeable about cars their customers were, they wanted their vehicles to be so fun that it brought everyone back to their inner 6 year old. No matter how technical it got, Mazda engineers at the end of the day wanted you to get in and then leave your car with the same thought in your head, “ZoomZoom”.
Eventually, around 2007 they wanted a flagship car for their “ZoomZoom” philosophy. So they decided to do something unconventional. Mazdaspeed is Mazda’s performance division, and they began to release performance versions of traditional Mazda cars in 2003, starting with the Protege. In conjunction with the “ZoomZoom” philosophy, Mazdaspeed created the Speed3, a performance variant of their traditional Mazda3 hatchback. The original Mazda3 Hatchback put out figures like 167 hp, and 167 lb/ft of torque. The Speed3 put out 267 hp and 267 lb/ft of torque.
One of the main philosophies of Mazdaspeed was their 1:1 power to torque ratio. With that in mind, power delivery was extremely linear, meaning that the power wouldn’t bump higher or lower depending on where you were in the rev range. No matter how you drove, if you put your foot down, the car would immediately accelerate at a constant(ish) rate. It was one of the first vehicles to use Mazda’s new Skyactiv engine’s which increased efficiency dramatically.
The car also offered a limited slip differential, which is fancy car talk meaning the car could handle amazingly. You could take a corner that normally you’d take at 15mph in Kyle’s Golf, but at 40mph—and come out the other side completely fine. It also offered Dynamic Stability Control as well as Traction Control, meaning that it adapted to the weather conditions and the road surface to restrict certain dangerous driving techniques. And it had a hood scoop, which makes it look pretty cool. Overall, it was a fantastic little hatchback.
But then, disaster struck.
The financial department got involved.
Mazda’s execs didn’t believe in “ZoomZoom”, and instead followed their own philosophy of “ChaChing”. Because of this, they largely cheapened the interior of the Speed3. Instead of a large screen, you got a small one, instead of fancy buttons you got ones from the early 2000s, instead of real leather seats you got half leather half alcantara, etc.
But it was still worth it.
The Speed3 inspired a new generation of hot hatchbacks, and its released sparked the release of a new Golf, a new Focus ST, a new Subaru WRX hatch, etc.
Unfortunately, “ChaChing” got the best of “ZoomZoom”. In 2013, Mazda ceased production of the Speed3. But that can also be a good thing. They have depreciated extremely in value, and you can now find an extremely clean and low mileage option for as high as $16,000—or as low as $8,000. I may have given some pretty stupid consumer advice in the past, but I sincerely mean it in this case.
Kyle, if you want a car that has more power, more functionality, more torque, more storage space, better gas mileage, better reliability, get yourself a MazdaSpeed3.
Kyle could very well have a spare $40k lying around. You don’t know Kyle.
^^^
Have you . . . have you ever met a grad student? They’re only slightly less poor than us regular college students.
I like how you used a specific purpose for this blog. The connection to Kyle and the jokes made it more relatable. It seems like the engineers never have much to do with bringing a great car down.
I think Kyle should get a prius but I digress. The mazda speed3 is supa cute and so it was a good recommendation if Kyle wants to kill some polar bears with its 18 city mpg. Kyle get a prius, save the icecaps. They came out with a sports one too! It’s nifty so at least consider it!
I think the mazda is pretty! That’s like really all I have to say about the car… I dont really have the authority to say anything about the mechanics. I kinda have to agree with Bri’s comment– I see a Prius for Kyle. It just seems like the right fit; maybe in blue?
I love how you dedicated this post to kyle! Very cleaver. And actually I have been meaning to ask, for a poor student coming out of college with loans and no money, what car and what brands do you recommend?
If I am going to be 100% honest, if you know what to look for, you can get great deals on actually really nice cars. People assume that if you are broke, you have to get a 1984 Toyota Corolla. The reality is this. Cars depreciate. That is a fact. For example, the Toyota Avalon is Toyota’s flagship luxury sedan. A 2017 model costs around $40,000. A used 2016 with 14,000 miles will run you about $26,000. You can purchase an extended bumper to bumper warranty from car max that will cover nearly all repairs for around $3,000. That can often times save you thousands on a car that you wouldn’t buy in fear of reliability. If you want a hatchback, I honestly really recommend the Speed3, the Golf GTi, the Focus ST, the Fiat 500 Abarth, or even an older Acura RSX. If you want a sedan, generally my go to recommendation is an Infiniti G35 or G37, or maybe even a BMW 335i. These brand names sound daunting and expensive, but you can get a 335i with a warranty for the same price as a new Toyota Camry.
I agree with Bri, the gas mileage is a bit lower than I would want. But great post — it was good to see how your analysis applies to the cars that we’re more likely to be driving. And I’m sure Kyle will appreciate the digs.