I have a 2000 Subaru Forester with a 5spd stick and I can confirm, it is a terrible shifter. Sloppy, the clutch is touchy, and theres a lot of driveline lash. I haven’t driven the new 6spd models, but I drove the latest gen Impreza with a 5spd and it was only marginally better than my Forester (mainly just…

I was thinking as I read the story that I like the embedded slideshows very much! It’s much better than scrolling through a vertical list of photos.

My Mazda has physical keyholes in the door handles you can use to unlock if the car battery or key battery dies, but it’s still push button ignition. Apparently if they keyfob battery dies, you can press the engine start button with the keyfob, and it has some kind of low power/no power chip that will allow the car to…

I agree, I am not a fan of touch screens in cars. I have a ‘18 Mazda3 and while the infotainment isn’t perfect, I really like having the control knob instead of just a touchscreen.

Exactly my thought. I think my old ‘04 Nissan Xterra was about 4100 lbs and didn’t hardly have any space, power or features compared to this Kia. Especially on the base mode, that weight seems very reasonable.

I’d say leave the Miata RWD, and just make an AWD 2 door shooting-brake version of the Mazda3.

Like others said, it could be proportions, rather than overall size. OP didn’t say they don’t fit in those examples, just that they don’t “acceptably fit” which to me means they were uncomfortable. I’m 6'2" and while I “fit” in a lot of cars, it doesn’t mean I’m comfortable in them. Usually if I move the seat to…

I like the Jag idea, but are those really big enough that someone 6'2" can sit in front of a rear facing car seat? And they aren’t known for being too reliable...

I would love a cheap (sub $5k) kit version of this with a small gas engine. That would be a blast to drive, if CA would ever let me take it on a road.

I agree, I think these systems (to say nothing of the ways in which Tesla/Musk have marketed them) lull people into a false sense of security. I know we just see the fringe crazy cases (no one takes a video of someone using the system properly, that’d be boring) so we’re likely just seeing a few bad actors. But still,…

My uncle has one of these in white (complete with stacks), with a more basic interior, and another fuel tank in the bed including a pump to refuel other trucks. Seriously cool compared to the average sized ones you see on the road, and fun to drive just because of the size, but it is too big to be useful as a normal…

This is why I go back and forth with my opinion of these systems. My Mazda shouts at me pretty often on my morning commute to “brake!!!!” when I go around one particular curve, where there are cars parked on one side of the road. Luckily it hasn’t yet braked for me (it only auto-brakes below 20mph, I didn’t pay for…

I rode in one of the lower trim models as a Lyft a few months back and I was not impressed. I’m not talking about the lack of leather and terrible stereo system, I mean it was a rattle can. The suspension was pretty rough, it had a ton of squeaks and rattles, the seats were hard and uncomfortable (though the fabric…

This is a great answer. Quirky, reliable, efficient and still practical/fun. My friend has a 2nd gen and other than the fact that I think it should be nicer inside for what it costs, it’s a very cool and comfortable car. 

Buy the Volvo! I have a P1800 and while some parts have been tricky to find, they haven’t been too expensive. We bought ours from a couple that let it sit for 10+ years with 200K miles on the clock, and it didn’t require much work to get it running. The engine sounds like a tractor but it sure is a hoot to drive. 

I’d pick something beefy like a Land Cruiser or the Lexus twin. If I’m going to have a car that long I may as well be able to take it everywhere and beat on it in the process. 

I don’t think that’s a problem Subaru’s really have any more. I know it was in the past, have a 2000 Forester with 110K miles and I did do the heads (preventatively, we never had issues with them) but it’s been rock solid for us.

I think your chart is pretty accurate in terms of how I perceive engine sizes. I do agree though that cylinder count is important. Your chart is still useful though. I.e. a 2.5L 4 cylinder engine is at the large end of the small engine spectrum.

I was thinking the Honda Element sounds perfect as well! It has a tailgate and a hatch, AWD and lots of space. Durable with Honda reliability. I’d say this or the Nissan Frontier are both great options.

$1400 does seem high, but feasible once you add in tax, alignment, warranty, etc. I paid just over $1100 for Michelin all season tires for my Nissan Xterra a few years ago (which should be about the same size as tires for a Silverado), including the extra warranty and alignment. But I picked the most expensive tire…