Heh funny thread.
Hack, I certainly do admire your little Swift Sport. Its an awesome little car and I know I would love flinging one around..
But I just have to have a turbocharger. In a small car, I can't do without it any more. The Fairmont's stupid CC capacity means that it has sufficient torque without needing a turbo, but in a small car, you need the technology to give you the grunt.
I am more and more liking the Colt Type R. I am actually now seriously considering leasing one for 3 years.
The thing with leasing a company car is that you get heaps of tax benefits, you are spending it half with tax money that you normally would have paid to the government and got nothing for. I have compared "owning" the fairmont with "leasing" a Colt R. It actually works out slightly cheaper to lease a Colt R. Leasing a brand new WRX works out about the same as "owning" a Fairmont. Crazy huh, so makes sense to lease big time.
I just forked out $470 for new rear right central locking actuator for the Fairmont, two new keyring buttons (yeah they both broke) and the labour to do it. That's almost what you'd pay with real after tax money to lease something brand new around the colt's value. We also just paid $700 to service the ford. With a lease all the servicing is covered, you get a servicing card and a fuel card - no hassles. If anything unexpected breaks, then they fix it under warranty - no more to pay. Other costs associated with "owning" is that you own it with real cash. So if you sell that car, the real cash can be paid off your mortgage if you have one, saving you interest, or put in teh bank etc. It depreciates and you get less when you sell it. I think we bought the Fairmont at a good time so it won't depreciated too much now. We got it for an absolute bargain, actually I think I could sell it for $500 more than I paid for it, even still now with more Kms on the clock.
Older cars always need work. The window tinting will fade, something will break. Leasing means you constantly don't have to fork out for these random things.
Colt R CONS
- Trip Computer, OK I know it will be efficient on fuel anyway - no big deal.
- No reach adjustment. I since found out that hardly any small cars have this. I was dreaming to expect this in a small car. Even the EVO doesn't have this.
- Remote boot release. That's the only thing left to gripe about - nothing major though huh.
- Interior slightly plastic-ish. I will have to get over this and focus on all the leather, recaros and the awesome stylish gauges. It was a minor gripe anyway.
Colt R PROS
- Up to the minute technology. Electronic Power Steering, Electronic handling, electronic traction, torque sensing LSD. Mivec, turbo, intercooler.
- Up to the minute styling - it looks hot. Massive side flares/arches, 16" nice alloys, awesome projector lights front and rear, great stance. I love the front and rear.
- Sporty/driver's car interior. Recaros from EVO 8, leather knob, leather wheel, twin airbags with option for 4 airbags (I would get 4), little subtle ralliart badges around the gear knob and stuff like that. Awesome gauges.
- semi-auto climate control (i.e. knob that you wind to set degrees, not fully digital like the fairmont)
- AWESOME handling, everyone says this. It beat WRXs, porsches and stuff around a tight track in WA. Obviously it wouldn't on longer, taller tracks, but on tight stuff, it cains and is so cheap!
- Great price for all this.
- Rear seat folds back and forward for either more boot room, or more leg room for rear passengers.
- mp3 stereo standard. (I'd probably tinker again and put something nicer in one day though along with better speakers)
- AWESOME fuel economy for such a fast car. With something like an EVO, you're still burning a bit of fuel just to drive it around, its a guzzling 2 litre kinda thing. The colt is more modern and only a 1.5, hardly uses anything when you're not boosting.
- AHHHHH The Spooling of a small car.
I think I'm probably gunna push myself over the edge and do it maybe one time soon..
Of course, I would have to build a web site for Colt people to hang around at. But I was also thinking maybe about a more general small car performance kinda site.. There is so much action in this space in Australia now - so many hot cars coming out.. Why not make one site for all of the fans who like all the compact cars to hang out at.
E.g. Swifts, micras, colts, VW turbos, mazda MPS (although they are pretty fat, not really small any more), XR5 turbo, XR4 turbo (soon to be released, Astra turbo..
Actually I think the XR5 turbo and astra turbo are too big. I'd like to focus on the real compact ones. Swift, Colt, Honda Jazz, Micra, XR4 turbo etc. But I'm almost finished building another automotive kinda related web site lately. Its not a fan club/forums kind of thing, more of a service that I hope everyone will use. Users have already found it and its not even finished yet. But more work yet to be done. Man there are so many web sites to write!
