Cars anyone?

[Armored Knight]

Wow, the price is just ridiculous! You can add a few more thousands and buy an Impreza WRX STI. But before jumping to that assumption, what is the price of the STI in Australia? Is is even sold there?

Although the Civic is a high quality car, it is overpriced. Even the usual sedan Civic is overpriced.

[Haruka_Kitten]

Originally Posted by Armored Knight

Wow, the price is just ridiculous! You can add a few more thousands and buy an Impreza WRX STI. But before jumping to that assumption, what is the price of the STI in Australia? Is is even sold there?

Although the Civic is a high quality car, it is overpriced. Even the usual sedan Civic is overpriced.

Subaru prices their cars (weirdly) based on location. My postcode, the car. Impreza WRX STI, both Hatch and Sedan, manual...AU$43,929!! Insane...

[Armored Knight]

For the STI "in Australia", it is not insane at all. I expected the price to be more expensive than the Civic by thousands. Since you said sedan, are you sure that it is not the just the "WRX"? If it is the WRX, now that's insanely expensive!

[Haruka_Kitten]

Originally Posted by Armored Knight

For the STI "in Australia", it is not insane at all. I expected the price to be more expensive than the Civic by thousands. Since you said sedan, are you sure that it is not the just the "WRX"? If it is the WRX, now that's insanely expensive!

!!! On closer inspection, that is just the WRX, they don't sell the STI here. Ah crap what a...right, time to say I live in Sydney...xD

[Armored Knight]

Wow, that's ridiculous!

The price of the STI in the US starts from 35K USD (39.4K AUD). The STI!

The prices in the US are cheap compared to anywhere else, but the Americans still complain XD.

[Haruka_Kitten]

Originally Posted by Armored Knight

Wow, that's ridiculous!

The price of the STI in the US starts from 35K USD (39.4K AUD). The STI!

The prices in the US are cheap compared to anywhere else, but the Americans still complain XD.

Dammit, they gotta do something about Hoon driving. The reason they don't sell great cars here (apart from the Commodore and it's Ford rival, the Falcon) is because they are bought by idiots who have lead feet in this country.

[mg1942]

interesting JDM civic type r vs Euro civic type r
(skip to 03:05 for the actual battle)

[Sinestra]

Originally Posted by Harufox

Ah, speaking of Civic...



That's the Euro-spec Honda Civic built in...Swindon? It looks like a coupe, but it actually has 5 doors (the back door handles are tucked away in a corner where you'd expect to find a window). They sell it here too, but due to the unique way the euro and pound works, it's priced itself out of the competition.



The Euro-spec Civic Type-R. I like that. Priced in Australia at AU$43K, it's quite steep. For around that money I'd be looking at a Mazda 3 MPS. It's still gopingly brilliant to look at, and I hope it's one of the cars I get around to test-driving when I get a full licence.

Though the Type R looks like 43K Id could buy an Evo X with the touring package for that and still save like 2K or an STi hatch around that.

[MitsubishiZero]

Originally Posted by Harufox

Ah, speaking of Civic...



That's the Euro-spec Honda Civic built in...Swindon? It looks like a coupe, but it actually has 5 doors (the back door handles are tucked away in a corner where you'd expect to find a window). They sell it here too, but due to the unique way the euro and pound works, it's priced itself out of the competition.



The Euro-spec Civic Type-R. I like that. Priced in Australia at AU$43K, it's quite steep. For around that money I'd be looking at a Mazda 3 MPS. It's still gopingly brilliant to look at, and I hope it's one of the cars I get around to test-driving when I get a full licence.

Races from Best motoring reveal that the Civic (JDM) Type R is much better to drive than the MPS........I don't know if the civic won.

We only have JDM cars here and TBH, the Euro Type R is inferior in performance than the JDM version............it uses the Fit platform. (refer to the video above.)

[Takeru]

Originally Posted by Knyghtblade

I love the 4th-6th gen civics and the comparable integras

Too bad I have the 7th Gen EX. Still love the crap out of it though.
If memory serves correctly, my EX was around $12,5k when we bought it new. $35k is insane


This is my actual car. It's really more of a plum/eggplant colour though

[Knyghtblade]

thats because the Fit now occupies the space where the civic used to.

and actually i've been digging the accord coupes more than the civics in these last few gens. the new ones just dont have the body lines the 5/6th gens did.

[MitsubishiZero]

The Europe and JDM new accord and accord estates looks quite good, IMO. Their engines are getting better too, like the latest Euro R. Too bad, USA only get the smooth-body accord, which may look luxurious but being a Honda, I don't like the style. I love JDM

[mg1942]

Originally Posted by MitsubishiZero

The Europe and JDM new accord and accord estates looks quite good, IMO. Their engines are getting better too, like the latest Euro R. Too bad, USA only get the smooth-body accord, which may look luxurious but being a Honda, I don't like the style. I love JDM

Actually we get Euro/JDM accords... but they're sold as Acura TSX.

[Armored Knight]

I don't really like the Accord's current design. IMO, the sedan looks bulky and the coupe is ugly.

[Haruka_Kitten]

I really don't understand the motivation of selling completely different Hondas in North America as opposed to the rest of the world. The Honda Fit is probably one of the only cars that Honda sells in North America that is the same as it sells the rest ofthe world (although we call it the Jazz, and there was a Thomas the Tank styled ad to go with it's launch that I thought was so rubbish....grumpy car, wtf? >_>)

[Knyghtblade]

Originally Posted by Harufox

I really don't understand the motivation of selling completely different Hondas in North America as opposed to the rest of the world. The Honda Fit is probably one of the only cars that Honda sells in North America that is the same as it sells the rest ofthe world (although we call it the Jazz, and there was a Thomas the Tank styled ad to go with it's launch that I thought was so rubbish....grumpy car, wtf? >_>)

Part of it is the stigma that the american car market has created for itself.

back before gas prices shot up (for us that remember when it was ~1-1.20 or so, and some older than us 20s people remember cheaper) it was all about BIG AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE!!!!111!!!. Everyone wanted V8's and giant vehicles, big luxury cars and huge v8-v12 sports cars. There was a very niche market for compact family and especially sport compacts. 4 cylinder single overhead cam cars were stuck in that highschool/college first car kinda thing.

the rest of the world due to denser populations tend to favor and appreciate the compact and efficient vehicles, and as such, they are a market that gets catered to more. Case in point. my Eg6 hatch has so many crazy optional features sold in the EDM and JDM market that are not even optional in america and cost retarded amounts of money to import in. (don't even get me started on how much my power folding heated mirrors cost) compacts for a long time were literally only associated with barebone economy cars for the longest time, we are only now seeing a reversal of that trend.

honda isn't the only one guilty of this either, both Toyota and Nissan did the same thing.

[Haruka_Kitten]

There's that stigma too of manual falling out of favour for family cars in North America, among others like Australia (normally I associate passenger Diesel with manual, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find a small passenger Diesel without an Automatic as standard? Narrowed it down to a Peugeot, a Mazda, a Ford and an Audi. Would you also like to know which one I'd buy?).

I wouldn't buy an Automatic (even having just spent under an hour in one just a few minutes ago) for the same reason I wouldn't buy an Auto flushing toilet: it's just as easy to do it myself (I know the embarrassment of stalling, I had done it a couple of times at the same intersection).

[MitsubishiZero]

Originally Posted by Harufox

There's that stigma too of manual falling out of favour for family cars in North America, among others like Australia (normally I associate passenger Diesel with manual, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find a small passenger Diesel without an Automatic as standard? Narrowed it down to a Peugeot, a Mazda, a Ford and an Audi. Would you also like to know which one I'd buy?).

I wouldn't buy an Automatic (even having just spent under an hour in one just a few minutes ago) for the same reason I wouldn't buy an Auto flushing toilet: it's just as easy to do it myself (I know the embarrassment of stalling, I had done it a couple of times at the same intersection).

very clarkson-ish

North America is very special. Almost all Japanese car makes make special USADM models specifically and only for North America. The civic, the accord, and the odyssey. Their models are bigger in size, and much more expensive than other market models for the same amount of equipment. The Stream isn't available, the Stepwgn isn't available, the Elysion isn't available. All these great cars aren't available in the US and it is all shouldered by the Odyssey, which, is like a van with a swollen body.

This is what JDM Hondas look like. They are not ricers.

Elysion:
http://www.honda.co.jp/ELYSIONPRESTIGE/

Odyssey:
http://www.honda.co.jp/ODYSSEY/

Stepwgn:
http://www.honda.co.jp/STEPWGNSPADA/

Stream, RST model:
http://www.honda.co.jp/STREAM/rst/

JDM accord:
http://www.honda.co.jp/ACCORD/

Accord for other countries except Europe and USA, remarketed as Inspire:
http://www.honda.co.jp/INSPIRE/

and finally, Civic Type R JDM ver.:
http://www.honda.co.jp/CIVICTYPE-R/

[Haruka_Kitten]

Originally Posted by MitsubishiZero

very clarkson-ish

Looks like my new years resolution is to lay off the Top Gear

EDIT: I found a copy of Top Gear Magazine dated Feb09 (so about 12 months?). Yes I have found the price on a brand new Subaru Impreza WRX STI...you aren't gonna like it...

Spoiler for I warned ya:

STI hatch 5dr man 6spd 2.5T: AU$59,990
STI Spec R hatch 5dr man 6spd 2.5T: AU$64,990

[MitsubishiZero]

Originally Posted by Harufox

Looks like my new years resolution is to lay off the Top Gear

EDIT: I found a copy of Top Gear Magazine dated Feb09 (so about 12 months?). Yes I have found the price on a brand new Subaru Impreza WRX STI...you aren't gonna like it...

Spoiler for I warned ya:

STI hatch 5dr man 6spd 2.5T: AU$59,990
STI Spec R hatch 5dr man 6spd 2.5T: AU$64,990

you are not gonna like this news:

http://www.motorimage.net/HK/web/usedcars/

look for that used subaru impreza sti s204: HK$ 482000/AUD$ 70,223.4247

the 02 sti is only AUD$ 18,486.5351

and the 05 B4 is only AUD$ 19,377.0031

note: check out the group N base car page....I wonder if i can buy one and use one on road XD