Today I was asked to find a fun car with the following parameters. More space than a Carolla, less than $15k and fewer than 15,000 miles, fun to drive and something that can be driven 100-300 miles a day.
Once again I find myself recommending a Saab to fit the bill. Saab has benefited from its strategic partnering with GM and Subaru. The COTD is the Saab 9-2x or the Saabaru.
The 9-2X Aero is a basically a Subaru Impreza WRX wagon given the Saab refinement. I’ve been a big fan of the WRX since it first came out. It is a value and performance leader. You get 227 turbo-charged horses with AWD. The nice thing about the Saab version of the WRX is a smoother ride and a much nicer interior treatment.
If $4 gas is making you put a car’s MPG rating on top of the performance list there was even a non-turbocharged 9-2x Linear. It has a 2.5 liter boxer 4 cylinder engine that produces a respectable 165hp and gets 20/27mpg on regular pump gas while still retaining the fun to drive aspect of the car.
If you’re looking for a car with a bit more storage than your average economy car, way more luxury and sport than any economy car, while still getting economy car MPG performance the Saab 9-2x Linear is the car for you. If you want a bit more power look at the 9-2x Aero.
2 responses so far ↓
1 John // Jul 14, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Great car, very hard to find on the used market.
2 Run Your Car On Water // Jul 16, 2008 at 12:33 am
This Subaru Impreza WRX is superb.