I am going to start looking for a small car to use as a weekend driver and I want to do the usual mods- tires, wheels, exhaust, etc.
I want to look at a VW Jetta, Nissan Altima or Focus or Fusion.
As far as the Focus or Fusion - where can I look into aftermarket parts- catalogue or magazines and such.
My first item would be tires and wheels.
any opinions on any of these cars?

Anybody own any of these cars?

I do like the tuner look on these small cars - any thoughts?
My son will be driving soon and he may just get this as his first car- only if he helps do some wrenching - of couse!

Let me know what you think of my possible choices.

 

the VW/Audis tend to have electrical issues which can be bothersome to those who don't have a good electrical background. The are incredibly engineer3ed, and structural well built, just apparently are getting electrical components from subpar manufacturers.

The Focus is inexpensive, and the aftermarket is huge on them. Pluses to look for are the 2.3 liter Duratec motor that started replacing the 2.0 Zetec. It has been around a few model years now, so they should be available used at a cheap price. The 2.3 just starts with a little more grunt, and have more built potential. The aftermarket for this motor is a bit further behind. But still out there. The 2.0 is still a very good little motor to work with. make sure its the DOHC 2.0 though. Check out www.batinc.net. They specialize in smaller ford and euro ford products. The euro and aussi focii get stiffer springs, and bigger sway bars. They import new euro/aussi grade suspension and brake parts, as well as pushing custom manufactured focus parts. They do complte suspension packages. Also sell SVT focus wheels at less than half dealer price. There is a club similar to this one for the focus, www.focaljet.com.

The Altima is a good car platform to work with, but like the fusion its a bit bigger and heavier. To be satisfied performance wise you will want the 3.5 V6, which can make them pricey. Also, you have to decide whether you want the car to feel quick and nimble (more like the focus) Or a bit bigger and more comfortable, solid handling, and bigger cubic inches to pull you along. The altima aftermarket is pretty good, you can check stillen.com. Also summit carries sport compact performance parts as well. The Fusion aftermarket should be getting going pretty quickly.

All cars listed will get you the performance you seem to be looking for. I would have to say the Focus will get you the best MPG when needed.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your price range? And what age of car are you looking at??

 

cougar,

thanks for your input I will use this info during my search. I really need more sources for aftermarket parts so if you have more please pass them on. I will check into the ones you have mentioned.
I did go and check out the altima and new sentra, the dealer also sells VWs
I am impressed with the new Jetta (2 model years now), My choice between the 3 would be the Jetta. Very well equiped and built. I am going to a Ford dealer tomorrow to look at a 3 door Focus. I went to look at one the other day, but no one wanted to help me so I left.
I hope to have better luck at another dealer. I plan to buy a new Focus and not spend more then 18,000, there are some used ones, but the people (dealers) seem to not care and sound dopey to me - what to you think about that? -
I do want to get the Focus to perform and look good - read as look different- and have fun driving it too.
My son would like the car to be from the Ford family, so I will look at the Focus and the aftermarket parts for the Focus.

 

Stay away from VW, they're junk.

 

khadma noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! I've put loads of cash into my wifes '00 vdub jetta-top of the line fully loaded vr6, auto. the car is a nightmare before you ever consider a vw go here first- www.myvwlemon.com -read the posts and the horror storys of the german junk. Now the one thing I will say if you go with a vw, buy the extended warranty and get rid of that thing before the warranty expires. The only model I've never heard bad things about is the tdi-deisel w/manual tranny,I know of three with over 300,000 on 'em. I'm not really a fan of the nissan either,thought them to be a little pricey for what you get. Have you looked at the corrolla or scion models?

 

I did not look into any Toyotas yet. The reason is that there is only one - I say only one company that is allowed to sell Toyotas in Hawai'i- that means no shopping around- with Toyotas being so popular here, the prices are too high for me.
Nice cars though, but I will take a look at the Focus. Thanks for the input on VW. They look like nice cars!?

 

Check Civic and Corolla, they're best small cars on the market.

 

Civic and Corolla are also tops in thefts in Hawai'i.
Most Toyota and Honda products are.
I'll check on them also, I do say these cars look great dropped. A rear wheel drive small car would be a good choice too, but not many are available at an affordable price.

 

Mazda Mazda3?

 

your allright with the vw, jetta or gti, youd be happy. to spend less on mods find a 1.8t or vr6.
you see an awful lot of older vw's with alot of miles on the road, i cant imagine someone spending a grand or more on electrical issues when the vw they have has a 100 plus k on it and worth 3500.

mazda is a better choice than a civic, i had a 2002 protege5 that i paid 16.5 for in 11-2001. great car, had some pep, reliable, great on gas, sporty, alot of room inside.

 

The Mazda 3 is also a pretty good choice. Its essentially a Focus. But a lot of people like the looks/styling better. I think they did a good job making it look different than just a rebadged Focus.

 

on my investigation on small cars I ended up registering at Focaljet- even some input from them pointed me to the Mazda 3. This car is "suppose" to have a better chassis - it is shared with the Volvo S40? I think the chassis is called the C170. It is touted to handle better than the Focus C1 - being new to the small car segment I do not know much.
I like the styling of the new 08 Focus and I was wondering if I should wait to check them out- I am going to a dealer today to check when the 08s will be on their lot.
I do see alot of VWs on dealer lots- could this be a sign?
I really like the Jetta styling though.
Mazda 3 maybe a great economical move, but is there an aftermarket for these cars?

 

I have an 06 focus st, the 2.3 has good torque and hp. It's pitch black with the street appearance package, it handles like it's on a rail. Cosworth make all kinds of go fast parts. You can put to gether a 250 hp 2.3 all motor, no forced induction thats streetable and reliable from cosworths power packages. Focus sport has stage 1 and 2 turbo kit's. Stage 1 is without an intercooler, 9 psi on stock internails for 200 hp, stage 2 has the intercooler running 11 psi on stock internails for 230 hp. These numbers are with no other mods and this is with the duratec 2.3. The aftermarket has upgraded handling packages, aluminum fly wheels torson or quafie lsd, short shifters, you name it. Focus sport is also dveloping a turbo kit for the 2.3 fusion. Good sites to check out for focus info and fusion are, www.focaljet.com and focusfanatics.com.

 

Everyone is doing hondas, dare to be different, there's foci with 200 hp all the way up to 800 hp. There's body kits, wheels, just about everything. If I didn't run ford, I would go with the dodge neon srt-4. So far, I have an intake and catback, but I'm fixing to order the cosworth D power kit, it consist of thier cai inatake, intake manifold and tunning. The D2 power kit has the header, 67 mm tb, cams and tunning, these 2 power kits will put you in the 200 hp range. I modded an 02 zx2 before this, the zetec was limited at about 180-200 all motor, but the duratec has a lot more possibilites, as it's a race motor in sheeps clothing. Mazda is doing some neat things with the 2.3 duratec as well, thier throwing on factory turbos. Ive been racing fords since back in the muscle car days and I'm not going to change now, but it's whatever you like. The chevy colbolt ss has a factory super charger, subaru and the evo are fast turbo cars as well, but they cost like 30 grand, my focus cost 17 fully loaded so I still have 13,000 for engine mods to have as much invested as the evo or subby, they are also awd. The awd creates alittle drag and weight, but they will handle.

 

I was able to test drive a Mazda3 with 2.0 5spd. It had some zip to it, but I really need to test drive a 2.3. I like the longer wheelbase of the Mazda 3 the car seemed much bigger than it is, I will check out the m3 2.3 if I can find one and I still would like to know when the 08 Focus will be out for a drive- I would consider waiting for the 08 Focus too. I also want to find out about suspension kits for the Mazda.
I am pretty sure there are no choice shortages for both cars.
The Mazda3 has a trim package with 17s and 50 series tires and 2.3 I4 does the Focus have a package similar?