in that, you mean no chicks like pickup truck???

You need to add one more criteria to your theory as well...

if you want to be "parking hero"... pickup truck as well...

PM zenockl85 la... i am sure he can fix you up with something...

do they even have test drive models or not first? if dun have then there is nothing you can do about it la...

but if they have... sometimes they don't want to attend to you because they think you are just there for a joyride... happened to my friend once before trying to test drive other cars (was trying to test drive the clio rs without any intention to buy it at all)... they were right at that point la... maybe his face already told them his true intentions...

wow.... you are all over the place...

like quazacolt says... anycar is capable of breaking the speed limit nowadays.... and as for how fast can a car go... it depends highly how much the driver values his own life...

of course, the GTi is not a bad handling car.. but when it comes down to other cars in market... it is not the best... it does make up for it in better ride qualities and stuff....

as for the suzuki swift sport... that is a cheap car looking from comparing it with the golf GTi... but, really... once you've seen it.... you'd think twice before spending RM100k on that car.. the golf might be twice that value, but at least you get your worth when you buy that... and worst, the SSS is not really a whole lot fast in terms of acceleration, if you place it side by side a GTi...

so, your needs are just covering a whole lot of area... what you need to is prioritize what is your wants and needs such as price, value, performance-handling, performance-acceleration, looks, quality and etc...

what it feels now is that you are looking for a cheap car which can does everything from the handling of a lotus elise, to the acceleration of the R35 to the ride comfort of a Maybach and cost no more than a honda civic.. which evidently doesn't quite exist in this world..

so, you need to tie down your requirements in order to filter the list of cars in the market...

i think it's not darn hard to get a good car... it is just very hard to get a car that satisfies everything that you can possibly expect / want....

you either end up with a car that can do most of what you expect it to do and cost way too much or you end up with something that is easy on the wallet but does only maybe half of what you expected to get.... buying a car is very seldom just what you see on paper or what the salesman tries to sell you.. you might need to look further into things like can you afford to maintain it? road going resale value should you 2 years down the road decided you want to go full uncle or full track junkie on the car? and etc....

you just need to understand what can you sacrifice to balance out between your needs and what you are willing to pay for...

as for how every person values a car's worthiness... it is very different... for a track junkie... maybe he would think paying 260k for an impreza is much more worth than paying 220k for a GTi or Beemer 335i with M Sport pack and a stylistic young exec who wants to be a chic magnet might consider the GTi for it being the classier hot hatch with more luxurious amenities.. there is no saying which is wrong... just what is right for you..

so, the best is to now dig around your phonebook and re-engage your petrol head friends who might possibly have any possible cars in your target list and see if they can give you a ride and even better... if they can let you drive it... and if they are willing to share, the quips of owning the cars they have..

from there on, make up your mind...

for me, no car is the right car as there are different cars for different situation.. there will be days i would want to be in a less bone rattling ride but still be fast.. there will be days i want to let out my teenage side and go on a rampage zig-zagging in the traffic like i am trying to run away from loan sharks... there will never be such a car that can satisfy myself....

This post has been edited by nm7: Jul 14 2014, 11:43 AM

it's not surprising that some un-expected cars is fast on the road... i've got outsprinted in a flat out run from the lights by a land cruiser before...but then, that thing has a 2JZ in it spewing out black smoke all the way...

i don't doubt pickups are fast on the road.. but bone stock ones in Malaysia... i doubt it can push you back into the seat as hard as some of the more dedicated petrol head cars even in stock form..

if mods come into the picture.. hell... i think sometime ago someone tried building a superfast isuzu d-max or something like that in Johor that can do 10s quarter mile runs... everything is possible if money is no object..

anyways, kinda out of topic as TS wants something that is exhilarating to drive... not something outright scary if he wants to take it go for some spirited driving...

well, there is a difference between fun and downright scary... it can be fun if you are within the limit of the car, but once over it... totally different story... but then, it's very specific to every individual... and this certainly does not apply to someone with a death wish...

at one point in time when grassroot autocross events were gaining popularity in town that small cars like kelisa was sweeping up the competition in it's own categories... then those fellas started swapping cars to be more competitive and swift was one of the more obvious choices before they headed into the big boys territory...

The country where even keiichi tsuchiya is a total noob in drifting.
..

This post has been edited by nm7: Jul 14 2014, 09:00 PM

Uh... EVO X with SST? unless you really want to have an option for automatic shifting in the car... i'd say go with something like an EVO X GSR or RS from the grey market as outside mechs will also have problems with fixing the SST unit i believe... or even better, an EVO VII, VIII or IX... i prefer the IX for it's better looks compared to VI or VIII or even X (but, tats personal preference)....

mods are similarly easier with the WRX or Evo as there are more JDM tuners in KL than euro tuners... going to shops like ABT for the Golf GTi is bound to burn a huge hole in your wallet..

anyways.. either of this car is not going to be cheap to maintain (not like maintaining a camry anyways) if that is what you think it is... the EVOs and Imprezas will have loads of other fluids to change on top of the standard engine and transmission oil like diff oils and s-awc (evo) oils which might be a bit killing in the long run... the VW will just go according to what the manufacturer suggests and it will be the same wherever VW service center you go to....that, providing the car does not land into trouble as blown motors can often result into 5 figure repair bills if catastrophic enough....

the other good thing is that with JDMs... chop shop if often your good friend.. tuner brands are always an abundant and if new parts are not friendly with your wallet... the chop shop is always an option.... engine management can be sorted out with something a little more flexible like an hks f-con v pro instead of re-chipping or going towards standalone units if you are aiming for a motor that can run more reliably after upping the boost and the other SOP with gaining more power... so, the choices are a little more compared to euro models (that or i might not be as exposed to euro mods as i thought)...even things like suspension are more widely available without having to go to bilstein and you have more gadgetry toys like Tein's EDFC or EDFC Active to play with on JDM models (although Tein also releases it for the golf)

i am not sure what sort of mods your friend has in mind for the EVO X... but something as simple as titanium exhaust from tomei or fujitsubo can set you back quite a bit already while a steel unit from akrapovic for the gti is something in the range of RM7k i heard (in excess of RM10k for the EVO X for akrapovic Ti)...the only thing limiting the EVO X MR is actually the SST transmission as it can only take up to a certain amount of power output and it will require further strengthening to prevent it being torn apart which mostly means a lot of money to be spent once you reach that stage..

overall, JDMs are much more of a favorite between the tweakers and tinkerers because the amount of modifications that can be done is endless and widely available providing you have enough money of it...

it's a very complex topic this one... it is basically if you would like to be a repulsive teenager with loud blow off and wastegate sounds on the JDMs or the more sensible, stylish and mature man on the euro hot hatches... (not saying that the euro hot hatch can't be repulsive or the JDMs can't be stylish and mature but it is just what it is based on what you see on the streets)

and that's the steel version...

but people like akrapovic for it's signature exhaust note...

if the tire has that much grip in the first place or the driver slides and hits both outside wheels on the curb.. else, rolling the car is not as easy as everyone thinks it will happen...

those cars ain't the reliant robin anyways...

that one is stunt driving is it?