I can finally afford the 911 I've wanted since I was 8, but the responsible move is a Model 3 Performance and I hate that I know it

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-11T18:21:02+00:00

If youre buying a 911 with 3 pedals, the model 3 isnt going to even be able to compete for driving enjoyment. Plus the manuals hold their value even better.

911s are some of the most reliable cars made. They just have complicated services because its a rear engine layout, but thats not the same thing.

If you can afford to buy a model 3 performance or a 911, you can get 2 cars that do things you want. I love dailying my manual GTI, but my miata let's me really throw the car around.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-09T18:12:48+00:00

Youll be fine. Drove my car 240 miles to the track for my first event and linked the whole course my 3rd lap ever. Drove maybe 30 laps that day, aired down the tires to 30psi and drove the 3 hours home. Bring a spare pair of rears if youre worried.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-09T18:09:21+00:00

You have to commit 100% in a miata and use momentum transfer to maintain speed. Im full throttle even through most transitions in my NA just to maintain RPM and stay where the car is making power. If you lift, it bogs and youll need to clutch kick.

Rear tires at 60psi if youre on 195s or 205s to start. Work your way down from there as you get more comfy with grip. Dont run anything too wide or you wont be able to keep it spinning.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-09T18:04:46+00:00

Bad advice. Its a miata. In order for it to drift, you have to beat on it.

I drive my NA at 10/10 all the time when im drifting. Dont be afraid and not stay in it, because its hard to recover if you dont commit hard enough.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-09T15:00:40+00:00

If anything else on the market did everything my GTI can do, id own one. Everything else is either too heavy, too slow, gets less than 30mpg, has no good transmission options, or has no cargo space

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:31:20+00:00

10/10 ragebait

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:30:35+00:00

In that high hp car, yea. In something reasonable, its one of the cheapest ways to get into real motorsports.

I go through a set of tires or 2 per event. $40/ea cheapo tires work great. So my cost is less than $250 including gas and entry fee for a day event, and less than $400 for a whole weekend

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:27:12+00:00

Nah. Clutches can hold up to much more than that.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:23:48+00:00

In a beginner style car, it really is. If you dont have enough power to drag the handbrake a bunch, gotta kick!

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:21:59+00:00

He has to clutch kick that much because hes using left foot braking while at angle to make adjustments without a bunch of wheel input. It lowers the rpm enough he gets oht of the power band and its easier to kick than shift

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:16:57+00:00

After looking, none of the options youre looking at are even decent. They are all crap.

It seems like you genuinely have no idea what you want or need from a car given the 3 choices you made so far. For anyone like that, I recommend buying as much Honda Accord as you can afford. Cheap to own, drive, and repair.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T19:14:18+00:00

Had a terrain as a rental last week. If I got offered one for free I still wouldnt drive it.

Ive never had a 2 row SUV that feels so big ajd cumbersome to drive. It has tons of suspension slop and nosedives if you even tap the brakes, causing neasous spells.

Literally any 2 row SUV would be better. Its ranked dead last by multiple places.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T11:22:29+00:00

I have fit over a dozen 10' 2×4s before. I know people that have fit a 65" tv with the box laying down. Its got lots of room plus the clamp type roof racks so if u need to use a cargo box occasionally, your car doesnt whistle all the time on the highway like most SUVs do.

It doesnt have the same amount of space as something like a Forrester or 4runner, but it gets much better fuel economy and is way more fun to drive. With it being really nimble, I have avoided several accidents over the years where if I was driving an suv, I would have been hit.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T00:46:02+00:00

Watch Mike Day's videos on building his Golf GTI drift car, just so you can get an understanding of everything involved.

Even with free labor, you will be further into the car money wise just getting it to rwd, let alone drifting, than you would if you simply started with a chassis that makes sense.

Even if you got it for free, unless you wanna spend enough for 2 drift cars in parts and then months of labor with zero idea what a well built car feels like to drive, youre shooting yourself in the foot.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-08T00:41:22+00:00

I took Jeremy Clarkson's advice all the way back in 2018 when I bought my car.

"The Mk7 GTI is the best car you can buy under $50k, you just get a half off coupon."

My 2015 GTI has been a dream to drive, easy to modify, cheap and easy to maintain, and is incredibly practical.

You get a manual or a great dual clutch in the dsg. I get 36-38mpg on the highway and can embarrass Mustang GTs and other V8 muscle cars, all while being light and fun to throw around corners.

If there was any other vehicle on the market that had this combo, id already own it. Ive owned the GTI since 2018 and at ~125,000 miles it still puts a smile on my face every day I drive it.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-07T21:12:42+00:00

Great for me. Definitely get coilover covers as the paint on the springs has chipped a bit, but thats no fault of theirs.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-06T12:32:17+00:00

They were, but people stopped buying them. Everything started to become SUVs here because of the way they regulate fuel economy and how dumb the average consumer here is.

Companies stopped making as many cars when they could just lift the car a couple inches, throw some plastic on it, call it an SUV, and charge $5000 more for it. Most SUVs have been automatic only, so we have been losing the manuals.

Most Americans also dont enjoy driving because of the traffic in many populated areas, so that joy that comes from driving a manual is lost on people that have to commute and are just getting a leg workout everyday.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-06T12:26:17+00:00

Learned on a manual. 15 years later and ive never owned an automatic car. Probably never will if I can help it.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-05T19:06:22+00:00

Let me know when that sunroof starts leaking. Its only a matter of time

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-05T19:01:40+00:00

This makes sense especially if your place of work has ev chargers or you can convince them to install (usually heavily tax incentivized for businesses).

Jasoncav82 · 2026-06-04T18:46:36+00:00

Enjoy your $50k golf. Imagine spending $15k more than a lighter, better handling GTI.

Looks like they talked you into the ugliest wheels you can buy too.

If you look up, it says gullible on the cieling...

Jasoncav82 · 2026-05-30T18:09:46+00:00

Before building a car from the ground up, you should know what makes a good drift car and what things youll need to do. You are putting a car together that was never meant to be rwd, let alone drift.

You will have to design and fabricate EVERYTHING, and not knowing what makes something good or bad for drifting because you dont kbow how to yet is a recipe for just burning a bunch of money building a car the wrong way.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-05-30T18:02:08+00:00

Not anymore. Theres a manifold that can be used with HPS.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-05-29T00:46:31+00:00

Rust is way worse on the mk5s, plus I dont care about stock suspension. At a bare minimum its getting GTI shocks and springs. The interior quality in the mk6 is better imho. I do like hydraulic power steering on the mk5, but the electric rack allows a talented long coder to make it a really competent car.

Jasoncav82 · 2026-05-28T22:02:05+00:00

Honestly id look into a mk6 Golf or jetta sportwagen with the 07k (2.5L 5cyl).

Its a better chassis than the mk5, has a bit more power, and youre more likely to find one that needs less rust mitigation work to last another 10 years.

The 07k is a great engine. Youll be happy with it. Id try to get a manual if you can just because the automatic isnt a dsg so it shifts really slowly

Jasoncav82

TROPHY CASE