Dan and his wife live in Portland and predictably drive an Outback. They are looking for a second car mostly for driving around town in something more fun to drive than the Subaru. With a budget up to $15,000, what car should they buy?
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Here is the scenario:
My wife and I have shared a single car for the last 10+ years. Our current steed is a 2013 Outback we named “Scratchy” to recognize its less than robust paint job. That works great for us for road trips, camping, snow sports, and all the other bougie stuff that Portland Subaru owners use their cars for. I am now potentially going to be using Scratchy for some work trips, and could be out of town for up to a week at a time, so we’re looking into a second car that would primarily be a grocery-getter for short trips, and would probably be driven for less than 1000 miles a month. We have a practical car already, so we want this one to be fun.
-Needs to have room for our 65 pound dog, but a back seat or even a front seat is OK. We would consider two seaters, with the thought we could remove the front passenger seat if needed to make some room for the dog.
-Should be fun to drive, a manual is a possibility
-Like the idea of an electric car, but don’t think there’s any such thing as a cheap, fun electric car
-reasonably reliable, with reasonable parts availability
The budget is no more than $15,000
Quick Facts:
Budget: up to $15,000
Location: Portland, Oregon
Daily Driver: Sort of
Wants: Affordable, fun, reasonably reliable
Doesn’t want: Something too big
Expert 1: Tom McParland - Small, Fun And Electric
The sub-$15,000 price point can be a frustrating zone to shop. Between the prevalence of shady used car lots or vehicles with questionable histories, it takes so much longer to find a quality car compared to shopping at over $20,000. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find something solid and enjoyable.
You mentioned that you didn’t think there were fun electrics that were also affordable, but I would argue that an EV is probably one of the more enjoyable cars you can find on the lower end of the price spectrum. For example, you can score a BMW i3 a funky box that has a carbon fiber body, rear-wheel-drive, and the motor mounted behind the seats. That’s a combination usually only found on high-dollar exotic cars, but it can be yours with reasonable miles for under fifteen grand.
These are zippy cars, and easy to part with just enough room for the pup in the back using the freestyle rear doors. Range is limited on these BMWs, which makes the i3 less than ideal for longer drives. I would recommend finding a range-extender model. Here is a local example with only 40,000 miles for just under $14,000. A wider cast would likely find better ones that weren’t being sold by a Buy-Here-Pay-Here lot.
Expert 2: Owen Bellwood - Get A Fast Ford
Dan, shopping for a fun and affordable car at this price point is a tough but pretty rewarding task when you uncover the right answer. My first thought was the i3 that our Tom has picked out for you, as an EV makes perfect sense for the kind of driving you want to do. Just because it’s the first choice, though, that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice.
Instead of an electric BMW, the perfect car for you is a fast Ford and, thankfully, there are some great fast Fords that tick all of your boxes. If you need room in the back for a dog, space for some groceries in the trunk and a good heap of fun whenever you get behind the wheel, then the Fiesta ST is a great car to look into.
Ford’s best hot hatch packs a fun little four-cylinder motor, a crisp six-speed manual and all the bells and whistles you need for a fun city cruiser. These excellent little pocket rockets come in a range of prices, so if you’re prepared for one with a few more miles under the hood then you could save a few grand, but I am falling for this one that’s got low mileage, the good wheels and a very clean interior for its age.
Expert 3: Collin Woodard - Don’t Put Me In A Box
When we got this question, Dan, everyone in Slack automatically assumed I’d tell you to buy an old Fiat 500e. I am, after all, the owner of a baby blue 2015 Fiat 500e, and I’m on a crusade to convince people not to waste money buying a battery that you’ll rarely, if ever, use.
On paper, it makes sense. The nicest 500e in the world probably won’t max out your budget, and you’d be surprised how much fun a small, zippy car is around town. You’re always in the right gear for peak torque, and these cars were literally designed to be enjoyable to drive in cities. Plus, since you live in Portland, the 87-mile EPA range when new shouldn’t be an issue. Your wife can just charge it every couple nights, and it’ll be fine.
At the same time, everything in me hates doing the obvious, so I’m not going to recommend you buy an old 500e. Instead, I’m going to suggest you lease a brand new one.
First of all, these things are cheap to lease. We aren’t talking free, but I bet it’ll be closer to free than seems reasonable for a brand-new car. And since it’s a lease, you won’t have to worry about depreciation or what to do with it if your lifestyle changes in a few years. It also offers close to twice the effective range of the previous 500e, which should make long drives or days full of errands much less stressful. The most important thing is that it can charge at up to 85 kW, which absolutely dwarfs the old 500e’s max of 6.6 kW. As a result, the public chargers you find at Target or Ralph’s will actually add real range to your car even if you’re only inside for a few minutes.
Would it be better if Fiat gave us the Abarth version? Absolutely. Just don’t overlook the non-Abarth 500e if you’re on the hunt for a fun little city car your wife can use while Scratchy’s out of town.
Expert 4: Amber DaSilva - You Want Fun To Drive? I’ll Give You Fun To Drive
Dan, I’m here today to tell you that my coworkers are all cowards. You want something fun and zippy to hoon around town, and you’re being given a Fiat 500e? An i3? No. Owen’s pick is closer, sure, but we can get you something even more fun than the beloved FiST.
You want a car that’ll put a smile on your face, something to make you giddy every time you drive it. To that end, I present this: Perhaps the sketchiest Subaru BRZ I’ve ever seen with a clean title. I know that doesn’t sound like a fantastic pitch, but hear me out.
This first model year, nearly 100,000-mile BRZ has a tubocharger, cheap aftermarket wheels, and visible but inexplicable damage. Its windows are tinted, its trunk lid is unpainted, and its bumper is filled with chicken wire. One headlight is clearly replaced, but it’s on the side opposite the visible front fender damage and side marker light that’s falling out. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a coherent recommendation for a dog car — but you, Dan, are not a normal circumstance.
Do you know how many times I’ve seen someone come into these hallowed blogs and say, right upfront, that they’re totally open to pulling the passenger seat out of their car to make their dog fit? One, Dan, and that’s you. You’re clearly willing to make far more compromises on practicality to get a car that’s entertaining, and I can’t imagine a more entertaining ride than this one.
You already like Subarus, but rear-wheel-drive and the kick of turbo power are sure to put a grin on your face. This BRZ probably has some raucous tune on it to match its looks, and that’s exactly the kind of car you need: Raucous. Buy this $14,000 BRZ, pull the passenger seat out, and have the time of your life when the Outback is out of town. You deserve that joy.