Comment by noduerme | Hacker News Reader

Comment by noduerme | Hacker News Reader

Strongly agree with this article. The car I love is my 1980 Datsun, but it just isn't good in the rain. My daily car is a Fiat 124 Spider. Reason I bought it was it was the least complicated, most direct driver-to-pavement, latest, fastest ride I could get for $20k with a stick shift. I won't buy an automatic. To Fiat's credit, I think they're the last manufacturer selling cars in America whose standard price is for a manual transmission and who charge extra for an automatic. (Which, let's be honest, only an idiot would buy an automatic on a 1.4L turbo that has to be kept revved to a sweet spot smaller than 1500 RPMs per gear).

There are four things that piss me off about the Spider. 1: Touch screen which I don't want lit up most of the time, but which doesn't respond to touch to turn it off while you're driving. 2: Stupid as hell autobrake comes on for 2 seconds if you clutch and brake on a hill over 8% grade. You have to toggle the emergency brake or do a heel-toe to not be pushing against your brakes when you start up off a hill. 3: It's beyond me how they could sell this car with a touch screen but without a boost gauge. 4: No ashtray.

>It's beyond me how they could sell this car with a touch screen but without a boost gauge.

Back in the days of our 80's datsuns, when upping the boost you definitely need to keep an eye on it. These days, ECUs have that under control, there will be a MAP sensor that monitors pressure and boost cut / limp mode will follow any overboost situation.

My late 2000s BMW for example had a weird compound turbo setup that, to its credit, could build 23psi in a second but if any of the actuators failed could be disasterous for the baby turbo. The ECU was smart enough to measure the normal boost profile and would throw a fault code if it was over/under spooling. The control logic was impressive, I was happy with the response and the intake was kept FOD free, even on the day one of the actuators failed open.

Similarly, I'm making sure I get ever mile out of my 1993 Jeep Wrangler. It's rusting in places, but I absolutely love that I can service the car myself. It has never broken down in almost 30 years!

While not under $20k, the Subaru Impreza and Crosstrek are currently offered with a stick shift on the base trim, and for the Impreza Sport ($23k) it's offered standard with a stick, and an auto optional.

This may change soon to only be the WRX and BRZ with a stick shift next year, but currently their lineup is rather competitive for AWD compact cars.

Were you ever comparing with a miata? I'm curious how they compare since its the same platform.

I was very close to buying a Miata of the same year, and test drove a couple. But the Fiat sold me. They look almost identical inside, but the driving experience is actually quite different. The Fiat is a little heavier and doesn't feel as squirrely while the Miata is a touch too light and doesn't hold the road as well. Mostly though, the difference is between the 1.4L turbo and the 2L naturally aspirated in the Miata. The Mazda has pretty much straight line torque from low RPMs. The Fiat is comparatively very weak at low RPM and takes more accuracy and skill to hold it at peak performance... but it's a monster when the boost kicks in. The Fiat also has more soundproofing so it's possible to actually hear music... sometimes. Finally, I think just because Fiats are virtually unknown in America, the price tag on a comparable model / miles was about $3k less for the Fiat.

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