Originally posted by lightngsvt:
Garrick, Thanks for the heads up. I didnt find much under the search, but there was more info in the FAQ. I was also looking for the little things, like "brake pads wewar out really fast" this trim piece falls off", etc.

TropicalSVT, I sent you a PM.

Antonio, Why do say not to buy one? Its either a CSVT, Focus ZX3, or Mazda Protege5 wagon at this point. The Focus and mazda are more practical for "stuff", but the CSVT seems to be "more car".



I love my CSVT but there's lots of reasons to pick a Focus ZX3 or a P5 over it. Premium gas is at least $0.10/gallon more money. The CSVT requires it and gets worse mileage than the other two cars you mention. Figure that over a year's worth and it adds up to a couple grand easy. If you're looking to add anything to your car the aftermarket support for the Focus and P5 is at least 10x bigger, probably 10x bigger. Chances are that insurance would be cheaper on the other options too.

OTOH a CSVT is pretty special. I think it looks nicer than the other choices, the leather interior is a plus for me, and you don't see them coming and going like especially the Focus. It's likely to be faster in a straight line than the other cars and more comfortable doing it. The CSVT is the most mature choice of the 3 if that means anything - more sports sedan and less pocket rocket.

As for common CSVT issues, there's the well-known oil starvation problem, intakes get crudded-up, fuel pumps can fail due to clogged strainers, and interiors get creaky and rattly but overall I've found mine to be pretty dependable.

You asked...

Scott

Troll! '99 BMW 328i