Part 4: Noble steeds and humble donkeys
Every hero knows, you need a noble steed to carry you on your quest. And at the risk of stating the obvious, you can't rally without a car. I'll be shedding a lot of blood, sweat and tears on this quest, so finding a trusty and loyal 4-wheeled companion is crucial.
I learned from Motorkhana that you can take pretty much any car to a rally event, if you have enough – what I like to euphemistically call – 'imagination’ (time + money + passion + stupidity). Cars of all shapes and sizes were being thrown around the track with gay abandon. Think of any make and model of car. Now add the word 'rally’ and type it into Google. With near certainty I can say that some lunatic, somewhere has turned that car into a rally car. You want an Aston Martin Vantage rally car? Sure:
A Volvo 240? No problem:
A Toyota Prius? Yeah, here you go you, weirdo:
So what car am I going to get? My first instinct was that – obviously – I was going to buy a fire-breathing 1998 Subaru Impreza WRX. I think you could probably tell based on the number of times I’ve written Subaru in my first few posts that I would go straight for that.
However, that was firmly in the ‘once upon a time’ stage of my quest. As I journeyed through the research mountains towards ‘reality’ castle, I realised that I wasn’t going to own that particular steed (just yet anyway). They are far too powerful, and a decent unmodified non-drug-dealerfied example is still over $20k – at nearly 20 years old. No, my first steed would need to be a little more modest.
Learning to rally is not a cake walk. Mistakes will be made – I learned that much from Dirt Rally – so it’s best to make those mistakes at a slower speed, and in a cheaper motor. So, I must first embark on my Rally Quest on the back of a humble donkey. But what humble donkey should I get? – Cue exciting research montage:
My must-haves:
Some bonus features:
I considered but rejected these popular rally cars:
Toyota Celica – 90s cool, but too powerful for a beginner.
Subaru Impreza – AWD only, and most variations are too powerful.
VW Golf/Polo & BMW 1/3 series – Having previously owned both a Golf and a 3 series, I know the bowel shattering cost of maintaining a German car in New Zealand.
Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz – A sensible option, great value, but not quite rad enough.
Mitsubishi Lancer – Few of the </1600cc versions on the market within my budget.
Runners up:
Toyota Levin – Drives great and looks 90s rad, but they are getting on a bit now.
Suzuki Swift – Cheap and nippy. Feels a bit like a toy though.
Holden Barina – Looks great, but questionable reliability.
Toyota Corolla/ Honda Civic/Hyundi i30 – A bit plain, but bulletproof reliability.
My main contender right now:
Ford Fiesta S 2009 (1596cc) – $6500
They are one of the most common rally cars for beginners in Europe and America and are known to be reliable and safe. Team O’Neil has a fleet of them. Ford and the Fiesta has rally heritage, the Fiesta has been Ford’s rally car since 2011, winning the manufacturer's title in 2017. No, it’s not a Subaru, but McRae did drive a Ford for a few years so it’s legit in my eyes. It’s a nice looking motor for its class, and the S version will handle nicely on the track, or as a daily drive:
OK, OK, you could easily see a little old dear driving a Fiesta to pick up her new hearing aid. It may be a humble donkey when I first get it, but with a little ‘imagination’ I’ll eventually be driving a noble steed that looks something like this:
– Cue exciting saving money montage
I learned from Motorkhana that you can take pretty much any car to a rally event, if you have enough – what I like to euphemistically call – 'imagination’ (time + money + passion + stupidity). Cars of all shapes and sizes were being thrown around the track with gay abandon. Think of any make and model of car. Now add the word 'rally’ and type it into Google. With near certainty I can say that some lunatic, somewhere has turned that car into a rally car. You want an Aston Martin Vantage rally car? Sure:
A Volvo 240? No problem:
A Toyota Prius? Yeah, here you go you, weirdo:
So what car am I going to get? My first instinct was that – obviously – I was going to buy a fire-breathing 1998 Subaru Impreza WRX. I think you could probably tell based on the number of times I’ve written Subaru in my first few posts that I would go straight for that.
However, that was firmly in the ‘once upon a time’ stage of my quest. As I journeyed through the research mountains towards ‘reality’ castle, I realised that I wasn’t going to own that particular steed (just yet anyway). They are far too powerful, and a decent unmodified non-drug-dealerfied example is still over $20k – at nearly 20 years old. No, my first steed would need to be a little more modest.
Learning to rally is not a cake walk. Mistakes will be made – I learned that much from Dirt Rally – so it’s best to make those mistakes at a slower speed, and in a cheaper motor. So, I must first embark on my Rally Quest on the back of a humble donkey. But what humble donkey should I get? – Cue exciting research montage:
My must-haves:
- The engine capacity should not be over 1600cc in order to fit within a lower-end competition category.
- Naturally aspirated, meaning no supercharger (for now).
- Manual transmission.
- 4–8$k cost. Too cheap and it’s probably a dog. Too expensive and my house will be repossessed and I’ll become homeless.
- Reliable and cheap to repair due to my lack of mechanical knowledge and pitiful budget.
- 2WD - most beginner cars are front wheel drive. You’re in an easier class, and handbrake turns are much easier on the transmission.
Some bonus features:
- A rally heritage for make or model is welcome.
- Looks OK. My personal vanity dictates that it has to look at least somewhat ‘cool’ – or at least not totally lame. When I'm not tearing up the New Zealand countryside, this car will be my daily drive.
- Japanese and Korean manufactured are generally reliable and cheaper to run and repair.
I considered but rejected these popular rally cars:
Toyota Celica – 90s cool, but too powerful for a beginner.
Subaru Impreza – AWD only, and most variations are too powerful.
VW Golf/Polo & BMW 1/3 series – Having previously owned both a Golf and a 3 series, I know the bowel shattering cost of maintaining a German car in New Zealand.
Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz – A sensible option, great value, but not quite rad enough.
Mitsubishi Lancer – Few of the </1600cc versions on the market within my budget.
Runners up:
Toyota Levin – Drives great and looks 90s rad, but they are getting on a bit now.
Suzuki Swift – Cheap and nippy. Feels a bit like a toy though.
Holden Barina – Looks great, but questionable reliability.
Toyota Corolla/ Honda Civic/Hyundi i30 – A bit plain, but bulletproof reliability.
My main contender right now:
Ford Fiesta S 2009 (1596cc) – $6500
They are one of the most common rally cars for beginners in Europe and America and are known to be reliable and safe. Team O’Neil has a fleet of them. Ford and the Fiesta has rally heritage, the Fiesta has been Ford’s rally car since 2011, winning the manufacturer's title in 2017. No, it’s not a Subaru, but McRae did drive a Ford for a few years so it’s legit in my eyes. It’s a nice looking motor for its class, and the S version will handle nicely on the track, or as a daily drive:
OK, OK, you could easily see a little old dear driving a Fiesta to pick up her new hearing aid. It may be a humble donkey when I first get it, but with a little ‘imagination’ I’ll eventually be driving a noble steed that looks something like this:
– Cue exciting saving money montage
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