If you’re wondering, the song at the beginning is the one from the (very awesome) ending of The Mist. It’s The Host of the Seraphim by Dead Can Dance.

It pains me a bit that the selection of decent small cars is so lacking on this side of the pond. It’s only poor people who drive small ones over here; everyone else drives a large, family-sized sedan, a gigantic SUV, or a truck that gets 10 miles per gallon because they sit outside the realm of EPA regulation.

With American cars sucking ass (as demonstrated by our auto industry failing and begging Congress for money), my choices for a new, small, reliable car are basically between the Mazda 3 and the Mazda 3. If the 2006+ Honda Civics weren’t so God-awfully ugly, I could easily see myself checking out an Si, but alas.

My initial want led me to the GTI, but I’m not so sure it’s economical or reliable enough to meet my needs. Plus, these little fuckers are fast, and speeding tickets aren’t something I need. Obviously, the GTI is far more cool than the Mazda 3, but the 3 ain’t too shabby in its own right.

Cost, then, is probably the deciding factor. The GTI I’d want would cost about $24,000 whereas the 3 would be a mere $16,000 or so. $8,000 is no small amount, but not only that, the next iteration of GTIs look fantastic. Since the new versions always lag a few years before making their way over here, perhaps I’ll wait until then to splurge on a 3,000-lb. go-kart.