$15k cash. Need me a car. Suggestions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matt R
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Funky P
All of them automatics, if you were still looking for manual cars, then prices are a bit different.
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I see, didn't think of that.
 
Funky P
As a car buyer that lives in the same area i can tell you half of these car prices everyones giving off are quite off.

You'll find no SVT Cobra's at the price ever, GTO's are still in the 20k's, RX8's you'll find plenty, none of these cars will feature 15+ mpg. No way you'll find any E46 M3 or 350z manuals for 15k.
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yeah, i have no idea where these numbers are coming from. Private party KBB on an 03 SVT Cobra with 50k and in fair condition still nudges 20k. youd have to go beaten to hell and back to get one for 15. and then it would be way more trouble than its worth.

but i have seen a few higher mileage 03 Z's with a manual for around 15. but i dont know about their reliability above 100k. you would be treading new ground there.

a higher mileage mazdaspeed3 would probably stick fairly close to 15k. was that mentioned already? but high mileage on that car means it was driven hard, most likely.

a third gen legacy GT? though not as great a performer as the current, which could probably be had for a little over 15k with lots of miles.

edit* did the US actually get the third gen legacy gt? if not, i assume you wouldnt want a '99 or older. *shrug*
 

Try saying no to that.
 
Sniffs
*eyebrow*
how are you guys affording the insurance on something like a 'Vette or Camaro or a new Goat? especially GUY guys. geeze, I can't get full coverage even now because it would break me.

theFAO: what, you never heard of the W8 engine?!

around here, if it costs less than 10 grand, there's something wrong with the car. if it costs less than 5, there's nothing left holding it together but putty, and it has 4 bald tires and needs everything replaced.
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Haha, I've heard of it in their concept car (I think it's called the Volks W8), but I had no idea they actually put something like that in a Passat of all cars. That's got to be the epitome of a sleeper right there. That's awesome.

Also, more so on the Mustang Cobra... I just happened to see the blue book value, not actual lot prices. I don't know what the 2003 would go for, but I've seen most 2004 Cobras in the low twenties though. I've also seen in the 2003 Cobra in this range, but of course as someone pointed out it would have a wealth of miles on it.

Maybe we could go with the 300hp Mach 1, or the 265hp GT. Those two have considerable performance (could be ligther). That's the only thing. The Mustangs are notorious for being fat cows which henders their performance significantly in comparison to other coupe sports cars.

If you're still interested in Mustangs, maybe take a look at the 2002 Camaro SS... I think they should be going in this price range by now. Or if you don't mind going a little more older, I'm sure you could definitely find a WS6. Both run anywhere from high to mid 13's, have a gigantic plethora of aftermods, and both look sweet as hell.
 
tehFAO
Maybe we could go with the 300hp Mach 1, or the 265hp GT. Those two have considerable performance (could be ligther). That's the only thing. The Mustangs are notorious for being fat cows which henders their performance significantly in comparison to other coupe sports cars.
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mach 1 had 305hp and 320ft lb torque. 3400lbs. 0-60 is under 5 seconds with the manual with a 1/4 mile of 13.2s. handling is not that great, but whatever. (even by mustang standards its not too good.) private party value in my area is just a tad under 15k with 10k miles per year (60k) which is lower than the 12k per year national average.

(wiki says owners have dynoed up to 285 rwhp and 305ft lb at the wheels. at 15% loss thats over 330hp and 360 torquies at the crank. dont know how substantiated of a claim that is, but if its true, aftermarket headers and exhaust would make it a mean competitor. and given its 700 lb advantage over the challenger, probably a winner! and since no one in a challenger will ever take a corner, you wont have to worry about the poor handling.)

for a good handling mustang, the bullit might be an option. 265 ponies like the GT but better looking, without the fake scoops. exclusivity may not allow for a 15k price tag though.
 
Those who talked about insurance are right, you will get screwed to the wall with anything resembling a sports car. You are better off getting something with more luxury in it with a decent engine, in the long run you'll be more comfortable and still get the sportiness out of it. I agree on the Passat W8 and with Gil's suggestion of the G35. Your insurance on cars like these will probably still be high, but not as high.

Also I would look into some Volvo's, I actually like this one even though the miles are quite high on it.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...ansmission=&doors=&max_price=15000&cardist=14

There are also numerous A4's and A6's in your price range as well, I would think about something like that as well.
 
Wow, that Passat sounds good.👍 Better than the C36 i drove.
 
Bones Brigade
mach 1 had 305hp and 320ft lb torque. 3400lbs. 0-60 is under 5 seconds with the manual with a 1/4 mile of 13.2s. handling is not that great, but whatever. (even by mustang standards its not too good.) private party value in my area is just a tad under 15k with 10k miles per year (60k) which is lower than the 12k per year national average.

(wiki says owners have dynoed up to 285 rwhp and 305ft lb at the wheels. at 15% loss thats over 330hp and 360 torquies at the crank. dont know how substantiated of a claim that is, but if its true, aftermarket headers and exhaust would make it a mean competitor. and given its 700 lb advantage over the challenger, probably a winner! and since no one in a challenger will ever take a corner, you wont have to worry about the poor handling.)

for a good handling mustang, the bullit might be an option. 265 ponies like the GT but better looking, without the fake scoops. exclusivity may not allow for a 15k price tag though.
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The Mach 1 isn't that bad. The live axle will remind you that it's there, but it's not bad. Seats are nicely supportive, and the front brakes are Bullitt/Cobra pieces (In fact... I know one that got the wrong front caliper put on, so one side says Cobra and the other doesn't. Same calipers, but one has Cobra on it in raised letters). Suspension is lower and stiffer than the GT's.

Also, the aftermarket, should you want to make it handle, is insane. Anything for a 1979-up car suspension wise will fit.

However... Why are we overlooking 1996-1998 Cobras? 300bhp, 5-speed, good looks, decent suspension. Everything the Mach has, albeit with different heads that are, if anything, TOO BIG, and different camshafts.

Cam, compression bump, and maybe a .030 overbore later, you have 350+bhp reliably and the ability to kill anything short of a Terminator. You could always add boost and kill them too.
 
Well, you seem to know your Mustangs pretty good. I haven't personally tested a Mustang Mach 1 at a dragstrip or anything, but just going off stats compiled by a number of sources on the internet it appeared they weren't that quick, same with the older GT's.
 
tehFAO
Well, you seem to know your Mustangs pretty good. I haven't personally tested a Mustang Mach 1 at a dragstrip or anything, but just going off stats compiled by a number of sources on the internet it appeared they weren't that quick, same with the older GT's.
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13.2 stock is pretty quick.
 
tehFAO
Well, you seem to know your Mustangs pretty good. I haven't personally tested a Mustang Mach 1 at a dragstrip or anything, but just going off stats compiled by a number of sources on the internet it appeared they weren't that quick, same with the older GT's.
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The "older" GTs were nothing to be proud of, but for that matter, neither is the 99-up.

1996-8 GTs were DOGS. 1999-up cars are a better by a considerable margin, but still not amazing.

A Mach 1 with slicks and a shorter rear gear will run 12s with no power mods.

If it's an automatic, it needs a higher stall converter, slicks, and a shorter rear gear. 12s.

13.2 is with a great driver; 13.5 is more common. The 5.7 GTO is a bit quicker on the top end of the track, but they're very equal in ET, with the Mustang leading early on with the live axle. That said, even the slushbox breaks into the 13s stock, if only just barely. They're quick cars and more than enough to get you in trouble.
 
More on the G35 Sedan:
I've recently discovered that the Sedan is over 100 lb lighter than the coupe.
If you find one without the nav system, and without AWD, you can be in the $15,000 - $17,000 all day long in most places.
And Nissan engines are "non-interference" so they are damn near bullet-proof.
In my youth, I've beaten a Nissan like a new drum for well over 120,000 miles with indifferent maintanence, used it as a pizza wagon (for those that don't know, those are the hardest miles ever put on any car).

So, I guess a regularly maintained VQ35 might run nearly forever.
 
Bones Brigade
but i have seen a few higher mileage 03 Z's with a manual for around 15. but i dont know about their reliability above 100k. you would be treading new ground there.
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I'd worry about the viscous LSD if the previous owner was a hoon.

a higher mileage mazdaspeed3 would probably stick fairly close to 15k. was that mentioned already? but high mileage on that car means it was driven hard, most likely.
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hoonery=shot engine mounts, which is dangerous on this car. Don't know if it was recalled or not yet.

a third gen legacy GT? though not as great a performer as the current, which could probably be had for a little over 15k with lots of miles.

edit* did the US actually get the third gen legacy gt? if not, i assume you wouldnt want a '99 or older. *shrug*
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On that note? An Impreza? Or, for total-Q-ship-ness... a Forester? Guy here at the shop did a Forester set-up... STi brakes, STi suspension, STi turbocharger, Unichip piggybacking, HKS exhaust... spent a fair-bit, but the sucker goes like absolute stink... makes 250 at the wheels, has a ton of trunk space, and it's an automatic. :lol: Forego the big wheels, and they'll never see you coming. ;)
 
Passat W8 sounds great... but MotorWeek gave me second thoughts though. :-/


Hmmmmm... Also at 244 cubic inches, the W8 is the smallest 8 cylinder engine I think I've seen in any mainstream production vehicle.
 
The manual does 0-60 in 6.4.
 
Don't get carried away on that Passat W8 folks, imagine the maintenance costs. It would have how many timing chains? What, rare engine? Parts only from Germany- I'm paying freight costs?!

Also, I don't know about this one, but wouldn't it have 2 crankshafts?
 
nd 4 holden spd
Don't get carried away on that Passat W8 folks, imagine the maintenance costs. It would have how many timing chains? What, rare engine? Parts only from Germany- I'm paying freight costs?!

Also, I don't know about this one, but wouldn't it have 2 crankshafts?
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I have to have most of my stuff shipped in from England, it's really not that expensive to have a European car.
 
Joey D
I have to have most of my stuff shipped in from England, it's really not that expensive to have a European car.
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More expensive than normal, and this is an ultra uncommon W8 here, not a popular L4. The sheer complexity of the engine would send maintenance costs through the roof in labour costs, not to mention fining someone who knows how to work on it.
 
Actually parts for the Cooper are cheaper than they were for the Blazer on a lot of the things.

And service technicians at VW dealers should easily be able to work on the engine. It also wouldn't be any more complicated then any other engine, it still works the same way. The W8 also shares a lot in common with VW's VR6 motor which is quite popular.
 
I personally think it might be british parts. one of my ex's told me he could get the same part that I priced at 28 bucks without tax in the UK for £15 VAT included (!)...and that was in 01

it's not "age thirty" that your rates go down, it's 10 years of driving under your belt. I only recently got a insurance rate reduction, myself (and it took 4 years for me to notice!)
 
Sniffs
it's not "age thirty" that your rates go down, it's 10 years of driving under your belt
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i wasnt suggesting that 30 is some magical rate lowering age (such like at 21 you may magically buy beer, and at 25, in washington state, you magically may rent a car.) i was just anticipating that, yes, after 10+ years of driving my rates would have dropped significantly.
 
nd 4 holden spd
Also, I don't know about this one, but wouldn't it have 2 crankshafts?
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err.. Not exactly.

w8_kammet.jpg
W8-8-cylinder-engine.jpg
 
That looks confusing, and on wiki the picture of a 4-bank one looks like 3 banks to me.:odd:
 
well.. you know germans and their over-engineering.. but that allows fitting a 8-cylinder engine in space that was meant for 6-cylinder engine.
 
that needs a technical or blueprint illustration to better explain the "w" configuration. somebody tell VAG to de-copyright a blueprint long enough to "for dummies" it.
 
It's pretty straight forward.

Just take two lines of cans, arrange them as you would in a V8, like so:

O|O|O|O

O|O|O|O

Then scrunch them up for better packing efficiency, like so:

O|O|
|O|O

|O|O
O|O|

Sure, it makes for more problematic casting, and possibly a more expensive engine, but a more square engine can fit in spaces that a longer "straight" V-8 can't. The crankshaft doesn't even need to be especially exotic for this... just needs more places to attach pistons. Everything else is much as you'd find it on a normal V-engine... since it's not a true "W" or "double-V", there's still spaces between the pistons to run properly matched intake and exhaust ports.
 
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