Looking for a new car again...this time seriously.

[Murcie_LP640]

Here is the situation I have at the moment. I'm looking to buy a new car to replace The Cereal Box as my daily driver. Partly because I want something different but mostly because it seems to be starting to feel the strain of its age, which the accident when I ****ed it up at the roundabout didn't help either. Currently I have the Sierra for sale for $1000 ono and when that goes (which hopefully will be very soon as cheap four-bys seem to be popular this time of year; I got 5 offers on it when I put it on Facebook within the first day) I will have some decent cash for a loan, which I'm asking for about $10,000.

The trouble is, I still can't really work out for the life of me what sort of car I want because there's so many good ones making the decision hard. I preferably want one with a manual transmission, no older than 1985, and either Euro or Japanese because the only really decent American car I can find is an IROC-Z Camaro, which is good but despite it being severely underpowered for the size of the engine the insurance will kill me. Aussie cars are fair play as well; I have been looking at VR/VS Commodore utes and the Ford Falcon XR6.

- V8s and turbocharged cars are OK despite me being on my P2s. I have an exemption for that as I got them 1 month before the ban came into place in South Aus. Also I have found an insurance site that will actually get me insurance for these sorts of cars and it's not that much more expensive.
- Preferably luxury and/or sporty cars. Something reliable but fun is pretty much a must. Power is not a necessity but decent cornering ability is with regards to the sports cars. Modifications will almost certainly be on the cards for the future though.

These are the sorts of cars I've had my eyes on:

- Mazda 323 SP20
- Mazda MX5/Miata
- Subaru Liberty/Legacy RX AWD Gen3
- Subaru Forester GT
- Subaru Impreza RX AWD (WRX is very tempting but so much more expensive on insurance)
- Nissan Pulsar SSS N14 ES
- Nissan Skyline R31 Silhouette GTS
- Holden Commodore Ute VR/VS (any engine type)
- Holden Statesman WH
- Ford Falcon XR6 AUII
- Toyota Celica ST204R ZR or ZZT231 ZR
- Lexus Soarer SC400
- BMW 3-Series (325i and 323i E36 specifically)
- Audi A4 Quattro
- Mercedes-Benz W202 C-Class
- Honda Prelude VTi-R (either 3rd gen. with the electronic dash or 4th gen with the more powerful engine and classier exterior)
- Honda Accord V6-L (delving into the slightly boring with this but it's got a lot of features for the price)
- Honda Integra VTi-R

 

[niky]

Is the RX AWD the naturally aspirated 2.5 or 2.0? If it's the 2.0, I'd give it a pass in favor of the Mazda 323 SP20.

But of course... the MX5... if you have no need of passenger space and are looking for something infinitely fun. What model falls inside your price range?

 

[Murcie_LP640]

The RX AWD is the NA EJ25 2.5L.

The MX5s that fall in my price range are almost all 1st gens, mostly with the 1.6L. There are a couple of 1.8s and there was an NB for sale.

 

[Skv012a]

I'd say R31, SC400 or beamers from that list. Else whatever nice, reliable RWD you can find the newest and in your price range.

 

[gary31]

check out a legnum or a galant... can get them for under 10K
they are go pretty hard, they have a 2.5L twin turbo V6 and are AWD and quite a few have AYC. oh and a type V (without AYC) is in GT5

have a look at ozvr4.com

i think there are a few for sale in SA.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

I did see those, and as far as a performance wagon goes the Legnum is good but I've always been a Scooby boy and Mitsus short of an Evo I've seen have had sort of questionable reliability.

 

[gary31]

yeah i hated mitsis before i drove my legnum. i canot understate how much i hated them, i wasnt a huge fan of the EVO's either. this is becuse i have owned a 89 magna. but when i took her for a spin i knew she was ment for me. daily driving wise its much better than evo's or wrx's, lots of mid range.

only thing i'd say about reliability is stay away from autos, not that they are fragile, they just need to be maintained properly something you can't be sure the previus owners have doen.

BTW there are a few with 300k km which havent skipped a beat.

I honestly think you cannot find a better value car for the price.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Yeah almost all of the ones I've found are autos...I really want a manual so that I can get used to it after driving my 4-speed auto Skyline for 2.5 years. The only exceptions are things like the SC400 which only came with an automatic trans.

 

[Sniffs]

keep cool down there, guys.

I agree with niky, go for what you NEED as well as what you want. WHY people are suggesting a wagon/estate when all your hauling around is probably your butt, though...

btw, I was looking at leftover subies, myself. mostly for the reliability and AWD. unfortunately, they still think trucks around here

 

[gary31]

I didn't mean to sound heated.

I was suggesting you go for the galant which is a sedan.

I don't think you can get a better, faster or comfortable car for the same amount of cash (about $10K).

 

[niky]

The 2.5 RX and 323 SP20 should both be a fair bit of fun, but will drive safely. Know quite a few fellow Mazda owners down there, and you apparently get the unrestricted engine, like we do. Handles better than the RX, but the RX is torquier.

A Miata is scads of fun, but the 1.6 cars are severely lacking in poke... and rather than put up with cooling and maintenance issues on a really old 1.6, I'd rather go for a newer 2.0 sedan with more punch and performance.

What year Integra and Prelude are we talking about? Even with the smaller engines, older Integras are kind of fun.

What engine is in the N14 SSS? If it's the 2.0, tempting. If it's the 1.6... great everyday engine, but not exciting.

R31, unless it's turbocharged... 'fuhgedaboutit'... heck, even if it is, at this point, it's an ancient car. I would rather get a 200SX. Statesman, Commodore, Falcon, SC... boats. If they've got the right engine, powerful boats, but power isn't your concern, right?

I've always had a soft spot for a nice wagon... the Forester and Legnums are interesting in this regard... but like Sniffs said, might be overkill if your butt is the only thing they're going to haul.

In the end... you're the one who knows your maintenance budget (not just your purchase budget)... and if the maintenance budget is tight, I'd stay with a more common Japanese compact. If it's relatively loose, then you can probably go with your heart's desire. Hell, a V8 ute is a practically a citizenship requirement, isn't it?

 

[Murcie_LP640]

I don't think a wagon is overkill. Even with the quite large boot my R31 has, the sub I have in the boot with the enclosure still takes up at least half of it. I like the look of a sleeper wagon as well, the Lib and Legnum look good on a set of lowered coils.

- The N14 SSS here has the SR20DE, and the top of the range Pulsar is the GTi-R with ATTESA and an SR20DET.

- I'm kinda leaning towards the Scoobies at the moment. There's quite a few nice Libertys and the odd non-thrashed Forester GT around so I'm pretty much spoiled for choice in either respect. The SP20 is high on my list as well but they seem to be a bit more expensive. I got lucky with one that was marked down to 7 grand but I think it's going to be sold by the time I get the cash.

- The Integra is the DC2-style VTi-R with the B18 and the four round headlights, whereas the Prelude I want is the 5th generation with the H22A, like this:



- In terms of maintenance, the cheapest options are going to be the Aussies or the Japanese. Being an Australian-built engine the RB30E in the R31 I currently have was very cheap to fix, however one thing I know is that finding tyres for it was a *****.

- A V8 ute seems to be pretty much the Aussie dream but until recently I haven't really gotten into them. While I don't really have a preference between Ford and Holden the Holden utes seem to be more popular choices and in general better nick so if I did go for one, the VS ute would probably be the pick. I think I'll stick with my sedans though lol

 

[niky]

DC2 with B18. Would be lovely. Aren't they expensive, though?

N14 with the SR20DE... never driven an N14 (we got the B's), and I don't know how identical it is to the B14, but if it is nearly-identical, I can say rather rubbish steering, nice handling, great engine. Should go on forever or until it rusts. but since you live in Australia and not the tropics or the snowbelt, you should be sorta safe from rust.

What's under the bonnet of the GT? 2.5 NA? I like Fozzies. Not the greatest steering or handling, but the potential is there if you want to upgrade it... and I've always found them rather cool.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Forester GT has the WRX's EJ20 turbo'd, and the DC2 'Tegs are actually quite cheap and popular. Mostly going for around the 5-8,000 mark with a couple rising to 10. There's a very select few Type-Rs going for under 15 but they're out of my price range unfortunately.

Dunno about the B14 200SX, whenever I think 200SX I immediately think the Silvia body lol. From the looks of things the N14 Pulsar is a bit more compact than the B14. Wasn't it called the Sunny in other countries?

 

[gary31]

I found most 200sx seemed to be overprived for what they are.

 

[Sniffs]

pulsar, breifly, then I think it went to the Altima name, in the US.

 

[niky]

Forester GT has the WRX's EJ20 turbo'd, and the DC2 'Tegs are actually quite cheap and popular. Mostly going for around the 5-8,000 mark with a couple rising to 10. There's a very select few Type-Rs going for under 15 but they're out of my price range unfortunately.

Dunno about the B14 200SX, whenever I think 200SX I immediately think the Silvia body lol. From the looks of things the N14 Pulsar is a bit more compact than the B14. Wasn't it called the Sunny in other countries?

Yeah. Funny thing though, some of those Sunny cars were actually Sentras... or was it some of those Sentras that were Sunnys? I always get tripped up on that.

Yeah, forgot you were Aussie... only the Americans called it the 200SX.

pulsar, breifly, then I think it went to the Altima name, in the US.

The Altimas are U-bodies. But yes, they had the N-series in the US... sold alongside the B-series for a while. Good parts interchangeability. Think they were sold as the NX2000.

I have an earlier model Pulsar/Sunny pick-up that's almost exactly a B13 (which we used to have)... except certain panels are different and the suspension is different in a few ways.

 

[Jim Prower]

Forester GT has the WRX's EJ20 turbo'd, and the DC2 'Tegs are actually quite cheap and popular. Mostly going for around the 5-8,000 mark with a couple rising to 10. There's a very select few Type-Rs going for under 15 but they're out of my price range unfortunately.

Dunno about the B14 200SX, whenever I think 200SX I immediately think the Silvia body lol. From the looks of things the N14 Pulsar is a bit more compact than the B14. Wasn't it called the Sunny in other countries?

The 200SX was known as the Lucino in Japan. Sunny = Sentra.

I've got the 1.6 200SX/Lucino. Not a bad car, though they have some suspension travel issues when lowered.

 

[Sniffs]

nissan's use of models is VERY confused over here. I had a customer pull up in a stanza that looked exactly like the high end Sunny I was running in GT2 at the time.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Forgot to add another car that's taken my fancy recently: the Toyota MR2.

 

[Jim Prower]

nissan's use of models is VERY confused over here. I had a customer pull up in a stanza that looked exactly like the high end Sunny I was running in GT2 at the time.

Which, if the JTCC vids I've watched are correct, was a B14 Sentra. XD

 

[niky]

The 200SX was known as the Lucino in Japan. Sunny = Sentra.

I've got the 1.6 200SX/Lucino. Not a bad car, though they have some suspension travel issues when lowered.

They have suspension travel issues even when not...

Forgot to add another car that's taken my fancy recently: the Toyota MR2.

What vintage?

 

[Murcie_LP640]

The 90s SW20(R) model.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Okay, bit of a bump...

I've recently gotten a pay rise and I'm now on full-time work so I'm looking at a budget of about $15,000 and mainly luxury cars as opposed to sports cars now. Problem is the increase in budget has also meant that a heck of a lot more choices are available. Essentially I'm looking for a car that has all the goods, especially decent air-con, but not completely bat-turd boring to drive. All drive-types are open - we don't get snow here so AWD/4WD is not a necessity - as are most engine configurations. Preferably about 150hp or more and something that's quite reliable. Here's a bit of a list of what I've managed to come up with:

- Honda Accord Euro [Acura TSX] Luxury
- Mazda6 Luxury Sports
- Audi A4 1.8T
- E36 or E46 BMW 3-Series
- Volkswagen Bora V5
- Lexus IS200
- Subaru Liberty [Legacy] RX AWD

Any thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sniffs]

i dunno why, but I keep getting drawn to the A4 turbo, for some reason (audi's are rare up here, I think i keep seeing A8L's)

I'm also gonna have to get one of you guys to point me towards a guide to the beamer generations.

 

[jcmaz]

Subaru Legacy because those cars have pretty good performance and good reliability.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

- Honda Accord Euro [Acura TSX] Luxury
- Mazda6 Luxury Sports
- E36 or E46 BMW 3-Series
- Lexus IS200
Any thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated.

These are the ones I'd reckon to be the best to drive.

The TSX I can't really say anything good nor bad about, aside from having heard it's a good drive.

The 6 is an extremely good car; excellent steering, reasonable power, well-sorted chassis. Well, at least the first gen. Second gen is more luxurious but not as fun.

The BMWs are a known good although apparently certain E46s are to be avoided as they're apparently very numb (earlier ones).

IS200 should be about dead on with the better 3-series'.

Personally, I'd take the 6 out of all of them, but I'm very biased. There is little it really does wrong (V6 models apparently have some issues with the cats but that's a non-issue for you as you don't get them).

 

[homeforsummer]

Agree with the above. My personal favourites would be the Mazda, the Lexus and the E46 BMW.

What engine would you be going for in the BMW? That of course has a bearing on how interesting you'll find it to own.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Agree with the above. My personal favourites would be the Mazda, the Lexus and the E46 BMW.

What engine would you be going for in the BMW? That of course has a bearing on how interesting you'll find it to own.

I'd more than likely be going for a lower-level 318i, 318is or 320i if I picked the Beemer as they're the most abundant and, I've been told, the most reliable.

At the moment I'm sorta leaning towards the Accord Euro and the Bora mainly because of the look of the interior. My dad has a 2008 Accord Euro which I've driven a couple of times and it's a decent drive. On the face of it it doesn't seem that much different to the previous generation Accord Euro which is a good thing; it's a nice place to be. The K24 also has the most power of the lot with 200hp.

As for the Bora the V5 misses out on a couple of the features present in a few of the other choices but I like the looks of both the inside and outside of it; it looks pretty classy. Of course the alternative is the 4-MOTION with the 2.8 V6 and AWD but would that be too much of a risk in terms of reliability?

I haven't driven a 6 yet but I have heard that it's very. very good to drive dynamically. I'm not too sure on the build quality though; it looks a bit cheap compared to the Accord Euro or the Germans. The engine is quite good though; I believe it's the same as the one in the SP23 Mazda 3 (2.3 MZR I4) which I've driven a couple of times.

The one which I have very little knowledge about is the Lexus. The interior looks decent and it looks ok on the outside but I have no idea about the engine or how it drives. It has a 6-speed manual option though which is a plus.

I think I'll have to test drive a few cars before I come up with a final decision but at the moment its the Accord Euro that seems to have the most bang for buck. I've still got a while before I pick something though.

 

[homeforsummer]

I'd more than likely be going for a lower-level 318i, 318is or 320i if I picked the Beemer as they're the most abundant and, I've been told, the most reliable.

Well the first two are 4-cyl and the 320i is a six, and if you're looking at a six anyway you may as well expand your look to the whole range. Bigger sixes don't get particularly worse economy than the smaller ones but give you more performance. Of course, they're probably more expensive to insure too and more thirsty when you do use the performance.

As far as reliability goes I've not heard any problems with any of them. And as far as I know they all have chain-driven camshafts rather than belt driven, so they're a bit more hardy in that respect.

318s are nice enough (a friend used to own an E46 and I've driven a couple of E36 Compacts with the 140bhp engine - in the Compact the performance is reasonable as it's the 16v version, regular 318i models use an 8v one with less power) but I suspect if you got a four then you'd secretly always be wishing for a six...

As for the Bora the V5 misses out on a couple of the features present in a few of the other choices but I like the looks of both the inside and outside of it; it looks pretty classy. Of course the alternative is the 4-MOTION with the 2.8 V6 and AWD but would that be too much of a risk in terms of reliability?

I completely missed that you were looking at Boras.

I like them a lot, and I've almost bought them on three occasions - once to replace my Fiesta when I eventually got the MX5, once as a winter daily-driver so I could hide the MX5 away from snow and road salt, and once to replace the MX5 when it got stolen when I eventually got the Panda.

I considered a different model each time too - the V5 the first time, a bog-standard 1.6 the second time and the 130bhp TDI on the third occasion.

The V5 and VR6 sound fantastic and performance is pretty good too (especially with the more powerful V5 - it went up from 150 to 170bhp at one stage). I'd really like a VR6. In the UK various things make it way too expensive for me to own one (mainly road tax and insurance - the fuel consumption I can live with) but in Oz it might be more realistic. I've not heard anything too bad over here about them though I think some of our American friends might have experienced something different.

I expect without AWD the V5 is probably going to be less expensive to maintain.

I haven't driven a 6 yet but I have heard that it's very. very good to drive dynamically. I'm not too sure on the build quality though; it looks a bit cheap compared to the Accord Euro or the Germans. The engine is quite good though; I believe it's the same as the one in the SP23 Mazda 3 (2.3 MZR I4) which I've driven a couple of times.

The 2.3 seems decent enough. I think it's the same engine they turbocharged and put in the MPS/Mazdaspeed. It's supposed to drive very well.

Build looks okay from what I've seen, but some of the trim looks a bit cheap.

The one which I have very little knowledge about is the Lexus. The interior looks decent and it looks ok on the outside but I have no idea about the engine or how it drives. It has a 6-speed manual option though which is a plus.

Lexus has come top of virtually every customer satisfaction and reliability survey in the UK pretty much since the IS200 came out, so that's an immediate bonus. From road tests I have at the time it seems to drive well too, though not necessarily as well as the equivalent BMW. I remember comments about the engine lacking a little torque too since it's a fairly small capacity six.