My 1993 Corvette! Post 280. Pics included.

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Heldenzeit

Heldenzeit

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Texas / Sichuan
Hallo GTP. As the thread title suggests, I am looking for a new car. I need a new car for school as my current Camaro is too old and has too many miles to make the 45 mile journey to college. So I am asking for anyone's opinion on what new car i should get.

Budget: 15k

Make: Perferably European, but American is ok.

Model: 2 doors, perferably a roadster, I love the t-tops on my Camaro and dont want to give them up.

-Needs to have more than 200hp and mileage in the mid 20's. Performance is the number one priority. Standard trans is prefered, but I am considering an auto.

-FF may be ok depending on model, but i prefer FR.

-Must be reliable and not too expensive to repair and insure. I am going to a technical school and I already know a great deal on how to maintain and repair cars, but reliability is nescessary.

-I can make a 6k down payment.

-I have come up with either a BMW Z3 or Z4, early Boxster 986, or an S2000.

Thanks everyone!:)
 
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Here you go. that's about perfect solution. Better performance than any of your other options, RWD, 2-door, and manual.
 
My high school shop teacher has an E36, and I have thought about one, but they are kinda old now, and i need a car with less than 75k miles. I found a couple here for around 10k. Thanks for the info.:)
 
Lincoln LS, great car and care typically be had on the more inexpensive side. If I remember correctly you live in California correct? I think you posted pictures of your Camaro before. And since you mentioned high school shop teacher is it fair to assume you are younger?

Something like a S2000, M3 or an S4 is probably going to own you as far as insurance goes. If you don't really care what you pay as far as insurance goes might I suggest a BMW Z3? S2000's are cool, but really isn't it so much cooler to say "hey I got a BMW"?
 
No, it's really not, Joey.

BMWs tend to make people look like rich pricks. A younger guy will get seen in one and it's "Oh, did daddy buy you that?" type crap. Also, a Z3...

The Lincoln LS would be a nice choice, and it doesn't have quite the same "rich prick" aura.
 
I must pay for the car and for half of the insurance. I am 17 and yes I do live in California. I drove a Z3 at my previous job and i did like it, but the roadsters are a little on the chick-car side IMO. Maybe a coupe would be better. :)

What about an Audi TT coupe?

And what if I'm going for that rich prick aura?:trouble::lol:
 
And for 15 grand you can essentially choose the best one possible from the last year they were made due to their hilarious depreciation. Insurance wouldn't be too bad on them, either.

Heldenzeit
what about an Audi TT coupe?
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Original Audi TTs are crappy, expensive (both to insure, drive and buy) money pits unless you get the V6 (which won't be had anywhere for near $15,000), and the newer ones are way out of your reach.
 
If i were you, i'd buy a nice used car at $8-10,000 and then use the other $5-7,000 on a project car like an old Beetle or a muscle car.

Wow you're lucky to have a budget that big.
 
I found a C43 AMG on autotrader.com for 10k. It only has 86k miles. Theres some depreciation!:lol:

Im sure that the Lincoln is a great car, but it looks like a grandpa's car.

All the E36's I found on autotrader had over 100k miles so that wont work.
 
Heldenzeit
I must pay for the car and for half of the insurance. I am 17 and yes I do live in California. I drove a Z3 at my previous job and i did like it, but the roadsters are a little on the chick-car side IMO. Maybe a coupe would be better. :)

What about an Audi TT coupe?

And what if I'm going for that rich prick aura?:trouble::lol:
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Z3 Coupes are rare. Rarer than Z3M Coupes IIRC.

That, and they ain't really coupes, they're a shooting brake/hatch.
 
Heldenzeit
I found a C43 AMG on autotrader.com for 10k. It only has 86k miles. Theres some depreciation!:lol:

Im sure that the Lincoln is a great car, but it looks like a grandpa's car.

All the E36's I found on autotrader had over 100k miles so that wont work.
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Search BMW owner forums for E36s. I guarantee you there's much better cars being offered on them for fantastic prices.
 
Heldenzeit
Im sure that the Lincoln is a great car, but it looks like a grandpa's car.
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That is exactly why they are so cheap and well maintained.


What about something Japanese born during a bubble economy (300ZX, 3000GT, Supra, etc.)?
 
Ah, California? in Ca, 15K gets you a Porsche 911.. but the mileage is astronomical. what do these people do, live in their cars or something? :odd:
 
Alright I'll look on the BMW forums, thanks for the tip.

As for the Japanese cars that you mentioned, as with the E36, they are more than ten years old already, which means that they most likely have too many miles. On top of that I really dont have a lot of interest in them. My F&F days were in junior high, so im kinda over most of the Japanese offerings besides a WRX or S2000. I wish that NSX's were affordable.:ouch:

EDIT: What body style 911's are that cheap? Surely not a 996 or even a 993?
 
Leonidae
Ah, California? in Ca, 15K gets you a Porsche 911.. a somewhat low mile one at that too.
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Which is the epitome of being expensive to service and insure. Think about it: 17 year old. Living in California. Whose second car is a Porsche 911. Half of his insurance bill would probably me more than my entire one.


Heldenzeit
EDIT: What body style 911's are that cheap? Surely not a 996 or even a 993?
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The only 911 you would be able to get cheap would be a ratted-out 964 or a mid-1980s 911. You could probably find 968 or 928s much easier.
 
Toronado
Which is the epitome of being expensive to service and insure. Think about it: 17 year old. Living in California. Whose second car is a Porsche 911.
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Yeah, you do have a point. :(

What about a first gen Mini?
 
most of them were 930 cabrios, sadly.
 
Not worth it. They do not lose their value. Period. It is not particularly easy to find any selling for much less than what they were bought for new (even ones from the first year). If you are looking at one of those, you might as well just spend the extra 5 grand and buy a new one (like what Joey did).
 
Alright, thanks for the tip. :)

Are Audi A4's good? Or could I get an early 2000's 3-series for the same price?
 
Doug bought one, and I believe he started out with similar criteria to you. Ask him more about his. Mileage probably wouldn't be too good if you were to get a powerful one, though.
 
Toronado
Doug bought one, and I believe he started out with similar criteria to you. Ask him more about his. Mileage probably wouldn't be too good if you were to get a powerful one, though.
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Thanks for the link. I looked through it and I am impressed. From his descriptions, he was in the same boat as i am now. I will have to look into that.:)
 
Near your budget, I'd say Mazdaspeed3.
The little turbo hatch is rated at 263 HP/280lb/ft torque
A new one will run in the low $20's
A used one should top out at $19K.

The 2006 Mazdaspeed6 starts a touch over $20K
Has the same engine as the 3, but ten more HP.

Being in Automotive Tech School, I'd consider the "ordinary" Mazda3, with plans for an aftermarket turbo down the road.

If you go back to an '04 or '05 one could be had for as little as $11,000.
The 2.0 is rated at 148 HP/135 lb/ft. The 2.3 at 160 HP/150 lb/ft.

A well thought out Turbo set-up will likely better the Mazdaspeed version.

I personally would choose one of the newer model, even if a little out of my budget due to the fact that they would likely be low mileage, and require much less service dollars than any of the other cars mentioned thus far.

An '04 or earlier Mustang in GT Deluxe or Mach 1 Trim would meet your price point, be fairly reliable, probably be well under 70,000 miles on the odo, rated at 260-305 HP, RWD, will get about 23-25 MPG on the highway, and the 4.6 is easy to maintain and to modify.
And no other V-8 sounds quite as good with a mere header/cat back muffler upgrade.

None of my choices would have the status of the cars you'e mentioned, but "peace of mind" and in some cases $$$-wise (both inital and maintenance) you'll come out ahead.
 
Im not too hip on the styling on the Mazda 3, so thats a no. The Mazda 6 looks better, but it is out of my price range, and dosent really go with what im looking for. Japanese cars just arent my thing but thanks for your opinion.:)

As for the Mustang, I already own a Camaro and I cant stand its build quality, and i really dont want, or need, a V8.
 
Heldenzeit
on what new car i should get.

Budget: 15k

Make: Perferably European, but American is ok.

-Needs to have more than 200hp and mileage in the mid 20's. Performance is the number one priority. Standard trans is prefered, but I am considering an auto.

-FF may be ok depending on model, but i prefer FR.
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Those were my reasons for choosing the Mustang.
And (I know I'll get flak for this) Ford's build quality is better than Chevy's
I own both, and my Fords just flat outdo my Chevy's in build quality, and ease of maintanence.

As for the euro's I'd pobably go VW or Audi.
With them the problems tend to be stupid little things, like trim pieces falling off, etc.
Granted when the big things do happen, they aren't cheap.

As for the Mazdaspeed3, I agree. I don't like the looks of the hatch.
The sedan is much prettier. And for all intents and purposes, it is a Volvo S40, only diff is the engine.

Good luck with whatever you get as ultimately it is your choice.

If you shop carefully, you might be able to lay your hands on an '03 or '04 Infiniti G35 sedan for under $20K. Well under, if "higher mileage".
But Nissan's tend to be "bulletproof"...
Nice styling, good to great creature comfort, and that highly modifiable VQ35 under the hood.👍
Only caveat, is that they tend to have wierd clutches. So drive an auto and a stick before deciding.
 
Heldenzeit
Yeah, you do have a point. :(

What about a first gen Mini?
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MINI's are great little cars but unless you are willing to pay out the rear end for them they aren't worth it. They are one of the best cars for holding their resale value in the US right now, I probably could sell mine for damn near what I bought it for. The good thing is they are light on petrol and insurance, while being extremely fun to drive...even more so if you get the S.

Toronado basically hit the nail on the head when he said it's better just to spend the extra money and get a new one since when you dump it after five years you'll still get a decent return on it.
 
Thanks for your suggestions. I do like the G35, they have an amazing sound. Probably the best sounding V6 i have ever heard. I need a relatively low mileage car, but i'll take your suggestion.

As for the Mini, its what my mom suggested, and i have driven 2 of them, one manual and one auto, and i really like them, but i think that the price is a bit high still like you suggested. My grandpa wants a Clubman.:lol:
 
May I make a suggestion?

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You can usually find the Jetta for less than $15K around here, good for 180 BHP, and it will get well over 30 MPG on the highway. The big thing here is that you've gotta buy 2003+ on 1.8T cars, with the VR6, you can go a little bit older. But not much.

I've been around VWs for a while, and while they can be fairly cheap to buy and fuel up, insurance and parts prices aren't always that great. That being said, if you can find one in good shape (particularly the late-model MKIV GLIs), you'll have a winner. They're a blast to drive, good to look at, and fill your criteria without much of a problem.

====

If you want a bigger car with more power, and a stick. You know whats calling...

passatw8_01_2w.jpg


V8. AWD. 6-speed manual. Easy to find for cheap. Pretty reliable too. Did I mention that they're rare too?
 
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