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So with the installation of Bluetooth into the stereo of the Seville, I'm now officially out of projects to do with her. Also, I'm increasingly terrified as the miles get closer and closer to 120,000 that something horrible is going to happen. So, time to get a new car!
So far I've narrowed it down to 3 cars (with a sorta 4th) that fit under my criteria (small-ish, light-ish, mostly luxurious/nice inside, sporty, under $25,000, able to be used year round with proper setup, somewhat feasible to be worked on myself, not outrageously expensive to maintain, or at least less than the Seville). My hope is that somepeoples can help me out with any part of these I've overlooked, because up until a couple week ago I was pretty focused on my second choice before on a whim poking around to see the prices of roughly equivalent vehicles.
Actually would be available equipped in a way that's about perfect for how I'd want it (AWD, possibly even Targa) while still being under budget.
Rear seats, which would 9/10 times wouldn't be necessary
Has good headlights, and an easy swap to Double DIN
Sounds like they are mostly mechanically straightforward
Once you have made sure that IMS/RMS are taken care of, seem like they are perfectly reliable daily drivers (which seems borne out by how many are for sale with high mileage)
Probably well taken care of by default based on what they are
Cons:
IMS/RMS sounds pretty terrifying if you can't tell if it was done
Don't know much at all about stuff like typical wear items, problem areas, electrical foibles, etc.
Anything I can't do myself probably would be even more expensive to fix than the Cadillac, even if parts aren't.
Seems like nearly everyone ordered them new in terrible color combos (silver and black interior or whatever)
Sounds like transmissions aren't the most bulletproof of things (compared to choice #2)?
Pros:
I know they are reliable (barring typical GM electrical foibles)
I know they are easy to work on
50th Anniversary models are fully loaded
Is automatically a targa
I know most parts are somewhat inexpensive (suspension bits notwithstanding)
The C5 has even more storage space than the Cadillac
I love the color combo, probably because it is almost identical to Ayeka
I know they ride very well, and that suspension really works
The best gas mileage of the lot
Cons:
That is the only C5 I'd consider, because that's the only color that I think the interior looks any good in
I know the headlights are atrocious, and I'd know it would cost me a lot of money to fix it
I know the audio system is atrocious, and I'd know it would cost me a lot of money to fix it
Not anywhere near as easy to see out of as Ryoko
I'm sure the 996 is a better car overall
It's amusingly difficult to find a C5 with a slushbox (compared to C4s where they fall out of trees), and the stickshift has 14 feet long throws. That's more money to eventually get it taken care of.
While it's one that almost everyone who bought a Corvette that year ordered, it's still technically a limited edition model and will be upcharged accordingly when I actually start physcially going to places to test drive examples
Harder to find as coupes than convertibles, which I absolutely do not want
The newest car of the lot, with all the positives that entails from being a decade newer debut
The most sporty of the list
Seems like people were a lot less lame with color combinations when buying them new
Cons:
The least practical car of the list
I'd worry about it more in the winter than the other two
I'm guessing the most expensive to maintain
Really know nothing about them.
Better by almost every measurable standard than the C5
Replacing the radio would be far easier than any of the above
The headlights aren't hot garbage like on the C5
LS2 models cost almost identical to later year C5s in price
Much smaller than the C5
Easier to see out of than the C5
Slim possibility of the 6 speed slushbox
The manual has a much better linkage than the C5 so I wouldn't have to futz with that if I did end up with a stick
Cons:
I despise GM interiors of this era, to the extent that this is a fringe option for that reason alone.
Harder to find one equipped the way I'd like
Wary of immediate pre-bankruptcy GM cars, since I feel (from hearing about the STS' problems from the same era) that a C6 has a much better chance of being a Friday afternoon car. This may be unfounded due to where they are built, but I don't really know.
I would definitely prefer an automatic (this is replacing a Cadillac, after all, and I already have two uncompromisingly sporty cars with sticks) and certainly on the C5, but that wouldn't be an absolute deal breaker if I was to find one equipped perfectly except for that. Especially if Tiptronics are 4T60E-style hand grenades; plus I'm assuming for the Porsches the stick is much better anyway (which isn't necessarily the case for the C5, at least). But still, leaning slushbox.
I plan on starting the "drive all over the tri-state area to test drive and scope out models" thing that I did when looking for a C4 a couple years ago in April or late March (depending on weather), so the only model I've driven so far is the C5 (on an unrelated event). That does mean that I don't know how the others drive, which may be a deciding factor in and of itself. From a week and a half or so poking around, it seems like every time someone asks something along these lines on the internet (even on Porsche and Corvette forums) the answer tends to be "they're all great options", so was kinda curious.
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on 996s or Coxsters? Or is there another thing I'm overlooking? Feel like these are the four best ideas for my needs, but up until a couple weeks ago my thoughts were pretty exclusively focused on C5s with a C6 being a fringe option so...
So far I've narrowed it down to 3 cars (with a sorta 4th) that fit under my criteria (small-ish, light-ish, mostly luxurious/nice inside, sporty, under $25,000, able to be used year round with proper setup, somewhat feasible to be worked on myself, not outrageously expensive to maintain, or at least less than the Seville). My hope is that somepeoples can help me out with any part of these I've overlooked, because up until a couple week ago I was pretty focused on my second choice before on a whim poking around to see the prices of roughly equivalent vehicles.
Preferred Choice #1:
996 Carrera
Pros:
996 Carrera
Actually would be available equipped in a way that's about perfect for how I'd want it (AWD, possibly even Targa) while still being under budget.
Rear seats, which would 9/10 times wouldn't be necessary
Has good headlights, and an easy swap to Double DIN
Sounds like they are mostly mechanically straightforward
Once you have made sure that IMS/RMS are taken care of, seem like they are perfectly reliable daily drivers (which seems borne out by how many are for sale with high mileage)
Probably well taken care of by default based on what they are
Cons:
IMS/RMS sounds pretty terrifying if you can't tell if it was done
Don't know much at all about stuff like typical wear items, problem areas, electrical foibles, etc.
Anything I can't do myself probably would be even more expensive to fix than the Cadillac, even if parts aren't.
Seems like nearly everyone ordered them new in terrible color combos (silver and black interior or whatever)
Sounds like transmissions aren't the most bulletproof of things (compared to choice #2)?
Preferred Choice #2:
C5 50th Anniversary Edition
C5 50th Anniversary Edition
Pros:
I know they are reliable (barring typical GM electrical foibles)
I know they are easy to work on
50th Anniversary models are fully loaded
Is automatically a targa
I know most parts are somewhat inexpensive (suspension bits notwithstanding)
The C5 has even more storage space than the Cadillac
I love the color combo, probably because it is almost identical to Ayeka
I know they ride very well, and that suspension really works
The best gas mileage of the lot
Cons:
That is the only C5 I'd consider, because that's the only color that I think the interior looks any good in
I know the headlights are atrocious, and I'd know it would cost me a lot of money to fix it
I know the audio system is atrocious, and I'd know it would cost me a lot of money to fix it
Not anywhere near as easy to see out of as Ryoko
I'm sure the 996 is a better car overall
It's amusingly difficult to find a C5 with a slushbox (compared to C4s where they fall out of trees), and the stickshift has 14 feet long throws. That's more money to eventually get it taken care of.
While it's one that almost everyone who bought a Corvette that year ordered, it's still technically a limited edition model and will be upcharged accordingly when I actually start physcially going to places to test drive examples
Harder to find as coupes than convertibles, which I absolutely do not want
Preferred Choice #3:
Coxster
Pros:
Coxster
The newest car of the lot, with all the positives that entails from being a decade newer debut
The most sporty of the list
Seems like people were a lot less lame with color combinations when buying them new
Cons:
The least practical car of the list
I'd worry about it more in the winter than the other two
I'm guessing the most expensive to maintain
Really know nothing about them.
Acknowledged Choice #4:
C6
Pros:
C6
Better by almost every measurable standard than the C5
Replacing the radio would be far easier than any of the above
The headlights aren't hot garbage like on the C5
LS2 models cost almost identical to later year C5s in price
Much smaller than the C5
Easier to see out of than the C5
Slim possibility of the 6 speed slushbox
The manual has a much better linkage than the C5 so I wouldn't have to futz with that if I did end up with a stick
Cons:
I despise GM interiors of this era, to the extent that this is a fringe option for that reason alone.
Harder to find one equipped the way I'd like
Wary of immediate pre-bankruptcy GM cars, since I feel (from hearing about the STS' problems from the same era) that a C6 has a much better chance of being a Friday afternoon car. This may be unfounded due to where they are built, but I don't really know.
I would definitely prefer an automatic (this is replacing a Cadillac, after all, and I already have two uncompromisingly sporty cars with sticks) and certainly on the C5, but that wouldn't be an absolute deal breaker if I was to find one equipped perfectly except for that. Especially if Tiptronics are 4T60E-style hand grenades; plus I'm assuming for the Porsches the stick is much better anyway (which isn't necessarily the case for the C5, at least). But still, leaning slushbox.
I plan on starting the "drive all over the tri-state area to test drive and scope out models" thing that I did when looking for a C4 a couple years ago in April or late March (depending on weather), so the only model I've driven so far is the C5 (on an unrelated event). That does mean that I don't know how the others drive, which may be a deciding factor in and of itself. From a week and a half or so poking around, it seems like every time someone asks something along these lines on the internet (even on Porsche and Corvette forums) the answer tends to be "they're all great options", so was kinda curious.
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on 996s or Coxsters? Or is there another thing I'm overlooking? Feel like these are the four best ideas for my needs, but up until a couple weeks ago my thoughts were pretty exclusively focused on C5s with a C6 being a fringe option so...
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