Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

  • Thread starter Thread starter YSSMAN
  • 44 comments
  • 2,403 views
YSSMAN

YSSMAN

Super-Cool Since 2013
Premium
Messages
21,286
United States
GR-MI-USA
Messages
YSSMAN
Messages
YSSMAN
I think at any point in time, a realization comes over you when you start thinking a bit too much about things you could have done, should have done, or would have done if you knew otherwise. It can really happen with anything, but in this thread, it would be my point to do so in discussion of a new or used car purchase.

I came up with the idea the other day when I was driving to work. On the way there, I drive past a "premium" used car lot every day, and quite frequently there are pretty decent deals out there that absolutely knock me off of my feet. Of course, some of this is surely to blame by the collapse in pricing on some vehicles, and certainly for some dealers to clear out their inventory... But, you know, there obviously would have been "other" possibilities that I may not have considered.

====

What I Bought
2526773050_9cc5343208.jpg

1998 Toyota Celica GT - $7250

Woulda

2003-2004 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8T - $7,500

Shoulda
800px-2nd_Mazda_MX-5_Miata.jpg

1999-2000 Mazda MX-5 Miata - $6,500-8,000

Coulda
800px-Lincoln_Town_Car_.jpg

2003 Lincoln Town Car - $7,500

Doesn't mean I necessarily would have, but trust me, occasionally these things keep me up at night...
 
There's an MX-5/Miata down the road from me for sale at about US$6k which always tickles my fancy every time I ride past. Other than the MX-5 I think you did the right thing. That Lincoln looks like it would cripple you with fuel expenditure!
 
Sometimes I think the same thing. Before getting the GTI, we were looking at an IS300 and some Scoobies. The thought of RWD performance is just so fun. And now with the thoughts of a WRX Wagon-turned-wanna-be-STI floating around in my head, I wonder how happy I would be in an older Rex. Chances are I'll be getting one of these when I graduate. Or maybe if my sister comes out to Hope, I might sell my stake in the GTI to the family and pick up one of those two over summer. We'll see.

What I've got:

GTI001.jpg


Possibly?

62887001les4.jpg

lexusis300035wz1.jpg


Do I have the car that is going to make me happiest? Probably. But I still wonder sometimes.
 
You're thinking too hard. :lol:

The first car you posted, the VW, is far too complicated and expensive to maintain. The second one you posted would have proved terribly impractical--I can tell just by your posting style that you're nowhere near car-guy-enough for a car like that. And the Town Car? Just no. Just no. Ridiculous gas fillups. Very comfortable, yes, because I have many years of experience with a Grand Marquis, but it's certainly not my first choice for anything but highway cuising. And it's an automatic.

You're stuck, man. Quit bickering. You asked for it, you got it, Toyota.

But anyway, since I'm done antagonizing you, I'll say that I'm very happy with my decision. My only wish would be a car like mine with fewer miles. Besides that, as I got used to this EM1 I realized glaringly how bad of a car the old Del Sol VTEC was. The Civic was never designed to have it's roof chopped off--and it's as simple as that.
 
Keef
You're stuck, man. Quit bickering. You asked for it, you got it, Toyota.
Click to expand...

I'm not all that worried about it, but I do think about it occasionally... I just wanted to see what other people had kicking around in their head on a similar subject.

After this winter, the Miata would have most certainly not gone over well, and since I'm fairly convinced fuel prices will spike again, the Town Car would have been suicide as well (that, more or less is a mention out of shock for how cheap the cars are used). The VW probably would have been the logical alternative, but after losing my job, you're right, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.

Afterthoughts always happen, but the last nine months have been just about perfect with my Celica!
 
I still think about the Cobalt SS from time to time...And the Mazdaspeed3 to an extent. But I really don't need something that fast to begin with, and chances are the Civic is going to hold up a lot better. I know that the resale value will.

And there are all sorts of possibilities for the used market...I wanted a 2002 Camaro SS forever, and I could have had my pick of just about any of them for the price of the Si. Same for a Goat. But alas, my previous point comes into play.
 
911 FTW!

What I bought (I paid $1,500 and the car's worth $6,220 retail):
1997 Chrysler Town and Country LXi
pic.jpg


Woulda:
1990 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Z
chevrolet-camaro-1990-1.jpg


Shoulda:
1982-1985 Pontiac Trans-Am
1983-pontiac-firebird-trans-am.jpg


Coulda:
2008 Suzuki SX4 Saloon Sport
08-sx4-hero.jpg
 
Philly
Sometimes I think the same thing. Before getting the GTI, we were looking at an IS300 and some Scoobies.
Click to expand...

Why didn't you? WHY!?! RWD, 2JZ, better looking, better built, better everything!

Well, I'll do this too though,

What I bought
Car-wash.jpg


Woulda
12053-2004-Lexus-IS300.jpg


Shoulda
800px-Ap1s2000.JPG


Coulda
16.jpg


The reality is the MR-S is quite nice, and I do like it, a lot. Of course, if I do go crazy I can go all extreme on it and produce, say this...
45395732-L.jpg

In black of course...

Or maybe...
0308it_03zAPEXis_Toyota_GT300spec_M.jpg

Minus some stickers.
 
I do my choices and don't look back.. Besides it's not like you're married to your cars.

This is my woulda, shoulda and coulda :)

IMG_2941b.jpg
 
There are way too many miatas in this thread. That is what I coulda bought, and now I am thinking about that again.
 
There are a lot of Miatas. I wonder if I'm the only one who wouldn't really want one...

Azuremen
Why didn't you? WHY!?! RWD, 2JZ, better looking, better built, better everything!
Click to expand...

It was probably the test drive. The IS was driven in the city when I was still very new to driving and in a car I didn't own so it was a little intimidating. The GTI was up in the hills around Auburn where the car felt absolutely magical and I wasn't navigating traffic. I think that may have been the first time I really enjoyed driving too so that was a part of it. And the GTI does have the advantage of being more of a luxury car.

I can't say I exactly have the right to complain though. The VW is a brilliant car to drive.
 
Woulda:
1986porsche944turbo0405vk6.jpg


Coulda:
porsche9141ei9.jpg


Shoulda:
1984porsche92405mcg1.jpg


But came to my senses:
318ijf3.jpg


The 944 probably would have blown parts one after the other and the 914 would have been a headache to work on, but the 924 would have been about the same as the BMW, if I could find one. It would be nice if Craigslist was as big back then as it is today.

Still, I got exactly what I wanted -- a light, economical, practical, reliable, fun-to-drive RWD 4-cylinder built in Germany -- and I can't think of anything better-suited to this chapter of my life. When I get a "real" job, "4-cylinder" will be stricken from that list. I'm thinking of an E46, or a 135i.
 
Bought it
240glsf6.jpg

Volvo 240GL '92 - 2000€

Woulda
240gltmz7.jpg

Volvo 240GLT, early '90s - around 2000€

Coulda
850ni0.jpg

Volvo 850 T5, late '90s - around 5000€

Shoulda
940turbojq8.jpg

Volvo 940 Turbo, late '90s - around 6000€

Had there been enough money on my back account I'd have gone for the 940 straight away. Well, I could have afforded one but I would have been absolutely broke after buying it so it was a no-no. I wanted a GLT model of the 240 but there wasn't one available so I got a GL instead... the 850 is more of a possible option than a realistic choice.
 
Most of the Volvos around here are driven by idiots.. They seriously believe it's the end-all be-all performance car and that it loves bends. It doesn't. I want a 242 :)
Greycap, is it snowing in Finland now? :D
 
Bah, that engine won't make a rocket out of anything and the suspension doesn't exactly encourage sporty driving (it'll end up in the ditch or on its roof) so I'd say those idiots are idiots indeed. The first factory version I'd class as a performance car would be the 850 T5-R. I wanted one because it's the most dependable thing made on this side of Ural, incredibly spacious and generally a comfortable daily driver.

Not snowing at the moment but quite a nice amount of it on the ground. Snow drift time! :D
 
Philly
There are a lot of Miatas. I wonder if I'm the only one who wouldn't really want one...
Click to expand...

I think we all like cars enough to recognize that they are great for fun, sporty transportation... But we're all smart enough to know that you have to live in perfect weather conditions (ie, California) to be able to drive one everyday.
 
YSSMAN
I think we all like cars enough to recognize that they are great for fun, sporty transportation... But we're all smart enough to know that you have to live in perfect weather conditions (ie, California) to be able to drive one everyday.
Click to expand...

I'll have to disagree with you there :p
 
YSSMAN
I think we all like cars enough to recognize that they are great for fun, sporty transportation... But we're all smart enough to know that you have to live in perfect weather conditions (ie, California) to be able to drive one everyday.
Click to expand...
I thought the "but" was its miniscule size, which limits not only luggage space and passenger number, but also the height of the driver.

Putting the top up for poor weather is super quick and easy, and there's nothing stopping you from driving it in the winter if you live in an area where a low 2WD car is a viable means of snow transport.
 
YSSMAN
I think we all like cars enough to recognize that they are great for fun, sporty transportation... But we're all smart enough to know that you have to live in perfect weather conditions (ie, California) to be able to drive one everyday.
Click to expand...


Southern California is more like it... All of California is hardly close to perfect weather 24/7.
 
Stop ruining my perfect imaginary view of California! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Can't hear you!

Unfortunately, where I live, being able to drive the Miata year 'round would require the global warming to speed up a bit... Or for our road commission to stop sucking. Either one, really.
 
YSSMAN
Unfortunately, where I live, being able to drive the Miata year 'round would require the global warming to speed up a bit... Or for our road commission to stop sucking. Either one, really.
Click to expand...

Both would help, actually. Mostly the road commission, though, I must say. :lol:
 
I drove a friend's Miata twice, and I can say that I wouldn't want one for anything but a project/track car. It was a little small for me and felt very slow (it was an automatic, so that accounts for the speed some). Sure it drove like a go-kart (even more so being auto :lol:) but it also rode like one. I used to want one as well, and still did when I had the Grand Am and had driven his. But the Civic is just as much fun to drive while being a mostly civil daily driver (hard to drive on a cold motor/trans, sort of rough ride).
 
YSSMAN
I think we all like cars enough to recognize that they are great for fun, sporty transportation... But we're all smart enough to know that you have to live in perfect weather conditions (ie, California) to be able to drive one everyday.
Click to expand...

I think that there is no question that they are incredibly sporty and fun to drive (I assume). I've tried chasing some down freeway on ramps in the GTI and haven't been able to keep up despite pushing the car hard.

Wolfe
I thought the "but" was its miniscule size, which limits not only luggage space and passenger number, but also the height of the driver.
Click to expand...

I'm 6'4" and once I finally get inside the Miata, I really do enjoy the way it feels like I'm actually wearing the car, although that would probably get a little old before long.
 

Latest Posts

Back