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Pondering my next car purchase and would like input
Ok, I'm planning to replace my Isuzu sometime this year. I'm not in a big hurry; it's just that I am a bit tired of the trouble I have to go through to get parts or repairs for something this unusual. That and I'd like to have something more comfortable with better road manners. So, here are the requirements for my next vehicle.
1. It will be a car. Not a pickup, van, SUV, or similar thing, but a car.
2. I figure I can get something that meets my requirements for $6,000, so I'd rather not pay more. I'd like to get a car that feels like a good value for the money. And, of course, I'm not buying new.
3. The car needs to be fun to drive - no Toyota Camries or Buick Centuries here. A manual transmission is highly desirable. It would be great if this could also be run competatively in autocross events.
4. Although I don't have a particular age of car in mind, I would want one I have a reasonable chance of finding with the upholstery and paint still in reasonably good shape and mechanically flawless. Mileage and age don't matter if it still feels like a relatively new car. And I intend to keep it as long as is reasonable practical.
5. I am 6'2". Most cars I fit into well have at least 39" of headroom.
6. Needs to be something that I can find parts for, and someone who knows how to work on it should anything break. I live in a small town, and should I break my Isuzu (or a Subaru, Suzuki, or some European cars) I might have to limp or tow it 40 miles or more to have it fixed. This isn't a problem for American cars or the "Japanese Big Three."
7. Reliability? Well, it will be my daily driver and probably used for occasional long trips. But on the other hand, I have two other cars and have been crazy enough to drive sub-$1,000 cars for state to state trips. So I'd say reliability is nice to have, and I would like to avoid a lemon, but it's not my number one priority. Same goes for gas mileage - it would be nice to get around 28 mpg but I live within a few miles of work anyway.
So, I'm thinking of either getting a relatively new compact (the Focus ZX3, Protege ES, and Nissan Altima top my list there) or maybe reach back a bit further in time to get a Nissan Maxima. Or possibly even an older (E36) 3-series BMW. Any thoughts on the cars I'm looking at or other cars I should consider?
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Some thoughts:
Integra
RX-7
3 Series (E30 or E36)
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Thanks for the replies, FF. While $6,000 would buy either a very nice second gen RX-7 or a severely flogged third gen, I'm not sure I would want either one as a daily driver. Integras seem to be fairly nice cars, but the moonroof seems to cut into the headroom a bit much, and they insisted on making that standard equipment on most of the more upscale models. Guess if I bought one of those, I couldn't settle for less than a Type R. :) At least the price on those has come down a bit. The BMW may be the most interesting choice... any word on what it's like to live with an E30 or E36?
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As with any BMW, maintenance can be very expensive, and repairs can clean out your bank account if you're not good with tools. Obviously, I know you are good with tools, so ongoing $$$ isn't such a big issue.
If you can find a well-maintained one, it's a very rewarding car to drive though. Manual transmission, RWD, very little to get in the way of communication between the steering wheel and the road. A great driver's car.
I hang out on this msg board http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/ and it's a great community of BMW owners. Plenty of knowledge to tap into. Search for "E36 problems" or something similar, to get an idea of what items commonly fail. And what to watch out for.
The BMW car is built incredibly well. Solid, well-engineered. It's the type of car you can keep running forever with proper maintenance.
For reference:
E30:
http://www.sportsvogn.no/images/2002...2002/e30-1.jpg
E36:
http://bmw.hlabs.spb.ru/pics/history/e36.jpg
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Thanks, I took a look there and it seems the usual problems on the E36's seen pretty straighforward to fix. Only one that sounds like an obvious pain is welding in new shock mounts. And I could tell my Mopar owning friends it was the closest thing I could find to a late model Dodge Dart. :)
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Somehow I get the feeling that your Mopar friends would razz you for buying a BMW :-)
(Don't let that stop you)
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99 DOHC DODGE NEON RT.meets the requirements. plus its fun to drive
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lilviper
99 DOHC DODGE NEON RT.meets the requirements. plus its fun to drive
Yeah, I've been thinking about a first gen Neon R/T - or better yet, an ACR. Those things have quite a reputation for having tied up Showroom Stock C racing for years, and a $6,000 budget would probably be enough to outfit an ACR with some race tires and Konis. But I'll have to see how it compares to a BMW in a test drive.
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I'd say get a Ford Probe.
Definitely a snazzy little car. Although, they do take a bit of maintenance, but nothing too major if you're good to them.
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Actually, I already have a first generation Probe that I bought for the Grassroots Motorsports $2004 Challenge. It's a fun car and it's got lots of cargo room. Unfortunately, later Probes seem to be a bit lacking when it comes to headroom (I have difficulty wearing my race helmet in my '89 as it is...), and it's hard to find any first gen Probes around here that aren't total beaters.
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It's funny, Probe's sold pretty well...all the way up until the point where Ford threatened to make the Probe a Mustang replacement. Suddenly, the Probe dropped off the face of the planet, and Mustang sales took off.
Can you imagine a FWD, 4 cylinder pony car?
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Actually, the Probe was originally meant to be a Mustang replacement when it was being designed in the '80s, and Ford changed horses in midstream about a year before its release. That's part of the reason the '79 Mustang design stayed in production until '93 with so few changes, as Ford decided that its fourth generation Mustang design needed to be a separate car (although it doesn't explain why the SN95 had so few updates). At the time, it even seemed like something of a logical progression from the SVO turbo four cylinder Mustang. On the other hand, I can't imagine a Probe capturing anything like an authentic pony car character. Even if you converted one to rear wheel drive and V8 power, it would probably feel more like an RX-7 with a V8 swap than a Mustang.
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For under $6k you have many options, if you want a good reliable car that is simple to work on a Mercedes 300D is hard to beat. The W123 version made from 1981-85, you could find a real nice example in the $3k-$5k range and still have money left. They used the 617 5 cylinder diesel engine that with proper maintaince should last hundreds of thousands of miles. There not fast but are not to slow either, I think turbo diesels are fun to drive because you have to almost floor it to get going but have to learn to take your foot out of it when the turbo spools up so you don't whack the guy in front of you. If you want something newer mid 90's C220's are around for under $6k, they seem to be reliable little cars that deliver great fuel mileage. If you want speed an early 90's 400E will fly! There a little hard to work on but their isn't much room in their after the shoved the V8 in. Just some options from the Mercedes camps. Maxima's are nice but they have to much power for a front drive car. 200-250hp seems to be the limit that the front wheels can handle.
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Prizm
I'd go with a used GEO/Chevy Prizm. I'm 6' and have owned 2 of them and am considering a 3rd one right now. Enough head room for me. They run forever with NO repairs. And I mean NO repairs. Toyota Corolla is the same car, just costs a little more. Both built at the same assembly line in CA. If you want a mid sized car, Toyota Camry. Just as good. I have one of them too.
Dennis
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slanter
Ok, I'm planning to replace my Isuzu sometime this year. I'm not in a big hurry; it's just that I am a bit tired of the trouble I have to go through to get parts or repairs for something this unusual. That and I'd like to have something more comfortable with better road manners. So, here are the requirements for my next vehicle.
1. It will be a car. Not a pickup, van, SUV, or similar thing, but a car.
2. I figure I can get something that meets my requirements for $6,000, so I'd rather not pay more. I'd like to get a car that feels like a good value for the money. And, of course, I'm not buying new.
3. The car needs to be fun to drive - no Toyota Camries or Buick Centuries here. A manual transmission is highly desirable. It would be great if this could also be run competatively in autocross events.
4. Although I don't have a particular age of car in mind, I would want one I have a reasonable chance of finding with the upholstery and paint still in reasonably good shape and mechanically flawless. Mileage and age don't matter if it still feels like a relatively new car. And I intend to keep it as long as is reasonable practical.
5. I am 6'2". Most cars I fit into well have at least 39" of headroom.
6. Needs to be something that I can find parts for, and someone who knows how to work on it should anything break. I live in a small town, and should I break my Isuzu (or a Subaru, Suzuki, or some European cars) I might have to limp or tow it 40 miles or more to have it fixed. This isn't a problem for American cars or the "Japanese Big Three."
7. Reliability? Well, it will be my daily driver and probably used for occasional long trips. But on the other hand, I have two other cars and have been crazy enough to drive sub-$1,000 cars for state to state trips. So I'd say reliability is nice to have, and I would like to avoid a lemon, but it's not my number one priority. Same goes for gas mileage - it would be nice to get around 28 mpg but I live within a few miles of work anyway.
So, I'm thinking of either getting a relatively new compact (the Focus ZX3, Protege ES, and Nissan Altima top my list there) or maybe reach back a bit further in time to get a Nissan Maxima. Or possibly even an older (E36) 3-series BMW. Any thoughts on the cars I'm looking at or other cars I should consider?
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Comments for the latecomers
Well, since I bought the Spitfire last week it's likely to be a long time before my next car purchase. Consequently some of the budget attributes, and possibly a few priorities, may change next time I'm searching. I would like to thank Hatterasguy (do you own a yacht by any chance?) and denniscoz for contributing too... even if I did say "No Toyota Camries."
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slanter
Well, since I bought the Spitfire last week it's likely to be a long time before my next car purchase. Consequently some of the budget attributes, and possibly a few priorities, may change next time I'm searching. I would like to thank Hatterasguy (do you own a yacht by any chance?) and denniscoz for contributing too... even if I did say "No Toyota Camries."
No Hatteras yet, but I'm working on it. Whats wrong with Camries? Their well built cars and good transportation, thats about all their good for but still.
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Quote:
Whats wrong with Camries? Their well built cars and good transportation, thats about all their good for but still.
It's not the car's fault as much as that it completely doesn't match what I'm looking for. I'm just not looking for plain basic transportation. And Camries have a reputation for being pretty boring and soulless cars. Trying to find one with a V6 and a manual transmission is an exercise in frustration (I think this combination was offered for a few years, but I'm not sure when. It hasn't been in the lineup for a while). I've even heard them described as "The Japanese answer to the claim that American cars can't handle." They are known for thier mushy suspension and heavy understeer. Trying to autocross one would be a disaster.
The Camry's strong points simply are not my top priorities. Reliability is good to have but not the key point I'm looking for. Its smooth ride and emphasis on comfort are a bit of a minus as they make the car also feel rather sterile. And while they say it has an interior that feels ahead of the competition, I just don't see it as looking like much more than relatively cheap plastic.
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I would look for a nice Integra, Civic, or a Prelude. I've owned a few of these and they are killer! Excellent gas mileage, good power, of course they are all among the top for reliability. The only concern is that you must have a longer body than me. I can fit just swell into just about any sized car with plenty of head room and I'm 6'3". Just a few more recommendations for you.
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Thanks, Boge - I think I can squeeze into most of the choices you mentioned. They're the sort of car I probably couldn't go wrong if I got a good deal on one with the sporty options.
However, since I'm not on the market for a car any longer, perhaps I should close this thread...
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