I own an 85 911, I feel it's very marginal as a 2+2. It's a great daily driver, but I wouldn't count on being able to put kids in the back seats. My choice is an Audi A6 2.7T 6-speed. You should be able to get a 2000 for close to your $20k, they are a fun car, plenty of upgrades available (check out http://www.audiworld.com), tons of trunk space, and great for taking the kids around. Really an all-around great car. If you can't get an A6, an A4 is a very nice alternative as well, and I'm sure you could get one of those in your price range.
Uhhh, for those who said A4, wasn't reliability a requirement? The top choice would be the M3. There's no other car that can do everything on the list unless you want to go more luxury than sport. If so I'd say a BMW 540 sport or a '97 XJR. Sunny
People, people, the man wants a DAILY DRIVER with FOUR SEATS and LOW LOW MAINTENANCE costs. Pay attention Luke.
Get a lexus LS400. Great reliable car. Not cheap to maintain when it breaks, but it doesn't break in general.
Ok, been away for a bit an this thread has really gone wild! Looks like a popular topic. Ok, here are the suggestions and my take on them, right or wrong: Alfa 164/Milano - both great cars, but potential maintenance scares me. I do have Paul Spruell here in Atlanta so all is not lost. Worth investigating. M3/M6 - Great choices, but I have been down the BMW road (drive a 525i, used to have a 535i) and want to try something different. Mini - another great choice, will have to drive one. Saab 9-5 - don't know, Saabs have never "done it" for me. And I'd at least want to have one designed and built by the Swedes, not GM. RSX - Good car, too popular with the ricer crowd. Volvo/Saturn/Maxima - sorry, too many bad stories about Saturns and the others are too "family" oriented. WRX/STi - actually I drove an STi the other day and WOW, what a fun ride. It's outside my price range, but the payments might be possible. Tough one. 540i - nice, but done the BMW thing S2000/Esprit - love too, but I gotta have 4 seats. A4/A6 - I had a friend with an A4 and it was a maintenance nightmare. Very nice but I think I will skip Audi. XJR - Hmmmm, now that's interesting. More luxury than sport and auto only, but what a car. Thought-provoking. Lexus - kind of like the Saabs, they just don't do it for me. Great cars and I'd recommend one to my mom in a heartbeat. Lots of good stuff to think about. Good thing I can take my time and beat on the 525i until I'm ready to make a move. Mark
I haven't driven the STi yet, but if I could trade my WRX in to the dealer and get full credit towards an STi I would. Unfortunately rock chips and bumper scratches from my lovely neighbors and fellow city dwellers' parallel parking habits prevent any thought of not losing my shirt on a trade. Seeing as the WRX was $5k more than my wife thought we were going to spend getting her up to a $30k car would have been a streeeetch!
I had a 911SC for a couple of years and really wish I still had it. No doubt, the least expensive car I have ever owned. Bought it for $12.5k, drove it 20k miles, sold it two years later for $12.5k. The only thing I did was the tensioner upgrade and even that wasn't necessary according to my mechanic. I know I said no Audis, but now that I think about it an S4 might be a good candidate. Any experiences with those? Mark
Not exactly, but my Passat in SIMILAR. It's fun and quick -- an AWD twin turbo V6 (I assume the new V8 is way above budget) will be quicker, obviously -- but it can be slightly unreliable. Of course, since mine is chipped, etc, that could be part of the problem. Anyway, point is, if you do get one and intend to modify it (a GIAC chip is a must) then you need see to see Brian at Eurotech in Marietta. He is the most honest mechanic I've ever known. Plus VAG chips are his personal specialty. Luke.
Nice Passat. I never looked at your profile before and just assumed it was a Mitsubishi Evo from the avatar. Isn't the Passat the same platform as the A4? If so, you have a VW S4 there, cool! I was just talking to my friend who had the A4 and he said the S4 is a different animal from his old POS. Might be worth a look after all. Mark
Get the Cooper S Its great in the snow, its got more useable room than you could believe, and Im sure you can still get an extended warranty on a 2002 if you want. Cheap mod's too.
I agree, it's a hell of a car for the money. Mods are pretty cheap. The JCW package is not too expensive and yields nice results. There should still be plenty of factory warranty left on a 2002.
I've been lurking F-chat for a while now, and this is the first thread that I feel qualified to participate in, so here goes my first post... I have to put in my plug for the 1990+ 300ZX. I had a twin turbo '92 for a year until an unfortunate incident involving a bad woman driver in a Kia. Long story. Anyway, put it this way, I bought a pristine example with 34k miles for about $15k. Stock, these things are 300HP, but with exhaust, intake, and a ECU upgrade w/boost jets (for a total outlay of <$1500) the HP jumps to 396. This car is FAST! As well, there is an incredible amount of technology in these cars, and you can't beat the performance and luxury for the buck. I wish every day that I had this car back, it was a BLAST to drive! However, the turbo model only comes in the 2-seater version, in the US at least. There is a 2+2 (which would only fit kids in the back seat, by the way), but it is non turbo, so only 222HP. However, there are more than a few enthusiasts who take the 2+2 model and perform a twin turbo conversion, giving you the best of both worlds. I'm sure that you could find one of these for a very reasonable price if you were willing to look at these conversions. Let me know if you're interested in this at all, and I can help point you in the right direction. 300ZXs are something that I happen to know about, and they are fantastic cars. Best of luck.
you say you're done with the BMW thing, have you ever owned an M car? You may want to take a stab at it, they're incredible daily drivers...the m30 and m50 you had in your past e34s are a far cry from the much more responsive s50b30(the '95 M3 motor)/s52(the '96-'99 M3 motor) that the e36 M3 is graced with. I really think you should consider one, you really cant do better for a daily that will rip it up on the autox/track/etc. Speaking of which, I know of a stunning example of one...Dakar Yellow II... http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=170474
I mentioned 2002 both in reply to a previous post and because he said his limit was roughly $20,000. You can't get a 2004 MCS for twenty. While I like the MCS, I agree with most here that an E36 M3 would give you exactly what you're looking for.
ok, from what you have said you want this car. the Alfa 156 GTA v6 2.3l 250bhp around 6 seconds to 60 it's got everything a man could need, looks performace and practical. i don't think you can buy them in the US, but get one imported, they arn't very expensive second hand. and are better than alot of the jap rubbish thats been mentioned in this thread http://www.alfa156.net/owner/calzone1.jpg http://www.alfa156.net/owner/calzone2.jpg http://www.alfa156.net/owner/calzone3.jpg http://www.alfa156.net/owner/calzone5.jpg
Gorgeous! Actually I have not owned an M, but I have driven them many times and they are phenomenal cars, no question. Before I bought the 525i (and when my budget was higher) I was looking seriously for an M6. But then things changed and I had to reduce my price, hence the 525i. The thing is, I want to experience something different. The STi was way different, but too much money. I love 911s but I've already had one. The Mini really appeals, as do the Alfas because I haven't had one before. Mark
No question that would be the ticket if I could get one. I love that car! But I gotta believe that getting one in the states will take more like $40k before everything is done. Maybe I'll give Spruell a call and just see. Mark
doesn't hurt to find out, trust me it's worth it, they are fantastic cars. and you sertainly would be the only guy in town with one!
