What to get for under $16k?

LightngSVT said:
Wow that is one screming deal! I went and looked at an 04 SVTF tonight. It ran great but pulled to the right, made a grinding type noise (minor) on low speed turns. Over all motor / trans were great, inside / out it looked about 9.5 of 10 but overall I dont think the car felt as well built as my SVTC. PLus the 2.5L V6 feels like a torqu monster after driving the 2L in the SVTF.



I bet the SVTF is more to insure than the SVTC or the 325i. When I had my M3 the insurance was about the same as my SVTC, although it was rated for pleasure, not commuting
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The build quality issues were addressed with the "new" focus. It has a much nicer interior without all those crazy lines. That was my primary reason for going for the ST.
Focus-Interior.jpg


But if the BMW is what you want, there is no stopping that :) It's certainly well over 16k, so make sure you can afford not just to own it, but drive it too (tires etc...).
 
Not bad looking. Maybe I shold check em out at least. I could probably lease one for ~$200/mo. Im learning that I might be a bit of a car snob, LOL! As they say "champagne taste and a beer wallet"......
 
I am too. My first car was a Ford Thunderbird, since then I have owned: Legacy 2.5GT, Legacy Wagon, Dodge Stealth (R/T Twin Turbo), Miata, Acura TL, Lexus SC400, etc... I'm very picky about things from how the doors open and close, the location of controls, tactile feedback, and most importantly, the driving experience. I wish I could own an E30 M3, but I am too worried about the safety of a car that old.... If I were to own any car right now, it'd be either a Miata or Lotus Elise (very driver oriented). However I am dating a twin, so I often have three people in the car. I forswore FWD long ago...but I was in a rental focus and was simply amazed at how it handled for a "wrong wheel drive" rental car on rental rubber. I did some looking and was interested in the SVT, but the dash really annoyed me. Then I discovered the ST and really found something that met my needs. It really is amazing for a "Ford" "Wrong Wheel Drive" "Econobox". The advantage really comes from the fact that the Focus was Ford's first "world" car and was predominantly designed by ford europe (except for the interior). I'm from Germany, and many people in Germany would rather own a Ford Mondeo than a 3 series BMW or even 5 series. It's a different car for a different market. Thus the first focus we received had a brilliant chassis with great suspension, and a horrid americanized interior. The second generation focus addressed the interior, but we didn't get the "mk2" focus like europe did (this is the platform for the Mazda3 and Volvo C30).



That said the Mazda3 is a good option, it's just not at as much of a cost advantage. I wanted heated mirrors and seats and the Focus was the way to go for the price... Especially given the deal(steal) I got on this one. The only thing I regret about the focus is that someone hit me and I've been without it a few weeks now. It really is a gem to drive. The one thing that may not be appealing to you is its similarity to your contour. BUT -- I think the focus may have the same bolt pattern as the contour, so if you have extra sets of wheels/rubber/snow tires they may be able to carry over.
 
Another car to think about is lightly used Mazda6. Even new they're not much more than the Mazda3, and they get great reviews much in the way the SVT Contour did back in the day as a practical sedan with sports car moves. (I want one, but it didn't go over with the 'rents :( ) Plus, you'd still be staying in the Ford family. :chuckle:



Sample: Cars For Sale: Car Details - AutoTrader.com
 
THe 6 does look interesting. i did a search in my area and found a total of 6 of them with a v6 / 5 speed. All 04's too. There was a nice looking silver one w/40k miles for $13995.



VroomCrash, I have had my share of cars for my age too (34). Ive gone through 7 Mustangs, 3 Lightnings, 2 Contours, 2 F150's, T-bird TC, Cougar, Escort GT, 300Zx turbo, M3 cabriolet and others Ive forgotten about. Its funny you mention the Mondeo because the Contour was the US version of the Mondeo and I think it was one of the nicest products Ford has offered. To bad they couldnt market it to save their lives. I dont consider the Focus to be like the Contour, but maybe the "new" version is more like it? I did own a 2000 Focus ZX3 and while I really enjoyed it at the time, it wasnt like the Contour.
 
Sounds like somebody likes their Ford products :) Go for some test drives, the Mazda6 was a bit too heavy for my feelings, but if that were the size of car you want, they are gorgeous (the new 2008/09 Honda designs seem to be...borrowing from the Mazda6's look). The Contour was a very sweet car, if only it came with the interior/quality of the Mondeo :)
 
If you go with a Mazda6, be sure to *AVOID* ones with the automatic. I drove them on a tight course (pursuit training on the Beaverun go-cart track ;) ) and the communication between the throttle/transmission/ecu was just awful, you never knew when you were gonna get power or not. Lots of FWD-effect drama too, but maybe they've got limited slips now, I dunno. They were shedding parts like inner fender liners/etc. too, but we were beating on 'em pretty hard.
 
Accumulator said:
If you go with a Mazda6, be sure to *AVOID* ones with the automatic. I drove them on a tight course (pursuit training on the Beaverun go-cart track ;) ) and the communication between the throttle/transmission/ecu was just awful, you never knew when you were gonna get power or not. Lots of FWD-effect drama too, but maybe they've got limited slips now, I dunno. They were shedding parts like inner fender liners/etc. too, but we were beating on 'em pretty hard.
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Now that sounds like a fun day, regardless of the transmission.



Your description of the auto transmission reminds me of the autos in VWs in the early 90s. I worked with them for awhile as a test driver and the automatics drove me (and all the other drivers) batty on the twisty mountain roads. It was like the trannys had a "functionally impaired" IQ.
 
velobard said:
Your description of the auto transmission reminds me of the autos in VWs in the early 90s. I worked with them for awhile as a test driver and the automatics drove me (and all the other drivers) batty on the twisty mountain roads. It was like the trannys had a "functionally impaired" IQ.
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Drive an 02-05 Lexus ES and you'll get a nostalgia attack. LOL
 
Heh heh, and you still have to watch out for such stuff today. Not really transmission-related, but Audis (especially the V8 ones starting with the '01 model year) have a lot of drivability issues related to their drive-by-wire.
 
I havent driven the Fusion yet, but I think it is identical to the 2 versions of the Milan I drove. I dont think the Fusion is tuned any sportier. The Fusion runs from about $16.9k - 24k here in the states, however you can only get AWD with the V6 and you can only get the manual trans with the 4 cylinder. So no V6, Awd, stick shift cars here. A loaded (moon roof, leather, etc) 4 cylinder, 5 speed car will run about $21k sticker price. Its a very nice car, especially for the price but they are not tuned to be sporty in anyway.



Tonight in my continued insanity I went to another BMW dealer. The nutshell is they have an 06 325i that was a BMW regional reps car, with 5k miles. Its black with tan interior and is LOADED, original sticker was around $40k. It has Merino leather, full power, dual power / memory seats, moon roof, keyless, dynamic cruise control, Xenon lamps, sport package, premium package, cold weather package, sport seats, upgraded stereo, etc. In short they offered a 24 month lease with my Contour plus $1500 cash and a $399 pmt including tax! Holy cow Batman! Now to convinve the wife............
 
Wow! Sounds like a pretty nice find. Have you taken a look at Mercedes C-Class sedans? They have a special $299 lease deal right now. December is always a good time to get a car, dealerships want their year-end to look nice. (Friend at Audi dealer said so. True? Maybe)
 
Thats severyone. Mercedes Winter Event. I actually test drove a 6-Speed C230 a couple weeks back to kill time on a Saturday. Honestly, I like the BMW more, but this is still a nice little car. I definately recommend testing one out.
 
Yah, but they want almost $4000 at signing!



Looks like Im out of the car buying game for a while. While talking to a mortgage broker today about a refi on my house (to save almost 2%) they pulle dout credit and found some false, derogatory items that dropped our score nearly 100 points! Even if I were to get a pproved I would be paying a higher rate then I should and thats just wasting money. So I think until I get it all cleaned up Im going to hold off. Bummer, the 325 was a killer deal! :(
 
LightngSVT said:
Yah, but they want almost $4000 at signing!



Looks like Im out of the car buying game for a while. While talking to a mortgage broker today about a refi on my house (to save almost 2%) they pulle dout credit and found some false, derogatory items that dropped our score nearly 100 points! Even if I were to get a pproved I would be paying a higher rate then I should and thats just wasting money. So I think until I get it all cleaned up Im going to hold off. Bummer, the 325 was a killer deal! :(
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That really bites, sorry to hear about the trouble. Can your mortgage broker work with you to do some corrections and do rapid rescoring? For a lot of good credit advice, you might want to check out CreditBoards.com - Credit Help, Credit Repair Tips, News, Forums and start doing some studying with the articles and forums there.
 
LightngSVT said:
I havent driven the Fusion yet, but I think it is identical to the 2 versions of the Milan I drove. I dont think the Fusion is tuned any sportier. The Fusion runs from about $16.9k - 24k here in the states, however you can only get AWD with the V6 and you can only get the manual trans with the 4 cylinder. So no V6, Awd, stick shift cars here. A loaded (moon roof, leather, etc) 4 cylinder, 5 speed car will run about $21k sticker price. Its a very nice car, especially for the price but they are not tuned to be sporty in anyway.
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The Mazda6 is essentially the same car (built on the same platform)...but tuned a lot sportier. IMO it seems perfect for you. The same loaded 4 cylinder, 5 speed also runs about $21K.
 
Well the biggest hit we are taking is that our last mortgage company is reporting 4 late payments!! That and the wife getting a bit credit card happy (which I will pay off and take over this month!) is what dropped us 100 points. But the good thing is they are showing dates after we had already closed the loan, so this shouldnt be to hard to fix. But nothing is quick except for bad things.



Once thats done I will check out the Mazda 6, sounds like it may be a good fit. Are there any other good, sport sedans (driver oriented) in the same price range? Everything I can think is more tuned for comfort or "luxury".
 
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