What would you buy???

L

LightngSVT

New member
Well the wife has a wild hair to move to a lake front house. This means a little cutting back on the "toys" becuase well lakefront property is way expensive for what you get! So Im thinking of selling my 98 Contour SVT daily driver and the "new" M3 vert to get one car Ill drive everyday, all year long. This will lower payments and insurance.



Im looking for something at / below $35k. I know I was considering the Z before but if I do this I need some practicality too. But fun to drive is very important, must be a true stick shift and still have a little "wow" factor to bystanders. Right now Im thinking:



2005 BMW 325i sport $34-36k(new)- a bit of a come down from an M3 though the 330i sport is pretty impresive for what it is

2005 Audi A3 $29-31k(new) -nice car, hard paint, relaible, sporty and can haul stuff / dogs

2005 Mustang GT $26-27k- To bad you cant find one anywhere!

2003-2004 SVT Cobra $23-25k- Performance, enough said

2002 - 2004 SVT Lightning $22-25k- Still the coolest truck ever. The useability of a pickup and the performance of a "sports" car



So post up your thoughts and ideas, maybe Im missing something?
 
if it was me, i'd sell the m3 vert. it seems to be the most impractical car out of your collection, not to mention it's probably worth as much as your contour svt and lightning put together! :faint: it's a shame you have to get rid of one of your cars though.
 
How about a G35x? That should be in that price range. If you want fast cheap and front wheel drive the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP might be worth a look.



I second the Legacy GT. Or how about an WRX STI?
 
When I read "hauling stuff/dogs" I think the A3 is the way to go. No wagon available in the WRX STi and the regular WRX wagon didn't impress me much (we sold it with no regrets). You could check out the Volvo, but IMO Audis beat Subies hands down when it comes to overall quality (yeah, I'm an Audi fan, but I *have* had Subies) and day-in/day-out, that would make the difference for me. Audis are just nice to spend time in. I'd buy the highest quality vehicle you can. Consider the differences between your Contour (neat car, BTW, and I don't even like FWD) and your M3. There's more to the difference than just performance, huh?
 
I havent driven the Volvo, but their styling doesnt do much for me. The Legacy GT could be a consideration, I thought of one for the wife but shes going to want space for dive gear and the ability to tow jetskis or a little boat. Anyway, I have driven the WRX and while it was fun it felt fragile. Does the G35x have 4 seats and room to haul some stuff I know the Z doesnt have any space.



Accumulator, yes there is a big difference between the 2 cars, heck add in the 91 GT drag racer and the custom 93 Lightning, LOL. My tastes are fairly diverse. I bought the SVT because its was a inexpensive daily driver that was still unique and fun to drive. The M3 was a "dream car", a high performance, high class racer for the streets.



So has anyone driven an A3?
 
Accumulator said:
When I read "hauling stuff/dogs" I think the A3 is the way to go. No wagon available in the WRX STi and the regular WRX wagon didn't impress me much (we sold it with no regrets). You could check out the Volvo, but IMO Audis beat Subies hands down when it comes to overall quality (yeah, I'm an Audi fan, but I *have* had Subies) and day-in/day-out, that would make the difference for me. Audis are just nice to spend time in. I'd buy the highest quality vehicle you can. Consider the differences between your Contour (neat car, BTW, and I don't even like FWD) and your M3. There's more to the difference than just performance, huh?
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The interior of the A3 is nothing to brag about.
 
I know I will regret it. But the wife wants a house on the water and it would be easier on us without 5 cars and insurances. I could always just look for an M3 coupe in the $35k range and call it even.
 
You could check out the Toyota S Runner. It's a pretty neat lil truck. It's got some power, it comes with a manual tranny, and it should be able to tow jet skis. I like Lightnings better, but they dont come in straight shift.
 
LightngSVT said:
I know I will regret it. But the wife wants a house on the water and it would be easier on us without 5 cars and insurances. I could always just look for an M3 coupe in the $35k range and call it even.
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You can donate it to my business and write it off :woohoo:
 
I assume the donation will be followed by a $40k+ check to me? LOL



Maybe I should just go back to the Lightning's, no manual tranny but its got style, performace, can tow a car when I need to and can haul a bunch of stuff. But there is the fact of the 15MPG and $2.40-ish / gal premium.



How are the Acura TL and TSX? Are they the same car with different engines? I loaded 6-speed TSX with Nav, etc is stil under $32k sticker.
 
Chuck, I think it would be worth your time to drive over to a dealer and test drive the two cars. They pack lots of value in their respective segments. The TSX and TL are very different cars as the TSX is more of a "handler" than the TL. The TL is also available with a 6 speed and some rather nice Brembo brakes.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
The interior of the A3 is nothing to brag about.
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Nothing to brag about when compared to what? The fit, finish and the materials in the A3 are very nice IMO. Now if you are comparing it to an A8, an S class MB, Acura RL or factoring in price when comparing it to something like a new Jetta I would say you are correct, but to just say it is nothing to brag about is unjust IMO. I think the materials, fit and finish on the A3 compare very favorably to cars (and better than some) with equal or more expensive pricing, such as the G35, 350Z, Accord EX (which has very nice interior if not just boring), top level V6 Camry, and many others which are all within the price point of the A3. Hands down the A3 has a better interior than anything GM, Ford, Chrysler, or Nissan is putting out for equal money and even more $$ most cases. IMO just about any manufacturer can look to VAG for guidance on fit, finish and materials. when it comes to materials.



Food for thought on the possibilities…..the new 325i is an extremely nice vehicle, however a 1-2 year old e46 330i may be a better buy for what you are looking for (however not much wow factor). What about a used M3 coupe. You get a very high fun to drive factor, some wow factor and some daily driver practicality in one car. The careful shopper could find one around your price point. I did a short drive in the A3 seems like a very fun and practical car. Boxster S…very fun, some wow, daily driver reliability but very limited practicality. A4 Avant Quattro…fun, limited wow (can you have wow with a wagon?..the RS4 Avant yes…but not sold in the US), very practical. Cadillac CTS (maybe you could find a v series at the very upper limits of your price range)…some fun, no real wow, but good practicality.



The ability to do light towing and to haul really starts to limit things. It would seem like some light duty cross over SUV would by your best application for these requirements (but these have absolutely no wow factor). I think the Quattro Avant would be a good choice.



The TSX and TL driver very differently. You should drive both and decide which you like better. Aside from the suspension set ups another major difference is the engine. The TSX only comes with a 2.4l 4 cyl and the TL comes with a 3.2l V6.
 
LightngSVT said:
I assume the donation will be followed by a $40k+ check to me? LOL



Maybe I should just go back to the Lightning's, no manual tranny but its got style, performace, can tow a car when I need to and can haul a bunch of stuff. But there is the fact of the 15MPG and $2.40-ish / gal premium.



How are the Acura TL and TSX? Are they the same car with different engines? I loaded 6-speed TSX with Nav, etc is stil under $32k sticker.
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The Acura TL is built on the platform of the US Spec Accord. The TSX is the European Spec Accord - it supposed to be a great handler - not that much power but great car.



Also, how about a Foerster?
 
I'd also check out the 2005 Saab 9-3 Aero. With the GM employee discounts, you can get one for <30K. Lots of fun, great handling, good power (and can be made even better through a Swedish performance company called BSR), great on gas, and fairly exclusive. Saabs aren't everyone's thing though, but I'd at least test-drive one.
 
My wife is a program manager for a supplier on the SAAB 9-7 (? the SUV) and after what she's gone through with GM I dont think a Saab would be welcome in the driveway. Im going to go do some test driving over the next week or so and see. Maybe I should just sell the M3, keep the Tour and bank the payments for a year and have a sweet down payment on the 06 / 07 SVT Cobra GT500. Im so confused right now........
 
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