What to get for under $16k?

LightngSVT · 12-06-06, 11:18

I havent posted in a while over here, life got busy and mot much time to detail. Anyway I think its time to trade in my 98 SVT Contour DD for something a bit newer. the car has been great to me, but needs suspension and A/C work, but looks new inside / out. My budget is in the $9k - $16k range and this will be a DD in Michigan, snow and all. I guess I could look into a new car lease as I would have about $2500 to put down but want a pmt under $260/mo. Any suggestions?

What I really wanted was an E36 M3. Found one (97 sedan, manual trans) at a dealer for $14999 in very nice shape, but it was sold before I could get to the dealer!

The only problem is financing a car between 95-99 MY.

I have also looked into the 2001-2004 Lincoln LS's, given they had bad depreciation there are some deals out there like a 2004 with 42k, loaded, sport pkg, pearl white paint,still under warranty dealer is asking $14995.

A Local dealer my family (parents, Aunt, wife) has went to for years and years would lease me an 07 Milan, loaded (leather, moon, heated seats, audiophile), 4cyl, manual trans for $260/mo (inc tax). MPG would be great, plenty of room but Im not sure how peppy / sporty the car would be?

My choice would be a sporty convertible with a manual trans, but I dont really want an SN95 Mustang GT. I could pick up a Z3 or possibly Z4 but it would be to impractical as a DD. I want something fun to drive, yet nice with at least enough room to load up my dog (Alaskan malamute) and wife. I really want another Bimmer, but probably wont be in a place to afford the typical payment ($450-750/mo) for another year. The A4's seem nice but I hear alot about Audi having a ton of problems. I really dont want a Civic, Focus (unless SVT), corolla, etc.

tyoung · 12-06-06, 11:34

I'd get the new Milan, those things are pretty nice and surprisingly agile. Luxury interior too.

BigJimZ28 · 12-06-06, 11:50

I would just do the suspension and A/C work
it would not be newer but it would feel new with
the suspension upgrades!

Ceezer · 12-06-06, 12:23

A few weeks ago my wife was considering trading her Tahoe in on something a little more efficient. I was trying to get as close to an even trade as possible so I was looking at models in the $15-20k range (07 MY). I threw together a spreadsheet to outline the parameters that were important to me (price, fuel economy, quickness, cargo, and interior room) for comparison. If you're interested you should be able to see it HERE. There are separate tabs to divide them into classes first (compact, midsize, suv, etc) and in each sheet I ranked them against similar model, then took the top 5 from each class and compared them for an overall ranking.

You may not care for rear leg room or ground clearance, but you can at least see how some of them stack up against others. The models on each page are in no particular order, so don't think that the last entry on the page is the lowest ranked. The only place the rankings are visible are on the "top 25" tab, otherwise I have all the scoring and formula here scribbled on a bunch of printouts.

I think the Milan is a nice car, too, but in my comparison it placed 8th out of 13 midsized cars.

Ceezer · 12-06-06, 12:32

Up there the Subaru's are a little more desirable and carry a higher price but you should be able to find a 2nd gen (00-04) Outback within your price range, and probably even an LL Bean model with leather. That'll have room for the wife and dog plus AWD and 8.5" of clearance for the winters, but it may not be sporty enough for you.

I really like the Malibu Maxx (though you appear to be a blue oval guy) and have seen the 06 models (when they started to come with remote start) going here for 15k'ish. It's got less cargo area than an Outback but a little more leg room between the front and rear, plus the 3.5L is quicker with having to carry only 17.20lb/hp.

If you want a new car, the 16k is going to limit you to compacts. To me it sounds like that's not your thing

twitch · 12-06-06, 12:47

At that price I would imagine the Milan was a lease. If so I'd run. Especially since this car will be a daily driver and racking up mileage. From others I have spoken with leasing is NOT the way to go.

I'm not sure if it would interest you but the 00-~04 model Accords can be found in that price range. You may be able to find one with a V6 and if you got really lucky may be able to find a manual tranny.

Good luck with your search man!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceezer

I threw together a spreadsheet to outline the parameters that were important to me (price, fuel economy, quickness, cargo, and interior room) for comparison. If you're interested you should be able to see it HERE. There are separate tabs to divide them into classes first (compact, midsize, suv, etc) and in each sheet I ranked them against similar model, then took the top 5 from each class and compared them for an overall ranking.

That's a nice tool!

LightngSVT · 12-06-06, 01:03

Im not really into the bowties. My wife has daily direct contact with high level GM people in her job and so her company has leased her a 2006 malibu sedan. She does not like the car at all, so that would cloud my decision.

I was just looking at the 2002-2003 jaguar X-types, I even found a 2.5 manual, Sport pkg for $11995 and only 55000 miles. I know Jag dont have the best rep, but given this is basically a Mondeo (newer version of my Contour) with AWD. Might be a good choice, depending on how it drives, and has a high class look to (especially) the interior.

My local BMW dealer has 2 killer deals right now:
1. 2006 BMW 325i lease for $329/mo with 2500 down. 24mo, 24k miles
2. 2006 BMW M3 cabriolet, pretty loaded ($61k sticker!!!) for $599/mo lease, same terms as the 325i

I cant swing #2 with everything else right now and the wife isnt feeling option #1 since we have a decent payment on her car (the Mariner). I dont have a problem with leasing because 1) I dont drive that much (12-15k per year and 2) I have my toys and my bike that get used alot in the warm months, plus the wifes car to drive when she is out of town on business.

J.J. · 12-06-06, 02:10

This is easy. Sporty, 4-cylinder, convertible, reliable...... S2K all the way. Of course, it will provide limited space and I'm not sure of snow performance but, damn, I'd like to have one!

If I were you, I would probably get an Audi or Subie. All wheel drive in Michigan would be nice. I know the Impreza WRX (not STi) is all wheel drive and has a nice turbo. It also has four doors and is reasonably priced. The other option is the Impreza 2.5. It is also all wheel drive.

You would likely have to buy used.

JJ

Titania · 12-06-06, 02:26

Take a look at used Saabs. The 9-2X is a rebadged Subaru WRX. The 9-3 and 9-5 depreciate like crazy, making them extremely good deals on the used car market. I've owned 3 Saabs in the past, and they were all pretty trouble-free. I traded my 1995 900SE in still running perfectly on its original clutch with no rust on the body despite spending hits whole life in MA and 160,000 mi on the clock. The 9-5 Aeros and 9-3 Viggens are a blast to drive...both are really damn fast. There are inexpensive kits for both to eliminate torque steer.

Accumulator · 12-06-06, 05:19

SVT- Sorry to hear the E36 idea didn't work out. If I were in your shoes I'd take BigJimZ28's advice and fix the Contour SVT. Unless you've absolutely fallen out of love with it and want something different, IMO it'd be the best choice $-wise and might even be the car you'd prefer driving. Suspension work? Maybe you could even do some upgrades! A/C work? Do it and it oughta stay OK for a long time. Maybe I'm just projecting...I've regretted a few of my decisions to let cars go, wished I'd just kept the known quantity.

Those lease payments seem like a bit of money for something you're gonna have to give back.

LightngSVT · 12-06-06, 08:59

If I recall Accumulator you bought an E36 M3 earlier this year? How has the car been treating you? I found another, black 97 E36 about 1.5 hours away today. I was all excited about the price ($10k) until I realized it has 146k miles.

Im a HUGE fan of all BMW's since I owned my E46 M3, what an awesome car

I see a few recommendations for Subies, Im not sure that car fits me? I recall reading that there were alot of problems with the manual trannies? Also, I test drove one 2 years ago and I remember the car having a "delicate" feel to it. Another AWD option is the Jaguar X-type, traction style, class and they can be had pretty reasonably. Now to find one for a test drive. I plan to go drive the 04 LS and the 07 Milan tomorrow night.

Keeping my car may be the lowest cost alternative and it is a pretty fun car to drive overall. But I tend to go through cars every 1 - 3 years. My Contour is going to need probably $2k+ in work if I have it done, inc parts. But everything else works like new on the car and it still looks great. Descisions, decisions...

Accumulator · 12-07-06, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by LightngSVT

If I recall Accumulator you bought an E36 M3 earlier this year? How has the car been treating you? ..I see a few recommendations for Subies, Im not sure that car fits me? I recall reading that there were alot of problems with the manual trannies? Also, I test drove one 2 years ago and I remember the car having a "delicate" feel to it. Another AWD option is the Jaguar X-type, traction style, class and they can be had pretty reasonably. Now to find one for a test drive. I plan to go drive the 04 LS and the 07 Milan tomorrow night.

Keeping my car may be the lowest cost alternative and it is a pretty fun car to drive overall. But I tend to go through cars every 1 - 3 years. My Contour is going to need probably $2k+ in work if I have it done, inc parts....

Heh heh for ~$2K I'd keep the Contour in a heartbeat

My E36 M3 (Byzanz metallic sedan, automatic) has turned into another of my project cars

I spent ages doing the undercarriage and now I'm starting on the exterior, even though I'm leaning towards getting a (proper

) repaint after my mechanic finsishes up the last of the stuff I want done. I really was gonna just buy it and drive it, but after I got carried away doing the underneath, well, one thing lead to another so I'm *really* refurbishing it. Since my wife and I hate todays "better" cars it's money well-spent for me.

Now that the undercarriage is all nice I don't plan to drive it in the winter, but I'd been wondering about how feasible it'd be anyhow. You can only go so narrow when it comes to tires for that thing and I had visions of drama in the white stuff (though other E36s I've driven worked well with skinny snows).

I seem to be the only person who had problems with Subarus, but my problems were so severe that they left a very bad taste in my mouth. FWIW my wife didn't like the Subies either, and she's no car-snob. They're just "not us" if you know what I mean but *man* do other people love them. Make sure you have a good dealer who's worked on manual ones though.

Don't buy a Jag unless you have a mechanic you can *really* rely on. And that goes for Audis too (much as I love 'em).

My latest dog-car/beater is the '00 Blazer, but that's probably a direction you don't want to go. Cheap though, compared to my "real" cars.