The Enforcer
New member
Street? You are ignorant. Why would you street race and risk the lives of others?
....in the end, it's still a Focus lol.
....in the end, it's still a Focus lol.
$10k, most bang for the buck?
- Thread starter Dan
- Start date
The Enforcer said:
Now, now, let's not pretend that none of us have ever done that. :bolt
Racing through traffic, doing ricer fly-by's, racing towards intersections is idiotic, but out on roads in the middle of nowhere at 2 am like my friends and I used to do, you only put yourselves in danger.
dnadrifter
New member
FirstRate said:I never really liked the idea of buying very used (5+ years) European cars. It reminds me of someone buying used designer clothes when they cannot afford them new and want to be seen in something fancy.
mikenap said:Gee, seeing that I just bought an 04 BMW M3 last year, it's good to know my place in this world. Thanks for that.
Funny, I just purchased an 04 M3 last year as well and I came to exact opposite conclusion as the original poster above. I got the car with 19K miles on it, paid less than half of what MSRP was. I ended up with a vehicle that is practically new, has a flawless interior, a feel you don't get with an american car, a fantastic exterior condition and rivals the performance of cars that are 6 years newer than it. If anything the stigma of a BMW or an "M3" were notches against buying one. If I can purchase another european vehicle that is in great shape and 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of one new I will do it again.
Regarding maintenance. I just spent $3500 on a transmission for my GMC Envoy. It is the third transmission that has failed in 135,000 miles. To boot I have a fan clutch that will never work properly, that GM doesn't know how to fix and a rear license plate seal that has to be changed every 12,000 miles if I don't want it to leak water and be responsible for buying and installing a new one. Thanks GM.
Point is.... all manufacturers have problems and there are disadvantages and advantages to each.
Okay...off my soapbox.
The Enforcer said:
I just wanted to give you the choice, so you cant say "my car isnt setup for that" like A LOT of the guys that drive "muscle" cars. Or they cant say "I didnt hook up" or whatever excuse they want to give.
Seems whenever a V8 sees Focus taillights, the excuses flow like water.
Anyhow, track it is....let me know when you can make it.
Scottwax said:
I concur, sir.
BTW, still want to meet with you IRL, just to BS around a bit.
yakky, a little out of your price range but maybe you can talk him down Pawn Stars style...
honda accord 95 salvage
honda accord 95 salvage - $27000 (north highlands)
honda accord 95 salvage
honda accord 95 salvage - $27000 (north highlands)
manticore33 said:
If there aren't people criticizing you, you're doing something wrong. Everybody's got something to ***** about. And, if you're not doing SOMETHING to set them off, you're not taking enough chances. Not living life.
That said, I don't think FirstRate was really trying to insult you. Just making a negative off-handed comment about something he doesn't really know much about, never looked into himself.
manticore33
New member
levander said:
Thanks! The part I found funny was his avatar is of a 996 which stopped production in 2005 when it was replaced by the 997.
Back to the OP: What type of cars and styles do you like? It seems, we, the community, have made recommendations all over the board from hot hatches to domestic muscle and solid Japanese and European imports.
Dan
Well-known member
manticore33 said:Thanks! The part I found funny was his avatar is of a 996 which stopped production in 2005 when it was replaced by the 997.
Back to the OP: What type of cars and styles do you like? It seems, we, the community, have made recommendations all over the board from hot hatches to domestic muscle and solid Japanese and European imports.
I like them all. I just wanted to start a thread to talk about some affordable cars that could be a lot of fun. I was hoping to see some forgotten cars in here, stuff like Camaros and Mustangs are pretty obvious, but there are some real sleepers out there, I'd love to see some more.
How about the last generation of twin turbo RX-7's? Relatively cheap to maintain, easy to hop up and a ball to drive. As a toy, it is a good one. Not sure if there are any good Evo's or WRX's in that price range. Good cars. For a driver and a smaller sedan I would probably go the M3 route. There are a number of late 90's available that met the OP original criteria. Others that come to mind G35, TSX, 9-3, or even a Cooper. AND the whole stable of domestic iron recommended here.
Lots of good suggestions in this thread.
OT from the orignal post ALL may read if they like! Some folks have brought up cost of maintaining certain cars such as BMW. Being the owner of a 2000 740i Sport I can attest that they can be expensive to maintain. If your only option is the "Stealership" I would think long and hard about the 'higher end' cars. So much bloody technology and so highly integrated. My alone had DSP, PDC, EDC, ABS, DSC, NAV, Bluetooth, Voice Control, Iphone integration, Satelite, Steptronic, I-bus, DVD and seperate audio system, 14 channels of digital EQ and Amps, Cassette, CD changer, 18 way seats, butt massager (you read it right), home control, UV break resistent glass, security code programable (like the transporter, sort of), on board computer, an adaptive lighting system that detect a filiment is out and change the lighting up to get you home... hell, there is a rechargable flashlight built into the car. I am sure I am forgetting some stuff.
The problem with all this stuff, if you want to call it a problem, is it is so highly integrated. For example, my ABS control module failed. When it did, the car went into trans fail safe, no abs, no dsc, no fuel calculation, no speedo, no PDC. A $1200 part at BMW... but you can get them rebuilt for $300 with a five year warranty.
Some parts cost more. A rebuilt alternator for my car is $510 with a $100 core, remanufactured from a parts store (dealer is north of $700 for the part alone). It is expensive because it puts out enough AMPS to weld with and it is WATER COOLED! My darn cup holder is $300 just for the part. But, my Brembo brake rotors are under $60 each.
But for me, I have a very well made car, rock solid and even after ten years not a sqeek or a rattle, does 155 all day (limited), total comfort in every way, 0-60 in 6 flat (for a 4400 pound car not shabby) and to this day, I still turn and look at it after I park it. I have a total of about 20k in the car to date. I can think of NO new car on the market that would stir my soul in the same way for anything near that amount of money.
To each there own! Besides, if we all liked the exact same stuff, what would we have to talk about?
Lots of good suggestions in this thread.
OT from the orignal post ALL may read if they like! Some folks have brought up cost of maintaining certain cars such as BMW. Being the owner of a 2000 740i Sport I can attest that they can be expensive to maintain. If your only option is the "Stealership" I would think long and hard about the 'higher end' cars. So much bloody technology and so highly integrated. My alone had DSP, PDC, EDC, ABS, DSC, NAV, Bluetooth, Voice Control, Iphone integration, Satelite, Steptronic, I-bus, DVD and seperate audio system, 14 channels of digital EQ and Amps, Cassette, CD changer, 18 way seats, butt massager (you read it right), home control, UV break resistent glass, security code programable (like the transporter, sort of), on board computer, an adaptive lighting system that detect a filiment is out and change the lighting up to get you home... hell, there is a rechargable flashlight built into the car. I am sure I am forgetting some stuff.
The problem with all this stuff, if you want to call it a problem, is it is so highly integrated. For example, my ABS control module failed. When it did, the car went into trans fail safe, no abs, no dsc, no fuel calculation, no speedo, no PDC. A $1200 part at BMW... but you can get them rebuilt for $300 with a five year warranty.
Some parts cost more. A rebuilt alternator for my car is $510 with a $100 core, remanufactured from a parts store (dealer is north of $700 for the part alone). It is expensive because it puts out enough AMPS to weld with and it is WATER COOLED! My darn cup holder is $300 just for the part. But, my Brembo brake rotors are under $60 each.
But for me, I have a very well made car, rock solid and even after ten years not a sqeek or a rattle, does 155 all day (limited), total comfort in every way, 0-60 in 6 flat (for a 4400 pound car not shabby) and to this day, I still turn and look at it after I park it. I have a total of about 20k in the car to date. I can think of NO new car on the market that would stir my soul in the same way for anything near that amount of money.
To each there own! Besides, if we all liked the exact same stuff, what would we have to talk about?
dublifecrisis
New member
I'll tag along as well. I'm getting rid of my GTI next month and have a budget of around 12-13 but looking at anything from 10-13k.
Considered seriously so far:
IS300 (believe the 03 got the manual, dated exterior and interior, goofy looking altezza tailights, BUT rock solid reliability, fun to drive, and great resale)
99 MB E430 (found one for <11k with <70k miles, black on black, must be something wrong with these as I see the V6 models same gen for the same prices or even little more)
Jetta VR6 5 spd- Finding these cheap with some tasteful mods in the dub scene. for around 8k 6070k miles get 180-200hp albeit in a front drive but it's a cheap more reliable than the 1.8T's of that gen, nice exhaust tone)
also looked at other MKV GTI. older S4. A6, S6, older 5 series, older 330i etc..
My goal would be to find an 04 R32 in this price range not beat up but I'm having trouble.
Considered seriously so far:
IS300 (believe the 03 got the manual, dated exterior and interior, goofy looking altezza tailights, BUT rock solid reliability, fun to drive, and great resale)
99 MB E430 (found one for <11k with <70k miles, black on black, must be something wrong with these as I see the V6 models same gen for the same prices or even little more)
Jetta VR6 5 spd- Finding these cheap with some tasteful mods in the dub scene. for around 8k 6070k miles get 180-200hp albeit in a front drive but it's a cheap more reliable than the 1.8T's of that gen, nice exhaust tone)
also looked at other MKV GTI. older S4. A6, S6, older 5 series, older 330i etc..
My goal would be to find an 04 R32 in this price range not beat up but I'm having trouble.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Here's an idea that probably won't go over too well....how about, instead of buying a car, investing in the "organic software". Namely, getting a lot of high-quality driver training. In my honest opinion, the best bang for the buck when it comes to driving cars would be to spend that $10K learning how to (really) drive well. The driver counts for more than the car, and most people can't use a fraction of what any car is capable of.
My wife had one of those right before the S4. I simply couldn't drive it, no room between the steering wheel and the seat so I couldn't move my leg into the right position to heel & toe (and I'm ~5'10"/170). Plus it was *fragile* in the sense that the body dented if you gave it a hard look. The paint seemed to chip easily too. Still, Accumulatorette did like it....Might be hard to find one that hasn't been beat on though.
Mmmm...very nice!
rdorman said:
My wife had one of those right before the S4. I simply couldn't drive it, no room between the steering wheel and the seat so I couldn't move my leg into the right position to heel & toe (and I'm ~5'10"/170). Plus it was *fragile* in the sense that the body dented if you gave it a hard look. The paint seemed to chip easily too. Still, Accumulatorette did like it....Might be hard to find one that hasn't been beat on though.
Mmmm...very nice!
GoingGreenDetailing
New member
OK..Here's my take. Not many of you know me because I am a HUGE lurker on here (call me a noobie!).
My personal preference and total sleeper:
2000-2002 6spd Audi S4 with MAINTENANCE RECORDS (timing belt, clutch, preferably with new/newer turbos, etc.) Tunability<----is that even a word?
An APR chip =318hp/380tq. Add downpipes, exhaust, and an AWE-S Flo intake, and you're golden! Handles well, very refined ride. Downside: Maintenance costs
1995-1999 E36 BMW M3--Track car out of the box. Great ride, timeless sex appeal, a REAL sports car for under $10k.
1998-2003 E39 BMW 530/540i/6spd--If you want all the bells and whistles and a fast V8 Sedan, this is it. The perfect M5 substitute (well not quite!). The M5 would be to costly to maintain/repair and could not be had for under $10k.
F-Body Camaro Z28/SS-- Straight line Fast, easy to work with, plenty of aftermarket fun! Downside: Everyone has one
Suburu WRX--AWD Understated Fun. What more can I say? Sounds Bad-*** with just an exhaust
2003-2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4 (this one should not be called a neon. My buddies put 255whp/263wtq STOCK, 312WTQ with just a Mopar Exhaust), and god knows what with Diablo Sport Tune Chip. Downside: Hard to find an unmolested CLEAN one.
2000-2008 Honda S2000 -- Reliability, top down fun, sex appeal, good interior, and excellent 6spd gearbox.
Newer Honda Civic Si (but it will be a tough pull for under $10k)--Reliability, comfortable seats, nice interior, newer, fun!
Mini Cooper S 6spd: What more can I say? Sex appeal, timeless looks, good aftermarket, good handling car out of the box, Supercharged, great gas mileage. Downside: Maintenance costs, make sure you replace those Run-flats with a good all-season/summer tire. They are noisy and very expensive to replace!
Feel free to critique my choices!
The bottom-line is that everyone has their own opinion, and everyone should get what THEY like.
Rant on!
Hugo
Going Green Detailing Machine
Raleigh, NC
My personal preference and total sleeper:
2000-2002 6spd Audi S4 with MAINTENANCE RECORDS (timing belt, clutch, preferably with new/newer turbos, etc.) Tunability<----is that even a word?
An APR chip =318hp/380tq. Add downpipes, exhaust, and an AWE-S Flo intake, and you're golden! Handles well, very refined ride. Downside: Maintenance costs
1995-1999 E36 BMW M3--Track car out of the box. Great ride, timeless sex appeal, a REAL sports car for under $10k.
1998-2003 E39 BMW 530/540i/6spd--If you want all the bells and whistles and a fast V8 Sedan, this is it. The perfect M5 substitute (well not quite!). The M5 would be to costly to maintain/repair and could not be had for under $10k.
F-Body Camaro Z28/SS-- Straight line Fast, easy to work with, plenty of aftermarket fun! Downside: Everyone has one
Suburu WRX--AWD Understated Fun. What more can I say? Sounds Bad-*** with just an exhaust
2003-2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4 (this one should not be called a neon. My buddies put 255whp/263wtq STOCK, 312WTQ with just a Mopar Exhaust), and god knows what with Diablo Sport Tune Chip. Downside: Hard to find an unmolested CLEAN one.
2000-2008 Honda S2000 -- Reliability, top down fun, sex appeal, good interior, and excellent 6spd gearbox.
Newer Honda Civic Si (but it will be a tough pull for under $10k)--Reliability, comfortable seats, nice interior, newer, fun!
Mini Cooper S 6spd: What more can I say? Sex appeal, timeless looks, good aftermarket, good handling car out of the box, Supercharged, great gas mileage. Downside: Maintenance costs, make sure you replace those Run-flats with a good all-season/summer tire. They are noisy and very expensive to replace!
Feel free to critique my choices!
The bottom-line is that everyone has their own opinion, and everyone should get what THEY like.
Rant on!
Hugo
Going Green Detailing Machine
Raleigh, NC
Accumulator
Well-known member
goldringer- Your list has something for everyone :xyxthumbs
Accumulator said:
I hear you! Might be a good toy but I doubt it would be a great daily driver. I had a '85 which was last of the first generation and it was just plain a fun car.
Accumulator said:
Thanks, there is a pic on the first page of this thread. Ignore the Volvo signs behind it! I bought it from MAG a couple years back and for some reason, it was sitting on their Volvo lot and not the BMW lot. I think maybe they didn't want people looking at new BMW's to see it as it might have been too tempting
manticore33
New member
rdorman said:I hear you! Might be a good toy but I doubt it would be a great daily driver. I had a '85 which was last of the first generation and it was just plain a fun car.
Thanks, there is a pic on the first page of this thread. Ignore the Volvo signs behind it! I bought it from MAG a couple years back and for some reason, it was sitting on their Volvo lot and not the BMW lot. I think maybe they didn't want people looking at new BMW's to see it as it might have been too tempting
Are you in or around Columbus, OH? I live a little further North in Delaware, OH. Mag loves to charge big money when it comes to Bimmer or European car parts at their "European Transportation Campuses."
Accumulator
Well-known member
rdorman said:
My wife liked it as a daily driver, but she has a higher tolerance for "track toy" attributes than many people.
Coincidentally enough, I have a mint original (~24K miles) '84 RX-7 GSL SE that would make somebody a swell toy *or* a nice daily driver...and I'd sell it for less than $10K too
..[the 740i] was sitting on their Volvo lot and not the BMW lot. I think maybe they didn't want people looking at new BMW's to see it as it might have been too tempting
Heh heh, yeah...I dunno how they sold any Bangle cars when there were older trade-ins on the lot!
