Car Shopping: What should thewizard drive?

[Raza]

My friend has a hawk eye 2.5. He says his Skion exB was more fun to drive.  It's only redeeming quality is the excellent snow dorifto. I agree.  Heavy, tall gears, cramped interior, and that particular version of the 2.5 is just dull.

Ouch.  I never drove one, but I assumed it would be better than that in that generation.  The xB was horrible, horrible little car with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

[Raza]

E36 is probably old enough to be relatively cheap to fix.

[dazzleman]

What about a Maxima?  They're roomy, fun to drive, pretty zippy and have a good repair record.  I'm thinking maybe one from around 2004 or so for that price, but I haven't looked closely.

I would be careful about a German car, because if you need to do repairs or maintenance, it could cost you your left nut.  They're expensive cars to own outside of warranty.

[ifcar]

The 2006-2010 Sonata/Optima are pretty solid used deals that should fall into your price range. You might find some Mazda6/Fusions, too.

[Northlands]

I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole....seems like the trannies in those things go out like clockwork.

There were recalls issued on the transmissions. Just find out if they were performed when looking at anything Honda with the 3.2 in it.

[hotrodalex]

The problem with half of the cars suggested is that they are from luxury brands, so you'll get an older model with more miles or a car that costs a lot more to repair when something goes wrong. I ran into that problem when looking for cars for my brother. Finding a car from a "normal" brand is the best bet for budgets under $10k.

[Northlands]

The problem with half of the cars suggested is that they are from luxury brands, so you'll get an older model with more miles or a car that costs a lot more to repair when something goes wrong. I ran into that problem when looking for cars for my brother. Finding a car from a "normal" brand is the best bet for budgets under $10k.

You are a wise man. I'm sure you and I will run into opposition for this line of thought, but for the price range mentioned, one could probably get a less older car under the mainstream makes that will likely have a less expensive cost to own. It's one thing if an older luxury brand is bought and it's not your daily driver, but if it is, it seems the best use of the money is put toward a mainstreamer.

[Raza]

What about a Hyundai or something?  Recent, so they're not utter crap.  They won't set your hair on fire, but they'll get you from here to there.

[Northlands]

What about a Hyundai or something?  Recent, so they're not utter crap.  They won't set your hair on fire, but they'll get you from here to there.

They're surprisingly well appointed. Nice thing about a used one that isn't over 5 years old is that most people get loaded versions. Base versions usually have a lot of standard stuff anyway.

[MexicoCityM3]

E46 325i or 330i manual. Unless you consider a water pump to be a deal-breaker - pretty reliable cars. The E46 is more reliable than the E36 and I think it is within your budget.

[2o6]

Ouch.  I never drove one, but I assumed it would be better than that in that generation.  The xB was horrible, horrible little car with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

xB is really roomy inside, and the 1.5L has a billion mods out there for it.



It's just tall and odd looking.

[Raza]

xB is really roomy inside, and the 1.5L has a billion mods out there for it.



It's just tall and odd looking.

And terrible to drive with a horrible shifter.  And slow as shit by modern standards.

[2o6]

And terrible to drive with a horrible shifter.  And slow as shit by modern standards.

No it isn't.

[Raza]

No it isn't.

Just because you drive slow cars doesn't make them quick; 9.5 seconds to 60 isn't slow?  That's a joke.  The xB was junk.  Tinny and cheap, but not that cheap.  The Mini model meant they had high profit margins and your $14,000 no haggle car cost you 18 out the door for "personalization" accessories.  Little Hyundais and shit like that have come a long way since the xB.  The Scion was a penalty box. 

As a point of clarification, I am talking about the first gen. 

[TurboDan]

Just because you drive slow cars doesn't make them quick; 9.5 seconds to 60 isn't slow?

I think it was 9.9, actually. Personally, I think my LR2 is slow enough at 7.6 to 60mph. There's no excuse for a vehicle half its weight to take that long, even if it's a relatively cheap Scion.

[Raza]

I think it was 9.9, actually. Personally, I think my LR2 is slow enough at 7.6 to 60mph. There's no excuse for a vehicle half its weight to take that long, even if it's a relatively cheap Scion.

7.6 isn't slow, not really.  It isn't fast, but I think once you break into the mid 8s, that's acceptable. 

[Payman]

It's actually cute and quite peppy.









If your yardstick is a Yaris.

[MrH]

My BRZ does 0-60 in 6.4 seconds, and I think that's pretty slow

xB doesn't even count as a car on my radar

[SVT666]

My Focus does 0-60 in 7.2 seconds but it makes up for it by being loud.  It makes you think it's faster.

[Payman]

My BRZ does 0-60 in 6.4 seconds, and I think that's pretty slow

xB doesn't even count as a car on my radar

GReddy and HKS will soon (if not already) have turbo/intercooler kits available for the BRZ/FRS.

[2o6]

Just because you drive slow cars doesn't make them quick; 9.5 seconds to 60 isn't slow?  That's a joke.  The xB was junk.  Tinny and cheap, but not that cheap.  The Mini model meant they had high profit margins and your $14,000 no haggle car cost you 18 out the door for "personalization" accessories.  Little Hyundais and shit like that have come a long way since the xB.  The Scion was a penalty box. 

As a point of clarification, I am talking about the first gen. 

My car is slower, Neon and Focus were around the same. I never once have felt uncomfortable or suffering for power.



It was a nice car, in many ways somewhat better than Yaris.

[sportyaccordy]

Used S40, Mazda3, Jetta, Golf all work...

Jetta/Golf in that price range do not seat 4

I'm gonna go outside the box here

- Ford Focus SVT!!!!
- 2002-2005 Civic Si hatchback- kind of ugly, but just a damn good car
- Infiniti G20- nominated one of the best handling cars in the world. A little slow though
- Mazdaspeed Protege

[thewizard16]

I'll try to do a mostly comprehensive reply to the suggestions so far.

Used S40, Mazda3, Jetta, Golf all work...

I'll consider the S40, but the 3 typically isn't nice enough (hits the other criteria though) and I don't care for the Golf at all. I might look at a Jetta but I'm afraid anything I would be able to afford will be really high mileage or generally crappy.

Infinti G20, Acura TL, Nissan Maxima

All good options, and will be put on the consideration list.

Those things seem to go through typical V6 automatic Honda failure.

Ford Fusion/Milan and Mazda 6.

You just recommended that car though... But I am wary of the transmission issue, I had a friend with a CL who had to deal with that shit. Plus it was a pretty mediocre transmission even after they "fixed" it. Fusions and Mazda6s don't fall into this price range unless there is something wrong with them.

MR2 or 944.

Nice looking, but fit almost none of my list.

One near you......

http://littlerock.craigslist.org/cto/3131012108.html

I'll look into the Catera but I'm just not a fan of the styling or Cadillac interiors from those years.

A4
Passat

Reliability/maintenance cost is a concern with both of those, but I do love the way the A4 looks.

What about a Maxima?  They're roomy, fun to drive, pretty zippy and have a good repair record.  I'm thinking maybe one from around 2004 or so for that price, but I haven't looked closely.

I would be careful about a German car, because if you need to do repairs or maintenance, it could cost you your left nut.  They're expensive cars to own outside of warranty.

The Maxima is probably something I should really consider. I share the concerns about German cars, so I'm a little hesitant to look at them too much, but we'll see.

What about a Hyundai or something?  Recent, so they're not utter crap.  They won't set your hair on fire, but they'll get you from here to there.

I thought about that too, but anything in this price range is old enough to be hideous or one of their cheaper cars (which also happen to be hideous). Plus it appears no one was buying optioned out Hyundais in those years.

E46 325i or 330i manual. Unless you consider a water pump to be a deal-breaker - pretty reliable cars. The E46 is more reliable than the E36 and I think it is within your budget.

I'm not a fan of the 3 series generally speaking, but I'll look them up.

I'm gonna go outside the box here

- Ford Focus SVT!!!!
- 2002-2005 Civic Si hatchback- kind of ugly, but just a damn good car
- Infiniti G20- nominated one of the best handling cars in the world. A little slow though
- Mazdaspeed Protege

The Civic Si I could never get over the styling and buy... Same for the Protege. The other two I will look into.


Thanks guys- any more good ideas keep them coming. I'm also curious if any of you have any experience/knowledge about the Lincoln LS? Are they really as pricey to fix (and generally problematic) as I read?

[2o6]

You sure about the Mazda6 and Fusion being too expensive? They were consistently cheaper than my car when I bought a few months ago.




Also, early S40's are turds. (not the Mazda-based cars, but the Mitsubishi based cars) and the Golf IV is a hot mess in regards to relibility and is small and slow.




Protege isn't as refined as Focus (which is horrible to work on).

[CJ]

These aren't bad.  Small in the back seat, but not bad.  2003 was a pretty good year for the 2.4T. 


http://fayar.craigslist.org/ctd/3180176131.html


The early S40 isn't THAT bad.  It's not very good, but it isn't that bad. 

[68_427]

Dont touch the LS.  Its a jag s type underneath, which is why theyre nightmares.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Dont touch the LS.  Its a jag s type underneath, which is why theyre nightmares.

They are fine vehicles. Name one thing that goes wrong with them.

[Onslaught]

Mazda Millenia S

[Madman]

Also, early S40's are turds.

Have you ever driven one?

There's nothing wrong with the 2000-04 S40/V40.  I've driven plenty of them and they are quite peppy and fun to drive.  There's really not much that goes wrong with them, either, thanks in large part because they have much less crap in them to go wrong in the first place compared to the S60 and S80.

A five speed automatic replaced the four speed unit in 2001, helping the car to get even better mileage, so try to find a 2001 or newer if you can.

[Raza]

- 2002-2005 Civic Si hatchback

You win this thread.  For some reason I forgot about EP3s.