Best car for the $$$?

Ok, first of all, im 19 years old, and looking to buy a car pretty soon. the problem is that i dont have the money at hand, and i would have to finance a car in order to buy it, so i wouldnt be able to buy an older car and mod it...
So basicly what im asking is for you guys to list a few cars that you would get, having about 30k in mind.
I'm probably not going to buy a new car, but buy one with under 10,000mi on it that way its cheaper. So the following cars are the ones i been looking at:
-RX8
-350z
-Eclipse
-Mustang GT
-EVO

Just list a few of the cars you would like to have around that price range.
thanks alot for your help :bigthumb:

2005 GTO is a nice car, but all the cars on your list will pull the premium on Insurance.

what do you mean premuim, im curently under my moms insurance...
and drive an 2002 accord which will be my sisters, car when i get the new one...
im new to all this stuff, but i can afford it soo../

In other words, the insurance will be more than your car payments. You know you can finance used cars, right?

Yep. All cars you have listed are high performance cars and insurance payments will be through the roof.

i know i can finance used cars, but for around 30k semi new, or what ever you would buy with 30k, and dont worry i can afford it :)

If I were you, i'd get an SRT-4. Quicker than your first three options with little to no modification, and still on Neon insurance prices.

yeah but its a neon, they blow...

2004 Dodge SRT-4 5.3 13.9
2004 Nissan 350Z 5.3 13.77
2004 Mazda RX-8 5.8 14.49 (6 speed)
2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 5.8 14.4
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII 5.1 13.5
2005 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L V8 5.1 13.5

The EVO is probably the best in terms of just performance and potential, but I wouldn't suggest one. Mitsubishi is notoriously bad when it comes to honoring their warranties. The transmissions on the EVO VIII are also known to go bad fairly quickly.

The SRT4 is pretty decent if you can get past the looks, the FWD, and the interior. They are pretty inexpensive, and take well to mods. The Mopar kits make them pretty quick for not too much.

Eclipse GT is again, a Mitsubishi. If you plan on having any fun whatsoever with your car, I would forget about your warranty. Im not sure about any chronic reliability issues like the EVO has with their transmissions, but I would still stay away. Besides, I think you could do better with the 350z.

The RX8 is a very fun car. It has very precise handling and excellent feedback. The rear seats are also nearly usable. The problem with this car is the engine. The car really isn't that fast, and gets destroyed by similarily priced cars.

The Mustang GT is one of my favorite cars out of America right now. It looks great. Ford nailed the styling in my opinion. Where as someone might ask you what kind of car you are driving in say... an Eclipse GT or 350z, almost everyone knows what the Mustang looks like. Stock v. stock, this car probably won't lose in a drag race to anything on the list save the Evo (maybe). Great for drag racing. My only problem is that fact that it won't handle as well as the Z, RX8, or the Evo.

I like the 350z alot. It has heritage, it has speed, it has a decent interior, it looks good, its pretty reliable, and it handles. Out of the cars you listed, it is the best overall package. The problem with all the other cars you listed is that they had some huge flaw. IMO that doesn't hold true with the Z. Out of these cars, this is what I would buy.

Another good option might be a Honda S2000. Its another sportscar thats pretty easy to live with, kinda like the 350z. More on the luxury side you might want to consider the Audi A3 2.0t. It won't be quite as fast as some of the others, but it makes up for it by being much more luxurious.

man, see the prblem is, i like how fast and cheap the srt-4 is, just its a neon, but i love the way a rx8 looks...
aaaaaahhhhhhh i just dont know, i guess im just going to have to testdrive them man, i hate shopping, and i knew shopping for a new car would be the most terrible and most difficult thing to do, do to all the cars that i can buy for that price range....
but yeah tanks alot for you all your info!!!

how good are the older m3's mid 90's maybe??

i think i might have to go with the srt-4, cause its cheaper, just as good, and the insurance wouldnt be as much.
what do you think of a 3000GT, RX7, MK4 or MK3s, 300zx TT

how good are the older m3's mid 90's maybe??

God-like. I didn't want to mention the M3 because I talk it up too much, but that really is what I would buy for under $30,000. You should be able to get a 97-98 or so M3 for around $20,000. The M3 is the perfect car because it really is the total package.

I wouldn't jump to buy any one car. You really want to test drive more then one kind of car, you don't want to make a mistake with a purchase this big.

they dont seem to be that fast... 6.2 0-60
and i heard they are pretty $$$$ to maintian...

http://www.mopar.com/street/products_srt4_stage2.htm
you talking about this one or stage 1??
also do i need to have stage 1 to put stage 2 on?

http://www.mopar.com/street/products_srt4_stage2.htm
you talking about this one or stage 1??
also do i need to have stage 1 to put stage 2 on?

That is the kit, and no, you don't need stg.I for stg.II

they dont seem to be that fast... 6.2 0-60
and i heard they are pretty $$$$ to maintian...

Trust me, 0-60 times aren't all that important. Get in the M3 and drive it. BMW's have never been known for their stats on paper, but for their driving feel, something that no other company has been able to emulate, and it very hard to get through tuning. Plus, you can get an E36 M3 for much less then $30,000, so all that money can go into tuning it to go faster if that is what you really want. As for reliability, it all comes down to how its driven. I've seen E36 M3's that were owned by 20 year olds that felt like they needed redline every time they shifted, and those cars tend to be unreliable. I've also seen E36 M3's owned by 40 year olds that babied them and maintained them well, these cars can last 200,000 miles. They will probably be more reliable then the Evo, Eclipse, SRT4, and possibly the RX8 anyways.

how much do you think insurance would be, on a srt-4, evo, rx8
im 19 clean record...
if its too much, under parents name??

Couldn't tell you. There are alot of factors that go into insurance. Prices very from company to company, and its been a while since I was 19. You should just call your insurance company and ask. Often you get discounts based on grades and whether or not you are in high school/college.

Get an RX-8 man! those things look sweet.

how much do you think insurance would be, on a srt-4, evo, rx8
im 19 clean record...
if its too much, under parents name??

Whos financing the car?

If the loan is in your parents name like I'm assuming, the car will have to be too. In this case the insurance would be low because it is your parents car and you just drive it.

If the car is in your name, you are looking at about 450-550 bucks a months. Im 18 and got a qoute for a 350Z....$463 a month. With a clean record.

Here's what effects insurance rates:

Age - Working against you
Price of car - Working against you
Performance - Working against you
Credit history - Working against you

You definetley want to keep it in you parents name, but they will probably have to since they are buying you the car.

get a 6th gen maxima. 265 hp V6, spd man, you could probably get one very well loaded used for under 30k. plus your insurance will be lower since its a sedan.

im buying the car, but i might have to put it under my moms name. I heard that you pay same as a regular neon with the srt-4, shouldnt it be the same with an EVO.

im going to the avenged sevenfold concert tonight so im not going to be able to keep up with this thing, but i will read everything when i get back, besides i have to go to mazda, mitsubishi, and other places to look around saturday...
dude i dont know what to get, and i want something fast, good looking, and lower insurance rate lol.... too much to ask for??? lol yeah maybe

Full coverage wont be low for anything. And if you're getting the loan, it can't be in your moms name.

P.S. How can you afford this?

P.S. How can you afford this?
yea, how?

I thought I could afford a car like that until I factored in interest and insurance. Especially if you are financing it. Your rates(from a dealer) will be about 15%....HIGH as shit. Insurance will be very very high. Car payments will be high as well b/c it is $30,000.

fu$$ it, dont worry about it, go see avenged sevenfold. they kick sooo much ass. I saw them in H-TOwn and they were bad ass.

then you can worry about this tomorrow.

what are you looking for? something fast, something that looks good? or just something that is new that can get you from a-b?

if you want fast and looks good. id still say a maxima, but you could also get an altima 3.5se for under $30k and still have a lower ins payment.

"what do you think of a 3000GT, RX7, MK4 or MK3s, 300zx TT"

These will all be cheaper for initial purchase, but you are looking at 10-15 year old cars then. All of them would be beat to shit, most likely. Those that aren't carry a real premium. Reliability on the 3000GT is questionable at best. The RX7s I like except for the reliability on the engine. You basically have to treat it is an exotic. The 300Z TT is hands down the most reliable of the bunch. I found you can actually find a pretty good quality one for the $10-15,000 (you can find one for around $7000 if you are willing to put some money into it). But once again, its still a 10-15 year old car.

"dude i dont know what to get, and i want something fast, good looking, and lower insurance rate lol.... too much to ask for??? lol yeah maybe"

Too much to ask at 19? Well... most likely. If you have $30k to spend but you are financing, that would be around $570 a month (assuming you get reasonable rates). With that kind of money you are willing to spend, by the time you are 21 you could have $14,000 saved up. By then, that could get you something like an '03 Audi A6 2.7T (pretty easy to get up to 320 HP). Or the early WRX STIs would be down in a more reasonable price by then (or current EVOs would be down in price because of what will surely show to be low long term reliability). Or you could get a low mileage Neon at that point. When you buy a car outright you save not only the financing, but the insurance as well. Hell, the 01+ M3 might (emphasis on might) be down in the 20k range by then.

So I guess, personally I would say until you are a bit older or can buy cash in hand, hold off on your dream car.

lol first of all, i got a really good job...
um i like the evo alot, im going to test drive some cars today, eclipse, rx8, evo(maybe)... what worries me is that i dont know if i will be able to afford fudging $600 payments and $400 insurance. i wonder if the evos insurance is going to be alot, i mean im not going to get the best coverage im going to get on of the cheaper ones, im a pretty safe driver.

THE FUCKINNG AVENGED SEVENFOLD CONSERT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!
CKY played, along with bullets in octane, and some austrailian band, the show kicked ass, i got reverends fucking drum stick!!!!! i had to kick someones ass for it, and the moshpit was crazy!!!

back to the topic lol...i really like the evo, but if i have to go with the srt-4 (neon pos) i guess ill go with that lol, at least for a a couple of years till i turn 25 ( 6 years) it will be right. i just want to know how much insurance will be, i think out of the bunch, i will like the rx8 the most, basicly cause ofthe looks and how fun and fast it is.

if you're going to buy an evo or srt-4, i hope you're never planning on traveling more than 30 minutes at a time. loud, incredibly stiff suspension, uncomfortable seats (for a long trip at least). while i've never tried, it has to be hell to spend any extended amount of time on the highway with them. i live out in the middle of nowhere (check my signature for definition of nowhere), so i travel 4+ hours pretty frequently. this may not apply to you at all, but i'm assuming that even people who live in large, urban areas do travel somewhere at least once in their lives. in which case, i would not want to be stuck in some raw, uncomfortable boy-racer car.
i'd go with either the mustang gt or an M3

so are you aying you have a evo??
and one thing is i dont wanna pay high insurance rates.....
i wan to keep them as low as possible, and have a fast car at the same time... i dont have too much time and experience to mod a car either, and i dont want to void the waranty on the car, so i rather just keep it stock...

Rx-8!!

So how much cash do you have on hand? At 19 with a fast car that is financed, you will not get around high insurance rates. I am 23 right now, and am stilling looking for the perfect car for me. An 06 GTO with the LS2 engine in it was still going to cost me about $230 a month in insurance through progressive(that would be liability, comprehensive, collision, wouldn't need PIP or loan pay off or any other the other things since I would be buying with cash). And that is with an excellent credit score for my age (690 when I checked in October, I think it may be up to 700 now which is a discount point for a lot of insurers).

Really, what I would suggest, as I said before, is to save up for the time being and in 2 years time get your dream car. You could get something affordable but fun in the meantime, maybe something like a Pontiac GTP

Also, to consider is the cost of money. On a $30,000 loan over 5 years, that would be $566/month at 5%, or $615/month at 8.5%. Over the life of the loan, that would be an extra $3000 you would be paying. I have heard of some people paying up to 12% if they have poor credit which makes a whopping $667/month or $6,000 more through the life of the loan.

BTW, I am not really trying to disuade you from buying a new car, but just think about long term ramifactions before doing so.

i have about 3 grand in hand, but wouldnt the insurance of an evo or a srt-4 be lower than the rest of the car? also, i would prolly keep this car till i turn 25 then get something alittle faster, how is mustang insurance?? like an 05-06 GT, how about a 3000GT VR4 like a mid 90's, and not the more expensive insurance on of the cheaper covages...
thanks alot guys

so are you aying you have a evo??

no, but i've ridden in them. like i said i've never tried to take one on a road trip, but it's not hard to imagine that it wouldn't be very pleasant.

i just did a quick run-down at progressive.com on an '05 mustang gt. looks like insurance would be between like $300-$450 a month depending on how much coverage you want

Full coverage on an evo for me would be $332.50 a month through progressive. Full coverage on a mustang GT would be $285.50 a month for me. Based on your age (and most likely your credit as well since you realistically could only have started credit 1 year ago) your insurance will likely be even higher.

If you want a car that is prone to be in wrecks (due to the type of people that want to buy it) it will be more. If you want a car that gets stolen often, it will be more.

Now, things that push it down include driving record (at 19 you would need your record to be perfect. Not a single ticket.) In many states your record refreshes after 3 years, in some it is 5 years, though. If you live in an unincorporated township, it will be lower (I haven't seen any difference between a city of 2000 people and a city of 500,000 people). That is a big difference (my insurance basically doubled when I moved). If you have taken a drivers safety course, it can lower for some insurance providers (though it isn't too substantial). If you have your insurance through your home/rent insurance provider that can lower it from substantially to barely nothing. If you are married that will lower it substantially. If you are under your parent's insurance that can lower it a fair amount. If you have good credit that can lower it. If you are former military that can lowr it. However none of these will change the fact that you are a 19 year old male wanting to finance a fast and (more often than not looking at your choices) a highly stolen car. You will pay through the nose for insurance.

damn, how bad would it be for a older car like a 92 350z, or a vr4 or even a supra....

Would you be getting full coverage on them or just liability? I ran a 300ZX a while back and with full coverage (on the twin turbo, btw) it was a little over $230 a month for me I believe, and about 110 for liability only.

liability

man i just saw a couple of saleens, they were nice, orange/black, and a convertible on too, i saw some mach 1... will this be the same as a regular mustang, and also this ia very cool tool http://www.ponybuilder.com/MustangGT_coupe.html

where do you guys get the insurance rates from cause i need to see how much all these cars would be..

progressive.com
geico.com

those are the two easiest to use IMO.

To give you some suggestions:

Liability-- I do 100/300 split. That is $100,000/person $300,000/accident.
PIP - Decline if you have insurance. Only time it helps is if you are at fault in an accident and have no insurance.
Underinsured -- Depends on how you drive. I drive by myself most of the time, and have my own health insurance. You will want to carry underinsured property though, so if someone gets you you are still covered.
Collission -- Tends to be very expensive on young people, but if you are financing you need it.
Comprehensive -- Varies greatly by car, but if you are financing you need it.
Loan/Lease payoff -- Only time you want this is if you get upside down on the loan (i.e. you owe more than the car is worth).
Roadside assistance -- Decline
Rental Reimbursement -- Decline

Think that about covers it.

Out of the list I'd go with the Mustang GT. I love the looks, the performance is good, and it's much nicer than previous models. I'd also consider an LS1 Camaro or Trans Am.

ok, since your are a 19 year old male you are high risk it sucks but its how things are you should stop trying to go for such high risk cars most of them have a lot more power then you will need. a while back i bought a crx hx hardly any horsepower but it was so much fun and low low rates because it was fuel efficient. so go for a more reasonable car that you can still have fun with.