$20,000...what would you do?

I am looking to buy a new car. I really dont have an exact idea about what I want to do.

Stipulations:
New: No more then $25,000
Used: No more then $20,000/no more then 30,000 miles.
Fuel economy is not a worry.
Reliability and maintenence costs are highly important.

I think I would rather have a car. I am considering the following:
350Z
RX-8
Audi TT(Used)
Mustang GT
Eclipse GT
Solstice(Very hard to find, drives price up)
Cobalt SS Supercharged.

You're probably going to ask what I need out of the car. My only answer to that, is a good looking car, with about a 7 second 0-60, and a nice cockpit. I want to know that I have 25,000 dollars under my feet. As of now the Z is the front runner, but the insurance on that and the Mustang are astronomical.

What would you buy with this money? Not just out of my options, but out of anything. I also like some trucks and SUVs too and I am just looking for ideas so any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
Joel

I would say get a soltice and then a cheap old winter car.

if you're considering the solstice then i think you should think about the new mazdaspeed mx-5 cos those beat the crap out of a solstice but overall i'll take the 350z, pretty easy to make power on them and those things look so sexy.

if you're considering the solstice then i think you should think about the new mazdaspeed mx-5 cos those beat the crap out of a solstice but overall i'll take the 350z, pretty easy to make power on them and those things look so sexy.

Of course a Mazdaspeed MX-5 outperforms a base Solstice, that's why they're coming out with the 260hp GXP.

I'd take a good look at the Cobalt SS supercharged, a Mazda 3, the new Civic Si, and the G6 coupe.

i would definitely get a '00 or '01 540i...although you'll probably have to get one with 50-70k miles on it for it to be in your price range. in which case i'd have to say either Audi A6 (with the 4.2L V8) or S4, depedning on whether you want more sport or more luxury, but any of these cars not only give you more than enough speed, power and handling, they'll also give you refinement, luxury and class.
looking at your list though, it appears that you're not really interested in upperclass, german luxury/sport sedans, those are just the cars i would buy.

out of your list, i would either get the 350z or the Mustang GT

Like said above go with the Z or Mustang GT. They both are in that price range, and both are plenty fast. Also, they both have HUGE aftermarket performance availability.

I would advise against the RX8 or the TT, the RX8 is a bit harder to take care of than a traditional piston powered car - and, it doesn't even come close to the old RX7. If want an Audi, the A4 is basically the same as the TT, but with a usable backseat & trunk (not to mention a sleeper car too).

99' BMW E36 M3 or a 2002 E46 330i/Ci w/ 50,000 miles or so. Both are incredible cars. Much nicer interiors then you will find on the others mentioned (except the 540i). They are quick, generally reliable cars. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another BMW after my 4 years of ownership. Wonderful cars.

I would say get a soltice and then a cheap old winter car.

I only want one car. Any other money I get will most likely go to the purchase of a motorcycle.


I'd take a good look at the Cobalt SS supercharged, a Mazda 3, the new Civic Si, and the G6 coupe.

As I said, a Cobalt SS is in the running. My thing against the Mazda 3 is that they start cheap, but before you know it, you have a $20,000 compact car that doesnt look or perform as a $20,000 car. I considered the new SI with nav and everything, but the lack of torque deters me so far away from that car. $20,000 for 160 ft/lbs of torque? But it is still in the running as of now. Maybe a test drive of it will change my mind, but we'll see. The G6 coupe is also very nice and will be added to the list.


i would definitely get a '00 or '01 540i...although you'll probably have to get one with 50-70k miles on it for it to be in your price range. in which case i'd have to say either Audi A6 (with the 4.2L V8) or S4, depedning on whether you want more sport or more luxury, but any of these cars not only give you more than enough speed, power and handling, they'll also give you refinement, luxury and class.
looking at your list though, it appears that you're not really interested in upperclass, german luxury/sport sedans, those are just the cars i would buy.

out of your list, i would either get the 350z or the Mustang GT

I was looking at the S4, but the styling is just too boring and bland for me. I can't justify spending that kind of money on a car I dont think is that good looking. And I do love a nice German sedan, it's just that the price gets elevated so quickly and most in my range have high mileage.


99' BMW E36 M3 or a 2002 E46 330i/Ci w/ 50,000 miles or so. Both are incredible cars. Much nicer interiors then you will find on the others mentioned (except the 540i). They are quick, generally reliable cars. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another BMW after my 4 years of ownership. Wonderful cars.

I was looking at an M3, but the only ones around here have high mileage. There was a 99 for $15,000 i was looking at, but it had 70,000+ miles on it. If I could find an M3, I'd probably snatch it up. I will look more into the 330, but I think it was the same as most BMWs, too expensive or too high mileage.

Thanks for the help everyone. I also wanted to mention, because of the company I work for, I get invoice pricing(about a little more or a little less) plus rebates. So that brings the price down on Nissan, GM, Ford, DiamlerChrysler. But only on new vehicles. Im going to keep looking for now and see how it goes.