Which Car to Buy?

[BaronKatz]

Dear All,

I am debating which used car to buy for under 5K. I have come up with a substantial list. It must meet these criteria in no particular order:

- Gas Mileage
- Relibality
- Sports Car with Great Handling (Handling more important than acceleration although if it has a great 0-60 this would be good too)
- Manual Transmission (Or Manual swap)
- Durability (Will last a long time and not fall apart with wear and tear)
- Maintenance Costs
- Fun factor
- Comfort (Expect to be in LA traffic often and need the car to move from SF to LA)
-Looks/Stlying (This is quite subjective though)
-Prefferably RWD but also AWD, can't stand understeer although there are one or two exceptions.

Here are the cars I have come up with and I will need help in narrowing down the list:

Toyota MR2 (91-95) 22mpg reg Combined non-turbo, 20mpg premium combined turbo.

Mazda MX-5 Miata (91-98 or 99-04) although I would prefer a coupe. 24mpg reg combined (23 for 6-speed)

Volvo 780 or 850R or S70R - May be a bit too heavy for me. 780 - prem 17-18mpg (may be higher with manual swap). 850R - prem 21mpg, S70R - prem 21mpg.

Nissan 300ZX or 240SX - 300zx seems a bit big and less reliable than others, 240sx may be a bit bland. 300zx - prem 18mpg, 240sx - prem 22mpg.

BMW M3 (E36) or 3-series (early E46 models) - prem 21mpg on both.

Alfa Romeo 164 or Spyder - This would be the hands down winner if not for the realibility, I used to own a 1973 GTV, one of the best handling cars with pinpoint steering but not very reliable as a daily driver unfortunately... 164 - 18-19 prem mpg, Spyder - 22mpg

Subaru SVX (Only with the manual swap although this is rare and might cancel it out already). 18mpg prem

Lexus SC300 or IS300 - Would prefer the IS300 looks more young the SC300 is a bit more old fartish and big looking (a bit ghetto too). sc300 - prem 18mpg, is300 19mpg prem

Subaru Impreza WRX (Possible STI if I can get one) - the exterior is a bit bland for my taste and the interior just looks too cheap and bargain bucket. 18mpg prem.

Audi Quattro A4/S4 - 23mpg A4 prem - 20mpg S4 prem.

Mercedes Benz SLK230 (If I can get one for the price). 22mpg prem.

Overall from all the Japanese cars I would say Mazda has the best interiors (at least to my taste) with the highest quality finish. The Toyota and Subaru feel a bit cheep inside but it's something I might be able to live with. Let me know your opinions and your grunts and praises for each of the cars, especially if you've owned and lived with one! Thank you all, I hope I can get this narrowed down soon enough to decide! I am also willing to take other suggestions of cars I may have missed, although my goal is to narrow it down to a few cars to choose from at max.

*Fuel consumption figures taken from US Dept of Energy (www.fueleconomy.gov)

[speediva]

I don't think any of the cars on your list are going to be in your price range... And have you considered the insurance costs of the cars listed? Some will be fairly low, but others will be astronomical.

[BaronKatz]

Originally Posted by speediva

I don't think any of the cars on your list are going to be in your price range... And have you considered the insurance costs of the cars listed? Some will be fairly low, but others will be astronomical.

Actually all of the cars mentioned are within my price range. Hence why I posted them. I have seen dozens of each of these cars in this price range on craigslist and other sites selling cars. As far as insurance since I am getting a car under 5k I will only get liability, which for me is around 40 bucks a month for any of these cars.

[Hungrycat7]

Originally Posted by speediva

I don't think any of the cars on your list are going to be in your price range... And have you considered the insurance costs of the cars listed? Some will be fairly low, but others will be astronomical.

I'm going to have to agree on that one! I would love any one of those in driveable condition for under 5!

[BaronKatz]

Originally Posted by Hungrycat7

I'm going to have to agree on that one! I would love any one of those in driveable condition for under 5!

Come over to California then. There are plenty here at this price range that I have seen! Most of them in driveable condition. Mint condition ones with very low miles for 6-8k.

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by BaronKatz

Actually all of the cars mentioned are within my price range. Hence why I posted them. I have seen dozens of each of these cars in this price range on craigslist and other sites selling cars. As far as insurance since I am getting a car under 5k I will only get liability, which for me is around 40 bucks a month for any of these cars.

40 bucks a month is a bargain, I wish you luck hoping the Insurance provider gets to collect more than 80 bucks.

[speediva]

I think you're being hoodwinked on those cars at those prices. I know it's a recession and all, but Cali prices are NOT lower than the rest of the country... ever. The cars you're seeing at those prices will be R-titled (higher insurance), not drivable (money pit), or not fully functional (more money pit). My advice to you is to buy something with good maintenance and wait on the car of your dreams until you can truly afford it - repairs and all...