Help Me Make A Car Shopping List

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calvin1

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I found out last week that my company will finally be cutting me a check for the $8k they owe me but one the same call they informed me that I won't have the use of a company car anymore. The second part I've been expecting for a while now so it wasn't that big of a deal. Now that my commute has dropped from 150 miles per day down to 20 it doesn't matter as much. Over the last 8 years I've driven roughly 400k miles in various domestic sedans, mostly Luminas and Tauruses but also a stint in a 2000 Impala and several F-150s.

Having spent so much time in mind numbingly boring cars I'm itching to get something with a lot more character and interest. Besides the "interesting" criteria I have some MUSTs: manual transmission, NOT a Honda or Toyota, cash and carry ($1000-$5000 but ideally $3000), able to carry two adults and two children, and lastly fuel injection. I don't mind getting something that needs attention as long as its needs can be tackled by me, a mechanically inclined shade-tree DIYer and with generally available replacement parts. It's going to enter DD service so rollers, rust buckets and "resto-mod candidates" need not apply.

So far I've been trawling craigslist for the following:

  • BMW 5 and 7 series BMW 5-series
  • SVT Focus
  • Golf GTI (esp w/VR6)
  • Volvos
  • SAABs
  • Subarus (for this one NOT the sedans, wagons or hatches)
  • Old Mercedes - love the African despot look but seems that they didn't send any manual trannys to NA
  • 3rd gen Camaros


So that's what kind of cars came to mind but with the manual transmission being a must it's been slow going. Is there another car you all think I should add to my search list? What are good search sites besides craigslist? It seems like CL has pretty much destroyed everyone else.
 
$3k is gonna be a tough find for a reliable daily driver. Better budget $5k.

Used car market still in a bubble cuz of CFC, rising new car prices/economy.

Check my sig for a suggestion.
 
Nissan 3.0L V6 maxima's came with a 5spd.
2.0L Mazda Protege's are kind of like a fwd bmw 318.
The first Catera's came with manual up here, maybe not in the US.
If you kids can squeeze into a Camaro then a Mustang is an option as well.
I guess at 1000 miles a week though, I'd stay away from the V8's.
Why no hondas? A simple v-tech Civic is a good combo of cheap DD with some spice at the top end of the tach.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I guess at 1000 miles a week though, I'd stay away from the V8's.

1000 miles a week? Where did he say that? He said his commute is 20 miles per day. That's 140 miles per week if he worked all 7 days of the week. Even if he took a 150 mile road trip on his day off, that's still well under 300 miles per week.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Nissan 3.0L V6 maxima's came with a 5spd.
2.0L Mazda Protege's are kind of like a fwd bmw 318.
The first Catera's came with manual up here, maybe not in the US.
If you kids can squeeze into a Camaro then a Mustang is an option as well.
I guess at 1000 miles a week though, I'd stay away from the V8's.
Why no hondas? A simple v-tech Civic is a good combo of cheap DD with some spice at the top end of the tach.


1000/wk is my old commute; now it's more like 125/wk.

The Mustangs that I can afford don't interest me. I really only like the last two generations. 1980 is my birth year so I guess the attraction to the 3rd Camaros is more birth-defect than well reasoned opinion. I don't have anything against Hondas but I'm not interested in anything they make.

I'll make a place on my list for Mazda. I'll do the same for the Catera but I'm not sure if we got any of those with manuals. Are you talking about the very first gen that was a barely reworked Malibu?
 
I'd vote for the Saabs, Volvos, BMWs, and Golf. European cars just have that "character and interest" that you want. Problem is they do cost more to keep on the road, even if you do your own work, because the parts are more costly.

In any case, around here Autotrader.com is a good site that includes new and used cars from both dealers and individuals. I've found some cars that way. The various fan Web sites for the cars you are interested in often have sales sections, and/or you can get advice on where to look for a good used example.
 
3rd gen Camaro/birds are going to be tricky to find with a manual.

They are out there, in 5.0 and 2.8/3.1 varieties...but I see a LOT more automatics.

A 4.6 96-97 Mustang would probably be easier to find in that price range. And once you get past the intake problem (which hopefully by now has been fixed by a previous owner) they are as solid as any other Modular powered car.

But really, I'd consider an E30 3-series over the 3rd gen F-body.
Parts of the interior are made of cardboard, some of the switchgear is fragile and the shifter has about 4ft of throw. But those are the only things really "wrong" with it. It does everything so well.

I had to put "wrong" in quotes because they aren't really problems. The shifter isn't Honda "snick snick" accurate and doesn't have Mazda MX-5 short throws. But it works quite well. It just has a long throw. If you don't go Hulk on the headlight switch and replace the brakelight switch with a good new replacement, you should be fine.

If I had the disposible income to buy one, I would honestly have a 328e for a commuter car. Sure, it doesn't rev like a E30 M3, but it cruises at freeway speeds in a relaxed comfortable manner and gets exceptionally good mpg.
 
Catera's-

We only got 1 gen here in US ('97-'02?). There was cosmetic tweaks on the later end of it's cycle. No manuals here, either. It was based on a European Opel(Omega?) so no relation to the Malibu. They also have issues with leaky oil coolers that will contaminate engine coolant. I knew someone with one, and IMO would stay away from them.
 
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Originally Posted By: meangreen01
Originally Posted By: Burt
Can you get a manual BMW 7 series? Or even a 5 series?


No and yes


I'm seeing quite a few 5 series with a stick. If I could just write the car ad I want it would be an E34 535i or 530i with 125k miles; the 5 is definitely high on my list, the 3 a little lower. According to Wikipedia they made the 7 with manual but I haven't seen any and am guessing that like Mercedes they figured us 'muricans wouldn't buy 'em.
 
Any car at $3k is going to have reliability issues. A BMW or a Mercedes at that price may incur some expenses that will be more than the value of the car is worth.
 
If I were to buy a "car" that`s practical,I`d be either a Toyota Camry or Nissan Maxima. A truck,Toyota Tundra or Tacoma.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
If I were to buy a "car" that`s practical,I`d be either a Toyota Camry or Nissan Maxima. A truck,Toyota Tundra or Tacoma.
Not trying to flame you, but practical isn't really what I'm looking for here, especially if that means rolling in a Camry. Besides, I'm sleeping pretty good at night without any auto-induced narcolepsy.
28.gif





Two promising looking Saabs:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/ctd/2098016281.html
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/2096455240.html


There's also a decent BMW 318i but wow are they slow: 11.5s 0-60 according to wikipedia minus whatever power it's down from being 15 years old.
 
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In that price range, you will not find an 'interesting or exciting' car that doesn't have problems.

In that price range, you want to go well known - Toyota, Honda, Ford.....
 
Escort GT? A first gen Neon? Do you want to work on a car? I have mine set up so its fun in the corners for $200(used ACR springs, rear sway bar, and a round file). You could tinker with cams and ecu's and headers for dozens of dollars. It's not exotic hardware but you can make the car noticably different easily and cheaply. Some guys get them into the 14's with bolt ons and cheap mods.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Escort GT? A first gen Neon? Do you want to work on a car? I have mine set up so its fun in the corners for $200(used ACR springs, rear sway bar, and a round file). You could tinker with cams and ecu's and headers for dozens of dollars. It's not exotic hardware but you can make the car noticably different easily and cheaply. Some guys get them into the 14's with bolt ons and cheap mods.
Those two are definitely on the "long list", especially the first gen neon. I'm going to beat my head chasing E34s for a week or two and if that doesn't pan out I'll drop down a rung to Escort/Focus/Neon/Golf territory. At the price level I'm shopping I fully expect to be doing a lot of work but the car needs to be a drivable project right away. I have the Bronco too so some occasional down-time isn't a huge problem.
 
If you want something with a VERY low to no-maintenance engine,get a GM with the first generation 3800.
 
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