Holy crap this is long... 
Sorry about that! Cliff notes: I want another car. I want sporty luxury with an impressive image. For very little money. I want it to be reliable enough that it won't be yet another project car. Read below for details.
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I've been going through my requirements and desires for another car.
I have the Fit as my work car. It's a mess. It gets beat on. It's a noisy, bumpy, crappy little car. FANTASTIC for what I want it for, but it's my work car. For a 1500 mile per week workhorse that has yet to break on me, and continues to return 35+mpg (even with 200lbs of equipment in it), it's great.
I have the CB7. Awesome for what I want it for as well. It handles well, it's fast, it's fun to drive, it's easy to play with. But it's noisy, bumpy, hot, and full of little problems.
I want something with a bit of luxury. A bit of prestige. As well as some power and handling ability. I want a car that is as enjoyable to drive and ride in for an enthusiast as it is for someone who knows nothing about cars. I want a car that's pretty to look at to a car guy, as well as the old lady down the street.
I want an automotive mullet. A car that looks like it means business, but it really knows how to have fun!
I'm seriously shopping for one more car to round out my collection.
Now, to make things more complicated... I don't want to spend over $8000. I want a manual transmission. I don't want yet another FWD car. And I want it to at least be faster than my CB7!
My options as I stand right now:
2001-ish Audi S4 with over 100,000 miles.
2001-ish BMW 330i with over 100,000 miles.
2004-2005 Chrysler Crossfire with only about 40,000 miles.
The S4 is a twin turbo 2.7L V6, AWD, 6 speed manual. There are PLENTY in my price range. However, it's an Audi. It will have high mileage. It's a turbo motor, and a very complicated AWD system. My $8000 car may need $14,000 in repairs in 6 months! The chance that it was beat on a bit is also present.
The 330i is less likely to have been beat on, as it's not really a performance car. RWD is nice, and I wouldn't even consider the xi model. I'd probably get the ci (the coupe). However, it STILL has high mileage, and it's a BMW... not all that cheap to fix.
The Crossfire is cheap. The mileage is low. It's a Mercedes SLK with a Chrysler pricetag. I have a Chrysler dealership in the family, owned by my stepfather. That means I could get one at auction, and service would come at a discount. However, it's a Mercedes Benz in a Chrysler wrapper... Poo wrapped in stinky poo. I've never had the greatest faith in Mercedes Benz as far as reliability goes, so my low mileage car and cheap service may not be any cheaper to maintain than a higher mileage BMW. Additionally, the Crossfire won't be any faster than the CB7. It makes about the same horsepower, a bit more torque, and it's moving a bit more mass.
Other options i've dismissed:
The Mercedes models in my price range don't thrill me. Mercedes doesn't have enough sportiness, and they're rather bland looking. The only ones I like are WAY out of my price range.
Infiniti doesn't thrill me... the G35 is about the best, but the models that would even come close to my range would be the older, less refined ones. The fancier models don't have a manual transmission option, and they wouldn't satisfy my desire for something sporty.
Lexus is about the same as Infiniti. The IS300 might fall into my range, and I'd probably take it over a G35... but it's still not all that sporty or powerful. And seeing as the engine is shared by other Lexus models and the Supra, parts won't be all that cheap to come by.
Acura has nothing that interests me in that price range. I don't want FWD. I have too many of those. The reliability and comfort are there... but I don't want an Acura.
Lincoln has the LS... I love it, but it's underpowered. Plus, there are too many around here that have been turned into ugly ghetto hoppers... No other Lincoln model comes with a manual transmission, and any Lincoln in my price range may be shaky on the reliability end anyway.
Cadillac... the CTS-V is all they have that I want... but an $8000 CTS-V doesn't exist... at least not without serious damage!
Other things that have been suggested to me that I haven't totally ruled out:
Subaru Legacy GT - fun car, Subaru's classy offering... but still a Subaru. Not as fancy as I'd like. Yes, I'm taken by the prestige of a luxury brand. And I'm not sure I'd find one I really want in my price range anyway.
Mazda Miata - I keep going back to my Miata. The prestige issues remain... and the fact that I might be tempted to modify it... but it's still a very attractive idea. I'd probably have to find a 2nd gen, as they look much more up to date than the old little pill... even though the little pills were the ones that were the best to drive!
Older BMW M3. I've seen them for as low as $5000. However, anything with the M attached is MONEY to repair! The ones in my price range were the neutered models that the US got. The M3s that really made some power are still way out of my price range.
That's the extent of my thoughts right now. Does anyone have any suggestions for something I haven't thought of? Am I being a total fool for wanting something of this caliber for such a little amount of money?
I don't want a project car.
I don't plan on any modifications that will degrade the luxury of the vehicle (an ECU chip in whatever I get, if it makes a difference, may be the only mod I'll ever do... I know it'll add about 35hp to the S4...)
I won't be driving this car for work, and I won't be driving the piss out of it in general. Maybe 1-2 days a week. I'd be amazed if I got anywhere near 10,000 miles in a year on it.
Basically, I want a "nice" car that I can feel good about taking out on dates, business meetings, etc... but with enough sportiness to it that the car guy in me won't be bored to death driving it!
Sorry about that! Cliff notes: I want another car. I want sporty luxury with an impressive image. For very little money. I want it to be reliable enough that it won't be yet another project car. Read below for details.-----------------------------------------
I've been going through my requirements and desires for another car.
I have the Fit as my work car. It's a mess. It gets beat on. It's a noisy, bumpy, crappy little car. FANTASTIC for what I want it for, but it's my work car. For a 1500 mile per week workhorse that has yet to break on me, and continues to return 35+mpg (even with 200lbs of equipment in it), it's great.
I have the CB7. Awesome for what I want it for as well. It handles well, it's fast, it's fun to drive, it's easy to play with. But it's noisy, bumpy, hot, and full of little problems.
I want something with a bit of luxury. A bit of prestige. As well as some power and handling ability. I want a car that is as enjoyable to drive and ride in for an enthusiast as it is for someone who knows nothing about cars. I want a car that's pretty to look at to a car guy, as well as the old lady down the street.
I want an automotive mullet. A car that looks like it means business, but it really knows how to have fun!
I'm seriously shopping for one more car to round out my collection.
Now, to make things more complicated... I don't want to spend over $8000. I want a manual transmission. I don't want yet another FWD car. And I want it to at least be faster than my CB7!
My options as I stand right now:
2001-ish Audi S4 with over 100,000 miles.
2001-ish BMW 330i with over 100,000 miles.
2004-2005 Chrysler Crossfire with only about 40,000 miles.
The S4 is a twin turbo 2.7L V6, AWD, 6 speed manual. There are PLENTY in my price range. However, it's an Audi. It will have high mileage. It's a turbo motor, and a very complicated AWD system. My $8000 car may need $14,000 in repairs in 6 months!
The chance that it was beat on a bit is also present.The 330i is less likely to have been beat on, as it's not really a performance car. RWD is nice, and I wouldn't even consider the xi model. I'd probably get the ci (the coupe). However, it STILL has high mileage, and it's a BMW... not all that cheap to fix.
The Crossfire is cheap. The mileage is low. It's a Mercedes SLK with a Chrysler pricetag. I have a Chrysler dealership in the family, owned by my stepfather. That means I could get one at auction, and service would come at a discount. However, it's a Mercedes Benz in a Chrysler wrapper... Poo wrapped in stinky poo. I've never had the greatest faith in Mercedes Benz as far as reliability goes, so my low mileage car and cheap service may not be any cheaper to maintain than a higher mileage BMW. Additionally, the Crossfire won't be any faster than the CB7. It makes about the same horsepower, a bit more torque, and it's moving a bit more mass.
Other options i've dismissed:
The Mercedes models in my price range don't thrill me. Mercedes doesn't have enough sportiness, and they're rather bland looking. The only ones I like are WAY out of my price range.
Infiniti doesn't thrill me... the G35 is about the best, but the models that would even come close to my range would be the older, less refined ones. The fancier models don't have a manual transmission option, and they wouldn't satisfy my desire for something sporty.
Lexus is about the same as Infiniti. The IS300 might fall into my range, and I'd probably take it over a G35... but it's still not all that sporty or powerful. And seeing as the engine is shared by other Lexus models and the Supra, parts won't be all that cheap to come by.
Acura has nothing that interests me in that price range. I don't want FWD. I have too many of those. The reliability and comfort are there... but I don't want an Acura.
Lincoln has the LS... I love it, but it's underpowered. Plus, there are too many around here that have been turned into ugly ghetto hoppers... No other Lincoln model comes with a manual transmission, and any Lincoln in my price range may be shaky on the reliability end anyway.
Cadillac... the CTS-V is all they have that I want... but an $8000 CTS-V doesn't exist... at least not without serious damage!
Other things that have been suggested to me that I haven't totally ruled out:
Subaru Legacy GT - fun car, Subaru's classy offering... but still a Subaru. Not as fancy as I'd like. Yes, I'm taken by the prestige of a luxury brand. And I'm not sure I'd find one I really want in my price range anyway.
Mazda Miata - I keep going back to my Miata. The prestige issues remain... and the fact that I might be tempted to modify it... but it's still a very attractive idea. I'd probably have to find a 2nd gen, as they look much more up to date than the old little pill... even though the little pills were the ones that were the best to drive!
Older BMW M3. I've seen them for as low as $5000. However, anything with the M attached is MONEY to repair! The ones in my price range were the neutered models that the US got. The M3s that really made some power are still way out of my price range.
That's the extent of my thoughts right now. Does anyone have any suggestions for something I haven't thought of? Am I being a total fool for wanting something of this caliber for such a little amount of money?
I don't want a project car.
I don't plan on any modifications that will degrade the luxury of the vehicle (an ECU chip in whatever I get, if it makes a difference, may be the only mod I'll ever do... I know it'll add about 35hp to the S4...)
I won't be driving this car for work, and I won't be driving the piss out of it in general. Maybe 1-2 days a week. I'd be amazed if I got anywhere near 10,000 miles in a year on it.
Basically, I want a "nice" car that I can feel good about taking out on dates, business meetings, etc... but with enough sportiness to it that the car guy in me won't be bored to death driving it!
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