Time for a new(ish) car - suggestions?

[Colo Springs E]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

The older versions are in fact much nicer; lighter, better gas mileage and tire wear, quieter at speed, more nimble, way prettier.

I like Miatas but everyone knows they ain't necessarily the most masculine car on the road. For whatever reason, I find the newer ones to be a bit meaner looking than the older ones. Just my opinion, I like the new ones.

[Westerly Sunn]

I was reading some car mag in the Docs office yesterday. Don't even remember what mag, but it had articles on planned VW production; Porsche, Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini, etc.

There was also an article on the 2013 Dodge Dart with which the authors seemed very impressed and made sound pretty impressive for a car that topped out somewhere around $23,000 iirc...

[Joe Sailor]

How about a Pontiac G8? It turned out to be their last hurrah, a luxury sport to rival european cars. It might be kind of big for city driving, depending on the city and parking. For a gear head family it might be cool to have one of the last Pontiacs.

[yark14]

Originally Posted by Joe Sailor

How about a Pontiac G8? It turned out to be their last hurrah, a luxury sport to rival european cars. It might be kind of big for city driving, depending on the city and parking. For a gear head family it might be cool to have one of the last Pontiacs.

I would love to have a G8. They are sweet vehicles. Unfortunately, they seem to hold their value quite well and are hard to find for under $20k.

I had a 1988 Pontiac Bonneville as my first car that I bought for $600. It put me through college. Because of that I have abit of love for Pontiac.

[KC]

hey, if my girlfriend didn't have a Miata, I'd be looking to buy one for myself. yeah, it's a hairdresser's car and all -- but only till you get behind the wheel. then's it's hours of pure entertainment. the problem with the WRX / Mustang / Camaro etc is that they're too fast. I test drove a WRX and my first conclusion is that I would lose my license in six months (this after merging onto the highway at 90 directly in front of the HiPo). the Miata is only fast if you drive it fast: keep your foot in it, brake late, find a line through turns, etc. this makes it a pure f'ing blast to drive. Texas to Iowa? Pack light, put the top down, and bring a good-looking girl for the truckers to admire. love this car.

[Joe Sailor]

Ah, I have not priced them recently so I didn't know, good that they are holding value, I guess.
A G6? Not the same.

[Bryan]

I have a Ford Fusion sport model. I bought it used with low miles for under 20k. I am very happy with the car-I've had no issues, it is good on gas, looks good.

[getbent]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Perfect for New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, even Western North Carolina. Big areas in California as well.

But there's no where to take this, unless he makes fast friends with some landowners to the west of town (doable, worth trying I guess) who have big land holdings.

The #1 most frustrating thing about much of Texas is, no public lands.

excellent point... the slabs just outside of town is pretty good and there are good 4 wheelin' clubs near there with folks who host runs...

if nothing else, you'd look right in the bronco rollin' down the streets of austin as you passed a naked, hammered and ramblin Mathew McConaughey down near the lake!

get a 55 gallon drum of sun block and go to the lake every weekend and crank some willie and waylon and ingest it!

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by kelnet

,

If you can find this earlier one, I'd shop it. The cartoon aspect is way reduced and frankly the earlier one is more "exclusive" since in some areas the newer, funny face version is such a cliche. But this isn't a "premium" car; in markets outside the US and Canada, this is startlingly close to the Ford Focus they had there (not like our cheaper one).

And I like Eric's suggestion of that 3 series BMW from 2 generations back; the last of the "smaller" 3 series. These have way better maintenance and repair records than the average BMW. The drawback is somewhat limited utility (sometimes the wagon version can be found, but they're really scarce).

This is when I'd like to recommend a new Honda or Acura, a small one. But Honda has changed; their decision making is all messed up. The 3 USA manufacturers stepped up and threw them off stride. And the market is awash with Hyundai/Kia models that are kinda crummy when looked at closely but these models destroy the old Honda market plan because they steal off too many prospective buyers. Half of what makes an H/K car bad is its joylessness, but the second, more insidious effect is how it forces the competition to react and their lineup gets ruined.

Me? I'd go looking at Audi A3s and A4s, if I was 24.

Hey!

You haven't told us how big or tall you are. If you're well above average in either, many of my ideas are worthless.

[fendrguitplayr]

Hyundai's come with a 100,000 mile or 10 year warranty included.

We have an '08 with 60K and have never needed to use it...yet.

Check 'em out:

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/sonata/

[63dot]

Originally Posted by kelnet

Brand new is nice,


but used is cheaper.

Big +1 and another vote for Mazda Speed 3

[BobbyZ]

I would get covertible.
If your a DIY kind of guy I have some boxes full of parts that should turn into 64 MG Midget with a little work. (and a lot of $)

[CharlieO]

Originally Posted by yark14

I would love to have a G8. They are sweet vehicles. Unfortunately, they seem to hold their value quite well and are hard to find for under $20k.

I had a 1988 Pontiac Bonneville as my first car that I bought for $600. It put me through college. Because of that I have abit of love for Pontiac.

I was also going to recommend a G8, but knew that they are difficult to find for less than 20k. I just realized that this is precisely why you might want to buy one. Sure, you might have to stretch a bit to pay for it, but if it continues to hold its value better than other cars, it may have a lower cost to own than some less expensive cars.

I considered a G8 four years ago before I bought my Lincoln. I like the Lincoln a lot, but financially the G8 would have been the better choice. I wouldn't have guessed it at the time.

[Tim G]

Another vote for a Mustang. Just bought my second Mustang Convertible. This one is a 2012, a little over your price point, but my last one was a 2007 which books right now in the mid teens. Unfortunately it met with a girl that hydroplaned, hit it one one side and pushed it into the guardrail at 60mph. One important thing you do want to look for, is can you get it serviced by a dealer not only locally, but also on your trips to Iowa. Every little town has a Chysler, Ford or GM dealer nearby. Not so with some other foreign brands.

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

,

If you can find this earlier one, I'd shop it. The cartoon aspect is way reduced and frankly the earlier one is more "exclusive" since in some areas the newer, funny face version is such a cliche. But this isn't a "premium" car; in markets outside the US and Canada, this is startlingly close to the Ford Focus they had there (not like our cheaper one).

And I like Eric's suggestion of that 3 series BMW from 2 generations back; the last of the "smaller" 3 series. These have way better maintenance and repair records than the average BMW. The drawback is somewhat limited utility (sometimes the wagon version can be found, but they're really scarce).

This is when I'd like to recommend a new Honda or Acura, a small one. But Honda has changed; their decision making is all messed up. The 3 USA
manufacturers stepped up and threw them off stride. And the market is awash with Hyundai/Kia models that are kinda crummy when looked at closely but these models destroy the old Honda market plan because they steal off too many prospective buyers. Half of what makes an H/K car bad is its joylessness, but the second, more insidious effect is how it forces the competition to react and their lineup gets ruined.

Me? I'd go looking at Audi A3s and A4s, if I was 24.

Hey!

You haven't told us how big or tall you are. If you're well above average in either, many of my ideas are worthless.

Trust me, having been there the last thing the OP needs is a "premium car"
I did the late model BMW thing at his age, and even if you are a real gear head (I was) parts $ is going to suck all your discretionary income away, if you have a private guy, basic " services" are still going to be pricy in comparison to a " low end " vehicle from one of the big boys..which like budget guitars now offer incredible bang for the buck.

IIRC this is the OPs first decent position, he is considering grad school, and is living in Austin, do you really want to spend all your concert, guitar, school money on some secondhand stock broker mobile?
Go to grad school, get solid in the career and at 34 if you still want a premium car,get it. Then you can afford to enjoy life AND the car.

I have a friend who is now @30 who had a nice VW in grad school, she REEEEEEEEEEEEELY wanted a Audi, and was always scheming to get one.
Finaly last year she scored one, (off lease) good thing she got her MD first, as the tranny went up a week after the warranty expired..but she pulls down 100k so NBD.

[mal paso]

+1 for Warm Gums

My 1st nice car was a Volvo, back in my early 20s. Real nice looking, sporty(at least to me)etc.

But I spent a ton on maintenance and repairs, something I would rather have spent on something else.



I drive a Ford Focus now, so take this FWIW(which might not be much)

[63dot]

Originally Posted by yark14

I would love to have a G8. They are sweet vehicles. Unfortunately, they seem to hold their value quite well and are hard to find for under $20k.

Besides the Mazda Speed 3, I also once looked at the G8s. Dollar for dollar, it's the fastest thing on four wheels and a much better value for money than a Porsche. If the OP, being 24, mentions sporty and if that means fast, then this car qualifies.

I used to work across the street from Laguna Seca and local youngsters have a tradition of street racing in the more rural parts (and sometimes not so rural). The car mods that car junkies with unlimited funds here do are amazing and though funded a lot by street pharmacists, it's probably the reason it has not made reality TV other than an episode of Cops. :)

Every fast car claims to be the fastest non-Italian supercar, but the G8 is on the short list. I first came across a race next to me (stupid youth) and the G8 dusted all the other cars (all sub 200K stuff like stock Corvettes, Porsches, Ricers, etc but not the Italian stuff):

http://www.streetfire.net/video/worl...rbo_200685.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgZuc...eature=related

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by DrumBob

Stick with an Outback or Forester.

I have an Outback now and had a Forester. The Forester got to 175,000 miles when it was totalled. The Outback has 177,000 on it now and is still going strong. Both are fun to drive.

Jim

[Tred]

I used to have a 1998 Honda Prelude, FUN car to drive, 30-35MPG! I put 250K miles on her with mostly manual suggested maintanance on her. Sold it last year to buy a full sized truck, Chevy Z-71. I don't mind, EXCEPT when I pass a gas station!

My suggestion is a Mazda RX 8 or the WRX! Acura TL's are sharp, too. Check the insurance rates, though.

[StratBluesRock]

The Tata Magic Iris, of course