My next vehicle purchase - fun vs responsibility vs stupid

[z1ggy]

Bah, get her a minivan and buy yourself a Corvette.

If I could somehow "inception" that into her brain, that would be the best. If I could keep the mazda down to under 150k in the next 4 years and buy a lightly driven C5 z06 for my DD, that would be the best.

But..... she knows how much I already spend on golf and hockey, even though I try to hide it best I can. Doubt she'll let me blow 20k on a 15 year old car. Wives... ugh.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Bah, get her a minivan and buy yourself a Corvette.

Substitute mustang for corvette and that is what my garage has in it. It works out really well. The utility and cheap costs to own of the minivan are hard to ignore. I'm just fortunate that my girl doesn't give a rip what she drives around in as long as it gets her there reliably. The weekend adventures we get to have in either the sporty car or the one that can haul everything are the grand prize.

 

[z1ggy]

I showed the ol ball and chain the Chevy SS last night. She's like ooooh that looks great!! ... How much... -_-

When I let her know it's "no more than $45k!!" she freaked out and said NO NEVER.

Good thing I've got like 4-5 years to convince her.

 

[AdamK47]

Get the Commodore. I love mine. I had plans for more power when I bought it. It does not disappoint.

 

[Dice144]

This threat reminds me how I want a pickup truck for my kayak/camping trips and Cadillac for daily driving. Then I wake up and realize that would be insanely expensive.

 

[MongGrel]

You can drive that mazda 3 pretty fast too if you learn how to drive.

My old Mazda 3 Hatch 2.3 5 speed auto is definitely not a power demon. But you have a lot of room in it, and if you floor it it will stick to the road like it is glued to it though.

Probably one of the best handling cars I have ever owned.

 

[z1ggy]

My old Mazda 3 Hatch 2.3 5 speed auto is definitely not a power demon. But you have a lot of room in it, and if you floor it it will stick to the road like it is glued to it though.

Probably one of the best handling cars I have ever owned.

My NA 2007 impreza was better. But, subaru AWD and a slightly firmer suspension will do that.

 

[jlee]

This threat reminds me how I want a pickup truck for my kayak/camping trips and Cadillac for daily driving. Then I wake up and realize that would be insanely expensive.

I paid $4500 for my last pickup and $12k for my last Cadillac. It doesn't have to be too bad.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I showed the ol ball and chain the Chevy SS last night. She's like ooooh that looks great!! ... How much... -_-

When I let her know it's "no more than $45k!!" she freaked out and said NO NEVER.

Good thing I've got like 4-5 years to convince her.

If you are going to throw down that kind of scratch do yourself a favor and check out the new C450 AMG. Buddy is looking to trade up so we went to dealership over the weekend to check one out. Its pretty much outstanding. I'm considering selling the house so I can have one. If any of you guys are getting a new refrigerator please don't throw away the box.

 

[agent00f]

My old Mazda 3 Hatch 2.3 5 speed auto is definitely not a power demon. But you have a lot of room in it, and if you floor it it will stick to the road like it is glued to it though.

Probably one of the best handling cars I have ever owned.

Mazda is one of the few companies that pay more than lip service to the driving experience. For example, part of what they call skyactive in the new 3 is an elongated hood which among other things adds bit more room for greater suspension castor angle that helps alleviate electric-steering numbness. I first noticed they did this in the 8, which sometimes makes for odd response like at low speed, but overall worth it. Generally speaking their cars have more pliant suspension than competitors' counterparts, which is a welcome relief these days when everyone is doing euro/german tuning for american roads.

They also started the design trend of styling cars in sheetmetal instead of accenting w/chrome or whatever. Slightly more expensive/complex but makes for a smoother flowing aesthetic.

 

[z1ggy]

If you are going to throw down that kind of scratch do yourself a favor and check out the new C450 AMG. Buddy is looking to trade up so we went to dealership over the weekend to check one out. Its pretty much outstanding. I'm considering selling the house so I can have one. If any of you guys are getting a new refrigerator please don't throw away the box.

I plan on going the CPO route, 2-3 years old. I figure I could manage to get something that started in the $45-50k range for the low 40's high 30's. I plan to save my yearly bonuses from this year on for the DP + maybe toss down another 5-10k to get my total liability to <$25k.

Tell me more? I mean, I'm really attracted to that brutal V8 right now, but maybe in a few years I'll refine my tastes to twin turbo's or something. Honestly it's more about the exhaust note and torque numbers than the amount of cylinders. I looooove me a boxster rumble, yet only 4cyl.

 

[TridenT]

Okay, so a Mercedes C63 AMG is in the same price range as a BMW M3. However, the merc has waaaay more torque... and I like torque. I like high revs too but recently me and a C63 AMG were doing the ol' peel from a stop and race to the next stop light thing. The exhaust on that thing sounded pretty decent... I wasn't big on the coupe since I would like to carry 3 passengers but there are sedan models, so I'm pretty interested now.

Of course, I'm still not really feeling like paying $45k for a used luxury car. The downside of the C63 is that there isn't a convertible version for the years I'm looking at but it does pay have double moon roof action going and that is a very decent compromise in my book.

Still not sure. I'll likely just buy a Miata or something to hold me over. I don't even know what to get still. It's horrible. I want things but I also don't want to spend $1200+/month on a car.

 

[agent00f]

If 1k/month actually means something to you, a fancy german car should remain wishful thinking.

 

[TridenT]

Well, whatever. I've got a loan now for $20k. Obviously, I can also spend a few grand over if it really necessitates but I'd rather not. I'm buying a car before December 20th. I don't think whatever car I get is going to be my 'permanent' car. It should be a good in between cars car. I'll keep it for at least a year, up to 3 years. I don't see myself keeping it longer but who really knows. If I love the car and maybe I can't afford the C63 or whatever I really want then okay. (I'm also going to be moving to NYC in <3 years. So maybe I'll just keep the car for a lot longer because maybe I won't use it as much when I live in NY)

What to get? Looking for semi-practical. Seats 4 somewhat reasonably. Similar to a 2000 honda civic coupe in terms of room is fine with me. Seemed adequate before. Looking for something that doesn't feel like I'm losing my soul when I drive it.

My eyes are on BMW 335i and the 135i(s). I've seen a 2013 BMW 135is w/ <40k miles for $23k around here. Seems like a decent price. I don't expect the car to depreciate too heavily over the next 3 years. It seems IS models hold value well usually. Seen a 335i convertible for $15k as well. It's a 2009 tho w/ 75k miles...

I'm not really sure. I'll be going out to test drive a few cars this weekend at the least to confirm some thoughts. Maybe I'll test drive those two to get a better idea. Miata is out. Just can't do it. Need to seat 4 and have the car be decently comfortable.

I did start considering 328's because they seem to be able to be had for much less money or for same money but much newer and fewer miles... :/ If you can tune the turbo 4 then maybe that's not too bad? But then why not just get a GTI or something? Idk..

 

[Crono]

This thread is so old and long I've probably recommended this twice by now, but get a Mazda3. Plenty practical, cheap to own/run, handles well, and isn't soul-less (especially in "Soul Red" ). It's shares enough of the Mazda "fun" DNA that's in the Miata without sacrificing seating.

 

[agent00f]

Well, whatever. I've got a loan now for $20k. Obviously, I can also spend a few grand over if it really necessitates but I'd rather not. I'm buying a car before December 20th. I don't think whatever car I get is going to be my 'permanent' car. It should be a good in between cars car. I'll keep it for at least a year, up to 3 years. I don't see myself keeping it longer but who really knows. If I love the car and maybe I can't afford the C63 or whatever I really want then okay. (I'm also going to be moving to NYC in <3 years. So maybe I'll just keep the car for a lot longer because maybe I won't use it as much when I live in NY)

What to get? Looking for semi-practical. Seats 4 somewhat reasonably. Similar to a 2000 honda civic coupe in terms of room is fine with me. Seemed adequate before. Looking for something that doesn't feel like I'm losing my soul when I drive it.

My eyes are on BMW 335i and the 135i(s). I've seen a 2013 BMW 135is w/ <40k miles for $23k around here. Seems like a decent price. I don't expect the car to depreciate too heavily over the next 3 years. It seems IS models hold value well usually. Seen a 335i convertible for $15k as well. It's a 2009 tho w/ 75k miles...

I'm not really sure. I'll be going out to test drive a few cars this weekend at the least to confirm some thoughts. Maybe I'll test drive those two to get a better idea. Miata is out. Just can't do it. Need to seat 4 and have the car be decently comfortable.

I did start considering 328's because they seem to be able to be had for much less money or for same money but much newer and fewer miles... :/ If you can tune the turbo 4 then maybe that's not too bad? But then why not just get a GTI or something? Idk..

Only has 20k, buys 25k used german car. LOL

 

[TridenT]

This thread is so old and long I've probably recommended this twice by now, but get a Mazda3. Plenty practical, cheap to own/run, handles well, and isn't soul-less (especially in "Soul Red" ). It's shares enough of the Mazda "fun" DNA that's in the Miata without sacrificing seating.

Jeez. Not that cheap on insurance though. Same cost as a BMW 335i... :/

 

[z1ggy]

Only has 20k, buys 25k used german car. LOL

Hi, welcome to TridenT's world of delusion.

 

[TridenT]

The Mazda3 interests me in a test drive but I'm only interested in 2014+ models. Particularly seems like the only one I'd be interested in is the sGT. (I like features...)

 

[TridenT]

135is is down to 22k. Ungh. Why even bother with the Mazda3 when that temptation exists?! And I mean, insurance ain't much different... value for the 135is might even hold better.

Hard to not look. I've got to put down about 5k out of pocket just to get the car. (taxes+fees+down payment)

 

[Bubbleawsome]

135 is much smaller, less modern, and will cost more to repair. A Mazda3 will have more features and be incredibly cheap to repair, and get much better mileage.

Not saying you shouldn't get the 135i but don't assume they're the same car at the same price.

 

[TridenT]

135 is much smaller, less modern, and will cost more to repair. A Mazda3 will have more features and be incredibly cheap to repair, and get much better mileage.

Not saying you shouldn't get the 135i but don't assume they're the same car at the same price.

Oh they're definitely not. 0-60 in 4.6 seconds is pretty swift. I might try to test drive the Mazda3 before.

I've got the test drive scheduled (it's a startup doing the thing) for Friday. We'll see how it goes.

And as far as modern-ness goes, yes, it's not as modern but the 2014-2015 mazda3 isn't exactly space age either. I'm not particularly interested in most of the advanced features. Adaptive cruise control is nice but not really necessary (and annoying to me, if anything). I tend to be the kind of person who sets my speed and passes when I can. ACC with traffic around here gets in the way of that sometimes. All those other safety features don't really matter to me and could be dangerous if not just annoying (having loud beeps from your car when you're flying around at 100+ isn't ideal to me).

Who knows though. It's a convertible. Part of me is excited. Part of me is wishing it was a coupe...

I'm pretty excited to try it out... Just worried about a few things: exhaust drone, really high road noise, low visibility with top up, and low power after 80mph. But here's to hoping.

 

[jlee]

Enjoy your $500 water pumps.

You drive a 1995 Wrangler yet are concerned that a turbocharged BMW won't have power above 80mph...?

 

[TridenT]

Enjoy your $500 water pumps.

You drive a 1995 Wrangler yet are concerned that a turbocharged BMW won't have power above 80mph...?

Just because I drive that now doesn't mean I'm not concerned.

I'm on the fence with the 135is. It'll be a lot out of pocket upfront and over time. I'm not particularly fond of losing money right now because I have a lot of expensive shit to buy and pay for.

 

[agent00f]

Just because I drive that now doesn't mean I'm not concerned.

I'm on the fence with the 135is. It'll be a lot out of pocket upfront and over time. I'm not particularly fond of losing money right now because I have a lot of expensive shit to buy and pay for.

Do you even drive fast? The real difference between a mazda 3 and a fast car is a serious ticket vs. arrested for reckless.