Want a cheap reliable luxurious car

[Kushina]

So I currently have a BMW and love the way it drives, I would love to get another cheap BMW but due to the price and bad reliability I'm tending to avoid it. I'd prefer a car that is well known to make it to 200k miles without issues (maybe that restricts it to Japanese brands only, I don't mind)

Under $3000 (Currently under 130k miles)
-Remote startable
-Heater and AC are ready to go quickly (My corolla until it fully warms up will push cold and hot air through the vents, where as my BMW only pushes out hot air, although at a slower rate until it gets hotter).
-Heated seats
-Sedan

If a lexus does all this stuff I'll take it, although I really hate the corolla when the temperatures are in the extremes

Here are some pluses although not required
-Good on gas or good on power
-RWD w/ LSD
-Heated wheel
-Heated side mirrors
-Auto-dimming mirrors
-One smooth ass transmission (particualrly in heavy bumper to bumper traffic - might be hard to know about unless you've lived in an area like DC. Transmissions heat up here in bumper to bumper and become quite rough)
Comfort > sports

 

[dguy6789]

That's a tall order for a $3000 car.

 

[Kushina]

Older BMWs should do all that, I don't see why other companies wouldn't have been doing it too. Late 90s lexus's and even early 2000s are $2000-5000

 

[Wuzup101]

Do you care what condition (i.e. paint, interior quality, etc...) it's in? I agree $3k seems to be a tall order.

There are 15 lexus vehicles on autotrader for under $3000 with under 150,000 miles (nation wide). Most look pretty lol. Some don't have pictures. Some are salvage titles or "true mileage unknown" vehicles, etc... Maybe you'll get lucky.

 

[pauldun170]

So I currently have a BMW and love the way it drives, I would love to get another cheap BMW but due to the price and bad reliability I'm tending to avoid it. I'd prefer a car that is well known to make it to 200k miles without issues (maybe that restricts it to Japanese brands only, I don't mind)

Under $3000 (Currently under 130k miles)
-Remote startable
-Heater and AC are ready to go quickly (My corolla until it fully warms up will push cold and hot air through the vents, where as my BMW only pushes out hot air, although at a slower rate until it gets hotter).
-Heated seats
-Sedan

If a lexus does all this stuff I'll take it, although I really hate the corolla when the temperatures are in the extremes

Here are some pluses although not required
-Good on gas or good on power
-RWD w/ LSD
-Heated wheel
-Heated side mirrors
-Auto-dimming mirrors
-One smooth ass transmission (particualrly in heavy bumper to bumper traffic - might be hard to know about unless you've lived in an area like DC. Transmissions heat up here in bumper to bumper and become quite rough)
Comfort > sports

No, you should not post while high.

cheap reliable luxurious.
pick 2

 

[DigDog]

ANOTHER beamer.

i dont know where you get this "unreliable" from. here in europe, i see beamers from the 80s that still look great and run well. i have four friends who own i318 and above and they love them. at least two of these are from the 90s.

the alternative is a merc.

now, about the price. you're not going to get a solid car for three grand. i think maybe twice that. it shouldnt be that much of an investment, if you have trouble finding three grand then maybe you should be looking at a different range of cars.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Early 2000s Acura 3.5RL. You can find many in a good condition for that price.

 

[GregGreen]

ANOTHER beamer.

i dont know where you get this "unreliable" from. here in europe, i see beamers from the 80s that still look great and run well. i have four friends who own i318 and above and they love them. at least two of these are from the 90s.

the alternative is a merc.

now, about the price. you're not going to get a solid car for three grand. i think maybe twice that. it shouldnt be that much of an investment, if you have trouble finding three grand then maybe you should be looking at a different range of cars.

It's a bimmer DigDog. A BIMMER.

Kushina,

A car that only costs you 3k will only get you a semi-rusty body. Just look for whatever you can find that is less than 3k that isnt rusty.

 

[hans007]

ive got a coworker with an e30 325i . 170k miles. he's had 3 E30s over the years, and the other ones he's had one got totalled, and another he gave to a relative.

says nothing major has ever happened if you maintain them, and well its an E30 and a classic.

for $3000 i think you coul dprobably find a 325e or 325i e30 bmw, but who knows how well its been maintained.


that said if you want japanese probably really only 2 options for a sedan, RWD and reliable, you can save up some more money , like $5000-6000 and buy a 2001 is300.

if you really dont want to spend that much. infiniti j30. i think they go back as far as 1994 models. so older, and since they are not so beloved by the tuner crowd as the Is300, probably much cheaper. bigger car i think too and less sporty, so probably more comfortable.

 

[eng2d2]

Luxurious and cheap does not go together

 

[thedarkwolf]

A mercedes tank or as most people know them the w123 based cars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W123

Another option would be something like an 80s lincoln town car the boxy thing with a 5.0l v8. Hard to beat those for reliability.

The old boxy RWD Volvos are pretty good if you can find one with less than 250k miles on it.

If you want to go newer and still under $3k maybe some Saabs. Quirky, FWD, and not as reliable as some others but they are dirt cheap and usually full of fancy options.

 

[Kushina]

I have looked at mid 90 Mercedes for that same reason but they would look completely wrong with a 23 year old inside.

And which Volvo's are you talking about? Saab I can't stand lol and I doubt they have the required heating functions I mentioned. E30 and some what the E36, fits my bill exactly assuming that the heating functions still exist on those older models.

 

[Wuzup101]

I'm pretty sure both the e30 and e36 had available heated seats and mirrors, though they are probably a bit less common to find on the used market as compared to newer models. I don't think either had a heated wheel option but I could be wrong. You can always retrofit heated seats if they aren't included in the car you are looking at (either aftermarket or with OEM parts if they were available as an option).

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Crown vic or grand marquis all day.

200k plus no problem. Heats quick, AC that will freeze your little cherries off. Good on gas not so much. Heated this that and the other? Auto dimming mirrors? All junk that will break on a cheap old ride. You either need more $$$ or lower expectations.

 

[RainStryke]

A $3,000 budget, Luxury and Reliable do not go together. Nope, not one bit... If you get a BMW for 3K and expect it to be reliable you are going to have a expensive lesson on your hands. Unless... other deals were struck. Like how good the trade in on that body is... and I'm not talking about a car.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Infiniti Q45
Lexus LS400

At $3K expect something to be wrong.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Good luck finding something that meets your reliable luxury criteria at your price point.

 

[rommelrommel]

An oooooooold ls400 comes vaguely close but getting a good condition one for 3 grand is a tall order.

 

[tortillasoup]

OP would have to get an older luxury Acura/Lexus if he wants a cheap, luxury car. Just look at 90s Lexus/Acuras, avoid the '99-'04 Acuras with the V6 engines as their transmissions fail easily. (known defect)

 

[Kushina]

Yea was just looking at those TLs they don't suit my tastes, like the ES better. How reliable are the E30/E36/E39 bmws, I've heard of transmissions losing gears in the later models.

 

[RainStryke]

You might be able to get a decent deal on a Toyota Avalon. Those are actually pretty nice vehicles.

 

[GOLI@TH]

So I currently have a BMW and love the way it drives, I would love to get another cheap BMW but due to the price and bad reliability I'm tending to avoid it. I'd prefer a car that is well known to make it to 200k miles without issues (maybe that restricts it to Japanese brands only, I don't mind)

Under $3000 (Currently under 130k miles)
-Remote startable
-Heater and AC are ready to go quickly (My corolla until it fully warms up will push cold and hot air through the vents, where as my BMW only pushes out hot air, although at a slower rate until it gets hotter).
-Heated seats
-Sedan

If a lexus does all this stuff I'll take it, although I really hate the corolla when the temperatures are in the extremes

Here are some pluses although not required
-Good on gas or good on power
-RWD w/ LSD
-Heated wheel
-Heated side mirrors
-Auto-dimming mirrors
-One smooth ass transmission (particualrly in heavy bumper to bumper traffic - might be hard to know about unless you've lived in an area like DC. Transmissions heat up here in bumper to bumper and become quite rough)
Comfort > sports

Merc W123, some says this type is over-engineered so will last until 500k KM or even Miles without major repair at the engine (with proper maintenance). W123 Merc
1993 (or older) W124 Merc also a reasonable choice because simpler without any complicated and delicate ECU. Just good ol' mechanical injection system. :awe:
Merc at ebay

 

[nerp]

You could always put on gloves and a scarf on cold mornings and take them off after the car warms up. I agree that automatic climate control is great. I love it in my car and enjoy how it slowly kicks in only when it can dispense warm air but if I were looking for a $3,000 ride, I'd put that low on my list mainly to keep my options open.

 

[sontakke]

why not put after market seat heater in your current car; flush the cooling system; put higher temperature thermostat; total of all the three things would coast about $100 in parts if you did it yourself

 

[jagec]

My first BMW was only $1500. It was a 1983 325e. It was fun to drive, but it sure wasn't reliable, and no heated X, Y, and Z bullshit.

Heated steering wheel? Seriously?