jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 08/29/2013 11:09 AM |
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KR,
She has never owned anything but man. tran. Neither of us are opposed to an auto though. Our limitations are somewhat fluid at this point but the year is less important than millage because I don't want a used-up sports car. That's a tough call too though because a car with 10K that has been hammered won't be as good a car with 30K that has been babied. It will come down to the inspection and test drive. In the photos of the S2000 that I was looking at the guy's garage floor was cleaner than my kitchen floor. That might indicate a guy who takes care of his stuff. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/29/2013 12:12 PM |
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We always buy 2nd hand, to me the sweet spot in mileage in somewhere around the 50,000km mark. By that time you know if engine is a lemon or not. At low mileage you always wonder why car is getting sold.
I'd rather buy one that has gotten some good hwy exercize than a city car, which is hard mileage. We bought a 2nd hand city car for our Tour of Aussie, turned out its lungs were all clogged up from city driving, when we took it out on the Ooodnadata Track all that $4it got shook loose, then when we hit pavement again, klaboom, everything clogged up. We had to drive at 50kph from Ayers Rock to Darwin before we found a mechanic with the proper equipment to clean things out (after waiting for half a week in a 2 cent town for a new radiator that never showed, killing time "gold panning"). |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 08/29/2013 02:50 PM |
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I've never been a Subaru fan but since several people thought that the WRX might be a good option I checked Boise Craig's List to see what's around. Aesthetically, its a family wagon, not a sports car (no matter what plastic effects they hook on them). The wagon is more functional but I already have a PU for function. The thing that keeps slapping me in the face about Subaru in general and especially the WRX is that they are over priced for what you get IMO. The used WRX cost way more than the other fun cars (with much lower millage) that we have discussed here.
We're still early in our search so who knows where we will end up but the S2000 and the Miata are certainly on in my mind. I wonder about parts for the S2000? The Mini is still on the list too. I wonder why Toyota doesn't have a car in this area (I guess they have Scion). The Supra was a fun car in the '80s. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 08/29/2013 04:30 PM |
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jm, Toyota put a lot of their eggs in the hybrid basket. I suspect that is part of why they have let a smaller part of the market slip.
Ben |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 08/29/2013 04:50 PM |
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Ben, you might be correct on that. An all electric Supra could be a big seller.
One car that I thought of but let slip out of my mind is the Nissan 350 Z. |
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 08/29/2013 05:02 PM |
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| Golf R? fast and comfortable. |
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 08/29/2013 08:17 PM |
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| To K.R. the Audi was an 07 V8. And the only reason I listed the cars was to show that a small, slower car, can also be a blast to drive. My understanding of the OP question was a fun car to commute in. To replace a motor cycle. Not carry a lot of stuff, take long trips, go off road or race big time. Well maybe a little racing on the way to work. None of which the miata is good at. But it does at least have a servicable trunk that the top does not take up when down, at least the older soft tops. Now a mini sounds like a fun little car and have thought about one myself. |
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pabiker
Posts:80
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| 08/29/2013 11:07 PM |
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Fun to drive and automatic transmission do not compute.
My mentioning the S2000 as better than the Miata was purely a guess. I'm sure it is indeed higher performance, but mostly I think it is a far sharper looking car in that small convertible category. Personally, I'd never own a convertible.
In the money no object fantasy world i'd own a new WRX STi and a Range Rover. In the reality world I'd own a lightly used WRX Sti 5 door and my VW Routon Mini-van. The WRX is likely my next car and; ergo, my son's first in 5 years or so.
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steelbikerider
Posts:66
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| 08/30/2013 12:09 AM |
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Owned a first year GTI that was my all time favorite car
passed on a chance to buy an almost new WRX 5-door for under 25K
How about the new BRZ or Scion twin?
I would go for any of the 3 |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 08/30/2013 09:28 AM |
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Well, for $12k you are talking about a car with 50k+ in mileage minimum if you want something sporty. You MIGHT be able to get something with less, but it will be tough.
There are a lot of nice things out there used in that price range. They all have their quirks and issues but with internet access you can find out about them before you purchase and find out if the previous owner has addressed them. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 08/30/2013 11:22 AM |
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Patience is key in looking for a good 2nd hand that meets the criteria set out.
It took us over a year to find Forester with right amount of mileage, good maintenance (those were easy) and a stick (that one made it hard but I put my foot down).
Speaking of motorized fun, nephew out in my old home town today.
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