Help! I Need help shopping for a used sport coupe!

[Judaeus Apella]

My truck died and now I have an excuse to get a sport coupe... which is what I've wanted for a while now, BUT!

I have to buy a used one, only have about 14 or less to spend.... and I have NO idea what to get! I want something with about 200 horses, manual auto, and is reliable... but I have no idea what's reliable and what isn't for that amount of money, and has what I want.

I really need some suggestions.... I'm walking around these car lots and I have no idea what's worth getting and what isn't.

[Zytek_Fan]

Infiniti G35 or Nissan 350Z

[Arkangyl]

man-auto? that sort of limits things...

In the pure 6-spd man range the S2000, RX-8, 350Z, G35 are all good choices, the G might be a bit out of your range though...

If you need to have the auto then your choices are really the RX-8 (which loses a bit of power and 1k of revs to the auto), 350Z (again, poor auto-box), and G35 (which at 14k will have 60+ k miles)

Really I'd say learn stick and get the S2000...

[Nanometer]

s2000 is a waste of money, the rx-8 makes no power and gets the mileage of a z06 corvette, the z or g35 are ok choices. there's also the mustang if you're into that sort of thing. An audi TT is one of my favs. 2.0t quattro

[Zytek_Fan]

s2000 is a waste of money, the rx-8 makes no power and gets the mileage of a z06 corvette, the z or g35 are ok choices. there's also the mustang if you're into that sort of thing. An audi TT is one of my favs. 2.0t quattro

The RX-8's fault is it really needs a turbo. Without it, it's really anemic

[Judaeus Apella]

Are those cars reliable though? How reiliable are they after say... 60,000 miles or 4 to 5 years of age? Lets say I got one that was 4 years old. Would I be making a trip to the mechanic every 4 months or coughing up thousands to pay for expensive repairs? I'm looking for a car that wont have those problems. What about a Grand Prix? I have no idea how reliable they are. I'm not gonna drive like someone's mom, I'm going to drive that car the way it was designed to be driven. So I need a car that can keep up with me and not end up in a shop every 4 months, like my old truck. The only race that thing ever won was to a repair shop.

Also, its not a question of knowing how to use a stick or not, I just don't want one. When Im in a rush, I'm busy, and just trying to get from A to B... the last thing I want to do is mess with a stick.

Later in life when I race for fun, and have a car strickly for that.... yes, that will be a stick.

[Elementnz]

I may be Bias as im saving for one. Supra MK4 ? options are 5sp/6sp with out turbo and with just auto/6spd.... could work. US spec'd ones are 300ish HP on Twin Turbo models.

[Zytek_Fan]

Are those cars reliable though? How reiliable are they after say... 60,000 miles or 4 to 5 years of age? Lets say I got one that was 4 years old. Would I be making a trip to the mechanic every 4 months or coughing up thousands to pay for expensive repairs? I'm looking for a car that wont have those problems. What about a Grand Prix? I have no idea how reliable they are. I'm not gonna drive like someone's mom, I'm going to drive that car the way it was designed to be driven. So I need a car that can keep up with me and not end up in a shop every 4 months, like my old truck. The only race that thing ever won was to a repair shop.

Also, its not a question of knowing how to use a stick or not, I just don't want one. When Im in a rush, I'm busy, and just trying to get from A to B... the last thing I want to do is mess with a stick.

Later in life when I race for fun, and have a car strickly for that.... yes, that will be a stick.

I've heard nothing but good things about the G35 and 350Z from owners
And if you want a sport coupe, you must get something with at least RWD


As far as the RX8 goes, it's a fantastic car, but the engine does require some special care.


It's in your best interest to steer clear of anything American.

[Judaeus Apella]

Sorry but I cant afford those cars. The G35 starts at 20k and the 350Z's start at 19.

[pirateghost]

my brother just picked up a 2004 g35 coupe for 17k... surely there are better deals to be had out there

dont rely on just those big car lots either, hit up the auto trader, online, etc. you can find a 04-05 g35 coupe for a decent price

[Judaeus Apella]

I just looked up the mpg on those cars.... and I don't think I can afford the gas for something like that. Is there anything thats reliable and has a V6, is manual and auto... and gets at least about 22 city 28 highway? I don't want a sports car... just a decent sports coupe. It doesn't have to be a speed demon, just something thats fun to drive when I'm not busy. More than speed, I want something thats reliable above everything else.

[|ron]

How about a BMW M3 E46?
In europe it has 343hp, if I'm not mistaken in the us something less due to environmental laws etc...
Anyway, the S54 (the engine) can do 200.000km without no problems and normal maintenance... how much do an M3 cost in the US market?

[Judaeus Apella]

Those start at 27 or so used.... and besides I thought after a few years those were in the shop constantly?

[Asgard_thor]

honestly

You can get a Dodge Srt-4 for about 15k, my dad is picking up one today for himself
get about 30mpg highway

[|ron]

Those start at 27 or so used.... and besides I thought after a few years those were in the shop constantly?

Urgh, I thought that an M3 MY2002/2003 will be cheaper than 20k $...
In Italy, you can find 'em in the 20/30.000euros range but usually in the us, cars cost less than europe afaik...

[Judaeus Apella]

They have one of those at the Carmax down the street. It has good specs... but its a 2005 with 45k miles on it.... and looks like a Neon. LOL I hate Neons... SO much. Does anyone else think it looks like a Neon? I don't know why I can't stand the way neons look so much. It has these egg shaped lights and this small tight little body... I feel like if I ever got in an accident, they'd have to get me out with a can opener. Maybe I'm just being silly.

[|ron]

Neon? Do you mean Dodge Neon? I don't know what car is it but if it's the Dodge one, for me It's like to compare a ferrari with a Lada
As for the crash etc, it's not bad: http://www.euroncap.com/tests/bmw_3_series_2001/98.aspx

[Kai Robinson]

Call me biased, but for $14k, this looks like a bargain:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...1%7C240%3A1308

Last model year for the US (although for the EU & Japan they carried on for another 4 years) and looks to be nearly original. It's a non-turbo, but still 220hp on tap.

[MINIz guy]

I'm not sure about this, but how about a Mazda Miata? I don't think they will cost a lot, and being so light, it should have good gas mileage.

It might just be lacking in the V6 and 200HP part, but I don't think it would be that hard getting whatever motor in the Miata to have 200HP.

[Zytek_Fan]

Here's a nice looking Volvo V70R I found:
http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/962681113.html


And I'm finding a lot of Audi A4 quattros (quattro is a MUST with an Audi), which are absolutely fantastic cars, but you HAVE to take good care of them, or it will bite you in the ass
http://richmond.craigslist.org/searc...min&maxAsk=max

[Judaeus Apella]

The sh*tty thing about all this is I need the kind of financing options I can only get at a mainstream dealership... if I had cash, that would make things a lot easier. I'm down on my luck so my family is helping with the payments, so they're bugging me to make sure its something that won't burn a hole in my pocket with crappy mpg or maintenance issues. Besides, I don't want to deal with either of those two problems anyway. They also don't understand that what makes a car the kind of car I want to drive, is more than something that's just "zippy" or has enough power to get on the freeway and merge. They're a lot older than me so they've lost their youth and just don't get it. I don't want something crazy, but I don't want something too boring either.

They're also from a time when cars didn't last, even the good ones. Once you had a car for 4 years, no matter who made it, it was time to get rid of it. I know though, that in todays day and age, if you buy a really dependable car and you take care of it... then it will last more than that... but they don't beleive me. I need to find some cars that I like, within the budget, and show them written proof that those cars aren't going to end up in the repair shop just because they're 3 or 4 years old.

This is becomming a real challenge. Its like... I can't please anyone, and everything I like they hate or I can't afford... or I find a great deal... but it turns out to be being sold at a place with no financing options. You know, like one of those lots that lets you put your car on their lot but you control the sale. I saw an Eclipse for a GREAT deal and it only had 14k miles on it.... but from the discription of the place it sounds like the payment plans are nill.

*sigh* I don't know what to do guys... but hey, if any of you know of a car worth getting that is reliable and know of a way I can prove it in writing so my family will shut up and be happy with it.... then show me one here > http://www.autotrader.com (zipcode is 23060), and I will love you forever.

[reberto]

Found a few here
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=89
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=76
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=71
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=88

[Judaeus Apella]

The G35 Coupe is nice... but I can't afford the cost of ownership. That thing would eat through gas, and my money in the process.

That BMW is nice though... but its old and has a lot of miles on it. I like the specs on it, and it gets great MPG... plus it has some class, which is nice.

While it IS nice, and it really is.... I wouldn't be comfortable buying something that old. That thing is going on 10 years and has over 80,000 miles on it! And after all that time, I don't know how well its been cared for... and I won't know until I drive it around for a year. Thats why I stay away from cars with more than 45k miles on them. You just don't know how well they've been cared for. Most people don't have a clue how to take care of a car. My grandmother didn't replace her oil after owning a crown victoria for several years. It started acting up so my grandfather took a look at it and couldn't believe she never added or changed the oil. LOL You wouldn't believe how many stupid people their are when it comes to cars, and most of them have owned the cars on used lots.... so I'm a bit paranoid when buying a used car. But at the same time its a lot of fun, cause you never know what treasure you might find!

[reberto]

The G35 only has a straight 6, it won't chew up that much gas depending on how you drive it. Plus it's a Nissan with a shiny badge so it will run until the world blows up. And if the car has been taken care of properly, then the amount of miles that it has shouldn't show. I recently got a 1996 Land Rover Discovery with 112k miles on it and when I took it in to my local independent Land Rover specialist to have my alarm fixed they said that it had the wear of a car with less than 1/3 of the miles. As long as it has been well taken care of then the amount of miles shouldn't make a difference.

[Zytek_Fan]

The G35 Coupe is nice... but I can't afford the cost of ownership. That thing would eat through gas, and my money in the process.

That BMW is nice though... but its old and has a lot of miles on it. I like the specs on it, and it gets great MPG... plus it has some class, which is nice.

While it IS nice, and it really is.... I wouldn't be comfortable buying something that old. That thing is going on 10 years and has over 80,000 miles on it! And after all that time, I don't know how well its been cared for... and I won't know until I drive it around for a year. Thats why I stay away from cars with more than 45k miles on them. You just don't know how well they've been cared for. Most people don't have a clue how to take care of a car. My grandmother didn't replace her oil after owning a crown victoria for several years. It started acting up so my grandfather took a look at it and couldn't believe she never added or changed the oil. LOL You wouldn't believe how many stupid people their are when it comes to cars, and most of them have owned the cars on used lots.... so I'm a bit paranoid when buying a used car. But at the same time its a lot of fun, cause you never know what treasure you might find!

Most of the time, if someone owns a car like an Infiniti or a BMW, they're going to take care of it; either by taking it to the dealer for servicing, or they're mechanically-minded and do the work themselves.


And don't be afraid of miles. 80k miles is not even broken in yet! (though, at 80k miles, it's just about time for a timing belt and water pump service...)
Hell, my 1992 Mercedes-Benz E320 has 255,000 miles and it runs and drives like it has 1/3 of that.