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I'm looking to replace my '98 Lexus GS400 (because it was written off). I've already been researching and driving and know what I'm looking for, but need some help. I work in criminal defence and drive huge distances on any given day. My average daily commute is about 120km, mostly highway, some city. I spend about 3-4 hours in the car daily. So I need a car that I really love, because spending so much time in one otherwise is painful. I had a rental Altima that was a perfectly adequate car and I hated every minute of it. Anyway, the question. I've been looking at two of my past "hey I could actually afford one of these one day" dream cars: the Cadillac CTS-V and Subaru STI (MY04-06 for both). But these are obviously high-performance race-bred vehicles that I'm not sure can handle the sort of grind that I would need of them. So my point is: can these [and other performance-based cars - I also kinda want a Mini JCW] legitimately handle daily driver duties, or should they really be considered second cars? Do all of the go-fast bits put enough strain and stress on everything that the car will just rattle apart by the time I add another 30,000 KM next summer? While I can live with not having a car for a weekend while basic maintenance is done, I really do need something that will start on Monday morning with no drama.
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Sep 30, 2012 13:37
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Lt. Jebus posted:Counterpoint: I recently sold a 05 CTS-V after having had it for 5 years and 60000km (total 83000km), and other than being really hard on tires it never gave me any issues other than some cosmetic GM'isms. There's usually one or two up for sale up here in the Toronto area for 17-20k. In that price range there's a looooooot of other options as far as "fast and comfortable and super-loving-cool" goes, so if the V and STI are truly bad ideas I'll like just buy a G35 for $12k and use the rest of the money to buy a Datsun or bike or something in the summer.
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Oct 1, 2012 03:48
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skipdogg posted:CmdrSmirnoff, I do still love the GS-series and other performance sedans, but really wanted to downgrade to something smaller. I do an increasing amount of downtown driving from court to court and having a larger car is just a hassle. I don't even use most of the space in the car besides acting as a friend taxi. On the other hand, I'm a big guy and like for [i]me[i] to be comfortable. Maybe a luxury coupe is really the best option...
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Oct 1, 2012 16:44
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leica posted:G35 or BMW 3 series. Also I know it's not a coupe but the Lexus CT looks awesome and would be the perfect "downgrade" if you like Lexus. The G35 was my favourite of the reasonable cars before I decided to look at some of the more...extreme options. Thanks guys, I'll just pick up a coupe for now and buy something beastly during the summer.
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Oct 1, 2012 19:27
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I'm gonna jump back a bit to the CTS-V discussion from before. I know it tends to eat rear diffs and tires, and the interior is a bit poo poo, but beyond that is there really anything that would make it an awful DD? It's a bit bigger than what I wanted but goddamn I love that car. edit: I have to buy a car within the next week and there's G35s available 24/7, so I'm still sort of looking at the more fun cars while I still have time. CmdrSmirnoff fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Oct 5, 2012 |
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Oct 5, 2012 11:32
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After driving and mulling over a bunch of cars, I settled on an '07 Mustang GT. It has a whole pile of performance mods, and about 100k (km) on the clock. The thing is, my financing from the bank was just approved today, so I haven't bought it yet. I'm still waiting for the owner to cough up service records. While all this is going on I realized I could get a 2011 Camaro with 16k for only a few thousand more. It still has a factory warranty and hasn't had much time to get abused. This is something of a follow-up to a few pages ago. I realized driving stick in my situation gets tiring fast, taking out the CTS-V, and the new American muscle cars were just more comfortable than the G37s I was also eyeing. Thoughts?
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Oct 16, 2012 17:12
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Xguard86 posted:Mods are generally a big red flag but it depends what you mean. An exhaust, grill delete and cold air intake is a different animal from someone who has gotten inside the motor or swapped rear ends or something. Body kit, Roush exhaust, Saleen suspension, CAI, chip. Owner is an old Persian guy who drove it to work in summers (though who knows what his kids were up to). Good condition, but there was some creaking in the suspension that I need to check out.
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Oct 16, 2012 19:02
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Xguard86 posted:Stay away. Too many unknowns for you take the risk for such a common car. Surely there is a similar year mileage option without the risk. I did some soul-searching and backed off from it today. Gonna keep looking.
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Oct 17, 2012 23:09
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In my neverending quest to buy a car (maybe I just fukken love rentals) I've thought of making An Adult Decision. Rather than piss away my next 4 years on a car loan, I should get a winter beater now - with cash. There are two that I'm eyeing: 2002 Impreza 2.5TS, 160k (km), manual, $4000 CDN. I could use it to learn stick and gradually turn it into a rally car! 2001 Impreza RS coupe, 115k (km), auto, $4000. Also rally car candidate, though no stick, it would probably be a bit more liveable. To recap from earlier: lawyer, driving 80 - 200km/day, replacing a Lexus and was hoping for something a bit smaller and city-friendly but super-fun. CmdrSmirnoff fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Oct 20, 2012 |
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Oct 20, 2012 12:49
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I still haven't bought a car and am checking out some more on the weekend. Two more options have cropped up, of the turbocharged four cylinder variety. 1) 2008 Mini S. Auto, paddle shifters (sport package). 109k (km) on the body; engine replaced at 63k. Comes with extra winter tires on wheels. Buyer is asking $17.5k CDN. I've been in Minis before and they're comfortable enough, I just haven't done any driving and am not sure if I could tolerate one for 3 hours a day. The downtown driving and parking would be godlike though. 2) 2007 Forester XT. Auto. 160k. $12k. A sleeper that I hadn't really considered before, it's also fast and fun and ultimately more practical. I do have to haul around friends and hiking and airsoft gear from time to time, so here it's a clear winner. Nice platform for performance/appearance mods (I love the look of a lowered small SUV, and could bolt on some STI parts). Cheap enough that I could put money aside for a summer car. Somewhat concerned about the mileage on this one. And to update on my post a couple pages ago about buying a fun beater: there was nothing in my "buy instantly with cash" price range that was really worth it, and a stick got old reeeeally fast in traffic. Especially the sort of hell I get stuck in. It's gotta be auto for my DD.
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Oct 26, 2012 00:09
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nm posted:I don't know about Canada, but in the US $8k gets you into a 2006 Mazda 3. I just checked our AutoTrader and it can get you into a 2008 Mazda3. Hell, there's some Mazdaspeed 3s in that price range. Update as to my months of waffling between options: bought an 07 G35X yesterday. Tons of fun, but I'm still hoping to pick up enough impaired driving cases to let me buy a dedicated "fun car" for the summer.
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Nov 8, 2012 13:17
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