Help Spend My Money: What Car Edition

I'm in Fort Bragg/Mendocino. The area has its up sides. Driving here is gorgeous. I'd rather live farther down or up the coast nearer to civilization. I'm looking at about an 1:20 minute drive to get to the nearest town where I can buy a new motorcycle helmet. I'm also surrounded by aging hippies.

Okay, the $20k budget is for a car and a bike. I'm looking at more like a $10k-$14k budget for the car, and $7k-$10k for the bike I'm pretty sure I want. I could potentially stretch this for a solid deal on The Right Car.

Car does not have to be 4-door. But 4 door or hatch back make life easier. SVT focus could be a possibility.

Z06 - This would be excellent. I have not seen them in the price range I'm looking for.

M3 - Cooling and suspension would be my concerns. However, $8k-$9k seems to frequently find moderate mileage ones with cooling system, shocks, and bushings taken care of.

S2000 - Leaning away from this. Lacks the practicality of M3 and the specialness of the M Coupe.

EVO - This is an interesting option. I was under the impression that these tended to be maintenance queens. I know my M Coupe was totally reliable. My understanding is the E36 M3 is as well once the cooling system is seen to.

M Coupe - I keep coming back to this being The Car. Just a question of buying an OK M Coupe rather than a nice M3, or forking over the money for a lower mileage example. Given how well they hold value, I always have the option to unload in favor of something else if I decide I want more practicality.

CrashDummy wrote: A 23kish car that can do it all? That's a Speed3

Car budget is not 23k-ish. Total budget for car and bike is 23k-ish. Budget for car is about $14k-ish.

dinger wrote: If you're considering BWM's, don't forget about the 330i ZHP. They aren't quite an M3, but they do have most of the fun bits like more power and a better suspension, and i'd put an E46 ZHP up against an E36 M3 any day. Way more practical than an M Shoe. Cheaper maintenance than an M car too. Plus nice examples can be had in the $11K range. ZHP on Wiki

Aha! Now this idea I like. I like the E46. Lean away from the M3 version even though it is down to M Coupe prices because of maintenance and parts costs. ZHP gets me the handling which is what I mostly want from the M and manages to be something "special".

Oh, RX8 is out because SWMBO already owns one. Having two would be redundant.

CTS Wagon.

I drove an EVO IX MR and it blew me away. I wasn't expecting to like it but ended up loving it. If foul weather capability is a big plus, then I'd look at one. Otherwise, an E36 M3 or ZHP E46 looks like a good bet.

JeffHarbert wrote: CTS Wagon.

This.

JeffHarbert wrote: CTS Wagon.

I don't need cavernous storage space. I have the Astro for that. Just need more than a Miata so that I have a car that can do road trips that gets better than 15mpg when I want to visit friends or family.

Also. I don't think I should have to specify that it must be a manual transmission. Kinda hard to find non-V ones with other than auto-tragic. I suppose I can hunt a bit though.

I would purchase an E90 3 series. Whether you buy a naturally aspirated or a turbo version depends on how much you value your lisence. If you go for the 335, be sure to get one with an oil cooler or add it on later.

Don't forget the Porshce Cayman either, it has a suprising amount of trunk (and frunk) space.

If you skip the bike (or go all $1k grassroots on it) you're in decent 964 territory. Might be special enough that you don't want to ball it up on track, I sure don't. Values have probably bottomed on them, so like the MCoupe, you're not dealing with depreciation as a cost. You're not going to fit much in one besides luggage for two, but honestly, they're the last of the classic body 911's, they're awesome.

mazdeuce wrote: If you skip the bike (or go all $1k grassroots on it) you're in decent 964 territory. Might be special enough that you don't want to ball it up on track, I sure don't. Values have probably bottomed on them, so like the MCoupe, you're not dealing with depreciation as a cost. You're not going to fit much in one besides luggage for two, but honestly, they're the last of the classic body 911's, they're awesome.

Skipping the bike is not going to happen. A bike I really enjoy is possibly more important than the car. That is what I do during the week. I work swing shift in a small town, so I can't socialize or enjoy any sort of nightlife after work. So, I get on the bike and get in an hour of riding a couple times a week before work. That is what I have to brighten my weekdays. Most I'll compromise is to buy a more common but still smile-inducing bike if it is half the price but 90%+ the joy. E.g. $4k for a '06 Suzuki SV650 as opposed to $8k for a '11 Triumph Street Triple.

A solid 964 will cost double the M Coupe. The M Coupe does what I want better, too.

The more I think, the more it comes down to M Coupe vs. E36 M3 vs. later 3 series.

Personally I can't fathom an m coupe over an s2000, but to each his own

Let me ask a stupid question. What is the draw of the Triumph over the Zuke? I know E36 M3 about riding a bike, SWMBO forbids it. And since she allows me to live, and go play pinball, instead of working... I listen.

mndsm wrote: Let me ask a stupid question. What is the draw of the Triumph over the Zuke? I know E36 M3 about riding a bike, SWMBO forbids it. And since she allows me to live, and go play pinball, instead of working... I listen.

The Street Triple is a sexier beast and the 3 cylinder engines sound cool.

mndsm wrote: Let me ask a stupid question. What is the draw of the Triumph over the Zuke? I know E36 M3 about riding a bike, SWMBO forbids it. And since she allows me to live, and go play pinball, instead of working... I listen.

About the same as the difference of a 2012 M3 over a 2006 Mustang.

Better engine. Much better suspension. Ultra sexy styling and noise. But slimmer aftermarket.

My vote: 2013 Street Triple R and Arrow exhaust with the baffles out. Oh, what a sound! The cage decision is less important with a hot triple at home.

Beer Baron wrote: The more I think, the more it comes down to M Coupe vs. E36 M3 vs. later 3 series.

Get the M Coupe or even a regular Z coupe. That car has lots of personality w/o resorting to the 'me too' ness of owning a mainstream bmw coupe/sedan.

I have a black 03 SVT Focus in the 3 door variant. I have heard them referred to as "the FWD BMW." They are fun at low speeds, and your budget would easily allow for a nice example plus forced induction.

The hatch swallows up a lot of stuff with the rear seats folded. I haul a lot of produce from other stores for work, and a few kegs easily. A Pepsi pallet fits perfectly in the back (meaning, less than 1/4" on the sides) when placed in sideways. This allows for a flat loading surface almost level with the hatch opening.

Sounds like the bike is a big deal to you. I'd get the Street Triple and then an E36 M3. The M3 is just such a nice balanced car, and you pay a huge premium for the weird interior, mediocre rear suspension, and quirky looks of the M Coupe. Seems like that cash is better spent getting a nicer bike that you'll really enjoy.

I also work weird long hours so I end up with most of my free time during the day when there's not much social to do, and I've found that maximizing that time as much as possible is what really makes me happy. Sounds like you're at the same point.

turtl631 wrote: Sounds like the bike is a big deal to you. I'd get the Street Triple and then an E36 M3. The M3 is just such a nice balanced car, and you pay a huge premium for the weird interior, mediocre rear suspension, and quirky looks of the M Coupe. Seems like that cash is better spent getting a nicer bike that you'll really enjoy. I also work weird long hours so I end up with most of my free time during the day when there's not much social to do, and I've found that maximizing that time as much as possible is what really makes me happy. Sounds like you're at the same point.

I waffle between the Coupe and M3. Kinda leaning in this direction. The bike can serve the roll of Special Toy. The car can be a bit more utilitarian (we are an odd bunch here when E36 M3 is our idea of practical and utilitarian). I was also looking at all the new scrapes my cars have gotten recently. People here don't know how to park. I swear my cars have gotten more scrapes in the past 2 months than they did in the past 2 years when I lived elsewhere.

Get the Mini and the Triumph.

Cross off those bucket list cars while you're around to do it. You can get a nice stockish example and the Triumph Triple as well. This should set you right at 20k.

As a California native living just off of Route 1 myself, this is exactly what I would do with 20k if I had it right now (minus a bit of cash for a plane flight to Asia)

Enjoy them. Both of those vehicles are bucket list items for me.

It really sounds to me that you are 330I and triumph is the ticket.

It keeps you on budget and gives you 2 fun rides

E46 330 Cic? Had for @$10k w/sport package. Top down in coastal SoCal would be priceless.

mthomson22 wrote: E46 330 Cic? Had for @$10k w/sport package. Top down in coastal SoCal would be priceless.

Coastal NorCal but... whatever. Top down isn't exactly the same, but very nice for much of the year. May not be able to go top down every day, but can pretty much every month.

The Mini is also a cool idea, but am I going to go nuts with that as a DD? Will I hate life if I try to road trip it up to Oregon to visit friends or down to San Diego to visit family? Wait... are we talking new or classic Mini? New wouldn't be bad either, although I read on here the other day about electrical system concerns with them when they're out of warranty.

I was talking classic Mini, assumed you were as well. However I think driving on the 5 from Mendocino to San Diego would leave a lot to be desired.. How often do you go?

That said, I would still do it. Depreciation will be zero so you can always sell it if it doesn't fill your needs. Bucket list. It won't cross its self off.

mr2peak wrote: I was talking classic Mini, assumed you were as well. However I think driving on the 5 from Mendocino to San Diego would leave a lot to be desired.. How often do you go? That said, I would still do it. Depreciation will be zero so you can always sell it if it doesn't fill your needs. Bucket list. It won't cross its self off.

Yeah, I was thinking classic. Probably a trip to Oregon or San Diego about once a year. Trips from here to Sacramento (about 4 hours) every couple months.