There are no 135i's below $20k. Yea, they would be a nice car with a warranty, but they are out of my price range.
I think I will look for an E36. If I find one around $10k, I'll just spend some on maintenance and pocket the rest. I'm a BMW guy after all so it really isn't that hard of a choice for me, especially since all other alternatives are mostly 2 seaters.
I love these threads. I am so good at choosing cars and I love to offer my expertise.
Then I realized that the most I've ever really spent for a car is $7500. I'm a bit out of my league, but I have driven many nicer cars and I can chip in on the ones I've experienced.
E46 M3. I liked it a lot. I hated the auto/manual thing. Just get a straight up 6-speed
E46 330Ci convertible. That has been one of my dreams for a while.
C5/C6. It has been a LONG time since I grinned as much as I did driving a C5 Z06. Fair trunk space, but a two seater.
E320 CDI? Trust me you'll love it.
S-class S500? You can get AMGs for $20k
CL-class AMGs are the same story.
100% honest truth? If I had 20k to drop, I'd look for a cherry, low-mileage, E38... specifically, a black 2001 740iL with the sweet sport package.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:MINIzguy wrote: However, I am still afraid of maintenance on the E46 and slightly afraid of maintenance on the E36.Why? Oil, brake fluid, bushings, tires, dampers and brake pads are common things on all cars. O2 sensors and cats are common to all newer cars. They are no more expensive than Honda, Toyota or Subaru bits and in a lot of cases - less costly.The E36/46 has just the additional (and admittedly annoying) cooling system stuff that is well known, not difficult and not expensive (unless you don't do it) and infrequent. The key is to buy one that has had all of the first round done on someone else's time/dime - so 110k miles of great care is better than 75k to the used buyer. Then you are usually good to go until 230k or so :)
I thought those motors required valve adjustment every 15-20K miles to the tune of $1,400 a pop if you didn't do it yourself.
Not sure that you should eliminate the BRZ. They MUST be available for under 20k by now, no?
It may be that you come to like the car in kind of the same way that I came to not love it, but came to a landing because it is a great handling car.
From a driving standpoint, if the nannies, the early production quality issues or the lack of winter preparedness from the design team are not driving you crazy, the car is a great place to spend time. I can't think of a single car that entertains like this every time you turn the steering wheel. It's certainly not about the grip, cause it does not come from the factory with any, but more in the WAY it goes about going around a corner in a very flat manner.
You say that you got the "Big V8 in a big car" thing out of your system, and I would certainly put this car in the "Antithesis to that" category.
If it can be put into words, what exactly did you not like about the Toyobaru?
Guys, keep in mind I want to auto-x and do some HPDE's. I can't consider AMG's, E38's or want any automatic cars.
The E46 M3 has the S54 which needs valve adjustments. The E36 M3 has the US-spec S52 which is basically a glorified M52.
I test drove multiple FR-S' with a 6 speed and it was a nice drive. What bugged me was that it required premium gasoline and cost nearly $30k after taxes; it isn't cheap at all for what you're paying for. All the reviews I've read and watched have also said that the car had "just enough" steering feel, power and soul. For $30k, I wanted a little more than "just enough". I was minutes away from getting an FR-S back in December when the dealer finally got on my nerves too much and I walked away.
What I really need to do is drive an E36 M3 and BRZ/FR-S back-to-back. People say the E36 is a "raw" car and I've never heard of the FR-S described the same way. Plus, $10k for an E36 is much more enticing than $20k for an FRS, if I could find one at that.
In reply to MINIzguy:
Guess it depend on the mileage and year you are looking for. When I was trying to find mine I was seeing 08-09 135i’s with 50k miles going for 20-21K. Under 20k if it had an automatic. I was also shopping in the middle of winter in New England. Still above your price range but something to keep an eye out for incase you find a deal.
MINIzguy wrote: Plus, $10k for an E36 is much more enticing than $20k for an FRS, if I could find one at that.
FRS/BRZ are definitely bad-ass, weigh less than the E36 and are much newer. I Think it's a big trade-off of is $10k worth your time of dealing with an older car? To some it is, to some it is not.
Avoid the E46 M3, really expensive to maintain, and I don't think worth the premium. How about a G8 GXP?
$10k buys you a REALLY nice E36 m3 if you keep your head up. Although I do have a minty E36 M3 sedan with newer Dove seats, $1100 worth of cooling system/trans fluid/diff/oil maintenance done in the past 3 months. Higher mileage (161k) but I am not even asking $10k, and it includes Ohlins Shocks (only modification).
MINIzguy wrote: Guys, keep in mind I want to auto-x and do some HPDE's.
Then buy a clean NB or early NC model Miata, and use the extra cash to prep the car, catch up on maintenance, etc.
Tires/brakes/gas/fees start adding REAL quick when doing track work. My local track is CHEAP. But I can still count on spending $500 to do a Sat/Sun and that's not completely taking into account brake/tire wear.
D_Eclipse9916 wrote: FRS/BRZ are definitely bad-ass, weigh less than the E36 and are much newer. I Think it's a big trade-off of is $10k worth your time of dealing with an older car? To some it is, to some it is not.
This is sort of my position right now. After my E30 is out of my hair, I really want (arguably need) a fun auto-x/back up DD. Right now, I'm not sure the financial benefits of an M3 are enough to justify the "drive and forget" aspects of a brand new car. And it's not just purchase price, but IMHO the M3 has pretty much bottomed out on the depreciation curve vs. a FRZ that will lose value when you drive it off the lot. I believe that in 5 years time, you'll be able to sell a well kept M3 for what you will pay for one today.
Not to mention I've been down the M3 road before... and in some ways those mental scars haven't healed... no thanks to the E30, which reopened them...
I'm considering other, more left-field options as well, but these two (as with as a 1.8t Jetta) are at the top of the list.
20k eh? Mitsubishi Starion. Buy it for 2500, spend the rest on making it dead nuts relaible. /fin
I still want more than 2 seats, but I may be swayed by a Miata if I ever get to drive one.
I'm also not sure if a $10k M3 + whever repairs will be fun for me, or if a $20k FRZ with a warranty will be fun for me either. I don't know which one will keep me content longer.
I saw that M3/4/5 on M3Forum but I'm not ready to buy just yet.
And I don't really want a fixer-upper as I want it to be a DD. A really cheap Starion will not be cApable of DD work right away.
If you really want to do some auto-x and HPDE, the E36 M3 is a fantastic choice as well.
Very well supported, all problems are well documented and easily fixable. As mentioned cooling system and possibly rear subframe mounts are the only real issues..........but once those are taken care of, you don't have anything to worry about.
My buddy at work his stock S52 had 210k when he pulled it and that include 2 racing seasons and 3-4 years of HPDE work at the end and still had very good compression/leakdown numbers. He only pulled it to drop in a 331 stroker Ford with a big cam.
You would get four seats, or possibly four doors if you found a 3/4/5, and hell of a machine. $10k will buy you one that's up to date on maintenance, spend another $3k on suspension and spare set of wheels/tires and proceed to enjoy.
Like I said earlier, HPDE especially can get very expensive very quickly, so it would be best to scale back on the $$$$ toward the car and keep some of it for maintenance/upgrades/track time.
MINIzguy wrote: I still want more than 2 seats, but I may be swayed by a Miata if I ever get to drive one. I'm also not sure if a $10k M3 + whever repairs will be fun for me, or if a $20k FRZ with a warranty will be fun for me either. I don't know which one will keep me content longer. I saw that M3/4/5 on M3Forum but I'm not ready to buy just yet. And I don't really want a fixer-upper as I want it to be a DD. A really cheap Starion will not be cApable of DD work right away.
Well in that case I would go with what has already been said. Mazdaspeed3. My wife has the Skyactive Mazda3 and so far she and I are loving it. Once you have a hatchback it's hard to go back to a trunk.
Well, searching CL, I found a 318ti for $3.2k. Looks clean with one dent. Really want to check it out and talk them down on the price to $2.2k...too bad I'm in school at St. Louis and the car is back home in NJ...
My $ 17K Fiesta is fun to drive, not a power house, just fun. It is a momentum car.
Ford offers a couple of suspension upgrades, cheap.
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