G35 or Lexus IS
G35 or Lexus IS
In his defense I was going to be his wrenching mentor. We did a bit of it at first replacing suspension bushings, repairing failed window regulators, etc. He even came over a few times to help me wrench on weird projects. Then I went back to school, he went to college/got a girlfriend/works every free minute. That's when we found out the cheap mechanic the family uses knows very little about BMW's and doesn't want to learn. He referred my nephew to another shop who seemed even less capable. That's where the expensive repairs for small problems comes in. I don't consider a fuel pump a big deal-well apparently it is if you pay BMW shop rates and shop parts prices. 
He doesn't have anyone other than me to teach him and I am focusing so much on my schooling that I am barely keeping my daily's running.
He has saved several thousand dollars of his own and his family is loaning him the rest that he will likely pay back over the next 6 months.
I am out of my element. I have always bought cheap and broken and save money by repairing the initial problem and anything that pops up. I still think he is better off buying something and occasionally paying to have it repaired than having a car payment. For that to work he needs something that won't break very often, and when it does doesn't break him to pay to fix it. I am trying to find out if that can be done with something a little more fun than your average appliance.
Cool, sub 5K and in Gainesville? Can they wait until the fall? You want an aristocrat class competitor with black tint and he'll have room left for either a modern double din touchscreen or to retrofit a nice set of mono blocks onto it.
Something like a Infiniti M35 (2006ish) or a Lexus LS430 from the early 2000s. If he can settle for an auto. A late w140 sounds like a great idea too.
Focus SVT got high marks when the magazine did a similar search.
Is "Miata" the answer here?
Not into maintenance? Corolla, Civic....
Once again, I have to be different. A $4,000 Saab 9-3 and spend the rest on any deferred maintenance. It looks good, isn't too fast, is nicely safe and gets excellent mileage.
19 year olds are that stage of life where pickup trucks come in rather handy.
I was going to say TSX. They are cooler than the camcord, drives decent, avoids the low end enthusiast car range which equals run into the ground and should be cheap on insurance.
V8, nice interior, plenty of room for friends and stuff, $5500.
a 19 year old that works and is responsible,I apoligize,I wasn't even doing that.
6-Speed, recent service, $4500
T5, AWD, $4650
GTXVette wrote: a 19 year old that works and is responsible,I apoligize,I wasn't even doing that.
No offense was taken. I didn't have the full story about where the money was coming from until after my first post and I didn't clarify that at one time he was making efforts to wrench. I know he's a hard worker, but at the time I didn't know any money had been saved.
How about an 05-07 Focus ST? 5 speed manual transmission, Ford 2.3 Duratec so it's simple and can be fixed with a hammer, should be well under budget. Similar concept to the Focus SVT, but with a much more common powertrain for cheaper repairs by a mechanic.
It has been mentioned here on GRM that Ford Fiestas, especially the trunk versions, are depreciating quickly.
I'll bet that $5k will get you a manual trans '11 with 80-100k.
Less sport but much newer than most other options and fewer miles than most other options; two attributes that appeal to the less GRM type buyer. Should then be easy to feel good about recommending to the parents.
This also gets you are car that is a "current body style" which then appears much newer.
Also, mainstream repair and inexpensive consumables.
Does Honda sell a cool version of the Afluenza
In reply to NOHOME:
They can be found in V6/5sp in a coupe if that fits a person's criteria. High resale means $5K will buy you a 10yr-ish old version. Still not bad imho, but not as smart of a purchase as John's Fiesta.
With a little massaging they can look pretty good.
IS300 or G35
MrJoshua wrote: I am out of my element.
There you go. You said it right there. Honda Element.
JohnRW1621 wrote: Focus SVT got high marks when the magazine did a similar search. Is "Miata" the answer here?
When I was in the Air Force a kid this age bought a Miata and got nothing but E36 M3 with typical "are you gay" jokes. It doesn't fit the "cool" car category. I wouldn't buy that for anyone aside an adult.
pinchvalve wrote:
Where is this located, please?
pinchvalve wrote:
This is what I came in to say. My V70 R is quick, but not fast. Plenty of fun, and lots of potential. If the heavens dump frozen water on the ground, get snow tires.
Acura RSX?
NMNA: http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/5912700591.html
Seems like these should fall into "honda reliability" yet have a big aftermarket, sporty exhaust available, proper 6-speed, etc.
More fancy appeal than a comparable Civic, with leather, moonroof, badge and whatnot.
Don't forget the Toyota MR2. Tons of cool factor, super safe, and all the running gear is pedestrian Toyota bits.
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