What car?

I feel like I'm getting close. $10-$15k. Fun, quick commuter. No more "Slow but fun in the twisties." If I can ever get the CRX done, it'll have that base covered. Four seats for occasional car-seat duty. Comfortable. Reliable. Somewhat easy/cheap to maintain. Bonus points for being able to carry a 4 X 12 guitar cab, but not critical. Think: "13-14 second 1/4 mile adult, cool, couch." Must have manual trans. Must have "cool" factor.

Short list so far:

E36 M3 4-door? Hits almost all the marks, but old.

E46 M3? Hits almost all the marks but expensive(?) to maintain? And pushing the budget limit for a decent example.

CTS-V?

TL? Overpriced, FWD, but I drove one and kinda liked it.

540i?

RSX-S? Underpowered (for me) but hatch, and handling, on the bottom end of the $$$ scale.

Mazda6 hatch? Intriguing silver bullet, but slow.

MS3?

I know. I'm all over the place. Help me.

I vote cts-v. Are wagons in that range yet? Just don't leave it stock! There's so much potential in there that to leave it stock is a crime against the grassroots gods.

Since you are in Atlanta, the land of anything automotive is available, I think a Volvo 9-5 with 2.3L turbo and a 5 speed manual. Bonus points for a wagon.

Saab Viggen in Coupe or Convertable would also work.

The e46 M3 maintenance isn't much more than any other BMW, the only real difference is the valve adjustment every 30k requires shims, which you can buy one at a time if you don't mind having the car laid up for a bit while the shims you need (after you take it apart to check) come in, or you can buy the full kit of them for $500. I have the same driveline in my M coupe and there's nothing else that out of the ordinary, it's less maintenance than your Integra was supposed to have, but no timing belt.

Ctsv! V1's are getting down to 11 - 12k now!

carbon wrote: I vote cts-v. Are wagons in that range yet? Just don't leave it stock! There's so much potential in there that to leave it stock is a crime against the grassroots gods.

I think the wagons are such a unicorn that they're commanding crack-smoking prices. I would love to have one over the sedan, but not at a premium. There's a sedan on CL for a supposed $4k, but obviously, sounds a lot scammy.

my kia forte sedan=] lol. for $8k=]
14-15sec 1/4, 4 door, I've fit four wheels with tires and four moroe tires in the back with the rear seats folded down, it's a 5 speed, it's cheap, and they are a good looking car lol

Realistically though I'd be buying an MS3 or an MS6
but if you want to buy my kia I'd be more than willing to part with the car payment=]

GTO?

G6. P71 or p72 interceptor. Marauder. Svt mustang with irs?

I ment g8!

Why not a non-M3 e46?

IS300 5-speed plus hair dryer?

I think you should go find a 540i manual and drive one, just to know. It COULD be a good match for your criteria.

I also think the MS6 should be test-driven.

turboswede wrote: IS300 5-speed plus hair dryer?

You all know it took everything I had not to say this.

You're looking for a reliable commuter, right? For a lot of those cars you listed to fall into your range, I'd bet they'd be old, worn out, not well cared for, high mileage or all of the above. Would probably cost a pretty penny to bring an older M series back to snuff if it hasn't been cared for.

What about a GTO? You can definitely find a well cared for one in that price range. Same with the Mustang GT. Not the most refined car on the planet, but checks all the boxes except being able to carry large objects.

Of your list, CTS-V is the one I would want.

Mercury Marauders are bad ass but not manual same with XJRs.

Subaru Legacy GT. MINI Clubman S? Neon SRT4. Newer four door Civic Si.

If you can get over the mullety fact that it's a Mustang, they're a fantastic value on the used market. If you want to be more subtle about it, then GTO. If you want to be all high class about it, CTS-V.

The looks/interior kill it for me with the GTO. No interest in a mustang.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/4128013249.html

Could be shaddy but worth a look.

Mustang has E36 M3 for carrying ability. I wouldn't dismiss it without driving one (unless you just really can't handle the mullet thing), but I doubt you land here even if you do. But it's going to be the quickest per dollar you're gonna get.

E39 540i6 is worth driving, but will piss you off on maintenance (Not because it's bad, but because it's very obviously not a Honda)

CTS-V seems to check a lot of marks.

G8, but I think they are still expensive. I see these as the 540, but with an LS swap already done.

The WRX isn't a couch, but it's quick. I wonder if the Saabaru adds enough E-ticket or not.

Couch is not an ms3. Think precision sledgehammer. It will clobber the hell out of you, but it will do it perfectly and you will like it. Torque steer is a motherberkeleyer. It's not meant for larger adults (I'm right at 6 foot 240, and the pedal placement can kill me some days). It will swallow damn near an entire KISS concert worth of gear though, and a couple of well bought parts will have it go from fast, to scary fast. The people that have to ride in the back will hate you if they're adults. Actually gets ok MPG. Most will have had the TSB stuff done now (rear motor mount, VVT actuator). Surprisingly easy to work on, as long as you don't want the front sway bar to change....ever. Clutch job will be similarly terrible, but that's a once in a lifetime gig. Seats are rather comfy. They respond EXTREMELY well to suspension stuffs...but you cannot leave the stock endlinks.

That's what I know about the ms3. I'd let you drive mine, but you're kinda far. Based on what sorta vibe I'm getting off your other selections, I'd have to echo the CTS-V comments.

Greg Voth wrote: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/4128013249.html Could be shaddy but worth a look.

Yeah. That's the one that was $4k last night. I wonder if he's missing a "1" up front. Might give a call though. Wouldn't that be some E36 M3?

How bad is the maintenance on a CTS-V? (I realilze I'm only stirring the pot here.) I would say that if the maintenance issues and reliability are typical early '00's GM (read: cheap, easy to find parts, and good reliability), then you can't go wrong with the Caddy for 12 grand. I had no idea they were getting that cheap.

psteav wrote: How bad is the maintenance on a CTS-V? (I realilze I'm only stirring the pot here.) I would say that if the maintenance issues and reliability are typical early '00's GM (read: cheap, easy to find parts, and good reliability), then you can't go wrong with the Caddy for 12 grand. I had no idea they were getting that cheap.

Big problem Iirc was the rear ends. They're sorta fragile... And because merica you're supposed to beat the piss out of a Corvette engined caddy..... They can be iffy. Other than that they're fairly stout.

sanman wrote: Why not a non-M3 e46?

Doesn't the 330i with some crazy acronym (ZHP?) get a lot of favorable talk when it comes up?