Let's talk about a new (to me) car, and what should I buy

[Merlin]

So I am getting bored with what I drive right now. Currently I drive a 08 GMC Sierra k1500. I like it as a vehicle because it is all of the compromises I can make for a vehicle that is both a car and a truck.

I have recently decided that I am tired of owning the truck as it is a depreciating asset and is worth 10k less than when I bought it. I picked up a 72 C10 and swapped a 5.3L into it and will have it running in the month. It is not a depreciating asset as I will have less than 8K in it and the truck is worth 10K+ and will remain or increase with time.

Unfortunately the truck will lack the amenities I require. Since I take my kid to school every day, I need a car with four doors. I would rather buy a car that won't loose value. I want something that is in the ~4k range and is a fun car to drive.

My first thoughts were to a 90's bmw...so that shows you what I am thinking about.

Y'all's turn... What and why?

[MPlayle]

So far the only "required amenities" I saw listed was "four doors".  There were a few "would rather have" items also listed:

• won't loose value
• $4K range
• fun to drive

I few more of the "required amenities" might be helpful to narrow things down a bit.  Maybe even so "I don't want ..." (cars to rule out).

[Merlin]

No those are all part of the required amenities.

Four doors
Cheap, but appreciating.
Fun to drive

Other than that, I am open to suggestions.

[Willie_B]

RX8 has 4 doors.

[MPlayle]

Mid 1990's Saab?
Mid 1980's small Mercedes (190-series)?
Early 2000's VW Jetta or Passat?

Also depends on what you call "fun to drive".

[Jims5543]

RX8 has 4 doors.

The stigma attached to the Rotary engine is a bad one, if you decide a one get the last generation of them the engines appear to be more robust. The 2009 on are good cars, I owned a 2009 R3 and LOVED it, the only reason I sold it was because my wife HATED it.

It rails and has pretty good power, the a-pillar and b-pillars are both huge and make for giant blind spots. You sit very low so if you are short like me or shorter like my wife then this will be a problem. the back doors require the fronts to be opened which is a PITA when dropping a kid a school if they are in the back seat.


Will the engine go? Probably at around 80-120K it will need an engine rebuild. Conversely a air cooled Porsche 911 turbo (930) will need a engine rebuild at 100K without exception too, and that will run you 10-20K. So the negative connotation that the Renesis Rotary needs a rebuild is perception. Granted a 930 is worth 80K and a RX8  is worth 5-10K.

4-5K range can get you a fun and well sorted E30. Go a little over and you can have a collector that will go way up in value.

Example:

http://windy-city-motorsports.ebizautos.com/detail-1991-bmw-3_series-318is-used-14576459.html

[jedduh01]

Sooo many ways to go!! your ' requirement list is too short..
Do you like tinkering with cars? or do you require performing NO maintenance, drive it type ride?

Yes = seek a European vehicle
if no - Seek a Japanese Vehicle

Do you need your vehicle to be utilitarian fun? or just fun

See= Sport wagons ( utilitarian , fun ) subaru STI!  or even just Impreza / Outback / Forester 
See fun - Bmw's for the driving experience
See - never touch - Honda's and Toyotas


I love my 96 volvo 850R  wagon ... Its sporty= its fast = its extremely Utilitarian= Rather cheap= Available to mod..   WHile i gave up a pickup truck and a classic Mini as my vehicles == I now can do near everything both could do with the wagon and a trailer. Still have mini and moke for small car fun. Only right now im struggling to take 2 Tons of scrap metal to the recycler in the wagon!

Appreciating vehicle = thats near impssible.... I agree the E30 could be a neat little ride- but buying a completley right one will be way more than 4K = or restoring one will cost way more too!

[jeff10049]

Man I'd have a hard time getting rid of the 08 truck but the 5.3 in the 72 is super cool is it still fuel injected? my dad had a 72 c10 I wish I would have got it but the timing wasn't right when he sold it.

Your replacement is a tough find maybe a old 4 door 280sel benz with a twin carb six. If you can still find a nice one that cheap they are going up. 
1990s land rovers can be had in that price range and seem to stop going down in value about that price range but I'm not sure if they will ever appreciat and a f-ing maintenance nightmare any appreciation would never cover the cost of ownership, but they are kinda fun.

Some BMW'S but need to spend a little more I think and be ready for some maintenance.

How about Jaguar? and be ready for Maintenance but the price is right and most stop losing value at about 4k. might go up eventually. 

Damn that 08 truck of yours seems better the more I think about it hard to replace value wise. But I get being tired of stuff.

[Merlin]

I think that what I am looking for is a vehicle that would be easy to maintain and be fairly reliable. I think that a late 80's early 90's something would be fun to throw back to when driving was visceral, but not uncomfortable. I had thrown around the idea of a E30 or equivalent. I am not worried about cross country driving as I generally take my wife's car when we go somewhere.

The 72 is a drop in swap. It will stay fuel injected and will be a 2wd version of my current truck, but dump half its weight and I won't panic when I scratch it. It may become the toy/hauler at some point, but for now it will be the rumble/hauler.

I would love to buy the car I really have a boner for and that is a 09-15 CTS-V. They are at the top of my price range and are few and far between. They also fall into the depreciating value and I have a hard time justifying one.

A Subaru WRX would be up my alley as well. I just wanted to get a feel for what you guys like and would drive.

Feel free to dump a category in this theoretical experiment. Just remember, it has to have four doors.

[Jims5543]

My BMW experience may be unique but I will share anyway.

I was not a fan of BMW's  they are douche bag cars I had no interest in owning.

My son, when he was 15 purchased his first car, a $500 E30 that needed a ton of neglect corrected. We drove in my 2 year old Audi A6 to Virginia to pick up this POS E30 and hoped it would make the trip back to Florida.  1/2 way back the Audi shit the bed and had to be left in Asheville where it took a month to get fixed. We piled into the E30 and drove that back to Florida.

In 2008 the lease on the Audi was up, you should have heard the conversation with the sales rep that called me prior to the lease being up trying to sell me the car or any Audi... It was comical.

My sons E30, we did all the maintenance work needed, timing belt, water pump, belts tune up fuel filter brakes suspension etc... He only had one problem after that, the fuel pump went.  In about 2 years that was the only issue with the car. I was so impressed with it I decided I was getting a BMW too.

We purchased a 2001 BMW 330i cash with 75K miles on it and drove it for 4 years putting 55K miles on it.  Problems?  HVAC Thermistor that controlled the fan speed, it developed a power steering rack leak, I never fixed it.  A belt tensioner started to make noise so I replaced it and the belts. It was a problem free car.

My son has fixed up and flipped 2 E30's now and now has a 318is with a 1995 M3 motor in it, he has had to replace the driveshaft, it developed a vibration and did a cooling system overhaul as a preventative maintenance item. He has had this car for close to 3 years now.

I have only had my E30 for just over a year, not a single problem, but, my E30 was a carefully maintained one. Once your go through and fix all the maintenance items most neglect they are rock solid cars.

We have no plans of ever getting rid of this car, my wife and I both love it. I am pretty sure my 12 year old will end up with one too, I may store this 325is I just purchased for him.

[Merlin]

What about the 5 series in that same generation of the E30? Any opinions?

[jedduh01]

Mid 90's 5 Series -are rock solid - not too much fuss. simple yes!

As said - some upfront maintenance would be expected with a higher mileage car...

For refrence + parts kits
https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/525i?year=1995&m=20&e=177

Bigtime controlarm and bushing set   700$ (might be overkill but OEM type ride)

Full Brake overhaul set == Pads , Rotors , Sensors.   350$

Engine might have some oil leaks of that age... dependent

coolant system - tanks and hoses might require refresh.

Expect a tranny flush.   After some or all that - SHOULD Be good to go!

Go a little bit newer - you leave the E34 Chassis- move into the E39 Chassis  = Regarded as the best Bmw 5 series sedan all around chassis ever.

for something like this - https://charlotte.craigslist.org/ctd/5403253854.html
  inline 6 - bulletproof
   5/6 speed manual - Solid
    Full size sedan = Win
Downside = That year had vanos engine issues-  while highty doccumented can be fixed DIY - but could be an issue.

My BMW Cred = Worked BMW Dealer for 5 years in the late 2000's = Plenty of exprience with near all vintages -- While I own an 06 ' 5 series E60  - wish it was the simpler older E39.//

DISCLAIMER  - BMW - Bring Money With you = no matter what  = don't expect fully trouble free all the time . or from day one

Goodluck!

[SoCalMiniFan]

I think that what I am looking for is a vehicle that would be easy to maintain and be fairly reliable. I think that a late 80's early 90's something would be fun to throw back to when driving was visceral, but not uncomfortable. I had thrown around the idea of a E30 or equivalent. I am not worried about cross country driving as I generally take my wife's car when we go somewhere.

A Subaru WRX would be up my alley as well. I just wanted to get a feel for what you guys like and would drive.

Feel free to dump a category in this theoretical experiment. Just remember, it has to have four doors.

Before I got my Mini I really really wanted an E30 to fix up. Preferably a 4-door. My Practical Better Half (PBH) couldn't understand me owning a very reliable, but very plain Honda Civic and an E30 that would need some maintenance to really get her going. My plan was to get the E30, fix it up to reliable levels and sell the Civic.

Fast-forward, we purchased the Mini, scratched the idea of an E30. 6 months into Mini ownership and nowhere NEAR done in her rebuild I was rear-ended and the Civic was obliterated. Literally, folded up to the back seats.  I will state minus a very sore lower back, broken Elbow from the airbags and a 4" burn mark on my upper arm area I walked away relatively unharmed from an accident that I was hit at 60mph and bounced into 3 other cars from a stand still. While plain, boring, and average to drive I feel the Honda was VERY SAFE. After the pain subsided I thought, YES I'll buy an E30 or an older Subaru with the pay out for my Civic. I'd have a Classic Mini AND an something reliable and fun to drive daily. Life was looking AWESOME.

But PBH stepped in, I got a Subaru. I wanted a pre-owned WRX Wagon because they stopped making the wagon in '14. If my Better Half wasn't practical I'd have an older WRX but we met half way and I got the CrossTrek XV which is a less powered, lifted, more practical version of the WRX.  But it's brand new, the most reliable of our cars and rated well for safety.  That's what PBH wanted for us. It's also way better looking than my Civic EVER was.

My point: Subaru's/WRX's are a blast to drive, they handle well, they tote a lot of stuff. The older Foresters with the Turbo option are killer, a little more conservative looking but fun. You can dress up an older Subaru really nicely and fairly easily.  I would love one. I'm hoping PBH's crap of a Ford poop's out in the near future and I can pass my CrossTrek over and get an older Subaru.

I'd still love to get my paw's on an E30 though but until I can have a garage full of toys in various states of "rebuild" I'll just have to work with what I have.

[jeff10049]

It's got 4 doors, but It might be just a little over on price.
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Aston-Martin-Rapide-d2086#listing=124730349

[Merlin]

Someone is working it now!

[Jims5543]

I have no real world experience with 5 Series, so I cannot comment. As I said though, if a 1988 M5 ever crossed paths with me and was a good deal. I would be all over it.

I also recently discovered the E30 320is that was never sold here in the states, when one pops up for sale here it is a I wish I could afford that moment.

[Mudhen]

Ya, bouy!  One word, Fix It Again Tony!

Sorry, had an epiphany.

[MtyMous]

[MPlayle]

I actually like those two Fiat sedans.

[Merlin]

So how is it that the Air Force Captain proposes a Soviet car?

I could go for either, but the fiat has been sold since 2007.

[MtyMous]

Hahaha. I saw the Fiat and they always remind me of the Lada.

My honest recommendation is to look for something domestic because parts are usually cheap and generally easy to work on. But... It's hard to fit the bill for everything you want. Most domestics with the modern amenities you want are turds from the 90's that NO ONE wants to drive. haha.

With that, I will jump on the Bimmer bandwagon. My buddy drove a mid 90's 5 series with almost no issues for years and, had he not been in an accident which was not his fault, he would have been able to sell it for the same if not more than he paid for it. Pretty decent investment. I was always partial to the early 90's M5's. 1991 M5's can be had for under $10k in good running/looking condition.

[jeff10049]

went for a ride in  a 2002 e46 bmw the other day they can be had cheap and are a great car once the lack of maintinace is taken care of. I think the one I was in was bought for 1,500 and about 4k put into making it right he figures he won't touch it other than oil changes for 100k miles. It had the small engine and was a auto trans and still a impressive car.