the ultimate entertaining "practical" car
 

OK, the Subie will likely be gone and I'll be in a rental car. I see the ortho guy Thursday and hopefully will get some idea on how long/bad rehab will be for the left knee/foot.

So I have two scenarios: in one, my leg will heal back close to normal in a reasonable amount of time, and I can drive whatever. In the other, my leg will be in rehab for a long time (or never quite be right).

So a couple of options I'm thinking. At the top end of the money scale, an Audi A3 with DSG. A tad under $30K. That's really the most I'd want to finance. Just below that would be a GTi with DSG. Then a Mini Cooper S with Agitronic. Other autos are kinda sketchy....if I'm stuck with an auto i need something to entertain me. The DSG is actually a manual trans. The MCSa has a torque converter.

The Mazdaspeed3 wagon looks to be cool, and Volvo has a new hatchback coming in Sept that harkens back to the 1800.

All those would be $20K+ with resulting car payments, etc.

Another possibility that this board got me thinking about was an E30 with an auto trans. They seem cheap to buy but I worry about keeping them running.

I'm assuming that I need an auto for at least one month, and probably more like two. I can rent, but at some point it would be cheaper to buy a car (especially if I can find a used one cheap). If long term I can't drive a stick, then all bets are off as the 911 would have to go and I'd need to find a tiptronic track car. But i'll cross that bridge when/if I come to it.

Rental? If that, try a variety...maybe a Mustang ragtop or something...

A Volvo's on your list?!? Geez - are you some kinda metrosexual or somethin'??? :eek:

My vote's for the GTi with DSG. Nearly the same as the Audi A3 for less $$.

-Z.

You can buy a decent E30 BMW off of craigslist for really cheap; $1500 buys a pretty good one and $800 for a beater. Keeping them running is not an issue if they are decent mechanically to start with, and you know how to check out a car.

You can always dump it for what you paid for it or close, this is called driving on the cheap and I've been doing it for years. Good temporary solution if nothing else.

E30 autos are dogs. Not a real reliable tranny either.

Which BMW autos aren't dogs? Other than M3 SMG. I can have TRE do a PPI. If I can find a decent cheap one that seems smarter than renting for one or two months ($600/mo give or take to rent).

Try to find an 325i at the very least. Make sure timing belt has been changed.

hmm...how about assuing someone else's lease?

Buy an old POS Auto Honda or Toyota then dump it when you can clutch again. THEN find a fun car.

Get the GTI, my girlfriend just got one and its a blast. It is also equipped with the DSG transmission. I have driven the Mini S with the agitronic trans and it changes gears soooo slowly. The GTI on the other hand is lightning fast through the gears and it handles very well. Also it is very comfy and roomy. It gets my approval.

Old E30 318is. cheap and fun!

I'd first see what the ortho says about your healing before thinking about a car. But that's just me: I'm never in a hurry to come up with a plan to part ways with $20-$30K.

With that said, have you read the pre-reviews about the MazdaSpeed3. One blurb said, expect "massive torque steer." Plus, I'm not certain from what I've read that the Mazdaspeed3 will be offered in an auto.

My wife is on a long term assignment in DC, which came with a rental car. Two words:

Pontiac Vibe.

Catch the wave:)

GTI with DSG hands down more fun than the piggish A3.

+1, on both counts! :D

i mangled my leg in a motorbike lesson...i mean...crash. my right foot is numb permanently in certian spots, but other than that, i can drive whatever. you will be fine. having said that, an auto is great in a traffic jam, and i bet you get a few of those down south.

i love driving fun, but i think you should give all the fun duties to the 911, and lean on the more practical side with the other car. what about a subaru legacy wagon with paddle shift on the wheel? there is a guy kicking butt with one at our AX's, while his 911 is under the knife.

i thought you already had an audi and hence learned your lessons... unless you'll dump it before the warranty runs out again ;)

Seriously?

http://www.cars.com/features/mvp/pon...n_overview.jpg
http://www.cars.com/carsapp/boston/?srv=parser&act=display&tf=/features/mvp/pontiac/vibe/vibe_overview.tmpl
I told my wife to look at this car when replacing the Focus.

Good choice?

Dodge Magnum SRT/8.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1156869371.jpg

Her quote was, "We can cross this one off the list"....

I really don't mind the looks, but I have not driven it. I'll give it a whirl this week and report back. My wife prefers trucks!:eek:

I've been looking at mid 90's Subaru wagons as a daily driver. Not sure how they are with an auto though

+1
Good idea! :)

Regardless of thedaily car chosen...it's obvious you won't be driving the P-car for a spell. If you haven't already done so, hook up one of the auto shut off battery chargers.

If you only need a car for a few months while you recover, just buy some old e30 325i/is. 2-3k will land you in a really nice one. You can turn around and sell it without losing any money too. It only makes sense to lease a new car, in my mind, if you plan on driving the car for a while after you're able to drive manual. Do you want to do that?

As far as the GTI DSG goes, it is a good transmission and shifts quite quickly. My friend has one and it is fairly quick and fun to drive. My only gripes are 1. FWD and 2. one of the worst sounding stock exhausts I've ever heard.

well, I found a 2004 325ic, fully loaded w/SMG. I can take over the remaining year of the lease for about $400/mo. That's (hopefully) longer than I need to rehab, but it might be an entertaining car to keep around for awhile. I don't think I want to go on the hook for a full lease or purchase right now, unless it was a cheap used car.

So at this point looking for a decent auto e30 and pondering assuming a lease with less than 12 months left.

Careful to read the fine print in the lease. Document any dings, scratches and wear and get signoff from original lessor. Some lease companies will fuch you over for what you and I call normal wear items when you turn the car back in. Make sure there's no balloon at the end either.

What lender is the lease through? BMW Financial? Chase? US Bank?

Be very careful to read all of the fine print. There may be a disposition/termination fee. Make sure you won't have more mileage than the contract allows as that can get expensive (at LEAST $.20/mile).

As long as you know what you are getting into, assuming a lease can be a great deal.

Good luck

You can buy E36 BMW 3 series (92-98) for 5k all day long. With performance shocks/springs, they are fun cars. I have 268,000 miles on my '92 325i and it still runs/drives perfect. They have timing chains instead of belts like the "god awful to work on" Audis. I am highly impressed with the build quality of the E36 BMW's. The car burns little oil and still feels solid. I get nearly 30 mpg with mine and I intend to "daily drive" it for many more miles.

Seems like someone just came out with a book on these cars too!

Any with the five speed auto will be significantly more fun than the older four speed auto models.

But, that also means something from the late '90's. I'm not sure when the five speed automatics were introduced, but seems like it was with the late E36's or with the E46 3-series.

I thought the SMG was a M-series only option.

nope, for 2004 SMG was an option on all rear wheel drive cars. It seems that the SMG is not exactly the same as the one in the M cars though. I'll have to drive it to see if it sucks...word on the net is you either love it or hate it.

Why not an M car then? It shouldn't be too hard to find a nice`02+ SMG M3.

If not an M car, then I might look at `02+ Boxster S tiptronics.

There aren't a lot of either car in nice condition under $30k, but they are definitely out there. Good luck!

SmileWavy

Yes, the SMG in the non-M cars is technically SSG, and made some Italian company. Apparently the SSG is more in character with an automatic, but some owners consider it the best of both worlds - it's smoother than an SMG but does give you the control of a manual in that it will hold a gear until you shift it, all the way to redline; most paddle-shift schemes don't.

I've considered that trans for my next Z4 for a more prosaic reason - I want more foot room for my big feet!