Another "Help Me Pick My Next Daily Driver" Thread

[Jandrews]

A little background...

I bought a 1999 VW Passat new and have been driving it to work everyday for the past 11 years. It has been completely trouble-free (despite the reputation of the B5 platform). It is black metallic with tan leather, 5-speed manual, and currently has 137K on the clock. I have done all the maintenance myself, which has only been brake pads and rotors, tires, oil changes, fuel filter, serpentine belt, air filters, cabin filters, timing belt, shocks, and steering linkages (ball joints, tie rods etc). It is still on the original clutch.

So, recognizing that this is probably a $3K car at this point, and it will need a clutch and potentially other costly maintenance as it gets up there in additional miles, I am beginning to think about my next car.

And while I love all kinds of cars, I can't come to grips with a $1,000 per month lease payment to get something cool, and change it out every two years. I figure the total cost of ownership for the Passat was somewhere in the $200 per month range, and I honestly still enjoy driving it everyday.

So...I am looking to upgrade significantly for my next car, but I am wanting to stick to the same longevity requirements. Here is what I am thinking:

I want something with some soul, some performance, some comfort, and some timeless styling. I want something that will go 100K with nothing more than routine maintenance. I want something that I can keep for 10 years. I don't care about gas mileage, as I pretty much only drive back and forth to work. I want to look forward to getting in this car and driving every morning. All wheel drive would be "nice", as I will drive this pretty much through Kansas City winters. I want something that will stick my passengers to their seat when I press the go pedal! I want a "special" model, i.e. not the base model of an expensive marque. As a result, I will likely be limited to "pre-owned" cars.

I find myself continually looking at M5's, M3's, AMG Sedans and 996 Turbo's. Nothing else really jumps out at me. Something like a BMW 335 or 550 would be possible, potentially if it takes well to mods. But I am completely open to trying various other suggestions to see if they fit the bill. Oh, and budget is up to $50K. Newer is better, as I want to preserve the styling as long as I can. In other words, I want the car to still look "current" 7 or 8 years from now. My Passat, while certainly no "special" or "soulful" or "performance" car, has fit this bill pretty nicely over the past 10 years, for a very reasonable cost. I want to do the same thing now, but in an upper bracket marque.

What I am looking for here is insight into which models "best" fit these requirements. I know there are no guarantees around longevity, but which of these "supercars" are the lowest risk from a catastrophic failure of some sort over the 10 year, 100K interval? I am willing to look at somewhat "older" model years, i.e. back to 2001 or so, assuming very low miles and excellent condition. So if a particular 2001 model year car (say 996 Turbo for example) has been meticulously cared for and only has 20K miles, that would be fine.

Anyway, sorry for the long read, but there are a number of folks on this board who have been down this path, and many who are experts on many of these European Sport Sedans / Supercars.

Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

JA

[Oh Haha]

Do you need to haul more than 2 people? Do you have kids?

If no to both questions, a late model M3 would be a good choice. Not AWD but with TC and good tires winter driving would be ok.

If you need the size of a mid-size, the M5 or MB AMG version would be nice.

A 911 C4S would be excellent in all seasons and they are priced reasonably now.

BTW-one could believe that you are a RUSH fan?

[Jandrews]

I do have kids (9 year old and 6 year old), but very rarely carry any passengers at all. If I do need to take the kids somewhere, the 9 year old can sit in the front, and the 6 year old in the back, even in a 996 Turbo, since it is such a rare exception. And even if I needed to carry 4 adults, it is so infrequently that they could suffer through the smaller, virtually non-existent back seat of the Turbo or 3-Series. In other words, those criteria are not really even a consideration.

Along those lines, however, I am 6'6" tall, and about 255 lbs, so I never fit perfectly in any car. The Passat leg and head room is fantastic, and the seat adjustability allows me incredible comfort. For this next car, I am willing to even have the driver's seat modified if absolutely necessary, in order to get me into a comfortable driving position. But my guess is that all of these are pretty good in the leg/headroom department, even the 996 Turbo.

JA

EDIT: And while I am a Rush fan, that particular quote from Red Barchetta really resonates with me, so I put it there as an inspirational reminder!

[Jandrews]

Oh, another quick question...do the new Audi's still have the same reliability issues and maintenance horrors? I was thinking about the S5, which seems to REALLY fit all of my criteria well!! That said, if they are basically the same platform as they were 5-10 years ago, I don't think I will take that risk again.

Thanks,

JA

[Oh Haha]

The 996 Turbo sounds like it's on your mind but what about family trips? Sure, the kis will fit but what about luggage?

With your height, I would veer towards the MB or BMW 6 and 7 series.

Think "Transporter".

[ErVikingo]

M3 or Subaru STi. (that's what I keep on looking to...)

[vash]

i would buy a turbo subaru legacy. new wheels, some suspension upgrades..and that car would be wicked fast.

the styling is sporty wagon. all wheel drive, and it will definately stick your passengers to the seats, searching for the imaginary brake pedal.

[Scuba Steve]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

And while I love all kinds of cars, I can't come to grips with a $1,000 per month lease payment to get something cool

I've never paid attention to leases, but holy crap seriously? People drop that much on a lease?

A 996 turbo would be loads of fun, a huge step up from what you have now. Maintenance I'm sure would be as well however, although it sounds like you drive a car easy because the one you have now has held up so well.

[Jandrews]

"Family trips" are not a concern for this car. We have a Ford Expedition for that. I have my '73 911 for track work, and also a motorcycle for fun. This will just be a back and forth to work car, and weekend trips to a buddy's house and stuff like that.

The Suburu STi certainly has all the aspect covered EXTREMELY well, except one in my opinion....styling. I definitely respect them, but the look is far from inspiring.

The M3 and M5 are great, but I worry about driving a BMW for 100K miles. They have so many bells and whistles that I fear a lot of headaches after about 60K.

The 996 Turbo is such a special car, it just seems like even if something did go wrong, it would be "worth" fixing. And they are so much simpler (from an electronics and gadget perspective) than the BMW's.

The only "concern" I have with the 996 Turbo, is the comfort factor. It is considerably smaller than the others, as well as a lot smaller than the Passat I have today. Being a big gorilla like I am, and at 46 years old, I am just wondering if I wouldn't enjoy the comfort of a big, powerful sedan better.

What about a 2005 E55 AMG? Can I get 100K trouble-free miles out of a car like that? Or a 2008 C63 AMG? Reliable for 10 years if taken care of?

JA

JA

[Oh Haha]

996 Turbo sounds like the obvious choice given the new info.

You can't beat the prices now.

They are bigger on the inside than appearance suggests.

[HardDrive]

I just purchased a 997S with the intention of driving it for at least 5 years. Its tiptronic. Very comfortable car. Just a shade more than 50k. CPO warranty and only 13k on the clock.

I think Subarus are a great option. And STI outback would be a blast to drive, and practical as well.

I'm a big fan of the CPO programs. You get 2-3 year old lease return cars that are virtually new for 30-50% off the new cost, and you get a warranty. My 997 was my third CPO purchase.

[kaisen]

Where do you live? Do you get snow or bad roads?

[ghost1001]

I DD a 2005.5 audi s4 (the newer one….but not the newest), it fits just about all of your criteria, I bought it CPO for 25k, it had 50k on the clock and the cpo covers bumper to bumper for 24 months and up to 100k.

The car is AWD and good in the snow....it is heavy and kind of sucks on gas if you play around with it, the TQ is great and it is fun to push around corners and on ramps....the things revs up nice when you get on the gas. It can be very fast when you want but it will oversteer a good deal.

A fun car to dd and very comfortable for everyday use….everything has held up well and the build on the car is just about rock solid. It is a sleeper and draws very little attention which is good at speed.

I am looking to get a new DD in the spring, maybe, and have looked at the new s4 and the new m3.

Both very nice cars, the m3 is next level in performance and you don’t have awd, that said it is for sure the best sports sedan out there.

I also like the idea of a CPO 996 turbo, just not sure if that is practical enough with 2 kids….that is want the 911 is for I guess.

I would stay away from MB amg cars most have been driven hard and the handling is not really there. They are also very expensive to fix…..not impressed.

I think the audi is worth a look.....I drove the new s4 and it is very nice the suspension has been dialed in, but you loose the 8cyl.....but you can mod the fi 6....so maybe that is better in the longrun.

Kevin

[HardDrive]

I would also like to say a big fat NO to Mercedes. Great cars on many levels, but the quality is still not there.

[RedBaron]

2000-2002 BMW M Coupe:

http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/MG_3503.jpg

http://www.theautochannel.com/cybercast/laautoshow98/images/bmw_m_coupe.jpg

http://carfreaks.net/g2/15070-3/mr_mcoupe.jpg

Has the S54 Engine (315hp), reliable, sexy, and it's really unique. You can find really nice examples with very little use for 20k-30k.

[ddbach]

I too went through this debate. I have a generally well-behaved 99 Passat V6 5spd w/ 156K still on its original clutch which was still in good shape when the belts were done at 148K. Original suspension too still doing well. It wants a valve cover gasket right now though. I started wondering about the clutch after reading clutch stories on the 944's (rubber center). The Passat has a spring centered clutch. Over on PassatWorld there are multiple individuals with over 200K on their original clutches and even one person at over 320K. With your history of staying on top of maintainence you quite likely will be good for quite some time.

On 335's there is the HPFP issue which is covered under warranty for 10yr, 120K miles. Mine was replaced at 42K. The 335 has more oompf and with the sport suspension is a good compromise in accessiblity for family vs fun for me. Rear seat is smaller and the trunk space is slightly smaller as well compared to the Passat. Headroom is somewhat less but with a coupe the seat will move quite far back. Gas mileage has been only mildly worse than the Passat, 29mpg @ 60mph avg from Indianapolis to SE WI going through Chicago. A M3 would be more fun still. Newer models have more electronic things to potentially cause mayhem with age so while I'm hoping to keep this one a good long time as well I'm a bit less confident

[onewhippedpuppy]

With your criteria the 996TT sounds like a no brainer. It is the only car of the bunch that really qualifies as special. The M5 has VANOS issues that cost thousands to repair, and the leather and interior does NOT wear well. The M3 has carbon buildup issues that are also pricey to fix, as well as subframes that are prone to tear from the unibody. The AMG and S4 are cool cars but not particularly reliable, and ultimately they are simply hot-rodded versions of average cars. The 996TT is a daily driver supercar.

[Jandrews]

Matt,

Thanks for pretty much confirming where my head already was. It is reassuring to hear your comments on the BMWs and Mercedes, as I also just didn't feel like they were "worth" buying.

I think I can keep the 996 Turbo for 10 years and still have a pretty cool car. And these cars are now selling literally for 30 cents on the dollar of their original cost, even for one in excellent condition with low miles.

Any good sources for finding these cars? Anyone here have access to auction buying? I would be willing to travel to purchase if the right car came around.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

JA

[porsche4life]

I'd think a 996 TT would be an awesome DD. I'm thinking the 997TT or TTS will be getting downright reasonable when I get out of school. Can you all guess what my first stupid purchase will be once I get gradiated?

[onewhippedpuppy]

JA, Kaisen on this BBS is a dealer and has done auto locating for several Pelicans who were positive about the experience. I think Terrybpp (correct?) also just started as a salesman at a Porsche dealership in Florida.

I drove an E39 M5 a short time back and was very underwhelmed, it really didn't impress me more than a 540i. That's part of the motivation for my comments.