The Ten Thousand Dollar Sport Sedan

[wildthing]

Almost time to return the leased A3. I am leaning towards going a different route. Would like to hear the thoughts of the brain trust on these "around $10K" sport sedans.

Why a sedan and not a coupe? 5 seats are necessary so that my wife can use it from time to time to haul kids. Although getting a manual might be an issue...

E36 M3 - prices range from 5K to 10K. Love this and biased towards this. Seems like most issues would've been fixed by now by PO.
1998 BMW E36 M3
1997 BMW E36 M3 sedan 5 speed low mileage
BMW E36 M3 4door 5 speed

E39 M5 - there used to be more 10K to 14K examples but lately some ads are listing ridiculous prices. I'm thinking these may be less abused by previous owners than M3s. There are Youtube videos of how much people spend just to maintain these.
2000 Bmw e39 m5 *104k miles* Low miles
2002 BMW M5 E39 Silver w/ black leather interior, very low miles

C32/C55 - Seems to be priced closed to each other. Other forums list electrical/electronics, and the early models being from the Chrysler era.
2003 Mercedes C32 AMG
Mercedes C55 AMG

I'm tempted to add the older E55 as some are around that price range.
Mercedes E55
2006 Mercedes E55

Appreciate the inputs.

[unclebilly]

Jag xjr?

[greglepore]

You might want to dig into maintenance on an 39 m5 before you include it on the list...and now that they're cheap, no less abused.

[Chocaholic]

No specific response other than my myopic perspective: when a $90k car plummets in value, there's usually one key reason...the cost and complexity of maintenance and repair quickly exceed the value of the car. Cayenne SUV's are but one example. M- series BMW's another.

[WPOZZZ]

I like the E36 M3/4 as well. Perfect size, power and handling. Weaknesses are radiators that go at 50k, crummy window regulators, door panels and glove box doors that delaminate.

I had a W211 E55 and that car was fast as hell and very comfy, but it did not handle like a BMW. If you find one that a kid hasn't gotten hold of, it may be a virgin. There were a lot of E55s in my neck of the woods and many were driven by housewives. They had a problem with leaky fuel pumps, airmatic struts.

I had a Dinan E39 540i and it was a great car! M5 lite with great handling and decent power. The S62 had 100hp over my E39 and that would be incredible power for the car. Radiators that go at 50k, crummy window regulators, cup holders that shouldn't be called cup holders.

Never had a C32/C55.

[ZOO]

My 98 M3 may have been the best all around car I've ever owned. And because it is not a "real M" (eye roll) parts are pretty reasonable. I also think they are in the sweet spot, power and size wise for a daily driver. Fast enough to be entertaining, not so fast that it feels choked by normal driving.

My 03 M3, a real M, eye roll again, is exceptional. But it is a much more maintenance intensive beast, and parts are appreciably more expensive in comparison to the the 98. There is no doubt it is a "better" car all around, in the same way a 997 is "better" than an air-cooled 911.

Rob

[stealthn]

Do NOT get an older M5, I know 3 people that had them and all of them were in the shop more than on the road.

[wildthing]

Originally Posted by stealthn

Do NOT get an older M5, I know 3 people that had them and all of them were in the shop more than on the road.

Thanks. Most other search results point to the expense of maintaining. I'm thinking it's less "boy racer" than the M3 (not that there's anything wrong with that), hence it's second on my list.

The Jaguar XJR doesn't appeal to me. Maybe there weren't many Jaguars in the video games I played when I was younger.

This one looks nice though: 2006 Jaguar XJR *Gorgeous*

[wildthing]

Originally Posted by ZOO

My 98 M3 may have been the best all around car I've ever owned. And because it is not a "real M" (eye roll) parts are pretty reasonable. I also think they are in the sweet spot, power and size wise for a daily driver. Fast enough to be entertaining, not so fast that it feels choked by normal driving.

My 03 M3, a real M, eye roll again, is exceptional. But it is a much more maintenance intensive beast, and parts are appreciably more expensive in comparison to the the 98. There is no doubt it is a "better" car all around, in the same way a 997 is "better" than an air-cooled 911.

Rob

I like your perspective on this.

If they made 4-doors of the E46 M3 those might make the list.

[atcjorg]

Originally Posted by wildthing

I like your perspective on this.

If they made 4-doors of the E46 M3 those might make the list.

then you may look for an e46 zhp 4 door not as fast or handle as well as an m3 but regular 330 maint

[asphaltgambler]

That M5 listed on CL - is quite pricey at $29k +. He must be really proud of it................



.

[scottmandue]

Does it have to be German? There are some pretty sporty Japanese sedans out there that may be less of a headache maintenance wise.

[wildthing]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Does it have to be German? There are some pretty sporty Japanese sedans out there that may be less of a headache maintenance wise.

What are your suggestions? I do see some IS350 out there around the same price. But the above choices are the "performance" versions of the base model sedans...

[ninelevenick]

I'm also a big fan of e36 M3s. My previous dd was an M3/4/5, and I loved it. I'm not really sure why I sold it. They do everything so darn well. The 3.2 liter engine has plenty of torque in the lower rpms. I had my eye on that black one in Millbrae. It looks like it has some exterior battle wounds, but it seems mechanically sound.

[Tobra]

Take a look at a G35 or G37 sedan RWD, plenty of power, not a land yacht.

[LWJ]

E36 m3 came as sedan. They are cheap and unloved.

[onewhippedpuppy]

The BMW M cars are great to drive but not well made and they disintegrate inside. My suggestions:

Audi B5 S4 - find a stock one and they are excellent
Audi C5 S6 Avant
Audi B6 S4 - make sure the timing chains are done
Audi D2 S8 - owned one, possibly the highest quality car I have owned and worked on. Would quickly buy another.
Jaguar X308 XJR - don't discount these, they are very solid cars. I had one and liked it, way more than an M5, also quite reliable.
Mercedes W210 E55 - known for being bulletproof tanks
W211 E55 - probably pushing the budget
W202 C36 - another solid choice if the wire harness is done, old school MB quality. Another that I've owned.
Cadillac CTS-V - four door Corvette
Infiniti G35 - legitimate 3 series challenger but reliable.
Lexus GS400 - first gen was sportier than the newer models.
Acura TL-S - decent power, reliable, and manual
Volvo S60R and V70R - legit sports sedan/wagon under the radar.

[HardDrive]

Ford SHO Taurus? 365hp, much cheaper to fix than a krautwagon.

[wildthing]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

The BMW M cars are great to drive but not well made and they disintegrate inside. My suggestions:

Audi B5 S4 - find a stock one and they are excellent
Audi C5 S6 Avant
Audi B6 S4 - make sure the timing chains are done
Audi D2 S8 - owned one, possibly the highest quality car I have owned and worked on. Would quickly buy another.
Jaguar X308 XJR - don't discount these, they are very solid cars. I had one and liked it, way more than an M5, also quite reliable.
Mercedes W210 E55 - known for being bulletproof tanks
W211 E55 - probably pushing the budget
W202 C36 - another solid choice if the wire harness is done, old school MB quality. Another that I've owned.
Cadillac CTS-V - four door Corvette
Infiniti G35 - legitimate 3 series challenger but reliable.
Lexus GS400 - first gen was sportier than the newer models.
Acura TL-S - decent power, reliable, and manual
Volvo S60R and V70R - legit sports sedan/wagon under the radar.

Great list! Now even more to research!

E55s:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/5954350227.html - '03
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5975782214.html - '02

S4 with timing chain done:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5989100824.html

I don't see many S8s and S6es for sale.

[greglepore]

10k for a cts v? Really. Guess I'm getting old.

E39 and later m5's are stupid capable highway cars, but way too ponderous to be back road burners. Almost prefer an A8. Not as capable, but not as conflicted.