New Car Challenge (inputs solicited)

OK, folks, here's the deal:

I need a family vehicle (No, no kids on the way. Yet.).

It must be fun (power:weight ratio must equal or exceed the P-car, so either small with about 200hp or huge with 400 ).

It must have 4 seats for nearly-normal sized humans.

It must have a manual transmission (I HATE automatics).

It must have good brakes.

It must have decent handling.

It must fall within the $20-30k range.

So far I've come up empty except for the new Subaru WRX (with its 12 week wait for an order, ugly looks, rice-factor, and well, U R A BUS).

Oh, yeah, it must be NEW (or under warranty).

Any ideas? There's a whole lotta crap out there that just doesn't fit the bill!

Thanks for all the fish,

blue

PS: No way I'm gonna sell the wife on another P-car. Damn.

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blue
'81 SC Targa

I just did a quick check on www.kbb.com and Audi, Volvo, and BMW ALL have cars in that range. I have owned Volvos and BMW's along with my 911 and really can't complain about either. I'd love to have the 535i back that I traded in on the 911.
Happy hunting...there's a lot of really well made cars out there.
Buck
88 Coupe only, for now

Porsche CAYANNE!!!!!!!!!

A4 2.8 Quattro? Some of the most fun is looking. Have fun
Les

BMW 325i.

You can cut pretty good deals on them, around $1000 to $1500 above invoice. Depending on where you live (sales tax issues), and how you option it (I'd get it with sport pack only) you might be able to squeeze it in your budget.

It is a TON of fun to drive. Revs very freely. Very quick (I think you'd be surprised if you test drove it). Handling, esp. with the sports pack, is very nice (17 inch wheels and pretty low!) One of the best 5 speeds around. Very sharp looking. Good front seat room and decent rear seat room.

As far as the WRX, its too ugly to even mention. Plus, it has a lot of power, but a 4 banger is a 4 banger, whether you hang a turbo on it or not. I'll take the silky smoothness of a BMW straight 6 over a pumped up 4 banger any day. Just my opinion.

I suggest you drive the WRX before writing it off (I wouldn't buy it, but every review praises both the power and the chassis dynamics). Can't get past the image though (they have a very rice image in New Zealand and I assume the image will grow over time in the US as it gets older). Extra performance is only a tweek of the turbo away though...

Other than that, the BMWs are a fine automobile, as is an Audi. Drive them. VW Passat is a slightly bigger A4 but hasn't got the image (or looks IMO).

Volvo etc is FWD which doesn't interest me.

Drive them - and see if there are any deals (in the current economic climate I would be surprised if people are beating down the dealers doors!).

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Cameron Baudinet
1975 911S

Blue - -
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"New, or under warranty"
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I don't like to purchase new cars for two reasons - the first is the big hit on depreciation and the second, I cannot afford the new cars I really want. I have instead purchased high-end cars coming off of lease. BMW limit their lesees to 10k miles a year, hence, you can get into a three year old Bimmer with less than 30K miles and a full warranty if you purchase it from a dealer. Typically, the higher-end cars have been better maintained since the folks usually have the bucks for maintenance. Also, many times the higher end cars are in a stable of other cars and may not even be a daily driver. We got a 3-year old 740il, with 25k miles for the family highway cruiser. It was in perfect shape (we still had an independent pre-purchase done on it) and it has been trouble free for the past two years. You might also consider high end Mercedes - - ooohhhh, wouldn't an AMG be cool!
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Chuck
83SC

I 2nd the BMW I drove a friends 97 325i convert and loved it..may even replace my 911 with one...still thinking about it.

How about the new Acura RSX Type S. Replaces the Integra GS-R. Good performance, gas mileage, and handling. Lots of aftermarket support. Honda reliability and a close ratio 6 speed trans. If you get bored you can slam it.

Used M3,RX-8

Don't thinks it's under 30 but the A4 2.8 Quattro is what I drive everyday. I drove everything else (BMW, Saab, Volvo and Acura) but loved the torque and quattro. The 1.8T A4 is 90% of the blast for well under 30k also.

Michael

Audi A4!!! , Great styling, German Engineering, Sporty. Reliable. Enough Said.

Dante Oliverio

My daily driver is an Audi A4 2.6 lt V6, with the factory sports suspension, 17' wheels plus all the goodies. Excellent value for money - fantastic car.

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Paul
911T'69

Certified Pre-Owned 540i. V8 power with great handling and 4 doors. Not sure if it can be had for what you want though. Worth checking.

My wife and I had the same problem. We drove all kinds of 4 door "sports cars". We liked the BMW 3 series, but too expensive. We liked the Subaru 2.5RS (this was before the WRX) but didn't like the cheesy fit and finish as well as the build quality. The 2000 2.5RS was a bit on the slow side. I have a friend that has one and it has AWESOME brakes. Handles VERY good as well.

Anyhow we ended up with the VR6 Jetta. Very impressive in all areas with the exception of reliability. I will be quiet now

I second a new Jetta VR6 for the price.

I say a A4 Body VW Jetta TDI with some performance tweaks from Upsolute. The TDI will run with a VR6 after that and give you 45-50mpg to boot.

check out the TDIClub web site @ http://forums.tdiclub.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

You would be surprised at what a diesel can do now.

Osidak
78 911sc Targa
00 Jetta TDI

osidak,

I am a big fan of TDI club too. Shame you haven't got more of these brilliant cars in the US. I have my eye on a 150bhp 1.9TDi SEAT Leon.

My dad has a '00 Audi A6 Tdi. Only 110bhp but the motorway performance is just excellent. 50mpg and will do 130mph on the autobahn!

In the UK, Audi has just launched the 180bhp A4 V6 TDI quattro. Nearly 300lb/ft torque. What a car.

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Phil Garner
'72 911E Sporto
'87 VW Golf CL 1.6 with Weber (x1!)

[This message has been edited by layzee (edited 05-09-2001).]

PT Cruiser, great retro style, economic, and generally gutless so you don't have to worry about someone in your family drag racing it.

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Allan Broadribb
'70-911E, 2.2l with Webers
http://www.cheaterswayside.com/uploads/Mvc-002s355.jpg

I'm not sure about the price factor, but Lexus has a BEAUTIFUL new convertible with HUGE room in the back seats. 300+ hp and very nice.

As usual, I haven't checked prices.

Check with BMW and Audi for exceptional vehicles (German DUH!) aswell. OH YEAH, how could I forget, there is a special edition VW Jetta called the Wolfburg. Same engine as in the Audi TT (but tuned down a bit) Sport seats, only available in 5spd, BBS 2 piece rims... all the good stuff.

Adam Roseneck

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1978 911SC 3.0
roseneck@cyberbeach.net