Hey guys,
Well, my dingy 97 Camry is ready for replacement. I've considered a few candidates. Max budget is about $200/month for a payment, which means about $12-13k max.
I _really_ enjoy driving, but I'm reluctant to get a pure "drivers car" for now. I commute 35 miles one way, every day. I want something comfortable, moderately luxurious, and hopefully reliable. I want something that I can shove around a bit (especially on Highway 17, if you bay area folks know what I'm talking about), but nothing too extreme. The "mid-luxury sport" category seems to be what I'm going for...
1) 1999 Audi A6 2.8 Quattro
This sucker is loaded. Every option. Very comfortable and supple interior. It's understated yet attractive, if a bit bulbous for my tastes. The 190hp 2.8L is thirsty and not too powerful, especially considering the weight and the Quattro system. It has a tiptronic automatic, and this is all well and good. The car is owned by a friend of mine, and it's in good mechanical condition, and has been well looked after by a local Audi / VW specialist. There are a few cosmetic issues, none of which are huge, but the dash computer display between the speedo/tach is a little goofed up, which would drive me insane - for sure.
120k on the clock.
$6k, + $700 to fix the ABS system.
Pretty good deal, but it's a bit heavy for my tastes and much larger than I need. I drive myself 95% of the time.
2) 2003 Infiniti G35
Also loaded. Leather, premium sound, sunroof, you name it. The G35 is much more what I'm looking for. It's got a 280hp 3.5L V6, rear wheel drive, tiptronic, and a good suspension. It's a coupe, it's light-ish and attractive, etc... I'm test driving it tonight. The engine is thirsty, which does kind of suck, but it's not much worse than the Audi, and has a lot more power, so thats okay. I don't know the guy who owns it, but the Carfax is clean. 95k on the clock.
$11.5k.
Also a very solid deal. Excited the most by this one
3) 199_ BMW 325is
My aunt owns this one. It's a potential sleeper. I think it's a mid 90s model, not sure. She lives in California less than a month out of the year, and it's been barely used since 1996, when she and my uncle started living (mostly) in Hawaii. She's impeccable at taking care of things, and I'm sure this car looks brand new, like everything else she owns. Positive there are no mechanical issues. That would _not_ be tolerated by her. The 325is is kind of halfway between the Audi and the G35, and has the potential to be very cheap. Exactly how cheap, not sure. She wants to sell it I know, but she hasn't gotten back to me on a price. I would imagine it would be quite low - maybe 5-6k. Since they are very wealthy, I could likely pay them directly instead of getting a loan, which could be even easier / cheaper. We'll see on that one.
For now, the G35 has me green-eyed. I'm going to drive it tonight and see.
What do you guys think?
Well, my dingy 97 Camry is ready for replacement. I've considered a few candidates. Max budget is about $200/month for a payment, which means about $12-13k max.
I _really_ enjoy driving, but I'm reluctant to get a pure "drivers car" for now. I commute 35 miles one way, every day. I want something comfortable, moderately luxurious, and hopefully reliable. I want something that I can shove around a bit (especially on Highway 17, if you bay area folks know what I'm talking about), but nothing too extreme. The "mid-luxury sport" category seems to be what I'm going for...
1) 1999 Audi A6 2.8 Quattro
This sucker is loaded. Every option. Very comfortable and supple interior. It's understated yet attractive, if a bit bulbous for my tastes. The 190hp 2.8L is thirsty and not too powerful, especially considering the weight and the Quattro system. It has a tiptronic automatic, and this is all well and good. The car is owned by a friend of mine, and it's in good mechanical condition, and has been well looked after by a local Audi / VW specialist. There are a few cosmetic issues, none of which are huge, but the dash computer display between the speedo/tach is a little goofed up, which would drive me insane - for sure.
120k on the clock.$6k, + $700 to fix the ABS system.
Pretty good deal, but it's a bit heavy for my tastes and much larger than I need. I drive myself 95% of the time.
2) 2003 Infiniti G35
Also loaded. Leather, premium sound, sunroof, you name it. The G35 is much more what I'm looking for. It's got a 280hp 3.5L V6, rear wheel drive, tiptronic, and a good suspension. It's a coupe, it's light-ish and attractive, etc... I'm test driving it tonight. The engine is thirsty, which does kind of suck, but it's not much worse than the Audi, and has a lot more power, so thats okay. I don't know the guy who owns it, but the Carfax is clean. 95k on the clock.
$11.5k.
Also a very solid deal. Excited the most by this one
3) 199_ BMW 325is
My aunt owns this one. It's a potential sleeper. I think it's a mid 90s model, not sure. She lives in California less than a month out of the year, and it's been barely used since 1996, when she and my uncle started living (mostly) in Hawaii. She's impeccable at taking care of things, and I'm sure this car looks brand new, like everything else she owns. Positive there are no mechanical issues. That would _not_ be tolerated by her. The 325is is kind of halfway between the Audi and the G35, and has the potential to be very cheap. Exactly how cheap, not sure. She wants to sell it I know, but she hasn't gotten back to me on a price. I would imagine it would be quite low - maybe 5-6k. Since they are very wealthy, I could likely pay them directly instead of getting a loan, which could be even easier / cheaper. We'll see on that one.
For now, the G35 has me green-eyed. I'm going to drive it tonight and see.
What do you guys think?
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