I'm having trouble getting a good idea what my next car should be.

[mwmorph]

I'm moving soon so I'm going to be looking at cars in the next 6 months because I won't be able to bring my car with me.

I'm thinking it needs to do 3 things,

1. Reliable
2. Sporty or a GT car
3. Decent looking


My price range is preferably~11k or under because I can cover that with a straight cash payment.

So far I've only come up with a couple of choices, either a Later Lexus SC400(98-2000 gen 1.5) or a Honda S2000, maybe a G35 Coupe.

I would definitely prefer a 2 door of some sort and a convertible would be awesome, but I'm split between a sports car and a GT car. Any ideas for additional cars to add to my comparison, as always, reliability is issue #1 for me since I don't usually have lots of time to work on my car.

 

[BassBomb]

g35 is a smart balance there

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
g35 is a smart balance there

The issue I have with the G35 is it would be in the upper end of my price range and also Infiniti reliability is an unknown to me. I know Nissan reliability during the 300ZX era left a lot to be desired and I really don't have the time or patience to keep fixing things on my car every month.

The biggest thing pulling me towards the Lexus is I know that the SC400 will be bulletproof for 300-500k miles as long as I look out for the power steering pump seal.

Does anyone have a G35 coupe and can vouch for how reliable it is? I've driven a few and they are extremely fun, but I'm not sure I can trust it.

 

[MiataNC]

1. Get a Miata
2. Spend the money you save on an S2000 modding it for Auto-Cross and/or Spec Miata club racing (suspension, tires/wheels)
3. Smile like an idiot while you drive it around town and/or on a track
4. ...
5. Profit.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: MiataNC
1. Get a Miata
2. Spend the money you save on an S2000 modding it for Auto-Cross and/or Spec Miata club racing (suspension, tires/wheels)
3. Smile like an idiot while you drive it around town and/or on a track
4. ...
5. Profit.

I've done that before when I was younger (AutoX MR2 Spyder) but I no longer have the time or ability to do so. I won't be participating in track days anymore (14 hour work days in the military, also working on promotion points) so it's going to be a daily driver, which is why I'm no longer all that keen on handling beyond "acceptable" for a sporty car. Also, when I drive it will be because I need to drive which means lower miles (and no care for mpg) but it needs to be there for me when I need to get somewhere with as little down-time as possible.

 

[Arkaign]

Miata is a good fun and reliable bet. It's very very small so I'd only recommend it for someone prepared for the compromises or with an extra DD available. That's sort of ditto on the S2K, it's no more practical than a Miata. Lexus SC400 is a snoozemobile, unless you're talking the mid-90s one, those were pretty cool really, along with the original SC300. Probably hard to find those low miles though. G35 coupe is the clear winner imho for this application. The VQ35 has been around long enough with few problems (unless you do extreme FI) to be pretty proven, and the rest of the car is pretty nice. They drive great. The interior is only mediocre for the class, lots of buttons / contact areas wear pretty badly, lots of scratch-prone plastic in the cabin. Seats are pretty comfy though. Be prepared for considerably more expensive tires and brakes if you're used to driving a more pedestrian car with 14" or 15" wheels.

As you list reliability to your list, scratch used german from even the remotest reaches of your brain. I love BMW's, and have a grudging respect for certain Audis and AMG Mercedes, but something small and goofy can cost you hugely, such as some obscure A/C component, electric relay, knock sensor, whatever. This is not an issue when you're driving a new one with a comprehensive warranty, but is a pain in the nuts when you're driving a 5-year-old 100k+ mile car.

The G35 6mt coupe performs basically identically to the base 350Z, which makes sense considering how much they share in common. Nissan fixed this overlap with the new gen, with the 370Z being considerably more sporty than the cushy G37. And of course many 350Z performance mods (Stillen, Nismo, etc) are bolt-ons for the G35 coupe as well. I wouldn't really recommend messing with it much. It's gonna be a ~300hp proper FR GT car out of the box, just keep it stock and in good working order IMHO. A proper performance intake, tune, cats, and exhaust would be about as far as I'd recommend taking things. Bigger brakes are hella $$, bigger wheels are unnecessary, forced induction is $$$ and can lead to degraded reliability for the VQ while giving horrendous fuel economy and increased emissions, suspension upgrades could be nice but you'll sacrifice ride quality, and so on. Oh, when I say say 'proper' performance intake/etc, I don't mean taking it to the fast and furious frosted-hair dummies that put type-r stickers on everything, I mean finding a really credible outfit like Stillen.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

2003 or 2004 Mustang GT Convertible

Cheap
Reliable
RWD
Quick
Cheap to modify


Chrysler Crossfire Roadster

Cheap
No clue as to relaibility but I've never heard many complaints as the the 3.2L engine is very good and 90% of the car is Mercedes.
RWD
Manual tran s option
Rare - so people stare
Love the interior color schemes

 

[Malak]

I'd go with the S2000, but drive it first. I hear most owners enjoy driving them. 2 of my uncles had one. One of them traded the G35 in for the S2000.

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Originally posted by: BassBomb
g35 is a smart balance there

The issue I have with the G35 is it would be in the upper end of my price range and also Infiniti reliability is an unknown to me. I know Nissan reliability during the 300ZX era left a lot to be desired and I really don't have the time or patience to keep fixing things on my car every month.

The biggest thing pulling me towards the Lexus is I know that the SC400 will be bulletproof for 300-500k miles as long as I look out for the power steering pump seal.

Does anyone have a G35 coupe and can vouch for how reliable it is? I've driven a few and they are extremely fun, but I'm not sure I can trust it.

Infiniti is quite reliable

(owned 1996 I30t, 2000 I30)

 

[chin311]

i vote s2k just because i want one myself mm

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: chin311
i vote s2k just because i want one myself mm

Me too but it sounds like he would be happier with a mustang gt vert to me.

 

[imhungry]

I went through the same choice except with a little higher of a budget and came out with an '05 G35 Sedan. If you know how to work on a car you could even look at some older 335i/M3s.

 

[mwmorph]

Thanks for the advice guys.

The BMWs are definitely out. It would be a dream to get a BMW E46 Vert but I can't put up with the problems and reliability.

I definitely forgot about the Mustang Edge Verts I'll look into them and cross shop with the G35s. I would definitely prefer a Mach 1 with the shaker hood but I'm not sure how feasible that is.

As for driving them, I've driven all of them (even owned a Gen 1 SC400 way back when) so it's really just a logic issue ATM, I'm trying to put emotion out of it because I really like all those cars, they definitely all have their ups and downs.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Triple Black GT Vert $11,500

No rust, low miles, 1 owner, Shaker 1000, 5spd trans.


Mach 1's with low mileage (30K miles) still go for around $15K. They made almost 8,000 in 2003 so I'm suprised they are holding their value so well.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Triple Black GT Vert $11,500

No rust, low miles, 1 owner, Shaker 1000, 5spd trans.


Mach 1's with low mileage (30K miles) still go for around $15K. They made almost 8,000 in 2003 so I'm suprised they are holding their value so well.

IIRC the mach 1s actually had nice, tangible upgrades over the other special editions like the Bullitts with only cosmetics. The Mach 1 had a 40hp bump from 265 to 305 and IMO they're the nicest looking Mustangs from 1974-2004 excluding the Cobras.

I got to go out and drive a Mach 1 sometime, oddly, out of all the cars I have ever driven, I haven't ever driven one of those and I used to work at a Ford dealership.

 

[lastig21]

I can't see buying an 11 year old (98 SC) if reliability is your number one concern. Unless you buy a car from somebody you know, you will have no clue how that car has been driven for the past 10 years.

With an $11k budget, stay away from lux brands. The maintenance, and imminent repairs (even if minor), are costly. I would stick with the base brands and buy as recent as you can afford, even if it means getting a more boring car.

With that budget, I would suggest a late model Sentra SE-R or Mazdaspeed 3. If you don't mind going more mainstream, you should be able to find an even more recent American-built people mover.