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Two options, time to buy a car, suggestions?

alkalinetaupehat

alkalinetaupehat

Senior member
Haiku thread title says it all really. Found two options near me which I like, budget is roughly $8k. Looking to buy in the next month or so, going out to test drive these two next weekend (schedule permitting):


2001 BMW 330i Sport

1990 Nissan 300ZX

The ideal car would have:
- A manual (transmission 😛)
- Sporty feel
- Upper 20's highway mpg
- Seating for 4
- Reliability
- A good stereo

I'm getting a car partly to go cruising and partly so I can go out more. Currently I rely on public transport and it's getting old. Going to pick up some Chinese food takes an hour, and last Friday it took 2.5 hours to get a burrito. I'm currently also taking some intense college courses and would like something to jump on the highway and unwind with, listening to some music and go check out the state in.

Where I start leaning towards the 300ZX is when I see the miles it has and what it already comes with. I don't like that it's an automatic nor that it gets mediocre gas mileage (16/22), but the first major service isn't due for 30k miles.

The BMW is due for a water pump pretty much as soon as I get it, and I have to watch for idle issues and window regulator issues. They're all DIY fixes and I can get the tools to fix them, though the parts are in the $100-$200 range.

However, other than those few fixes it largely fits my criteria and gets significantly better fuel mileage (18/27), while also fitting the sporty category much better. It would be better to cruise in and it has more cargo space, which is important since I'll be moving in about a year.

Thoughts ATG?
 
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I would go for the BMW because they always will look sporty and cool. The Nissan could possibly just look old in the coming years but BMW's always look good.
 
I think I'd go with the BMW, but no idea unless I did a thorough in person and by mechanic inspection. As long as you're ok doing stuff like water pump replacements by yourself, I think the BMW will be a much better bet.
 
You don't see too many liftbacks these days. Reminds me of my first car. The Nissan has lower miles on it. Keep in mind two doors typically cost more to insure. Gas millage is about the same but the BMW produces significantly more power. 160hp vs 230hp. You're going to have to work into either, but the Nissan doesn't need anything now. The only thing I'd worry about is the parts situation in the future.

I'm going to go with the Nissan though. Low miles, and semi-retro styling.
 
BMW hands down, the other thing is ugly.

edit: JESUS! Just read your were thinking about spending $8k on that Nissan! Wow... Get the BMW
 
alkalinetaupehat said:
Haiku thread title says it all really. Found two options near me which I like, budget is roughly $8k. Looking to buy in the next month or so, going out to test drive these two next weekend (schedule permitting):


2001 BMW 330i Sport

1990 Nissan 300ZX

The ideal car would have:
- A manual (transmission 😛)
- Sporty feel
- Upper 20's highway mpg
- Seating for 4
- Reliability
- A good stereo

I'm getting a car partly to go cruising and partly so I can go out more. Currently I rely on public transport and it's getting old. Going to pick up some Chinese food takes an hour, and last Friday it took 2.5 hours to get a burrito. I'm currently also taking some intense college courses and would like something to jump on the highway and unwind with, listening to some music and go check out the state in.

Where I start leaning towards the 300ZX is when I see the miles it has and what it already comes with. I don't like that it's an automatic nor that it gets mediocre gas mileage (16/22), but the first major service isn't due for 30k miles.

The BMW is due for a water pump pretty much as soon as I get it, and I have to watch for idle issues and window regulator issues. They're all DIY fixes and I can get the tools to fix them, though the parts are in the $100-$200 range.

However, other than those few fixes it largely fits my criteria and gets significantly better fuel mileage (18/27), while also fitting the sporty category much better. It would be better to cruise in and it has more cargo space, which is important since I'll be moving in about a year.

Thoughts ATG?
Click to expand...
Neither. You sound like you're on a tight budget and neither of these cars is appropriate for that. Get a Sentra.

You must realize either car will have substantial maint and repair costs compared to an econobox, right?
 
mmntech said:
You don't see too many liftbacks these days. Reminds me of my first car. The Nissan has lower miles on it. Keep in mind two doors typically cost more to insure. Gas millage is about the same but the BMW produces significantly more power. 160hp vs 230hp. You're going to have to work into either, but the Nissan doesn't need anything now. The only thing I'd worry about is the parts situation in the future.

I'm going to go with the Nissan though. Low miles, and semi-retro styling.
Click to expand...

The 300ZX came equipped with the VG30DE which iirc was rated at 220hp and ~215lb-ft of torque, so if I'm correct they have comparable power output. Insurance will most likely be through USAA so I'm not too worried about the rates.

Doppel said:
Neither. You sound like you're on a tight budget and neither of these cars is appropriate for that. Get a Sentra.

You must realize either car will have substantial maint and repair costs compared to an econobox, right?
Click to expand...

I actually have a good amount of disposable income and only really have time to drive on the weekends, so I don't foresee maintenance being a huge problem. Bimmerfest has a massive wiki on the E46 generation which I skimmed, and they mentioned around $1k/year including tires and brakes, provided I do my own work.

I'm not super-clear on what a non-turbo 300ZX would have aside from the 60k service though, so any idea on that would be great.
 
If this is for a daily, I'd lean towards the newer car (if you're ok with BMW maintenance).

If this is for a toy, you can get a very clean MR2 Turbo or a pretty nice MR2 Spyder for that price, or a newish Miata...or plenty of other options.

I've never been a big fan of the 300ZX, nor am I big BMW fan...but out of those two, I'd lean towards the BMW. The miles on the Z are really, really low (hence the silly price, I guess) - but keep in mind even though it only has 30k on it, everything is 20 years old and if those services haven't been done yet, they should anyway.

Post what you're looking for in a car and we'll come up with some other options too. 😀
 
As far as what I'm looking for, see "The ideal car..." part and the sentences following here. It's a weekend cruiser which also would function as a daily driver once I'm finished with class in a couple years. A balance of comfort, fuel economy, and power is desired, so I'm fine with something in the 200hp range and would prefer well-bolstered seats and upper 20's highway.

Another thing is that I'm into cars which you don't see all the time, so to me a blue w/ white leather manual BMW or a sleek 300ZX with a sub, t-tops, and wheels is interesting. Correspondingly an Eclipse, which I see fairly often, isn't. It's a very attractive price and in good condition though, bbs lm-r.

My thinking is that by putting fewer miles on it now yet driving it regularly, I can vet potential issues before having to rely on the car every day. I still have public transportation and plenty of time before any large road trips, so I feel more comfortable with BMW maintenance.

I'm not very interested in leasing a car, at this time I'd prefer to work towards owning a vehicle since I currently don't have one.
 
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Those 300ZX's were stupidly heavy for what they were, a lot like the 3000GT was.

I hate to say it, but a better bet for a cheap to maintain fun sporty car would probably be a Mustang 🙂 $8k will get you a real fun one.
 
The only thing the 300zx has going for is it looks nice but then so does the bmw. The 300zx is a fat pig non-turbo automatic bleh. Get a maita.
 
I wouldnt get either one. They are both quite old and money pit. If i have to choose, i will pick the 330. The z is 21 years old, i dont know if i can trust the mileage on that.
 
I do not understand why people would want to spend this much money on a car this old. Don't you think it would be better to step down a peg and buy something in the 05+ range at least.

Personally I am paranoid so i don't purchase a car with over 20k if I can help it. The depreciation is worst in the first years so the price is good.
 
Alright, so if we're looking for lower miles but within my price range and desired peppiness, what about something a little like this?

Yeah, it's not very unique, but it mostly fits everything else and looks in great shape. I'm sticking with getting something at least sporty, it's more a weekend car than a daily driver for the next year or so.
 
That's going to be way more fun to drive than the Nissan, which looks pretty good (I always like them), but is a thousand years old, and really slow.

Didn't look at mileage, etc, I've grown to really like the 3 series over time. $8k for a BMW seems a little light to get one worth owning.
 
Has anyone dealt with this site?
http://www.cars.com/

Seems legit, but a few deals there seem too-good-to-be-true ish compared to the stuff on autotrader.

Kinda like this one, and this one.

Just tryin to help, but I've never car shopped so IDK what sites are considered good and which aren't.
 
That BMW will cost you a small fortune to keep in good working order. I wouldn't get either of those cars quite frankly.

See if you can find an older IS300 with stick shift. A Miata would definitely fit the fun to drive category too.
 
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