EGProject

Well, the time is drawing near and I'll soon be looking to move on to something less.....Honda. Don't get me wrong, I loved both my Civics, and Jeef's old coupe (whats left of it, lol ) is holding up great. But I want something different.
In the springtime I'll be looking to off-load my current car and take out a loan for a different car.

I toyed with the idea of getting a 96+ Prelude, or a 99-00 Civic 4-door, but realized that I'm bored with Hondas. So lately I've been shuffling through a few cars that have struck my fancy and fit within my price range $8k-$12k. I'm looking at stuff that is used, not American and manual.

Heres my list so far...

E39 530/540i - Newer, but future problems can be $$$.
E30 330Ci/i- Old BMW's tend to be more reliable, I've worked on a 318Ti and it didn't give me any trouble.
SC300 - Comfy, somewhat sporty and has options. May leave room in the future for a swap.
Audi A4 1.8T 20V - Not my first choice, but it fits the bill and AWD is a plus.
BB6 (97-01) Prelude - Sporty, a Honda product, has plenty of options and is not really stolen that much around here.

I've found each of those cars well within my price range (some a bit over, some under) and a few with decent mileage. But European cars scare me, and I was wondering if anyone had any input on dependability/ease of maintenance on these cars. I'm a fairly decent mechanic, but having to do tranny rebuilds or replace expensive OE parts all the time doesn't fit with my way of living. Suggestions are welcomed, but please no "omg, just buy an Evo" or "Do a turbocharged K-swap".

__________________

Jeef

What happened to my old coupe?

__________________
Ex 89 crx si,91 & 95 Civic owner.

06 Silverado RCSB 20's, 2/4" Belltech lowering kit, waiting for 2 more cylinders, 1.9 more liters, and 208 more hp engine swap.

pissedoffsol

I don't think there's such a thing as an e30 330. they had the 318, and 325, and of course the M
330's didn't come out until the e46 chassis in the late 90's.


wildbill is still trying to sell his (97 i think) 540i 6 speed if you're interested.

EGProject

Your coupe is well and good Jeff, don't worry.
I just want to move onto something different. I'm doing a lot of driving now and I need some options (A/C, power steering, etc.). I've had a few guys ask me what I want for the car and this spring I'll probably sell it as-is.


Yeah, I'm not totally down with the BMW chassis codes, but I've been looking at the pre-E46 3 series. If he still has it in the spring I will definately be interested. Don't really want to get a new car right before the winter, and I want some time to save more to maybe open my options up a bit.

__________________

TurboMirage

want to trade?

__________________
Home of the RPW built 2000 Lancer CC Coupe.

See what is done to the Little EVO5

EGProject

Um.....sorry.


No, what got me into BMW's is that I got to drive a 98 540i auto and it was such a nice car to drive and oh-so-smooth.

__________________

TurboMirage

yeah you're right i should stick with my uncommon cars

what about a 318 hatch?

__________________
Home of the RPW built 2000 Lancer CC Coupe.

See what is done to the Little EVO5

EGProject

Because I like to pass other cars on the highway, lol.

My friend has an auto 318Ti and it's anemic as hell. Not to mention they look like they got rear-ended.

__________________

ep3moschini

get a 97' 240sx se

__________________
EP3-daily driver, EF8-sold, DC4-sold, DA6-totaled, EG2-Rebuild 10x over

klyph

SC300 has my vote, based on your list and the upgrade potential.

__________________
My Project
1978 Honda Civic D16A1 swap - IT IS ALIVE!
Do not PM me with tech questions. I will NOT know the answer.

TurboMirage

SC400 lol 1UZ-FE

__________________
Home of the RPW built 2000 Lancer CC Coupe.

See what is done to the Little EVO5

Seany-izzle

540

but look to spend more than 12k.

__________________
My name is Sean.

ep3moschini

im a banana!

__________________
EP3-daily driver, EF8-sold, DC4-sold, DA6-totaled, EG2-Rebuild 10x over

EGProject

I'd look at a 240 if they weren't so played out. Going to poke around the next few months and kick a few tires. I wouldn't mind spending more outright to get a better condition car.
The pre-E46 M3 4-doors look kinda interesting as well.

__________________

pissedoffsol

bill is selling his 540i 6 spd for 8500 i think was his price...

EGProject

Hrm......crap - I wanted to wait till the spring to buy one...but.....

__________________

E_SolSi

its a damn sweet car

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celerity E has a way with words, a way that should be reserved for beer ads and television show / movie premiers. "Stop horsing around with that complete childish batshit that you call <insert competitor product name>. Grow up and be a fuckin man and buy <insert product name>. If you don't, you might as well squat to pee, candy ass" "My name is E, and I approve this message"

МОΛΏΝ ΛΑΒΈ

EGProject

Yeah, the newer 97-01 Preludes made their way onto their list as well. The SC400 is out since I really don't want an auto.

Went down to my bank today and APR's for 2000 and earlier used cars are fucking outrageous. $34 a month per $1000? Christ. Leasing a new car is starting to make more sense.

__________________

Celerity

The SC300.... Weren't you one of the guys smearing the Almighty Supra for it's mass ?

__________________

pissedoffsol

leasing a car NEVER makes sense, unless you want a new car every year.

get_nick

i know it's hard to imagine, but 2000 is now considered "old". seems like it's still ok to actually "want" a mid 90's car. growing up sucks.

__________________
Explains my life to a "T"...