Decision Time....

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EGProject

YEEEEAAHHHHH
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".
 
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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.
 
Your coupe is well and good Jeff, don't worry. :D
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.
 
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.
 
yeah you're right i should stick with my uncommon cars :lol:

what about a 318 hatch?
 
SC300 has my vote, based on your list and the upgrade potential.
 
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.
 
Hrm......crap - I wanted to wait till the spring to buy one...but.....
 
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.
 
The SC300.... Weren't you one of the guys smearing the Almighty Supra for it's mass ?
 
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