On the shortlist are the obvious (Civic,Accord,Mazda 3,etc) I could consider something such as an 03-04 with higher mileage and no warranty while saving a few thousand $$$, or a more recent off-lease vehicle such as a CPO and buy with more confidence.

I plan to keep the car for some time (at least 10yrs) so the overall maintenance and reliability are a factor.I have my fun vehicles with the 350Z and the bike so a simple to own hatchback or sedan would likely fit the bill. Just giving those factors and with the budget in mind what are your opinions an a good candidate and any experience with said vehicle if any?

In short WWYD?

other then that, preference over dependability/reliability for choice

the farther the distance between your daily and fun car the better in my opinion.

12K? i'd buy something for 7-8K, and put the rest aside for tools and maintenance.

Very true. I daily a 90hp TDI and drive an R on the weekend. Nice difference.

Jim Ellis VW of Chamblee

It can chirp it's tires in 3rd gear and still get 45 MPG while beating New Beetles in stoplight races.

I actually drove a late model (06) Sentra, I could not get over how uncomfortable the seating was in that car. The lack of lumbar support and I had the seat all the way back and I could not relax my legs. It was just not something I would get used to on a daily basis. An unexpected problem that not even a 93 Geo gives me, who'd a thought?

Hey if the other car is a 350z, why not get something with space?

'07 GLS with alloys, sunroof, etc w/ 9k miles:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...01985

'07 V6 w/ 10k miles:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...34725

You can get the '08 with the stiffer suspension, big wheels and a stick:

Money saved from this can be put to good use in the Z.

Or if you don't want to go through all of that just find a clean Focus SVT and call it a day, lots of them with under 100k miles and can be found for less than $12k.

Modified by nopal 6.0 at 7:20 PM 5-1-2009

What you mean this plate?

Depending on what you want:
- get the latest Maxima you can find for that price
- get the latest Lexus you can find
- get the latest Volvo wagon you can find for that price

Quote, originally posted by a2a4raddo »

Is DDing an already at least 12-year-old M3 for the next 10 years really a sound proposition?

"Think, you humans who are split into two worlds, unless you want the gulf between humans to expand into oblivion, you must think!"

or if i wanted something more fun, and a little more expensive to insure, i'd go for a LS2, powered GTO!

Wow... you could have at least found a NON-ugly picture of the CL-S.... BTW, the slushbox TL/CL's have problems with the tranny.

TUNE YOUR ECU

Vote for energy reform, not just discussions. Bill Richardson for President

Want a Google Wave invite?

it was a joke. I suppose you dont recall when the answer to everyones automotive needs was an E36 M3 in the Carlounge?

I couldnt find the famous picture of the Extroil Blue Coupe Auto X-ing.

1992-1998 323i/is and 318i/is - would go for a well kept 323 b/c it still gets good mpg yet isnt buzzy like the 318

2002-2005 SVT Focus (or even a ZX3/5) - with an aftermarket tune, these can acheive 33+ mpg (SVT)

1997 Buick Regal GS - Daily
1993 Ford Probe GT - Project I suppose

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...rDESC

I actually drove one of these, a steal for only $8K. I noticed the 2nd gear shift and did some research. I found about about the tranny issues and decided a potential 3K dollar repair job was the deal breaker.