Sarlacc

Yup yup.

I just drove my Durango from Vegas to the CA desert via empty backroads....I had FUUUUN. I just looked over at my wife and said, have I mentioned how much I love this car. She laughed.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Since they're similar vehicles, what do you think? GC or Durango? Probably in the market for a '14 and purchasing Mopar completecare.

Sarlacc

Depends if you need 3 rows or not. I have the RT, so I have the sport suspension on top of the 5.7. I fucking love it. If I could afford the SRT model coming out at the end of the year I would already have a deposit on one. I like them both (GC and Dodge) but I LOVE my Durango.

TacoBello

Rancher, you're trying to be a baller on a budget.

I wouldn't buy ANY of those cars, if they're in the 16-20k range. You're looking at nothing but luxury cars, yet you want to pay pennies on the dollar... You get what you pay for. Any of those cars, in the 16-25k range are likely old with a shit ton of mileage. That means you'll likely have expensive repair bills sooner than later. Even if a car is super reliable, it still needs money dumped into it to keep it going. Nothing lasts forever.

Personally, if you want to keep your budget low, I think you should reconsider what you're looking for. You can get a fairly new Accord with the V6 and low km for that price range.

Lol. I see nothing but regrats coming soon. Major regrats. "Bros, I want the most luxurious and fastest and best maintained car out there... But I only gots $34.50."

i apolgize for making fun... But it's way too easy.

TacoBello

Also, if the depreciation is the one thing you're so concerned about, you shouldn't be buying another car. Or any car, for that matter. I don't mean to be a dick, but it's true. Well, unless you're willing to buy and daily drive a vintage Ferrari, or McLaren F1, or the likes. I hear those are good at keeping their value.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

No need for 3 rows (and no kids). That is why I leaned towards the GC, but the GC doesn't look as good and I feel like the R/T is more refined. I can't afford a SRT and wouldn't want one because I can't get the mopar warranty with it (lifetime). In the mood to drive a 'taller' vehicle.

Rancher2005

A lot of good perspective in everyone's responses, just not yours. Probably projecting your own discontent. At no point did I say I was unwilling to perform routine maintenance, could not cover necessary repairs, or only wanted to "ball on a budget" of $34.50. A good response might have been "Hey have you checked out used G37's? They might be in line with the performance you want and can be found in good condition in your price range!" - Just an example. There must be a reason these albeit 12 year old "luxury" vehicles fall into this price range in that the market has placed this residual value on them. Is a 12 year old CTS-V for nobody to own? When it hits below 25K should it go to the scrap yard?

I'm simply asking of the vehicles above or those that I haven't considered, what would be the best bet? I'm not asking for something for nothing. I suspect maybe your perspective is skewed because 16,000 loonies amounts to shit in USD. At least I can look forward to spending my summer vacations in QC for pennies on your dollar

Sarlacc

Get the Durango RT then. I'm at 31k miles. No issues. Don't miss my Challenger.

Though I did see a new Destroyer Grey Scat Pack Charger that gave me wood this morning when I had my wife's Cherokee getting a recall taken care of...

Sarlacc

Poking a hornet's nest is how they say...stupid. I would suggest being a tad more humble.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

There are several first Gens even locally between $20k and $25k. I guess it depends on what a fuck ton of miles is. The ones I saw on CarGurus were between 70k and 95k miles. I probably wouldn't go that high mileage... but 70k isn't awful. Thing is you'll be in a 10 year old Jeep to get into that price point... <br /><br /><br />In all fairness Taco's reply could come across as insulting to noobs.<br /><br />So here's the warning... Taco... ease up a bit. Rancher, it's just Taco being Taco. If you can't roll with it... let it slide.

00TL-P3.2

Well said, from someone with quite the garage

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

So have you checked out used G37s? They did make a sedan with a manual correct? Maybe you answered your own question.

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

G37 6MT sedans are no slouch .. quite a bit faster than the auto TL-S.

oonowindoo

I disagree,, you definitely can. Think harder

CmMx112

As perviously mentioned before, I would recommend looking into a WRX/STI. Resale and reliability are major points to consider, Ive seen many used '02-'04 WRX's above the 100k mile mark still selling in the 5-8k dollar range. A good buddy of mine purchased a 2011 WRX new, sank around 3k in bolt-ons/tune and is around the 320HP range, and similar numbers in the TQ department. For comparison, he pulled my '00 stock LS1 Trans Am by a car, maybe a little more up to 40MPH, after that it was a different story. If he were to have the 6-speed equipped STI, things may have been a bit different. There are options out there. You can find a similar car, hatch or sedan for around what you're looking to spend.

00TL-P3.2

Rancher2005

I'll relax a bit. I have been opposed to Nissan and Infiniti for some time without much justification other than being a TL owner but maybe they're worth giving another look. RWD M/T should be fun with over 300 hp for a DD.
On another note there is a '06 C55 with only 50k miles near 07446. Sadly it''s listed almost $19k which car gurus suggests is over 3k too much.

Thoughts?

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ I was actually going to suggest an older C-Class AMG, but you have to remember with the Germans... it's pay to play. We've owned German cars as our primary for ~12 years now and we love them... but don't expect $20 oil changes and if something goes wrong, you'll be spending 2-3x more (minimum) on parts and labor.

If you're OK with that, they are great cars and generally reliable... but keep in mind it's an 11 year old car... so factor in maintenance. It will guzzle gas as well...

TacoBello

JB, the guy comes in here with a list of luxury cars and all he says he cares about is the car not depreciating. Further more, he gave us no actual budget, but a "well about 16k sounds good" and having to read through the lines that he might be willing to go to 18k.

While I did come off as an a$$, there's a reason for it- it's quite clear OP did *zero* reading or analysis whatsoever on any of these cars and what it takes to keep them going at the age they are at, and what common problems/issues are and associated costs for fixing them. Nor did he even consider what it costs to get into some of these cars. In reality, he made a list of cars he finds good looking and powerful and then asked which he should buy, with once again, the key concern being minimal depreciation. And nothing more. He didn't even list was model years he's wanting for each, leaving us to speculate and guess and for all we know, no one is even talking about the same model.

There's a reason the cars that fit his price point are at that price for a reason. Many of those cars were 60-100k at one point. Now they're selling for pennies on the dollar. They've been driven hard, abused, crashed and repaired, or have a crazy amount of miles on them which only spells financial disaster to me. At that point, depreciation is the last thing to be worrying about. .

Would you in good faith recommend a $16,000 CTS-V, E55 or IS-F to anyone you know? I sure wouldn't. I wouldn't have the stomach for it.

Sorry, I just find such a thread incredulous, to say the least. Maybe it was the poorly pieced together initial post with a TON of information missing. Is he repairing the cars himself? Does he have a contingency budget for expensive repairs? If so, how big? How many miles does he intend on putting on the car every year? How long does he plan to keep it? Etc., etc. It's not our job to be asking these questions and doing research for him. It's more than fun to help someone with questions or needing help deciding on a car, but this is on another level altogether.

Either way, all the luck to him with whatever he does end up buying. I've said my

00TL-P3.2

Aside from the rear end issues, how are the 1G CTS-Vs? Anything in particular (besides tires ) that would keep them $$$ to run/maintain?

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

The problem is he is a fairly new member (as far as posts go) and is (my assumption) either younger or just trying to figure out the automotive landscape. He put an emphasis on depreciation b/c it's obvious he's trying to buy a more "fun" car while also potentially purchasing some property down the road... so it's not a stretch to see why money would be an important piece of criteria. Not everyone comes in with a ton of knowledge and not everyone who posts here even knows what they want. That's why it's called "Car Talk". To jump on him b/c you find a thread ridiculous or b/c the initial post appeared to be a brainstorm rather than a structured post is not necessary.<br /><br />Hell, a couple year ago I posted about wanting a sub-$15k beach cruiser... got tons of suggestions... then went out and bought a 996 Carrera Cabrio which was well over the initial budget and even against some of my initial requirements when I was looking for suggestions. Sometimes people come on here with some general thoughts, then use the content of a thread to find direction. It's no reason to jump on someone or borderline personally insult them by calling them names.<br /><br />If you find threads like this incredulous, then don't reply or stay in Ramblings and insult people since it's a little looser over there...

thoiboi

The tone could use a little work but the underlying message is still valid to OP.

and like you said:

wackjum

I am a huge fan of buying older sports cars. I think they are a great way to enjoy motoring while not committing financial suicide. But they're a poor choice to drive everyday.

First, let me post this:

I took my SL55 AMG to get a state inspection done yesterday. My car is in nearly perfect running condition. There are only two things wrong with my car right now. The first is that the RF Receiver does not work (it keeps popping the fuse) so I can't lock/unlock my car using the key fob. Secondly, the washer reservoir is leaking at the connection with the pump (this is why the tech checked fluid leaks). Despite this, they still wanted me to do $3,500 in maintenance and service. Let's say instead of the crazy dealership prices, I go to an independent shop who charges 50% of these prices. That's still almost $2,000 worth of service on a car that only has 67,000 miles. And this on a car that I upkeep myself and keep in nearly pristine condition.

All I can say is if you're buying an older Mercedes AMG, you need to be able to do the work yourself. And it's still going to cost you. There are 16 spark plugs, costing $12.00 each. That's $200 in parts alone that you can't really get around not paying, assuming you do the work yourself. Since I've gotten this car, I've driven it about 5k miles. I've also spent about $3,000 maintaining it, doing 100% of the work myself. And the engine, transmission, and electronics is shared with the C55 AMG you're looking at. The only difference is that mine is supercharged. You also have the Airmatic suspension, which is worse than the ABC suspension in terms of reliability, but at least a coilover conversion should be possible.

Secondly, this is hardly my only vehicle. I would expect more issues to crop up if I was driving it daily. Certainly in the least I would be buying tires more often. I spent $1,200 on tires not long after I got the car. You have to go with max performance summer compounds on these cars. Otherwise, what's the point because you won't be able to deliver the power to the ground. And most "true sports cars" have aggressive camber and toe settings to improve turn-in. This means you go through tires pretty quickly. Even Honda S2000's with their modest 240 hp go through rear tires pretty aggressively. Just driving down the highway, you're scrubbing their life away.

Depreciation wise, both my SL55 and 911 have been pretty good. The SL55 I can probably sell for the same price I bought it, and the 911 has gone up in value slightly. But this is because I don't drive them daily. If I were to pack on the miles, they'd be worth less.

All cars are going to have some issues just because they're older. I have a pickup truck (Nissan Frontier) that has been fairly reliable. It is a 2007 with 140,000 miles. The other day, the alternator went out. No big deal. I parked the truck and bought a new alternator off Amazon. Then I spent half a day putting the alternator in. I fired up the truck to discover the new alternator letting out a huge whine and getting burning hot to the touch even though it was only running for 30 seconds. It was a defective part. I ended up having to let the truck sit for a week before I had enough time to take the defective one out, and pop one in that I bought from Autozone (for twice the price). I have a 2003 CL Type S 6MT that has been very reliable. But I am about to have to take it offline for a while to fix some nagging issues (it has an exhaust leak, the ballasts in the headlights need replacing, A/C has a Freon leak, and it needs new tires and brakes).

This is the way it is with older cars. I'm just trying to put some real world experience with what I'm saying.

In summary, here's my points:

1. Do buy older sports cars if that's what you want. But be aware of what you're getting into.
2. You NEED a backup car if you're getting into older/high mileage cars. The more high-strung the car is, the more it will require upkeep. You don't get that power and tight handling without tradeoffs.
3. Don't drive a sports car as a daily. Not only will you destroy the value, you will greatly multiply your maintenance costs. And you'll get accustomed to it.
4. You don't need power to have fun. You need variety. I had loads of fun in my Toyota Prius. It had no power, but it did handle pretty good (low cg from the battery pack). I could floor that little thing flat out and point and shoot it through turns. I enjoyed driving that thing faster than most people drive their sports cars.

AnthraciteAspec

iTrader: (6)

AIR FILTRER

Jokes aside, great post.

Rick_TL-S

I had 2 buddies who owned them years ago. 1 of them was at a point where he was running around 700Hp with spray. I don't recall either having any issue except the aforementioned rear ends failing on both cars. I think that's probably where things get pricey, but due to their age now-a-days, I'd like to think it's not as bad on the wallet if you know where to source the parts & have the knowledge to do it yourself.

Otherwise, basic service should be all it takes. They don't strike me as money pits unless you buy an abused one.
I've seen a couple owners mentioning having to replace parts that tend to go at that mileage (like the water pump), but other than that, they're crazy reliable. More than a few owners pushing 100,000 miles that haven't had any problems other than replacing the tires, brakes, etc. items. Some guys are already at 200,000 miles and report the car still runs as strong as it did new.

00TL-P3.2

^ Just out of curiosity, I browsed Houston for 1G CTS-Vs & they aren't terribly priced for the last 6.0 models.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

imo, this is the best post.

shoot this is my post.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Don't pull a muscle patting yourself on the back

Rancher2005

It might be the 2nd worst to be honest. I appreciate the advice from everyone, particularly actual owners that can speak to the on-going maintenance and aren't condescending towards those with a budget. Will update once I've made a decision.

kurtatx

Shhhhh! Don't let Saintor know he can quote himself

kurtatx

Not my best effort.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

I'm gathering that he'll shoot himself in the foot if he does quote himself....

Rancher2005

Picked up a 2010 TL SH-AWD M/T with 70k miles under budget...Palladium Silver Metallic...body and interior are mint for a 7 year old vehicle..pretty happy so far
Also picked up a stone chip in the windshield on the Jersey Turnpike taking it home so I need to take care of that....that was pretty upsetting since I didn't even put 30 miles on it.

Thanks to everyone for the input. I'll surely be on the forum more now.

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

Congrats! I hate to say I almost predicted you'd get that car for a multitude of reasons.... Those M/Ts are surprisingly fun and quick.

wackjum

Great choice!

kurtatx

Rancher2005

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Congrats! I hate the look but the manual transmission on that engine should be fun to drive. Now mod it!