juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Hey all!

Ok, here's the deal.... my wife had been traveling a bunch longer distances, but now she will be mostly traveling regionally. The hassle of going to the airport, renting a car, then dropping it off and getting her car is just becoming a pain and honestly, not effecient. If she takes her own car she would likely get reimbursed upwards of $350/mo for mileage and expenses... so we started thinking maybe we would lease a car. This way we can save wear and tear on her car ('10 E350), but also save her from having to rent when she makes longer trips like Atlanta, etc...

That made us think, maybe lease a Sonata or something. She'll be making at least one trip per month to Atlanta... plus others to Greensboro, Winston-Salem, etc... so her expenses can easily cover a lease... but then we thought, let's just buy something so we have it and don't have to watch miles, and can just drive it into the ground even after this year should the traveling stop. Can be a long distance vehicle/airport car type of thing.

So here was my deal with the misses. If we buy, has to be something still cool, but reliable and somewhat decent on gas (regular gas is a plus, but not required). I saw some pre-owned 2.0T Genesis Coupes for ~$15k or so (plus, I have a Hyundai hookup). Then though about a Mini... but they are not always the best on reliability. Also thought about a Genesis Sedan but not sure I want to spend that much. Prefer to keep it under $15k if we purchase... and the lower the better (cause then I can spend more modding it later on. Plus, keeps more money in my weekend car fund... )

Anyway... thoughts, suggestions, experiences? TIA...

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

if you would like 4-drs, i would go with a newer Sonata... otherwise do the Genesis Coupe... with the warranties now, you can't beat the bang for buck if you expect to do alot of driving...

when i was in Cali, i rented a 4-banger with only a few hundred miles on it... i put over 1k mi's on it the week i had it and it was solid... had alot of the bells and whistles (bluetooth, xm radio) and it made me really reconsider my thought of the Hyundai brand... i would seriously consider getting one if i was in the market for a beater that i would expect to put alot of miles on... my wife liked it too...

the only quirk i had, which was expected, was when i would shut the door... it sounded very hollow/cheaply made... it was much different to the solid sounding close on my lexus/acura, but what do you expect for a budget car...

cmschmie

Highway miles = Jetta TDi

edit:
I know that diesel is quite a bit more expensive than gas right now, but in the long run it's cheaper. I recently moved and now my commute is ~45 miles nearly all interstate. I've been looking hard at the Golf TDi and even put together a spreadsheet.

What I found was that for each tank fill-up the total cost was approximately the same Golf to TSX.
The Golf's tank is smaller, but I could go further on that one tank than I could in the TSX thus saving money in the long run.

dallison

06-08 tsx? 09-11 camry se would be somewhat sylish and inexpensive too and in that price range.

cmschmie

oops...didn't read your whole post and missed the price limit.
My argument still stands, but you'll need to be a hell of a haggler

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for the replies so far all!

It does not have to be a sedan. At most she may have one colleague with her, so as long as it has a hatch or some room to pop a duffle bag and/or small suitcase in the back, that's all she would need it for when traveling.

I also thought about some older Mercedes S-classes. While built like tanks, you need to get one that is well maintained to ensure it will run smoothly. Also thought about a last gen Lexus GS. Can always supercharge that bad boy years down the road :devil:

CCColtsicehockey

Honda CR-Z, Gen Coupe, Sonata, New Hyundai Velostar Turbo (not sure what price is), TSX

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

JB... u r at both side of the spectrum with your suggestions now... wtf...

from Hyundai to now S class or 3GS (will be hard to find in your price range)

what do you REALLY want man!!! are you trying to save money and just break even on the $350/month? save on gas? possible fun toy for the future? what is the priority here?

otherwise ill throw a C5 vette into this category... 30+hwy MPG on the LS motor... /endthread...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Thought about that as well. Saw it at the auto show and it was pretty impressive. I have heard they do not drive all that well though... however, that may have just been for the base model and not the turbo. I'd love one of Hyundai's 2.0T's that I can take to GMP Performance down the road. But also wanted to see if there were other options out there I was not thinking of. Maybe an older luxury car verses a pocket rocket?

Just exhausting all options before we dive in research-wise... and figured you guys would come up with a diverse list

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

To answer your questions... yes

All over the place b/c we can be. Only real requirements are mentioned in the OP... decent on mileage, reliable, somewhat fun/cool, and preferably under $15k if we buy. Other then that, doesn't matter. Can be a cool older luxo or a pocket rocket. Again, doesn't matter. That's why I'm turning to the diversity of AZ Car Talk. Figured I'd get any and all suggestions here


Nothing like that. That's weekend car territory. Plus, it would be a C6/Z06

dallison

rsx, clk, 3 series, cts, fusion/milan,accord, fit, es330 or 350, altima, 350z, solstice, boxster, saturn vue(honda), rav4, z4.

CCColtsicehockey

Well if you are thinking that way with taking it to GMP eventually why not a GTI 2.0T. Stage 1 APR chip takes you from 200HP and 207ft/lbs to 252HP and 303ft/lbs for only $599.00.


To be exact if I was ever considering the GTI I would just factor that into the immediate purchase price

MarbleGT

I'd say GTI or Mini. Small, but big if they need to be. Plus both are easily/cheaply modded.

Trunk Space. Nil. (Keep in mind the top goes in there when its folded.)

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Hmm, interesting dallison... never thought of a small vert. May be an option. But we had friends with a Solstice... as Marble said, trunk may be too small. Likely need more room overall.

Interesting as well. Never really did much research on the GTI's, but always like them... how are they reliability-wise? Are they available in auto?

dallison

A boxster has a trunk and a frunk. The only real issue is the IMS. There are some boxsters running around with the new bearing or you can have one put in, they are fun cars.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Interesting as well. I can probably pull off an older Boxster and not have it count as a weekend vehicle. Having your cake and eating it too? Maybe.

I'll have to do some digging on that IMS issue. Any specific years have that issue? Or is it all? Other then that they seem to be pretty reliable, right?

Aman

Gonna be the first one to say keep the E. The reimbursement is meant to cover the costs associated with driving your own car to places for work, so why not use it for just that?

It's big enough, plenty comfy, and being only 1-2 years old, probably still reliable. The only problem would be a significant drop in resale value, but that depends on how long you plan on keeping it.

I think you should do some number-crunching to find out whether spending another $15,000 is worth it.

On the flip side, $15k could get you a nice 3G TL.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Well we are keeping the E. It's not going anywhere. Another car would just supplement that car and be used for long business trips. We've had as many as 4 cars before we sold them, and each one served it's own purpose (2 DD, 1 "beater", 1 weekend)... so adding a 3rd car at this point really is not an issue.

Plus, maintenance is expensive on an E... and reimbursements do not come close to covering that, so having a supplemental car for those long trips should actually put us ahead in that regard. We would likely use it for other things as well, so it's not like we're looking at it to break even. If she's reimbursed $350/mo and it costs us $450/mo with insurance an everything... no biggie.

Oh, and I can pretty safely say nothing in Acura's lineup would likely be considered in this case...

CCColtsicehockey

My buddy has had a new one now for 1.5 years with no issues at all. He will be doing that chip this spring on his. You can get the GTI with a DSG Transmission.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Comfy? Commuter/Cruiser?

Camry.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

I always recommend GTI to all my friends because it's just such a nice fun little car. But for your purpose, I would not recommend it to you.

Get a comfy, spacious cruiser.

CCColtsicehockey

Meh I guess different things for different people but I probably drive 3k miles a month sometimes more and comfort is definitely important but I also want something really fun to drive with have that much seat time.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Oh yeah, I would too, that's for sure.. but it's for his wife so.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

^ Well for the wife for business trips, but whomever on the weekend . With the exception of not knowing how to drive stick, she's a driver. Edited the title to remove comfy. Oh, and she'd laugh at the Camry idea.

I'll have to start doing some research on the GTI and Boxster. They're comfy enough

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Then, GTI FTW.

Yumcha

Something diesel...Volkswagen comes to mind.

dallison

The IMS is in years 1997 to i think 09-10. The earlier ones up to around 05 had a somewhat weaker one and the newer ones had a beefier IMS.
The bad with a bad IMS? blown motor. It is rare, but known to happen.

There are a ton of older ones out there that have never had any issues with it, some repalce them as preventive maintenance.
These cars can go 200-300k miles without any real issues.


Things to look for on an older one under 20k would be a replaced AOS (air oil seperator), they're not expensive ~125 for parts or super hard to replace, but it's something common that goes.

On a boxster S, i would make sure the cv boots have been replaced as they tend to crack more than the base. It's either from the higher temps or angle of the axle.

03+ has a glass rear window w/defroster. This is nicer than the plastic one, but not always necessary. You can get a used hardtop for about $1000-1500.

These are really great cars that handle like a dream.

986forum rennlist and 6speedonline has a ton of good info.

CCColtsicehockey

Or teach her how to drive stick to open up the possibilities. Although personally for as much commuting as she might be doing I am not sure I would want to have stick for that. Save it for the weekends.

dallison

Maintenenace was pretty easy for me as i do all my own work. The front bumpers come off pretty easy to clean the radiators. There is a lot of debri that gets caught in there.

To replace rotors and pads on your own is $500-700 for parts or less. This is for genuine parts.
Rear tires can last as little as 5k or as much as 10-20k miles, fronts last longer

Oil changes are once a year or 5-10k miles with mobile one or better synthetic ~$100 yourself.

Air filters aren't expensive either. sparkplugs are normally priced too ~$7-10 each x6. The o-rings on the spark plug tubes leak after a while, but those o-rings are less than $30 for six small and six large o-rings. It takes an hour or two of labor and cleaning to replace these.

You can replace the taillights and side markers for newer looking tails, different exhaust, etc.

Sometimes you have to replace one of the horns which are located under the front bumper(it's rare that they go)

The car shift and hauls ass for a 3.2. It's not the fastest in straight line but will hit those corners nicely.

The a/c and heat really work well. The stereo isn't great but you want to listen to the motor instead.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Just talked to her... she liked the Boxster idea more then the GTI, but didn't rule it out. We also talked about the Lexus IS. I looked online and seems there are some floating around for $15k-$20k... so may be possible with some negotiation.

But I really like the Boxster idea myself. Can't believe I didn't think of it. That's why I have you guys!

dallison

Welcome to my sickness.

charliemike

For this car, I wouldn't go new. I would buy something used.

There's an '05 TSX with 39k on it for $14,500 here in DC.

I would imagine that car would go forever ...

That said, I would imagine a 2007-08 Jetta TDi would likely be the most economical car in the price range and Jettas are generally pretty reliable cars.

My Jetta has 50k on it and I'm generally happy with it (except the 2.5L I-5).

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Get a brand new GTI with a 6MT. Chip it. Decent power. Decent gas mileage. Pretty refined inside. Happy smile. Enjoy.

A manual transmission in GTI is extremely easy to drive.

doopstr

For long range cruiser I think of sedan, not sports car.

ineedmyfixofacura

iTrader: (2)

Optima GDI. ugggggghhhh!

charliemike

A brand-new GTI would be almost double his budget.

Stop spending all his money for him ... That's his wife's job

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Normally I'd agree, but some sporty cars can also make good cruisers. Vettes come to mind, as do the Porsche's. I'll have to see if she's comfy in a Boxster for 4 hours, but it has to be better then the small or econo cars she rents!

But yeah, like CM said... prefer not to go new. Even she was kind of wishy-washy on the leasing. Rather just buy pre-owned. Then it's ours, nothing to worry about as far as mileage or mods, and so on.

Ken1997TL

CR-Z

The CVT model should get low 40's without a problem on the highway and mid 30's in town.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

CR-Z is a cool choice too!

Moog-Type-S

Tdi