Help me with my car dilemma

[Casey240Z]

I need to get a car and a lot of people give some pretty good advice on stuff. I need the car by next week. I have about 22K in the bank. I don't want to spend all that money so I will finance the car but I can put down a sizable deposit. With the short amount of time I have I was thinking about buying a car for like 5-6K that I can turn around and sell when I have the time to buy the car I want. The car I want is the Nissan 350Z but I can't bring myself to buy one without taking my time and getting the right car. So what would you guys do? If I were to get a cheap car my only requirements are rear wheel drive and a manual transmission, other than that I am open to suggestions.

[DasLeben]

Cheap: ~1990 BMW 325i

Not so cheap: Nissan 350Z

[Casey240Z]

I'm intrigued by the older BMW option maybe more like '94-'96 3 series, anyone have first hand knowledge of these cars?

[DasLeben]

I have a friend who had a '95 BMW 325is, and it was an excellent car. I do have stick time in it, so I can personally recommend it. Now, I said "had" because he wrecked it off a cliff. They handle very well, but not 70 through a corner marked 25 well. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Casey240Z]

I like the BMW I just don't want the yuppie a-hole image. I guess I can learn to embrace it. No one else wants to put in their 2 cents.

[touchfaith]

[ QUOTE ]
I like the BMW I just don't want the yuppie a-hole image. I guess I can learn to embrace it. No one else wants to put in their 2 cents.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bemmers break down a lot and are expensive to repair.

I know a few bmw mechanics, and they are all very happy they chose them to work on.

[peachy]

ookkkk mah answer to everyone of these post - m3

[peachy]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a friend who had a '95 BMW 325is, and it was an excellent car. I do have stick time in it, so I can personally recommend it. Now, I said "had" because he wrecked it off a cliff. They handle very well, but not 70 through a corner marked 25 well. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

my BMW WILL!!!!

[peachy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I like the BMW I just don't want the yuppie a-hole image. I guess I can learn to embrace it. No one else wants to put in their 2 cents.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bemmers break down a lot and are expensive to repair.

I know a few bmw mechanics, and they are all very happy they chose them to work on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ive had mine a yr and a half and its a 99 and its never ever even been close to breaking down or needed any major repairs. And my guy friends do drive it pretty hard at times...only things ive had to replace/fix is the brakes - which was standard at the miles it was at....i also have a land rover that is the same...never broken down ever (although the parts in this are massively expensive...espeically the brakes)

[touchfaith]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I like the BMW I just don't want the yuppie a-hole image. I guess I can learn to embrace it. No one else wants to put in their 2 cents.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bemmers break down a lot and are expensive to repair.

I know a few bmw mechanics, and they are all very happy they chose them to work on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ive had mine a yr and a half and its a 99 and its never ever even been close to breaking down or needed any major repairs. And my guy friends do drive it pretty hard at times...only things ive had to replace/fix is the brakes - which was standard at the miles it was at....i also have a land rover that is the same...never broken down ever (although the parts in this are massively expensive...espeically the brakes)

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, the M3's are definately much better, but the older 3 series...eeeek. Not to mention they are a pain in the ass to work on.

[snakehead]

finding a good used car is harder than buying a new one. rent something by the week while you search for something good.

[B00T]

I bought a 350z last week and it friggin rocks. You wont regret it.

[MelchyBeau]

[ QUOTE ]
And my guy friends do drive it pretty

[/ QUOTE ]

Look she used the word 'my'

Melch

[JMP300z]

[ QUOTE ]
I bought a 350z last week and it friggin rocks. You wont regret it.

[/ QUOTE ]

the 350z is sweet but i will recommend the G35 Coupe...i got one 3 days ago...6MT, 19 inch Rays wheels, spoiler, sunroof etc...basically all the options and was able to get a deal at 34500....The Z when equipped ends up being similarly priced but with less features, a much crappier interior, uglier wheels, and no back seats. On the flip side, the Z is like a few tenths of a second faster (although it does feel somewhat lighter on its feet when driving).

In summary, I like both but the infiniti is a better deal.

http://www.vq30de.net/laautoshow2005/dscf9799.jpg

http://www.chizl.com/images/Infiniti_G35.JPG

[RacersEdge]

It's going to be a hassle to buy/sell/buy a car. Insurance, tags, registration will be too time consuming to do twice.

I would rent a car for a week or so and get the car you want. If you know you want a Z, it won't take long to get it. Be prepared for some steep insurance especially if you are under 25.

[DasLeben]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I like the BMW I just don't want the yuppie a-hole image. I guess I can learn to embrace it. No one else wants to put in their 2 cents.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bemmers break down a lot and are expensive to repair.

I know a few bmw mechanics, and they are all very happy they chose them to work on.

[/ QUOTE ]

BMW mechanics make a LOT of money regardless of how much cars break down. I think you're getting the wrong idea about why they're happy.

I won't disagree that BMWs can be expensive to fix, but if you can DIY, you can really bring the costs down. Most of the cost of maintenance is labor, anyways.

As for them breaking down a lot...I'm not sure where you got that. BMWs are very reliable, and cars can very often run to 250,000 miles or more. There have been a couple problems with VANOS in the '93-'95 cars, but this wasn't exactly widespread, and has been resolved in later engines. In fact, BMW tried to shed this bad reputation a couple years back by instituting its maintenance plan for their new cars. BMW now pays for EVERY maintenance item for a period in order to prove that their cars are reliable. Here:

[ QUOTE ]
Full Maintenance Program covers all factory-recommended maintenance, as determined by the Service Interval Indicator for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. Full Maintenance Program includes items that need replacement due to normal wear and tear, provided wear and tear exceeds BMW specifications. This includes items such as brake pads, brake rotors and wiper blades that are not covered by the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Any adjustments required due to normal operating conditions are also included.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anyways, I'm not too familiar with the E30 chassis (the year I mentioned in the post above), but considering that engine is not VANOS-equipped, reliablility is going to do nothing but improve (and that's not to say that VANOS equipped cars are unreliable by any means).

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, the M3's are definately much better, but the older 3 series...eeeek. Not to mention they are a pain in the ass to work on.

[/ QUOTE ]

The S52 in the M3 has actually been shown to be LESS reliable than the M52 in the standard 3-series. The S52 is still a very good engine, however.

[ QUOTE ]
I like the BMW I just don't want the yuppie a-hole image.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to be rude, but I think this is your problem, not the BMW owners'. BMWs are very capable performance/handling-wise, which is the main reason I'd recommend one.

[Stellastarr]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I bought a 350z last week and it friggin rocks. You wont regret it.

[/ QUOTE ]

the 350z is sweet but i will recommend the G35 Coupe...i got one 3 days ago...6MT, 19 inch Rays wheels, spoiler, sunroof etc...basically all the options and was able to get a deal at 34500....The Z when equipped ends up being similarly priced but with less features, a much crappier interior, uglier wheels, and no back seats. On the flip side, the Z is like a few tenths of a second faster (although it does feel somewhat lighter on its feet when driving).

In summary, I like both but the infiniti is a better deal.

http://www.vq30de.net/laautoshow2005/dscf9799.jpg

http://www.chizl.com/images/Infiniti_G35.JPG

[/ QUOTE ]

Wish I had that loot to throw down on one of those. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Casey240Z]

I went and checked out the 350Z and I love it. Right now I am leaning towards getting it. I didn't mean to offend any BMW owners I don't think BMW drivers are yuppie a-holes but I think the general public has that perception. I like the G35 but it is a little more than I want to spend.

[Casey240Z]

BOOT,
If you don't mind could you tell me how much you spent and which model did you get? Also what kind of financing did you get? Thanks.

[Casey240Z]

I am going to go check cars out again today. I will check out the G35 coupe to compare with the Z. I will also go test drive a '99 or so M3 as it seems everyone loves theirs. I would love a '01 but it is a little more than I want to spend. I know a few people that have them and they love theirs too. Any other cars I should check out?

[joecash]

I got an RX8 abot a year ago, and I love it. I test drove a 350Z, and I liked the looks, but I liked the feel of the stick in the RX8 much more.