I just started my first job 6 months ago however I didn't want to get a new(er) car for awhile. I wanted to run my 98 Sentra to the ground. Unfortunately that time is approaching much sooner than anticipated.

Here's some info:

1) Budget is no more than $12,000 but I would like to keep the purchase <$10,000
2) Gas isn't too much of an issue but I'd still like somewhat decent gas mileage
3) Don't want an SUV or a beamer
4) Would like to have the car for 4-5 years (~10k or less miles per year) and I don't care to much about resale value

Obviously I want something reliable. Can I still get the reliability out of something like a 2003 Infiniti G35 Sedan (~85k miles at a price $10k-$12k) vs. something like a Civic with less miles at the same price? I'd be willing to sacrifice a little bit of reliability for something less boring and more powerful than a Civic, Accord, Camry etc.

Suggestions and/or comments?

[Edited on May 26, 2009 at 6:36 PM. Reason : yo]

5/26/2009 6:34:18 PM

whats wrong with the sentra. if its going to the shitter faster than you thought, why would you buy another nissan?

5/26/2009 6:43:00 PM

get a wrx

5/26/2009 6:44:16 PM

- mustang with manual trans
- g35? for that price, sure
- wrx i guess

5/26/2009 6:52:51 PM

Quote :

"g35? for that price, sure"

http://tinyurl.com/rceyth

Look at the first 2 listings. Plus I don't have to finance so I have more room to negotiate.

Quote :

"if its going to the shitter faster than you thought, why would you buy another nissan?"

I'm assuming you are referring to the Infiniti with the 350Z engine. There's a huge difference in quality between a 98 Nissan Sentra and a 2003 Infiniti G35.

Quote :

"wrx"

I do like the wrx. I'll add it to the short list.

[Edited on May 26, 2009 at 7:22 PM. Reason : yo]

5/26/2009 7:17:34 PM

fun but practical: wrx, g35, tsx/rsx? (no experience with these)
fun but not so practical: 350z, s2000

5/26/2009 7:25:59 PM

ok, so no bmw motorcycles.


would a 328i be ok, though?

5/26/2009 8:22:37 PM

'93 RX-7

[lol]

5/27/2009 12:03:46 AM

rsx

wrx

abcdefghijklmnop type R

5/27/2009 1:01:40 AM

E36 M3 is the answer, of course.

5/27/2009 1:39:17 AM

10 year old BMW for the win!

Why not go older! Curves are out boxy is in!!!!!

[Edited on May 27, 2009 at 7:40 AM. Reason : . see nissan cube]

5/27/2009 7:40:09 AM

-Maxima
-Lincoln LS (V6 5-speed, good luck finding one though)
-Mazda 6s V6
-Altima 3.5 V6
-Acura TL-S
-VW GTI
-Volvo S60 2.5T or T5
-Audi A4

5/27/2009 3:54:21 PM

you queers and your BMW's

give it a rest

5/27/2009 4:12:17 PM

I'm curious what's wrong with the Sentra. Its not that old.

5/27/2009 4:29:35 PM

^^agreed. I don't want a BMW

^Hopefully nothing too major. I'm pretty sure it's another distributor problem. The distributor was replaced only 6 months ago and now it feels like the timing is off. I hope that's the problem because I don't want to sink any more money in this piece of shit car. I've sunk a lot of money into this car over the last couple years and I don't know how much more I want to spend.

I really like the Infiniti G35, Impreza WRX, Acura TSX and RSX (in that order). My fiance is probably getting a Mazda 6 so that's out. Basically I want a car that is somewhat unique, reliable for 4-5 years, ~$10,000-$12,000 and is fast/fun to drive.

Any thoughts on these cars or any other suggestions?


[Edited on May 27, 2009 at 8:32 PM. Reason : yo]

5/27/2009 8:29:40 PM

g35 sedan is a lot of car for that money. i didn't realize they'd gotten that cheap. i'm sure you could work a decent bit under those dealer prices as well.

i know you said no bmw's, but if you like the g35 sedan a lot i think you'd be missing out not to at least look at older 540's.

do you have to have a 4 door or what? if you're open to other things, early c5's are getting into that price range. loads of bang for you buck performance wise, parts are as cheap as, and reliability is above average (especially mechanically). gas mileage is impressive for what they are as well. 6 speeds will bring down nearly 30mpg highway.

[Edited on May 27, 2009 at 8:55 PM. Reason : wrx is good too. how about srt4 neons? caddy cts could be an option, performance isn't great though]

5/27/2009 8:52:23 PM

I do like the 540's but I've got a buddy who just got a 2006 BMW 3 series. I'm still taking a look at them though.

I would prefer a 4 door but I have been eying some older corvettes. So fun

I would only want an srt4 neons if it looked similar to this:


My biggest concern with the G35 is that I could only afford something ~85k mile range. I would need this car to reach ~145k miles without much work.

[Edited on May 27, 2009 at 9:25 PM. Reason : yo]

5/27/2009 9:19:42 PM

Quote :

"an srt4 neons"

5/28/2009 11:34:34 AM

Quote :

"CLUTCH IN MY TRANSMISSISON"

5/28/2009 11:45:12 AM

pontiac grand prix are nice looking cars and you can get a 250 hp v6.

pick up a 2004-6 on the cheap b/c they're going out of business.

85k with great condition will run you 8-9 thousand....

5/28/2009 11:48:32 AM

Pontiac interiors are kind of strange though. To each their own, I guess, but the interior was the main reason I didn't seriously consider the GP or Bonneville GXP the last time I was car shopping.

5/28/2009 2:20:51 PM

^^^ Yes son. I fail to see a problem with clutches in transmissions son. I do see a problem with "An SRT4 Neons" though.

HELL SON, I WILL PUT YOUR CLUTCH INSIDE THE GEARS SON. NOT JUST IN THE TRANSMISSION/NUSTACK HOUSING AND WHATNOT, BUT ALL UP IN THE GEARS SON, WHERE IT DOESN'T BELONG SON. I'M TALKING NON-FUNCTIONAL SHIT SON.

5/28/2009 2:34:04 PM

Corvette!

Mine's 400+hp, and about to go for $11.5k, how can you say no to that!!11 My God, I just took it out in the rain, and it's... fun. Also gets 30+mpg on the highway, I mean c'mon. Or, you could get a 330i, I don't feel like there should be much of a discussion here really.

5/28/2009 3:10:50 PM

Pics/year/miles?

[Edited on May 28, 2009 at 3:39 PM. Reason : yo]

5/28/2009 3:39:30 PM

hell man just drive out to a used car dealership and look around......pick out a few prospects and check 3 or 4 cars out....then come back here asking for a comparison.....you are getting a bunch of suggestions now because you can almost find any car with 85k miles and an asking price of 10-12K....but be careful....never buy the car on the first visit....usually there "best" offer will come down about 500-1000 dollars on the second or third visit.

5/28/2009 6:16:35 PM

i'll sell you my 06 corolla s for 12,000. it's a great car that will last you forever. My dog is way too big to fit in it. let me know if you want to check it out. pm me.

5/28/2009 6:17:30 PM

corolla is much too small for my tastes.....like i said....just go look around....you'll never know everything you need to know about a car over the internet anyway. (past accidents, maintenance issues...etc)

5/28/2009 6:21:59 PM

^^^ old and busted method

autotrader.com = new hotness (well not really new, dunno why anyone would drive out to a dealer these days just to look around, even a lot of the tiny backwoods guys have their inventory online)

[Edited on May 28, 2009 at 6:54 PM. Reason : .]

5/28/2009 6:53:34 PM

just get a wrx and be done with it. dont have the insurance premiums of a bimmer and higher maintenance costs of the g35

5/28/2009 8:01:09 PM

Ahmet's C5 is sexy but too many miles



I'll probably go with the WRX. I'm eying a couple around here and I'll be test driving 2 on Saturday.

5/28/2009 8:16:10 PM

A wrx under 80K miles should still be in good condition (...if it hasn't been modded to hell and back). Things to consider:

1) Subie paint sucks, so don't expect too much. Probably lots of rock chips on front end. And likely plenty of dents in the aluminum door panels.

2) You'll find that clutch and tranny shifts slightly akward, but don't fret because it's typical. Don't get freaked out if it doesn't shift smooth like your mom's Toyota.

3) As far as mods go... steer clear of BOV's and CAI's. Those two acronyms are like kryptonite to WRX owners. Lots of engine knock and failures due to them. Why? Cause n00bs throw them on purely for coolness factor and disregard a proper tune.

5/28/2009 10:47:31 PM

^ that and like every sti owner seems to need to have an open-atmosphere hks ssqv for some reason...

5/28/2009 11:24:08 PM

I really enjoyed my WRX. It made me smile very often. I still strike up conversations with every approachable WRX owner I see. I haven't done that with any other car make/owner.

That said, I find the 330i zhp car to be more of a sports car, and neither would perform anywhere near as well as the C5, not even mine but a stock one. That said, somehow, the WRX just made me smile more...

I'd still get the 330! :o Oh, and btw, 138k highway miles is nothing!

5/28/2009 11:33:38 PM

^I'm sure it will last me another 40k-50k miles like I need it too. I love the car (my favorite car color is silver).

My biggest concern is with space. I need to be able to fit my hockey bag, skates and sticks.

5/29/2009 7:15:48 AM

Interesting that the Sentra has a distributor problem, years ago I had an 84 Sentra with almost 200K on it and the distributor problems ran it to the ground too. Broke down on the way to Carter-Finley one night and that was the last straw, shit would have cost more to fix than the car was worth haha

5/29/2009 7:54:16 PM

Every distributor is a problem!

5/30/2009 9:40:52 AM

distrubutors FTW.

5/30/2009 9:45:27 AM

distrubutors FTW.

5/30/2009 9:45:27 AM

test drove a 2004 TSX and 2003 G35 coupe today

The TSX was nice but I love the G35. I'll probably test drive a WRX and a G35 sedan on Monday.

5/30/2009 5:43:59 PM

Quote :

"Ahmet's C5 is sexy but too many miles "

why? the engines are good to over 300K. at most you'll need a new clutch at around 150K.

5/30/2009 6:06:10 PM

I'm not that concerned with the miles. I'm sure it will last me another 40k-50k miles like I need it too.

The biggest problem is that I probably won't be able to fit my hockey gear in it. Other than that, I would love to own/drive that car.

5/30/2009 6:36:50 PM

you might be surprised. the coupes are pretty damn spacious. besides the obvious area above the floor, there's also 3 decent sized storage compartments below the floor. the targa top eats some space when it's secured in it's holder, but even then you've still got enough room for a golf bag, couple of pieces of luggage, or whatever.

5/30/2009 6:58:57 PM

the vette cant have a small trunk. look how f'n big it is

5/31/2009 8:59:13 AM

I was a big fan of the automatic G35 Sedan that was given as a loaner to a G35 Coupe owner. His car has the 6 speed manual transmission, but the automatic that came with the sedan was damn impressive. I would love to have one of those for a daily driver to be honest and I don't really care for things without manual transmissions my son. The clutch doesn't necessarily have to be driver controlled for me to be satisfied with a manual transmission though. I was extremely impressed with the Audi/VW dual clutch gearbox. I BET YOU LOVE THAT Ragged SON, CLUTCHES AREN'T IN THE TRANSMISSION SON.

Anyway, I've never been fond of are the "tiptronic" style automatic transmissions because they've never performed well when I've tried them, but the G35's auto surprised me. The transmission responded quickly to requests for gear changes and the gear changes themselves occurred quickly as well.

5/31/2009 9:47:50 AM

The Dude, have you even looked at a C5 up close? The thing has a huge trunk! I'd bet you could fit your stuff in no problem. Go check it out.

Doesn't hurt that the C5 will get better gas mileage than anything else you've mentioned in this thread.

6/1/2009 12:02:25 PM

I've seen the trunk on a C5. I know it's huge.

I think it would still be a problem trying to fit two 6' hockey sticks.

6/1/2009 1:15:18 PM

lol, not like a 6' hockey stick is gonna fit in the trunk of a G35 either

6/1/2009 1:57:23 PM

ahmet should hold on to that corvette until I need a new dd

6/1/2009 2:01:32 PM

^^yeah but the G35 has a backseat (along with all the other cars I'm looking at). The sticks don't fit in the trunk of my Sentra either so I put them in the backseat

6/1/2009 4:15:41 PM

He could put it through the armrest

6/1/2009 4:18:24 PM