[mrarroyo]

gsferrari, I think you are going to laugh but here is my story. I had a 2001 BMW 525 that all it did is give me headaches, I sold it in 21 months and less than 32,000 miles.

Then I wen with an Audi TT Roadster 225 hp Quatro. I heavely modified the car bringing the hp to 290 hp. It was fast but I learned the names of not only the service advisor but the mechanics and secretary. I sold it in 20 months and less than 27,000 miles.

I love german cars and then it dawn on me I could have the best car ever made in the world. So I went and got me a 1970 VW Beetle. Man this car rocks. It just begs to be driven and parts are cheap.

No I do not miss the speed, my Beetle has me smiling all day long. Note of warning do not get a Beetle unless you do not mind talking with people about the car. If you decide to look for one a good site is www.thesamba.com/vw

Good luck.

 

[traficante]

Good choice going for the Lude. My 93 has 200k miles and doesn't burn a drop of oil and leaks oil at such a small rate that it goes between oil changes without needing to add any. I might consider rebuilding the engine at 300k. I've owned this car for 8 years and its depreciated less then 1k/year so Preludes definitely hold there value.

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by traficante Good choice going for the Lude. My 93 has 200k miles and doesn't burn a drop of oil and leaks oil at such a small rate that it goes between oil changes without needing to add any. I might consider rebuilding the engine at 300k. I've owned this car for 8 years and its depreciated less then 1k/year so Preludes definitely hold there value.

This one needs an oil fillup rather frequently...is that cause for concern? Previous owner had to top it off once every 3000 miles...

 

[Hey_Its_Cole]

How much oil is it consuming in 3000 miles, how many miles again?

 

[haycheng]

If you do not mind they are related to japanese companies, Honda and toyota are great cars. I just got a Corrola, it has been great. I do hope my next car will be either make in USA or China by a US or Chinese company though....(yes....I do not like Japanese government much).

 

[zoboomofo]

I was doing more browsing about for cars, and I came across the new Ford Focus C1. Typically, these hot hatches get loaded onto the European market with much fanfare while in North America, they get dumbed down and cheesified - if we see them at all. It reminds me of the Ford Escorts I used to see in England. They were smart looking, and had high performance versions. I came over here, and they took away the pleasing subtleties, added fake wood panels, and fake chrome strips. Are we that unsophisticated here or what? Let's see some Peugots and Renaults over here. And what about the VW GTI Mk 5?

When you look at the appeal over here of the Civic, Mazda 3, or even the Smart Car ForTwo , it makes sense for the other manufacturers to give North America the same goodies as Europe.

Grrrrrr

 

[catscratch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari I just went ahead and bought a 1998 Honda Prelude SH with 5 Speed Manual and the 2.2L I4 DOHC 16V, 195 HP engine and 73K miles on the ODO. Meccie is taking a look at it later this evening and I will drive it home afterwards. Thanks for the suggestions and advice - I couldnt wait for an Audi to pop up, drove this car, liked the handling and the power - decided to go for it...

That's a pretty good choice. The repairs might start getting more expensive as time goes on since this is a discontinued model - I think? - but for a year or so it should be fine. It shouldn't depreciate too much either.

I'm always wary of used sports cars, since you never know just exactly how hard they've been driven. A used BMW with 70k miles could have an enormous amount of wear and tear on it. Same goes, incidentally, for a Prelude, given the relative rarity of the car and it's popularity among those that tend to, well, drive their cars harder

I think a very sure bet would have been a V6 5-speed Maxima or Accord. Granted, the stick model would likely have more wear and tear on it, but a family vehicle is far more likely to be well taken care of.

Conversely, the argument in favor of used Germans is their lower depreciation. A used Maxima/Accord will drop in value a whole lot more than a used BMW/Audi/Benz etc.

Personally, I abuse my cars so much that I wouldn't want to be the buyer that's getting a car that's been in my possession. SUV's shouldn't be driven at triple digits... consistently... or so others keep telling me! Despite very thorough and consistent maintenance, most cars just can't handle my kind of special treatment. I need something that can be driven close to the limit on a daily basis and survive for more than 4-5 years...