What car is right for me?

weilke said:
I have a '91 Porsche 964 I could sell you. Would hit all your requirements.

If I did so my wife would probably kill me in my sleep.
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Even better. I wouldn't have to pay you...
 
It's a sun roof, but a older 911 would be killer, not the most government friendly, but this video kinda sold me a little on the 911 sweetness



Ofcourse don't bother with a expensive sports car if you're not going to invest 8k or so into your own training.
 
jsstevens said:
I haven’t driven the Abarth. I should try it.
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Personally, if I were considering an Abarth, I'd just get another Mini. I think you'll see a major difference in build quality and fit-and-finish. I found my '05 Mini Cooper to have a very nice fit-and-finish inside, which is a reflection on its BMW ownership. While the Mini has some maintenance challenges, I think it's overall a well-built car. By comparison, the Abarth, while a similarly sporty little go-kart type car, just feels cheap and not very robust.
 
James331 said:
Sports car, I don't think it means what you think it means lol
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The criteria was "sporty," not "sports car." You'll also note my first suggestion was a Corvette, so I certainly covered the traditional "sports car" definition.
 
jsstevens said:
Yeah, if I was hustling a real car around the track I'd use paddle shifters. They are quicker. But I really enjoy the stick. And living in central Florida, snowy hills are in short supply. :)

No aspersions on anybody's choice of vehicle, just not what I'm looking for.
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I hear you, but I like quiet and comfortable in a vehicle I regularly spend a couple hours driving in. Besides the speed limit around here is 65 mph.

That said, my son has a 13 ford mustang with the Coyote engine and 6 speed. He just got a new job and is looking for an upgrade, may buy that from him ( about $15k) to screw around in. We'll see, it is nice only having two cars now, mine and the wifes, a TL.
 
I'd look at the 370Z and the Mustang. I've not been in a Camaro convertible, by I have been in a Camaro coupe, and I really disliked the lack of visibility.
 
My friend just bought a Fiat 500 Abarth. They're definitely fun, but among the fastest-depreciating cars on the planet. Seating position is bar stool-ish, pretty throaty exhaust note, and narrow...when you rest your arm on the window sill, it seems closer to your armpit than your elbow.

Love the 'Stang. I've got a '12 w/ Coyote 5.0-liter, 6-speed manual, Brembo Pkg and an aggressive street/track suspension. 90K on the engine and it still seems to enjoy being beaten like a rented mule. Mileage is terrible for me, maybe 13mpg city/18mpg hwy, but when it's not on the track I use it for short blasts around town, so I'm not too concerned that it sucks fuel.
 
PaulS said:
Jeep Grand Cherokee with hemi, currently have a 2015 Overland. Love it.
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I loved my Overland. It loved gas. Or hated it. I think it was trying to rid the planet of petroleum fuel by burning it up as fast as it could, but man- stomp on the gas pedal and that thing just hauled!
 
If you can get your guitars in it, I would vote for this-

Fiat 124 Spider-

USC70FIC051A021001_2.jpg

Pros-
  • Sexy as hell. Best looking roadster available new.
  • Handles just like a Miata because under the skin it is a Miata... mostly.
  • Brand new and inside your budget.
Cons-
  • The engine is underpowered and made by Fiat.
  • Guitars might be a tight fit.
  • The dealer, warrantee and repairs are Fiat.
This may well be the replacement for my Pontiac Solstice someday.
 
Jethro Clampett drove a convertible that meets your requirements.
 
bradg33 said:
I found my '05 Mini Cooper to have a very nice fit-and-finish inside, which is a reflection on its BMW ownership. While the Mini has some maintenance challenges, I think it's overall a well-built car. By comparison, the Abarth, while a similarly sporty little go-kart type car, just feels cheap and not very robust.
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15k in warranty covered repairs over a 63k mile ownership period sounds like a maintenance nightmare, not a 'well built car'.

I asked my independent MB/BMW mechanic of what he thinks about me buying a 3 series as my wife's daily driver. He told me that he was strongly in favor of me buying that car as he has children to put through college. God knows, he (and my trusted tow truck guy) have made enough on my out of warranty Benz.
 
weilke said:
15k in warranty covered repairs over a 63k mile ownership period sounds like a maintenance nightmare, not a 'well built car'.
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BTDT got the t-shirt. VW. $13,500 over slightly more miles.

“German engineering” can suck it.
 
Dav8or said:
If you can get your guitars in it, I would vote for this-

Fiat 124 Spider-

USC70FIC051A021001_2.jpg

Pros-
  • Sexy as hell. Best looking roadster available new.
  • Handles just like a Miata because under the skin it is a Miata... mostly.
  • Brand new and inside your budget.
Cons-
  • The engine is underpowered and made by Fiat.
  • Guitars might be a tight fit.
  • The dealer, warrantee and repairs are Fiat.
This may well be the replacement for my Pontiac Solstice someday.
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I prefer the Miata RF to those. The Fiat just looks weird to me.
 
weilke said:
15k in warranty covered repairs over a 63k mile ownership period sounds like a maintenance nightmare, not a 'well built car'.

I asked my independent MB/BMW mechanic of what he thinks about me buying a 3 series as my wife's daily driver. He told me that he was strongly in favor of me buying that car as he has children to put through college. God knows, he (and my trusted tow truck guy) have made enough on my out of warranty Benz.
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I don't disagree. $15K the warranty company put out and roughly $3K I did does not a well built car make. But it does feel solid and handle extremely well. The car puts a smile on my face when I drive it, but not when I take it to the shop. The shop guys have been great (I work on cars for my kids still and I'm a fairly accomplished shade tree mechanic so I have a pretty good idea when somebody's trying to cheat me) but I see them too much. I asked them about a BMW M3 and they said "Pick the car carefully and get an extended warranty". Applies to all the cars they work on: Porsche, MB, BMW, Mini...

I'm strongly inclined to go back to Japanese (hence the 370Z or the Infiniti G37). I thought briefly about old American Corvette, Camaro or Mustang but the nice ones are out of my price range. And I do need it to be a daily driver.

I am getting some interesting ideas of things to try from this thread though, so thanks and carry on!

John
 
jsstevens said:
But it does feel solid and handle extremely well. The car puts a smile on my face when I drive it, but not when I take it to the shop. The shop guys have been great (I work on cars for my kids still and I'm a fairly accomplished shade tree mechanic so I have a pretty good idea when somebody's trying to cheat me) but I see them too much.
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That's how I feel about my E350 wagon. Love how it drives, love the form factor. Don't like the repair bills. Expensive parts that break early and have high hour allowances to replace.
Breaks my heart as a former employee of the company, but ownership of three german cars has cured me from that disease.
 
weilke said:
Breaks my heart as a former employee of the company, but ownership of three german cars has cured me from that disease.
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Bingo, three Benzes, two VWs, and a BMW, and I’m done. I now own Japanese and American.
 
jsstevens said:
I don't disagree. $15K the warranty company put out and roughly $3K I did does not a well built car make. But it does feel solid and handle extremely well. The car puts a smile on my face when I drive it, but not when I take it to the shop. The shop guys have been great (I work on cars for my kids still and I'm a fairly accomplished shade tree mechanic so I have a pretty good idea when somebody's trying to cheat me) but I see them too much. I asked them about a BMW M3 and they said "Pick the car carefully and get an extended warranty". Applies to all the cars they work on: Porsche, MB, BMW, Mini...

I'm strongly inclined to go back to Japanese (hence the 370Z or the Infiniti G37). I thought briefly about old American Corvette, Camaro or Mustang but the nice ones are out of my price range. And I do need it to be a daily driver.

I am getting some interesting ideas of things to try from this thread though, so thanks and carry on!

John
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The shop guy is right. Unfortunately, "convertible" and "manual" pretty much limit your choices to next to nothing. G37 is a nice car(I owned G35 Coupe). I had that in my recommendations :). I think it pretty much is the list of sporty Japanese 4 seat convertibles. Unfortunately, they are more than 10 years old now. Its replacement(Q60?) doesn't come in manual AFAIK.

Edit: I guess they did make G37 until 2013. I thought they stopped before that
 
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FWIW, I’ve owned five Fords and all of them have been rock solid and very low cost repairs wise. They’re not the sexiest things on the road but they’re durable IMO.
 
weilke said:
15k in warranty covered repairs over a 63k mile ownership period sounds like a maintenance nightmare, not a 'well built car'.

I asked my independent MB/BMW mechanic of what he thinks about me buying a 3 series as my wife's daily driver. He told me that he was strongly in favor of me buying that car as he has children to put through college. God knows, he (and my trusted tow truck guy) have made enough on my out of warranty Benz.
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A fair point, though well-built and reliable aren't necessarily the same thing. It's a stout little car that feel solid, drives well, and doesn't feel cheap. Mechanically, it's not the most reliable thing in the world and it's hard to work on and uses expensive BMW parts. In contrast, the Fiat's feel flimsy and cheap.
 
Toyota Solara. Not the sportiest car on the road but rock solid and not bad looking. Want sporty get a Mustang.
 
 
Stewartb said:
Jethro Clampett drove a convertible that meets your requirements.
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Even comes with a flag so you can find it in a parking lot....and it was considered sporty back in the 30s...:lol::lol:

Or maybe this is more your style....

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Well, silly me thought that since Nissan made 370Zs with manual transmissions and 370Zs with convertible tops that you could get one with both. Turns out that's not the case, all the droptops are automatics as of now. There are a few on the used market, emphasis on the word "few".

I plugged your parameters into Auto Trader, and other than Camaros and Mustangs, there's not much that meets you needs MX-5s, Fiat 124s, and Corvettes probably won't carry your guitars. There are some older Porsches and BMWs that fit in your parameters, but you just got out of an abusive relationship, you don't need another one. If you look hard enough, you may find an Infiniti Q60 or G37, but they're getting older.

I drove an Ecoboost Mustang at a track day recently, and was favorably impressed. Everything just worked, and worked well. My only complaint is that this one was a 9 or 10 speed automatic and it did a little more shifting than I'd like. You don't have to worry about that.

Zeldman said:
Or maybe this is more your style....

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I think the Monkeemobile is a phaeton rather than a convertible. Plus, it might be hard to find one...:rolleyes:
 
ktup-flyer said:
I prefer the Miata RF to those. The Fiat just looks weird to me.
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Me too. The "Fiata" remake just doesn't do justice to the original Pininfarina 124 design.

I think I'd rather have a low-mile used NC Miata. I autocrossed one with 255-section tires on it. Careful rolling of the fender lips required!!
 
I'd say, Mustang.

We bought our son a Mustang during his senior year in high school, along with an extended warranty. Biggest waste of money ever (the Warranty, not the car); in five years, the Warranty company paid exactly zero, because the car broke exactly never.

Rented a Mustang convertible in Hawaii, and it had the Ecoboost 4; my expectations were low, and I was wrong. Quick, silky-smooth and ludicrously good gas mileage.

Whatever it is they're smoking in Dearborn these days, I want some of it, because it is good.
 
weilke said:
That's how I feel about my E350 wagon. Love how it drives, love the form factor. Don't like the repair bills. Expensive parts that break early and have high hour allowances to replace.
Breaks my heart as a former employee of the company, but ownership of three german cars has cured me from that disease.
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You can't be talking about this E350 Wagon. These are stone cold reliable and cheap to maintain. Lots of room for guitars though! ;)

2008-ford-econoline-wagon-e-150-xlt-angular-front-exterior-view_100276846_l.jpg
 
Dad has a 2014 Mustang GT for a weekend toy. Has less than 15K miles on it, 10K of which were from the previous owner. It’s a great value, can be a toy or a DD, decent stock stereo, and plenty of audio/entertainment tech (Ford is surprisingly great in that area).

I’ve driven several Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers as rentals (V6 and V8 models). For overall value, I’d rank them Mustang, Challenger, then Camaro. Despite the SS Camaro being the best in pure performance numbers, I just don’t like many other aspects that it ruins it for me.

I had a ‘00 Z28 Camaro in high school/college. I think the new ones feel disconnected from a steering/handling perspective, in addition to being heavier than my F-body.


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