Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

corvette

"Probably wouldn't happen for a year or two..."

You may be able to get a used BR-Z or FR-S in the $10k-ish range by then. VW MKV GTI/GLI or even an E46 should be available in that price range, as well.

stickguy

I would think that a BR-Z would be perfect when the price gets to the right point. Simple, good handling, pretty well bulletproof (and easily upgradable) drivetrain.

roadburner

The Toyobaru twins may need a brake upgrade for HPDE duty; I've heard that the stock binders start to fade after a few laps.
Still, they fare better than the NISMO 370Z:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/z-meets-wall-we-investigate-why-the-nismo-z- s-brakes-failed-at-lightning-lap

qbrozen

With all respect, I don't like any of those choices, personally. I guess it really depends on what you want out of it, though. For me, I've found I really want power at an HPDE. For example, I've been out there with a couple of Mini Ss on a couple of different occassions, driven by both beginners and advanced drivers, and I've had no problem lapping them with the 135. Even back when I drove the G35X at an event, I was disappointed to find it running out of steam over 110mph.

I like any of your choices for autocross, though. Well, excpet the MR2. I tried that and it just couldn't hang with the Miatas.

michaellno

There isn't much out there that will compare to a Ferrari when it comes to speed - and, it is addictive, for sure.

I don't know if there are HPDE events at PPIR - the track that offers them is called High Plains Raceway, and it has a lot of different configurations. So, not sure if speed or handling is more important.

What about a C5 Corvette?

Mr_Shiftright

Well with double the displacement and 60 more HP, I would hope you'd beat a MINI S

ronsteve

Heck, if that was local, I'd strongly consider buying it, even just to have it for a little while. If I could get comfortable with the mechanical condition, I'd even consider it as an out-of-state purchase. If you could get it for around $5k, it's not like it's going to drop much value from there.

It's a damn good thing that car wasn't local to me, else it would have been super-tempting, recent punch be damned. I did check, just for sh*ts and giggles, and found the winning bid was $9350. Definitely the wrong time to shell out that kind of cash, but that's still a bit farther up the ladder than I'd want to climb anytime for an almost 11 year old car.

stickguy

last I saw it was near the end at $8,100. I did like it, but at $9,400 (at least) it was well out of flyer territory!

roadburner

As an instructor I find that a novice with a lot of horsepower does not learn as much as a student with a relatively low horsepower car. I know that going from the M6 to the ti forced me to concentrate on conserving momentum and driving the correct line- things I could ignore to a large extent in the 6er due to having over 300 bhp at my disposal.

In any case, at virtually any HPDE the difference in driving ability almost always trumps a difference in bhp- just ask my B(intermediate) student who lapped an Evo VIII, a couple of 911s, and several M3s- all in her lightly modded E46 325i...

Mr_Shiftright

my god that EVO VIII driver must have been terrible. That thing will give a Lambo fits on the track.

qbrozen

well, I brought it up because many people would say "oh, the mini would run away in the corners," but that just hasn't been proven true in my limited experience thus far.

qbrozen

I've also caught and passed many much more powerful cars. M3s, Z06s, and even an R8, just to name a few. I can't help buy wonder how I would do in THEIR cars. I'd at least like to try.

I'm curious how the stang will do, but its looking like that will wait till next year.

Anyway, I'm sure its personal preference. My preference is have enough that I could still be accelerating strongly by the end of the longest straight.

roadburner

The EVO driver was average, my student was exceptional- one of the few times I didn't have much advice to give- all I could do was recommend that she be moved up to the A run group...

isellhondas

Tell your son not to go "exploring "off campus!

USC is NOT in a good neighborhood!

Never heard of Five Points.

nyccarguy

Roadburner's son goes to University of South Carolina, not University of Southern California

breld

Well, I was really trying to wait until next year but these Monday holidays are just too great of a shopping day.

2004 330ci vert. Sport package, slush box. Silver/gray over black. 72k miles.

Twice as many miles as the '01 I looked at Saturday, but I like the color and facelift much better. And truth be told, I kinda like the slushbox for this particular car. We already have two stick shift 3-ers.

Good replacement for the 530i I just sold.

stickguy

I have mentioned before, but next to the produce junction (discount fruit/veggie place in the area) we go to, there is a decent size BHPH lot. I often wander around while the wife does the shopping. So, I have noticed recently they have had some nice cars on the lot. they may be trying to go mainstream! Some not too old Benzs and BMWs at times.

well, today they upped the ante. A 2000 Porsche Carrera drop top. silver, black top/guts (I think interior was too). Even had a stick shift! even reasonable miles for a place like that, at 54K.

no clue what they should go for, but they had it stickered at $27,995. Looked clean enough. Only took a quick look, and noticed some curb rash on a rear alloy.

buy, I definitely wanted one, even if not that particular one!

isellhondas

Oh...gotcha! Totally different or I would at least hope so!

stever

Good man!

Mr_Shiftright

depends on the course and how the Mini is set up--it doesn't have long legs so it shines on tighter courses--and it's not an easy car to drive fast either.

tifighter

breld is definitely shouldering the load for punches. On track to win the coveted CCBA MVP this year for sure...

Sandman6472

Now I am jealous here I have to admit...that would be the perfect vehicle for my needs in South Florida...just perfect! I've always wanted another vert after our '70 Caddy Deville and just love a drop top. I was always using it as a kid no matter how long...or short the trip was. I can really see myself in one of these puppies!

The Sandman

stickguy

Ti, I thought that was called the AK award?

ohenryx

I picked up a newspaper this morning, and looked through the new car ads. Didn't see a single thing that was exciting, or looked like a great deal. Far too many of "$10,000 off MSRP", with no exact mention of a price. What you need is an exact price, and a stock number to go along with it. Does that even happen any more? I used to always buy my new cars / trucks off of newspaper ads.

nyccarguy

Mazel-Tov on the drop top E46! That silver/grey is a sharp color for that car. I dig the '04-'05 face lift too. Details on the transaction? BMW dealer? Luxury import dealer? Fancy euro used car lot?

Sandman6472

Not sure I could actually buy a German car when it comes down to it...especially a pre-owned German car. Luckily I don't have to worried about this situation for awhile but when push comes to shove, not sure what's gonna happen!!

The Sandman

nyccarguy

I'm glad you enjoyed your track experience. I'm glad you wiped that smug look off that guy's face too:). It definitely makes you think..."I could get used to this..." My Prelude would make a perfect starter track car given its low weight & high revving nature. I could throw a set of bilsteins on it, buy a helmet & be on my way. Lime Rock is only about an hour & a half from me. Only problem is that they don't allow racing on Sundays.

If you are looking for a track car, I'd agree with roadburner & qbrozen. A good driver in a small displacement, high revving, momentum car will run rings around the beginner with the STi, EVO, or even 911 as roadburner & his lady student do. I think once you hone your skill & master your craft, there's no replacement for displacement. I've seen a few SCCA & Rolex Series races on TV where a Viper will purposely lug into a corner with a 911 GT3 right on his tail. The Viper just blasts out of the corner with its low end torque, leaving the GT3 gasping for air. Now to be fair, I'm not sure if the Vipers & GT3s were in separate racing classes or not. I'd say try and find something like a C5 Corvette with the Z51 suspension. Those GM Pushrods may be archaic, but they've stood the test of time.

nyccarguy

So I'm not personally due for a punch until next September, but my parents are looking into dumping my Mom's 2011 V6 Cayenne. They took delivery of it on 1/1/11 & now currently have over 56,000 miles on the odometer. Maintenance has been very expensive (at the dealer). They've spent close to 10% of the car's sticker price on maintenance in 2 years & 9 months. They love the truck, but besides the costly maintenance, they just dodged a major financial bullet. The Navigation/Radio/CD/Bluetooth Computer unit went kaput. Well, because they have been such good customers, the service manager went to bat for my parents without hesitation & got Porsche to cover it under warranty. Otherwise it would have been a $5000 repair.

So my parents are looking at a new Cayenne (2013 or 2014). They do love how theirs' drives & hopefully Porsche will have worked out some of the bugs from their early production model 2011 (the first year of the current body style). They are also going to look at the 2013 BMW X5. New body coming out & there are some mega deals out there on the current body style. I'll keep you posted.

While looking on the dealer's website near their house for X5 inventory, I noticed they had a 2011 E90 335d demo car with very little miles asking $32K... Yummy;). Good thing I'm in a lease where it would cost me a lot of money to get out of so I've got to wait it out until the end.

breld

Thanks all for the kind words! Here it is in the driveway.



So my wife gave me a pass to go around looking at cars today. I actually stopped at a Lexus dealership to check out the CT200h (which could be a 2014 punch if the pricing comes down enough on the used market). Then the plan was to check out a couple of 330ci's (never made it to the second location).

This one was at a local BMW dealership in Denver. It was still going through prep, so we had to drive to an off-site location to look at it (I almost didn't bother, since "I wasn't really going to buy anything" :P ). As soon as I saw it and its great condition, I started considering making an offer - I love the Silver/Gray color - my 2007 530xi was the same. Then the test drive confirmed the good condition.

They were asking $14,900, and since it had just arrived, I didn't figure they'd budge much at this point. But I was upfront with the salesperson - said I was interested in buying it today if the price was right. KBB trade is about $10,500, so I offered $12,500 and stuck to it, and they eventually agreed. They were probably happy to have a real buyer for a convertible given Fall is almost upon us.

So, I wouldn't consider a steal, but a real fair price on the car. Certainly a lot of car for the money.

The other one I was going to look at was a 2006 330ci, black on black, with only 29k miles! Accordingly, they were asking $20k. Those are amazing miles, but I like the silver/gray much better, and for my purposes, the 72k miles on mine are just fine and well worth the savings.

Not surprisingly, the 330ci is much more comfortable with the top down than my Miata was. And my boys are thrilled about the idea of a backseat on the convertible. Not that the legroom is great, but at least there's the option. Yesterday, my 10 year old points to a Solara convertible and said he wished we had that - no offense against the Toyota, but I told him I could find a more appropriate 4-seater convertible for us.

stickguy

sweet looking. that would be a perfect car for me. Maybe someday, once we get my daughter situated with college, and I know if I have money to eat (let alone a new car!)

michaellno

Thanks to all for the feedback. I thought about a MINI but shiftys comments has mevrethinking that plan.

Looked at BMW M coupes on eBay. That might be a nice combo of power and handling.

stickguy

It is looking like my 17YO may be leaning toward a college (she is going into senior year of HS, starts tomorrow!) that is in a city. If so, likely will never be taking a car. so, I will basically inherit "Roberto" (the S40) back. Definitely will have it home Freshman year, no matter where she goes. We will just share when she is home on break.

so, instead of using that and getting a toy (and having 2 cars for few miles) after she graduates next spring, I might get rid of the Volvo, and get something nice(r) if not new for me to have, and her to borrow when she is home.

if she picks a school where she will never take a car, no need to save something old for he at that point. So with any luck, I can get anything that strikes my fancy next summer! as long as she can drive it too when needed. Maybe a Mustang... Breld's convert would be a nice option. Maybe a sweet lease on something like an S60 T5? Possibilities are endless!

stickguy

I saw a Z4 coupe (not sure if an M) on Friday being valet'd at a restaurant. I liked it!

michaellno

Murray or Schomp?

roadburner

Nice!!!

breld

Murray. Wasn't always the biggest fan of them, but this deal was real easy.

28firefighter

I currently have my eye on a CPO 2012 GLI Autobahn DSG with 15k miles. As soon as I flip my C30, I'm going to take the plunge - hoping to have it tied up this week, assuming the buyer I have lined up doesn't bail. The first one decided to ship a new 2013 C30 Polestar from the east coast - hard to compete with that!

My name is 28FF and I have a problem.

corvette

Congratulations! We're up to 19 for the year.

corvette

[long list of expensive problems/maintenance with a 2011 Cayenne with the base engine]
"So my parents are looking at a new Cayenne (2013 or 2014)."

Are they masochists?

breld

Saw one of those Polestars in a showroom - pretty cool.

That GLI is a great car (as 'vette can attest to). Great dose of sportiness and class - all at a very reasonable cost. What color?

corvette

Yeah, mine's been great so far. The only difference I can remember between the '12 and the '13 model is that the '13 has an on/off button for the traction control (which I haven't had occasion to use yet).

If I had it to do over, I might have skipped the navigation on mine. You get a smaller display on the navigation models versus the standard multimedia radio, and no traffic support on the nav. The xenon headlights and keyless ignition which come with that package are really nice, though.

isellhondas

An old saying comes to mind...

" If you want to PLAY Porsche, you have to PAY Porsche"

Really? Your parents want to go from the frying pan into the fire?

I would be afraid....VERY afraid!

steine13

>> Otherwise it would have been a $5000 repair.

"The radio on the Porsche needs fixed.
It'll cost $5k."

Sums it up kinda nicely.
Cheers -Mathias

kyfdx

My wife had the identical car (2005 model).... same color/interior.. on a 3 year lease.

She didn't have those nifty wheels, though... Does that have the sport package? Or, just the cool wheels?

rayainsw

Congrats - and best of luck!
- Ray
No longer BMW-er ....

nyccarguy

You guys all make excellent points. And I couldn't agree with you more. I'm just the negotiator. I've explained to them what I would do.

nyccarguy

I too wish VW would offer Xenon headlights without having to pony up for navigation as well. I have navigation on my BMW, but rarely use it. For my next car, I'll most likely buy a portable unit & save the $1500 - $2000+ that mfrs like to charge for factory installed units.

rayainsw

In case anyone is curious, the leased BMW
I turned in late last month is now for sale at
a local BMW dealer here near Atlanta

http://www.bmwroswell.com/detail-2011-bmw-3_series-335is_coupe-used-10983910.htm- l

nyccarguy

6 speed automatic? I thought yours had the 7 speed DCT;). What was you end of lease buy out?

28firefighter

The one I am looking at is the dark gray. I do wish it had xenons, but that smaller Nav screen is a deal breaker for me.