What to buy?! BMW, Audi, 4x4, 4cyl, AWD, etc etc
#21
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I am in the same boat, selling my truck to keep the miata hopefully works out. Ill be able to pick something up cheap.
I have been looking at old subys alot.
A year ago i had an old audi 90 quattro, probably the last audi ill ever own.
I have been looking at old subys alot.
A year ago i had an old audi 90 quattro, probably the last audi ill ever own.
#22
Older subaru's are absolutely great.
I'd get a 2.5 RS in a heartbeat for a daily.
Great in the snow, not bad at all on gas, and fairly cheap to maintain.
Too bad around here they are expensive as ****. People seem to think their 99 2.5 RS is worth 10k 20 years later. I just can't believe the prices some idiots think their cars are worth.
If in your area they are not expensive, that's what I would suggest getting.
I would definitely advise AGAINST that slob. Unless you get the rebadged scoob one. Most others suck dicks.
I'd get a 2.5 RS in a heartbeat for a daily.
Great in the snow, not bad at all on gas, and fairly cheap to maintain.
Too bad around here they are expensive as ****. People seem to think their 99 2.5 RS is worth 10k 20 years later. I just can't believe the prices some idiots think their cars are worth.
If in your area they are not expensive, that's what I would suggest getting.
I would definitely advise AGAINST that slob. Unless you get the rebadged scoob one. Most others suck dicks.
#24
Antisaint
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Is it ridiculous for me to say that I've already kinda changed my mind on the Saab? lol
I thought about it all day today, and even though it looks mint inside and out....I just don't know if I can drive that thing.
My brothers keep telling me to sell the ******* miata and buy myself a half way decent truck.
Either way, slob or no slob, I WILL have a new daily driver by the end of the weekend. I just hope that I can find something that I'll know a little more about.
****, I've even debated the idea of a 2nd miata with snow tires and sand in the trunk, just cause I know they're dependable, easy to fix, and cheap enough to buy/maintain.
I thought about it all day today, and even though it looks mint inside and out....I just don't know if I can drive that thing.
My brothers keep telling me to sell the ******* miata and buy myself a half way decent truck.
Either way, slob or no slob, I WILL have a new daily driver by the end of the weekend. I just hope that I can find something that I'll know a little more about.
****, I've even debated the idea of a 2nd miata with snow tires and sand in the trunk, just cause I know they're dependable, easy to fix, and cheap enough to buy/maintain.
#25
Antisaint
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So I've been searching and searching, but its hard to find a car thats not already sold, listed by a scammer, or one that you actually get a call/email back from the seller.
Yesterday I had a guy call me out of the blue about the '99 Audi A6 wagon he had listed. I've emailed so many people that it took me a minute to remember which one it was.
He had it listed as "1999 AUDI A6 quattro .......... automatic fully loaded 119k leather, roof, drives great.........DENT in FENDER"
I talked with him a little on the phone about the car and decided to take a drive with the gf to go check it out with intentions of buying it. Due to traffic it was a 2 hour ride to get there, and it was dark by the time we pulled in. Perfect.
Overall, the car was a piece of a ****. It had SO MANY things broken, dented, bent, cracked, snapped, etc, that I just couldn't believe he listed it as only having "dent in fender".
I took it for a drive, let it sit and warm up to see how well it idled, used a flashlight to inspect everything I could, and tried like hell to find a reason to buy it. I know for $2400 I couldn't expect a MINT condition A6, but this thing was pretty beat. The 2 things that killed it for me was when he opened the hatch, water came pouring out of the door itself, and the motor once warmed up had a distinct knock to it that didn't sound too promising.
I thanked him for letting me check it out and told him it had more wrong with it than I expected. He didn't look me in the eyes the whole time I was there until I was saying I didn't want it. Typical low life. Little did he know I had $2200 on me and would have paid him quicker than **** if it was actually "as listed".
Anyways, I'm going to check out an older volvo and maybe a mx6 today. The A6 would have been nice, but I guess you have to expect that you get what you pay for. lol
Yesterday I had a guy call me out of the blue about the '99 Audi A6 wagon he had listed. I've emailed so many people that it took me a minute to remember which one it was.
He had it listed as "1999 AUDI A6 quattro .......... automatic fully loaded 119k leather, roof, drives great.........DENT in FENDER"
I talked with him a little on the phone about the car and decided to take a drive with the gf to go check it out with intentions of buying it. Due to traffic it was a 2 hour ride to get there, and it was dark by the time we pulled in. Perfect.
Overall, the car was a piece of a ****. It had SO MANY things broken, dented, bent, cracked, snapped, etc, that I just couldn't believe he listed it as only having "dent in fender".
I took it for a drive, let it sit and warm up to see how well it idled, used a flashlight to inspect everything I could, and tried like hell to find a reason to buy it. I know for $2400 I couldn't expect a MINT condition A6, but this thing was pretty beat. The 2 things that killed it for me was when he opened the hatch, water came pouring out of the door itself, and the motor once warmed up had a distinct knock to it that didn't sound too promising.
I thanked him for letting me check it out and told him it had more wrong with it than I expected. He didn't look me in the eyes the whole time I was there until I was saying I didn't want it. Typical low life. Little did he know I had $2200 on me and would have paid him quicker than **** if it was actually "as listed".
Anyways, I'm going to check out an older volvo and maybe a mx6 today. The A6 would have been nice, but I guess you have to expect that you get what you pay for. lol
#26
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My two cents is that Saabs are fun. Powerful, turbo charged, although like any european brand, not terribly reliable. Then again you're not looking at any Hondas or Toyotas are you.
Only issue with them is that they're FWD. Avoid any and all automatics with the Saabs, no if ands or buts.
Only issue with them is that they're FWD. Avoid any and all automatics with the Saabs, no if ands or buts.
#27
Antisaint
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Thanks for the feedback Curly. I don't know much about European cars, but I'm certainly not opposed to them. I was hoping to check out an older 80's Volvo yesterday but it was already sold.
Total this weekend I drove 270 miles around CT looking at junks. Every ******* car I've seen so far has only been junk! WTF!
I had a guy call me back from his ad and he said it sold, but he has another 40-50 cars on his lot. He told me "I don't sell junks, they go back to the auction house, everything i have and sell is quality". So on this note I drove about an hour away to see what he had. We pulled in and I was instantly pissed. Every car was a joke. I mean, even if my budget was $10k, still nothing worth looking at. Thankfully the guy wasn't there so I couldn't tell him thanks a lot you lying ****!
Next was another A6, this time a '98 sedan. I knew that it needed an axle and maybe valve cover gaskets ahead of time. The guy said it was leaking some oil on the manifold and was assuming that was the issue, or so he says. Axles are selling for $100 and I could throw it in on the lift no problem, but I wasn't sure about the oil leak deal and was more or less planning on it being no problem.
I really liked the car once I sat in it. It was a little beat up (missing the center console panel, radio didnt work, driver seat had some tears, passenger window didnt work, etc), but the black and brown leather interior had me wanting it bad. My gf couldn't understand why I liked the brown, she thought it looked terrible. lol
The guy let me start in up and drive it around the lot, but he said he couldn't let me take it out with the dealer plates on the road when they are technically closed on Sunday (I wasn't sure if that was bs or not). It seemed ok, but then again, I'm not familiar with Audi's. The oil leak was apparent due to the smoke billowing out from under the plastic engine cover. Overall it was in rough shape and I just couldn't see it being worth it in the end. It needed new tires, a brake job, new front axle, fix oil leak and a tune up to make it road worthy. So even though it wasn't that much work and a good price, all of that and 230k miles were enough for me to walk away.
Last was a MX6. It was a quickie that I set up with what sounded like a kid on the bottom end of the state. I had already halfway setup the meeting, so I figured I would go check it out. In the pictures this thing looked mint, and that was the only reason I was interested in the first place. In actuality it was a piece of ****. The exterior and interior were trashed, it had a "sport" fart can exhaust on it, with some stupid *** intake setup that was just a joke. I was polite to the kid cause he seemed really timid and shy, so I didnt want to be like "I cant believe I drove all the way the **** down here to look at this ****", so I gave it a quick look and said I would sleep on it. He already called me today wondering what I thought. Jesus christ.
I know my budget isn't that stellar, but honestly, can I not find a half way decent vehicle for $2k-$3k anymore? And why do people insist on lying in their ads regarding the condition of the car, pictures, etc? Don't they know when would-be-buyers show up that there might be some misunderstanding? If this happens again, I might not be so polite to the next guy. I'll give him the ole hucklebuck.
Total this weekend I drove 270 miles around CT looking at junks. Every ******* car I've seen so far has only been junk! WTF!
I had a guy call me back from his ad and he said it sold, but he has another 40-50 cars on his lot. He told me "I don't sell junks, they go back to the auction house, everything i have and sell is quality". So on this note I drove about an hour away to see what he had. We pulled in and I was instantly pissed. Every car was a joke. I mean, even if my budget was $10k, still nothing worth looking at. Thankfully the guy wasn't there so I couldn't tell him thanks a lot you lying ****!
Next was another A6, this time a '98 sedan. I knew that it needed an axle and maybe valve cover gaskets ahead of time. The guy said it was leaking some oil on the manifold and was assuming that was the issue, or so he says. Axles are selling for $100 and I could throw it in on the lift no problem, but I wasn't sure about the oil leak deal and was more or less planning on it being no problem.
I really liked the car once I sat in it. It was a little beat up (missing the center console panel, radio didnt work, driver seat had some tears, passenger window didnt work, etc), but the black and brown leather interior had me wanting it bad. My gf couldn't understand why I liked the brown, she thought it looked terrible. lol
The guy let me start in up and drive it around the lot, but he said he couldn't let me take it out with the dealer plates on the road when they are technically closed on Sunday (I wasn't sure if that was bs or not). It seemed ok, but then again, I'm not familiar with Audi's. The oil leak was apparent due to the smoke billowing out from under the plastic engine cover. Overall it was in rough shape and I just couldn't see it being worth it in the end. It needed new tires, a brake job, new front axle, fix oil leak and a tune up to make it road worthy. So even though it wasn't that much work and a good price, all of that and 230k miles were enough for me to walk away.
Last was a MX6. It was a quickie that I set up with what sounded like a kid on the bottom end of the state. I had already halfway setup the meeting, so I figured I would go check it out. In the pictures this thing looked mint, and that was the only reason I was interested in the first place. In actuality it was a piece of ****. The exterior and interior were trashed, it had a "sport" fart can exhaust on it, with some stupid *** intake setup that was just a joke. I was polite to the kid cause he seemed really timid and shy, so I didnt want to be like "I cant believe I drove all the way the **** down here to look at this ****", so I gave it a quick look and said I would sleep on it. He already called me today wondering what I thought. Jesus christ.
I know my budget isn't that stellar, but honestly, can I not find a half way decent vehicle for $2k-$3k anymore? And why do people insist on lying in their ads regarding the condition of the car, pictures, etc? Don't they know when would-be-buyers show up that there might be some misunderstanding? If this happens again, I might not be so polite to the next guy. I'll give him the ole hucklebuck.
#28
You really should forget about buying a cheap Audi. Anything in your price range isn't going to have a stellar maintenance history, they're as (un)reliable as VW's, but are a magnitude more complicated, especially the suspensions & electronics, and are more expensive to fix.
If you need something cheap, think SIMPLE.
C
If you need something cheap, think SIMPLE.
C
#29
Look back into the volvo's .
850's 1500 and less, higher mileage beat,. Interiors can look like **** easily.
98-2000 s70 sedan and v70 wagons, 1500-3000. Dependable, more refined 850 volvo. suspensions wear out, but repairs are easy, and rather affordable. fcpgroton.com for parts on the cheap.
I have a 98 s70 T. its awesome, I love it, Midsized sedan, great power, Comfortable.
Check behind with car dealerships. try and ride around back. if a car is parked, no tags its probably a trade in. These days dealerships would take a shot of cash in their pocket. YOu offer cash money, take it away no service required, they dont have to pay to auction it transport etc.
Just an idea. Used car lots are junk.
850's 1500 and less, higher mileage beat,. Interiors can look like **** easily.
98-2000 s70 sedan and v70 wagons, 1500-3000. Dependable, more refined 850 volvo. suspensions wear out, but repairs are easy, and rather affordable. fcpgroton.com for parts on the cheap.
I have a 98 s70 T. its awesome, I love it, Midsized sedan, great power, Comfortable.
Check behind with car dealerships. try and ride around back. if a car is parked, no tags its probably a trade in. These days dealerships would take a shot of cash in their pocket. YOu offer cash money, take it away no service required, they dont have to pay to auction it transport etc.
Just an idea. Used car lots are junk.
#30
Seems like you are going the car route, but I have been thinking about getting an older 4runner 99-02 (with the sr5). It's 4wd, auto (so the wifey could drive it), they last a long *** time (some rack up near 300K and its a non-interference motor so no worries about timing belts), parts are cheap and plentiful, and its a yota....food for thought
#31
Antisaint
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On my way to New Haven now to check out a 1 owner '03 Ford Taurus. 170k highway miles. Mint interior and exterior. 4 New tires. New brakes. New timing belt and water pump done 10k ago.
Guy wants $1900. I talked to him on the phone for a bit and out of everyone I've dealt with so far, he's the best yet. I'm going to offer $1500 cash, right here right now, and see if he takes it.
I really don't want a Taurus, but then again, I already have a car that I love and don't pay any mind to it. I really just need to keep in mind that this isn't forever, its just for now. Would I rather have a 4wd or AWD truck, blazer, or station wagon? You bet! Only trouble is I'm not willing to spend more than I set aside for this. I need to keep some money in the bank as a cushion for myself. If I go and blow it all on a truck and then this winter sales slow down, or things get rough, I'll be fucked.
Hopefully the search ends tonight!
Guy wants $1900. I talked to him on the phone for a bit and out of everyone I've dealt with so far, he's the best yet. I'm going to offer $1500 cash, right here right now, and see if he takes it.
I really don't want a Taurus, but then again, I already have a car that I love and don't pay any mind to it. I really just need to keep in mind that this isn't forever, its just for now. Would I rather have a 4wd or AWD truck, blazer, or station wagon? You bet! Only trouble is I'm not willing to spend more than I set aside for this. I need to keep some money in the bank as a cushion for myself. If I go and blow it all on a truck and then this winter sales slow down, or things get rough, I'll be fucked.
Hopefully the search ends tonight!
#33
Antisaint
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Too late. Already got fucked.
At last second I went to meet a spanish couple to check out their '00 Chevy Blazer, and it was in decent shape but she didn't have the title in hand. It was just another issue I'd have to deal with. I did talk them down from $2100 to $1700 though. I told them I had another car to check out and would get back to them.
Went to see the Taurus and it checked out pretty much how the ad stated it. The guy on the other hand, I didn't like. On the phone he was alright, but in person I didn't ******* like him one bit. I checked everything out, took it for a quick drive, and then went back to the parking lot.
He had it listed for $1900 so I offered $1500. He said no right away. He said that tomorrow morning he had a guy coming that already offered $1800. He kept saying he knew KBB was in the $3k's and that he knew what he had. I knew as well that for around that price it was still a good deal, at least I thought. I offered $1750 and said at least let me use the $50 to fill the gas tank up and he accepted.
The ride home was probably one of, if not the worst ******* ride I ever drove in my life. The whole rear end of the car bounces up and down, it shakes over 60mph, and the smell inside was making me nauseous after awhile.
I did this to myself. I rushed into so I didn't have to waste anymore time looking on CL and driving around the state looking at junks. Yet somehow, I still ended up with one. I definitely feel like I was taken for a ride. I'm gonna call the guy tomorrow and let him know that he's a lying **** and that I'm pissed. I know he probably wont care, but I'm gonna get a little irate on him for sure.
At last second I went to meet a spanish couple to check out their '00 Chevy Blazer, and it was in decent shape but she didn't have the title in hand. It was just another issue I'd have to deal with. I did talk them down from $2100 to $1700 though. I told them I had another car to check out and would get back to them.
Went to see the Taurus and it checked out pretty much how the ad stated it. The guy on the other hand, I didn't like. On the phone he was alright, but in person I didn't ******* like him one bit. I checked everything out, took it for a quick drive, and then went back to the parking lot.
He had it listed for $1900 so I offered $1500. He said no right away. He said that tomorrow morning he had a guy coming that already offered $1800. He kept saying he knew KBB was in the $3k's and that he knew what he had. I knew as well that for around that price it was still a good deal, at least I thought. I offered $1750 and said at least let me use the $50 to fill the gas tank up and he accepted.
The ride home was probably one of, if not the worst ******* ride I ever drove in my life. The whole rear end of the car bounces up and down, it shakes over 60mph, and the smell inside was making me nauseous after awhile.
I did this to myself. I rushed into so I didn't have to waste anymore time looking on CL and driving around the state looking at junks. Yet somehow, I still ended up with one. I definitely feel like I was taken for a ride. I'm gonna call the guy tomorrow and let him know that he's a lying **** and that I'm pissed. I know he probably wont care, but I'm gonna get a little irate on him for sure.
#35
Antisaint
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Its morning and I'm not overly exhausted anymore.
I joined up on the taurus forum to see exactly what these guys do for the bouncing suspension. After spending 10 mins on there I can see already that I'm not going to look forward to posting or hanging out over there. Hard parking a taurus is wayy worse than any slammed miata.
Tomorrow I'm going to try taking the car down to the shop and put it up on the lift. Check out the suspension and everything to see what the **** is the problem. If I just need to replace the rear struts/shocks that's not that bad. The car shaking over 60mph is probably just an alignment or balance issue, so I guess that's not worth stressing out about either.
I'm just mad the guy lied to me. He even said "tell me what you have to do for this car" in his kroatien accent. ******* dick! I guess I'll start with balancing the tires, getting an alignment, replacing the rear struts, and punching you right in the mouth. lol
If I went into it KNOWING it had issues, that would be on me. But I don't like being lied to. He could have mentioned this **** before I drove all the way to new haven at the end of the day, let alone before I handed him cash and he signed the title. I almost feel like if I could go back in time, I would buy the black A6 sedan I saw on Sunday. At least that thing was worth putting money into. This was supposed to be a quick buy and I'd start DD it tomorrow, without having to put any money into it beside tax, reg, etc.
Ohh well live and learn right.
I joined up on the taurus forum to see exactly what these guys do for the bouncing suspension. After spending 10 mins on there I can see already that I'm not going to look forward to posting or hanging out over there. Hard parking a taurus is wayy worse than any slammed miata.
Tomorrow I'm going to try taking the car down to the shop and put it up on the lift. Check out the suspension and everything to see what the **** is the problem. If I just need to replace the rear struts/shocks that's not that bad. The car shaking over 60mph is probably just an alignment or balance issue, so I guess that's not worth stressing out about either.
I'm just mad the guy lied to me. He even said "tell me what you have to do for this car" in his kroatien accent. ******* dick! I guess I'll start with balancing the tires, getting an alignment, replacing the rear struts, and punching you right in the mouth. lol
If I went into it KNOWING it had issues, that would be on me. But I don't like being lied to. He could have mentioned this **** before I drove all the way to new haven at the end of the day, let alone before I handed him cash and he signed the title. I almost feel like if I could go back in time, I would buy the black A6 sedan I saw on Sunday. At least that thing was worth putting money into. This was supposed to be a quick buy and I'd start DD it tomorrow, without having to put any money into it beside tax, reg, etc.
Ohh well live and learn right.
#36
Cpt. Slow
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Well it's too late now, but taureses suck. Also, volvos aren't much of a drivers car, and saabs have some of the most comfortable seats ever. Like I said, way too late. Just put it back on CL if he doesn't take it back. And always test drive a car up and above 60, you'll be doing that regularily anyways.
#37
Ugh. Sorry dude. Nothing's worse that dumping money into an uninspiring and unworthy car.
We bought a used 1996 Camry 4-cyl auto base model a few years back. High miles, but the body was clean, interior was decent, and the engine bay wasn't spotless, but clean enough. No red flags in the brief test drive, and the price was right.
Within 6 months that car started leaking and burning so much oil it wasn't funny. It was my wife's car, so I made sure she knew how to check the oil level and refill it (and made sure I never retightened the filler cap too tight for her). It got to where she would drive around with a couple quarts of cheap oil and a funnel in the trunk. Once a week I'd pull the empty bottles and refill them. The smell of hot oil was so bad in the cabin you had to open the windows on long drives.
We bought a used 1996 Camry 4-cyl auto base model a few years back. High miles, but the body was clean, interior was decent, and the engine bay wasn't spotless, but clean enough. No red flags in the brief test drive, and the price was right.
Within 6 months that car started leaking and burning so much oil it wasn't funny. It was my wife's car, so I made sure she knew how to check the oil level and refill it (and made sure I never retightened the filler cap too tight for her). It got to where she would drive around with a couple quarts of cheap oil and a funnel in the trunk. Once a week I'd pull the empty bottles and refill them. The smell of hot oil was so bad in the cabin you had to open the windows on long drives.
#38
Joe, I really wish I'd seen this thread earlier. I was just in a very similar position, looking for a dependable sub $2K car that would fit a car seat.
I ended up with a bittersweet deal.
Found a $1300 1993 Lexus LS400. I did a good bit of research as well as talking to my uncle who's got a shop, and these are very well made cars that are just now falling into an affordable spot in the market while they still have plenty of life left.
Bonuses:
~25mph highway
decently quick (sweet V8)
comfy...duh
timeless styling
made by Toyota when they had something to prove...ie over-engineered
plenty of space
So I educated myself on common issues and went to check this car out. They thought it had a serious transmission problem since it would CLUNK when you put it in gear. They apparently couldn't tell the motor was idling at about 2500rpm because the tach was broken and the motor is so damn quiet you can't tell. I found where the vacuum leak was and drove home happy.
There were some undisclosed issues that pissed me off...and I know what you mean by being pissed about lying. They told me the gas gauge would drop out sometimes...as in be at zero when it really had gas left in it...and insinuated that when it read something it was accurate. Next day on the way to school it still read a half tank when it ran out of gas...*******!
Oh well, like it otherwise...need to take some pics.
I ended up with a bittersweet deal.
Found a $1300 1993 Lexus LS400. I did a good bit of research as well as talking to my uncle who's got a shop, and these are very well made cars that are just now falling into an affordable spot in the market while they still have plenty of life left.
Bonuses:
~25mph highway
decently quick (sweet V8)
comfy...duh
timeless styling
made by Toyota when they had something to prove...ie over-engineered
plenty of space
So I educated myself on common issues and went to check this car out. They thought it had a serious transmission problem since it would CLUNK when you put it in gear. They apparently couldn't tell the motor was idling at about 2500rpm because the tach was broken and the motor is so damn quiet you can't tell. I found where the vacuum leak was and drove home happy.
There were some undisclosed issues that pissed me off...and I know what you mean by being pissed about lying. They told me the gas gauge would drop out sometimes...as in be at zero when it really had gas left in it...and insinuated that when it read something it was accurate. Next day on the way to school it still read a half tank when it ran out of gas...*******!
Oh well, like it otherwise...need to take some pics.
#40
Since you're searching CL, try www.SearchTempest.com
Allows you to search multiple city's CL within a certain mileage range at the same time. Makes things easier.
*edit* NVM, I see you bought something.
Allows you to search multiple city's CL within a certain mileage range at the same time. Makes things easier.
*edit* NVM, I see you bought something.