- 21,286
- GR-MI-USA
- YSSMAN
- YSSMAN
First things first, I want to establish the fact that I don't always condone the creation of these kinds of threads. They often get a little weird, overly opinionated, and normally we come up with the same answers every time. I'm hoping to make this kind of a collecting point of "what should I get?" questions and answers, and maybe give a few of the GTPlanet folks positions as "chairmen" of the "committee" of new car decisions.
...Sall I get things started?
In March, I will have had my current ride, "Jenna" for about three years. She is a 1996 Volkswagen Jetta GL Wolfsburg complete with the 2.0L 8V I4, 5-speed manual transmission, and about a little over 162K on the clock. Things are beginning to get to the point where I may need to consider overhauling many of the parts, as I did just replace the rear shocks, however replacement of the serpentine and timing belts will be required in the near-future. The good news is that the car is still worth as much as what it was when I bought it (about $2500, I got a really good deal on it).
(There she is!)
So then the question becomes, what next?
I would like something that is fairly comfortable, and yet sporty enough to keep my Gran Turismo feelings satisfied. I'd hope for pretty decent fuel mileage, 27-30 is a good starting point on the highway. Price wise I'm a bit flexible. My credit is pretty good, so I know I can get a pretty decent loan on just about anything, however I'm not looking to go out and buy a brand-new car off the lot. I'm looking at a $15K price limit here, maybe something American or German, possibly even Japanese.
Suggestions?
---
More on the idea of the committee...
This may need more discussion that what I would have thought out. Lets iron out the wrinkles here before actually creating it. Think of a Senate or House committee on a given topic and you can get a rough idea of what I'm going for. We would want either seven or nine members, and I would hope to get a wide variety of "experts" on the stand. I'm thinking three American-Domestic guys, three German-European guys, and three Asian-Japanese guys. It should keep debate interesting, and maybe give us more solid answers on a particular vehicle instead of the normal back-and-fourth between two members...
...Sall I get things started?
In March, I will have had my current ride, "Jenna" for about three years. She is a 1996 Volkswagen Jetta GL Wolfsburg complete with the 2.0L 8V I4, 5-speed manual transmission, and about a little over 162K on the clock. Things are beginning to get to the point where I may need to consider overhauling many of the parts, as I did just replace the rear shocks, however replacement of the serpentine and timing belts will be required in the near-future. The good news is that the car is still worth as much as what it was when I bought it (about $2500, I got a really good deal on it).

(There she is!)
So then the question becomes, what next?
I would like something that is fairly comfortable, and yet sporty enough to keep my Gran Turismo feelings satisfied. I'd hope for pretty decent fuel mileage, 27-30 is a good starting point on the highway. Price wise I'm a bit flexible. My credit is pretty good, so I know I can get a pretty decent loan on just about anything, however I'm not looking to go out and buy a brand-new car off the lot. I'm looking at a $15K price limit here, maybe something American or German, possibly even Japanese.
Suggestions?
---
More on the idea of the committee...
This may need more discussion that what I would have thought out. Lets iron out the wrinkles here before actually creating it. Think of a Senate or House committee on a given topic and you can get a rough idea of what I'm going for. We would want either seven or nine members, and I would hope to get a wide variety of "experts" on the stand. I'm thinking three American-Domestic guys, three German-European guys, and three Asian-Japanese guys. It should keep debate interesting, and maybe give us more solid answers on a particular vehicle instead of the normal back-and-fourth between two members...