Need help choosing a new car
- Thread starter mark2080
- 63 comments
- 2,169 views
What do you guys think about a '98 M3. My neighbor is selling hers and when I go home in two weeks, I might try to test drive it and give her an offer. The car has about 23,000 miles on it and is in real good condition. The lady bought a porsche and apparently doesn't need/want the M3 anymore.
- 4,473
It sounds good. The M3 might be under the "Luxury" category which might be less expensive in insurance than a car which is under the "Sport" category. I cant remember. BTW, try AutoTrader.com , great site. List your zip code, distance from your place and your price range and it comes up with all the cars that fit in your limits 👍...
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
Buy it!!
The whole time I was reading through this thread I had in mind what I was going to suggest. An M coupe (hardtop roadster), or e30 M3, (88-91). The Mcoupe is better than the e36 m3 (something like 95-99) because it is lighter, tighter, often cheaper, has e46 engine for later models, and IMO looks great. These cars have from 280-320hp I think.
The e30 M3 I would suggest if you like autocross/road racing and dont need something to shame ricers with on the street. I have one. It has a 195hp motor, it is lighter, and basically raw. Produced by BMW for street so they could race it in group A touring championship. For me, 18, insurance was only $200/mo before my accident. That is the same as what it is for the 99 civic I was driving before. Its so cheap because its old and it has a 4-cylinder
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If you like the mcoupe, look for one of those. It will likely be better and cheaper for a newer one. If not have that car checked out and then buy it if its good. That is the perfect situation for a person to be in to be buying a car from them. You know her, its low miles, shes a woman, selling because of new car, etc. Make sure the price is good though (sure it will be, she knows you, wants to get rid of car), and hope that its a 5spd. Its probably a 4-door, but I would prefer a 2-door.
If you dont buy it look at the cars I suggested. Also, if you buy used you can get a much better price, or because it is cheaper you can get a better model of car. New cars are for people who dont know anything about cars, who dont want the hassle and can waste the money, or for people who have their mind set on a type of car that just came out.
The whole time I was reading through this thread I had in mind what I was going to suggest. An M coupe (hardtop roadster), or e30 M3, (88-91). The Mcoupe is better than the e36 m3 (something like 95-99) because it is lighter, tighter, often cheaper, has e46 engine for later models, and IMO looks great. These cars have from 280-320hp I think.
The e30 M3 I would suggest if you like autocross/road racing and dont need something to shame ricers with on the street. I have one. It has a 195hp motor, it is lighter, and basically raw. Produced by BMW for street so they could race it in group A touring championship. For me, 18, insurance was only $200/mo before my accident. That is the same as what it is for the 99 civic I was driving before. Its so cheap because its old and it has a 4-cylinder
.If you like the mcoupe, look for one of those. It will likely be better and cheaper for a newer one. If not have that car checked out and then buy it if its good. That is the perfect situation for a person to be in to be buying a car from them. You know her, its low miles, shes a woman, selling because of new car, etc. Make sure the price is good though (sure it will be, she knows you, wants to get rid of car), and hope that its a 5spd. Its probably a 4-door, but I would prefer a 2-door.
If you dont buy it look at the cars I suggested. Also, if you buy used you can get a much better price, or because it is cheaper you can get a better model of car. New cars are for people who dont know anything about cars, who dont want the hassle and can waste the money, or for people who have their mind set on a type of car that just came out.
- 4,473
Yeah, Autotrader.com shows new AND used cars by both dealerships and people. Almost all of them have pictures and you can also sort them by make, model, etc. Just consider ALL your options before buying a car, look at as many as possible, you could find yourself a good deal. Also, get a certified inspection by an inspector. It can range in cost from $50 - $300. I spent $150 for a professional inspector to check out a vehicle I was going to buy. Well worth it, partially because it turned out to be a lemon (was previously in a flood)...
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
Yes, definately get it inspected. Even though this looks good, you never know. If you are going to get a bmw checked, see if you can find the BMWCCa approved place in your area. What state are you in? I can try and find one. There is always a bmw shop that knows m3s and works on all of the bmw nuts' cars.
A cooper s is also nice. But again Im not sure if its what your looking for.
A cooper s is also nice. But again Im not sure if its what your looking for.
- 4,473
Whats your Zipcode and what price range are you willing to pay for a car?? I'll check on some cars...
- 4,473
Are there any particular makes or models you are looking for?
I am mostly looking at smaller cars. A few that I have checked out are the WRX, RSX, Altima, and SE-R. I haven't had a lot of time to look/test cars in the last couple of weeks. I have mostly been looking at new cars, but a used car with under 40,000 miles would probably be okay as well. So to answer your question, there is not a specific model or make that I am looking for, but i would like a sporty car/sedan.
- 4,473
Just modify the search to what you are looking for. Its a good site 👍, very good...
- 4,473
That is to used cars. You can select to look at new cars as well...
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
cars.com is good too. Nowhere near as good as autotraer though, and most of the cars there are from dealers and reprints from papers. There are a couple small car specific sites I check out for cars also. Roadfly.org has bimmers, along with porsches and some other stuff I dont care to look at. Checkout your local BMWCCA chapter website for ads also. The BMWCCA monthly magazine is great too,the Roundel, most of the cars are superbly maintained. A lot of M caars listed there. Tell me what you are looking for and I will tell you what I find.
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
Lets see.
2000 M coupe - 31.5k miles, black/black, has warranty to 50k, h/k sound and all of the goodies for a bimmer. $28k, in texas. 713-880-8037
Well, I was going to post more, but I dont want to sort through them all now. There are roughly 20 more E36 M3s and other M cars in your price range. Some in or near texas.
If you bought the car above, of course this is all my opinion, but it would be twice the car you can buy if you decided to go new. Let me pull out some specs.
-suspension 2.6 times stiffer than m roadster (I donot like the z3 line)
-315hp, 251ft-lb torque. Inline 6, with 6 throttle bodies, drool.
-RWD
-1:1 fifth gear, I am surprised by that
-fastest BMW ever brought out in USA at its time. Quicker than M5 I quess, or M5 wasnt out then.
-0-60 in 5.1 seconds, 1/4 in 13.8 (still searching for reliable numbers, dont trust these.)
-2990lbs (wouldnt consider it light, but its not heavy)
I want this car. If I had the money I would own it now. It will probably be my next car.
2000 M coupe - 31.5k miles, black/black, has warranty to 50k, h/k sound and all of the goodies for a bimmer. $28k, in texas. 713-880-8037
Well, I was going to post more, but I dont want to sort through them all now. There are roughly 20 more E36 M3s and other M cars in your price range. Some in or near texas.
If you bought the car above, of course this is all my opinion, but it would be twice the car you can buy if you decided to go new. Let me pull out some specs.
-suspension 2.6 times stiffer than m roadster (I donot like the z3 line)
-315hp, 251ft-lb torque. Inline 6, with 6 throttle bodies, drool.
-RWD
-1:1 fifth gear, I am surprised by that
-fastest BMW ever brought out in USA at its time. Quicker than M5 I quess, or M5 wasnt out then.
-0-60 in 5.1 seconds, 1/4 in 13.8 (still searching for reliable numbers, dont trust these.)
-2990lbs (wouldnt consider it light, but its not heavy)
I want this car. If I had the money I would own it now. It will probably be my next car.
- 871
if i had at least 25 000 $ i'd buy a used bmw and boost it
- 4,473
Mindless Dude, is that an E30 in your avatar? There is someone down the street that has one that looks like that. Black with some Volk Wheels and some other mods...
- 4,473
If I could find one I'd like to get one myself for an everyday driver as my other one is being turned into a rally, autocross, or touring car for the SCCA, or just a show car. I have a 9K spending limit. Will post a different thread on it...
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
an e30 bimmer? go for it. I suggest a 325. I dont know too much about the 325 or 318, but I do know that the 318 is much slower. There is only so much you can do to the motor to hop it up. I can check the back of this months Roundel if youd like. There are always very good cars there. It will also probably have a bunch of goodies. Chip, camber plates, strut bars, nice wheels/tires, intake/exhaust, etc.
- 4,473
Maybe Autotrader has one ...
...
- 4,473
BTW, do you know about how much they go for?
advanR
(Banned)
- 1,389
this is a rough guess. I have seen the prices of some generally, but dont know if this is correct.
318 - $4-5k
325 - $7-9k
m3 - $9-17k (fyi, with extreme luck you can find good cheap ones, but anything under $11k is going to be a piece. m3s also go for much more. one has been posted in the roundel for the past couple months for $30k. It has something like 13k miles on it.)
I sadly dont know what the differences in suffixes mean for these cars. I will look it up later though. is, es, etc. Definately go for a 325 though if you want your ride to be pretty sporty. They have a 2.5 liter 6 producing something like 170hp. There are quit a few things you can do to it though. turboing them isnt out of the question. Have seen a few websites of guys who have done that.
Tell me your state and I will look in the back of this months roundel. Its really a great place to find bimmers, especially older ones that have been taken care of, ie. e30.
318 - $4-5k
325 - $7-9k
m3 - $9-17k (fyi, with extreme luck you can find good cheap ones, but anything under $11k is going to be a piece. m3s also go for much more. one has been posted in the roundel for the past couple months for $30k. It has something like 13k miles on it.)
I sadly dont know what the differences in suffixes mean for these cars. I will look it up later though. is, es, etc. Definately go for a 325 though if you want your ride to be pretty sporty. They have a 2.5 liter 6 producing something like 170hp. There are quit a few things you can do to it though. turboing them isnt out of the question. Have seen a few websites of guys who have done that.
Tell me your state and I will look in the back of this months roundel. Its really a great place to find bimmers, especially older ones that have been taken care of, ie. e30.
- 4,473
Virginia Beach, Virginia...
- 4,473
BTW, around what year should I get? (Assuming they imported them here for more than a year) I found a 1987 BMW 325is but I think that it isnt the one Im looking for...
- 5,198
- Montana
- DethMOPAR340
Im not trying to be a ass,if i do forgive me bro.Miatas are cars for bi-people (example-corky romano)
Get a Dodge SRT-4,get it while the price is at low as it is...
Get a Dodge SRT-4,get it while the price is at low as it is...
Originally posted by MazKid
Test drive a Miata, you'll love it.
Finding an MP3 is a bit hard, though you could possibly find a MazdaSpeed Protege at a MazdaSpeed Dealer(Mazda dealer selling MazdaSpeed stuff).
You can find Miatas all over. You could aim for the 2003 SE and/or Shinsen version, I'd go for the SE because the wheels are awsome. I sat in it at the Chicago autoshow.
You could even go with a used one if you like, you can find some(1st gens) for as little as 3K, though a 2nd gen should run you about 9K used to 18K new maxed out. Depends on what you need. You can also get a "racing" version new from Mazda, which is bare bones, for pretty cheap, and it's a great deal lighter than the normal one, but I wouldn't think you'd want one without a radio or A/C and without many other options and standard features.
If you need any info, let me know.
But I'd suggest taking the Miata for a spin, you'll be impressed.
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