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Old 03-28-2018, 05:51 PM
WSSix WSSix is offline
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Default Great driving car under $20k

I'm thinking about picking up another car to drive on the weekends and whenever the urge gets to me. Requirements are under $20k, rear wheel drive or all wheel drive, manual transmission, comfortable(so not small), and great driving characteristics. Preference is for a V8 but a high powered 6 is possible. I also don't want lots of maintenance involved. I figure we have a rather diverse crowd here that's driven many different cars. What are your opinions? No Corvettes. They're great but I want something else.

I've been thinking about 10th gen 5.0 Mustangs, Infiniti G37's, BMW E34/39 540i or M5, BMW E46, and Audi S4/5/6. Emphasis is on driving enjoyment which is why I've listed BMW's since people swear by them in those regards. I'm concerned about cost of repairs of the BMWs and Audis though. Should I be considering it'll mainly be a garage queen? Figure 5-8k miles yearly at best. The E34/39 540i's and M5's have got to be at the bottom of their value curve. They really look appealing as a second car that holds potential to remain valuable or increase which would be a great bonus.

Anyway, I'm interested in your thoughts/suggestions and experiences.

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Old 03-28-2018, 05:57 PM
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Flash68 Flash68 is offline
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Love the E39 M5!

I've had an E34 540, an E36 M3 sedan and an E46 M3 previously. Enjoyed them all for what they were and what I needed them for. Some of them nickle and dimed me more than others but they were overall very decent cars and very fun to drive.

Good luck. The hunt is fun!
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Old 03-28-2018, 07:56 PM
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I'm with Dave --- BMW's --- great driving - road or spirited....

Stay as far away as you can if you find a M5 V10 cylinder with the worst transmission in history... the SMG tranny... WHAT A POS THAT IS!! The motor wasn't much better - gutless until the RPM's were above about 4500.... so zero torque around town - not to mention expensive to repair or replace....

I'm also a big fan of the Audi S4..... great car - still good looking -- nice to drive.
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Old 03-28-2018, 08:04 PM
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If you can score an early M5, i think pre 02. Killer sedan, best bang for the buck. but yes, what greg said, stay way away from the V10 ones. i've heard nothing but horror stories from those here in the bay area....4 years ago you coulda got a 964 or 993 series 911 for that, but they just tripled and quadruped in price...i tried.
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Old 03-28-2018, 08:10 PM
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Might be a bit of a stretch but a 2009-10 CTS-V would be a good choice. I had a 2011 and loved it.

Don
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Old 03-28-2018, 08:18 PM
rocketrod rocketrod is offline
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You may want to consider a C5 Z06. I bought one last summer and the car is just a blast to drive! I look forward to autocrossing and drag racing it some this year.
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Old 03-28-2018, 08:20 PM
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I owned a 2004 BMW 545i 6-speed manual for 5 years, really liked the car. The 4.4 V8 was surprisingly torquey, and it handled very well. Fun car to drive. Cheap now, too.
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Old 03-28-2018, 08:48 PM
rustomatic rustomatic is offline
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I am a big fan of the E39 BMW--I've had two of them. I presently have a 2001 530i, and it's awesome to drive, both near and far. Part of this is due to the car's previous owner, who had the thing very expensively maintained--he actually paid Euro-specific shops (Bay Area prices) to fix/update everything, and it shows. I love the car, as it is quiet, smooth, taut in the right ways, has decent power (225-35 horsies), and looks better than what came before and after (according to me and thousands of others). These cars are available cheap (zillions in CA on Craigslist at all times), but you've got to get a good one (one that had a good life, in other words) that has been owned by non-addled grownups (and not given to their kids).

These cars handle great (I live on a very twisty river road and drive canyons daily), smell okay, and have a nice shape. They have some of the best engineering applied recently or presently to chassis dynamics and weight distribution. They have aluminum subframes front and rear, and the front's got a buttload of caster. I can drool on and on . . . I'd really like to stick an LS in one of these, but smog rules in CA . . .

There are many minor problems that creep up in these things, but most are very cheap to fix (avoiding early/late build cycle models seems to help here--the U.S. range is '98 to /'03). They made more than a million E39s internationally. If you do maintenance and fix things (like window regulators/brakes/etc.), the part costs are quite negligible (my four-wheel brake job with rotors and pads was sub-$150, via eBay). The Web knowledge on these things is ridiculously huge and very helpful.

The straight six is an engine configuration that has not gotten the credit (in recent decades) that it deserves. It is super-smooth, torquey at the right rpms, durable as rocks if properly maintained, and is quite efficient. The smaller of the E39 engines (525/528) will do 27+ mpg in any environment (the 540 has a V8 that should be avoided, from what I've heard). Treat it right, and it's like a gas-powered, German Cummins.

The model after the E39, from what I've seen, should be avoided like hepatitis.

I'll shut up now.

Edit: I forgot about the 1/2JZ. That's the Japanese Cummins (I-6).

Last edited by rustomatic; 03-28-2018 at 08:52 PM.
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Old 03-28-2018, 09:51 PM
WSSix WSSix is offline
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Thanks everyone. I've been leaning towards the BMW E34 and E39s. I love the looks and would prefer more of a "grown up car". That's what kind of keeps me away from the Mustang. I love the bright green. The 2010-14 generation looked great, but the interior looks cheap. I haven't even sat in one yet and that's my impression.

From what I've been reading, the 540i V8 and the M5 V8 are solid engines so long as maintenance is documented and thorough. I'm not worried about repairs as I do enjoy working on cars but I don't want it to be every weekend. That's what my friend went through with his V10 M5. He loved it but hated how it was constantly needing work. M3's are great too but I'm not sure I want something that small.

I appreciate the responses, and if you have anything you'd like to add, I'll listen.
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Current rides: 2000 BMW 540i/6 and 86 C10.

Former ride: 1979 Trans Am WS6: LT1/T56, Kore 3 C5/6 brakes, BMW 18in rims
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Old 03-29-2018, 12:15 AM
dkp993 dkp993 is offline
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It might be slightly higher then your 20k budget (23/24k) but the C7 version of the Audi A6 3.0 is an awesome car. I've had mine for nearly 3 yrs and absolutely love it. The supercharged V6 has plenty of grunt and the handling is fun due to the quattro awd.
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