# Most fun car to drive at around $15-18k?



## 3LOU5 (Jun 14, 2002)

Frank Rizzo said:


> I did too..........but since I have a day job and cant look at this forum all day long, something must have happened that I missed - or at least hope I helped cause. So why not take a swing at me too, tough guy?
> 
> FWIW: Herc shares the knowledge. I come HERE first for IT related questions, and he's one of the ones who answer first. Where's your "value add" ?:dunno:
> 
> .


Cliff "adds value" to the Photography Forum. And sometimes Mac-related questions.

I'd watch what you "say" to him though, he seems pretty tight with the owner of Bimmerfest. :eeps:


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## Double-S (Nov 30, 2006)

Hercules said:


> I have the A4 3.0 right now, and it's a great daily driver... quiet, comfy, smooth. It's almost zero fun to drive. I figure I can afford a car in the 15k-18k range (though I'd like to stay around 15k) to have some fun on the weekends without breaking the bank.
> 
> I honestly was thinking to get a used RX-8... the chassis on the car is amazing and it was always a pleasure to drive. I am not a big fan of convertibles, and so I would write off the Miata or S2000.
> 
> Any other ideas? With spring time rapidly approaching, I'm weighing my options. Either that, or I'll dump a bit of money into my A4 to make it more fun, but at 3700lbs, it's hard to 'add' anything to make it more fun


I had a '95 RX-7 which I sold in '98, now that was a fun car! Maybe you could find a good used one?


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

3LOU5 said:


> Cliff "adds value" to the Photography Forum. And sometimes Mac-related questions.
> 
> I'd watch what you "say" to him though, he seems pretty tight with the owner of Bimmerfest. :eeps:


Well that would further explain Cliff's mention of Jimmy and the site's proliferation of Jimmy's ego SPAM.

I had a theory about that.


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## ///M3lissa (Jun 23, 2005)

I think TD hit the nail on the head...



TD said:


> There is no way to answer that without inciting a riot.
> 
> *Many* people who have owned/driven both will say the E46 M3 is faster but the E36 M3 is more fun to drive.
> 
> ...


Herc, I agree with the suggestions that you should drive an E36 M3. We have both an E36 M3 and E46 M3 in my house and they both drive differently. Some members of the family think the E36 is more fun to drive :dunno:


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## Hercules (Jul 15, 2002)

///M3lissa said:


> I think TD hit the nail on the head...
> 
> Herc, I agree with the suggestions that you should drive an E36 M3. We have both an E36 M3 and E46 M3 in my house and they both drive differently. Some members of the family think the E36 is more fun to drive :dunno:


What do you think?


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

SSIMON said:


> I had a '95 RX-7 which I sold in '98, now that was a fun car! Maybe you could find a good used one?


They are sooooo expensive used. Fast and the Furious turned those damned cars into gold. I was in love with the 95 RX and a few years back I looked into getting one. 25k for a 7-8 year old car?! :yikes:

Edmunds claims they sell for 10-11k. Do an autotrader search; I couldn't find a 95 for under 17k. 12 year old car and it's still going for 50% its sale price.


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## ///M3lissa (Jun 23, 2005)

Hercules said:


> What do you think?


The E36 M3 is fun to drive. It's light and tossable and it sounds fantastic, but for me, it lacks the comfort and modern feel of the E46. The steering wheel doesn't tilt and the seats aren't that adjustable for someone my size. It doesn't have bluetooth, has more cabin noise, etc... its clearly an older car with a 'dated' look and feel to it that I'm not into. For $15K you can get a nice one that will be lots of fun, but it will need some tinkering to keep it running.

I love my E46 M3 (Yes, this means I like it better  ). It fits me like a glove and is very solid, yet responsive. I wish it sounded as good as the E36, but it doesn't :dunno: It's entirely different car with a very different price tag...

Now there is a third component here... we also have an E36 M3 track car that has lots of modifications. I haven't driven it much, but in the short drives that I have taken it on, I'd say power and handling wise is very close to the E46 M3 and it was a blast to drive... After I drive it on the track (hopefully soon!) I'll be able to form a better opinion on the comparison of the two...


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

LA525iT said:


> Back to the subject.... RSX with VTEC engine. No worries, no BMW-esque maintenance.


Just don't lift in the corners. 

Herc, I assume you want a car with low maintenance right? IMO, an E36 M3 is not an $18k used car, it'll cost you as much to own as buying a new $35k BMW.


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## TD (Dec 19, 2001)

Dawg90 said:


> Just don't lift in the corners.
> 
> Herc, I assume you want a car with low maintenance right? IMO, an E36 M3 is not an $18k used car, it'll cost you as much to own as buying a new $35k BMW.


Very few (even clean examples) cost $18K. And once a few key maintenence items are taken care of, you're not looking at more $$ to maintain than a new one (were you to pay for maintenance out of pocket).


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

TD said:


> Very few (even clean examples) cost $18K. And once a few key maintenence items are taken care of, you're not looking at more $$ to maintain than a new one (were you to pay for maintenance out of pocket).


I'm just asking Herc if his budget is $15-18k for the car, plus $2-3k/year to maintain it, or does he want a problem free fun car. It makes a big difference.

Herc, how about this one, offer them $18k.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...ional&paId=219262346&recnum=3&leadExists=true

Edit: Screw that one, get this one for $16k.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...ional&paId=219041812&recnum=9&leadExists=true


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## Double-S (Nov 30, 2006)

blueguydotcom said:


> They are sooooo expensive used. Fast and the Furious turned those damned cars into gold. I was in love with the 95 RX and a few years back I looked into getting one. 25k for a 7-8 year old car?! :yikes:
> 
> Edmunds claims they sell for 10-11k. Do an autotrader search; I couldn't find a 95 for under 17k. 12 year old car and it's still going for 50% its sale price.


Yeah, you're bang on! I made a big mistake selling mine, they were awesome cars and pretty rare to boot. Here we can find them for C$18-30k but good ones are rare. Actually the M Roadster is the closest thing to that high rev rotary I could find.


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## Chris D (Dec 19, 2006)

Laugh and point if you want, but I absolutely love my Mazda 3-S, which is my daily commuter. It's a blast to drive. :thumbup:


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## 525iEnjoy (Jan 15, 2007)

98-00 Camaro/TA 6 speed are about 9K with heads cam swap and a 12 bolt will get you close too 13K and you'll have a 430 rwhp driver that gets 23mpg and does mid 12's!


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## Double-S (Nov 30, 2006)

Chris D said:


> Laugh and point if you want, but I absolutely love my Mazda 3-S, which is my daily commuter. It's a blast to drive. :thumbup:


No laughter here, I have one too as my daily driver and I love it. :thumbup:


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## #5880 (Feb 11, 2006)

I think this would be pretty fun.......

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...ors=&transmission=&max_price=18000&cardist=28


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

lao270 said:


> I think this would be pretty fun.......
> 
> http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...ors=&transmission=&max_price=18000&cardist=28


Why are 540's so cheap? Is the V8 unreliable or something?


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## cwsqbm (Aug 4, 2004)

Dawg90 said:


> Why are 540's so cheap? Is the V8 unreliable or something?


6 years old, high mileage, plus the average driver doesn't want a manual 5 series. Autos were in the mid 20's.


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## TD (Dec 19, 2001)

Dawg90 said:


> Why are 540's so cheap? Is the V8 unreliable or something?


That's a HIGH mileage car too.

Normal mileage 540s go for more than that one.


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## wwb4 (Dec 29, 2005)

Chris D said:


> Laugh and point if you want, but I absolutely love my Mazda 3-S, which is my daily commuter. It's a blast to drive. :thumbup:


Of course it is.......I know where Berryville is, it's out there heading towards WV....:yikes: .....I myself used to live in Leesburg, and it was a muderous commute to anywhere.........you're at the very least 45-60 min from where you work with no traffic at all if I'm not mistaken. :dunno: I can totally understand and respect why you save the 550i and Lotus for_* fun*_ drives. :thumbup:


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## #5880 (Feb 11, 2006)

Dawg90 said:


> Why are 540's so cheap? Is the V8 unreliable or something?


I have noticed that nobody wants the 540 around here.

The Premium on used seems to be 3's first, then 7's, then 530's.


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