Need car buying suggestions; $20k to spend on used vehicle...what to get?

[Holographic77]

So I just recently sold by 2000 Audi S4 after 6 yrs of ownership. Very fun (quirky) car, but at times fairly expensive to maintain. I'm now stuck with my beater ('90 Civic wagon), and need to find a replacement "new" car ASAP.

Looking for any suggestions for a below $20k vehicle. Will be averaging about 10-12k miles/year. Have been eyeing B6 S4's, as I'm already familiar with the inherent maintenance costs...but open to anything.

Please chime in!

Thanks

[aethelwulf]

There's a lot of options out there... what are your priorities?

[Waarp]

you might be able to find a Z4 M roadster/Coupe 2006. If not the old M.

[Holographic77]

There's a lot of options out there... what are your priorities?

-Less than 65k miles
-Less than 7 yrs old
-Not a coupe (4 doors or SUV etc)
-Fun to drive

[s14_sr20_silvia]

Mk6 GTI or TDI

[Holographic77]

Mk6 GTI or TDI

Prefer to stay away from the Golf/GTi...had a Mk3 GTi VR6 in the past.

[Oliver@triplezoom]

'06 330i would be a good choice with that criteria.

[_a2coupe2a_]

i know it sounds crazy but out of all the cars ive had i have never liked one as much as i enjoy my touring. If you can find a manual like i did you should go test drive it. I bet you will fall in love

[Jesse]

auto? Pontiac G8 GT.

[slavik19]

im also interested in some replies to this

[CASH CURES A.D.D]

i would never spend 20 grand on a used car... buy a brand new jetta with that money

[Jesse]

i would never spend 20 grand on a used car... buy a brand new jetta with that money

lol, what?

[CASH CURES A.D.D]

exactly what i said?

[danny_16v]

i would never spend 20 grand on a used car... buy a brand new jetta with that money

yes, because a 2.0 8v Jetta as a second fun car is so awesome...

he has a reliable beater civic and he's coming from an S4 to get a Jetta lol

OP, get an E46 M3... will be more reliable than your S4 and probably more fun and engaging as it's more of a sports car.

[Holographic77]

yes, because a 2.0 8v Jetta as a second fun car is so awesome...

he has a reliable beater civic and he's coming from an S4 to get a Jetta lol

OP, get an E46 M3... will be more reliable than your S4 and probably more fun and engaging as it's more of a sports car.

Thanks. Can you remind me what years the E46 is? Price points?

[grounded87]

since you don't drive much, high mpg's shouldn't be of major concern.

If you want something fairly comfortable, but still still fast, I'd eyeball a first gen CTS-V or E46 M3.

[danny_16v]

Thanks. Can you remind me what years the E46 is? Price points?

I believe it's 2001 to 2006

They go from $15k to $40k depending on mileage/condition/options

[Holographic77]

since you don't drive much, high mpg's shouldn't be of major concern.

Is 10-12k annually considered to not be driving that much?

Have been looking at B6 S4's (V8) too.

[iggysju]

Is 10-12k annually considered to not be driving that much?

I'm at around 30k miles a year....so no.

[grounded87]

I'm at around 30k miles a year....so no.

Right... not trying to drag this too far off topic, but I'm in the 35K+ per year range.

Point being at 10Kish miles... a car making even 10mpg less than a comparable isn't going to stack up to that much difference. So a 20mpg big power car vs. a 30mpg car.. quick math:

10K miles @ 20mpg @ $4/gal. = $2,000

10K miles @ 30mpg @ $4/gal. = $1,333

The difference annually is less than $700... round that out to roughly $50/month variance. As a second FUN car, ~$50 a month wouldn't keep me from buying a 300+ horsepower M3 or CTS-V if that was what I really wanted to drive. More smiles per gallon.

Now in my shoes... going from a 45mpg TDI to a 20mpg V8 doing 35K/year is a deal breaker... as I currently budget ~$3100/year for fuel, and that would jump to $7,000! I can think of a lot of things I'd rather spend that additional $4K on. In your boat, you can drive something at 20mpg and STILL spend over $1,000 LESS than I spend on fuel in any given year.

[Holographic77]

Any thoughts on the B6 S4? 05'-06'

[Eightysixturbo]

I'd go for the middle ground, 330 ZHP

[BRealistic]

Have you considered a B6 S4?

[compy222]

i suggested in the purchasing forum the RX-8. seems to fill most of your requirements.

WRX STI or Evo?

[FourEyes]

What about a B6 S4?

[kindofblue59]

What about a B6 S4?

Have you considered a B6 S4?

Any thoughts on the B6 S4? 05'-06'

[_a2coupe2a_]

Im not a fan of b6's.. they just feel cheap. Its like the car audi cut the budget on. The b5's feel much more solid imo

[Nitroholic]

e39 M5 or e90 335i

[koko12]

[iggysju]

Now in my shoes... going from a 45mpg TDI to a 20mpg V8 doing 35K/year is a deal breaker... as I currently budget ~$3100/year for fuel, and that would jump to $7,000! I can think of a lot of things I'd rather spend that additional $4K on. In your boat, you can drive something at 20mpg and STILL spend over $1,000 LESS than I spend on fuel in any given year.

Now that I think about it, i'm actually closer to 35k miles a year and that's why I went from a 20mpg WRX 5-spd to a 31mpg Civic Auto. Do I miss the power and fun factor of the WRX? Hell yes, but the extra cash lets me travel a lot more which is way more fun.

If its a second car and you drive as little as you, screw fuel economy. Go for whatever puts a **** eating grin on your face when you drive it.

[Late Apex]

[1.8Tquattro]

[reticulan]

If you look hard enough, B7 S4's with higher mileage can be found for around 20k.

[B3passatBMX]

5 XJ Cherokee's, 3 Miata's, 2 E30's.

[deagle]

Coolest cars under $18,000

According to Kelley Blue Book, these ten cars go easy on your wallet and are a heck of a lot of fun to drive.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2012/...html?hpt=hp_c2