Car Shopping, will spend up to 45k

[B00T]

I have a 350Z roadster and I absolutely love it. If you dont want the convertible cause of no back seat, get the regular.

[madbeetz]

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to be honest, if you don't know what kind of car you want before making this thread, just buy a 10-15k car.

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I have an idea of what I might what, just not 100% sure yet. I really like the G35, just wanna make sure theres nothing else out there thats gonna make me regret getting it

[geormiet]

You're probably gonna hate yourself in 10 years for overspending your net worth on a car which you think will impress people.

The truth is, many people would be more impressed by someone who is confident enough in himself to not have to depend on a slick car to show the world how awesome he is. I say this because it sounds to me like you aren't really interested in the car itself, but instead the status it will buy you. The thing is, you'll be out 45k and you STILL won't be able to fool people - a tool is sitting behind the wheel of a leased 45k sports car still looks like a tool. (I'm not directing this insult at you)

That said, I was 20 not so long ago and I know that you won't be able to listen to the good advice saying not to do it.

THAT said, I think

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However, I do believe that it's good to buy a year old car. You get a much nicer car for your money and you save all that first year depreciation.



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is very good advice. If you really want to impress people spend 45k on a 1-2 year old car. I'm not a car guy so I can't recommend a specific model, but you will end up paying way to much $$ towards fees that won't contribute to the quality of your car by buying new.

[madbeetz]

ive said multiple times, I am buying used

also, the cheaper the better...

[madbeetz]

OMFG ORGASM ORGASM. THIS IS THE MOTHER[CENSORED] [CENSORED]
HOW THE [CENSORED] DID I NOT SEE THIS.
















This car is listed at 40k, which is within the range, but a tad higher than I would "like" to go. This car is also immaculate, and only has 11.5k miles. All this baby needs is a nice set of shiny rims(bigger too), and a nicer looking shift knob and this thing will be [censored] sick. Only downside is no dual exhaust, but at this point I could [censored] care less. This is exactly what I am looking for. Fast, sporty, classy as [censored], and all around pimp. Anyone driven one of these suckers?

[sevenhigh]

first thing to due is to narrow the field a little. Coupe,Sedan , hatchback, convertible?

then u can begin to look at models. BMW makes a great machine that drives and handles amazing. I just got the new 300 series and its more fun to drive than my fathers 2002 SL600 (im not even joking).

I saw a 2006 Accord with some slight, very mild body addons (sideskirts, rims) that look unreal. and honda makes super reliable cars that run forever and are cheap to fix.

[madbeetz]

I want a coupe, fast, luxurious, sporty. Has to have room in the backseat for passengers, room in the trunk for golf clubs. I plan on buying 1-3 years old.

[sevenhigh]

FWI, Mercedes has a great preowned car deals. Make sure u get one that is start marketed. Which means Mecedes has issued it an extended 100k mile full warrenty on all parts and labor.

[mdeck]

I drove a 2001 CLK430 Convertible my Senior year of HS, which had some custom 18's on it (long story short: mom bought it, electronic malfunction caused her to crash, no longer felt safe even after it was fixed, so she bought a new car. We had 2 years left on the lease and no one drove it, so instead of me buying one the parents let me use it until I left for college).

The 430 had a smaller V8 but was a very similar vehicle. Let me just say, it definitely made picking up girls as easy as possible - also, getting jealous looks from Middle aged guys that would pull up next to me at a light was a hilarious feeling. It got kind of annoying when every guy under 25 would try to race at a stop light though - it was funny the first few times, but eventually just led to me rolling my eyes over and over.

The ride is a little rough on long drives (sometimes driving home in traffic it would take 1 hour+ to get home), but overall is comfortable. The interior was nice, although I very much prefer the interior of the newer E and S-Classes.

The back seat isn't very big, but will fit kids or girls well enough - there may be more room in the coupe, I dunno. Ours came with the factory optional upgraded sound system, which included a subwoofer under the rear seat. The 6 disc changer was located in the trunk which was kind of a pain in the ass, but overall the quality was quite good. I found the wheel-mounted stereo controls to be convenient.

Performance wise, you can get something much better for your money. This car is quick (definitely fast enough for me when I was 17), but it's not going to be some speed demon. It's definitely comfortable at freeway speeds though. Couldn't tell the difference between 70 and 85mph. Doesn't sound like you care much about handling, but I'll chime in to say that the suspension is tight enough, but the car will feel sluggish around corners if you're partaking in any "spirited" driving. It's a heavy car, and you will feel the weight in the turns. As a daily driver it won't be an issue though.

Trunk space on mine wasn't large enough to hold a full bag of clubs, but that was probably due to the roof folding into the trunk. The hardtop should hold at least one well enough.

A bit of advice, though - If the car is pushing your budget, don't break the bank for it. I was super stoked for a few weeks after I started driving mine, but eventually the car stops becoming a "p.i.m.p." ride, and you stop seeing it as this uber sweet Mercedes - you just see your car, and it's nothing special. It's really not worth pushing it unless you've got the cash to spare.

PM me if you have any more specific questions, I'm not really good at checking up on threads.

[Rapidtransit]

Seeing as I sell cars to people like you on a daily basis, I thought maybe I'd chime in. There is a lot of good advice here. First:
I would definitely buy used as the depreciation on these cars is enormous in the first year. That being said, if you are commited to buying a used sports car as such, unless your parents will be cosigning, I don't know how much established credit you have, but you are looking at an interest rate of at least 2% higher on used then new, and could be more depending upon any special financing dealerships are offering on a car by car basis. I don't know if this is a concern, but I know 0% financing > 9.5%. Anyway, after you sift through all of this, I would also try to buy a car with a certified warranty, as if you say, buy an audi s4, you won't be happy when the transmission goes 1000's of dollars later. All this being said, your best bet is to check out a site like edmunds.com and compare the cars you're interested in side by side as they will have pretty detailed specs and give you a good idea of what you should be paying.