Decisions, decisions....(advice please)
Discussion
well having just found out how much its likely to cost for what currently needs doing to my car (shocks, bushes, 2 new tyres, 2 doors(don't ask), mostly just wear and tear type stuff), and its a pretty similiar number to the value of the car. so I have a few choices to make:
option a) pay $1600 or so fixing up a 16 year old, fairly slow wagon, which I'll only keep for probably 2 more years max anyway.
option b) get somewhere around $1500-$2k as a trade-in on an Impreza STi2-RA V-ltd which I've been looking at, going for $15k which seems a not bad deal to me. I can afford it, but not sure if i want/can justify having that much $$$ tied up in a car while still a student and therefore having very limited income.
option c) get a similiar amount as a trade-in on a Legacy GT or GT-B ('95ish) for around the $7-10k mark. might make me feel a bit like an old fart though, and if I'm gonna go turbo-nutter then part of me says I may as well go the whole hog and get an STi Impreza.
option d) see what I can get as a trade-in on something fairly cheap (pref. sub-$5k) but still fun, maybe an R32 Skyline GTS or GTS-t or Silvia turbo. still want some practicality though however due to tramping/climbing habits, which may rule out the Silvia. briefly considered an early Legacy GT but too many potential problems I feel on an old turbo-barge.
option e)be boring as hell and trade it in on something cheap, practical, reliable, economical etc. that could even involve <shudders>front wheel drive<shudders>. this would probably make it a lot more difficult for me to enjoy driving though, which scares me.
So anyway, what say the PH masses? anyone have an option f) for me? or better cheap-but-fun suggestions for option d)? I did consider the 2-cars thing, but 2 sets of running costs isn't really something I want.
<sits and waits for ideas>
option a) pay $1600 or so fixing up a 16 year old, fairly slow wagon, which I'll only keep for probably 2 more years max anyway.
option b) get somewhere around $1500-$2k as a trade-in on an Impreza STi2-RA V-ltd which I've been looking at, going for $15k which seems a not bad deal to me. I can afford it, but not sure if i want/can justify having that much $$$ tied up in a car while still a student and therefore having very limited income.
option c) get a similiar amount as a trade-in on a Legacy GT or GT-B ('95ish) for around the $7-10k mark. might make me feel a bit like an old fart though, and if I'm gonna go turbo-nutter then part of me says I may as well go the whole hog and get an STi Impreza.
option d) see what I can get as a trade-in on something fairly cheap (pref. sub-$5k) but still fun, maybe an R32 Skyline GTS or GTS-t or Silvia turbo. still want some practicality though however due to tramping/climbing habits, which may rule out the Silvia. briefly considered an early Legacy GT but too many potential problems I feel on an old turbo-barge.
option e)be boring as hell and trade it in on something cheap, practical, reliable, economical etc. that could even involve <shudders>front wheel drive<shudders>. this would probably make it a lot more difficult for me to enjoy driving though, which scares me.
So anyway, what say the PH masses? anyone have an option f) for me? or better cheap-but-fun suggestions for option d)? I did consider the 2-cars thing, but 2 sets of running costs isn't really something I want.
<sits and waits for ideas>
good solid advice guys, cheers.
so now, to find a cheap, fun, reasonably practical car......almost like what I already have?
great thing about the wagon is filling it with 5 people and loading the boot with all their gear for a week, the 4wd is handy too, its a very competent car but its just not that much fun, too heavy/body rolling/understeer etc. haha and now i'm wondering if the new shocks would make it fun again. but then i'm back to whether its worth spending as much on fixing it as the cars worth.....talk about going full circle.
If I'm getting something for fun then I think it really has to be RWD, as I've only owned Subarus and i'd like to learn some proper drifty-control before I can afford something really fast. R32 Skylines are still quite tempting, 2.0 GTS (na) can be had for $3-5k, or GTS-t 2.0 turbos for $5-8, but they're mostly modified which makes them a bit of an unknown quantity, and insurance may also be trickier for those. gah! thats also getting into Legacy GT price range, which would be a faster, newer, probably more fun version of what I have. hmmmm
>> Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 8th February 10:34
so now, to find a cheap, fun, reasonably practical car......almost like what I already have?
great thing about the wagon is filling it with 5 people and loading the boot with all their gear for a week, the 4wd is handy too, its a very competent car but its just not that much fun, too heavy/body rolling/understeer etc. haha and now i'm wondering if the new shocks would make it fun again. but then i'm back to whether its worth spending as much on fixing it as the cars worth.....talk about going full circle.
If I'm getting something for fun then I think it really has to be RWD, as I've only owned Subarus and i'd like to learn some proper drifty-control before I can afford something really fast. R32 Skylines are still quite tempting, 2.0 GTS (na) can be had for $3-5k, or GTS-t 2.0 turbos for $5-8, but they're mostly modified which makes them a bit of an unknown quantity, and insurance may also be trickier for those. gah! thats also getting into Legacy GT price range, which would be a faster, newer, probably more fun version of what I have. hmmmm
>> Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 8th February 10:34
Esprit said:
Peugeot 205GTi or similar....
thanks for the suggestion, but they're Fwd (I realise Fwd can still be fun but just don't like it, probably a gravel thing...) and I think a hatch would also be a bit small for my lifestyle, often carting people/gear places.
Esprit said:
22b
22b although I do prefer 4 doors. incidentally, did you know that 22b is hexadecimal for 555. or so I'm told. who? me? anorak? 
maybe it sounds like I'll be getting a loan to buy a new car, thats not the way it'll work out, I have the cash to buy a decent car, but it was cash I've been keeping earning me interest (while the govt loans me study-money at 0%) to help pay the loan asap once I finish. (old system was no interest while your studying but interest after that, now they're saying completely interest-free).
Having slept on it, and thought some more about what I want/need in a car, i'm tending towards finding a newer Legacy (pref GT/GT-B but may stick with na for economy) with major work such as cambelts done and km's a lot lower than the 170,000 on mine. eg noticed a very tidy-looking '95 GT with 85,000 km on it for $8k last night, didnt look too closely though at the time. reasoning behind that is lower km's generally means less likely to go wrong with it, and being a nicer, newer car i'll be likely to keep it longer than just until I finish studying.
so next question is, what have I missed in my thinking here? theres bound to be something...
Having slept on it, and thought some more about what I want/need in a car, i'm tending towards finding a newer Legacy (pref GT/GT-B but may stick with na for economy) with major work such as cambelts done and km's a lot lower than the 170,000 on mine. eg noticed a very tidy-looking '95 GT with 85,000 km on it for $8k last night, didnt look too closely though at the time. reasoning behind that is lower km's generally means less likely to go wrong with it, and being a nicer, newer car i'll be likely to keep it longer than just until I finish studying.
so next question is, what have I missed in my thinking here? theres bound to be something...
jamieheasman said:
potential for big bills just when you don't need it
yeah that is something I'm trying to consider.
jamieheasman said:
Toyota Carib with the 20valve 1.6 motor
could be a good option, I'll have a look round, see what prices they're going for down here. also thought about downgrading to an old Leone, have great memories of mine and they're practically bulletproof, but I also used to get passed by campervans going up hills.... (while foot flat wringing it out in 3rd)
jamieheasman said:
My Subaru is hardly economical so I can't see a Legacy being more frugal!
funnily enough, all the feul consumption figures I've found say that all the 96-onwards Legacies (including GT-B!) have better fuel consumption than my current 1990 2.0 na Legacy.(ie better than their figures for it not just better than what I get) - better aero, more torque I guess.
jamieheasman said:
Go for a classic car, something cheap to run, easy to fix but ultimately fun to drive.
I've thought about this, considered mk2 escorts etc, but haven't been able to find anything that appeals in condition better than "project". theres also the factor that the majority of my mileage is done long-distance, open road, and often at night, so don't really want something too loud, bouncy etc. old cars often have crap lights too, but that can always be fixed with some nice big spots.
jamieheasman said:
What about going to the opposite from a performance car? How about an old Landrover/Landcruiser/Patrol? You can have just as much fun off-road as on it.
thats also occurred to me, but similiar reasons to the above for not wanting to do this.
jamieheasman said:
VW Camper? Very practical, very cool and will hold it's value forever.
now you're just being silly 
jamieheasman said:
Anyway, just a few thoughts.
cheers for the input, its given me a few other options to consider.
Murdock said:
I'm impressed you actually sought advice, considering the infatuation you have with them STi V2 RAs
oi shuddup you (its probably cos thats the only STi I've driven, if I'd tried a v3 or 4 i'd be going on about that instead. 
) RA was miles ahead of a standard WRX wagon tho
Kylie said:
spanner
alternative viewpoints are always good, thanks for that. I did consider a Porsche 944 S2 for $17k on grounds of depreciation being pretty minimal, but the potential cost of fixing anything that went wrong with it put me off. I see your point about a $10k car being worth a fair bit less in a few years (probably more $6k than $2k imo if looked after), but if I keep the VZ, spend say $2k on repairs etc over 2 years, it'll be over 200,000km by then and only worth $1k (max at a guess), but that $3k will have been spent on a lower standard of vehicle than if I upgrade to something that has less kms/all major expected work done (thinking cambelts, maybe clutch etc) then I might lose a bit more over that time, but on a higher standard of vehicle. I guess you can extrapolate that to a $15k car as well though, and you're right it does depend on how much the experience/fun is worth to me.
as far as budgeting goes, I'm not bad at it and can crunch numbers to figure how much I can spend ok, but I still don't want to go borrowing money while I don't have a steady, reliable income to ensure I keep up with payments. Generally I'll save money before spending rather than borrowing and having to save to pay it afterwards, if that makes sense.
p.s. I haven't actually made up my mind yet, but I'm getting closer, figuring out where the balance is on how much the fun is worth for me.
4AGE aren't they? 
I guess if I found the right coupe at an incredibly good price i might go for it, otherwise sedan or wagon. If I go for a legacy then its gotta be a wagon, a Legacy sedan would just feel wrong. whatever I get has to be manual(non-negotiable), and probably either rear or 4 wheel drive.
current list is
1)'96ish Legacy wagon, GT/GTB/possibly TS-R/2.5 manual (but those are like the proverbial rocking-horse poo.)$5-10k
2) R32 Skyline sedan, either 2.0 GTS at $3-5k or 2.0 turbo GTS-t at $4-8k
3) Impreza, but I decided if I go for an Impretzel then it can't be a half-arsed one, has to be an STi-R or RA. I just dont see the point in them without the DCCD, and that close-ratio 'box is ,but I've pretty much decided that I dont want over $10k or so tied up in a car when it could be earning me interest.
4)something oldish/cheap/RWD but fun, maybe old Corolla, mk2 Escort etc, but that pretty dependent on randomly finding something suitable. what sort of prices are E30 BMW's going for these days?
current favourite is a Legacy, I'll probably test-drive a GT and GTB at some stage to see which I prefer. finding manual ones can be tricky, but theyre out there, mostly $7-12k for decent ones.
I dont really need to be in as much rush at it seems, it'll be mid-next week before the bulk of money clears term deposit so can't do anything concrete until then anyway. deadline I guess is early march, next WOF due 8 march and I'll need 2 new tyres to pass that, which I'd rather not have to spend on if I'm getting rid of it.
edit: I still have the option of spending $1600 fixing up the Legacy I've got and keeping it a couple more years, but it seems to be at that age where many things start to need fixing (did cambelt/clutch a year ago), needs shocks/bushes now (2 new doors would be nice too), and I'm starting to think whats next? brakes? CVs? gearbox?
basically I'm thinking its not worth me spending more money than the cars worth fixing things on it.
>> Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 9th February 07:15
. whatever I get has to be manual(non-negotiable), and probably either rear or 4 wheel drive. current list is
1)'96ish Legacy wagon, GT/GTB/possibly TS-R/2.5 manual (but those are like the proverbial rocking-horse poo.)$5-10k
2) R32 Skyline sedan, either 2.0 GTS at $3-5k or 2.0 turbo GTS-t at $4-8k
3) Impreza, but I decided if I go for an Impretzel then it can't be a half-arsed one, has to be an STi-R or RA. I just dont see the point in them without the DCCD, and that close-ratio 'box is
,but I've pretty much decided that I dont want over $10k or so tied up in a car when it could be earning me interest. 4)something oldish/cheap/RWD but fun, maybe old Corolla, mk2 Escort etc, but that pretty dependent on randomly finding something suitable. what sort of prices are E30 BMW's going for these days?
current favourite is a Legacy, I'll probably test-drive a GT and GTB at some stage to see which I prefer. finding manual ones can be tricky, but theyre out there, mostly $7-12k for decent ones.
I dont really need to be in as much rush at it seems, it'll be mid-next week before the bulk of money clears term deposit so can't do anything concrete until then anyway. deadline I guess is early march, next WOF due 8 march and I'll need 2 new tyres to pass that, which I'd rather not have to spend on if I'm getting rid of it.
edit: I still have the option of spending $1600 fixing up the Legacy I've got and keeping it a couple more years, but it seems to be at that age where many things start to need fixing (did cambelt/clutch a year ago), needs shocks/bushes now (2 new doors would be nice too), and I'm starting to think whats next? brakes? CVs? gearbox?
basically I'm thinking its not worth me spending more money than the cars worth fixing things on it.
>> Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 9th February 07:15
chevtrev said:
The thing I found with 3 years of GTB(manual) ownership was it was two cars.
You would drive it normaly and grannies in their zimmer frames would pass you.
Or you thrashed the crap out of it and watched the fuel needle drop quicker than the you were accelerating.
So i'd go for a rather long test drive before maybe making any decisions, as while they are a reliable and capable piece of kit,I found it rather uninspiring,thankfully there was always a V8 in the garage to play with.
I agree with Jamie,a 944 is a great little car and servicing won't cost you a arm and a leg.
cheers, I'll keep that in mind when I test-drive. compared to my current steed its 206kW @ 6500<>110kW @ 6800 and 338Nm @ 5000<>172Nm @ 5200, so on paper it shouldnt need to be revved out as much. I've heard about the 'valley of death' between the 2 turbos though, so will have to see if that annoys me. Will probably try to get a few test-drives tomorrow I think, nice way to spend a saturday.
Mustang-man said:
If you buy a Skyline, you HAVE to start attending Southern Skylines (.com) meets, and the monthly ones i organise here in Dunedin.
I daresay I would
. Do you happen to know of any decent 'liners selling sub-$10k at the moment? I'd prefer buying from a dealer as I can trade in the Legacy, if I have to sell it privately I'm gonna have to fix it up a bit to sell it. ps, standard or close to standard would also be good for insurance reasons, and I don't want to catch the modding bug until I can afford it. a mate in Timaru is just planning out the upgrades to his R32 GTE over the next year or so, and it won't be cheap. RB30 + supercharger + cam + ECU + suspension/brakes/wheels/drivetrain upgrades to handle it. gonna be a right weapon I think.
yeah thats the sensible way to do it. I think my mates gonna do pretty much everything at the same time, at least until he runs out of money.
anyway, enough of this talk about modifying, I'm trying to not spend too much money!
oh yeah and your name seems to have disappeared.
>> Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 9th February 22:01
anyway, enough of this talk about modifying, I'm trying to not spend too much money!
oh yeah and your name seems to have disappeared.
>> Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 9th February 22:01
Well I think I've found my new car, after spending most of the day cruising round dealers and testdriving.
found a '97 facelift Legacy TS-R with a certified 41,000 km on it for $10k, in basically showroom condition. 2.0 manual non turbo, but it really goes well, alot better than my current 2.0 Legacy, and to be honest it was a whole lot nicer to drive than the '95 GT I tested beforehand. not that much performance difference at legal speeds except on hills, but the TS-R handled better with less understeer (despite smaller tyres), had better body control and less roll, felt like it had better brakes, and a more useable powerband. it just felt **right**, I guess a much better power/grip/balance/feel equation and felt much more confidence inspiring than the GT (or my VZ for that matter).
and at only 41,000km now, resale value in a few years should still be pretty good compared the majority of Legacies around (which seem to be mostly around 100k km now) Its also got many more km's to go before its likely to need any serious work done.
being non-turbo should help me out a lot in insurance and fuel costs too, which is a nice bonus
havent actually bought it yet, but its on hold for me "subect to confirmation"
so whaddya think? oh and its silver, which is a nice non-attention seeking colour.
found a '97 facelift Legacy TS-R with a certified 41,000 km on it for $10k, in basically showroom condition. 2.0 manual non turbo, but it really goes well, alot better than my current 2.0 Legacy, and to be honest it was a whole lot nicer to drive than the '95 GT I tested beforehand. not that much performance difference at legal speeds except on hills, but the TS-R handled better with less understeer (despite smaller tyres), had better body control and less roll, felt like it had better brakes, and a more useable powerband. it just felt **right**, I guess a much better power/grip/balance/feel equation and felt much more confidence inspiring than the GT (or my VZ for that matter).
and at only 41,000km now, resale value in a few years should still be pretty good compared the majority of Legacies around (which seem to be mostly around 100k km now) Its also got many more km's to go before its likely to need any serious work done.
being non-turbo should help me out a lot in insurance and fuel costs too, which is a nice bonus
havent actually bought it yet, but its on hold for me "subect to confirmation"
so whaddya think? oh and its silver, which is a nice non-attention seeking colour.
no probs with A/C on this one, thanks for warning.
speaking of show-off valves, the GT I drove this morning had a rather loud one, I entertained myself for a while putting foot flat at low speed in 5th, nothing much happens due to being too low in powerband, but boost builds up, then you take foot off gas and you get a really LOUD PPPSSSSHHHHHHHHH! but before long I got sick of it and starting to think everyone would be looking at me and saying "what a tool, going Psshhhh in a family wagon"
speaking of show-off valves, the GT I drove this morning had a rather loud one, I entertained myself for a while putting foot flat at low speed in 5th, nothing much happens due to being too low in powerband, but boost builds up, then you take foot off gas and you get a really LOUD PPPSSSSHHHHHHHHH! but before long I got sick of it and starting to think everyone would be looking at me and saying "what a tool, going Psshhhh in a family wagon"
Gassing Station | New Zealand | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff