Which car should I buy?
 

I know approximately nothing whatsoever about cars so I need a bit of help choosing which car to buy. I can afford to splash out a bit on a sexy car, albeit a second hand one, which would be either a BMW Z4, Mercedes Benz SLK or Audi TT Coupé. However, I may choose a more sensible option, mainly due to running costs, which would most likely be an Audi A3 or a Volvo C30. What would you recommend?? Any advice would be rather awesome.

:helpme

The first car I drove was a Metro in 1999! It was HORRIBLE. I'm posting here because I've seen people discussing cars here before. Hoping there's some peeps with knowledge to help me out because I know jackshit and it's a big decision.

Show your tits.

Depends what you want it for.

Car for looking at and polishing or do you like driving and want something sporty/practical/comfortable?

Are you gay? Those are gay cars.

I don't do a great deal of long distance driving, although it's obviously important that it's a good drive. Looking good is important though - I'm pretty shallow and want to impress the ladies and my clients :upsidedow


Suggest an alternative?

Mini Cooper S Convertible

g37 coupe

The Audis are junk and have a lousy service history. The BMW is cute but waaaay overpriced for its overal features and performance. They should have lenghtned it 12" in the front and put in the big V-12 from the sedans. Volvo has been spun off from Ford and hasn't landed well, what with being owned by the Chinese now.

The Mercedes is definitely an option but be prepared for whopping service bills. Those are part and parcel of Mercedes. I drove a 450SL for almost eight years, I know!

Why not buy a Corvette?

If you want ROI on your second car, hunt up a Dodge Viper, which will continue to increase in value as you dirve it. In the price range which you are discussing, there are Mustangs which fit in nicely and will flatten out your seat when you accelerate.

Sally.

It's no good suggesting a load of American junk for a UK buyer.

i`ll go with Volvo...

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/

put your budget in there and see what it throws up as there are always nice cars for sale on PistonHeads and it might give you an idea of a car you hadn't even thought of.

Hadn't heard of that - checking it out now. I'm in the UK so might not be the easiest car to get hold of! Looks nice though... mmmmm


Thanks for the great advice! As I'm in the UK I don't know what the Corvette / Dodge Viper / Mustang situation is but I'm gonna take a look in a sec. The Z4 probably isn't the best value but I'm leaning towards that if it's between that and the TT/SLK.

Thanks! I've been on there and a few other second hand sites, I've also been on the approved used searches for most manufacturers as the prices on there tend to actually be pretty good and you obviously get a bit more security etc. I've found that you can get a decent Z4/SLK/TT for around 15-17k so I'm looking to keep my budget down to that. The Nissan 370 seems to be the UK's equivalent to the G37 Coupe (Nissan and Infiniti are related) but, because it's fairly new, you can't get one for less than 20k so I'll probably rule that one out. Shame coz it's a beauty!

your choice is between a volvo c30 or a bmwz4 or benz???????

Oh, man, you are in the UK! You have a plethora of cars there that we don't have here in the States! You might even consider a Roll-Royce Corniche coupe from the '70s or early '80s as both of those can be found in your price range. Hey, are your numbers in USD, Euro or Sterling? A 70s Jensen Interceptor with the Chrysler 440 will still turn heads and is utterly reliable but watch out for rust. Jaguars are unfortuately junk, so I'd stay away, were I you.

What about a Caterham Lotus Seven? Brutal but kewl! Stroll on down to your local bookseller and pick up a copy of "Thoroughbred And Classic Cars" and peruse the classifieds. Lots of neat stuff avialable and prices are down due to stumbling economies. It's a buyer's market.

Sally.

is BMW Z4 a gay car?
I own one and I'm not gay.

Wow, some amazing cars there!! I've looked at some of the recent Lotus cars (Elise etc) and they're great except for running costs and the fact they snap in half if you go over a speed bump :1orglaugh


I don't think they're gay, they're probably top of my list right now. Are you happy with yours? Is it a Coupé or Roadster?

Than the ones he listed, hell yeah. :1orglaugh

Seriously, the Mini Cooper S is a wicked little ride. I loved both of mine, but we got rid of them as our family has continued to grow.

Now that it's pretty much a given that any secondary vehicle that isn't an SUV won't fit three car seats...I can think about getting another Mini for the garage.

http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive...P-kit-2-lg.jpg

I've always loved the original Mini Coopers. One of my best friends at school had a heavily modified one, it was an absolute beast to ride in / drive. But the new ones... well, I don't know if it's different for yanks (did you ever have the original Mini Coopers over there?) but I really don't like them. Mainly because they're not mini - they're too big! Decent cars, don't get me wrong, they just look a bit wrong to me.

honda s2000 pretty cheap to run

Buy a nice new Camaro ;)

I almost bought a TT quattro which I LOVED but it is a ghey car lol. I went with a mustang. But I see no problem with the z4 or slk and the a3 isnt bad if you decide to go that route but someone did mention a dodge viper and if you can find one thats something nice to consider but i dont think thats a good every day car. Its really personal preference!

http://www.2011-bmw-m3.info/wp-conte...lease-date.jpg

If you can't afford it, keep working.

Not sure how that would cope with speed bumps! :winkwink:


Just checked out some of the latest Camaros and Corvettes - they look awesome! Shame they're such a bitch to get hold of in the UK :(

I would go with a Audi A4 3.2 liter. It's super fast and has great looks

why not get a used corvette??? you'll be very very very happy :thumbsup

rented one for the weekend a while back.... very comfotable. a bit hard to see out of though, and with the vette motor... fucking yikes!!!

It doesn't matter what kind of car you buy - if it runs on Gas, it's NOT SEXY.

http://www.teslamotors.com

Electric cars really don't work yet and cars do not run on blow jobs, so what are we left with?

I mean, I live about 40 miles out in the country and the current versions of electric cars do not have sufficent range to get me to town and back on a single charge due to the hilly country. Further, most electric cars are recharged from the fossil fueled electric grid, so just how "sexy" is that? Tesla is dong dome cool things which will eventually yield practical results but not yet. Checked the prices of the Tesla cars?

Sally.

and Top Gear review

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8DfHyGD7_pM

I remember watching that episode of Top Gear. Tesla cars look like they could be amazing in a few years but clearly they're not a practical solution yet.

Looked at loads of Camaros and Corvettes online last night, really wish they were more readily available in the UK - they look seriously tasty!

How about the Jaguar XF?

http://i26.tinypic.com/15qyjps.jpg

get a fully loaded a4 or a3 (the new 2.0tdi engine is more than enough for driving around town), more room than tt, better interior imho

Beautiful! Cheapest second hand is about 25k though, looking to spend up to 17(ish) :(

Had a few Audi recommendations, if I get one it will most likely be if I abandon operation "buy a sexy car" altogether and go for a sensible car instead, in which case it will be an A3. S3s aren't that much cheaper than sexier cars so it's not really worthwhile. A4s are great but I prefer smaller, nippier cars.

There are really only two cars for you to choose from:

http://www.seanpercival.com/blog/wp-...c_gremlin.jpeg

http://www.club-opel.com/graphics/ga...l_kadett-b.jpg

Both are considered classics and are bonafide babe magnets (and they even have AM radio stock)... :thumbsup

Happy trails!!!

ADG

I like the second one! Hmmm but the first one has more boot space.... decisions, decisions......

The Audis are looking really good...

I hear this quite often from Americans and it seriously puzzles me; Audi is at par with BMW and Mercedes (I drive an Audi BTW) and unless they sell you some crap Audis that have been assembled in Congo, I have no idea how you guys can think that they are junk?????

As far as your Mercedes comment, I'm with you 100% - beautiful car, but way too costly to maintain; nevertheless, I am pretty sure that my next one will be either a Mercedes or Audi 8.

:helpme :helpme

I don't like the mini but apparently its a great car they do realy well on autocross

*Bullshit* Cough *Bullshit*

You aint buying shit.

I'll post a pic of the car when I buy it :321GFY

This'll be fun...

Audi dealer service in my area sucks balls and parts are higher than a kite! I have owned Audis in the past; a couple of the five cylinder cars and had nothing but trouble with them, so I am perhaps more than a bit jaded. I'll not take the risk again, besides at my height, they are too small for me and I find the seating very uncomfortable.

Sally.

I just love it.
I try to post a picture tomorrow.

You want a used car so why not take the 350Z instead of 370? Looks pretty similar and they are selling for much less than the 370s obviously.

Spot on - I've actually just been looking at some 350Zs online today, I'm surprised I hadn't already been looking at them because they're cheap to buy (as low as 12k) and seem to be great cars! Absolute bastard to run though - mainly due to MPG being about 20 :Oh crap

Love the Tesla!