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Weekend Car thoughts

ben_m

Ready to race!
Been toying with the idea for pretty much ever, but at some point I plan on getting a weekend car. Pro's/Con's for below, other suggestions/fantasy options? I'd like to keep the budget to less than 7k, although a solid running S4 is probably not going to fit into that realm.

E46 330 (Coupe/Sedan) - makes no difference to me, as long as its a MTX.

B5 -S4. I love the Bi-Turbo V6, beautiful lines, fast. I suppose I could grab a A4 w/ 2.7 but I think it would just make me angry.

IS300 - Its really hard to find one w/ Manual and I know the price is significantly higher than Auto.

What else do you guys got?
 

ahard48

Ready to race!
I have been looking for an S2000 for the past few months, but the IS300 attracts my eye as well. If I ranked them id go 1)E46 2)IS300 3)S4 but I have no experience with any of them so keep that in mind.
 

ben_m

Ready to race!
I have been looking for an S2000 for the past few months, but the IS300 attracts my eye as well. If I ranked them id go 1)E46 2)IS300 3)S4 but I have no experience with any of them so keep that in mind.

S2000 are nice, not much of a convertible person tho, and a decent example is going to be 10-15K
 

markus037

Ready to race!
all of those cars are going to be hard to find in good shape. the newest B5 S4 is now 16 years old and most of them have been beat to hell now. E46s are starting to become scarce in good shape too. I love S2000s, but you are going to have to put down some money to find one that isnt modded, rebuilt 5 times or has high miles.
 

ben_m

Ready to race!
all of those cars are going to be hard to find in good shape. the newest B5 S4 is now 16 years old and most of them have been beat to hell now. E46s are starting to become scarce in good shape too. I love S2000s, but you are going to have to put down some money to find one that isnt modded, rebuilt 5 times or has high miles.

Agreed, I was actually eyeing a 330ci in CT, body looks in solid shape and lots of maintenance done, only asking 5K.

I think if I went the route of B5 S4 I would have to save up $$ and buy one with a solid body and then rebuild the motor/turbos.
 

damagi123

Go Kart Champion
ive been toying with getting another more comfortable car and making this my weekend car so i can go even further with the mods and not have to worry about daily drivability
 

Korydogg

Ready to race!
Have you ever considered a jeep? Theres nothing like picking up a beat up 4x4 and taking it on the trail. Plenty of aftermarket support and you get the opportunity to do something a little bit different.
 

ben_m

Ready to race!
Have you ever considered a jeep? Theres nothing like picking up a beat up 4x4 and taking it on the trail. Plenty of aftermarket support and you get the opportunity to do something a little bit different.

Nah, not my style. I actually hate driving in SUV's, the high center of gravity makes me uncomfortable driving.
 

damagi123

Go Kart Champion
:23:
Have you ever considered a jeep? Theres nothing like picking up a beat up 4x4 and taking it on the trail. Plenty of aftermarket support and you get the opportunity to do something a little bit different.

GTI and Jeep would be a solid combo for some folks I think
 

MrFancypants

Autocross Champion
I'll be "that guy" and say Miata. For me, at that price, I'm focusing on the bargains that have a healthy aftermarket to support them. So MX-5, SN95 Mustang GT, or '90's Honda if I could find a good one.

What I would really be on the lookout for though would be a 1st or 2nd gen GTI in decent shape, or maybe an '84 or '85 RX-7. Cars with character and style that make their relative lack of performance easy to forgive.
 

ben_m

Ready to race!
I'll be "that guy" and say Miata. For me, at that price, I'm focusing on the bargains that have a healthy aftermarket to support them. So MX-5, SN95 Mustang GT, or '90's Honda if I could find a good one.

What I would really be on the lookout for though would be a 1st or 2nd gen GTI in decent shape, or maybe an '84 or '85 RX-7. Cars with character and style that make their relative lack of performance easy to forgive.

Rx-7 Turbo II. Totally forgot, that would be a sweet car, but finding one that didn't need a new motor or electrical gremlins....

This caught my eye the other day...
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/classic-car/6494369665.html
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
I'll be "that guy" and say Miata. For me, at that price, I'm focusing on the bargains that have a healthy aftermarket to support them. So MX-5, SN95 Mustang GT, or '90's Honda if I could find a good one.

What I would really be on the lookout for though would be a 1st or 2nd gen GTI in decent shape, or maybe an '84 or '85 RX-7. Cars with character and style that make their relative lack of performance easy to forgive.

Some people labeled Miata drivers with various stigmas that I won't drop here but honestly, I've had a friend who owned one and my uncle always had one. From what they've described to me, they are a blast to have fun with. The rear wheel drive makes them enjoyable. 50/50 weight distribution, and the convertible top can be a bonus to some, or you could always hardtop it.

I rode in my buddies a few times and would definitely say it is the ultimate weekend car because it is not fun to sit in for extended periods. It's tight, cramped, you couldn't adjust the seats (his was a 96 I believe), and felt cold during winter time due to the soft top. I could see it as a fun, sunny weekend drive type car, but never as a daily.
 

zrickety

The Fixer
I could see it as a fun, sunny weekend drive type car, but never as a daily.
You bumped a thread from 8 months ago, and he is asking about a weekend car...
FWIW, I got an old Jeep Wrangler (1988) and it's really fun to drive in a different way. Top off for sure. My GTI is the fast track car.
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
You bumped a thread from 8 months ago, and he is asking about a weekend car...
FWIW, I got an old Jeep Wrangler (1988) and it's really fun to drive in a different way. Top off for sure. My GTI is the fast track car.

lol, no harm in bumping old threads. Some will grill for creating new threads when old ones exist, lol. I know it was a weekend car thread, I just wanted to enforce that it would not make a good daily at all, so it fit the weekend car logic :thumbsup:

Cool hearing you got a Wrangler. I've always wanted a 90s one maybe, but I hear they can be just as deep of a money pit as a VW so I got enough with the GTI at the moment, lol.
 

zrickety

The Fixer
Cool hearing you got a Wrangler. I've always wanted a 90s one maybe, but I hear they can be just as deep of a money pit as a VW so I got enough with the GTI at the moment, lol.
You should get one. The 90-up had fuel injection which mine lacks. A better transmission too, if you get the six cylinder. They are actually pretty reliable unless you turn them into monster rock crawlers...then stuff starts breaking.
I test drove a Miata from 2 generations ago, it was pretty sweet. Not practical at all, but fun to drive. To choose between them, it's the Wrangler any day.
 
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