Ok so here's the scenario...

My parents just took delievery of their vacation home in Huntington Beach, CA. Needless to say I will be making ALOT of trips back and forth from Cali. I put enough miles on my car as it is with my job and if I use the Z for frequent drives to Cali then I wouldn't be supprised if I had 90,000 - 100,000 miles on it by this time next year. Aside from that fact, with my roll bar, suspension, and new seats, my Z isn't the best daily driver anymore. This means that I am looking for a third car. I am looking for something fun, yet gets pretty good gas mileage and has a back seat. Here are my choices so far...

2005 BMW M3 Coupe
PROS: Fast, Fun, Looks Good, Luxury & Performance
CONS: Expensive, I am iffy about BMW quality

2005 Infinity G35 Coupe
PROS: Inexpensive (somewhat), Look Good, I already have some wheels for it
CONS: I feel like I am buying another Z, I really don't like the way that the new 6MT clutch feels.

2005 Chevrolet Corvette
PROS: Really Fast, Really good looking, 25mpg highway
CONS: Only 2 seats, expensive, my dad already has one in the color that I would want.

What do you guys think between these 3? Do you have any more suggestions?

 

We all must have "backup" vehicle, if you can afford it! What kind of gas mileage are you looking for? 20-24, depending on heavy vs light foot. I guess your foot is kinda HEAVY! My backup vehicle is 05 GTO, red of course. I love it and it has four seats and ***** to the wall power (0 to 60, 4.6)!! It has the LS2 400 hp motor same as in vet. Give it a close look. They go for about $32,000.

 

I'd also look at the new 2006 Lexus IS 350. 306 hp. I think it comes in an AWD, too. Otherwise, I love the M3.

I saw a GTO on the 215 this morning, but it was black. Tried to get next to him but couldn't. Want to race one really bad.

 

Man, I must be aiming low. I was gonna get a Scion TC as a backup. If you backup is faster than your track car can you really call it a backup?

 

The GTO is ok, but I am not too crazy about it to tell you the truth. I will check out the Lexus, but I have a feeling that it wont be worth the money it will probably cost.

Ty - This car will become my daily driver and my Z will be the backup.

 

In that case, the Vette seems too unpratical. The BMW doesn't seem reliable enough to me. The G is good if you want to stick with the Nissan theme. If it were me I'd still save $20k and get the Tc. My cousin and ex-girlfriend both have one that I have to say that for $16k that they are damned nice cars.

But you may need to run clients around which means you may need a more impressive ride which takes us back to the G. You could always change out the clutch to something that you like better.

How about an FX 35/45? Mileage should only be slightly worse than the G and you'd get a lot more room. The Acura TL is real nice too.

 

I don't like the looks of the FX45s. The Corvette is proabably too unpractical, but its such a cool car. That is actually sitting 3rd on my list. The thing that I have heard about the BMWs is that either you get one with tons of problems or you get one with absolutely no problems. The M3 is performance/looks wise my favorite. I like the G35 alot too, but I kinda want something different.

 

If you can get this hear, get it! I'm going to look into it when I'm in Germany.

 

Looks like crap on the outside, but the inside looks nicer than my crib.

 

www.southwest.com will save you time and money in the long run.

Nice car, just too expensive, to rack up a ton of miles on, plus the expensive maintenance and possible reliability issues

Corvette - Too impactical for what you are buying it for, and you already have an impractical car

G35 - Might as well drive the Z

Why not a nice Diesel car, that gets great gas mileage. Or if you really want to cruise in style pick up an 02-03 Q45, not the best gas mileage, but very luxorious for long drives and great V8 power, you can pick them up used in the 20's.

 

One more:

 

One problem...what am I going to drive while I am down there?

Agreed, but its hard to pass up.

Agreed.

I haven't seen any diesel cars since that old Mercedes, and a truck is just WAY to big to park anywhere down there.


What about this option...

2005 Ford Mustang GT
PROS: Cheapest of the bunch, 300hp, can look really good.
CONS: It probably wont last 200,000 miles, but then again, with the way I swap cars, it wont even hit 100,000.

 

None of the above, I'd get a Caddy CTS-V. You have vette power, it's faster the all your options besides the vette, it's very nice inside and has tons of room, and last but not least dealers across the nation have been blowing out the 05's for as low as 40k.

Karim

 

Yeah, the CTS-V is one of my favorite choices.

 

I would like something a little more sporty than a CTS-V. I am not looking for just straight line speed. They are nice though.

 

Evo IX, Subi STi, Volvo S60 R (don't knock till you know what it can do), Audi S4. The M3 is a good idea also because for the first three years, the maintenances are free (i.e. oil change).

 

OK maybe the Z is my backup vehicle. That is why I must get it super/turbo charged. However, the "MAN" looks real HOT!

 

Priced as I would get them...

2005 Ford Mustang GT Coupe 5MT:
$28,070.00
300hp 320 ft. lbs. 4.6L V-8
17/25 mpg

2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6MT:
$40,710.00
298hp 260 ft. lbs. 3.5L V-6
19/26 mpg

2005 BMW M3 Coupe 6MT:
$57,470.00
333hp 262 ft. lbs. 3.2L Inline 6 CYL
16/23 mpg

2005 Chevrolet C6 Corvette:
$54,860.00
400hp 400ft. lbs. 6.0L V-8
18/28 mpg

 

Evo - Ugly and expensive
STI - See Above
Volvo - I will look into that one
Audi - Not impressed with Audi

 

Eh, 1 out of 4 isn't bad! If you ever get the Volvo, let me know please! It was something I wanted before I got the Z.

 

Dodge Magnum, good gas milage, mad room, fast looks good and cheap

 

See, I agree with you on that, but unfortunately the girlfriend, sister, mom, and dad will never let me live it down because they all despise that car.

 

Sporty enough?


I'd drive a CTS-V, though they have had their own reliability issues.

 

The guy I bought my elise from had a VW wagon diesel, that got about 750 miles per tank about 70-80 mpg.

Nothe the big QX thingy, the Q45 luxury car, it is kind of big, but damn nice, and you can get a hell of a deal on a used one.

The vette would be fun, but I could see the Z getting driven less and less and then sold.

 

^^^ Yeah, you don't want a better track car than the one you already have...