it appears to me that used car prices are going up.

I have the same feeling too just by going through craigslist, used cars went up about $500-1000 compared to 2 months ago.

Demand. Most people can't just go get a loan for a new car anymore. Unlike years past, where damn near anybody could.

They are up, and have been going up for a couple years now.

Want something with less than 130K miles on it in an urban area? Get ready to shell out $6K+.

Speaking of used cars, I saw what looked like a mint VW Beetle for sale yesterday. Hard to say the year since the old ones didn't vary in looks much.

Bet they want a mint for it.

"Want something with less than 130K miles on it in an urban area? Get ready to shell out $6K+."

Cool, that means I can drive the car I bought last Sept for another 15 years and sell it for the same price I bought it for, only I have to move it to an urban area

I just bought a 2001 Accord EX-L V6 over the weekend w/ 61k miles for $8200...I'm very pleased w/ the price I paid...it's loaded, no flaws, I just got kinda lucky. Comparable models w/ 20-25k more miles on it are going for close to $10k if not more.

I'm in the market for a new old car and I need ideas. I want to stay away from the bubbly/boxy crap that is all over, e.g. dodge neons, chevy cobalt, chevy impala, ford fusion, etc. etc.

I'm thinking BMW 3/5 series, Infiniti G35, Toyota Celica, Mazda RX-, etc...something slightly sporty but not too bad on the gas. I'm not going to be racing the damn thing. Can anyone think of more cars in this general vein? I'm not a big car buff so I'm drawing a blank.

e46 m3.

perfect car from that description. 2001-06. The year and mileage can be adjusted to fit your budget.

Arpwatch, it all depends on how much you want to spend, but the RX8 is out because of crappy mileage, and the Celica is at least 6 years old. The G35 is nice, but might as well go with a BMW if you crave that sporty ride. If you're not racing, then a sport package equipped BMW 1/3/or 5 series is plenty sporty. As for MPG, they can get upper 20s and even break 30 on an all highway extended trip. If you are a DIY-er, then don't worry too much about maintenance. If not it can get expensive. A normally aspirated 07-up 1/3/5/-28 still makes 230 HP and will do 0-60 in the 6 second range. In a fantastically balanced chassis that is ultra smooth.

*disclaimer, biased, as I have a 07 Z4 Coupe.

Yeah I'm looking for "cheap". I don't want to get a loan.

I've found a few BMWs in the sub 10k price range that are in good appearance but the mileage is pretty high. I hate to think of buying something with 150k+ miles when my old car didn't even have that and it is over two decades old.

ok. e36 m3.

problem solved.

150k+ isn't that bad on a BMW inline 6. There are guys that track and even race their e30/36/46 with 200k on the original motor and are pretty reliable. Just make sure the cooling system has been gone through and don't over-rev them. Other than that, bushings will need replaced eventually. This is where do-it-yourself helps. I can't speak for automatic transmissions though. Agree on the E36 M3, they're a bargain for what they offer if you don't mind a little work.

i think the whole being affraid of the car blowing up is a bit over done. It's not 1975 or 1983 or whatever anymore.


I've beaten the ever-loving **** out of my mustang. Drag raced and open tracked. It's got 152k miles, it's 14 years old, and it's still going. It's a slut....and i love sluts.

Well mine didn't literally blow up but the engine bit the big one recently. 1990 with only 120xxx. I considered just getting the engine rebuilt.

@Arp: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/arc....

And turbos if you can fit 'em!

Got me a 92 Mercedes W124 400e out of the junkyard for 1k, it needed an ignition switch and some front tires. Hand compounded and waxed it up. Was dealer maintained everything works. The parts it will need wiring harness, ignition parts shocks etc that if I budget a car payment a month car will will be complete in 6 months and its only got 108k miles on it. W124's are way to go well built. my 5th benz

Otis, that is just wrong.

Arp,

Parts for all German vehicles are very expensive. Just FYI. Doesn't matter if it's a VW or a BMW. Expensive.

Last BMW I had was a 1997 318is. Bought it high mileage for 10k. Brakes on it were 1000$ to replace. Had to replace the clutch as well.. that was 700$. Had a almost new VW.. oxygen sensor broke.. 400$.

Personally, I'm back to Japanese again. Acura and Infiniti. They are just much cheaper to maintain.

Brakes expensive? $80/axle for my VW - rotors and pads and I can do an axle in two beers. That's expensive? Sheeit, now my Volvos - THOSE were expensive (~$400/axle)

My Suburban's brakes are more expensive to fix than the VW.

Yeah after doing a lot of reading over the weekend I think I'm going to have to stay away from German autos. Although there is someone near me selling a 1999 Mercedes CL600 for cheap. I'm sure it is a maintenance nightmare and that is why the price is so affordable. I am still tempted though...

I thought my requirements were pretty lenient but holy **** am I wrong. All I want is a stick shift with black exterior (and decent gas mileage.)

Good luck finding a stick shift around here that hasn't been lowered to the ground and comes with extra bass and windshield dingleberries.

The danger to the establishment didn't surface until 2009; the re-elections of TARP supporters in 2008 don't mean anything. The education level of the general population with regards to fiscal matters has gotten much better since then, spurred on by intense economic pain and a need to find answers as to why it is happening.

Starving, that is pretty much my problem. The few sticks I do find have been driven into the dirt or have an erector set bolted onto the trunk. (or both)

It seems like no one other than the people attempting to emulate fast and the furious drive manual transmission cars anymore.

Mazda made a lot of sporty sticks.

If you like Mazdas you could try looking at some of those.