[Shotimes] (OT) What cars do you find interesting? (for $7K or less)

[Ron Porter]

No offense to Ron Nottingham, as he had some excellent choices..........but
none of them are for you!!!!  ;-)

I am saying this because of the issues that I recall with your SHO, and that
cheap, dependable cars that can be fixed easily I "think" is a priority for
you.....Yes? No? IMHO, that would exclude and MB, BMW, Toyota MR2 Turbo or
Nissan Turbo.

If you want an automatic, go with a Del Sol over a Miata. An older Miata
with a 5-speed is nice, but two things about Miatas are (1)they are horrible
with an automatic (we test-drove one before my wife picked the Del Sol back
in '95), and (2) there is no luggage space at all.

IMHO, for a two seater, the Del Sol has been great, my wife still likes it.
I have gotten TWO carts full of groceries into it! It has a surprising
amount of luggage space, even if you have the top off. We got the 125 HP Si
motor (SOHC), because that was the biggest available with the automatic (my
wife had to give up 5-speeds when she blew out her clutch knee!).

You won't find many around, but if you want an auto, look for the Si, rather
than the standard model. FWIW, the 5-speed Si has the DOHC 160 HP motor, and
those run quite well.

If I were you, I would stay in the Honda-Toyota-Nissan realm, as it seems
the Japanese have done a much better job of mating small engines to
automatic transmissions, and they don't feel like half the power is being
sucked up by the tranny.

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: Christian Kesselring [mailto:ckesselring@sisna.com] 
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 1:52 PM
To: Ron Porter; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] (OT) What cars do you find interesting? (for $7K or
less)


Well, the specific dealership I am looking at claims to be "clearing out"
their inventory by giving $3000 off the windshield price.  I am still going
off the assumption that a car I buy from them for $7000 will have a market
value closer to $7K than $10K, but I suppose I could pick up on a good deal
for a typically $9-10K car.

My considerations?  I am actually leaning more toward sporty two-seaters.
The Del Sol, Miata, and MR2 all fall most solidly in that category I think,
but I also know nothing of those cars other than I like them visually.  As
for suggestions, I am open to anything, because I am willing to be led in a
completely different direction.

Maybe I should have asked what cars should I avoid at a all costs?

Christian

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Porter" <ronporter@prodigy.net>
To: "'Christian Kesselring'" <ckesselring@sisna.com>;
<shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 12:00 PM
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] (OT) What cars do you find interesting? (for $7K or
less)


"My budget is around $7K, and I am looking for something fairly new that
requires nothing more than routine maintenance,
gets good gas mileage and has an auto transmission, but is at the same time
interesting and high in fun factor."

"Automatic Transmission" and "Fun Factor" do not belong in the same
sentence.

Off hand, I would say there is nothing, but you have to further define what
you want. Anything from a new low-end car like a Suzuki, to a well-used PT
Cruiser, to an older Miata (wait, scratch that....they are horrible with the
ATX).

Even our '95 Del Sol Si with an ATX is worth in the $8-9K range.

What are some of your considerations?

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Christian Kesselring
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 12:28 PM
To: shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: [Shotimes] (OT) What cars do you find interesting? (for $7K or
less)


I am making a trip to the used car mall tonight to scout for a commuting car
to drive to work and school.  My budget is around $7K, and I am looking for
something fairly new that requires nothing more than routine maintenance,
gets good gas mileage and has an auto transmission, but is at the same time
interesting and high in fun factor.  Another SHO is not in the list of
options.  So, in this price range, what cars would you find the most
interesting?  This will help give me some ideas on what to look for.
Thanks.

Christian Kesselring
'92 SHO 128k
'02 PT Cruiser 30k
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