Help me choose a new (used) car.

Alright, which one would you pick?

  • Total voters
    12
dmn23

dmn23

Duller than cardboard
The budget is $20k, give or take.

NOTE: I have no wife or kids (or even girlfriend at this point). I work from home so commuting isn't an issue and the car will probably get 10k miles or less per year. Also the links I provided are just examples, not specific cars that I'm thinking about.

Option 1: A two year old Honda Accord Sport sedan with manual transmission.

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/642123015/overview/

For:
  • Honda reliability
  • Manual transmission
  • Surprisingly quick for a four cylinder
  • Honda resale value
  • Probably still under warranty
Against:
  • Only available in black or dark gray. I live in the desert. Do the math.
  • Soul-crushing
  • Thieves love Accords more than just about anything else on the planet

Option 2: A '99-'02 Porsche 996 Carrera.

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/639568321/overview/#

For:
  • It's a 911
  • Porsche reliability
  • Gobs of fun
  • Understated
  • It won't depreciate much more, if at all
  • People who don't know better will think it's a new car
  • I loved my old Porsche and I like the way they do things

Against:
  • Not much more practical than my current car
  • No quicker than the G37
  • IMS & RMS issues with the 996 (not likely, but still within the realm of possibility)
  • Least attractive 911 variant
  • Not cheap to fix when something goes wrong

Option 3: A 4-5 year old Infiniti G37 sedan.

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/634629608/overview/#3

For:
  • Nissan reliability
  • Gobs of power
  • As quick as the Porsche
  • Lots of gizmos and amenities
  • Decent resale value
Against:
  • Not at the bottom of its depreciation curve
  • Automatic transmission
  • "Bros" drive Infiniti G-series
 
Porsche reliability
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Lerxst said:
What are your priorities and must haves besides your max price?
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I'm driving a '99 Miata right now.

I'd like a little more storage space (not necessarily capacity for people, just stuff). I'd like something a little more substantial that doesn't feel like it's going to blow off the road with some of the crosswinds we have here. I'd like something a little less spartan. And I'd like it to be fun.
 
Out of those 3, probably the Infinity.

Those are pretty disparate vehicles, though.

A 13 year old Porsche would frighten me a lot.
The Honda is probably a great car, but it's a Honda pretending to be a sports car....
The Infiniti looks nice, if not a little plain.....
 
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Coralkong said:
Out of those 3, probably the Infinity.

Those are pretty disparate vehicles, though.

A 13 year old Porsche would frighten me a lot.
The Honda is probably a great car, but it's a Honda pretending to be a sports car....
The Infiniti looks nice, if not a little plain.....
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Things that will still be running after the Apocalypse:

1. Keith Richards
2. Land Cruisers
3. 911s
4. cockroaches

The Accord is the smart choice that appeals to the "I want to have a reliable, functional car and I don't want to have to think about it" part of my brain.

The Porsche appeals to my "why not, you might get hit by a bus tomorrow" part of the cortex.

The Infiniti is aesthetically dull but strikes a balance between those two extremes.
 
Why no vette? 20k puts you into a clean low milage c5 vette. More space, more substantial, cheaper, more plentiful parts and cheaper maintenance than a p car. Tons of torque and fun. Plentiful aftermarket options. Interior? Meh.

Honda reliability? S2000

Mustang GT and Camaro SS easily in that price range

I'd probably take any of those over the infinity or Accord snooze mobiles

Your also almost touching the bottom end of early vipers.
 
Lerxst said:
Why no vette? 20k puts you into a clean low milage c5 vette. More space, more substantial, cheaper, more plentiful parts and cheaper maintenance than a p car. Tons of torque and fun. Plentiful aftermarket options. Interior? Meh.
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I'm so not a Vette guy. The right C6 might make me change my mind but they're not in that price range yet.

Lerxst said:
Honda reliability? S2000
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It's a Miata with more power.

Lerxst said:
Mustang GT and Camaro SS easily in that price rang
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Just not my thing at all.

Lerxst said:
Your also almost touching the bottom end of early vipers.
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I'd kill myself in it before the sun set.
 
I voted for the Porsche. Just make sure if you get a 996 that it has had the IMS service done, as some years are prone to failure of a catastrophic nature (engine destroyed). Google search 996 IMS bearing, as there is a lot of info on replacing it and such.
 
Of those, the Porsche for drivability. Whether that is practical depends on how much other stuff you want to shift. For example if you need to shift a half stack, drum kit and a PA I'd think again.
 
Tiltsta said:
I voted for the Porsche. Just make sure if you get a 996 that it has had the IMS service done, as some years are prone to failure of a catastrophic nature (engine destroyed). Google search 996 IMS bearing, as there is a lot of info on replacing it and such.
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From what I understand, if you're buying one with with modest milage, it's already going to have failed/been replaced or you're likely in the clear. Most guys recommend avoiding the super low milage cars as a result
 
Yeah, I've been doing my homework on 996s for a while and I'm of the opinion that the IMS issue is blown out of proportion. Still, can't hurt to research and buy the right one.
 
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