# Need some advice (Car buying content) **URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/need-some-advice-car-buying-content/250100 **Category:** Shift518 Automotive **Created:** [February 2, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/need-some-advice-car-buying-content/250100 "2010-02-02T14:43:22Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 104
### Author: ![Ilya](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ilya/32/6404_2.png) [@Ilya](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Ilya) #### Post date: [February 3, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/need-some-advice-car-buying-content/250100/104 "2010-02-03T22:21:56Z")
> [@Going car shopping tomorrow. Give me tips.](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/going-car-shopping-tomorrow-give-me-tips/28667/84): > > Hey man, just caught your post… > > Couple thoughts: > > - Try to settle on a platform first. I’d love to have something like your budget ($5-$7k right?) as I can think of like 12-15 things that would be cool. And I’m just thinking sedans, since you have family… > > Some of them have been mentioned but here are a few, in no particular order: > > **Conventional FWD** > > - '03 and newer Accord, 4 cyl w/ the 5 spd (stay away from '98-'02 V6 w/ auto tranny) > > - 5.5G Maxima (mentioned by Ilya), ballsy, torquey, so-so looking unless modded (subjective I know), but 6 spd w/ the limited slip is cool yeah > > - Acura TL Type S (like '02ish) is a good bet too, again this has been mentioned I think… No manual for this generation sedan though, if I remember correctly. 6 spd was for CL only right? > > **RWD** > > - I’ve seen E46 BMWs in your price range, but with over 100k miles… I don’t know much about them, but heck ask Pete or one of the real BMW heads on here, you know them all anyways. > > - Don’t be afraid of a maintained E36, your budget you can buy a real nice 325i or 328i with fairly low mileage. You’ve worked on BMWs before, parts on E36s aren’t that big a deal unless you break something REAL big… $hit I own and maintain (well ok I use the word “maintain” LOOSELY) one, so uh, any idiot can… > > - Other RWD rides in this price range are either automatic (i.e. GS300, LS400, IS300- no way you could find a 5 spd one w/ this budget)… Or not worth mentioning because I can’t see you in it (i.e Ford Crown Vic- :lol). _Oh wait!! Hell yeah a GS300 w/ 5 spd swap (and/or Aristo mechanicals is a wet dream yeah but at this price range- NO :lol)_ [/boner] > > OK so my RWD list reeks of Bimmer fanboizzzms but you don’t have much of a choice in RWD sedans for family use unfortunately. > > **Somewhat off the beaten path** > > - Galant VR4: with your budget you could find a pretty nice a$$ one but yeah you’d have to stay on top of it. An almost stock one with low miles sold for like $7k a couple months back, but yeah it’d be dicey and it’s an almost 20 year old car… But hey you have a Z31 so you’re not afraid of old school styling. See [galantvr4.org](http://galantvr4.org) for cars that are out there. > > - Mazdaspeed Protege, '03 or '04 can be had (tough to find stock and unabused perhaps, not to mention maybe a bit boy-racer if you are representing your company) > > Whatever you do, don’t be so quick to jump into something. Whenever you have time on your side you can use it as leverage while scanning for all possible deals. > > If you can, set aside the equivalent of what your monthly payment will be for like 2 or 3 months… It should be no problem for you if you can really swing it. Then, buy the car after you do that ‘experiment’. > > You can then use the 2-3 months x payment put aside towards your loan and/or maintenance stuff when you do buy the car! All the while proving to yourself you can swing it without impacting your lifestyle. In the scheme of things, 2-3 months is nothing, take your time, do it right. > > Shift will always be here to make fun and talk $hit about why your choice was a bad one and that you overpaid because \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ anyways. :lol > > Good luck! > > :thumb Just a side note on the Acura TL… Be careful with the 00-03’s…they had tranny problems. I know because my brother had an 03 and while researching a diagnosis for his car, I came upon post after post of people going through tranny’s. But otherwise? SOLID CAR. I loved that thing. He has an 08 now and I love that one too lol. Acura TL’s are fantastic cars. --- _[View the full topic](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/need-some-advice-car-buying-content/250100)._