Looking to get my own set of wheels

This is kinda what I thought. It really comes down to a decent a4 quattro with a bunch of miles on it, or a subaru impreza. I thought an s60 AWD would be a left-field choice, but they're nowhere near as cheap or as common as I thought that they were.
 
^


avoid anything with high mileage on the clock. you will regret it.
 
My uncle had one of those audis. He drove it for like 8 years and sold it to a friend with 115k on the clocks. 4 years later, it's still running like a charm.
 
Your uncle prob took care of the car. That's like one in a million though.

If you can trust the owner then I guess it's allright to buy a high mileage car. My first car (Merc E320 Sportline) gave me endless trouble (only 120 000km on the clock), and I babied that thing ever since my dad gave it to me.

All I'm saying is....rather be cautious than sorry. Make sure you check the service log and the parts that got replaced, also get a mechanic / AA guys to have a look at the car before you sign the papers.
 
ooh another thing to consider is an older volvo.

i had a family friend with one of those and it must have had over 250K miles on that thing. they had it when they lived in rockford (about 10-12 years ago?) and still had it when i moved from northbrook (where i lived) to florida. no problems at all... just routine maintenance.

those things are tanks. ask jeremy clarkson... he drove one into a wall at 30 mph.
 
Which is as much as I want to pay for a car. I'm simply not gonna pay that much for a motor.
 
080801b1.jpg
 
3000GT VR-4. Awd, very heavy, great in the snow. You can get one easily for 7k.

Better make friends with the transmission shops.
 
Just find a 5sp I don't think they blew like the Getrags

Yeah, they blew too. The housing cracks on the Mitsu trannies.

The other thing is that you will need to get real friendly with your local electronics diagnostic specialist. 3000GTs have lots of strange electrical failures.
 
Get a 2000-2004 Impreza base model. No car thief takes a look at a Impreza EVER, it is cheap to maintain, etc. etc. Also consider a similar year Legacy, they are really not that much more expensive, or larger!

Remember, I work for a Subaru dealer. We can locate what you are looking for, you may be able to skirt around Cook county taxes (I work in Kane), and you would qualify for a hefty discount, since you know me.
 
Yeah, they blew too. The housing cracks on the Mitsu trannies.

The other thing is that you will need to get real friendly with your local electronics diagnostic specialist. 3000GTs have lots of strange electrical failures.

I forgot about that! The capacitors on the ECU's would leak and short the whole thing...
 
^
avoid anything with high mileage on the clock. you will regret it.

And why is that? I know there are bad examples for high mileage cars, but you can find a bargain in em also. Current car had 170k+ miles on the clock when i bought it, but it has been a company car which has full service history etc. now it has almost 190k miles, no problems. Changed the oils thats it. Trouble free year so far. And probably I trade it in next year.
 
Get a 2000-2004 Impreza base model. No car thief takes a look at a Impreza EVER, it is cheap to maintain, etc. etc. Also consider a similar year Legacy, they are really not that much more expensive, or larger!

Remember, I work for a Subaru dealer. We can locate what you are looking for, you may be able to skirt around Cook county taxes (I work in Kane), and you would qualify for a hefty discount, since you know me.


+1 to getting a Subaru. The older Imprezas and Legacies (96 and lower) have the bulletproof 2.2L engine which doesnt have the Head Gasket problems the 2.5L engines have but after the HG replacement, those 2.5L engines are just as strong. Subaru's are tough as nails, they can endure everything, I myself live in a college town and have to endure tons of Jettas and Lifted PU's and my Subaru has taken the parking incidents with no problem at all. Best thing is AWD+Wagon = Awesomeness!
 
E36 BMW 328

or do you need awd

that case, go with the subaru, something along the lines of a legacy perhaps
 
Last edited:
Top