Help me pick...

VWKafer

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 2, 2005
Messages
701
Location
Spokane, Wa
Car(s)
1975 Volkswagen Superbeetle
Now i've had my beetle for a good few years (three and a half i think) and i'm getting rather tired of it's 'quirkiness' so i've been thinking about replacing her with a newer car.... so i'll tell you a bit about what i've been considering and the pros and cons in my mind

1994-6 M-B E320 resonably bulletproof, pretty good looking, nice sounding straight six, pretty quick, good mileage, very comfy...
1992-5 Audi S4 all wheel drive, good looks, manual only, really comfy, really quite fast, pretty bulletproof, and the sound!!!!
1998-00 Toyota 4Runner weeell, the gf and my best bud have mid nineties Toyotas (she has a pickup and he a 4runner) and I kind of like both of them, they're bulletproof, they're useful off road, and not that bad looking.... but high miles on most examples and very rare in manual trans...
1996-00 Audi A4 quattro the gf's idea, good looking, awd traction, not terribly slow, but they have some bugbears being a recent VAG product, I would ideally go for the 1.8T and ONLY a manual trans....

so what do you think? gas mileage and performance are pretty big deciding factors, so i think that axes the 4runner... but whatever
 
why are so many people asking what car they want, buy whatever you like man, and you can find all the performance figures and gas milage etc... on the web, so its a matter of your own taste.
 
Don't replace your Beetle, just give it an adopted brother!

The cars you've listed are all pretty different. I mean, a 4Runner against an S4? It all depends on what you want. If you want a manual, then go for the Audis. If you want something comfortable, go for the Merc. If you want to off-road or pretend to do so (no idea how the 4Runner does there), well the choice there is obvious. You shouldn't have to run to us for the decision. :)

Logo, how'd you get that title, anyway?
 
aaaagh! i don't know what i like!!! the only cars that i have picked completely on my own, well those would, wait, no, that would be the Merc..... aaaaagh! whatever i just wanted another few opinions. and some cautionary words wherever they may apply (cough, A4, cough) but whatever, i guess i'll figure it out someday.
 
I own a '99 4Runner, and while it eats gas like crazy, it's an excellent car and very comfortable. I don't know the availability of manual trans 4Runners so unfortunately I cannot help you there. I do know that, while it is unbelievably reliable, the car did break down once. The water pump went and took one or two other things with it a year ago. Also, the starter died about 2 or so years back. After looking online, the starter problem is relatively common with certain years so a bit of research there is suggested. And just for your information, it was bought new.
 
from my experience i'd say don't buy the audi. My father had the first A4 - 1995 i think, and it was constantly under repairs. Other people that owned audis complained aswell.
Toyota is synonimous for reliability, but gas mileage is scary.
I wouldn't go for any of the cars you listed - some are too old - merc, audi - others have reliability issues....
Tell us more - budget, what do you want it for...
 
1992-5 Audi S4 or 1996-00 Audi A4 quattro
 
The S4 hands down with the leather/alcantara interior. It can also easily been tuned to give a lot more power.

http://img19.imageshack.**/img19/418/111111112087025182490511473750.jpg

That would be my choice.
 
Well old S4 (92-95) are not my cup of tea, better to go with the 2.7 turbo from 98 but of course price isn't the same.
I don't see BMW ,but if you're looking for a 4doors car I would also look for M3s E36 saloon (good looking but not ostentatious , the type of car that doesn't say "look at me" but could easily keep up with some porsches. ) furthermore it's cheaper than an 98 S4 (if you choose the 3L, the 3.2 is in the same price range as an 98 S4) and more powerfull thus you don't have AWD but good old fashion RWD :twisted: .
I would also look for subarus.

I only considered the performance aspect , with those cars gas mileage isn't the most paramount factor.
 
Oh he is talking about the Audi 100 based S4, i thought its the 2.7turbo. I take back my vote then, i was thinking of the '98 one. That ones great.
 
One of the 00 or 01' Lincoln LS V6's with the manual trans. The motor is an adapted Taurus motor (parts are plentiful and cheap), the Manual trans makes it efficent on gas, and nearly as fast as the 8. Also, it being RWD, and having driven one (my other half owns one) they handle *Amazing*
 
Well, you all bring up good points. I've driven the Mercedes and know I love just about everything about it, it doesn't feel too horribly slow, but I don't want a huge car, and the auto only thing bugs me. But I know for a fact that this generation E class is really quite reliable and very well built.

My budget is shaping out to be under 10 grand and the reason I didn't list any BMW's as options (even though i love them) is I don't know where to start looking, if you check out ebay it seems that all the people selling their cars want far too much money for a pretty tired bimmer... but... if anyone has any ideas as far as where to start looking for a BMW tell me, and i've checked out M3's it's impossible to find a straight M3 of any year for under 10 grand these people are just far too proud of their cars.
 
Get the 2.8 quattro B5 A4. Seems easy enough to tune going by the videos of them on you tube.

Or just get the 1.8T or 2.0T as they already come with forged mahle pistons and are easily capable of big power.
 
Tuning isn't the highest on my list, but is always an option, reliability and build quality are my highest priorities.
 
Un-Dee said:
The S4 hands down with the leather/alcantara interior. It can also easily been tuned to give a lot more power.

http://img19.imageshack.**/img19/418/111111112087025182490511473750.jpg

That would be my choice.

You do know he's talking about an S4 from 1992-1995, right?
 
it's impossible to find a straight M3 of any year for under 10 grand these people are just far too proud of their cars.

Sorry my mistake I didn't check the price on the US market , you can find M3 for less than 10K in Europe.
 
Ever think about a used E36 3-Series? Rear-drive, manual, German (since you like German cars, what with the list there and your Beetle :D), and there's about a billion of them so they can be found in varying stages of cheapness. It doesn't have to be an M3; any M3 for under 10 grand probably won't be very reliable anyway.
 
Or you could have an old M5 E34 (315 or 340bhp ) it's a bit old school but in a good way 8) cheaper than an m3 but most of them have got high mileage.
 
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