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Which Car should I buy??? (Should be a bit Luxurious/Sporty)

Which Car should I buy??? (Should be a bit Luxurious/Sporty)

  • 1999 Lexus IS200

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1998 BMW318i

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1998 BMW323i

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2004 Mazda 3 Maxx

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2004 Mazda 3 SP23

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2000 VW Golf GLE

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2000 VW Golf Gti

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2003 Subaru Impreza RS

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2003 Subaru Impreza GX

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2003 Corolla Sportivo

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
tom_kauf

tom_kauf

Active Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2005
Messages
360
Location
Townsville, Australia
Car(s)
Mercedes 190E
Hi everyone, :thumbsup:
I'm deciding which car to buy. I want a bit of luxury with a bit of sportyness.
I sold a 1998 Civic Gli about 6months ago.

What do you all think about these?
The BMWs are at the upper limit of my price range (Australian$28000, US$22,000, 17,000 EURO, ?12,000):

(I respect anyone's oppinion, even if it's negative) :bow:

1999 Lexus IS200
1998 BMW318i
1998 BMW323i
2004 Mazda 3 Maxx
2004 Mazda 3 SP23
2000 VW Golf GLE
2000 VW Golf Gti
2003 Subaru Impreza RS
2003 Subaru Impreza GX
2003 Corolla Sportivo (don't know if you guys have heard of it. It's sold in Australia and is a 141kw Corolla Hatch with a few Mechanical upgrades over the standard Corolla by TRD (toyota rally tuning company)

Thanks,
Tom
 
THe late 90s BMW. Definitely. I almost bought one. Was very close to buying one actually.
 
Yeah E46 (but barely)

Yeah E46 (but barely)

andyhui01 said:
I would definetly go for the late 90's BMW 98 323i... btw is that the E46model?
Click to expand...

The E46 is REALLY stretching my budget, but yeah if I find a good deal. The E36 is a few grand cheaper, but I've seen that BMW put a lot more features into the E46 (the spec sheets are a lot loner).
Do you know what the differences are (mechanical/features)?
Thanks
 
I know for sure that the E46's gearbox is much better than the E36-5speed... slightly bigger, mind you the E36 is really cramped... I'm not sure if they have E46 318i's in Australia but on the 99-00 E46 318i, there are a couple that are actually 2.0l with 5-speed auto and it was pretty powerful for a 2l car
 
thanks andyhui01

thanks andyhui01

Yeah, we have the 1998 e46 318i. So, the gearbox is cramped? (not the interior, right?). Thanks for the tip about the 2L ones, I'll have a look. cheers andyhui01
 
"The Ultimate Driving Machine"

They weren't joking when they said that.
 
do not get a petrol 318 from teh mid to late '90s. complete dogs. I just picked up a '97 328i, its a great car, though a tad on the large size (my other vehicles are an '01 golf, '76 911, '71 Vespa Super Sprint, and soon a '74 Vespa 90 Racer.)

only problem with the 328 is that it has been sitting in my driveway waiting for a tow-seems the ignition switch/lock switch went south, with the engine on... battery is now dead and the ignition doesnt turn. it'll probably run about $300 or so :roll:
 
The E36 wasn't much of a handler, and has really bad build quality. My boss's coupes' interior is flaking sooo badly. Apparently they're a bit understeery.

Instead of the sportivo, how about a clio sport? Much much much better to drive, waay faster too. Pug 206 gti 180 is quite good too, a bit more refined than the clio, but not quite as sharp. These aren't very luxurious though, but the giggle-factor is good enough. :p

The new golf gti mk5 is coming for under 40 grand. It'll only be sold in a five door configuration here. It's a very good piece of kit, miles better than the previous car in every regard (especially handling).
 
Saab 9-3, or maybe a 9-2X depending on the kind of incentives they're giving right now, here's it's as high as 7.5K off list price. :shock:
 
The 1999 Lexus IS200 is my choice ... great handler, good quality, nice interior but I don't know about 2.nd hand value in your country. In mine it's great ... nice engine sound too :)

haz
 
haz said:
The 1999 Lexus IS200 is my choice ... great handler, good quality, nice interior but I don't know about 2.nd hand value in your country. In mine it's great ... nice engine sound too :)

haz
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I'd go with the Lexus, too. Almost as fun to drive as the BMW, and much cheaper maintenance costs, too.
 
My vote goes to the Lexus, even though I have a Mazda3 myself.
The 2 litre inline 6 may lack a bit of high end punch but its velvety smooth and good on gas.
 
very good points. really. To me, from the choices I see from the poll, the Lexus is a clear cut winner!

And it brings you luxury + sportiness. I dunno know about rareness tho ... around here, they're quite uncommon.

Bihus point about low maintnance is a good one too!!!!! (BMW, though I love them, it aint the same deal)

As haha604 (btw, please expain me that nick in the "what does your nick mean-thread :lol: ) said, it's as smooth as hell that 2L :thumbsup: and is good competition towards the BMW driving experience!

haz
 
sandor_ said:
do not get a petrol 318 from teh mid to late '90s. complete dogs. I just picked up a '97 328i, its a great car, though a tad on the large size (my other vehicles are an '01 golf, '76 911, '71 Vespa Super Sprint, and soon a '74 Vespa 90 Racer.)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info sandor_, good to know. :thumbsup:
ohhhh, 911? cool
 
Cubits said:
The E36 wasn't much of a handler, and has really bad build quality. Instead of the sportivo, how about a clio sport? Much much much better to drive, waay faster too. Pug 206 gti 180 is quite good too, a bit more refined than the clio, but not quite as sharp. These aren't very luxurious though, but the giggle-factor is good enough. :p
Click to expand...

:D Some good ideas there Cubits. Yeah a new Golf Gti would be great (i know it's much better than the previous few years), but it just costs too much at moment.
The E36 wasn't much of a handler, and has really bad build quality. Really? that's surprising. I know bmw doesn't have the best build quality, and is overrated in a lot of ways because of its image, but thanks for the heads-up.
 
Raven18940 said:
Saab 9-3, or maybe a 9-2X depending on the kind of incentives they're giving right now, here's it's as high as 7.5K off list price.
Click to expand...
hmmm, Saab. I like 'em, but I'll have to check what they're going for......... :shock: WOW, look at that, I can get a 1998 9-3 for Australian$13,000, and a 2001 9-3 Aero for Australian$27,000 (that's what a good 1998 323i is). It looks like we have another one added to the list, thanks heaps Raven18940. p.s. i'd usually do some currency conversions for all the us/european readers, but not this morning, so you'll just have to do it youself :p.
 
haz said:
The 1999 Lexus IS200 is my choice ..... nice engine sound too :)
Click to expand...
I'm a BIG Lexus fan, so it's good to hear at least some people voting for it. Engine Noise?....cool, I didn't know, but that's because I mainly see business-men and retired people drive Lexus in Australia, so they NEVER give it enough gas to hear the engine properly. :sleeping:. Most lexus drivers are boring..... but I won't be. Thanks haz
 
haha604 said:
My vote goes to the Lexus, even though I have a Mazda3 myself.
The 2 litre inline 6 may lack a bit of high end punch but its velvety smooth and good on gas.
Click to expand...
That's true, (about the lack of punch). It's always the only negative thing you hear about the IS200, because the handling is great. Are you happy with your Mazda haha604? I've driven in a Mazda 3 (unlinke ALL the other cars in the list), and they are really nice.
 
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