Best used standard FR for under 5k?
 

Hello all.

I am working on selling an Insight (one of two), and thought about something. Both of my Insights are just too beautiful to destroy. As in, full permanent boat tail, mirrors shaved, front wheel skirts.

So I will be putting both up for sale, and if I get what I am looking for I will be buying something else. I have high standards, but a lot of options.

Specifically, I want...
Rear wheel drive.
Engine placement can be anywhere.
Standard transmission, automatics are UNACCEPTABLE.
I would prefer a luxury vehicle.

Now the rear wheel drive CAN be compromised under a couple of rare circumstances. For example, I found a MX3. For 1k. That is challenging to pass up. Under rare circumstances, I could see it. I will be most likely removing the trunk, most of the dash, the mirrors, the rear seats, most of the interior.

Currently, I am thinking a 3/5 series is my best bet for finding, or a Mercedes C300, but the CTS is a close third. I want an IS the most, but since less than 1% are standard, and finding one in running condition will be near impossible, I don't see this happening- same as a Lincoln LS. A Ranger will be a bad place to start, as would an S10, but not out of the question. Some older Camaros show up, too. I don't want another Mustang, I dislike the pre 2011s.

Any and all feedback is welcome. I have a reliable car- and I have enjoyed high MPG cars. Now I want a fun and tad classy car I can turn into a mile eater. Higher miles don't bother me, neither do the repairs that come with it, for the right price. I know you all will have great words of wisdom, and with suggestions will come feedback on common issues to look for. Thank you in advance! :)

Really guys? I figured I would get SOME feedback. :(

Well my wisdom sucks, but maybe an older Crown Vic? My buddy has a 92 that is luxurious and has sooooo much space, but it is an auto,maybe you should look into getting one of those. I have heard of guys taking the 6-speed trannies that go in that gen of Mustang Foxbody's and putting them in there, but I'm not sure.

Luxury vehicle + fun + tad classy + mile eater = Mercedes Benz diesel or Jaguar SS100.
Glad to oblige.
Bob

I have once seen a video where a Police Interceptor Crown Vic with a manual transmission was featured. Anyway, if it's about luxury, I guess a Lincoln Town Car would be a good option to consider in case of a manual transmission swap. But I'd probably rather get one out of a truck instead of one geared for a Mustang, and the taller differential from the Crown Vic or the Town Car would match reasonably with the manual out of a truck...

As a Gm tech I have considered, what manual RWD would I like? You already mentioned a cts though, which would be my choice as well. Unfortunately I would want to get one new enough to have a 3.6 and in condition I would want, I'm thinking they're more like $7k minimum

I just bought an '08 cts for triple your wish list price. Manual versions are almost impossible to find, fyi. But the dual vvt 3.6 v6 is awesome! Peak torque @ 3100rpm for this application, tons of fun to drive.

As stated, ive seen crown vic conversions as well as older impala/ buick roadmaster manual conversions.

If you are interested in conversions, I am a bit partial because of my last car, but the dodge intrepid/300m/concorde/lhs would be a good candidate. Can be bought for around $2000 for a good one. Add a 6speed manual, drive shaft, and rear end, you could easily do it for 5k.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/em-fuel-l...vehicleid=6320

For $5K, you can get an SRT-4, from stock to lots of mods, possibly even a bigger turbo.

But, Neon doesn't equal luxury. And it is not rear wheel drive.

But, they are fun as hell to drive. There are a lot of performance parts, tuning solutions and the motors and transmissions can handle 400 hp stock. I got 26/33 mpg in mine when really trying. Parts are cheap enough. Just a thought.

For a rear wheel drive luxury with a manual, a BMW seems to come to mind. But, I have known several people with older BMW's that seem to have broken trim pieces, broken windows, faded and oxidized paint, and other little odds and ends that don't work right. The engines and transmissions are usually solid though. Don't get me wrong, I like BMWs, but the parts can be expensive. My one friend had a rear window regulator fixed at the dealer (yes, I know, the stealership) for $700.

Be careful what you wish for.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...g-0896-bew.jpg

Isn't this off-topic for The Lounge?

C4 Corvette?

Good power, 6 spd (in the later C4s), Vettes have always been flagship cars for Chevrolet so they tend to have lots of nice options. Finding one for $5k is decent shape isn't too hard now.

I was able to wring 29mpg hwy out of mine with just normal, careful driving (No hypermiling).

My experience with used luxury cars is that they tend to have a lot of things go wrong with them. Usually not important things (drivetrain/suspension/etc) but power windows, butt warmers, auto-trunk-latches, etc. I personally prefer my cars to be a bit more simple because of this.

Love the feedback! :)

At the gym and looking forward to co tinuing the brain storming when I get a moment.

How firm is your price range?

I've seen '04 GTOs in the $6000-$7000 range with a few minor problems. Most are still $9000-$11000. Add $4000 to those ranges for the '05-'06. For just a Pontiac, they have a really nice interior. This will likely be my next car... (and maybe not too far in the future if the Civic keeps pissing me off).

BMW 318, Miata,

That was my initial choice then decided on something newer. Still an awesome car, fyi, 2004 was the only year for the 5.7 and no hood scoops.

So the C4 is a new thought- but I didn't see any in my mass auto trader search. The majority were BMWs, with a few CTSs in there. I did a unlimited mile search for Rear wheel drive standards under 5k.

I mean this in the most respectful way: chryslers should not apply. Including srt4s. I have never had a good experience with them, new or otherwise.

I like the innovative thinking on the Town Car/Crown Vic, but I really don't want to do a tranny swap. I am open to adjusting or messing with it in the future, but not getting started with a new to me vehicle, especially at that level. Also, I would skip out on it because of it's comfort orientation rather than sport orientation.

I fully agree on little things breaking. But to me, that is weight savings. Everything behind the drivers seat is getting removed, and this vehicle will be ruined to most people.

I heard a new suggestion, the Audi A4. I doubt I will find one for that price but still a thought. So far I have seen the most CTSs, BMW 3s and 5s. I have also seen a lot of Rangers and S10s, but I think that is too far away from my goal. It would be too easy to make the boattail with poorer gearing and more difficult to use the space.

My price range is pretty firm. I'm sure most GTOs would whoop on my Mustang, but I am not going for PERFORMANCE with the car, rather luxury that has more of a performance aspect. I think ideally I would go with the Mercedes options. It seems like a more reliable all around vehicle over the BMWs. The M series seems to run strong, but that is unlikely to find. I was reading about someone who found an M5 that someone wanted 7k or so for, and they begged for 4k. Person ended up selling it for 11 or so. BT this isn't a resell project, more of a Frankenstein project. I'm not against a MX, but I don't know if I could get over a soft top. A hard top surely won't be in my range. For some reason, I am really inclined to a sedan or estate. I would even consider a SAAB, but I think there is too much junk to filter through to find a FF or AWD car I want. I should probably look into some AWD systems that I can disable the front axle.

I rarely find much on Autotrader...

Here's a late C4 you could probably get for $5000:
1991 corvette

I was thinking GTO as much for the interior quality and comfort as much as the performance, but finding one in your price range is unlikely. Maybe worth a check though if you find CTSs. I wouldn't expect those either.

I would eliminate Audi from your list for the same reasons as Chrysler...

Seems like you keep falling back on BMWs and Mercedes. For RWD, manual, MoreDoor luxury cars, they will be the most prolific. I'd keep looking for an IS too. May be a needle in the haystack, but I'd prefer one over the European cars.
2002 LEXUS IS300 W/MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Haggle and sell off the wheels and maybe get it in your budget?

Oh, change your search to $5500 and under. You can almost always knock off 10%...

I'm offended. Just kidding! There are car brands I am not fond of, and we are each entitled to our opinions.

My mom had a brand new 2004 (I think) A4. It was a great car to drive, but there was some wiring issue the dealer could not fix under warranty. The brakes lights would stop working randomly. That doesn't mean every Audi is that way, but like someone else said, the more expensive (when new) car brands aren't always better.

Plus, more expensive car brands means more expensive OEM parts. Rockauto however, has lots of cheap parts!

Wow, that Lexus looks good. If they actually want to sell it and it is actually still up, I think they'll take much less than 6. I found a few ESs, but no ISs in my search. The reason I stuck with 5k and not 5.5 is that most of the cars are 200+ miles away, so I can't count on haggling too much.

I did find an Audi A4 Wagon an hour away from me for 7. But I agree, I should stay away from Audi. High miles and expensive electronics don't mix.Anyway, now I need to get my other cars sold- then start looking for the specific car I want. I appreciate the feedback and will update on progress, any new ideas or suggestions are appreciated :)

Porche 924.

Basically any AWD can be turned into RWD, but it makes more sense to do so with a longitudinally-engined platform such as some previous generations of the Volkswagen Passat or any boxer-engined Subaru. I'm also aware of some Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution that were converted to RWD and had the engine mounting converted from transverse to longitudinal, but that sounds too much work-intensive...

I guess you would like this one (or not :D)

workaround ideas to discuss among friends: Brazilian Chevrolet S-10 with a local aftermarket sedan-like "double-cab" conversion

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sZd4uEygWF...ro-direito.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IharjWLluc...ro-direito.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jrbn0HFvSy...o-esquerdo.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oM0DffURUW...o-esquerdo.jpg

+1 and/or a 944.

Why the RWD only rule, thats kind of 1920s that is.

+1 on the 944.

I stood next to one at a Porche-VW swap meet once about prolly 10 years ago. Black. $7000.

They're less now, right?

Yep much less, 924 original used a VW LT van engine, 924 Turbo and S used Porsche engines from the 944.

928s are also cheap - very cheap, and the engine bay is large enough for anything other than the useless Porsche V8 in there - there is a reason why Ferrari 328s are spendy and Porsche 928s are cheap even when their performance is very similar.

There are no Porches for sale under 5k, three boxters under 7.
My phone won't let me paste, and ts difficult to work this site while mobile. Why rear wheel drive? Because I enjoy driving. The push of a car vs pulling isn't even fair. Controlling rear wheels from spinning is a blast, and thrilling.

Thats cool but sounds expensive. I avr ceased Mercedes C class off my list- SO many issues with them. Unless I can get two, t doesn't seem like a good move.

As far as RWD goes the 2+2 Porsche H6 transaxles cant be beat with alot of ecomodding potential, albeit a whale tail instead of a boat tail lol As far as a custom goes, I always wanted to get an old Lotus Esprit and drop in a Honda Cicic transaxle which has already been done by Prototype Racing.

Mercs are usually regarded among the most reliable vehicles.

Wow, my messages look terrible from my mobile! I wish there was an application for this site.

All the reviews with actual content were bad. A lot of expensive repairs, at mileage under what I would be buying. It would be better to buy two 3 series than the one C class. No Lexi realistically in my price range. I was thinking this bit I don't think I wrote it, I want to stay 2000 or newer- in an attempt to avoid more costly repairs.