got my settlement...10 grand to spend...which of these cars to buy?

so after the 18 month wait, the settlement came through....been planning on buying a car and i set my limit at 10 grand....all these are from craigslist in my area. theyre all for sale right now....gonna start calling tomorrow...

check em out and tell me what you think

first, 94 twin turbo 3000gt. 100k miles. thing is nice man....looks like a mint....asking 10k or best offer



2001 mustang gt with supercharger...50k miles...$9850 or best offer...



1982 buick t type...$5500...dont know the miles. i have wanted a grand national forever so this is about as close as it will get for what i want to spend. if i can get this for 5k i probably will and then just buy another car for 5k as well.



1987 mustang gt convertible....8k or best offer....51k miles.....this thing is sexy too....



1990 nissan 300zx.....90k miles....twin turbo v6...beautiful



so thats what i have it down too. its hard to keep it at 10 grand because i 'could' spend far more very easily...there is an 87 olds 442 listed for 13k...im in love with that and also an 86 grand national for 13 grand...i just didnt want to spend that much.

ive waited this long...i have been thinking about not even making a call till december 1st. i figure around then i could probably get a killer deal cause of the winter and christmas right around the corner...that said i am about the most impatient dude in the world when it comes to this stuff.
been a gear head my entire life...probably owned 30 cars in my life and none of them have been something i really wanted....just got them cause it was a deal or i needed wheels right away...
i told myself the moment i filed that if i won i was going to finally buy myself a car. this will be the only time i can get something i want and pay cash for it....
also it would be very easy to spend more and/or go back to a 70's or even 60's classic but i need to keep it a bit newer. whatever i get will also be my daily driver so that is a factor.

what do you think?

Of those cars, I would go with the 300zx because that is a power house and easily the best looking car. I drive a 89 Honda Prelude Si, its a lot of fun, and my Dad's WRX Sti, if you could find an Sti for 10,000 I would recommend that. If you want to go fast all wheel drive is great. I've always liked the 300zx, it has timeless curves, still better than most new cars.

300zx Check! edit: its got the nicest rims easily, of those cars.

a reply to: CardiffGiant

I have no opinion whatsoever regarding your choice of a vehicle. You mentioned a settlement. Perhaps the details of your settlement are worthy of discussion.

I like the 87 mustang.. Then you could spend the left over 2k on a nice paint job!

originally posted by: CardiffGiant
so after the 18 month wait, the settlement came through....been planning on buying a car and i set my limit at 10 grand....all these are from craigslist in my area. theyre all for sale right now....gonna start calling tomorrow...

check em out and tell me what you think

first, 94 twin turbo 3000gt. 100k miles. thing is nice man....looks like a mint....asking 10k or best offer

2001 mustang gt with supercharger...50k miles...$9850 or best offer...

1982 buick t type...$5500...dont know the miles. i have wanted a grand national forever so this is about as close as it will get for what i want to spend. if i can get this for 5k i probably will and then just buy another car for 5k as well.

1987 mustang gt convertible....8k or best offer....51k miles.....this thing is sexy too....

1990 nissan 300zx.....90k miles....twin turbo v6...beautiful

so thats what i have it down too. its hard to keep it at 10 grand because i 'could' spend far more very easily...there is an 87 olds 442 listed for 13k...im in love with that and also an 86 grand national for 13 grand...i just didnt want to spend that much.

ive waited this long...i have been thinking about not even making a call till december 1st. i figure around then i could probably get a killer deal cause of the winter and christmas right around the corner...that said i am about the most impatient dude in the world when it comes to this stuff.
been a gear head my entire life...probably owned 30 cars in my life and none of them have been something i really wanted....just got them cause it was a deal or i needed wheels right away...
i told myself the moment i filed that if i won i was going to finally buy myself a car. this will be the only time i can get something i want and pay cash for it....
also it would be very easy to spend more and/or go back to a 70's or even 60's classic but i need to keep it a bit newer. whatever i get will also be my daily driver so that is a factor.

what do you think?

I like the 1982 Buick. Its got style and half your budget then ya got money for any fix it up jobs on the car. I need a new car to please universe.

Imma say the Buick.
Also with the other 5k you could have the holiday of a lifetime or something equally awesome!!

Buick.

I wouldn't pick any of these to be honest, but if I had to choose.

You'd better buy that Buick.

I'm partial to the 3000GT myself. We have a white '94 VR4 and a black '91 Dodge Stealth which is pretty heavily modded (that's a '99 VR4 hatchback+wing btw):




Great cars and depending on where you live, I might be able to refer you to a mechanic (NY-NJ-PA-DE area). We previously owned a red '93 VR4. The Z is a nice car as well, I always wanted one when I was younger but I ended up getting a 350Z instead I don't have that car any longer but that was also a really fun car and quite a head turner. I've also owned a Mustang (and a Camaro for that matter — 3rd gen) but I couldn't see owning either again personally. My current daily driver (the Stealth gets gas mileage comparable to a Hummer right about now) is a Crossfire. It's a nice car and I get a lot of compliments but the interior is crap for most model years (the dashes are painted and the paint chips).

the supercharged mustang is the safest bet there and being what it is I cant see it losing much value if you look after it too, I like the 300zx and I would have said go for that if it wasn´t a turbo

the 300zx fairlady (none turbo) are proven bullet proof reliability and just as fast top end as its turbo´d brother just out of curiosity how much was the 300 because over here in the uk a 90 spec will fetch a thousand pound at the most that's about 1400 dollars ...

but when buying old don't get turbo it just spells trouble.

a reply to: Diderot

what do you want to know?
ill tell ya

originally posted by: Psychonautics
Buick.

I wouldn't pick any of these to be honest, but if I had to choose.

You'd better buy that Buick.

If I want a boat, I'll buy a boat!

edit: just saying, I like my cars on rails, not clouds.

I once tried to decide between the 3000GT and the 300zx, I found that the plastic parts around the engine deteriorated but we get extreme heat where I live. I now drive a Toyota Soarer GT-L or a Lexus SC400 as they are known in the US, although the Jap version of the car is much more fitted out with airbag suspension and a few other goodies. There are twin turbo models but I'm not sure if the SC300 are turbo. Here is a pic of mine, it's a 4 litre V8.

originally posted by: DEFCONWhite
I like the 87 mustang.. Then you could spend the left over 2k on a nice paint job!

the paint dont bother me but the rims would have to go...i told my wife the same thing...i think its a sweet ride....51k miles and its in my city....probably 5 minutes away...maybe gonna offer them 6500-7000 if i decide on this one and then get some rims...

the grand national is my favorite car.....i think its a great deal for the 82 at $5500...i need to find some info about that car first...if the miles are right and the interior is right i would have no problem giving him the 5500...
i need to do some reading on the 82's first. ive only ever read about the 86-87's...those are the years everyone wants...especially the 87 cause of the intercooler.
i have to look into an intercooler and a couple other things for the 82......

that 87 mustang would make a nice car for the fam though too. kind of the best of both worlds...

then again i have been dying for something with a turbo or supercharger for a long time....

not an easy decision

I go more by what they run like. Those cars look to be in pretty decent shape bodywise. Up here, things rust out fast because of all the salt used in the winter. Miles aren't the only thing to look at, I'd put it on a rack and see how things look underneath too.

a reply to: rickymouse

of course...
i will be going over the cars i look at very well.
all i have to go on now is the pics and descriptions...

a reply to: CardiffGiant

Hello again Cardiff, If you received a settlement, then there seems to be some breach of justice.

How were you wronged?

This is just a matter of my curiosity.

originally posted by: Diderot
a reply to: CardiffGiant

Hello again Cardiff, If you received a settlement, then there seems to be some breach of justice.

How were you wronged?

This is just a matter of my curiosity.

i wouldnt use the word wronged.
i was injured

The kid in me says 3000GT. The old car and GM lover in me says the Buick. The muscle car speed demon in me says the supercharged Mustang. The turbo lover in me says the 300ZX.

Everything in me says avoid the convertible Mustang.

I'm sorry bro, I can't help you.

None of those are really my taste but I would go 300 zx. I guess.

I dislike Mustangs and convertibles so that's out. I also don't trust anyone who puts a supercharger in their car to have not rallied it.

I dislike the 3000gt styling and the color (though that's not a huge deal). To me with the styling and the color it looks like a teenage girl car.

I dig the Buick but I don't know anything about them. I have a sneaking suspicion they're prone to failure.


There are so many things we don't know about you.

How big of a family? Do you care about budgeting for gas? How's your insurance? Are you good at working on your own cars? How old are you? Do you care about reliability?

Also what do you want out of a car?

Do you want good handling?
Do you want good acceleration?
Do you want safety?
How likely are you to actually drive something to it's limits?
Do you care about it holding it's value?
Do you like turbo cars? They're a lot different than a muscle car (which I'm sure you know).
Do you need to worry about snow and ice and things like that? Those Mustangs are horrible in inclement weather.

Go look for a WRX. Best all around car out there. Safe, reliable, handles well, easy to make go fast. Goes pretty fast anyway. Easy to work on. All wheel drive. Insane resale value.

The smartest option is to let your WIFE pick the car!!!!!!!! A happy wife is a happy home! ( wink)