A few of you may recall that I was selling my 914 and going to buy a 996.
I had a lot of interest on the 914 and some solid offers, but not enough to make a deal.

In the meantime I read as much as I could, good and bad and came to the conclusion that an early 996 isn’t the right car at the right price for me right now.
I’m not giving up on someday owning a 911, but it is off the radar screen for now.
Yes that means I am keeping my 914!

But it doesn’t resolve my transportation problem.
I am 2 years into a 3 year lease on a Dodge Dart GT with the 2.4l and a six speed.
Don’t believe the reviews, with the stick it is a fun car to drive with my only complaints being that 1st gear is too short and the clutch is too light.

At the minimum, I have to decide what to do when the lease is over.
But I may not want to wait for that, I have 24k on it now and I don’t believe the tires will make it past 30k.
That means I either have to spend about $1k for tires and then return it, or drive it next winter on bald tires.

So I’m going to look into what the buyout is between now and then and strongly consider trading it in on a used car.
I am considerably below the mileage I paid for so might not be upside down or at least not by much.

What I’m looking at now would be a BMW 128i for $9-10k with 80-100k miles on it.
Anybody own one or have experience?
Thoughts?

used tires or grab a set of take-offs from craigslist.

Check on ebay as well. Lots of takeoff wheels on there

Check out bimmerforums.com for anything regarding BMW cars. I learned a lot when I was thinking about an E38.

Also check the dart enthusiast groups. Lots of guys sell the stock wheels/tires for a couple hundred bucks.

Thats what I do for my Fiesta ST commuter, just grab a set of wheels/tires for $250-350 every year, when Im done with them I sell the wheels for 100 bucks and call it good.

Not a bad idea, it would have to be off one of the cheapo models, not a lot of folks are swapping out the GT wheels at that price!

If you care about room at all I would consider a GTI, they are a blast and faster in person than you'd think. With a chip they get 295 ft lbs of torq. I have driven the 128i though and I do think its a fantastic car, probably a better panty dropper too...

As for tires, yes there are many used bargains out there, but be careful people will sell garbage. Buying a set of smaller rims/wheels that are take-offs (as Andrew stated) could be a cheap way to go.

The GTI is a great car, but I don't want anything with a turbo and prefer RWD.
Not really worried about a back seat either and I've lived with a great woman for the last two years that likes our boat and my bike more than cars so....

Im a big fan of my wifes Genesis Coupe. I would grab an early v6 as a daily/toy in a heartbeat. That would fit your budget, you can probably get a fully loaded one if you waited for that price.

In keeping an open mind I did a search on AutoTrader.

But even before doing so I would say I prefer a straight six over a V6 (got my license in a 260Z, lusted after jags, owned several 4.0 Jeeps, etc.)

Nice car, good bang for the buck, but the styling isn't me - too much going on (as is the case with most Asian cars).

Thanks for the suggestion though.

I thought for sure somebody on here would have a 128i in their driveway to comment on....

My co-worker has a 135 and loves it. The one I test drove (a 135 now that I think about it) I thought was a great car and reminded me alot of a 914 (small quick steering, felt light). Another option would be a z4 or a G37 (v6 though).

Why do you need to spend $1000 for tires???? http://simpletire.com/catalog?year=2014&am...e_selected=true

If you cant turn it in with bald tires go cheap, if you need to replace and then turn in, go midstream. If you plan to keep, there are MANY mid prices $100 tires. I dont get it...

I don't need tires to turn it in, I in essence bought insurance where I can bring it back with up to $5k in damage including bald tires with no penalty.

What I would need to keep it to the end is tires to get me safely through the winter.
I've never bough Chinese tires, not sure I want to start now, but I get your point - mid priced tires not made in China would still be closer to $600 mounted.

Something I will probably do if I go to the end.

My son has an '12 135i and my wife has an '04 330ci. Both are 6 speeds, m-package trim on the 135 and sport package on the 330, thus sport seats, lower/tighter suspension, larger tires/wheels, so a bit different from the majority.

Both are comfortable on long drives, 7-8 hours in the sport seats don't bother me. Handling is decent for sedans, the 135 is fast, the 330 spirited, both will turn over 30 MPG cruising.

We are pushing 150k on the 330i with only the usual wear and tear items for maintenance, 60k on the 135 which suffered a cracked cooling expansion tank at 55k miles, but otherwise routine stuff on the 135 except for a couple of odd electronic issues such as door chime not shutting off - disconnecting battery took care of those.

I find BMW has put some thought into maintenance work unlike Subaru - love my Legacy GT but most work is a PITA on that car.

Anyway, do your research, drive a variety of cars that interest you, and go from there. Just keep in mind, at your target price range and mileage range you will likely be faced with some routine maintenance items such as suspension, brakes, belts, fluids, etc.

All nice cars, but I think one roadster is enough and as small as the 128i is I have got to believe there is more headroom in the back for the rare occasion than in the gorgeous G37

Thanks, good info! I do love car shopping especially when not in a hurry.
If I have to buy tires for winter, I'd rather buy real winter tires for a car I own rather than any tire for a car I'm getting out of.

I think I am in good shape to get out of the car I'm in and at $10k or so my payment won't really change.

The Dart has been great.
I leased it when I just had too much going on but needed a reliable car.
Loaded, cheap, handles great, faster than you think and fun, but I just don't like FWD and am not looking to lease another new car right now, but am ok with doing maintenance that isn't "major repair".

I only use a DD for about 10-12k/year so cars that can easily go 200k still have a lot of life for me.