I've been driving my '75 2.0 daily to work for the last 12 years or so and have loved it. For those of you familiar with bay area I probably have the perfect 914 commute because I drive from half moon bay to Menlo Park...so its about 12 miles of twisty mountain roads followed by about 12 miles of blasting down the highway. Unfortunately, I'm getting to the point in my career where I need to project a successful "image" and my poor little 914 is just too tired looking...

Sooooo I need a new car...my criteria are

1. Fun
2. Professional
3. Fun
4. under $20k (used)
5. Reliable


Drove a tt and had a blast, but haven't driven an s2000 yet. I would love an Elise, but it is just too spendy right now.

suggestions?

You could find a very nice '97-'99 Boxster for that kind of money and you would never miss any of the cars you have already mentioned....
It is also the logical step from the 914.

I have a '99 for sale right now....nice car with 48K miles, no accidents or repaints.
Nice ones are out there.

see info here http://www.babblers.org/forums/showthread....39087#post39087

An S2000 is a blast. I've never driven a TT but I'd think an S2000 with rear wheel drive would be an even better sports car. The only thing I don't like about the S2000 is that it is a convertible. What about a 911?

That's a nice looking Boxster

Easy... E36 M3.

Plenty of power, great handling, comfortable on long drives, can seat 4 if needed, has a real trunk, and very reliable. And a really good one can be found for less than $20k, leaving extra for some nice shocks and tires...

-Josh2

2003-2005 WRX Find one close to stock and you get Speed Reliability

If you are looking for an image car you should get a BMW. Something with 4 seats for when you got to take clients around.

Trust me you look real foolish showing up at the airports in a 2 seater and the guy has alot of luggage.

$20K would get you a mint showroom condition E36 M3. $15K would get you a really nice one.

A co-worker has a '95. It's been a maintenance whore for the last three years. Personally, for a more reliable ride, I'd rather get an e46 328ci and then throw a few dollars at the suspension and maybe get a chip.

...a WRX would be okay as a secondary car, but not as a professional image type thing....too "boy-racer"

Unless your "professional image" is "I have my own opinions, thank you."

I guess it all depends on who you're trying to project a "professional" image to.

The suggestion of an E46 328 is a good one. Even a 330ci would be pretty slick.

But if you want a canyon carver that can carry four, and still look good to bussiness types, the M3 is a hard choice to ignore...

-Josh2

Not to mention, that the E36 M3 makes a great autox and track day car as well...

-Josh2

Nissan 350z (has decent trunk space)
Audi s4 2.7tt (1999.5 and up)

Z-car --- Kindof a pig of a car. DOn't get me wrong, it's got plenty of power, and a pretty good handling package, but it's HEAVY... Heavier than a car that size should be, especially a sports car. Maybe not for an APC...

S4. --- Excelent suggestion!!! Now that is a great idea. Not as cheap as the M3, and probably costlier to maintain, but one heck of a nice car.

-Josh2

I was able to change car about every 8 mth, so I have driven everthing with any real proformance. My current and probaly the one That will stay with me a long long time is my M3 e36. with 75K on it it runs great. did an AutoX and it was a blast. This car still turns heads in parking lots, its sexy and fast. I see why it was car of the year. I haven't had any real $$$ repairs at all but I have the last yr 99 so alot of the bugs where worked out. I added konie and 17 inch rims Its a fun car to drive.

Exactly! And everyone's opinion is different so you begin second-guessing...

When the company I'm in gets bought I'm gonna go for that "small business employee that got bought out for too much money and is squandering it on frivolous toys" look...a classic Ferrari

Excellent suggestions. I'm not too worried about needing to pick people up at the airport--I got the Honda Pilot family hauler for that--so 4 person capability isn't that important. I definitely need to look into the M3 a little more. I've known a few people with them and they've all complained about maintainence costs...but they are a hell of a car. WRXs, EVOs, Mazdaspeed3s, etc don't quite cut it for me...they're seem like econoboxes with great mechanicals shoved underneath. (but a new subie legacy gt spec b--that might do the trick)

Boxters are fun...driven them, but don't know about their reliability.

No love for the tt or the s2000?

So... 250 GTO? If I were to choose Italian, that would my megabucks choice...

-Josh2

You need to speed but thats what a 914 is for. You need to do the family thang, and thats what that uthu car is fow. Right now my brother, you need to just chill and pimp homes!! Caravan with all the pimp items, inside bar, TV/DVD on demand, sound system that would make yo doodads tingle, and battery powered parfanalia that would make the girls get all crazay an ssssit biooooootch. BOOOMTITIBOOM!

Think of the possibilities.

one of my buddies colleagues has a ferrari mondial. Talk about an obscure way of projecting success....they have to pull the engine to do anything on it i guess.

S2000!

My wife just bought a '01 TT convertible with the baseball glove interior. Quattro with 225 hp turbo four. She absolutely loves this car. I have only driven it a couple of times but here's my.02 cents worth -

Pluses - fast, fun, decent gas mileage if you keep your foot out of it, better fit for me than the coupe. CONVERTIBLE for those wonderful CA early evening drives.
Minuses - trunk is small, little to no space behind seats, road noise thru top - (minimal, however)

I spent about a week and a half a couple of years ago in a TT coupe driving thru france. Had an absolute blast, but didn't fit in the car very well - Hard to get in and out for a 6' 2" + BIG guy.

Have you driven one of the new mini's? If you haven't, you are doing yourself a disservice. Even the base Cooper with its minimal 115 hp is a BLAST to drive.

I made a mini my daily driver!

I posted some of this in the other thread in the sandbox, but my wife's 2001 225 HP Quattro TT is a lot of fun to drive. Its great for highway cruising, very comfortable etc. The design of the car is really nice, both inside and out. The PO put on some really nice BBS rims and lowered it with new shocks and springs, so it looks even better (IMHO).

We bought it with 50k on the odometer and since then several things have gone wrong with the car that are notorious.

1. Gas tank sender sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Apparently the 225 HP version has two gas tanks and the sender is problematic.

2. Clutch hydraulics gave out. The master cylinder is plastic and prone to failure. I replaced this and while it was doable, it was not fun. Unfortunately the slave was the real culprit. Apparently the slave is even mor notorious for going out. Its located between the clutch and the transmission, so all that has to come out. Its a really big job and the dealer quoted $1500 in labor alone. Luckily I found a shop in Santa Monica that did it for $500 and I bought the parts for another $350 or so. Tip: Do not use Super Blue, apparently it eats the plastic hydraulic parts.

3. I replaced the timing belt. These are supposed to last to 100k miles, but tyically they break at 60-70k if you are unlucky, so most people get them changed around then. This is another >$1000 job if you have someone do it. It took me and a friend a full 10 hour day to do, and was maybe $300 in parts.

4. Minor electrical bugs. The turn signal flasher is another notoriously bad part that in some cars has to be replaced more than once. Also the heated seat on the driver's side went out, the guage cluster is notoriously bad (our tach is dead currently) and expensive to repair. The interior lights seem to be of the Lucas variety, they come on sometimes, when they feel like it.

Aside from these issues, its a really fun car to drive and looks great. Its one of those designs that will stay nice looking for a long time. The new TT is finally coming out for 2007, but in my opinion it looks worse.

-Tony

I can't believe nobody has suggested this
Drop the 20k on your teener

great reliable car after that much is put into it!

PH*CK IMAGE! Spend that 20 grand on a paintjob, some nice wheels, a six conversion, complete with A/C and heater boxes, trim it up real nice, and you have a good daily driver for the next twelve years. IMAGE!?! PIFFLE! Besides, few sports cars(none that I can think of) have as much luggage space as a 914. Unless your executive corporate head has ONE HUGE BAG, you're fine. And nothing is better for climbing the corporate latter than being on a long curvy road scaring the piss outta the CEO and saying, "GIVE ME MY PROMOTION OR SO HELP ME I'M TAKIN US OVER THE NEXT CLIFF I SEE! MAKE THE CALL BUDDY!" My advice, don't "upgrade" until you can afford a Koenigsegg.
Mark D.

I drove a TT 225 Coupe a few weeks ago to San Diego, and stayed nearly a week driving it. Very fun car, I liked it alot!!! The turbo boost is a blast!!! I have yet to drive a Boxster, but if it's even close to what a TT is, I gotta have one!!

Still, my brother's S4 twin turbo isn't too shabby either, but it's a whole nuther animal than a true sports car.

So, why not spend ~$5000 on a used beater Audi or Caddy or sumpin, and put $15 large in the teener?

I've been lucky to have the chance to put quite a few miles behind the wheel of a TT Quatro coupe and S2000. The TT wins hands down as the better looking car, but driving it, I felt like I was in a torpedo. The TT cabriolets, IMO, look like but if they are still as fun to drive I could get over the appearance. The TT is also has better road manners on the highways. For canyon carving, the S2k really shines. Revving to 9k is just awe inspiring, but is also makes for sucky stop and go driving as the motor feels as gutless as my 914 did after it dropped two cylinders. If you fit in a TT, it makes for the more comfortable daily driver, and since you have an SUV for when you need to collect people from the airport, the complete lack of passenger and luggage space isn't an issue. Not that the S2k has a big trunk either...

I also happen to own a MINI for my daily driver and I think it is great. Good fuel economy (and I have the S), if I need to haul stuff I just fold down the back seats and away I go. Plenty of room for luggage, or a lawnmower (done this), or 5 Fuchs (done this too multiple times) and other parts for my 914.

E36 M3 four door would also be nice. I think that really would be the best of all the worlds. If I had to sell my MINI and 914, I'd try to get one of these...

Like Tony...I already posted this in the sandbox and I don't want to be a broken record but....the TT. Great car, no doubt...but doesn't perform as well as any of the other sports cars in its class.

and...are you noticing that these guys Wives are driving them!


TT = chubby and slow (relatively) but good for image

S2000 = less common more pure sports car thats reliable as hell

Boxster = self explanatory

I absolutely loved mine...and used to destroy TTs at will. 350z would be another fine choice IMHO.

ok...it looks like I need to get behind the wheel of an S2000 to see if I fit and if it is civilized enough to be a DD. Then again, it is hard to imagine it is LESS civilized than my 914 with its Bursch exhaust and 55 series tires. The S4 and the M3 both seem like great options, but I'm not sure that I'm ready for that much of a grown up car (4 seats).

I still like the tt for the quality feel and the overall funkiness...people that own them seem to think they are fun...but use them as a DD for their wives and mothers...perhaps I should get a 225hp coupe and chip it to preserve my manhood.

Drewvw -

Lets put you and my wife in equal cars and see who ends up being the fastest. Some of the best AX'ers in the US are women. I hope Gteener, Toast, Jen and Mrs. K and other female club members haul you out and give you a severe spankin'!

I think what we are saying here is that the TT is a very capable Daily driver. My wife chose the TT over a boxster for two simple reasons - the interior design and quattro 4 wheel drive. Both very subjective reasons, but important to her.

Besides, my 'teener would be jealous of a boxster (tongue in cheek!)

I'd say put 5 into the teener, and then put 15 into a Passat, with the 1.8 turbo

woah woah woah....don't make me into a bad guy here.

women drivers can be just as fast as men, I wasn't trying to imply anything on that subject.

That said....set it up and bring on your wife. It has to be a road course. I can be on a plane in two hours.

I check out all the cars on your list before my purchase 2 years ago.
I have even had the chance to take most of them on the track too.
I have been very happy with my choice. 350Z Baby! (more photos in my blog)