I might be in a situation where I will need a beater for commuting.......I dont want a boring car what would you get?

I was thinking maybe a late 80's 16V Gti...something I can drive and enjoy and then sell....what other cars should I look at?

 

honda civic

 

sorry I didnt see the boring part, scratch the civic idea

 

I'd love to have another 80's VW Rabbit/GTI. I had one when I was going to auto tech school in Denver. Loved it! It was reliable, really simple to work on, parts readily available, great on fuel, and fun to drive.

Others I'd potentially look for (hopefully I won't be shot down by others here):
Volvo 850 turbo
Saab 900 turbo
Audi 5000 CS Quattro / 200 Turbo Quattro

 

I bought a late 80's BMW 325iS (E30) for $2K, put a second 100K miles on it.

Loads of fun to drive, nice interior and easy to work on too....

Sadly mine ended its life in a field on its roof due to driver error, but I did walk away unharmed, not to mention a little wiser.....

 

Hummer H2

Expidition

Suburban

J/K

What kind of price range? We could think of some cool cars but if we have a price range it may help limit the field.

 

I'm thinking Escalade

 

I would look for a 90's MR2 for that mid-engined feel.

 

Thanks for the suggestions........My first car was an 83 GTI and loved it. Unfortunately I cant find a good car in the Bay Area. I was thinking around $2-$4k something I can sell easily when I order the new car.

Found this car

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3412243

Road Trip!

 

if your MCS is your hobby car i would get something that is
completely the opposite for your commute... but with decent milage.

opposite meaning something that can carry cargo and AWD comes to
mind.

my legacywagon has been very useful when carrying wheels back and
forth. i can just stand all 4 up in the trunk without laying down the
rear seats.

 

I've only visited the bay area but I can totally see why your thinking something small,zippy and good on fuel-perfect car type for that area. The GTI idea is a good one if you can find a good one. You might have better luck finding a nice jetta and the extra doors often come in handy with a commuter car. Someone else mentioned a Volvo 850 turbo-another good choice 850's are getting pretty old so include S70's in the search as they are pretty mucg the same thing just newer.

 

Actually the MCS wont be a hobby car the plan is to sell it and place an order for the 135 but it wont be available to order till Jan and delivery by March. I just want to get finances in order.

 

oh i see.

in that case, why don't you just get something REAL affordable like a
protege or something that costs like nothing?

 

I've had Saabs and Audis, once U get over 75K miles on them they are a little expensive to keep running unless you can do the work yourself. Parts still aren't cheap. FYI

 

+1 on Saab. I had one that was given to me in a ministry I was doing and it was the most fun car I had until the Mini. It was a 9000. Parts weren't has expensive or hard to come buy as I expected and it was actually pretty easy to work on. 900's and 9000's are generally available at a good price and if treated right will run for a looooooong time.

 

The 83 GTI was placed in the top 25 cars of all time in the September issue of Automobile magazine. Even a Rabbit is fun for that matter but is a 4 door and less power. I would say the 16v versions built after 84 are pretty good and fun too...but heavier I think.

I have an 83 gti and it is a blast to drive and very reliable. The engines are very bullit proof and fairly easy to work on.

Coincedentally the original Mini was on that top 25 list as well.


Have you thought about a BMW 2002? Those are great cars and fun to drive and are in your price range.

Scirocco's can't go wrong there.

early bmw 3's.

How bout a 914?

 

I like the Civic Del Sol They arent too boring. They get good MPG as well. Pretty Cheap too.