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Old 01-13-2016, 11:52 AM   #1
clyde
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What next again?

I passed the three year mark with the Focus ST a few days ago. It took longer than I would have expected, but I'm starting to get bored with it and starting to think about what to replace it with.

I have no time pressures and I am not unhappy with my current situation. There's also nothing out there I'm lusting over that is driving me into a process that ends with buying something specific. My budget is probably $40k and I don't really know what I want.

The usual suspects are on the list. Mustang GT. Chevy SS. Maybe the new Camaro SS. I'd take a drive in a Focus RS and see if that unexpectedly sways me like the Focus ST did, but I really don't think that will be different enough. A Mark 7 Golf R? Or even GTI? More refined than the ST, and probably better, but different enough? New or newish, I'm drawing a blank on anything else out there.

Then, I start thinking about what I could get used that's 5-15 years old, and depreciated a good bit. Or maybe even two kinda older cars...one for fun and one with four doors. I think about how much I kind of enjoyed driving the Miata every day (minus power and my refusal to do anything above absolutely minimal maintenance).

I still don't know what I'll think about the XK8 and how that may fill in, but I should have that here by the end of the month.

I don't know and I'm just beginning to think...
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:03 PM   #2
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M2? seems comparable minus a bit more money of the cars you listed.
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:18 PM   #3
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I got halfway through this process and stalled - having sold the Golf but not yet determined what I'm doing next. But in slumming it in slightly older cars for the psat few months (an '06 M3 and an '00 528i), don't underestimate how much you can appreciate a newer car - both in terms of reliability and also tech features.

But new cars seem stupid expensive to me at the moment.

Last edited by TD; 01-13-2016 at 12:29 PM.
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:21 PM   #4
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slumming I guess maybe the slushy 5
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:27 PM   #5
bren
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Since you're into Mustangs, seems hard to beat the new GT350. Wonder how long before they'll be on the used market or dealer blowout.

Of course, a nice low mile C5 z06 could also work.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_DML View Post
slumming
Yeah seriously.

I guess maybe a heated steering wheel would be nice, but I have yet to drive something newer than the e46 that offers anything other than a car payment.

EDIT:

On second thought - air conditioned seats are nice on 20 hour stints when driving cross country.

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Old 01-13-2016, 12:30 PM   #6
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Yeah seriously.

I guess maybe a heated steering wheel would be nice, but I have yet to drive something newer than the e46 that offers anything other than a car payment.
yeah the bluetooth radio the PO installed in my E36 is enough tech for me.
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:44 PM   #7
John V
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Camaro SS would tick a lot of the right boxes, I suspect.
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:44 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bren View Post
Since you're into Mustangs, seems hard to beat the new GT350. Wonder how long before they'll be on the used market or dealer blowout.

Of course, a nice low mile C5 z06 could also work.
By the time I actually do something, decent used GT350 could well be in the price range. But, not today. Don't think I don't keep thinking of a certain C5 Z06, but I don't see it happening. Until it's gone and/or I do something, though...who knows.

Perhaps a used M2 will be doable under $40 by the time I do something. If it is, I'd definitely give it some some thought. I've intentionally stayed away from thinking about BMWs for a while, but this time they've been creeping back. A 335 could be an interesting option at the right price. An E46 M3 maybe? Well, probably not, but, maybe. JST keeps mentioning E60 M5s. That seems like a really bad idea...but at the price? Maybe not?

The daily 1991 Miata experience is not that distant in my past. As I've planned for the cross country drive in the XK8, the biggest thing in creature comforts that's missing is an easy option to get audio from the phone/device to the stereo. Fixable, but other than that...I like trip computers, but have finally stopped giving a shit about built in nav and screens. The other thing is power. Power for my phone or device and any other passengers. Again, it's something that can be fixed, so whatever.
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:46 PM   #9
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Camaro SS would tick a lot of the right boxes, I suspect.
I think so, too, but I don't know how I feel about having that thought validated.
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Old 01-13-2016, 12:50 PM   #10
bren
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Start shopping Porsches. It makes everything else seem like a serious bargain.
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