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The $10,000 Car Thread, 'Cause I Need It

C

cobrawannabe

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My Dad has pretty much made up our minds via tough baraining, but here are the choices....


#1 Will probably be it...
http://apps.dealerconnection.com/de...true&vin=1FAHP38Z36W223051&dealerPACode=09015
If they take our offer, its mine.

#2 is our second choice....
http://www.columbiaford.com/used-in...388274046381e01feae0f14e2baa2&useHistory=true

we've got them around where we want them, but #1 is ALOT more car. And this one was probably owned by a fat guy...

Anything else you suggest? we've got both of these dealers down pretty far, there's a reason I labeled this thread like I did.
 
honestly, no Focus is worth $10K to me except maybe a FSVT. Even a fully-loaded Focus has less options than cars in the same price range.

As you are stuck on Ford, for the same price you can have a Fusion - V6, automatic, leather, sunroof, power everything (including seats), all options, and it's "newer looking" since it's still on current design.
http://www.theaffordable-auto.com/Details.aspx?1423
http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/ctd/913638274.html

An I4 MTX Fusion in good condition would be harder to find but also would be much more rare.
http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/914349383.html

If not Ford, there are so many better options out there. Three years ago (almost to the day!) I picked up my Maxima for that price, and it had every luxury option except automatic transmission. Last year my sister picked up a very nicely optioned Volvo S60 (not 2.4t) for roughly that, and it's been a fantastic car.
 
I want no part of an automatic transmission. Plus, Foci are on the rise in price due to recent worry with gas prices. Have you ever driven one? We got my sister one for $10K even back in January with 25,ooo miles on it and a bunch of stuff (ATX, moonroof, CD, power everything...). the car's been a boatload of fun.

I'd take a Fusion, but I can't get a V6 MTX, and not having a V6 in a car that can have one (AGAIN!!!:mad:) will drive me nuts. I know first-hand the frustration that comes with it; no aftermarket, no powah (my car isn't a slouch, but it is slow). Plus, the ST is the crazy fun replacement for the SVT. It's an excellent car.

Glad to get your opinion, though. :cool: keep it comin! (anyone???)
 
if you are paying for this yourself I would just fix your car and drive it until you really need a new car .....
 
Of the two, I'd go with the first one.

That said, I picked up my Lincoln, in beautiful shape, for $2,300. That's a far cry from ten large or so. Just some food for thought. There are some screaming deals out there, especially on older cars. These older rigs are still perfectly reliable. I don't know how flexible your folks are, but I believe you could save thousands upon thousands.
 
Lucky bastage....at your age I bought my own car, straight up cash. Paid for all $700 I had to pay up front for my insurance, too!

As for the Focus...blah. If you're looking to spend that much money, might as well get an I4 MTX Fusion :shrug:. Yeah yeah it isn't a V6, but it's still WAY faster than your Zetec sluggy slushbox.

Or you could shy away from Ford and get a Subaru. IMO, Subarus are some of the best cars out there. :shrug:

Or you could replace the MLPS (probably ten minutes). :shrug:

:shrug:

:shrug::shrug:


Enough :shrug:'s?
 
If I were in high school and my Dad was telling me that he'd pop for a car for me, I'd be pushing very hard to get something like this:

1fd13c1443kc3o53l18bg7625644195d113c2.jpg


1f11371g33n43oe3l38bg472a6a67ed5618b3.jpg


1f114813b3ma3p23o08bg16a96ca506a011aa.jpg


http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/921123415.html

You could probably snag this for two grand. Maybe you throw $1500 into it, and you've got something stellar that is also very unique. :cool:
 
I'm still don't understand why the car is possibly being junked because of a bad MLPS? If I was shopping for a 10k car, it definitely wouldn't be a Focus.

Why isn't one of Elky's cars an option?
 
Provided I had the $10k to swing?

- My Cougar (free!)
- V8 swap kit for the Focus (~$5k)
- Giving it all to Greg to "make it work" ($5k)

:)
 
zorrex said:
.. I4 MTX Fusion ..
.. Subaru ..
Or you could replace the MLPS (probably ten minutes). :shrug:
Click to expand...
lol, agreed on all accounts :cool:

From personal experience, buying a much newer car with unknown history is sometimes worse than maintaining the car you have with known history. You are fortunate that the Contour is essentially a 1-owner, being that it's been in your family for 10+ years.

Congrats on the new grad present, certainly :cool: .. But don't try to sell yourself into thinking the new car will be as reliable as your Contour actually has been. I got caught into that trap when I bought my Maxima.

Simply for that reason, I think you are rushing into the decision, especially when the fix for your existing car is a $25 part. If it needed a whole new ATX, sure, new car time. But right now, you can simply replace the MLPS. Spend more time researching all of your options and come to a conclusion a few months down the road when graduation actually occurs. Also consider the increased costs associated with a new car, particularly insurance and maintenance. My two most recent cars were purchases after many months of research, weighing out the benefits and detriments. (Both times, I declined to get the E46 BMW I still want.)
 
ElKy said:
too old.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... If your Contours are too old, then we're all dinosaurs.

What happened to 17 year olds getting old cars? Isn't that how it's supposed to go? My girlfriend had a 1979 Mustang Ghia that she's told me about. It had Ford's normally aspirated 2.3 Lima and was copper colored with white leather or vinyl interior. She maintains I would have loved it. I think I would have, though I would have spent some time underhood, as she reports it wasn't good for anything north of 40 mph.

There are so many excellent buys out there for short money that I can't understand why one would spend five times the money to no discernible advantage.

At the same time, if that's what y'all have decided to do, Matt, then that's cool, too.
 
His current car is 12-13 years old.
It's the same effect as your GF having that '79 in 1991-92.
 
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