Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests which new car?need help

hi
i live in the uk ,but im emergating to the us.ive got my visas ,and am ready to go as soon as my house sells.
im heading for florida ,orlando.
but could end up in la california.
my wife is from california ,but my family are in florida.
now to the question.
i need to buy a car when i get there,and have narrowed it down to a few possabilities.

my first choice is a mustang ,maybe gt,around 2000 -2004

and my second is a mitsibishi eclipse gt ,maybe spyder,around 2000 -2004

i ve never owned anything but fords .
how do the cars compare prestige wise ,economy ,and insurance.also reliability?
any feedback would be apreciated.

prestige wise ,economy ,and insurance.also reliability

prestige : Mustang = Eclipse
economy : Eclipse > Mustang
Insurance : Tough Call (V8 > V6 Convertible)
Reliability: Mustang > Eclipse

Of course, this is my opinion.

A Mustang or an Eclipse is more of a car for a young person. They don't have as much prestige as a Cadillac or Lincoln. They do attract the attention of young women and the police. Some people might even want to race.

For prestige, I would recommend a Cadillac like this one . There are a lot of different styles of Cadillacs and they are comfortable luxury cars.

thanks for the views.
i am still quite quite young 29.and i do like sporty cars as compared to luxury.
also i like smaller cars .ive sold my mondeo and am driving a sport ka at the minute . http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.php?file=pic.php&imagenum=1&carnum=1525

how about performance
i have searched a bit but am unable to find quater times and 0-60 and top speed.
i like the Cadillac,but it is definitly not me.

The closest we have to the Sport Ka is our SVT Focus, you can get either a 3 or 5 door, but used, they stoped making them after the 2004 model year (correct me if wrong). Its the same focus that europe had up untill '03 or '04 when they change it, at least, as far as looks. If you like Fords, check out www.fordvehichles.com or www.ebay.com for us versions.

booger- i dont rely like the focus.
i would buy a new mustang v6 but i dont have the money.even with my employee discount its about $18500.
SAV-ZX2
im not basing my choice on the numbers it puts down ,i would just like to know.i think its gonna come down to test driving them both and whichever one feels better on the day wins.
my wife wants me to have the mustang ,but i want her to have an explorer.she wants a mitshubisi montero sport.i have read a few bad crash reports of the montero though.
i think the mustang is still just at the top of my list.
but i know if i get one she will want to drive it.

There is always the CTS, I love em'. They are getting better and better. There is also the Catera, that catty that zigs. It's really a German car, hardly a Cadillac, but it has the name and prolly can put up some decent numbers. It is the American version of the Opel Omega. It's not as fast as either of the cars that you are looking at, but it has the sort of handling you have with the Mondeo. It puts down about 200hp and 190 lb/tq, so nothing to get to worked up about. When me and my mom got our first Contour it was a toss up between the Catera and the Contour, the Contour won out based on sticker price.

yer we have them in england .i quite like it,but i was looking for something a bit more sporty.and preferably two door.
what is a cts?

the replacement for the catera -

Gms global rwd midsize platform -


If you looking for sporty 2 door- maybe a used Z or supra?
How much money are you looking to spend - and used or new?