Good, quick first car?

[Y2KSVT]

I would check it out during daylight hours. You're a detailer, so you know what to look for with the paint and interior. Take the car for a drive to see if you like it. Does the suspension feel tight or will it need replaced soon? How about the tires? Take a look at the brake pads. Does everything work? Test all of the locks, windows, trunk release, wipers, lights, stereo, etc. Does the interior rattle?

Once you've checked it out, make sure you know what the car is worth in the condition it's in. If it's worth less than he's asking, tell him what you're willing to pay. If he doesn't bite, you'll find another car in no time.

Definitely don't rush into the first car you see. Be patient and "the one" will fall into place.

Mark

[zliegen]

I found an '03 wrx with 113k miles, great condition (No dings / interior stains... Well taken care of) for 7.5k on craigslist, but he said he would take 6.5k. =)

Thoughts?
Be wary, if you notice any odd engine or drivetrain noises or oddness I would stay far far away, WRX are commonly driven HARD. Even if the exterior is in perfect shape, id still be carefully inspecting the engine and drivetrain before I bought it.

[yakky]

Late B5 and B6 I know require VAGCOM for anything more than simply reading codes, cant do any of the diagnostics or data stream viewing at all with a regular OBD2 scanner (I was using a Snap-On Solus, not really a cheap scanner by any means)

How many DIY's.... or shops for that matter do you know of that actually do diagnostics beyond codes? Granted I have not tried data streaming via OBDII, but is that just your experience, or a known rule? I have an ELM I guess I could try out on my B5. Don't get me wrong, I agree that Audi isn't the most reliable German brand, but its not the least, and they are very durable, fun and AWD.

[dougaross]

Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla would be a good first car and very reliable.
Good cars but very overpriced

[zliegen]

How many DIY's.... or shops for that matter do you know of that actually do diagnostics beyond codes? Granted I have not tried data streaming via OBDII, but is that just your experience, or a known rule? I have an ELM I guess I could try out on my B5. Don't get me wrong, I agree that Audi isn't the most reliable German brand, but its not the least, and they are very durable, fun and AWD.

Thats just my own experience with the Data Streaming, and all the good technicians that I know do diagnostics beyond pulling codes.
Replacing sensors and parts blindly without knowing whats actually broken is a waste of time and money and the customer is going to come back when code is thrown again.

I agree as well that Audi's aren't the least reliable german brand, that goes to some of the models BMW puts out IMO (8 series most notably).

Audi's are also great fun and pretty durable if they've been well maintained, but I certainly don't think that recommending an Audi with AWD to a young guy with a total budget of 11k is a good idea at all. When something expensive to break hes not going to have much left for repairs. And in an Audi Quattro there is a lot of expensive things to break, 3 differentials (and center Torsen differential at that, which is one of the most expensive kinds), more ujoints, expensive trans, expensive engine parts, lots of electronic wizardry.


vvvv Yes he must've meant V6, there is no such thing as a true V5 in cars, VW's VR5 is a variation of the I5. vvvv

[Christopher]

hond accord v5 model should be considered

I'm guessing you meant v6? Or is the v5 literally a model?

[yakky]

Thats just my own experience with the Data Streaming, and all the good technicians that I know do diagnostics beyond pulling codes.
Replacing sensors and parts blindly without knowing whats actually broken is a waste of time and money and the customer is going to come back when code is thrown again.

Its a waste of time and money for the customer, not the tech. No one around here seems to do any sort of diagnostics, just grab the code, look up the most likely part and replace. Customers don't like paying for diagnostic time and techs don't like working it as you can't book 2 hours diagnostic time in 1 hour.

[Apokiliptik1]

I'm guessing you meant v6? Or is the v5 literally a model?

lol yea v6

[carslying]

^^^This is a good idea!^^^

Except for the cost of parts and the fact that you cant even use a normal scan tool for diagnosis you have to take it to the dealer to do a lot of common stuff. Audis are really expensive for maitenence and repairs, moreso than bmw and mercedes even from what Ive seen.

Yeah, I agree. By the way, how about a car Diagnostic Scanner (Car Diagnostic Scanner), any recommended product?

[alko]

Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla would be a good first car and very reliable.

:iagree:they may also have some decent newer model accords out there. You just gotta do your research. Honda's are great cars and aside from brake jobs and tire rotations, there are no real maintenance until 105k miles. Maintaining the car is going to be key and with Honda's you can do the maintenance yourself. The newer model Honda's are SO easy to work on.

[Meticulous-Detail]

Mazdaspeed 6 and Mazdaspeed 3 are also good choices.

Did you ever get a car?

[1MZsLastForever]

First generation Lexus IS300. 3 liter inline-6 with 220 hp and a good power to weight ratio. Extremely reliable and well built. Good weight distribution for balanced handling and overall a fun to drive car. However manual versions are a little harder to find.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

[Audios S6]

2000-2003 Audi A6 2.7T - can be found with all the criteria - twin turbo, 6sp MT, AWD, heavy, nice interior and good trunk space. With a pre-purchase inspection you can at least get "the devil you know". You don't need to spend $300 on a vag-com cable, you can get an ebay vag-com clone cable for $20 that can do 95% of the coding/measuring blocks you'll ever need and the other 5% should be done by a pro anyway. ECU explorer ($250) can do all the data logging and tuning if you are REALLY into that, but again, that should be left to a pro.

They can be expensive to maintain - over 130K i've put in $3K+/- in maintenance and repair, excluding oil, but the car has 230K on it now and still running very strong, IMHO $3K isn't much over the time I've owned it.. It's not that hard to find one that is well sorted, with good maintenance records that was not beat on.

There are plenty of indy Audi shops out there (at least 5 in my area) and they can be easily found through the national forums. If someone doesn't have a scan tool to work on your car or tune your ecu, you shouldn't be letting them work on your car, they clearly don't have the experience with your brand.

[SkateForGirl]

Subaru Legacy, WRX (if you can find in your price range), Audi A4 1.8T, 03-08 Infiniti G35 (for the fact that you want a 4 seater or I would say 350Z).

[TS656577]

One thing you need to know about Subarus. If we are talking about gc8 imprezas, they have head gasket problems frequently. Bugeyes are ugly in my opinion. The peanut and hawkeye subarus are my favorite but the WRXs aren't anything all that fast. They're fairly reliable and handle well in many weather conditions.

I have a honda civic. Between the cost of the car, the turbo setup that I put together and the suspension, I think I have about 9k into and it's a blast to drive. It's reliable and I haven't had any issues with it. I know it's a little more than you have saved up, but it's much more fun to drive than WRX's (except the newer ones).

I would also suggest against a BMW if maintenance costs are important. I worked at an autopark (honda, acura, subaru, chevy, ford, cadillac, nissan, bmw) and BMW hourly rates are 275$/hr for electrical sourcing of issues. Sadly, as much as I love BMWs, their issues are electrical related many times. And replacement parts cost an arm and a leg.

I'd look into a honda because they're so reliable. Also, some of the older nissan's are fun to drive and rwd.