Recommend a “fun” car for under 30k?

Older Inifiti G35 is tempting. They are showing up in the self serve yards so parts are cheap.

The interior isn't great on the first gen, but 5 minutes behind the wheel will make you forget it. What a great driver's car. And that motor is a beast.

jblnut
 
UPDATE:

So had a long talk with my wife and she’s “not so sure” about the 911 - she thinks it looks too agressive and scary! She told me she’s been thinking about it and REALLY wants a MINI COOPER because they’re sooo adorableeee :rant:

WTF! I ran the Mustang by her and she said “NEVER A MUSTANG” (we grew up in NJ which has given Mustangs in general a bad name in her eyes) - a big NO to the Caddy too. She said she might consider a BMW :rolleyes: - maybe a small one like an M2?

Are there any “performance” oriented Minis or are they all tubby and unreliable like I’ve read? Maybe if I bring her to test drive a 911 and then a Mini she will be so blown away by the 911 that she will see things differently.

:whip:
 
Maybe if I bring her to test drive a 911 and then a Mini she will be so blown away by the 911 that she will see things differently.

I like this plan of attack.

There are performance minis, but you'll be subject to British reliability.

The M2 to me is an awesome little car, porportionally perfect. 365hp in a compact package, what's not to like.
 
The 1st Gen. Mini's had reliable cast iron block engines made by Chrysler , but the later generations used failure prone aluminum French sourced Renault engines and BMW didn't warranty them so many said they wouldn't buy a BMW ever. 2 years ago they put supposedly reliable 3 & 4 cylinder engines in them., but BMW has been known to put plastic parts in their engines like pipes, water pump parts , and timing chain guides making them failure prone at great expense. I think after all the troubles they likely don't want any more so these latest gen should be good.
 
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Take her for a ride in the latest generation Mustang, one with the premium package, I think it will change her mind. This is nothing like any previous Stang, I've owned a number of them beginning with my very first car.
 
Those new Mustangs went to IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) helping the already nice handling of the late model ones. They are easy (saving you big $) to service and repair plus parts are affordable!
 
Those new Mustangs went to IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) helping the already nice handling of the late model ones. They are easy (saving you big $) to service and repair plus parts are affordable!

It's just a great cruising car, very smooth and quiet on the highway, my lady loves it. Again, it's nothing like any previous Stang, reminds me more of the 88 Turbo Coupe I had, it was also black on black.

1456760700-ford-thunderbird-turbo-coupe.jpg
 
Get a 2002-2005 996 Carrera 2 with a tipronic. It’s fast and the build quality is better then my 2016 corvette. Just get a ppi and check for ims bearing problems. You can get a low mileage one for 20-30k. you will be hard pressed to find a nice 993 for under 30k. I have 4 Porsche’s. A 83 911sc,a 91 911 964,a 2005 911 turbo x50 and a 2007 carrera 4s. I had a 2002, I drove it the most. Not a big Mustang fan and I have a 1993 LX 5.0 with 62k miles on it. Driven supercharged Mini Cooper also. It’s nice but it’s no Porsche.
 
Get a 2002-2005 996 Carrera 2 with a tipronic. It’s fast and the build quality is better then my 2016 corvette. Just get a ppi and check for ims bearing problems. You can get a low mileage one for 20-30k. you will be hard pressed to find a nice 993 for under 30k. I have 4 Porsche’s. A 83 911sc,a 91 911 964,a 2005 911 turbo x50 and a 2007 carrera 4s. I had a 2002, I drove it the most. Not a big Mustang fan and I have a 1993 LX 5.0 with 62k miles on it. Driven supercharged Mini Cooper also. It’s nice but it’s no Porsche.

A 2002-2005 996 Carrera with tiptronic is exactly what I was looking at - just need to get my wife on board! Also need to get her comfortable with the idea of a car that’s not dealer certified. What do you consider “low mileage” to be? I was thinking around 50K Miles as I think it’s better to get something that’s been driven a bit rather than something that has just sat. That’s quite a cool collection you have! Got any pics? :)
 
The new Mustangs are totally different than the Fox body 79-93 &t he structurally improved to 04 variant. Just like the Corvette and Camaro (styling and low roof styling aside on Camaro) are greatly improved. Problem with expensive German cars is unless you can do your own repairs and maintenance , the costs may kill you. That aside the older Air Cooled engine ones from mid 98 (993) and older are the ones I would look for as those engines were built/designed to last.

One thing I really like about Porsche is they started using 100% galvanized steel bodies in 76 and Audi followed about 10 yrs later. In the late 70's I rode in a friend of the family's 75 Targa and later his new early 80's 911 regular body model and was really impressed with the quality and handling. I could see why he bought them!
 
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About 4 years ago my wife wanted a fun car, but we realized a low slung car is not for us.
We ended up with a 2007 Mini S convertible 6 speed, red of course. The go cart handling and the pop of the supercharged engine make it a great car to drive.
I think the supercharged engine in the convertible went to 2008 even though the turbo was introduced in 2006 in the coupes.
The rear seat is for our dachshund and the stuff that will not fit in the trunk.

I am a tall guy and I fit well and the top goes down from when temps are 55-90 degrees,
we live in CA wine country so it is perfect climate with many 2 lane back roads.
The ride is taut so 2-3 hour trips can be tiring and the rear visibility is poor.

So far it has been very reliable.
First generation models like ours are cheap now.
My wife wants a newer model with leather etc, but I have been skeptical about the second generation and the turbo engine. Maybe third generation is better.
 
My wife was against me getting the Mustang. Once she saw it in person and drove with me - I had to show here how to drive a stick again. She really enjoyed it (I was terrified).
 
I like this plan of attack.

There are performance minis, but you'll be subject to British reliability.

The M2 to me is an awesome little car, porportionally perfect. 365hp in a compact package, what's not to like.

Well, they are really BMW's. I know a few people who have Mini's, none of them have had issues with reliability.
 
Older Inifiti G35 is tempting. They are showing up in the self serve yards so parts are cheap.

The interior isn't great on the first gen, but 5 minutes behind the wheel will make you forget it. What a great driver's car. And that motor is a beast.

jblnut

Funny you should mention that car, I have my eye on this puppy:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/465689057171546?surface=product_details

$875 seems extremely tempting.
If all it really needs is a key I can get a pre-chipped uncut key off Amazon for $10, then have a locksmith cut it for me.
 
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