[FeckinSpaceman]

So I have a new M3 on order but I already sold my current 550i and have to hand it over this week. I also unfortunately sold my 05 GLI a few months back

This means I will be car less for the next month or two. ......so looking at a daily driver option to possibly keep a while to reduce miles put on the M3 and toy with.

Came across an 03 Passat w8 auto with less than 80k miles, stock 1 owner car. Can get a fair deal on it. ....... am I asking for trouble??


Also considering;
03 VW GTI 20th anniversary with 166k miles from a buddy, some mods on the car

Or an 06-07 mini Cooper s with less than 100k miles.

Thoughts

[FC4]

Why can't you use your M3 as a beater?

[FeckinSpaceman]

Originally Posted by FC4

Why can't you use your M3 as a beater?

Well I won't have any car for about 1-2 months, so need something to get me around and renting feels like a huge waste based on the cost.

I figured pick something cheap up to hold me over and either sell or keep to limit miles on the new M3 when it arrives

[Helltime]

W8s are neat but kind of expensive to maintain for a "beater". Having to do anything under the hood is a choir. I know 2 people that have had them. One had a bad experience with it, and got tired of the little issues here and there. The other guy loved his but sold it and just recently bought another. They sound nice with exhaust.
06 Cooper S is last year for the supercharged engines (which I personally like)
07 Cooper S is first year for the turbo ones, enough issues with those I personally wouldn't touch one.
03 GTI...I love the 1.8T AWP engine. I have owned 2 2003 GTIs, one was bolt ons and stage 2, the other was Full APR Stage 3+ kit, limited slip, suspension and lots of odds and ends. They were both great cars for me, so much so the wife currently drive's a 2005 GTI 1.8T 5spd and it has almost 150k miles on it now, it has been a great car for us.

[FeckinSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Helltime

W8s are neat but kind of expensive to maintain for a "beater". Having to do anything under the hood is a choir. I know 2 people that have had them. One had a bad experience with it, and got tired of the little issues here and there. The other guy loved his but sold it and just recently bought another. They sound nice with exhaust.
06 Cooper S is last year for the supercharged engines (which I personally like)
07 Cooper S is first year for the turbo ones, enough issues with those I personally wouldn't touch one.
03 GTI...I love the 1.8T AWP engine. I have owned 2 2003 GTIs, one was bolt ons and stage 2, the other was Full APR Stage 3+ kit, limited slip, suspension and lots of odds and ends. They were both great cars for me, so much so the wife currently drive's a 2005 GTI 1.8T 5spd and it has almost 150k miles on it now, it has been a great car for us.

Awesome feedback thanks.

I am tempted by the W8 since they are rare and I have always wanted one. The one that I found is a single owner local car with Clean carfax and 80k miles......sounds promising. But yeah I am a bit concerned about the reliability.......although i would think if someone kept it all this time that it was good to them. ...hopefully

Point taken on tthe 07 Mini, don't know much about them........ the one I like locally is actually an 06...but it has 106k on it so was a little leery. ....but it's really clean.

As for the GTI I agree I am a fan, never owned one yet......I had a VW CC R-line 2.0t and the 05 GLI for a minute but flipped it.......my mechanic is actually the one trying to sell me t g e GTI. I have driven it, fun little car with some mods, not perfect and the mileage is high 166k, but he is a VW specialist and does good work. It would be the cheapest option though??

[Helltime]

Originally Posted by FeckinSpaceman

Awesome feedback thanks.

I am tempted by the W8 since they are rare and I have always wanted one. The one that I found is a single owner local car with Clean carfax and 80k miles......sounds promising. But yeah I am a bit concerned about the reliability.......although i would think if someone kept it all this time that it was good to them. ...hopefully

Point taken on tthe 07 Mini, don't know much about them........ the one I like locally is actually an 06...but it has 106k on it so was a little leery. ....but it's really clean.

As for the GTI I agree I am a fan, never owned one yet......I had a VW CC R-line 2.0t and the 05 GLI for a minute but flipped it.......my mechanic is actually the one trying to sell me t g e GTI. I have driven it, fun little car with some mods, not perfect and the mileage is high 166k, but he is a VW specialist and does good work. It would be the cheapest option though??

The AWP 1.8T GTis are fun, I've had 3 (2 were mine, current one is the wife's) and I keep coming back to them because they are cheap, reliable (never been stranded by one) and fun. Main things to keep in mind on one of those.
Timing belt/Water pump service every 70-80k miles (book says 105k, but there have been a few broken timing belts from people waiting that long) factory coil packs would randomly go out, even if the coil pack recall has been done (each GTI I have bought I replaced them with Bolt down units and never had an issue after that).
Other things that do happen and you should look for, door latch issues which can cause the alarm to go off or door to auto lock. Also if it is the driver door it won't sense you opened it so it won't prime the fuel pump, so when you go to start it it will die, then start back up no problem.
The PCV system is junk, alot of plastic that becomes hard,brittle and leaks. But not too hard to fix with good aftermarket parts
Cam seals leaking. I have run into this with 2 of the 3 GTIs I have owned, if they leak just get them replaced and do the timing belt service while you are in there, most aftermarket timing belt kits include these seals for that reason.
Sounds like a lot of stuff, but I am just being thorough with what I have seen and/or dealt with on these cars. Nothing hard or too expensive to do.

[DocWeatherington]

Originally Posted by FeckinSpaceman

So I have a new M3 on order but I already sold my current 550i and have to hand it over this week. I also unfortunately sold my 05 GLI a few months back

This means I will be car less for the next month or two. ......so looking at a daily driver option to possibly keep a while to reduce miles put on the M3 and toy with.

Came across an 03 Passat w8 auto with less than 80k miles, stock 1 owner car. Can get a fair deal on it. ....... am I asking for trouble??


Also considering;
03 VW GTI 20th anniversary with 166k miles from a buddy, some mods on the car

Or an 06-07 mini Cooper s with less than 100k miles.

Thoughts

Why don't you pick up a used Police Interceptor( Charger, Vic or Tahoe)? It would be fun for a few months, cheap to repair and most departments take great care of the cars. VS a 100k mileage car from the unknown

[Mavus]

Drove my friends 05 VW GTI 1.8T, 35K mi yesterday. He bought it new. Absolutely great and fun dd car. Very light and playful. It does need short shift kit and just a bit wider tires. It has been 100% issue free so far. I told him I will buy it when he wants to sell it. Also the little thing has a huge amount of space inside when the rear seats are folded down, a little transformer.

This would be a great third run-around and occasional dd car.

[STALKER]

If it's for 2 months, rent a car and be done with it.

I did the same for 3.5 months waiting for my Pcar.

[FeckinSpaceman]

Leased a Honda Accord LX, great daily driver

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

I just bought a 08 Suzuki SX4 sedan with 42k miles for $1800. Best part is the car already has a parking decal for my condo complex. Considering that sticker on the window saves me $50/month, it was a no brainier.

[edwinm3]

I bought a used and very clean older 01 Toyota Tacoma, it's automatic ice cold ac and runs like a dream. Figured I could use a truck to haul all the mods/parts.

[FeckinSpaceman]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

I just bought a 08 Suzuki SX4 sedan with 42k miles for $1800. Best part is the car already has a parking decal for my condo complex. Considering that sticker on the window saves me $50/month, it was a no brainier.
Horrible car though...

That is dirt cheap! Nice.....

All the used cars I looked at were suspect

I figure if I need to dump the accord I can try swap-a-lease but wouldn't mind keeping as my daily and to keep miles off the M3 when it arrives