Looking for a daily, manual, under 10k

**allbaugh_04** · 02-27-2015, 08:24 PM

My '99 Grand Prix is really starting to show it's age (170k). Although it's nice not givin a fuk about what it looks like or where I park it

Parts are constantly breaking. So in a year or two I think it'll be time for an upgrade. I don't see myself spending more than 10k on a daily, spent 6k on the GP in '08.

What are some options fellas? MPG I get now is 18/26. Would like to keep it there or maybe a bit better if possible. I'd like a manual. Learned to drive one in Europe couple summers ago; miss it.

GTO- prices look to be more than 10k on ebay
BMW- are the parts expensive? most looked to be over 10k on ebay
FRC vette- might get pulled over too often, around 10k though
VW TDI- good mileage, but don't know anything about diesels, parts expensive? prices on ebay seem a bit higher than they should be
GLI - look rare, but nice imo, only found 3 on ebay Volkswagen Jetta Jetta Gli | eBay
Newer Grand Prix? No manual
Newer Monte Carlo? No manual

What else is kinda sporty, but maintenance remains easy and cheap, better interior than the grand prix would be nice. Never had a nice interior.

**CJREX** · 03-02-2015, 09:02 AM

Acura RSX Type S.

6 speed manual and a blast to drive. Solid reliability and a nice interior seal the deal.

Edit: If you want it for a DD, I'd avoid anything German with 100k or more miles which pretty much eliminates the <10k crop of cars.

Not because they are necessarily bad cars, but parts will be wearing out and after you change out a $1400 alternator or a $2000 suspension piece you'll understand why there are so many for sale with ~80-90k miles.

**Murder after Midnight** · 03-02-2015, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by allbaugh_04

My '99 Grand Prix is really starting to show it's age (170k). Although it's nice not givin a fuk about what it looks like or where I park it

Parts are constantly breaking. So in a year or two I think it'll be time for an upgrade. I don't see myself spending more than 10k on a daily, spent 6k on the GP in '08.

What are some options fellas? MPG I get now is 18/26. Would like to keep it there or maybe a bit better if possible. I'd like a manual. Learned to drive one in Europe couple summers ago; miss it.

GTO- prices look to be more than 10k on ebay
BMW- are the parts expensive? most looked to be over 10k on ebay
FRC vette- might get pulled over too often, around 10k though
VW TDI- good mileage, but don't know anything about diesels, parts expensive? prices on ebay seem a bit higher than they should be
GLI - look rare, but nice imo, only found 3 on ebay Volkswagen Jetta Jetta Gli | eBay
Newer Grand Prix? No manual
Newer Monte Carlo? No manual

What else is kinda sporty, but maintenance remains easy and cheap, better interior than the grand prix would be nice. Never had a nice interior.

Polaris Slingshot

**allbaugh_04** · 03-04-2015, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by CJREX

Acura RSX Type S.

6 speed manual and a blast to drive. Solid reliability and a nice interior seal the deal.

Edit: If you want it for a DD, I'd avoid anything German with 100k or more miles which pretty much eliminates the <10k crop of cars.

Not because they are necessarily bad cars, but parts will be wearing out and after you change out a $1400 alternator or a $2000 suspension piece you'll understand why there are so many for sale with ~80-90k miles.

I'll keep an eye out for the Acura thanks. Nothing on ebay right now, but I'll look around town.

Here's another GLI, does anyone know anything about these? Price seems too good to be true, maybe the turbo is going out or something big needs done on it. And that's what scares me like you said about German cars, is the maintenance. Is it really that bad? I might need to hop onto a Jetta forum to sway my opinion away from them. I also need to test drive one to see how I fit. Has anyone drove one? Not sure if I would have plenty of leg room or not.

Volkswagen Jetta Gli Sedan 4 Door | eBay

Originally Posted by Murder after Midnight

Polaris Slingshot

Thanks, but I get cold easily.

**Zinergy** · 03-04-2015, 09:22 AM

Jettas have had a few known issues depending on year and model. Overall though I think they make a nice product. I wouldn't say there is more maintenance on a VW than most cars just that parts and often times labor do cost more on a German car. As far as leg room my sister has an 08 wolfsburg that I drive from time to time. I am 6'3" and I can fit in it just fine. Slide the seat back and drop it down to get my legs under the wheel. The worst part is the where the B pillar is when you move the seat all the way back. It is right next to you so you kind of have to get out while also moving forward to get around it. If you are tall.

If you still have your camaro I say you forget about fun and possibly manual and buy something that is a really good DD.

**allbaugh_04** · 03-04-2015, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Zinergy

Jettas have had a few known issues depending on year and model. Overall though I think they make a nice product. I wouldn't say there is more maintenance on a VW than most cars just that parts and often times labor do cost more on a German car. As far as leg room my sister has an 08 wolfsburg that I drive from time to time. I am 6'3" and I can fit in it just fine. Slide the seat back and drop it down to get my legs under the wheel. The worst part is the where the B pillar is when you move the seat all the way back. It is right next to you so you kind of have to get out while also moving forward to get around it. If you are tall.

If you still have your camaro I say you forget about fun and possibly manual and buy something that is a really good DD.

Like what? I am still open for suggestions.

Are those scion tcs any good? Found a few of those on ebay for a reasonable price, but I guess I will assume they are cheaply built until I look into them further.

**GTP231** · 03-05-2015, 07:16 PM

Tdi vws tend to be a 50k timing belt interval. And yes parts are more expensive for European stuff. How much more depends how more upscale the brand. A vw isn't super expensive usually but will be more than say a domestic or Japanese of the same size

**CJREX** · 03-06-2015, 03:19 AM

Originally Posted by GTP231

Tdi vws tend to be a 50k timing belt interval. And yes parts are more expensive for European stuff. How much more depends how more upscale the brand. A vw isn't super expensive usually but will be more than say a domestic or Japanese of the same size

And a VW will often require a special VW only tool to do what would be routine repairs.

My friend with a garage has a special section of German car tools.

**GTP231** · 03-06-2015, 10:18 AM

Yeah I've used my triple square sockets maybe twice in all my years doing this. Never worked anywhere with a big German car base thankfully

**bigrondownhiller** · 04-03-2015, 01:01 PM

I had a Subaru legacy that was good. Got rid of it at 150k miles. I thought the seats were worse than a milk crate though. If you went Jetta try to avoid a mexican built one. I here they tend to have some minor issues. What about an HHR, Cruze, or a Focus? Like mentioned earlier German luxury cars with over 100k can get expensive. You could probably get a CTS v6 also.