Car purchase advice...

[david968s]

Quick consensus needed! Without going into detail as to why, I need to buy a car this week - capital isn't a problem, but I don't want to spend more than about $30k. I may need to sell again in the 4-8 month timeframe, so something used but with strong resale value would be good. Ideally not something old or expensive to run, and yet something slightly interesting. Practicality isnt too much of an issue. What should I buy? Finding it hard to see past a 1-2yr old VW GTi at the moment at around $22k. Any bright ideas? Renting a VW Passat CC at the moment which is perfectly adequate (but not at $500 pw!) and plenty about new at $30k - but what about resale value? Thanks for any help!

[jeff m2]

One car that seem to hold value are Jeep Wranglers.
Not a big Dodge fan myself, my friend has been looking for used one and keeps moaning about the prices

[canucklehead]

buy an old porsche. plenty of good carrera 3.2s in that price range.

[Ian156]

Mini Cooper S hold there value and you could get the John Cooper Works version which would depreciate even less.

If you are not concerned about space then they are pretty frugal for the fun.

Or Porsche Cayman if you don't want an older 911.

335 1 Series Coupe?

And if you are selling in a few months then there should be plenty of buyers for these cars as summer is around the corner,,,,,,

[david968s]

Thanks. Looked at Minis - the pricing is extraordinary - not really sure how anyone sells a 6 year old one for an asking price so close to a 2 year old one! I drove a 2012 GTi and it was like going back in time to my 2007 one - they haven't moved on at all (in US spec) and I decided I wanted something bigger and different. Decided I couldn't live with a Mini - considered a Countryman S but hard to find and not sure residuals will be as strong for that.

BMWs - yes, the prices hold up but anything under $30k is quite leggy (I was tempted by a 2007 750i with 60k miles for $28k, but scared of anything going wrong!). 1 series is too small. I was too desperate to consider any Porsches, which I wouldn't buy without careful consideration (I love them too much to not care).

In the end, I was quite desperate. I haven't been thinking too straight and I ended up with a pretty average deal on a 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 - well under budget, low miles and plenty of kit. I kind of like it but it is not going to be a financial success story. I also didn't check it out properly (test drive in traffic and on smooth roads) and realised over the weekend that the PO has butchered the muffler to make it noisier (I HATE the sound - $500 for a new OEM one...) and that I have inadvertently bought the Track version - that is what you get for doing no research - the first time I have ever not done it "my" way! It is actually a decent enough car that I might have been more into ten years ago - if I can sort the noise I can live with it for a while.

[unrepentant]

david968s said:

In the end, I was quite desperate. I haven't been thinking too straight and I ended up with a pretty average deal on a 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 - well under budget, low miles and plenty of kit. I kind of like it but it is not going to be a financial success story. I also didn't check it out properly (test drive in traffic and on smooth roads) and realised over the weekend that the PO has butchered the muffler to make it noisier (I HATE the sound - $500 for a new OEM one...) and that I have inadvertently bought the Track version - that is what you get for doing no research - the first time I have ever not done it "my" way! It is actually a decent enough car that I might have been more into ten years ago - if I can sort the noise I can live with it for a while.

An ice cream will depreciate more slowly..........

[david968s]

Yep, not a great choice from a money point of view, I know. But they seem to be popular and sell easily, which is a positive factor. While the % I lose may be alarming, the actual $ amount is not so.