What car would you buy with a $13,000 budget?

[youdoofus]

God I love the 3rd gen RX-7. That is one **** beast. I wish Mazda would come out w/ a new RX-7. The RX-8 was ok but it didn't have the appeal as the RX-7 at least for me anyways.

I find that iteration of the RX7 to be the sexiest thing on 4 wheels that coats less than the mid 6 figures, even then, its still sexier than most cars that cost literally 20 times what you can get one of these for, in very good shape no less. One of the only other cars that can hold a candle to it and not cost more than my house is the Ferrari 355 berlinetta. Simply stunning.

Sadly, with Mazdas design philosophy of late, if they would re-release the RX7, it would have the same overdesigning that everything they currently make suffers from. Sad state of affairs in their design house, but then again, i think the same for many mfg's of todays era.

 

[drei4runner]

I find that iteration of the RX7 to be the sexiest thing on 4 wheels that coats less than the mid 6 figures, even then, its still sexier than most cars that cost literally 20 times what you can get one of these for, in very good shape no less. One of the only other cars that can hold a candle to it and not cost more than my house is the Ferrari 355 berlinetta. Simply stunning.
Sadly, with Mazdas design philosophy of late, if they would re-release the RX7, it would have the same overdesigning that everything they currently make suffers from. Sad state of affairs in their design house, but then again, i think the same for many mfg's of todays era.

That's so true as far as manufacturers today are over designing their vehicles a bit. The '92-95 RX-7s had one of the cleanest and sexiest lines ever. It was simple yet elegant at the same time. The RX-7 was killed off too soon in the US. I would also take the 2nd gen RX-7s.

Out of all the rice rockets that came out in the '90s, my favorite was the RX-7s. Then came the Supras.

 

[youdoofus]

That's so true as far as manufacturers today are over designing their vehicles a bit. The '92-95 RX-7s had one of the cleanest and sexiest lines ever. It was simple yet elegant at the same time. The RX-7 was killed off too soon in the US. I would also take the 2nd gen RX-7s.
Out of all the rice rockets that came out in the '90s, my favorite was the RX-7s. Then came the Supras.

Oh dood, dont even get me started on the other cars of that time too, i could bore you for HOURS!!!

There was a guy in the neighborhood i grew up in who bought a 2JZ supra in 1992 brand new (over 50k at the time, when a fully loaded mustang gt was about 15k) and he kept it in his driveway a fair amount, probably to show it off. I walked the dog by his house intentionally just to see it and ask a few questions about it. First time i saw it, it was under a cover and i could only see the bottom half of the wheels, and i asked him "is that a Supra?" he said "yeah, how'd you know?" i said it was the wheels, but we both know it was the HUGE spoiler bump in the car cover //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt it Nissan who offered a complete makeover of their older 280Z's for a big cost to make them basically "factory new" again a while back? Why cant Mazda do that with the RX7s?????

just checked, it was in 1996, it was the Datsun 240z's and thats exactly what happened. Nissan went out and snatched up as many of them as they could off the used market and restored them then sold them as "new" at Nissan dealerships. Mazda should soooooooooo do this too!!!

 

[sfall]

Crap, i hope that this is a case by case thing cuz my dad just got a '17 Santa Fe on a lease. And while anemic when depressing the tall skinny pedal, its otherwise fairly decent so far. One thing i dont like is how the nav in it relies on the phone via android auto. Seems like an el-cheapo method of not having to put a GPS radio inside the stock deck. I mean, map updates done over a bluetooth connection utilizing the phones data connection is agreeable, but strictly relying upon the phone for every aspect of nav just seems chincy to me. Sadly, many mfg's are starting to get on this trend

You have a lease, so it really doesn't matter. Unless you go way over mileage, everything should be covered under warranty. Just do the maintenance and don't beat the crap out of it, and you'll have no problems.

 

[sfall]

Oh dood, dont even get me started on the other cars of that time too, i could bore you for HOURS!!!
There was a guy in the neighborhood i grew up in who bought a 2JZ supra in 1992 brand new (over 50k at the time, when a fully loaded mustang gt was about 15k) and he kept it in his driveway a fair amount, probably to show it off. I walked the dog by his house intentionally just to see it and ask a few questions about it. First time i saw it, it was under a cover and i could only see the bottom half of the wheels, and i asked him "is that a Supra?" he said "yeah, how'd you know?" i said it was the wheels, but we both know it was the HUGE spoiler bump in the car cover //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt it Nissan who offered a complete makeover of their older 280Z's for a big cost to make them basically "factory new" again a while back? Why cant Mazda do that with the RX7s?????

Emissions. The RX-8 was the last of rotary engines. Its just not possible to get the emissions low enough to meet current regs. If you know how to drive and maintain the car, they were great. Mazda also did away with the speed program.

 

[youdoofus]

You have a lease, so it really doesn't matter. Unless you go way over mileage, everything should be covered under warranty. Just do the maintenance and don't beat the crap out of it, and you'll have no problems.

ok, good. My dad is the kind of guy who is 10,000% on top of basic maintenance, and his right foot doesnt weigh 400 lbs like mine LOL so should be no worry then

 

[youdoofus]

Emissions. The RX-8 was the last of rotary engines. Its just not possible to get the emissions low enough to meet current regs. If you know how to drive and maintain the car, they were great. Mazda also did away with the speed program.

yeah, i recall the renesis engines having big problems with the emissions. I never heard of the speed program, what was that? Are you talking about the mazdaspeed versions of vehicles like the mazdaspeed3 and mazdaspeed6?

 

[drei4runner]

Oh dood, dont even get me started on the other cars of that time too, i could bore you for HOURS!!!
There was a guy in the neighborhood i grew up in who bought a 2JZ supra in 1992 brand new (over 50k at the time, when a fully loaded mustang gt was about 15k) and he kept it in his driveway a fair amount, probably to show it off. I walked the dog by his house intentionally just to see it and ask a few questions about it. First time i saw it, it was under a cover and i could only see the bottom half of the wheels, and i asked him "is that a Supra?" he said "yeah, how'd you know?" i said it was the wheels, but we both know it was the HUGE spoiler bump in the car cover //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt it Nissan who offered a complete makeover of their older 280Z's for a big cost to make them basically "factory new" again a while back? Why cant Mazda do that with the RX7s?????

just checked, it was in 1996, it was the Datsun 240z's and thats exactly what happened. Nissan went out and snatched up as many of them as they could off the used market and restored them then sold them as "new" at Nissan dealerships. Mazda should soooooooooo do this too!!!

Don't remember Nissan doing that but then again I was in my teens in the early to mid '90s.

It's hard to find a decent 3rd gen RX-7 for sale that hasn't been modified or with excess mileage and wear & tear to the vehicle.

I also liked the old school Datsun 510. My buddy had one when I was in high school and sucker was quick. Just a tad bit tight sitting 5 teens in that vehicle.

As for the Supra, that had some clean lines along with the 300zx.

Wish Mitsubishi never stopped its turbo on the Eclipse. When they decided to go with the V6 model and changed the body style, that was pretty much the end of that vehicle. When they decided to redo the body style again and make it look like the previous generation, the Eclipse basically lost its appeal to consumers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[drei4runner]

yeah, i recall the renesis engines having big problems with the emissions. I never heard of the speed program, what was that? Are you talking about the mazdaspeed versions of vehicles like the mazdaspeed3 and mazdaspeed6?

Yeah the MazdaSpeed. Those were pretty nice looking vehicles actually. Wish I was able to purchase one but I like sitting up high when I'm driving so I wasn't going to give up my SUV for a car. Granted if I was, the MazdaSpeed looked nice and sporty enough that I would have purchased that over the Camry or the Accord

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[youdoofus]

Yeah the MazdaSpeed. Those were pretty nice looking vehicles actually. Wish I was able to purchase one but I like sitting up high when I'm driving so I wasn't going to give up my SUV for a car. Granted if I was, the MazdaSpeed looked nice and sporty enough that I would have purchased that over the Camry or the Accord

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

pfffft, MazdaSpeeds are on par with WRX's and such. The MazdaSpeed3 was the boyracer car for those who didnt want to be seen in a WRX or Evo. Same engine in the MazdaSpeed6, just with a FAR more commodious interior, except for the hatchback. Great little cars, just a shame the speed3 doesnt have the awd system that the speed6 has

 

[drei4runner]

I almost forgot, how is the paint on the newer Accords? It seems like the older model Accords had a problem w/ the clear coat wearing out after a few years or so and the paint getting dull then peeling off. I know it's not like that for all Accords and it just depends on how you baby the vehicle. I've read in the past that supposedly Honda used cheaper paint and clear coat on a lot of their vehicles hence the paint peeling. Again, I know how it depends on how well you maintain the vehicle but I've seen a lot of Hondas w/ the paint stripped on the hood and roofs of the vehicles. And there have been a lot of complaints about Hondas, not just Accords, w/ the paint stripping off.

 

[Boomin_tahoe 5,000+ posts]

[quote name='sfall']The Optima looks nice, but its a piece of junk. There's always something wrong with them, and they loosen up and get old fast. I'm a factory authorized tech for a several brands. Here's some general comments based on what I've seen working on them.

Hyundai/Kia - As you go up the line, the worse the car gets. They're just trying to do way too much all at once. Each time a new version of a car comes out, there's usually massive upgrades that are not fully tested. The Elantra/Forte is actually a much better car than the Optima/Sonata.

Mazda - The new 6 is probably the best car Mazda ever made. There were a few small recalls when it first came out, but overall, the car is built like a tank. Its not a race car, but the trade off is 185 horsepower motor that gets 38 mpg on the highway. There's hybrids that don't get that kind of mileage.

Infiniti - Practically indestructible. For some reason, the G37/Q40 sell for very reasonable prices on the used market. If you want a fast mid size sedan, this is the one to get. Needless to say, you won't get the best gas milage. Also, and this is important, Infiniti doesn't use CVT transmissions like Nissan does. I wouldn't buy a CVT regardless of brand. They drive like crap and they don't hold up.

Ford - Walk. You don't need a car that bad.[/QUOTE]

Work on Chevy and/or VW by chance? @sfall

 

[youdoofus]

I almost forgot, how is the paint on the newer Accords? It seems like the older model Accords had a problem w/ the clear coat wearing out after a few years or so and the paint getting dull then peeling off. I know it's not like that for all Accords and it just depends on how you baby the vehicle. I've read in the past that supposedly Honda used cheaper paint and clear coat on a lot of their vehicles hence the paint peeling. Again, I know how it depends on how well you maintain the vehicle but I've seen a lot of Hondas w/ the paint stripped on the hood and roofs of the vehicles. And there have been a lot of complaints about Hondas, not just Accords, w/ the paint stripping off.

ive owned 3 accords over my lifetime. an 86 (gold, BLECH!!!) sedan, 96 dark green sedan and my current 02 white sedan. Paint didnt peel on any of them, but the gold one faded very badly (thankfully). None of them were left in direct sunlight for too long as id always park where i knew shade would eventually be from a tree, building, big fat guy etc etc etc, but i do see TONS of em suffering from that dreaded paint peel all from the same eras of the cars i owned.

 

[youdoofus]

Don't remember Nissan doing that but then again I was in my teens in the early to mid '90s.
It's hard to find a decent 3rd gen RX-7 for sale that hasn't been modified or with excess mileage and wear & tear to the vehicle.

I also liked the old school Datsun 510. My buddy had one when I was in high school and sucker was quick. Just a tad bit tight sitting 5 teens in that vehicle.

As for the Supra, that had some clean lines along with the 300zx.

Wish Mitsubishi never stopped its turbo on the Eclipse. When they decided to go with the V6 model and changed the body style, that was pretty much the end of that vehicle. When they decided to redo the body style again and make it look like the previous generation, the Eclipse basically lost its appeal to consumers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

you should google 1996 nissan 240 buyback

with the rest of your statement, i totally agree

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Cadillac CTS Sedan