I bought my altima brand new for 17.9, was a great car. that 4 cylinder is pretty descent, plus i dont think the wife will care.

there is plenty of space inside, actually the new gen altima has more space than previous gen maxima.

I would also recommend the 300m, great cars, and already took most of the depreciation hit.

 

i know its a little older, but have you considered an impala ss? like a '96. this months hot-rod magazine has one worked to 900hp. can find one in your price range too. seen some on e-bay with very low miles.

 

you could go with the lexus is300. a 2001 is right in your price range, if you can get past the altezzas

 

One project car is plenty, thanks Besides, my wife would destroy a lot of curbs driving a car that large.

We drove the LS and a Maxima SE. The Altima is a nice car, I like the new body, but the particular one at Carmax was totally stripped...cloth, etc.

The LS suprised me, it was nice, very smooth and good tq from the mod motor, but the Maxima is probably the smarter purchase as it will be less costly to maintain and insure, etc. RWD vs FWD is not really an issue for me on what is essentially going to be a grocery getter. Both cars had traction control interestingly enough (FWD & TCS blew my mind).

I have $1600 on my GM card so I might look at new GPs but I know a new one is going to be out of the range we want to spend.

 

Here are a couple other cars I'll throw out there... both very nice cars, and would fit the price range, I would think:

1) Olds Aurora... V8 is even available! These cars are VERY VERY nice.

2) Bonneville SSEi... supercharged fun, might be too big though.

 

One project car is plenty, thanks Besides, my wife would destroy a lot of curbs driving a car that large.

We drove the LS and a Maxima SE. The Altima is a nice car, I like the new body, but the particular one at Carmax was totally stripped...cloth, etc.

The LS suprised me, it was nice, very smooth and good tq from the mod motor, but the Maxima is probably the smarter purchase as it will be less costly to maintain and insure, etc. RWD vs FWD is not really an issue for me on what is essentially going to be a grocery getter. Both cars had traction control interestingly enough (FWD & TCS blew my mind).

I have $1600 on my GM card so I might look at new GPs but I know a new one is going to be out of the range we want to spend.

 

Worth checking into . I was at the pontiac dealer a couple weeks ago and there was a $4000 rebate written on windshields of all the grand am's and grand prix's . That would bring a pretty well loaded Gp to $18K-$22K pending on how it was equipped.

 

I was a fan of the Mercury marauder when it came out. Especially the supercharged version.

Later,
-john

 

Which one was that?

 

I say go with the Mazda 6, they are extremely nice cars IMHO. Cheap and fast, they're reliable and ome with a good warrenty. The inside of those car is stunning, everything just works so well with the layout.

P.S. It's an import so it's going to last you a long time








How about a used SRT-4?

 

I'll second the Aurora. I never thought of that. I sold a ton, and because it says Olds on it, the resale value sucks. A loaded '01 V8 can be had for under 20k with under 20k miles...a flat steal. And a gorgeous car.

 

I got the feeling that he's trying to o stay away from cars like that judging by his post on the imp ss. Cars like that are just begging to be modified. I know a car like that wouldn't stay stock in the hands of a mod-fiend.

I like "90 Z28SS" comment on the Audi's (A4 and A6). Those would be high on my list as well.

 

I'm going to have to vote for the LS on this one. I like nearly everything about those cars. Have you thought about a Cadillac STS?

 

The 3 series would be a great choice,if a bit pricey. Just be careful that you only look at ones with low miles and complete service records. They can be had in AWD too. A good one is likely to break the budget ,but not as much as one with high miles and/or spotty maintenance. Good luck!

 

Think about this...

The new Mustang is based on the DEW platform - as is the LS.
There will be oodles of aftermarket stuff for this car in the next 12 months that will slide right into/onto the LS, should you decide to "enhance" anything.

The LS has excellent safety and crash-test figures. Did you say "kid"?

A class-dominant handling package. Even Caddy's website concedes this point.

250 smooth hp, very tame, and quite refined, yet able to do a donut if the wife ain't around.

I was just under one on a lift last Thursday. It was being serviced at the local Ford dealer when I went in to pick up some clutch parts fr my '91 SSP. I went out to talk to Jimmy about his Truck-Pull vehicle (a radically modified 460-CJ powered '78 F250 4x4). While we were chatting, I was able to really smoke over the 2001 LS on the rack - it was just an impressive car, even from the bottom. Tire wear was excellent and even. Rear IRS was clean and impressive. Front arms were also impressive in bulk and stature. All bushings looked great. Had I not known the car was a Lincoln, I would have sworn it was a German import from looking at the bottom, honestly. It was getting oil & filter change and full fluid check. Jimmy said it had like 50K miles or so on it - no problems yet. It was sold from there new. He knew the owner and the car.

You've already seen the interior of the LS. Stands alone IMO - at least for US cars 3 y/o or more. The new ones are more impressive.

Your call guy! No matter what you get, I wish you the best of luck and good service!