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First car; suggestions?!

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brandonloos_21
Posts: 395 - Karma: 2,695
I'm 17, and have been saving up for a car. I would like something nice, my cap is like $15,000 and looking for a car with around 70,000 miles if not lower. Two cars in mind...

Used 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX hatch, 30,000 miles, around the &15,000 range(don't remember exactly)
Fully loaded, leather seats, sunroof, nav.
Or

Used 2007 BMW 335ix, (awd obviously) 4 door, around 70,000 miles, and right at $15,000. Nice car but no nav.

Which is a better choice ?

Other suggestions
Jun 13 2015 12:53AM
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dingus
Posts: 1328 - Karma: 7,877
Granite_StateFor 15k you could easily get an mk4 r32. AWD, 240hp, hot hatch, better looking than those ugly ass wrx's, better sounding than those ugly ass wrx's, better interior, same gas mileage as wrx, 12 years "unlimited" paint warranty (for rust, something subaru doesn't have). Plus lets be honest, mk4 r32's are one of the coolest, best cars VW ever made.

Subaru and VW both make amazing cars, I agree with you though I would much rather have an r32 then a wrx, however I do have a soft spot for the wrx hatchbacks, but at least in my town anyways there are way to many people driving a wrx, plus I hear they have insane insurance costs because they are one of the most ticked cars in the US, because young teens can afford them and haul ass in front of cops to impress there 6/10 girlfriend riding shotgun.
Jun 18 2015 9:49PM
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.CJ.
Posts: 1509 - Karma: 3,669

Cruisin' down the street in my 6 4
Jun 18 2015 9:52PM
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iH8pow
Posts: 1808 - Karma: 7,694
KravtZDo wahtever you want OP..but keep in mind a lot of people were in your place once and we have gained some wisdom over the years.

Seriously...nothing wrong wtih the two cars you picked out but take a good hard look at them. Who really cares how "cool" your car is or what other people think about them. The WRX is one of the higest cost cars to insure for your age group. 15K isn't a lot of money for a car...would you rather get some decent cheap reliable economy car that will have little to no miles on it for 15k that will last you throughout college, and probably for a number of years after that....or do you want to be that kid who spends his entire fucking bank account to drive a car that is "cool" just so other people approve of your car.

If I was you...Id look into a nice midsize SUV with low mileage. The AWD will come in handy and the extra room will be well worth it. I wouldnt drive a WRX because theyre insanely expensive to insure. BMW is ok...never was a huge fan of them but 70k is a lot of miles and not to long you will need to do timing belt, etc which is very costly on a bmw.


Exactly what he said. I don't know where your money is coming from, who's buying it, and who would be paying the mechanic for all the maintenance a WRX or especially BMW would require. 70k miles is a lot for a BMW.

I bought a 2004 TSX a while back (a good 5 years ago) with 110k miles on it for about 12k. Car now has 280k and is still great. Sometimes, I think that it could be nice to have a 335i because you know, if you can get one under 20k with less than 100k miles on it why not, right? Except they don't last long. In the end, I'm really happy to have a car I like that will keep on going as long as I want it to. And no debt.

It's gotta be shitty to spend a lot of money on a vehicle only to watch it go to shit a few years later, especially if/when you're still making payments on a car you no longer drive. That's why I can't buy a BMW. I would have killed a 335i within a year or two driving 35k miles/year
Jun 19 2015 1:21AM
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Skiingsnow
Posts: 1567 - Karma: 797
Caucasian_AsianI'm not saying he should go out and buy a $500 Kia or Chevette.

I'm saying that I don't think he should drop his entire budget on his first car. He could easily get a safe, reliable, inexpensive car for $10k. That would give him some money for tires and maintenance down the road.


All he said was that his cap is $15k, which means he has come to a decision that that it the amount of money that he is ok with spending on a car, no one here knows if he has budgeted for repairs already or not, how is that hard to understand?

You are making assumptions about his financial position, he isn't asking for financial advice, he is asking what car he should buy.

also to everyone using his age as a reason not to buy a nice car, you don't know this guy, you only know his age, which isn't everything
the ignorance! it burns my eyes!!
Jun 19 2015 6:02AM
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250r
Posts: 2276 - Karma: 1,013
personally id get a tacoma with that cash but I'm not sure if you need a truck


look in to desiel? much cheaper to run long term


too bad your in the states, bit harder to import cars.

I've got a bit less to spend than you but right now its either going to be a JDM hilux surf(turbo desiel 4runner) a north american tacoma, or some smaller awd car(2 door WRX, and older audi, r32 GTR if i can find the right one)...oh too many choices
Jun 19 2015 8:36AM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
my new 3 options for OP

Lancer Ralliart
Impreza 2.5i/2.5rs
Mazdaspeed 6
Jun 19 2015 10:20AM
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BenWhit
Posts: 4654 - Karma: 3,256
Titus69Mazdaspeed 6


Good luck finding one of these! The mazda forums regard seeing one of these is on par with catching a unicorn.

I'm so unbiased, it's not even fair. I own a mazdaspeed 3 that I have modded, if only slightly. My roommmate bought a mazdaspeed 6 shortly after we moved in, learned to drive stick on it. In my opinion, it's such a great platform. Pretty tolerant of modding, a good market for parts, maintenance is easy, the cars are comfortable and reliable, an absolute blast to drive. Obviously, I worry about my car, but I know if something happened (or if I really wanted to) i could go out tomorrow and buy an RS6 or something ridiculous.
Jun 19 2015 10:35AM
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crotchvent
Posts: 1527 - Karma: 2,184
Granite_StateFor 15k you could easily get an mk4 r32. AWD, 240hp, hot hatch, better looking than those ugly ass wrx's, better sounding than those ugly ass wrx's, better interior, same gas mileage as wrx, 12 years "unlimited" paint warranty (for rust, something subaru doesn't have). Plus lets be honest, mk4 r32's are one of the coolest, best cars VW ever made.


thats if you can actually get them to do something about the paint warranty. My brother has been fighting with them for 2 years to get the rust on his jetta fixed.
Jun 19 2015 11:52AM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11954 - Karma: 12,298
crotchventthats if you can actually get them to do something about the paint warranty. My brother has been fighting with them for 2 years to get the rust on his jetta fixed.


Yeah they make it a pain in the ass. It's gotta be rusted through, and the dealer has to agree to do it (some refuse). Plus you gotta send it in to some claims facility so yeah I get it it sucks and takes a while but if you keep after it usually they'll end up doing it. Gotta be persistent.
Jun 19 2015 2:48PM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
BenWhitGood luck finding one of these! The mazda forums regard seeing one of these is on par with catching a unicorn.

I'm so unbiased, it's not even fair. I own a mazdaspeed 3 that I have modded, if only slightly. My roommmate bought a mazdaspeed 6 shortly after we moved in, learned to drive stick on it. In my opinion, it's such a great platform. Pretty tolerant of modding, a good market for parts, maintenance is easy, the cars are comfortable and reliable, an absolute blast to drive. Obviously, I worry about my car, but I know if something happened (or if I really wanted to) i could go out tomorrow and buy an RS6 or something ridiculous.



I see them a few times a month, I love them the only issue I have with the speed3 and 6 is the seating, their competition (focus st, gti, evo, sti) all have really good seats that hug you but from what I see in the mazdas are some pretty basic seats. Other than that Id take a 2007 speed3/6 over a 2007 wrx.
Jun 19 2015 3:58PM
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BenWhit
Posts: 4654 - Karma: 3,256
Titus69I see them a few times a month, I love them the only issue I have with the speed3 and 6 is the seating, their competition (focus st, gti, evo, sti) all have really good seats that hug you but from what I see in the mazdas are some pretty basic seats. Other than that Id take a 2007 speed3/6 over a 2007 wrx.


I mean for sale. It is super hard to find one for sale, for long. Typically, if a good used one hits the market, it's gone super fast.

I think I would have liked different seats. That said, I have a 2008.5 GT edition, so the seats are pretty nice and definitely comfortable. In terms of styling, the 2007 model year STI has to be my favorite STI to date, not including the 2015/2016. That body style is unreal sexy and I want.
Jun 19 2015 4:12PM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
BenWhitI mean for sale. It is super hard to find one for sale, for long. Typically, if a good used one hits the market, it's gone super fast.

I think I would have liked different seats. That said, I have a 2008.5 GT edition, so the seats are pretty nice and definitely comfortable. In terms of styling, the 2007 model year STI has to be my favorite STI to date, not including the 2015/2016. That body style is unreal sexy and I want.




Oh the GT ones look nice, yeah hawkeye STIs and the previous model STI were the best looking, the new one can rot in hell its so bad looking and the new engine doesnt sound as good as the EJ motors.
Jun 19 2015 8:05PM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11954 - Karma: 12,298
Titus69Oh the GT ones look nice, yeah hawkeye STIs and the previous model STI were the best looking, the new one can rot in hell its so bad looking and the new engine doesnt sound as good as the EJ motors.


I like the front end on the new ones but the back end is atrocious. They tried way too hard
Jun 19 2015 8:32PM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
Granite_StateI like the front end on the new ones but the back end is atrocious. They tried way too hard


Theyre ok from a distance but its just not for me especially, as you know as well they are way to common where we are. I saw roughly 6-8 today, not all were stock but still way to many, saw a mk4 r32 in Manchester which was tight as shit.
Jun 19 2015 10:43PM
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YoungWookiee
Posts: 681 - Karma: 394
Granite_StateYeah the stock exhaust is already so good. And the flapper mod is dope, you pretty much just pinch/clog a vac line that connects to the valve right? I heard its really easy. APR is good shit, personally like the sounds of my magnaflow catback a little better though.

Turbo wise I was talking like big turbo for a 1.8t or building a VRT which you can source all the parts for around 3k. It's my dream but its not practical, especially with my car closing in on 200k.

Just curious where do you live? Does the thing see any snow, salt, or sand? Hope not, its sucks knowing theres a finite amount of them slowly whithering away. I saw a RS R32 with its front bumper cracked and with parts of it missing, rust all over the rear hatch, and curbed wheels. I think I shed a few tears.

My real dream besides swapping a Cummins into a 2dr tdi is a r36 swap into an r32. If only I had more monies...

Yeah it has seen salt and snow once each by me but i washed it down the day of
Jun 20 2015 1:53PM
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SneakyTurtle
Posts: 228 - Karma: 30
Don't get a used WRX. They are always beat to shit.
Jun 21 2015 11:12AM
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Tinga
Posts: 11349 - Karma: 2,333
eh it's your money you should do whatever the hell you want with it. If i had the money when I was 17 i probably would have gone the same way you want to now.

however thinking about it now I would get a cheaper low mileage car in good condition that will last a while. if you get a car and it last through college and you don't get a nice job right out of college (if you decide to go) you're going to have a shitty dying car with no money for a new one or to keep the thing running.
Jun 21 2015 11:28AM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
SneakyTurtleDon't get a used WRX. They are always beat to shit.


Most of the time yes, but its easy to tell when the craigslist ad shows it parked in a snow/dirt parking lot and has a cobb intake and an n1 exhaust. The stock ones are usually fine especially when driven by older, mature people.
Jun 21 2015 11:37AM
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000000000000
Posts: 843 - Karma: 1,552
Buy something in good used condition and use what's left of the $15k on mods. Another option; get a respectable used car with lowish miles for like $3-4k and keep saving your money.
Jun 22 2015 1:15AM
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iH8pow
Posts: 1808 - Karma: 7,694
Titus69Oh the GT ones look nice, yeah hawkeye STIs and the previous model STI were the best looking, the new one can rot in hell its so bad looking and the new engine doesnt sound as good as the EJ motors.


My neighbor has the new one, in blue. Personally, I like the looks overall but I live in Colorado and can't bring myself to be that into Subarus even though I think they're pretty great cars. The sound is retarded though. Pretty sure his is stock, and I can hear his car coming up the neighborhood just as loud/louder than my R6 with headers and exhaust sounds idling in my garage.
Jun 22 2015 1:21AM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
CoreyTrevorMy neighbor has the new one, in blue. Personally, I like the looks overall but I live in Colorado and can't bring myself to be that into Subarus even though I think they're pretty great cars. The sound is retarded though. Pretty sure his is stock, and I can hear his car coming up the neighborhood just as loud/louder than my R6 with headers and exhaust sounds idling in my garage.


hmm im guessing hes got some exhaust since the stock exhaust is pretty discrete on those. i see to many to call a wrx cool unless it is actually tracked out or rally'd out, all are spotless with fart cans and red mud flaps around me.
Jun 22 2015 1:31AM
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