Loungers, as the pinnacle of good taste, I must ask your assistance

[CharlesB]

I'll be moving back to the states within a few months...this means after I reactivate my license, I need a car...you folks know my style...Im thinking either classy or sporty with a bit of refined elegance.

Suggestions that run in the 10k or less category...

The reason I ask is I;ve always had a work truck for the old fam business BUT im outta that now. So now I can look for something I like not what I "need" per se.

This sort caught my eye I must say though.

 

[nobodyspecial]

It may be tough finding one of those for 10k. I agree though, great looking car. We are quite boring when it comes to cars - two Hondas. Next car will likely be a Honda. Cars are something I just can't get myself to spend money on.

My boss recently bought a BMW sedan. WOW! Outside of the fact that the car is amazing to look at and ride in, the electronics are amazing; GPS, satelite radio, cell phone-speaker phone integration, ipod integration... The car is like a mobile living room.

 

[warbird]

An old Jag can be fun. But, be prepared to spend money keeping it running. And don't buy any Jag prior to 1991 or so. Before Ford bought them they were horribly unreliable and their Lucas wiring system was the bane of many an existence.

You can find an older Acura or Lexus for $10k or so, very reliable cars. An old Diesel Mercedes would work well.

 

[CharlesB]

An old Jag can be fun. But, be prepared to spend money keeping it running. And don't buy any Jag prior to 1991 or so. Before Ford bought them they were horribly unreliable and their Lucas wiring system was the bane of many an existence.

You can find an older Acura or Lexus for $10k or so, very reliable cars. An old Diesel Mercedes would work well.

Ive never found acura or lexus attractive. Also the old diesel benz's smelled HORRIBLE

 

[KittyT]

You should be able to find a nice used BMW for that price, but you will pay an arm and a leg in insurance and maintenance costs.

 

[CharlesB]

see thats the great thing, I wont need to drive that much...

so really I could just slap historic tags on an older car.

 

[BeBopBaby]

What about a Carmen Gia?

 

[CharlesB]

What about a Carmen Gia?

It's a chickcar

 

[rumblefish]

You should be able to find a nice used BMW for that price, but you will pay an arm and a leg in insurance and maintenance costs.

I had a 325es that I bought used with 27k miles on it. I drove it to 230k and sold it for $1000. That car owed me nothing! Aside from timing belts, tires, brakes, exhausts, and the other expendables, it hardly needed a thing. I used to do all the work myself and I've never worked on a car as easy as this one, in every aspect. The Bosch parts get pricey, but on mine nothing went except a window motor. Which rather than buy a new one, I pulled it apart, cleaned and polished the bushings, and saved $275.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Randy]

What about a Carmen Gia?

Karmann Ghia's are hard to find in good shape, but 10K would get you a hard top that has already been restored (it might take a bit more cash to get a rag top Ghia). On the up side they are; easy to maintain, get good gas mileage (30-35mpg), are very sporty, are reliable, and are certainly fun to drive (I have one in my garage right now). The downside is that lots of people here in the States like to drive what we call urban tanks - overly large trucks made up to look like cars on the inside and that feature poor driver visibility and poorer handling - while talking on the phone (to other people driving urban tanks) and watching TV at the same time. A collision with someone like that in such a small car might prove to be painful, although I was once hit in a '71 Beetle by someone who was going 60mph and walked away with only minor injuries...

- R

 

[Randy]

It's a chickcar

Try Chick-magnet...

- R

 

[Smithy]

What about a Carmen Gia?

Also one of the most ridiculously underpowered cars for what it is meant to be.

As others have said Jags are fun but pricey. If you do go for an XJ and an older one it helps if you can do some work on it yourself. Definitely don't get an XJ12 if you don't know much mechanically, it will cost you an absolutely fortune to fix. Stick to the 4.2 litre, more reliable engine compared to the 12.

You are in the wrong country, back home in NZ you could pick up an absolutely mint XJ6 for $US10,000 plus parts are abundant. A friend of mine in Oz has two (an XJ6 and an XJ12, both 70s) but he's a good mechanic and fixes most things himself.

 

[CharlesB]

Try Chick-magnet...

- R

I'm neither 18 nor single...This is for my own comfort and enjoyment.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

if you don't like the diesel smell of an old mercedes but want one anyway, you could run biodiesel in it, or convert it to run on SVO!

 

[RIOT]

go AMERICAN! If you are looking in to an early model anything, be prepared to know how to DIY. - my 2 cents.

 

[LocktownDog]

Personally I like the idea of a 50s or early 60s era paneled delivery truck. But then again, I have three sons and a dog.

1957 Divco

 

[Martinis at 8]

Carmen Gia is a chick I went to high school with in Brooklyn. Kharmann Ghia is an automobile.

 

[RIOT]

Carmen Gia is a chick I went to high school with in Brooklyn. Kharmann Ghia is an automobile.

lol lol lol lol

I think we know the same chick lol

 

[Randy]

I'm neither 18 nor single...This is for my own comfort and enjoyment.

Neither am I, but I still enjoy the car - to each his own...

- R

 

[Josephine]

I had a professor that had a Jaguar, and she said you really need two: one to drive while the other is in the shop.