Can you guys get the new Nissan 350Z? Now this is a nice car for the money. It will probably hold up pretty well too.
http://www.nissanusa.com/m/cma/i/335..._gal_med01.jpg

or

http://www.nissanusa.com/m/cma/i/335..._gal_med08.jpg

You can pick up a well equipped 350Z for under $30K. The base is $26K. 287 hp and a 6 speed manual transmission. It does 0-100kph in 5.4 seconds. I'm about ready to trade my GrandPrix GTP in for one of these.

[ 10-09-2002, 03:51 PM: Message edited by: MILAMBER ]

I'll ah tell ya what I'm ah gonna do for ya right here today Mr. Memnoch.

I'm NOT gonna put you in a car for 2k a month...

NOT 2k a year...

NOT 2k at all, my friend!

I'm gonna save you some money and give you the Alfa your heart desires. This little baby has less than 200,000 miles on it, does 0 to 100 in an as yet undetermined number of minutes, and the dBay bid starts at only $800.

http://ebay3.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_...be11/i-1_B.JPG

Why pay for new, when this quality job can be yours! :D

I really wanted to find a rusted pic up on blocks, but this was the best I could do [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

[ 10-09-2002, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: Ronn_Bman ]

Well, I´m driving an Alfa Romeo GTV
http://willowix.tripod.ca/mycar.jpg

I haven´t had that much problem. Well, the rear light didn´t work at first lol. Some electrical problems arised when they installed the stereo lol. It´s a bit unsteady in curves (at higher speeds) but that´s all the problems I´ve encounted. The VW is probably worth the money and a bit safer too. This car was sort of an impulse buy [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Oh, and it´s not a family car lol! [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

This is the 3.0 GTV V6 Lusso model..

[ 10-09-2002, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: WillowIX ]

Yeah I didn´t know that moderators get paid more than space engineers.. now I want to become a mod too.. which school do you need to go and how many years you need to take? ...

I would always go for the safer which is VW, although after bad experiences they annoy me. Before making the decision you will surely go and ask some better suitable forum too..? ;) It´s a nice coincidence that we happen to have mechanics here, too.

Hang on, hang on…before people start getting too excited, let’s put things in context here. :D

The $A 2000/ month equates to about $US 1000 on current interest rates ($US1 = $A 0.50). Keep in mind that cars are EXPENSIVE here, more so than in the US or Europe – for example a Toyota Camry base model will cost about $28,000 and a topline one close to $42,000.

And the $2k a month is not a repayment off a loan – it’s a lease payment which includes a) the lease itself; b) insurance; c) petrol; d) Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT); and e) servicing and maintenance. It can be broken down as follows (eg for the Alfa GTV which is $2200 for a 20000 kms/yr, 36 month lease):

a) lease - $1200/mth (@ about 6-7% interest rate)
b) insurance – included in lease
c) fuel - $150/mth
d) FBT - $950/mth
e) Servicing & maintenance – included in lease

Also, I will be paying this $2200/month out of my gross (pretax) salary – so in other words my taxable income will be reduced by $2200 per month (which will minimize the amount of income tax I have to pay). Since the amount I’m saving in income tax is less than the FBT I have to pay, I am coming out ahead tax-wise.

At the end of the lease term I will then have the option to buy the vehicle for whatever the residual is – which is likely to be at least 25% lower than the resale value of the vehicle, so I will also make money on the spread.

If I had to pay for this out of my POST-TAX income then it would be a different story – I would likely pay a principal up front and then have lower repayments, but would be paying some major interest charges on a bank loan, and after tax too!

Make sense?

The Rex? You can get the “standard” one for about $40k Australian, does 0-100 in about 6 seconds, but is the single biggest target of thieves anywhere (they use them for ram-raid robberies here). You can get the Sti version for $55k and that will do 0-100 in about 5 seconds (it’s quicker than a Porche 911) but the insurance premiums are shocking. Plus the appointments are a bit spartan and the ride is a bit stiff, and the latest model looks butt-ugly and bug-eyed. That’s why I’m thinking about the VW Bora 4Motion – it’s the thinking man’s WRX. ;)

Wow! That's a pretty cool lease agreement. Includes gas AND the payment is pre-tax. The only thing I can get pre-tax here are health insurance and retirement payments.

How'd you like the car I found for you? [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

Ahh!, now this is more like it! A thread about cars! Woot!
Memnoch, Alfa's are good cars, despite their reliability issues, however IMO, the VW Bora/Jetta/whateva is probably a better choice of the two, more practical and if you're getting the V6 4Motion, performance is not an issue [img]smile.gif[/img]
But have you considered any other cars though? Test drive a Mazda 6... What about The Lexus IS200? They are pretty luxurious, and they ain't slow [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 10-10-2002, 07:32 AM: Message edited by: Bristowe ]

<font color="lightblue">I know absolutely nothing about cars (other than you drive around in the things), and yet this thread attracted my attention almost as soon as I saw it... I don`t understand myself sometimes :D </font>

Cars will become VERY interesting to you in a few years, once you get your "L" plates, Lennon... :D