[Siciliano611]

I've had my 2008 335 coupe for almost 2 years now (october 07) and I am selling it due to wanting to pay off my Credit Cards faster so that by end of next year I can be in a nice new house. I AT MOST want to buy a car for $20k now (i will save 500 a month between car payment and car insurance this way) and am trying to decide between a new civic coupe for around 18k or so, a used 2006 tsx I can find for near or a little below 20k, a used 06 accord v6 coupe, or a used 06 g35 sedan (hard to find right below 20k but near it is possible. If this was your decision which would you get? The plan is within 6 months after I buy the house I will be buying a 08 or 09 m3 coupe, so this is JUST a 2 year temporary car for now.

Thanks

[F32Fleet]

Congrats on your smart decision to reduce your credit card debt. Other than the G35honestly it really shouldn't matter which car you get. I personally like the TSX over the others.

[I335]

Buy a pickup truck - you'll need it for your new house and by that time you won't owe much on it (hopefully) so you can keep it as a work truck and still buy a new car later on down the road.

[TL]

since it's only a temporary car the honda civic would be best....save money on gas and payments but it's tough to downgrade.

[cn555ic]

BRAND new Civic would be my choice!

[Joeb427]

One Sicilian in Jersey to another.
Get a Civic in the meanwhile.
Dependable and great resale value.

[3me]

out of those i would go with tsx. I have spent time in all of those cars and personally i would be happiest in that. G35 sedan is nice but i just like tsx better for some reason. All smart decisions though.

[D.B.S]

I would choose between the TSX and the G35... But being a fan of honda/acura I would go with the TSX.... BUT if you want to save that extra bit of gas, go with the civic, but I think the TSX is the overall better choice...

[TTG]

I would get a slightly used Subaru Legacy GT Sedan if I were you.....

Good luck.

[dale512]

With the choices you've outlined, go with any of the used cars if you're sure this is temporary. You're going to lose a lot more in depreciation with the new Civic.

[200Duece]

lease a car and don't worry about the depreciation. drive what ever you want to for the 2-3 years and give it back. find a disposable car that you like and throw it away when you are ready for the new toy. This opens your selection too

[Siciliano611]

The amount I will sell the 335 for will be about the exact same as the amount I owe on the loan for it....I dont have any money to put down so a lease is likely out of the question, also I usually drive 20-22k miles a year; well over the 12-15k allotment.

[Alpine335TT]

TSX. Best value.

[persian54]

Look for a G35, they sell for under 20k easy, one with decent miles and good condition

or if you want to save a lot, get a used civic.

My gf's 03 civic would cost only like 5-7k, and it's amazing on gas....
you'll save a lot

She drove my 328i loaner and loved it, and I was going to actually go into the dealership and lease one for her, but we decided it's best for her to keep the civic for another year or so until I am more financially stable (and her as well of course) and then upgrade to a bmw (or bug...she loves those VW bugs lol)

AMAZING decision I must add.
If all Americans did this, maybe we wouldn't be in 1 trillion dollar debt lol

[persian54]

btw if you get a TSX civic etc, get used to FWD... it's not bad, but it takes some getting used to

[persian54]

Originally Posted by 200Duece

lease a car and don't worry about the depreciation. drive what ever you want to for the 2-3 years and give it back. find a disposable car that you like and throw it away when you are ready for the new toy. This opens your selection too

yeah this is a good choice too

a month or so ago i saw an ad for a subaru (forgot which one) where they have like 1k down and only like 200+tax a month... that was a great deal IMHO...

[sneaks]

Lease takeover... Many people are in over their head or excited to jump into something else. In many cases, they've already paid security, PDI and some of the principal on the lease when they took the car home. It is normal for them to pay the transfer fees as well. Just make sure it has lots of miles left on the lease.

[roadkillrob]

G35 would be my choice and as close as you will get to your 335 for the driving experience. TSX would probably be my second choice, but is a front wheel drive and not quite as fun to drive, but has a pretty fun engine on a stick! The civic is an appliance, uninteresting to drive, low powered and basically boring, but will be stone reliable and great on gas, I had one up until a few years ago and you have to get a stick in it, the automatic makes it so much worse. The Accord is a better appliance, lots of power, nice interior, but still a bit bland to drive, it is probably perfectly engineered, but they engineer the fun out of Honda's in my book and I have had about 5 Hondas in the last 10 years!

[Bimmerdriver17]

lot of good options posted above. Depends on your usage, mileage, cost bandwidth...etc

[DaRickSta81]

I would say either buy a 1 or 2 year old civic/tsx or try to lease a used 1/2 year old car.

Here's why I'm saying this. All cars loose between 30 to 40% of their value in the first 3 years of their life in an inverse-exponential curve. So if you get a 1/2 year old car for 2 years, you are only loosing the depreciation on a flatter curve than if you get a new car for 2 years.

I hope this makes sense...

[DrGP]

Drive the 3 and pick the one you like to drive the most. The Infiniti will not be great on gas. Have you considered an Mini Cooper. Highest retained value of any car out there. Not expensive, good on gas, sporty, SMALL.

[200Duece]

Originally Posted by sicilianoNJ

The amount I will sell the 335 for will be about the exact same as the amount I owe on the loan for it....I dont have any money to put down so a lease is likely out of the question, also I usually drive 20-22k miles a year; well over the 12-15k allotment.

you are still better off not putting any money down and paying up front for the extra miles per year and then throwing the car away.

What are you expecting to get outta a car that you finance for five years and after 3 years of driving have put twice as many miles on it than any other car in the market. Now you are super upside down in a car that no one wants and you have 2 years more to pay on it.

Even with a high mileage lease the payments on a Civic or other econo DD will still be the same as financing the same car for 5 years. And then your done in 3. Remember, you are trying to plan for the FUTURE. Create the opportunity now. Just like you are doing by buying a house at the markets bottom and downsizing your car payment. Both great moves.