CyCloNe!

my 951 is my daily driver.... wahahahhahahaahaahahhaah.. cough*... hahahhhahaa.... ha

adwolfe12

A miata wouldn't be practical for your use but man did I have fun in the NE winter with blizzaks on that thing. You wouldn't imagine the looks on people face's when they see a miata blasting through the snow.

Bring on the snow.

Red1

I'd go with the WRX out of that lot.

I just traded my '03 330 this summer. It had 79.5K on it, and far and away was the biggest pile of **** I've ever owned. It broke so often it got to the point I could only laugh about it. My God, what an awful car. Trading away that junk was thrilling. Just thinking of the day I left that pile of problems on somebody else's doorstep puts a big smile on my face.

Had the 330 been worth anything, I would have bought an M3 to replace it. No way in hell now.

azmi951

The 540 is a great car. The last of the really good BMWs with the old school quality and driving dynamics.

Jfrahm

AWD is too handy in the snow not to have in the stable IMO. Particularly if you have a RWD sports car also.

I agree on the A4 3.0 MT6, I like that car a lot. The 1.8T is annoying off the line. An A6 2.7T MT6 can be had cheaply too but the turbo swap is a huge pain and if you let them get out of synch one of the turbos will soon die.

The Subaru Legacy 2.5GT is a pretty good choice. Good power.

The WRX is OK but they have a cheap econobox feel that depresses me.

You could get an early 90's Audi S4 or S6 and have a bag of money left over too (some of which you would likely need.)

supes6

happy with my A4 here... you can find them on the cheap, slap a chip on there and you're boosting to 22psi with a stock motor. Top end isn't great, but it makes a quick DD for around town or on long trips. I considered the S4 too but the engine bay just looks like a nightmare to work on.

elargentino

I agree with this.
I test drove an early Miata with one of Corky Bell's original kits on it - "BIGI", I believe is his company name??
Man that thing was cool.
The PO had set it up for autocross with a later 4:1 diff (that's HIGHER, not lower).
Would have bought it in a second for $4,000 asking price, but I have kids and need a back seat.
Car is probably still on New York Craigslist, if anyone wants something really cool and looked over by a turbo mechanic.

Car is close to perfect, in all respects except cosmetics - couple dings and rubs from autocross rubber.

DrZ1

I will agree as I read through the BMW forums the people that have had problems. Seems either you do or dont.

I find the car very comfortable to drive as I am 6-2 and I like just about everything about it compared to the cars I was looking at that fit into my parameters. I bought the car w/ 82k miles and I have almost 100k now. I have done a bit of prevenative maintence on the cooling system and drive belts.and front brakes at first.

I currently have a slight VCG leak, that I will attend to when I get my 951 back on the road. Other then that it runs like a top.

My only real complanit thus far is the wear on my first set of rear tires, the camber is real agressive, I will see if I can find someone to make t more neutral. The BMW shop I took it to for a recall issure, would not do it.

Curious Red1 if your car was an automatic, as they seem to be more prone to issues, so a manual would be a must, but who would want an auto anyway on a sports car.


Steve

Cole

No such animal. The "S4" is the 2.7TT in the A4 chassis. There were only about 1200 Avants made in this configuration.

The A6 and Allroad with the 2.7TT tend to be more reliable since the engine compartment is bigger which keeps the fire breathing 2.7TT cooler.

After owning one I'm not sure I would go back. Audi has several other great motors that won't cost as much to run as the 2.7T.



Totally disagree with this. I have seen plenty of problematic BMWs. Much prefer the Audi interior and AWD system to what BMW offers.

(and damn hard to find an older cheaper AWD BMW too)

blade7

You're quite right the 2.7TT in the A4 chassis is called the "S4", thanks for clarifying that.

Mark-87-951

Come one guys. No one likes spinning like a top on the highway while still moving forward towards the toll booth in winter? Or slowly spinning ballet like across several lanes of traffic that were fortunately all moving slow because of the snow.

adwolfe12

This Audi is for sale in NE on a local VW forum. its a 2000 S4 setup at stage 2, but it is a little above your budget at 10.5k.

Link if anyone is interested.

http://www.govag.net/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3826

brrgrr

I'm leaning to the 540i with the six speed - the low end grunt will be a nice contrast to the turbo rush of the 951. I've heard lots of stories about the Audi 2.7tt going through turbos - Audi does have very nice interiors, however.

alxdgr8

The 540i's are nice, but they do have some problems, less than the new BMW's for sure. E39 is a good generation. I nearly bought a 95 540i 6spd (last E34 year) and was also looking at E39 last year, but I came across a super deal on my 93 S4 otherwise I would probably have a 540i. Now I wouldn't not have AWD for a DD as I love the snow too much. They are great in the rain too...even though some people just think snow for AWD. If you can't justify the use/need of a AWD car, then I would probably go with the 540i.

Fishey

E36M3 is in a different league from those other choices.