I just wanted some advice as I prepare for the thaw ahead... Feel free to chime in with suggestions.
Around Thanksgiving, I wound up buying a 1998 VW Jetta for fairly cheap (Wolfsburg Ed. 2.0L 8v 115HP). What I didn't know at the time was that it had 4 leaking struts and a hole in the muffler :( My fun car is a 350Z that I really enjoy, but do not want to drive in winter. As is, the Jetta is nautical and dog-slow. (I figure it needs an extra ~20HP and much better suspension to be fun enough to be a bearable DD.) It's on the original clutch too.
Anyway, after the great thaw, I feel like I've got 3 or 4 options, and I'm wavering between them.
- Fix the Jetta with new cheapie shocks and a junkyard muffler.
- Fix Jetta with Bilstein HD (Koni?) shocks or H&R Touring Cup Kit or similar, and some sort of cat-back exhaust. This leaves much less money for the Z.
- Sell Jetta, buy something more fun, more potential, cheaper? aftermarket and better condition, eg Ford Focus, Honda Civic, e36 BMW, or even a VW Golf/GTI?
- Sell Jetta and Z. Buy a cheaper fun car that I'd have less emotional problem stripping interior and a decent DD (I don't really think I want to do this. I'm pretty attached to the Z.)