My tax return is on its way and I am getting serious about picking up a new fun daily driver. Long story short I am giving up projects for a while, sold my Alfa and am selling my Saab, pulling out of my garage lease etc to focus on finishing school. I have about $8k budgeted to get ONE car that I can drive every day and enjoy while also being able to run 3-4 HPDEs a year. I will be semi-frequently commuting to Chicago from Milwaukee, so something with reasonable gas mileage is a must (no RX8). I have been looking at a lot of cars, and I have found a few local candidates that I would consider.
There is this $7700 Mazdaspeed6 not too far from me. I hadn't even considered an MS6 until I saw this ad. Seems really cheap! The insurance is somewhat expensive and the fuel mileage isn't that great, but they sound like a pretty easy car to live with.
Also found this R53 Cooper S with 65k miles for $8k. I love the way the R53 drives, and the insurance is cheap while the gas mileage is pretty good. The low mileage is really appealing, but it's also at the top end of my budget.
Finally this E46 325i for $6500. I like the color combo and the fact that it has the sport package. I know the 330 is better, but I'd be perfectly content with a 325. Leaves me plenty of room in the budget for mods & consumables, gas mileage and insurance are reasonable but not as good as the R53. I would prefer a coupe, but oh well.
Also still considering the odd Audi TT, Celica GT-S, Saab 9-2X etc but there aren't any great deals around right now.
If you were in my shoes, which one would you go for?
