Coleman

For all the love of cars I have, I don't go through them very often. Once I find something I like, I stick with it for a long time. I should be married, but I'm not. If I were, I'd probably have the same wife for 50 years. (maybe)

Anyhow, I've had my current 993 for 11 years and it's been my only car... I used to live in California and a drive her around the deserts, I have since moved back to Maine, and now I drive her during the salty winters, with some nice 16" snow tires... Working on it though, I have noticed that some of the hardware is rusting a bit as well as noticing that I do have a few rust bubbles where the front fender meets below the windshield @ the rubber, I will get this sorted out this spring...


So, I'm thinking it's not such a great idea to drive her in salty weather, even though I do enjoy it immensely. This brings me to thoughts on adding a new car... I could use a bit more space sometimes, on those trips to the hardware store etc. as well as for some ski equipment.. I need AWD for tooling around in the snow here.. I like HP! It needs to be German.. I cant deal with Japanese cars..

I'd like to spend around 30K, or less.. I like used cars.. I'll keep it for quite a while..

Audi-
I do like Audis, especially wagons... (S4 Avant Wagon..) Though when I look at them, I always gravitate towards S models.. (the 4cyl, 2.0's dont cut it) The S looks badass and seem to hold their value relatively well, (being coveted by every mook with a sideways ball cap into the "stance" scene..) Though reading a bit, I have come across $8K disasters when the timing chain breaks... This scares me. I also don't know much about working on them, but I'm sure I could figure it out... All my friends have them, but they do say that every time they bring it in for something it's $2K.. I just got back from skiing in the Alps last week and I can't tell you how many over-the-top beautiful Audi wagon's there were rolling around Innsbruck and Kitzbuhel.

Cayenne GTS
This seems like the rational solution. I can pick up a warranted 08 for $26k. I dig that it doesn't have a bunch of blingy chrome on it, looks the part, can haul random junk in the back, (I can sleep in the back for car camping!) The new Gen2 models seem to have sorted out the harmonic driveshaft issue as well as the coolant pipe issues.. With the current cost of gas where it is, the Cayenne Turbo S looks interesting..

996 C4S?
I know this is going to help me much on the space side, but that's not an absolute requirement... Thinking though that currently the pricing on some of these being around 25K is about as low as they're ever going to get, it makes me think that I could get an all-wheel-drive car that's got some ***** that I wouldn't mind driving through the salt and it's going to hold or accrue value over time (in comparison to the Cayenne and the S4 which will lose value rapidly overtime..) I'm not sure how good the 996 are with rust/salt, but I assume they're not bad, I could probably do a most of work on it myself, (being very familiar with the platform) like the 993 and it would be cool having two 911's.

Other options? I saw some amazing Mercedes in Germany, but I think they are not available here.. The new GLA250 is cool.. but, slightly over budget..

Coleman,

Zeus993

It may be out of your price range BUT the Macan S is an EXCELLENT daily driver and perfect companion for your 993. They nailed it with this one. They're coming up on the used market now. Good luck on your hunt!

soundbehindyou

Get the Audi.....timing belt and water pump done at the same time..$1200, oh yeah, then there is the Control Arm bushings...$1400......that will buy you about 3 years of daily driving. Did you check the engine mounts?? OK so the maintenance is steep, but you gotta love the Audi! Don't "pu-pu" the 2.0 turbo...you can get more horses out of it if you care to.....

INTMD8

We are thinking similarly. I bought a 993 to replace my ISF but started feeling bad about the thought of running it through salty winters.

I'm pretty much down to a manual S4 avant, just have to wait for the right one to become available.

(and it's a timing chain setup at the rear of the engine, rather pricey to fix).

My only other thought was 328xi wagon but those are hard to find in manual trans as well.

I also looked at Cayenne GTS but am making a point to stay away from direct injected engines. (only direct injected I should say).

solomonschris

I bought a used (30k miles) '06 A6 Avant in 2009. It has now reached 154,800 miles and is in the shop for upper timing chains. Aside from the timing chain tensioner issue, nothing has gone wrong with this car. It is quiet on the road, fun to drive, 23mpg on regular for all of my 125,000 miles, and it looks like new after a good cleaning. If I could buy a new one for 70k I would do so in a heart beat. I also have an 2014 A7 3.0 that has the supercharged engine. This is a better performing car but I still prefer the wagon for its utility and regular gas. The best of both worlds would be an '09 or '10 A6 Avant because they have the supercharged engine. I looked for a low mileage one that wasn't black for over a year to no avail. When the chains started rattling on start up, I gave up and got the A7. Great car...Good luck in finding one.....Chris

Hilltopper

Black 2012 S4 in Vermont and White 2014 S4 in Florida. Porsche and Audi nut since 1981, including my WR URQATTRO!

zechunique

Love my S4.

If you can stretch up to 35,500 here's one that's been listed here for a little while...

https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...-interior.html

(no affiliation...)

bukowski

Agree with Hilltopper. Excellent taste in cars and boats! I Will have a Donzi Sweet 16 some day...grew up in a Donzi z29

Cemoto

If you decide on an Audi look for one with the heated steering wheel option!!!

NYC993

I can comment on benz.

I've have had 2010 GLK for close to 7 years since new. Very well made car that is esasy to maintain and made in Europe (unlike many other benzes). It's very good in snow. I like the original pre-face lift design.

EDIT: the technology is pretty old. It's based on old c-class and has the same 3.5 liter engine and 7 speed tranny found in millions of their cars. So it's an equivalent of a german toyota.

The only real known issue is that some trannies fail,I beleive due to a bearing in a transfer case (applicable to all 4matics). This usually happens at earlier miles and replaced under warranty. So i would check out a used 2010-2011 GLK with 50-60k miles and good maintenance history.

While I would not call GLK luxurious (well maybe it is after driving 993) GLA/CLA are very cheaply made by comparison. The little 2.0 litter turbos run very high pressure and were failing in earlier models.

rwestervelt

I recently purchased a 2005 AMG E55 as a daily driver and couldn't be happier. Luxurious, practical, and very fast. Easy to find for under $20,000.

Might not be the right car for winters in Maine.

Hilltopper

My first Donzi was the 1976 Miami Boat Show 18 Classic with Corvette LT1/TRS drive that went North and only saw fresh water.

ginch

Maybe take a look at a MK6 VW Golf R (2012). Can be had for well under $30K, is economical, fast, AWD, and has plenty of interior room if you need it. I have a MK7 Golf R which I love but you wouldn't be able to get one under your price point. I also used to own a B7 S4 avant, as well as an RS4 so I know all about audi maintenance. Don't get me wrong, love them and if I had unlimited money I would have kept them all! I think the VW is a great compromise!

Donster

I use a 2006 330xi as a winter driver. 6-speed, 255 bhp, great in the snow, fun to drive. Bought it used 4 years old. Way better car than the Audi Quattro I had prior.

JDHertz11

I know you said nothing Japanese but I'd be Birkenstock'ing around Maine in a turbo'd Subaru of some kind...