I’m weird. Where the normal person when wanting a nicer, newer car than their 2002 Mazda Miata would look to an ‘09ish Camry, I’m cross-shopping ‘08-’10 Chrysler 300s with ‘96 Buick Roadmaster Estates because I am bound and determined for my next car to be a 5.7 liter boat.
Chrysler 300
Price: $8000-10,000
Pros:
Lots of features (heated seats, decent sound system, touchscreen nav, remote start)
Handles like garbage but pretty good for what it is
Looks/is fairly modern
Hemi sounds amazeballs
Very easy to find one-owner cars in this price range
Quick
Super cheap insurance
Cons:
Front suspension issues (sway bar links and ball joints)
Interior looks dated as hell
Electrical issues?
Buick Roadmaster
Price: $5000-8000
Pros:
Cheaper, but not as cheap as I’d like
As reliable as a slab of granite
Parts available at every autozone ever
SBC sounds amazeballs
Third row seating
Cheaper insurance, but not that much cheaper
Cons:
Slow
Lacks some luxury features
Doesn’t stroke my ego as much as a newer car
Worse handling
Hard to find in good condition
Would require immediate modification to make it tolerable (exhaust, shift kit, sound system, remote start system/keyless entry if not equipped)