What would you buy with 20K USD

bwalvoord

bwalvoord

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My company is leasing me a vehicle and since we are small and I'm the president, my partners said, "just go get whatever you want within reason", which we later clarified to be around 20K for a 2 year lease. Nothing gets the gerbil cage spinning like car shopping, but it got me to thinking. What would I buy if I had 20K. A nice 840, the M3 on VSR1's website, the e39 on the workshop. (Note: engine, tranny and exhaust upgrades on the coupe are not an option). So this is actually a two part question. What would you lease (new presumably, under 70K or so) or buy?
 
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I was wrestling with the same question for quite some time, albeit with a smaller budget.

How many people do you need to haul around semi-regularly? That significantly alters the option pool.
 
I have two small children, 6 and 2 but already own a Toyota forerunner and a 550 in addition to the coupe and therefore think this may be the time to try a convertible. A motorcycle is a non-starter.
 
Lease an Audi A5 convertible or S5? I just think they are beautiful.

For a purchase, I would say a Fiat Abarth, Mini, or GTI.

Or an early 70s Alfa GTV!
 
At the top of my list would be a Cayman S or Boxster S with a manual tranny. If I was buying for 20K, probably a BMW 328 AWD wagon to replace my E46 wagon or a Mustang Boss 302 if I wanted to drive something totally different.
 
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bwalvoord said:
I have two small children, 6 and 2 but already own a Toyota forerunner and a 550 in addition to the coupe and therefore think this may be the time to try a convertible. A motorcycle is a non-starter.
Click to expand...

All right, how tall are you? Most convertibles are based around a height range of less than 6'. I found that I was usually staring at the top of the A-pillar windshield surround, very annoying. This ended up being the case for most of the ones I was able to try. (Camaro, Mustang, XK, 650, S5, G37)

Since I needed something with 4 doors under 30k, I chose a Subaru WRX. Very fun little car with surprisingly good road feel, but still able to handle family duty when needed. Very old-school powerband with a good kick-in-the-pants feel from the turbo at ~3.5k+.

If I hadn't needed to worry about kids, I would have gone with either a Cayman or a SRT8 Charger.
 
you can lease a very well equipped cayman s for 20k for 2 years. i love my 2006 cayman s, and haven't gone to test drive the new ones for obvious reasons. i have been thinking about buying a 2011 / 2012 cayman s as many porsche dealers have 1.9% financing on certified cayman s ... and you will still have 4 to 5 years of warranty.

but it is a 2 seater - period
 
I'm only 5'7" so I don't have an issue riding too high in a convertible. I've never driven a cayman but was thinking I would regret getting something with only two seats since at some point I'm sure I would want to bring my two kids along for the ride. This may be a good excuse to go test drive a cayman and perhaps even a lotus elise as this is exactly the type of car I would like to drive for a little while and then return it to someone with fewer fillings in their teeth.
 
I saw my first Tesla up close this weekend in Irvine. This would have been a good contender for the 550 we bought a year ago, but this search is for a car I will probably not care to own after 2 years.
 
Not care to own

bwalvoord said:
I saw my first Tesla up close this weekend in Irvine. This would have been a good contender for the 550 we bought a year ago, but this search is for a car I will probably not care to own after 2 years.
Click to expand...

if you want to "not care to own after 2 years," how about a Hummer or CTS-V?
 
Hmm... the hummer's out because it will not fit underneath the lift in the garage. CTS-V? I could even get one in a wagon. Might have to research that one.
 
Wagon: try an Audi RS6 Avant

Closest thing you can get to an M5 touring. Some say it's even better than a M5T.
Makes sure you get the Bose option...
 
I'm looking for a lease on a car and am not sure I can lease a Tesla. Since I have a 550 and a Toyota forerunner, I'm not sure I need a wagon, as much fun as that would be. I might be inclined to sell the forerunner or even the 550 which would cause my wife some grief. I guess I should be pleased my wife prefers her bimmer to a station wagon or minivan, but it sure would be nice on longer trips to have a little more cargo room. I'm thinking convertible and need a rear seat so the 335is and Audi S5 are the front runners. Oddly enough, it seems like there aren't that many cars available on the market at the moment but I shall persevere.
 
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Tesla Lease

Tesla has a quasi lease program.
You buy the car, financed through them, to get the federal rebate.
They pre-agree to purchase it back for 60%(?) of the purchase price in 3 years

I don't work for Tesla. I just really like the car.
 
And the winner is....

Heidi. Yes, this 2 year lease was a little more than 20K and I do have some generous partners.
 

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