Car shopping - input wanted

[OmniGLH]

Ok, as some of you know, I'm planning on going to grad school in the fall.  My two top schools of choice are located in either downtown Chicago, or just north of the city in an equally-cramped suburb.

Combine this with the fact that I'm not going to be racing after Daytona - and I really have no need for the big-ass 4-door diesel pickup truck I bought last spring.  Not only is it expensive, but it's a pain in the arse to park (I already work in Chicago and it's a total PITA.)

So I'm looking for something small to replace it with, and am looking for ideas.  

Requirements are:  
1 - used, 1-2 years old, with under 20,000 miles.  
2 - Still under factory warranty.
3 - Decent fuel economy (upper 20s at least).  
4 - Somewhat sporty and fun to drive
5 - Must be had for under $20k out the door

The car I'm heavily considering is an '03+ VW GTI with either the 1.8L turbo or the VR6.  Fairly roomy, classy, and still punchy enough that I won't really miss my chipped 400hp+ diesel pickup truck.  I've had great luck with VW in the past... my old 2000 Jetta I bought new in 1999 still gets my dad two and from work every day, with 120k on it.  The car is as tight and solid as it was the day I brought it home.  Plus I've got a good hookup at a VW service department in case I ever need something done that isn't covered under warranty.

But I'm sure there's other fun stuff out there that I'm not thinking of.  I really like the Focus SVT, but the limited research I've done on them has shown me they are full of drivetrain problems.  What else is out there?  Any ideas or suggestions?

[cornercamping]

I don't know about used cars, but if you are looking for something new, let me know and I'll get you a discount pin number.  I can get you the supplier discount from any of the Big 3, and also VW/Audi.  

My suggestion:

VW GTI or R32 (found a R32 locally for $24K w/20k miles)
Audi A4
BMW 3 series (early 2k's)
Mini Cooper (awesome fun car, especially the S)

or, if you're going to go with an American Car, I'd say get Neon SRT4

Also, keep in mind, with the German cars, you can go to APR and get it chipped and get some major HP/TQ gains for a few hundred $, especially on the VW/Audi 1.8T.

www.goapr.com  

No chip necessary.  Just get the "Directport" reprogramming from an APR dealer.   :)

[cornercamping]

Check your PM.

[OmniGLH]

Got it... thanks for the input Dan.

I should have mentioned that I'm really hesitant to buy anything domestic.  I have yet to have anything other than an "ok" experience when dealing with domestic service departments (and have had lots of HORRIBLE ones.)  I plan to keep this car for a few years (at least through school, and maybe a little bit after) and don't want to wind up with a car that feels like a sh*tbox after 6 months of owning it (which almost any domestic inevitably will.)  And as cool as the SRT-4 is... I won't buy a Chrysler product again, period.

The E36 3-series has been considered, and was actually my first choice.   My buddy is a service writer for a local VW and BMW dealer, and often brings home demos, etc.  I *really* like the 3-series.  But, according to my buddy, while they're very reliable, they need a lot of little maintenance here and there to KEEP them reliable, would most likely nickle and dime me to death.  Even little things are astronomical $$ to repair once out of warranty (which, if I find an E36 still under warranty, it's going to be out of my price range.)

The Mini is one I forgot about.  As is the Audi A4... thanks for bringing those up.  I should pay a visit to Schaumburg Audi and see what's available.  I haven't chatted with the Halls lately anyways.

[spyderchick]

Something to think about driving in downtown Chicago, cars get pretty dinged up. You''ll see high end cars with little dents here and there, from parking and close driving. Just a little food for thought. Check out the Consumer Reports used car data. (You have to have a subscription to use their website). Libraries always have their issues available. Really reliable data. There also used to be a book called the Lemon Report. I don't know if they have kept that one up to date, though. You can compare similar autos and see what potential problems might be. Good luck!

[OmniGLH]

Something to think about driving in downtown Chicago, cars get pretty dinged up. You''ll see high end cars with little dents here and there, from parking and close driving. Just a little food for thought. Check out the Consumer Reports used car data. (You have to have a subscription to use their website). Libraries always have their issues available. Really reliable data. There also used to be a book called the Lemon Report. I don't know if they have kept that one up to date, though. You can compare similar autos and see what potential problems might be. Good luck!

Yeah I know it's gonna get beat up.  That's another reason I want a used car.  If I buy a brand new one, I'm going to be way too anal about it.

[cornercamping]

How about leasing a new car  ???  2 year lease, 15k a year...  :-/

You can get a new Audi S4 for under $20k on a new lease.  Prepay it and you got a pimp ride that'll eat up most cars and spit them out by 2nd gear  :D

[cornercamping]

Doesn't BMW "Certified" used cars offer scheduled maintance "free" of charge until 100k miles  ???

[Dawn]

We prefer the early 90's Buicks with the 3.8 V-6, 29 mpg highway, the motors last forever, you can get them cheap enough that they're darn near disposable.

Silver '91 Park Ave, $1700.00 with 157,000 miles, crashed after two months and got $3600 + the car from the insurance company.

90 Buick Rivera, $1500.00 with 115,000 miles, drove for two years before Paul upgraded to a Park Ave.  (it will be for sale shortly)

Maroon 91' Park Ave purchased for $1800.00 with 164,000 miles.  Now has 205,000 miles and all I added was tires.

Maroon 93' Park Ave purchased for $1200.00 with 145,000 miles.  Paul's "new car"

The advantage to doing this is that we don't have a car payment, we don't have to run full coverage, and if something happens to it.....  We're not out a large sum of money.

Dawn  (the queen of cheap)

[cornercamping]

Yeah I know it's gonna get beat up.  That's another reason I want a used car.  If I buy a brand new one, I'm going to be way too anal about it.

Yeah, but with the right discounts, for a couple thousand, you can get a brand new one...  :-/  

[cornercamping]

My boss (the CEO of the company) has a Volvo S80 he's trying to get rid of.  He's owned it since new, and it has like 25k miles on it.  Not sure what year, but it's black on black with all options.  He lives in Crete, IL (60417).  If you're interested, let me know and I'll find out all the details.  He's "old" so he never beat on it and it's mint.

[tstruyk]

I just happen to have a 2003 Nissan 350Z for sale!!

ok ok so its not under 20k... and its not AS fuel efficient as you want... but DAMN its fun to drive!!! it has low miles (17K) and has an extended waranty (60k) gets mid to low 20's for mileage, 26,800 takes it home!!  the only problem i have had with it, has been fixed (tire feathering corrected, new front rubber, warranty)

here's the list!
Silverstone color (dark silver, some call it titanium)
35% tint
6 disc in dash bose system
DVD driven navigation
heated leather
more options than you can shake a stick at!  and I have tried shakin that stick!

well maintained, oil chages yadayada.  I think it would be PERFECT for ya  ;D