Hey folks, I have been thinking about selling my car for quite some time, and had been looking at picking up a WRX after I move mine out.

Right now I have a 2002 V6 Mustang, I have significantly modded the exterior but haven't touched it performance wise. Slow as can be and I don't care for it much anymore.

Therefore I have a few questions....
I am looking at spending no more than $12,000. I'm 20 and will be in my second year of college (took a year off) without a whole lot of work or money to be made at this point in time. I haven't seen many around here in that price range, but you all would probably know better. Can they be obtained for that price? I am not too worried about the condition of paint, I work at a body shop and could fix it up in no time as long as it isn't too major.

What kind of insurance rates should I expect? With a WRX I am looking at ~$1800 a year.

Would you buy a Z with high mileage? How high?

Thanks a ton for any answers/opinions!

 

locate 2003 z. get vin, call insurance, ask for quote. thats about what you can expect. if you want a completely invalid point of reference, I am 24 / clean record and I pay 150$ a month

how long do you plan on having this car? how many miles do you drive yearly? z's are expensive to maintain, not really a cheap college student pick up. at 12 grand you are looking at 2003-2005 z's with high mileage, probably 80k+. I personally wouldnt want a car with that many miles unless I put the miles on it myself. the engine is pretty resilient and should hold out to 200k if maintained properly. can you verify service records, does it pass inspection? etc.

I'd say the time for a nicer car is when you're out of school and have a good paying job. run that mudstain into the ground in the mean time.

 

Try autotrader.com that should help ya out.

 

$12k for a Z will more than likely get you a POS with high miles. No way in hell I would buy one that was only worth $12k. I would rather not have a Z than have and old *** ragged out one.

 

If you take your time and look hard you should be able to find a nice car in your price range. I recently bought an 03 Touring model with 57k miles for $12.8. The car looks great, runs great and so far has no issues. Private party cars are probably your best bet; be sure to run a carfax and check it over carefully. Good luck in your search.

 

Contact your agent about insurance. This may be a show stopper.

 

its the manual 06's that can have oil consumption problems. the 03's can have tire feathering problems. so make sure you cover your bases if youre looking at either of those year z's

 

$12K is a small budget but you can find some earlier years for that price