Ok i am posting this ad without reading the previous replies.
I have bought and sold several cars over the years in the United states and hence i am able to comment on this issue. I would highly recommend getting an E46 BMW. there are several reasons for picking this car over your choices.
1) If you pick a lancer you will certainly have low resale value as you suggested. Mitsubishis in the USA do not have a very good rep, they constantly require repairs, I would not recommend a lancer unless its an EVO and even with an EVO be ready to pay the HIGHEST insurance in the nation.
2) Mini cooper? really? kinda effeminate for my tastes, not to mention the low resale value and small size. The upside is you will be able to identify ANY SUV just by looking at their undercarriage.
3) Mazda 3 is a good choice, fairly good resale value, but is still not a BMW.
4) Mercedes have a much much lower resale value than BMW's, additionally the E46 is more of a looker than the c class.
5) I would never buy a Kia or a Hyundai, crappy quality, crappy cars, low sex appeal, in short you will never get any love from the fairer sex if you are seen in one of those. But the upside is that your car will never get stolen because no one wants those.
6) I agree with sujay, an impreza is a good choice, make sure its an STI, but then again insurance will be high.
At the end of the day in my book the E46 BMW is the winner. Not many known problems with those except the bushings which are inexpensive. They have an excellent resale value, you might be able to get almost the same price at the end of your 18 months or maybe a thousand or or so lower. Not a bad price to pay for 18 months of use. As far as craiglsist goes, i have bought all my cars from there also. BUT beware of scammers, several scammers, if it looks too good to be true it probably isn't. ALWAYS get the car inspected by a certified mechanic before you purchase it. Again, I would put my money into a BMW you can't go wrong. if you need any other help regarding pricing, negotiating feel free to PM me. Good luck.
P.S. I am in the process of selling both my 300zx's and either getting an E46 M3 or an E39.
Last edited by spawnofsatan : 21st May 2008 at 12:30.
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