Shopaholic

We've recently been looking over the market in search of a new vehicle. Restrained by a small-ish budget, the logical thing to do -- and this has been suggested, mind -- would be to purchase a brand-new, base-spec Hyundai Accent. Cost: $9,990.

Well, a Shetland pony econobox isn't really my cup of tea, thank you. Surfing Kijiji and Auto Trader Online, I've found a number of swank-looking, European cars that would fit the bill perfectly. Moreover, they're all cheaper than the Hyundai.

First up is a lovely 1997 Saab 9000 CSE. The asking price is $3,000, and this marvel of Swedish engineering comes fully loaded with a 2.3 L I-4 turbo, tan leather interior, natural wood accents, and the Aero wheel package. The 9000 is a marvelous car, one of my personal favorites, and so I'm sure that, despite the 219,000 kilometers on the clock, this Saab would be a great car for years to come.

Being a Saab fan, I've also scouted out a near-mint condition 1999 9-5 Wagon (with the V-6) and a lovely, silver 2001 9-5 sedan. These were both in the $6,000 range.

Or of course, I could look into a BMW. The Ultimate Driving Machine I found was a 1997 BMW 318i, finished in steel blue with tan leather interior and fitted with the 5-speed manual gearbox. Asking price: $5,000. Condition: excellent. Altogether, not a bad deal.

Staying on the German end of things, there's the Volkswagen Passat. A top-end Passat is as luxurious as a mid-range Saab or BMW. The 2002 GLX V6 model I found, finished in a gorgeous candy-apple red metallic and sporting an immaculate black leather interior, was being marketed at an asking price of $6,500. The mileage wasn't low (somewhere in the 170,000 km range, if I recall correctly), but the VW in question would likely be a good purchase. The V6 was more reliable than the 1.8t, which is also an important consideration.

And how can we forget Mercedes? In this case, the M-B in question was a champagne-colored 1999 C230 Kompressor with 189,000 kilometers on the clock. The dealer didn't list the price, but the Benz seemed like a tight package, and thus I feel it is worth looking into.

Going back to Scandanavia, we find a rather basic 1998 Volvo S70, finished in British Racing Green with beige cloth interior and listed at $5,200. The mileage was in the 150,000 km range, but the ad said that the car had lots of new parts (maybe this isn't a good thing?) and the body and interior both looked very clean. Plus, I've always liked the S70. It was a better looking car than the 850, and I always think of it as the last of the real Volvos.

And of course, if I really wanted to penny-pinch, I also found a snazzy 1994 Saab 9000 CSE listed for just $2,500. Sure, it's old, but the 9000, as I've said before and as I'll say again, it a real tank of a car. Worth looking into? I think so. That's all.