TheLoneGunman

I need a car at about $8-10k
It should be fairly "cool", but upscale is good too since I am an exec at a dot com.
It should be easy to maintain and perform well on the Silicon Valley freeways, but doesn't have to race at 120.
I have had a convertible for a few years and have gotten used to open roof

I was checking out the 1994 Infiniti J30 (sunroof) and it seemed to meet the bill.

What do people think?

I also looked at the late '80's Jag convertibles and they seemed ok, but car guy said to buy '87 and not later as they are otherwise expensive to repair.

I need to buy by this weekend so the quicker the response the better.

spigidygak

Hmm, the J30 was not a bad auto. I'm not sure about reliability, but being a Nissan should be decent. How about looking into an old MB E-class? Those are pretty damn reliable. The Jag sure would be sweet, but very unreliable. Also the MB SL coupes are very schweet (any year, any model ). MMM, lets see what else is there. . . you could always pick up an old Lexus LS400, those are not too bad either. Maybe a BMW 7 series? I'm not a Honda guy and I don't feel like the Acura's are prestigious enough, probably not gonna feel or look upscale enough. Anyhow, uh, yeah. . . go for either an LS400 (whatever year it is under 10 k's maybe '93 and back? I dunno). Or MB E-class or SL (dunno how old to get under 10k). Hope this gives ya some ideas. But I'm not to knowledgeable about prices on older cars, I just know whats out there .

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pennypinch

Yeesh! 8-10K isn't much to spend on a luxury car. I agree with your proclaimed "car guy", there's a reason Jaguar engineers were billed the "princes of darkness". More recent models are better, but mid 80's and before are nightmares.
I always liked the look of the old J30's, but they are deceptively small.
If you're looking for something reasonbly young and cool, and probably falls somewhere near your price range, check out a mid-80's Porsche 911. 1987 911 c's and s's are especially good, but might be a little topside your range. Nevertheless, they're Porsches, and hold their value spectacularly. If you do go this route, especially if you buy pre-'85, make sure to take it to a reputable body shop before you buy, they were known to have severe rust problems. It seems, though, that the ones that didn't get it, never got it. Weird.
Hmm, what else. Again, Infiniti's, in my mind, were just poorly marketed, and are fine cars. Very old (early 80's) MB's w/ the diesel engine can be had for that price, and are great on gas (if you're looking to spend 8K on a car, I assume you're probably looking to trim the fuel bill too).
I'll post more as I think of them. Good luck finding these over a weekend!!