Time to be swayed

[b2tf]

Over the past few months a little bit of doubt has come into my mind over whether the current car of mine is the right one for me. Im about to start a new job and naturally that means mod money as well as a constant stream of it, so it's really time to start making some potentially tough decisions about what Im driving.
Now before you all say "modding a car means losing money" - yes I know that, but what Im talking about is whether I am potentially better off to use that money to go to another vehicle or not.

What I have atm is an 02 Ford Focus Hatch, 5dr CL with safety pack. Just clocked over 60thou tonight, so its dont a reasonable amount of kms for its lifetime.

Pros:-

* Beaut looking little car. A real "love it or hate it" kinda car with loads of potential if youre talking about the usual stuff like lowering etc. At first I hated the LR Foci with a passion but they steadily grew on me and after seeing an RS model I knew I had to have one at some point. Luckily I pretty much got exactly what I wanted - right colour, options and wheels etc.

* Good size. I have no need for a big car, that said sometimes it would be nice to cart guitars etc around in, I have a hard time fitting them in (but it is do-able). Its great to be able to whizz around without feeling like youre driving a boat.

* Insurance and Rego. A lot less than a large car. It makes a difference.

Cons:-

* Fuel Econ. Honest to god I have never seen a small car drink so much petrol. Very disappointing because I do a far few kms (around 70kms a day) and it does all add up. I was hoping it would use less than I was used to, but at the moment it probably equals a BA in consumption. Not good for a car of its size!

* Parts,mods etc. The Focus is a pretty 'unknown' vehicle when compared to your Falcons etc, so when it comes to getting parts or mods that are worth the effort, a lot of people dont know. Most really top shelf Focus items are overseas which means importing them - something I dont really want to do simply for cost and effort involved.

I know its not many gripes but given their size and importance, they do amount to a bit. Im not one to go absolutely nuts with mods but I do like to be able to really customise and personalise my cars, Im finding atm that I am a bit limited as to what I can do with the Focus due to the reasons outlined above.

So, the option is:-

a BA or very late AU ute. I am not keen on AU but if the right one came up for a damn good price it would mean a lot of consideration on my part.

For me to go AU it would need to be an AU3, nothing less, an XR model or VERY well kept XLS model, be in showroom condition and with under 30,000kms. I think the last bit pretty well rules out most AU's.

The BA option however is a bit more achievable I think. Im keen on a Futura or Fairmont, doesnt bother me which one I get but I wont take XT, and if its a ute Id like an XLS or possibly XR6. Under 30,000kms, must be Vibe in Colour or Silver (but I could flex on this a bit), Auto, Excellent condition - no hits/accidents or major mech faults, and I would like one that has not been modified at all, or if it has, only simple stuff like suspension and wheels etc.


Now the Budget. Whatever I do it means getting a loan, and I dont mind this but I wont get any more than $15,000 and it would need to be something pretty special to sway me to even go that far. More like 10-12 or so. I reckon I can get about 14-15 for the Focus now, how accurate that is I dont know but for the purpose of this we'll say its on the money.

So, I guess the thing to do now is weigh up all the options, have a bit of a look around and see what is available for my budget and go from there. But give me your opinion on whatyoud do if it were you, and please spare me the "its only a 4cyl" stuff - Im after honest, unbiased opinions only. Thanks.