Originally Posted by Skippy

My 300D got rearended a few weeks ago and the insurance company is still messing about waiting for police reports. The current plan is to repair it and continue driving it for many more years. However, it occured to me that the damage may be worse than it looks and it may be necessary to replace it instead of repairing. I've been looking at possible replacements on craigslist and results haven't been too encouraging. I've been looking at Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, and VW in the 4000 and under range. My criteria are: rear drive, manual transmission, and fuel economy in the low 20's or higher. I'd prefer a diesel engine, but could go spark ignited if no good diesel options appear. I'd also prefer to stay away from carburetors. Reliablility, maintainability, and durability would be nice as well. Suggestions?

Also, [rant] why do people not specify in their ads whether the car for sale has a manual or an automatic transmission? That's kind of important to a lot of buyers.[/rant]