[Nightfall]

I will be in the market for a sports/performance car somewhere between the end of November, and next spring. I will be either purchasing or leasing a new car, or buying a used one. This car will be driven about 9 months a year (I have an available SUV for winter use). What I am looking for is best bang for the buck given my priorities:

excellent handling
good power
attractive appearance (I realize this is subjective)
a reasonable degree of comfort and luxury
solid reliability
at least 20 MPG combined city/highway mileage

I'm willing to spend up to $45k for a new car, or $30k for a used one. Cars I've driven for evaluation include:

WRX-STI - great fun to drive but terribly cheap/inadequate interior (looks like it belongs in a station wagon!), and the suspension almost knocked fillings loose from my teeth on our crappy Michigan roads filled with potholes and the like. Gas mileage also less than requirements.

Mitsubishi EVO - same as above, and also not an option to buy since the corporation may have gone under before the warranty is up

Infiniti G35 coupe - nice car, very attractive, but interior shows Nissan's cost cutting a bit too much, handling and suspension a little softer than I had hoped, but good acceleration, and excellent gas consumption. Still an option, and a good value. Just dosent thrill me though.

Volvo S60R - quite a nice looking sedan (certainly for a Volvo) wonderful interior, incredibly comfortable, variable ride settings that REALLY work, good acceleration, and usable handling, reliability issues however, and only 17-18 mpg

Mazda RX-8 - Really like the appearance of the car, and the road feel and handling is excellent. Somewhat cheap inside, and needs another 40-50hp to really perform. And oh, the lousy mileage is simply unacceptable with current gas prices.

Corvette C06 - (can purchase through a family members GM plan) good looking car, fairly well designed and implemented interior, outstanding handling and power, and gets 20 mpg! Negatives - very expensive insurance, long known worse than average reliability issues, very expensive tires and need for frequent replacement, and virtually zero room for anything even for a weekend trip. Still an option though, possibly.

Honda S2000 - handles very well, and can be fun to drive, but way too much work keeping revs up for usable power, especially around town, and for an everday car. Interior is perhaps the worst on any Honda, simply not up to their standards. Convertibles are also useless and a negative in the upper Midwest. There are only about ten days a year when you could actually use them,and then its usually too hot and you need the ac. Also, the salt used to control snow on the roads from November through early April destroys the exterior appearance of any convertible top within 24 months or less.

Audi S4 - out of my price range but I REALLY liked this car. Good looks, GREAT interior, excellent handling, and accleration, and Quattro awd. Simply superb build quality. Okay, the mileage isnt good thats about its only flaw. Why cant someone make something like this that dosent cost $52,000.00?


If I go for a used car, a 2000/2001 Porsche Boxster could be had for about $29-30k in as new condition, with less than 25k miles. Love the car, but the fact that its a convertible is a huge drawback (see S2000 notes above) And a Porsche without a warranty can get VERY expensive



What else would you recommend? New or used..........I could use some additional input with this. Thanks.


JC

 

[jesse_w]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightfall Audi S4 - Okay, the mileage isnt good thats about its only flaw.

reliability is also an issue

I would recommend you save yourself a huge chunk of cash for something more useful. of course, assuming you're already looking here, thats probably not the answer you're looking for. Why buy for power you can't use? get a nice japanese semi-luxury sedan like a high end camry or a low end acura, lexus, etc and get something comfortable. if you want a toy buy a motorcycle.

jesse

 

[hongda]

some possibilities:

Acura RSX type S
Acura TSX
BMW 325

 

[Jasper994]

The BMW M3 would be right at the top of that price range but hey it's a lot of car...

 

[bLue_oNioN]

I don't know if it is true, but I've heard BMW maintenance is a nightmare. Hopefully, someone can chime in on this.

 

[nikongod]

dont wory abouyt the car company's going under *again* they will get bailed out again, or simply bought by a decent company. its happened to the majority of those companys before.

anyways, i would say go fer the vette, or the s2000 (2.0L, not the new engine personal preference) decide if you want insane power at any road speed in any gear, or nimble finesse with excelent acceleration at high rpms.

the others are all "hopped up econoboxes" or flat junk for "sportyness" with relyability issues to boot... those 2 are much more "substantial." also, both show at least decent to good relyability, and repairs on either are usually simpler.

if you have some money (more time really) to make a "project" out of this, you may also like the results of having a turbocharged 1995 miatta made for you.

 

[Tuberoller]

Hey Jeff,

For 45K you can pick up a Chrysler 300C SRT-8. I drove one a few days ago and I'm in love. This thing had amazing power and great handling. It comes with the 6.1 liter Hemi,putting out 425 horsepower. Magazine testing puts it at 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and the 1/4 mile in 13.2 but the one I drove (bone stock) has done the quarter as fast as 12.89. That's flying for such a big car. Two things that will certainly turn you off are the cheesy interior and terrible fuel mileage. The one thing that stuck out for me while driving this thing was the really trick 5-speed auto trans. This thing shifts like a stinkin' race car when you hammer it and like a nice luxury car when you take it easy,nice.

I beat up on the 2004 GTO but the new 2005 GTO is great and has the new 400 horsepower LS2 engine and the fantastic 4L65e 4-speed auto trans which shifts as neatly as the SRT-8. That trans is amaziing and the GTO gets great mileage,has a nifty interior and runs like a MF. The 2005 is much faster than a 2004 and with the discounts it's a steal. These things run easy 12.80 at the strip and of the dozen or so that show up at the track every week the slowest one( a six-speed driven by a woman) runs 13 seconds flat. The mags always get slower times than the cars really run.

My wife just got a new Mustang GT ragtop and I gotta say,I like it. It's fast gets great mileage, has a nice interior and rides amazing well for a car that handles as well as it does. In fact,the ride is downright smooth. The one thing I don't like about the Mustang is the somewhat soft gearing,if this car was geared better it would be much easier to drive fast. The exhaust note is absolutely killer and has to be the nicest exhaust music going today. Rowing that thing through the gears with the top down is a real treat. If you drive one,I think you'll share my frustration with the gearing. You're rolling along in second gear,making good speed and then you shift to 3rd and loose 2000rpms,which effectively drops you out of the optimum range for best performance. I'd like to beat the guy who came up with the trans ratios.


You know I can't recommend a car without mentioning the Caddy CTS-V. I recently sold mine after I went way,way overboard with the mods(it was pretty much a race car by the time I was done) but I might buy another if they put the LS7 from the Z06 in it. That was an amazing car. It lapped Road America,Blackhawk Farms and Gingerman racetracks faster than the GT3 and was only a few ticks slower than my Z06 was. It handled as well as any car I've ever driven and was never unpredictable or uneven. It was simply the easiest car to drive fast that I've ever owned. I miss mine terribly. The ride was great,it was stone reliable and got great gas mileage.

 

[MexicanDragon]

http://bimmerforums.com/forum/showth...ht=white+coupe
http://www.368s.com/car.php?CarID=403
http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ca...=y&cardist=695

Same car, a 2000 BMW M Coupe
CPO til 100k or Nov 2006
23,500$ with some mods

Might be something to check out. This is the 240hp version, not the 310/315 hp one, but its CPO'd and there are pros and cons to each version.

Just something to look at. Bimmerforums.com is another site I'm on all the time. I have no idea who the owner is, just an enthusiast owned car that might suit your needs. Plus, with the leftover $$$, you could always go with forced induction.

**BRENT**

 

[Elec]

I think it's silly to spend a pile of cash on a USED car (even if it is a Bimmer), but then again my family has had bad luck with used vehicles.

Might want to check out the Subaru Legacy GT. It's not quite as fast as the WRX STi - has the same engine but a smaller blower, so it could theoretically be modded up to that spec if reliability is not a big concern. The gas mileage should be better than the STi (unless you get into modding) and it's got a softer ride and more luxurious interior. Also a few grand cheaper.

Some magazine just ran one 0-60 in 5.29s I think, so it isn't quite as fast as some of the cars on your list, but it's up there. Some people have bashed it for being pseudo-luxury or pseudo-sport sedan, but it's really a $25-30k car and can't be expected to compete fairly in all arenas with those in the $40k+ range. As with all Subarus, it has AWD which may or may not be a benefit to you.

 

[Teerawit]

I have a soft spot for the BMW M3. Used, it falls under your price range (the new E46 model). It's one car I'd like to own when I'm older and have a career, lol.

 

[Julz]

You should be able to get a nice condition Skyline GTR33 for your budget, the GTR34 might be a little steep for you. But what a head-turner, you'll be the shepherd, not the sheep...

 

[mjg]

out of your list, the c6 in a heart beat ; )


I'm a nissan man myself, but hell i'd rather be in that new vette. As soon as i'm working again i'm going to be saving for a new vette.

The new m3 is not in his price range, it's base price is around 60k. A loaded one can go up to 80k, which is practically NA porsche range.

 

[plus_c]

How about a Mini Cooper S with the John Cooper Works package? It doesn't pack as much engine as the bigger boys do, but then again, it doesn't have to cause it's so small. And I think you'll be a fan of the Mini's handling. I'm looking at getting a Mini for myself once I graduate next year. And the fuel mileage will be a lot better than most of the other cars you're considering.

The new Mustang looks promising, although I'm not sure what handling is like on it. Though with your budget, you could easily get a Mustang GT and have enough left over for any desired suspension mods.

You might also be able to get a good deal on the Chrysler Crossfire - I'm a BIG fan of that car's styling, and it baffles me that it hasn't sold well. It's derived from the previous Mercedes SLK, so it should be good to go wrt your requirements.

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjg out of your list, the c6 in a heart beat ; ) I'm a nissan man myself, but hell i'd rather be in that new vette. As soon as i'm working again i'm going to be saving for a new vette. The new m3 is not in his price range, it's base price is around 60k. A loaded one can go up to 80k, which is practically NA porsche range.

MSRP is $48k. Loaded it will go up to around $60k without taxes and fees.

I was referring to the used price, hehe.

 

[daycart1]

Choice 1: The M Coupe (as suggested above). This will have to be used, since they have switched to the wussy Z4. This car will kick the M3's butt in most situations.
I've had the M Roadster (same car but with convertible top) for 4 years with no problems (though if you get maintenance at the dealer, it is very expensive)

Choice 2: The Mercedes 340 (preferably AMG'd--this would have to be used) with retractable hardtop!