"Luxury sports car..."

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Airborneguy

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I've decided that I've earned the right to finally get myself a "luxury sports car". I know there's some car enthusiasts on here who know much more than me about this subject, so help me out!

First off, I have a year to decide. I recently traded in my Wrangler for a Patriot lease, gave that to my wife and took over her Altima lease. I don't want to lease both cars (mileage issues), so when the Altima is up, I'm buying a sports car for myself.

It has to have/be:

1. Over 250 HP
2. A usable back seat
3. $30K or less price tag
4. non-European

...and I prefer a coupe.

It can be used as I'm noticing that a few of the models I'm considering take serious value hits in their first and second year. I wouldn't buy anything more than 2-3 years old.

Right now I'm pretty hung up on the Hyundai Genesis Coupe or the Infitiniti G37X. The G37 would have to be used, but I'd be in the true "luxury" market at that point and they are a good brand to buy used. I wish the Altima Coupe had a turbo model because I really like it. But for the price tag, the Altima lacks the HP I'm looking for. The "dark horse" right now is the Sonata 2T. Same HP as the Genesis, 4dr, and front wheel drive. I'm really leaning towards a coupe though. I've owned two Eclipse's in the past, but now that they've dropped the turbo I'm a little reluctant. It's nice and sporty looking, but that's about it. Anyone know whether the current model is worth modding?

Help me out!
 
Man, If I were in the market for power, I'd look luxury. Can't beat a Caddy!
But.... I can't help look at the Mazda RX8! It doesn't look like it's up your alley, but have you ever driven a rotary engine?
 
How about a Nissan Maxima. I just bought a 2011 with the sport tech package W/ touch screen nav.. It has 300 HP and is really fast. This is my third one. I'm in sales and drive a lot. I really like this car. They call them a 4 door sports car.
 
If they still made it, it would definitely be in the running, but I don't feel comfortable looking at 5+ year old cars at this point. Honestly, used at all is a stretch, and to go used I'd have to be getting a car $35k+ car at a real good value because I'm willing to spend $30k new.
 
I've got a G35 coupe. I love love this car. It's a 4 seater (legless people only in the back seat). Can't go wrong here. I've also got a 350Z (my son drives it). It's sweet, much stiffer drive, 2-seater. Good luck with your choice. If you go Infinity, I recommend black. I found a black exterior with a tan interior.

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The Suby BRZ is getting good reviews (as is its sister the Scion FR-S)... doesn't quite meat the criteria though.

I have no personal experience with this car.
 
The Suby BRZ is getting good reviews (as is its sister the Scion FR-S)... doesn't quite meat the criteria though.

I have no personal experience with this car.

I was very excited looking at both of those cars, but the HP just doesn't cut it, especially for the projected prices. They both MSRP around $27k and have 200hp. And right now, the BRZ doesn't seem to be offering the standard Subaru AWD. To compare, the Genesis coupe MSRP's for around $29k, and has 274HP, not to mention the legendary Hyundai warranty, and it's back seat is rated as being much more "usable" than either of those. Plus, I can get a 2 years old Genesis 3.8 for much less than both of those, still have a ridiculous warranty, and around 330 hp.
 
How about a Nissan Maxima. I just bought a 2011 with the sport tech package W/ touch screen nav.. It has 300 HP and is really fast. This is my third one. I'm in sales and drive a lot. I really like this car. They call them a 4 door sports car.

You know the Maxima tears me up. I absolutely LOVE it, but I can't get over this gnawing feeling that its too expensive with not enough "luxury". Without leather I'm looking at $32k. Definitely meets the HP requirement, and I've driven them so I know it translates to the wheels, but I don't like that I have to go over $35k to get all the trappings.
 
You could get into a new or 2011 Dodge Challenger or Chevy Camaro for about that price. Don't know if that counts as luxury.

Used Nissan Z. Coupe, yes. Back seat, well, it has a trunk. Sorta.

But a Caddy, that has everything on your list, if you go a year or two old.

I've driven two Hyundai. The last being a well equipped 2011 Elantra. Not luxury or sport. Nothing that made me want it either. Unimpressive interior components and lacking power on hills. Good on gas though.
 
You know the Maxima tears me up. I absolutely LOVE it, but I can't get over this gnawing feeling that its too expensive with not enough "luxury". Without leather I'm looking at $32k. Definitely meets the HP requirement, and I've driven them so I know it translates to the wheels, but I don't like that I have to go over $35k to get all the trappings.

I know what you mean. For me, I like one color, Black on black and it has to be loaded. I live in Mass and I couldn't find one in my state or NH. I had to go to RI to find it. It's fully loaded with leather and it's black on black. It is a 2011 that had 40 miles. I got it for 30K. They are a bit pricey, but you can beat'em and get 150K without breaking a sweat.

If you haven't already try Cars.com or autotrader. That's where I found mine..Tons of cars. New and used.
 
You could get into a new or 2011 Dodge Challenger or Chevy Camaro for about that price. Don't know if that counts as luxury.

Used Nissan Z. Coupe, yes. Back seat, well, it has a trunk. Sorta.

But a Caddy, that has everything on your list, if you go a year or two old.

I've driven two Hyundai. The last being a well equipped 2011 Elantra. Not luxury or sport. Nothing that made me want it either. Unimpressive interior components and lacking power on hills. Good on gas though.

If I didn't have my commute (40 miles a day in traffic), I'd be either getting a Mustang or Charger, hands down. But I can't take on mpg as low as those right now, especially since we may be moving even further out, like 60 miles each way.

I'm going to have to check out the Caddy though. My FIL had one and raves about them.
 
$30k is definitely on the cheaper end for luxury sports car. Used may be the best bet.

I know you said no European but a BMW 335i would be prefect. It's basically "the" luxury/sporty car that everyone tried to beat. They can be had used for around your price.

Not to mention with an exhaust and tune they gain like 50hp.

There are rumors Toyota/Subaru will be making a turboed BRZ but it probably will be over $30k and the backseat is a joke.

Personally I'd love a Evo X or Subaru STi Limited. I love the turbo 4 and rally style but they have cheaper interiors compared to a BMW/Infinty/Cadilac/Lexus etc
 
$30k is definitely on the cheaper end for luxury sports car.

I could probably spend a little bit more, but from everything I see I'd really only be opening up the Euopean market, which I won't even consider.

My mother's boyfriend has owned a shop for over 30 years and he's told me over and over again how bad European cars are unless you are willing to dump money on them or lease. Since I din't want to lease, and refuse to dump money unnecessarily, Euros are out.

One of my best friend has proven this point 100%. He's had a BMW since 2000 and loves it. Looks mint, but he's dumped a ton into it and I'm not willing to do that.

As for the 'rally' style cars, they don't really meet my interests on the 'luxury' side. Fun to drive for sure (almost bought an EVO about 5 years ago), but the interiors are not what I'm looking for right now.

Anyone have any opinions of the Genesis? Especially when compared to the G37?
 
If those are the two that you're interested in, test drive them back to back so you can tell the difference.

The Genesis has gotten good reviews and the 3.8 is pretty quick.

A family member has an M37 which is a really nice car but not offered in manual (only 7 speed auto) and still gets pretty terrible mileage even when not driving "quickly".

IMHO the Genesis is more of a driver's car and the Infiniti is more luxury.


Yes the Rally cars have grown up now too and are offered with leather seats and less obnoxious rear wings
 
Make a list of 3 or 4 cars that would be acceptable. Then hit up cars.com with an open mind. Buy the one from the motivated seller that's $6K under bluebook. Honestly, there are deals to be had if you aren't locked into a single option and are willing to wait 2-6 months for the right deal to pop up.

Just cruise cars.com twice a week on nights when you have some time the next morning should you find the right deal. They are out there.

I have a $12K used car right now that I bought 9 years ago for $15K when the bluebook said about 19K. Depreciation doesn't have to kill you, especially when buying used. You just have to find and identify the "cult cars" that will hold value and then be patient enough to find the motivated seller.
 
Make a list of 3 or 4 cars that would be acceptable. Then hit up cars.com with an open mind. Buy the one from the motivated seller that's $6K under bluebook. Honestly, there are deals to be had if you aren't locked into a single option and are willing to wait 2-6 months for the right deal to pop up.

Thankfully, I'll be in this position when the time comes. I'm planning on a 3 months window at the end of the lease.

I have a $12K used car right now that I bought 9 years ago for $15K when the bluebook said about 19K. Depreciation doesn't have to kill you, especially when buying used. You just have to find and identify the "cult cars" that will hold value and then be patient enough to find the motivated seller.

I'm so tempted to look at the older Eclipses and see if I can find one that's really been taken care of just for the reasons you mention above, but that would be a real hard pill for my wife to swallow. She wouldn't make a peep if I spend $35k on something new, but if I drop $5k and the car is 12-13 years old, I'm really gonna hear it!
 
Airborneguy said:
My mother's boyfriend has owned a shop for over 30 years and he's told me over and over again how bad European cars are unless you are willing to dump money on them or lease. Since I din't want to lease, and refuse to dump money unnecessarily, Euros are out.

One of my best friend has proven this point 100%. He's had a BMW since 2000 and loves it. Looks mint, but he's dumped a ton into it and I'm not willing to do that.
Interesting perspective on the euro car comment. You're really selling yourself short by not considering those cars. They are truly luxury/sport. IMHO, no FWD car can really be considered "sport". Torque steer (and they all have it) make them a PITA to drive. I drive a lot of cars, and have driven most of the cars mentioned here.

I've owned 4 BMWs and 2 MBz, My current BMW (540i 6-speed) has over 100k miles on it and is tighter than most cars with 20k miles on them. My other 3 were bought new, including an M3. I picked up the 540 w/75k miles and it's been good so far.

I'd seriously consider a CPO 335i, BMW will extend the warranty on a CPO for up to 100k miles as part of the CPO offering.

What you'll lose in depreciation on a new car in the first 15 minutes of ownership will easily cover any repairs/deductible on a CPO car, and the driving experience will be 10x more fun. The 0-60 time on a 335i is damn near what my M3 was.

Best wishes on whatever you choose. Ultimately it's your car and you have to enjoy driving it.
 
I think I'm going to have a serious conversation with him regarding BMW again. My friend has put a lot into his, but at the same time he's got a mint car that's almost 15 years old and still compares to the look and performance of modern cars in its class.

How is BMW's gas mileage in comparison to similar cars? The Genesis is so high on my list because nothing I've seen compares with its mpg rating.
 
Airborneguy said:
I'm so tempted to look at the older Eclipses and see if I can find one that's really been taken care of just for the reasons you mention above...

Well if the Eclipse is interesting, what about a Supra?

Or if the rally cars seem a bit rough around the edges, there's always the Saab version of the WRX. Can't recall its name now.

Also, I am always kinda intrigued by the Volvo turbo models. They had a 300hp station wagon a number of years ago and seem to have some pretty hot cars that rank pretty high on the luxury scale... Though service could be an issue.

And I second (third) the Caddy CTS suggestions. The CTS-V is a beast.
 
i've driven jap sports cars (used to have an rx7, driven 240's, etc), euros, porsche's, etc....

the best all around performance car was my bmw 328i.

"put a lot into"? doing what, exactly? i've had to replace the clutch and the radiator (130k miles). drivetrain is indestructiable. sure, you may have to replace a door handle or two (seriously, what's their problem with that?) but you'll never get stuck on the side of the road.
 
I have to say the point about European cars is intriguing. I've owned 2 different BMW's (one a 325 xi in the states and the other a 320i here in Europe) and both have been fantastic. The 325 I bought new in 2003 and owned it for 3 years or so and never had a single problem with it.
The 320 I bought here in Germany with 120,000 kilometers (about 75,000 miles) on it and I drive about 230km (140 miles) per day. I have had only one single problem when the alternator died last month. Other than that that it has been absolutely trouble free and of course being RWD is so much more fun to drive!
My advice is to not let one shop (even if it's someone you know) tell the whole story. If you look around enough you will always find someone who swears that so and so cars are the worst. But then again they can't all be bad can they?
 
I worked as a valet for 8 years, so I've driven pretty much every car out there. If you don't want to get a European, then check out the caddy CTS like others have mentioned, or the Lexus IS. Both of those come in 4-door and coupe models. The G37 that you mentioned is also a very nice car. If you're willing to check out European cars take a look at te BMW 3-series and the Audi A4 and A3.
 
Give the e46 m3 a look. Fantastic car, very fast (4 seconds), amazing handling, good gas mileage, nice rear seats, and an absolute drive to blast. I've driven many, many cars including m5s, porsches, benzes, stis, infinitis, Acura NSX and on and on. For the price point, an e46 m3 is incredible, and it's smack in your price point. The 335 is incredible as well, just not quite as raw and high performance as the ///M.
I've owned two bimmers and have had no major problems with either. The older e30s and e36s could be a bit rough, but e46 and the current generations are very solid. Personally, I think very few cars measure up to the e46 m3 at your price point.
Good luck in your search.
 
I spoke about manual to my wife today. Initially I told her I'd stay with an automatic for her, but today I just bluntly stated, "I'm getting another stick and I'll just teach you." Considering we're having our kid tomorrow, her response was very surprising: "Sounds like fun."
 
yeah i've driven in San Fran. insane. heck, walking is insane in san fran.

i've never driven in NYC but i just got back from jersey. not as bad as i imagined, but I missed my on ramp, so the GPS had me take the 1&9 all the way to edison from newark. seriously, there wasn't another on-ramp the entire way?
 
Stick leaving NYC sounds like fun tho.

One of the things I would also keep an eye on that seems to be a trend with sports cars. A lot of sports cars seem to be using "Run on Flat" tires. If you want a sport's experience you're compromising for convenience. I have used the functionality and it's great but there's a lot of invalid arguments on why you want them. To me they lessen the sports handling, are heavy/noisy. Give me a spare in the trunk.
 
Also, I am always kinda intrigued by the Volvo turbo models. They had a 300hp station wagon a number of years ago and seem to have some pretty hot cars that rank pretty high on the luxury scale... Though service could be an issue.

We have a 190hp Volvo Turbo wagon. It was fun for the first year or two (drove like it was on rails) but now it's at 130K+ and it isn't even worth the cost of a match to burn it to the ground. Problems everywhere, starter, headliner, auto climate control, door handles, headlamps every 3 to 4 months, etc...

I'll never buy Volvo again. The older box turbos were indestructible. The newer models are disposable (lifetime non serviceable transmission, wtf?)
 
My buddy had a BMW 5 series that had complete interior meltdown. Headliners, ally the vinyl on doors and dash, everything. Yes, FL is hot, but he was disgusted and said never again. Since then he has owned a new Infinity G coupe and Luxus IS.
 
Depends on the year and yes that is a manufacturer's reputation but the 5 series was in the crapper for a while for some reason. I hear they are better now. I have a 3 series. Just 70k but very dependable. Wish I got the turbo tho but due to insurance reasons I toned myself down and got the AWD ;-) No more driving retraining classes from the state of Massachusetts in a while.
 
You might look at Volvo. S80 has 268 hp, better numbers than the 3 series BMW. Super comfortable and virtually maintanance free. Sounds like Gila had problems, but I never have. I drive them to 200+ and get rid of them. Never do much more than scheduled maintenance. Wish the C70 was a bit more powerful, now that would be perfect for you. Hard top convertible. I suggest you drive a bunch of cars. That is the fun part. Decide what you want it to do, drive the same route each time and evaluate on its merits.

Plus the S80 fits a car seat with ease.
 
Not really a sports "car"..... I have a Grand Cherokee SRT8, 370 cu in, 6.1 420hp HEMI. I absolutely love it. Power all over the place, stiff supension & low profile tires. All leather w/ suede inserts, fully functional rear seat (baby seat) w/ storage in the rear...... Probably find a nice 08' or 09' with less than 50K miles on it for around 30K. Think that covers your list. May want to take one for a test drive....
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