$30000 for a new car - What's good!

[amdhunter]

I am having a hell of a time looking for a new car and spent all 3 days of the holiday looking for one.

Nothing is really popping out at me right now, and I want something nice. All I am interested in, is a brand new vehicle, 07 - 08.

So far I looked at;
Lancer GTS (utter piece of crap, really heavy and no torque at all)
IS250 (more than 40k, but kinda weak for it's cost)
Acura TSX (What a piece of crap it is, my 140HP Civic LX has more pull, and it's also no better than my civic inside.)

I've also went to
Subaru - Nothing caught my eye , although an STi would be nice
Toyota - Nothing caught my eye
Nissan - 350z looked nice, but I can't live with a 2 seater
Saturn - Sky was nice, but I am too old, fat and ugly for that
Honda - Nothing caught my eye
Audi - A4 looks nice, but i dunno

I plan to go today to:
Ford, Mercedes and Volkswagon

Anyone wanna chime in really quickly and give a suggestion?

 

[ElFenix]

no altima coupes on nissan's lot?

ford fusion is competent, but a bit basic. you might look at the lincoln mark z, er, mkz. it's the same basic chassis as the fusion but has a 3.5 liter engine and available awd.

 

[nismotigerwvu]

BMW 135i ftw

 

[exdeath]

I'll put in my usual bid for the '03/04 Cobra and 05+ (400 HP LS2) GTO, 93-98 Supra Turbo, etc.

You'll get a lot more car for the money if you get a car thats lightly used (ie: ~30k miles, garaged, original owner, like new etc). That would bump you up two or three price brackets and get you cars like 03+ M3, IS300+, that would be over your price range if brand new.

 

[vi edit]

G35 would be at the top of my list.

 

[T2urtle]

u gotta give more info for us to even get in your area of likings. 30k so we got the price. and 07-08 so we got the years. you also mention your fat, old and ugly (?) no 2seaters. Since your looking at 30k i would assume your decently well off. So why not get a low end caddy. base model caddy CTS starts at 30k and with any incentives you should be right there at 30k,

caddy CTS,
Avalon.

crossover cars i would like myslef since you mention your kinda larger. would be
mazda cx7

 

[cardiac]

I do like the newer Volvos. Take a look at the S40, which would come in right under your $30k mark: New York Volvos.

Bob

 

[Ktulu]

Why not wait a little bit and take a look at the new CTS, definitely an eye catcher. I believe they're showing up on dealer lots little by little now.

 

[Subbaculcha]

Mazdaspeed 3.
And you get to keep about 5k of that 30k.

 

[maddogchen]

Acura TL, if you can afford an IS250, you can afford a TL.

 

[ultimatebob]

Are you buying or leasing?

I see you in VW Passat or a Ford Fusion myself, although neither one of those is terribly reliable.

If you're keeping it for awhile, maybe a Nissan Maxima is more up your alley.

 

[alimoalem]

what are your likes? dislikes? what is of top priority? cargo space? power? luxury?

i think the mazdaspeed3 is a good car but i think it's a more youthful car. g35 is something to look at. look into a used car (fitting exdeath's description). you lose a few thousand dollars in value driving off the lot so why not benefit from this and let someone else take the economic fall?

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Are you buying or leasing?

I see you in VW Passat or a Ford Fusion myself, although neither one of those is terribly reliable.

If you're keeping it for awhile, maybe a Nissan Maxima is more up your alley.

Yeah? The Fusion is not that reliable? It's first year reliability has been ranked as 'well above average' in consumer reports in ALL CATEGORIES. Well above average si their highest rating.

That's on par with an Accord.

 

[DougK62]

It sounds like you want an entry-level luxury car, not the jazzed up lower-end cars that are on your list. Hit BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Volvo, etc.

 

[ajayjuneja]

Try the new G35 sedan - it's like a 4 door 350Z!

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: Subbaculcha
Mazdaspeed 3.
And you get to keep about 5k of that 30k.

25K for one of those??? geez there so tiny..

 

[Dr. Detroit]

For 30K I bet you could get a loaded up Saab 9-3 Aero. Rebates will knock a good $4-5K off the price and you should be able to bargain another thousand or more off.

Mazdaspeed 6
2006 GTO if your willing to buy a coupe, leftovers are getting $5K in rebates + 0%
The new 2008 Taurus or Sable comes with 265HP but its not really sporting as its a luxo crusier like the Avalon & Lucerene.

 

[sierrita]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1

Originally posted by: Subbaculcha
Mazdaspeed 3.
And you get to keep about 5k of that 30k.

25K for one of those??? geez there so tiny..

They don't price cars by the pound anymore.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
Acura TL, if you can afford an IS250, you can afford a TL.

I'll join in on that one, I say if 30k is your budget, then maybe brand new German cars are not for you, 30k would fetch you a pimped out Acura TL though, which I think is a sweet car for the money, why go accord when you can go TL, no? Hell you can get it 6 spd too I like very nice

 

[BUTCH1]

Originally posted by: sierrita

Originally posted by: BUTCH1

Originally posted by: Subbaculcha
Mazdaspeed 3.
And you get to keep about 5k of that 30k.

25K for one of those??? geez there so tiny..

They don't price cars by the pound anymore.

No, but for 25K?? The 3 is no bigger than a Corolla! a lot of safer cars for that much
money!

 

[franksta]

Volvo S40?
We got one of the T5 with a few options (HID, GPS, Sport Suspension) for right at 30000.
Pic the day we brought it home

 

[fbrdphreak]

Used G35
New Caddy CTS
06 GTO (only ~200 left)
Mazdaspeed6
Legacy GT (Spec. B maybe, for the 6-speed)

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: ajayjuneja
Try the new G35 sedan - it's like a 4 door 350Z!

The who is like a what?!?!?!??!?!!??!?!
They're both over $30k... I think that's where the similarities end.

I'm loving my Altima Coupe by the way. I got the 2.5 and it has plenty of power that anyone would need for legal driving. The 3.5 would be more fun, however. Sometimes I wish I had sprung for the 3.5, but that would have jacked the price up quite a bit more, and increased the amount of my paycheck that goes toward gas considering it would get worse mileage and require premium fuel to get all 270 of those horses.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: ajayjuneja
Try the new G35 sedan - it's like a 4 door 350Z!

The who is like a what?!?!?!??!?!!??!?!
They're both over $30k... I think that's where the similarities end.

Same motor / drivetrain, RWD, same mfg. The G coupe is almost identical to the 350 in terms of performance. The new one probably even outclasses it somewhat (30 extra hp).

Given the excellent (for an entry-luxury midsize vehicle) performance of the G, and the underwhelming (for the sports-car $30-$35k class) performance of the Z (compared to EVO, GTO, etc) .. I don't know how Nissan manages to sell 350Zs when the customer can walk across the lot and buy a G for a slight bit more $$.

Now if Nissan offered their 5.6L V8 (nearly 400tq, broad powerband) in a 560ZX model, then we'd really have something to talk about

In this price range, the OP should check out the TL. It's way above average in every area.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: ajayjuneja
Try the new G35 sedan - it's like a 4 door 350Z!

The who is like a what?!?!?!??!?!!??!?!
They're both over $30k... I think that's where the similarities end.

Same motor / drivetrain, RWD, same mfg. The G coupe is almost identical to the 350 in terms of performance. The new one probably even outclasses it somewhat (30 extra hp).

Given the excellent (for an entry-luxury midsize vehicle) performance of the G, and the underwhelming (for the sports-car $30-$35k class) performance of the Z (compared to EVO, GTO, etc) .. I don't know how Nissan manages to sell 350Zs when the customer can walk across the lot and buy a G for a slight bit more $$.

Now if Nissan offered their 5.6L V8 (nearly 400tq, broad powerband) in a 560ZX model, then we'd really have something to talk about

In this price range, the OP should check out the TL. It's way above average in every area.

So because they use the same drivetrain and they're made by the same company they're near identical? One is a luxury sedan... the other is a sports car...