Help me pick a car

[cwing6]

I will soon be in the market for something sporty (at least compared to my current 4 door Honda Accord.) I've always driven family-type vehicles so any guidance would be appreciated. It can be new or used, but I would prefer used. It will be my daily driver and can be a 2 or 4 seater but I would like a manual transmission. Also, something with a reasonable cost. Comments and suggestions welcome. Cars I've considered so far, with no conclusion on any:

Infiniti G series coupe
Nissan 350/370Z
Mazda MX5/Miata
BMW Z4
Hyundai Genesis coupe
Ford Mustang
Honda CRZ

 

[sciphi]

Cross the CRZ off the list. It's a sports-looking car that can be out-driven by a Fit Sport. I'd take a long look at a Mustang V6 with the handling package. That's a ton of power, a good bit of usable room, great handling, and good fuel economy from a powerful car.

 

[panthermike]

Agree w/ sciphi. The '11 V6 Stangs pack 305hp(0-60 in 5.4) and 31mpg highway. Plus it looks great as well.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Cross the CRZ off the list. It's a sports-looking car that can be out-driven by a Fit Sport. I'd take a long look at a Mustang V6 with the handling package. That's a ton of power, a good bit of usable room, great handling, and good fuel economy from a powerful car.


+1

Reasonable cost? Mustang V6 and MX-5 Miata.
If you are looking to mod right away, you might add in the Genesis 2.0t, but in stock form it's going to come up short vs the 3.7 Mustang

 

[aquariuscsm]

Nissan 350/370Z

 

[OVERKILL]

Price range?
New or used?

The Mustang is generally very inexpensive to own. One with the 5.0L is a bloody rocket. Get a BOSS 302 and well..... Yeah.

 

[SLCraig]

370Z!
Car is just awesome.

 

[daves87rs]

Madza 6- Family friendly/sporty.


End of thread...

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Madza 6- Family friendly/sporty.


End of thread...

Mazda made the first production variant of the Ford Cyclone 3.7 that is similar to the engine in the Mustang.

...but the 6S no longer comes with a manual.

You can still get one in a 6i

 

[jorton]

Don't they make Mitsubishi Eclipse anymore? Do new cars still come with speed limiter? A 300 or 400 horsepower Mustang with speed limiter doesn't make sense. OK(neither does jumbo shrimp!)

 

[dparm]

The G37 is a great vehicle. Smooth and responsive motor that makes a great sound, and you still get a good GT car underneath to cruise and DD. It's 95% of the 370Z performance with none of the drawbacks. My dad has the sedan and it truly a joy to drive; he loved it enough to buy my mom the EX35, which is a the crossover variety.


I certainly can't argue with the bang-for-the-buck proposition the new V6 Mustang offers.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: jorton
Don't they make Mitsubishi Eclipse anymore? Do new cars still come with speed limiter? A 300 or 400 horsepower Mustang with speed limiter doesn't make sense. OK(neither does jumbo shrimp!)

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is still made, but ever since they got much bigger, and lost the AWD and turbo option, few people buy them.

Not that the AWD Eclipse was a great car... most versions had manual transmission problems, and some had severe engine problems.

Anyway, for overall cost of ownership, I would choose the Mustang.

 

[hattaresguy]

Air cooled Porsche or Honda NSX, both can be had in the $30k range.

NSX is one heck of a car.

 

[needsducktape]

I agree - bang for your buck, the mustang is hard to beat. -I think one guy on BITOG got better mileage with his 2011 mustang than (the family car), Accord.

Its also much more practical relative to the older mustangs size wise, you can fit a great deal more into the car and there is more cabin space as well -My 2001 mustang was a tight fit.

Going into fall, you might get a tempting deal on a new 2011 as they start to clear out inventory. -I've never bought new, but when you see what some people are asking for their -USED car- it makes me wonder...

Miata is a very well balanced fun car -about as practical as a $2 bill.

G35 - GREAT car I test drove a few (sedan w MANUAL ). HOWEVER its work to find a manual and the owners KNOW that is the transmission everyone wants...

Honda CRZ - I am going to disagree with the majority here. I WOULD ALSO BET THEY NEVER DROVE ONE.
It is fun to drive -reminds me of my old Acura Integra. No its not a race car, but its not meant to be -its nimble -Like a Mini Cooper. FUN. (and frugal)

Hyundai coupe - Have not driven one. No comment.

350z - Decent but flawed. 370z is an improvement in every way. in a slighty more snug package.

ALL in all YOU should drive all of them and make a judgment call from there. The peanut gallery will not be driving the car you will.

-I personally look for all the cars I want, then buy based on what car stands out as a GREAT VALUE. -This does not mean cheap, but rather what I get at a certain price. Last year, I bought a Mazda Protege5 with 30,000miles for $5,000 even. I had a list of about ten cars and that one in particular was not very high on the list. But when car with 30K miles pops up on Craigslist for only $5K (and the car checks out ok of course!) Its hard to pass up...

 

[andrewg]

Easy one for me....the Mazda MX5 Miata hands down. I had a six speed manual (2008...basically same as current model). That was the most enjoyable vehicle I have ever driven. I had a recent Mustang GT that felt like an overweight clod compared to the MX5. Every time I drove the Miata I could not help but smile. Curvy roads were pure joy as well as driving to work on a warm day with the top down. I miss that car. In my opinion it's one of the very best cars ever produced.

 

[OVERKILL]

 

[97tbird]

Last year E46 M3? (used)

 

[PandaBear]

Do you want a big muscle car or a nimble handler?

G series can be very powerful but my friend told me the fuel economy is in the 16mpg range driven normally, and probably 13-14mpg if pushed hard.

Miata is around 30mpg but the light weight and handling makes it fun to drive.

There should be no reason both of them are on the same list.

 

[addyguy]

Chevrolet Cobalt SS Turbo. Seriously fast car.

 

[CivicFan]

Z4 is a fun-to-drive roadster with a small trunk especially if you get a spare tire. So it's impractical if you plan to carry more than one person around in your car or have extravagant shopping sprees.