Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Small Car recommendations...

Considering I think most modern performance cars are pretty ugly, save the Vette and stuff that gets up into the 100Ks...

I forget, is the Boxster on the list? Maintenance is probably expensive, but I know you can get those fairly cheap.

As for paddle shifters, there's two varieties: the automatic with paddle shifters, 'cause it's the thing to do these days, and the sequential manual gearbox. Which is what they use in F1, and in many higher end performance cars. I think VW actually uses those, though.

Well that certainly narrows down the choices Tom. I really like the 2011 Mustang GT. They’ve upped the anti on them quite a bit this year and they’re over 400 HP now. You might just want to give one a whirl. I drove a 2010 GT500 and can attest that it is an absolute animal, but too front end heavy for me (although the 2011 is 100 pounds lighter in the front this year with the new al block). The standard GT should put a smile on your face. But, I think it’s outside your budget. The Ford Fusion is a nice little car worth a look. Really, no joke, it’s a nice car. The Camaro is a slick car, but everyone has one. I’m holding out to see what the Z28 brings to the table. Both are outside your budget though. I hate Subaru’s. They ride like a brick and don’t have enough power to pull a string out of a cat’s ass. One rig you might want to look at is a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. You might be able to find one used in your price range. It’s not a car, get’s horrible gas mileage, but they are definitely a fun ride. All wheel drive, 425 hp. I know you can get a SRT-10 (pickup) used for about 25K, but I reckon that’s a real stretch for you. I owned one for a while. They definitely do not drive like a truck, but have many of the benefits of a truck, like visibility, head room, bed, can pull a boat, etc. I know, I’m no help… Have fun and get what YOU want before you’re too damn old to enjoy it.

Oh, you might be able to find a used caddy CRX. Nice friggin ride! I rented one and drove it all over Wa last fall. Sporty, good gas mileage, luxury.

What does a used Pontiac G8 go for?

Hadn't thought about the G8 - that's a solid suggestion.

Mike, you're no help J/K. But I'm not buying a Jeep Cherokee anything. The only Dodge I remotely considered was a Chrysler Crossfire, and there don't seem to be enough of them with low enough miles.

I've tried to like the Fusion, but it suffers from terminal boringness. How can you dismiss a Camaro because everyone has one and suggest a Fusion, for God's sake? I'll keep some kind of Mustang on the list. I don't think I need as many HP as you do for my personal "fun" threshold.

The Caddy CTS is a good suggestion, but it's probably not going to be sexy enough for how much it costs.

How about a 2004 Vette? Not that I can even suggest it to my wife with a straight face. Talk about living the cliche.

I sat in a RX-8 today - nice. A little small, but I'll probably drive one just to make sure it doesn't change my life.

Ken, seriously, capital costs and maintenance on a Porsche?!?!

You could find a 911 about 10 yrs old, reasonably low mileage in the low $20's. Most Porsches have lower than average mileage on them(for the yr) and they are well above average for reliability, imo. Just make sure you get an accredited Porsche dealer/mechanic to check the car out first, making sure it's got up to date maintenance records ect. You could drive a car like this for several years and either get most of your money back when you sell it, or possibly make a few bucks on reselling it like I did(after driving it for 5 yrs).

First you guys make me want to justify an outboard amp, and now you help me justify a Porsche?

With friends like you, who needs Amex?

Nice!

The Fusion, if you get it with the right options actually looks pretty cool. Without the larger wheels and upgraded trim, they are boring. A neighbor of mine has one all tricked out and I think it looks pretty sharp. The Camaro is the flavor of the week. My neighbor has an SS and it's a sweet ride, but damn, you can't drive two blocks anywhere without seeing one. If I get a Camaro, it'll be a pre70 or the new Z28. The Z28 is rumored to be available with a rag top, which is what I want. The Mustang GT 500 comes in a rag top, which is really tempting, but I’ve have to get a 2011 and that’s 60K.

Have you ever seen the SRT? Scary friggin fast and eats corners like crazy with its AWD. One of my bud's girlfriend has one and let me take it for a spin with her riding along. I had her screaming for her life. Now she begs me to take her for a ride. You shouldn’t dismiss it so quick without at least looking at one.

A used CTS can be found for about 25K. With the 18" wheels, it's pretty sexy. I'd look for the V model with the V8, but that would be over your price range, probably in the high 30's.

You serious about the vette? If so, let me know, I'm looking for one right now. Make sure you stick with the C-5 chassis. They stick to the road much, much better than any previous version. I want one dark red, rag top, six speed and HUD. 08-10's with low (less than 20K) miles are going for about 40K. 5K for a supercharger and you’re up around 650 HP.

Another car worth looking at is a Charger (even though you apparently don't like Dodge). Dodge is giving them away right now. The RT with AWD and 5.7 is going for about 25K, new.

The G-8 was about 30K new with all the bells and whistles and a 6.2 ltr. I forgot about them. Not sure why they didn't sell that well cause they were a heck of a bargain. I did drive a GTO once. I wasn’t impressed.

If you like Nissan, a fun one to test drive that’s totally out of your price range is the GT-R. You might be able to find a used 09 for 50K, maybe. They are about 80K new. An optometrist I know has one and took me for a spin in it after we got into an “import verses American muscle car debate”. Holy crap, what a ride. This is one car that is seriously under appreciated by the performance snobs of the world. I usually don’t get nervous, but I was going through some serious sphincter pucker problems during that little ride.

Let me know if I can provide further assistance. I'll do my best to talk you into spending 50K.

Mike, you're awesome. But I'm not spending 50k. I'm half serious about the Vette. People seem to take good care of them. Obviously, I'd have to get an older one to get into my price range.

Thanks for the Porsche perspective, Adrian. I hadn't thought of it that way.

HomeDad, you make me sick. Still.

Ebay Motors is a good place to look. I steered you wrong earlier. You want a C-6. 2005 or newer. Not sure what I was thinking.... You can do a search with all kinds of filters to find what you want in your price range. If you wait till spring, I plan to go on a road trip looking for one.

But seriously, test drive the GT-R. That's the most incredible car I've been in a long time. What makes it so damn fast (other than a 3.6 0-60 and, 12 second quarter and +1 g cornering) is it's super smart and driver friendly, IE: any idiot can drive it well. Too well in many cases. It's compared to the 911-GT3.