Hello all, I'm new to the forum but have spent the past year reading different ownership journals on here - roninsoldier83's were especially informative. Now I want to try my hand at recording a car ownership experience - in the process maybe getting some feedback/advice from people here, and hopefully leaving some useful information for others in the future.
I'm pretty new to the automotive hobby - I've had a 2009 Honda Fit since 2014, and it has been a hero. I started getting more interested in cars early last year, and decided I wanted to pursue the hobby after a manual driving lesson in an E90 328i which was really satisfying and fun. I bought an NB Miata LS with the 6 speed and LSD in July, which was a delight for all the reasons everyone here knows. I really learned to drive stick with the car and came to love the engagement, and while I know its kooky, I did achieve a few blissful moments of jinba-ittai while driving that car. The highlight was driving all of Skyline Drive this October with my wife - automotive nirvana.
The Blue Fleet
However, my wife needed the Honda Fit for running errands during the day which left me trying to commute to work on the DC Beltway in the Miata - not a great proposition. I wanted something that had lots of steering/chassis feedback, had a more interesting engine than all the usual 2-liter 4-bangers, could get me to work reliably, was big enough for all the distracted drivers to notice me, had a back seat for storage, and couldn't cost more than $25k - surely not too much to ask?! 
I test drove the following cars:
- VW Jetta GLI - a warmed up commuter car with uncommunicative steering and unimpressive acceleration. While the car felt light, the example I drove understeered so badly that there seemed no point to a light chassis that you can't easily point in the right direction. Also, a boring engine and I've read bad things about VW's reliability.
- CLA45 AMG - cheap speed (in every sense) - absolute hoot to drive, especially with the ridiculous exhaust. Runflats and an uncompromising suspension led to a harsh, brittle ride, and the steering didn't tell you much about what was happening - not confidence-inspiring. And with that overstressed 2 liter I knew it was a matter of time until some very expensive bills came due.
- E90 330i - really really impressive, it simply flowed through turns and the N52 engine surged power smoothly - the car felt like a harmonious package that was greater than the sum of its parts. My example's terrible alignment couldn't ruin the chassis and engine combination. But sufficiently old that I'd be constantly chasing broken plastic and perished rubber - not to mention needing a complete cooling system overhaul.
- 6th Gen Camaro V6 - I had assumed it was a muscle car that couldn't handle well, but after reading praise from the motoring press online I gave it a try and was deeply impressed. Its sharp handling and responsive chassis reminded me of the E90, but its 3.6 liter engine gave it more torque and a deeper, more aggressive sound. It also felt lighter on its feet than its appearance suggested, and it almost felt like the car was urging me on to drive harder.
- F22 230i Coupe - This car felt competent more than anything else - cold and capable, but not exciting. The test drive was too short as the salesman rode in the car with me and my wife, and had us take a 10 minute loop. The fake engine noise in the cabin was annoying, and the car was very short on character.
- Cadillac ATS V6 - Satisfying chassis, steering, and engine combined to make a really attractive option. Too bad they seem to have chronic rear diff leaks that lead to premature death and $2000 repair bills. The CARFAX of the example I tested had FOUR rear diff services recorded, yikes! And yes, the Camaro does use the same platform, and luckily it doesn't have the same rear diff issues.
By this point, you're on the edge of your seat - "but bigmack101, which one did you get?! I've been so engrossed by your journey I've forgotten the title of the thread!"
Well dear reader, it ultimately wasn't a hard decision - a 2+2 coupe, rear wheel drive, communicative chassis, light on its feet, characterful engine, and big enough to be noticed by distracted motorists - the 6th Gen Camaro V6 was my pick. And I know its not the enthusiast choice, but I had to go with an automatic for my 2 hours of commuting in stop and go traffic.
My next post, I'll go into the specific car I bought last week, with all its quirks and features.
