Good old fashioned what car thread anyone?

Caddy ATS comes in 2 door manual. They handle sweet according to the magazine reviews. CTS is 4 doors only but CTS-V parts bolt on.....

Or just go full CTS-V and blow the budget.

Okay,  company flew me back to Texas today for training and my rental is a Jetta. It's surprisingly better than I thought it would be.  May have to look into these....

Nick Comstock said:

Speaking about the smaller side anyone with personal experience with the frisbee twins care to comment about the driving experience? Are they buzzy and harsh? 

I've driven my friend's 2017. I believe the suspension was revised (supposedly less harsh) along with the "power bump" and diff upgrade this year. The flat four is not buzzy at all, the car feels very well put together and modern. To me it felt very refined with good manners. Depending on what you're coming from it could very well feel like a GT car. My stable consists of an 01 celica and an 07 TSX as my closest reference points. Doesn't hurt to test drive one some trims you can even get heated seats. 

In reply to Nick Comstock :

I've owned a '13 FR-S base model since new and love the car, but I would call it a fairly unabashed sports car. Compared with a lot else that is new or fairly new, it is noisy and harsh riding. Prior to the FR-S, the bulk of my experience was with AE86 Corollas, an '81 Starlet that was stripped out, 90's Civic Si and Integra Type R, and various 70's Alfa Romeo sports coupes, etc. The FR-S is more refined than all of them, but that isn't saying much.

As a daily for myself (early 40-something still wanting an engaging rear-drive coupe) I occasionally find myself thinking about stuffing it full of sound deadening, tweaking the suspension, and adding a little engine tuning to make a slightly softer affordable mini-GT of sorts. Then just for fun I find myself browsing the cheap end of used Jaguar coupes, then wondering just how expensive an Aston Martin really could be to keep running. Then I look at fuel mileage figures and hop right back in the FR-S. :)

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

Fastest test result I found by C&D was 6.8 seconds for the 2.5 automatic sedan, 7 flat for the stick-shift hatchback.

Nick Comstock said:

In reply to dean1484 :

I generally love German cars. But man I just don't trust them to be reliable.  Maybe that's something I need to get over. 

Not an irrational fear considering how bad Mercedes was in the 90s up to 2010. After 2010 things changed and they are very good cars. 

I know a coupe may be preferred, but when you said GT car, I always immediately think of the E39 M5 (1998–2003).  400ish HP, RWD, a very stout V8, available in a manual, understated but such nice style.  I see them all the time from 10-20K depending on condition.

In reply to LifeIsStout :

I would love to have one of those  but I know at that age I'm always going to be stressing about it. 

I'm probably looking more towards the appliance end of the spectrum versus the enthusiast side.  However I'm too much of an enthusiast to settle for a Camry if that makes sense. 

IS-F, 5.0 Genesis sedan, XKR, modern v8 Mercedes, v8 Challenger are all excellent recommendations but I think you're looking for something more Camry Accord with the biggest engine they have kinda thing.  

How about a 2010+ Jaguar XFR

They sound amazing from mild to wild

500hp stock (can be upgraded)

Flappy paddles 

Handles very well when you need it to with a very smooth ride. 

Handsome interior

I've driven one and they're such sleepers. They could seriously steal me away from an Mercedes in the same era. 

yupididit said:

IS-F, 5.0 Genesis sedan, XKR, modern v8 Mercedes, v8 Challenger are all excellent recommendations but I think you're looking for something more Camry Accord with the biggest engine they have kinda thing.  

 

 

You may be on point.  If I don't end up at the challenge Saturday I may end up at the carmax to do some test driving. 

Nick Comstock said:

Okay,  company flew me back to Texas today for training and my rental is a Jetta. It's surprisingly better than I thought it would be.  May have to look into these....

We have a '15 Jetta SE TSI that I got after I totaled my E46 325i sport/auto. I have to say it's not *quite* as fun (in a it won't go backward into a telephone pole kind of way) but it's a decent daily. 75k on it now and exactly zero drama from it. I think a manual/dsg version and some mild lowering springs and proper wheels/tires for summer/not summer would go a long way to making it a little more interesting. Alas, I am not allowed to touch this one, and I am pretty sure I had to sign a contract to that effect with SWMBO as she likes to take it when I don't need it.

Nick Comstock said:

yupididit said:

IS-F, 5.0 Genesis sedan, XKR, modern v8 Mercedes, v8 Challenger are all excellent recommendations but I think you're looking for something more Camry Accord with the biggest engine they have kinda thing.  

 

 

You may be on point.  If I don't end up at the challenge Saturday I may end up at the carmax to do some test driving. 

I had a Camry for a rental when SWMBO and I were in Washington a few weeks ago and actually came away pretty impressed with the thing. Got to hustle it a bit on some pretty amazing roads and, while you won't mistake it for a Meeotter from behind the wheel, the handling is competent. The four banger isn't going to win any drag races, but with the 8(?) speed auto it got along just fine and averaged like 40 mpg. With a V6, better dampers, and maybe some sway bars (and a manual, but of course that's a pipe dream), I think it would actually be really fun for an appliance.

Lexus GS could be an option too. The GS-F would completely blow your budget but an F-Sport would be in range.

I love the IS-F, but I believe the ride is pretty harsh.

And then you have the LS430/460, which is much more cruiser but an amazing car at amazing used car prices.

What about a Chevy SS? The manuals are more in the 30-40's but some of the earlier autos can be found in the mid-20's.

Sounds like a lot of people have made great suggestions here. Some of my personal faves:

Challenger: They are big, stupid fun. Lots of interior room (for activities!), and they have enough power for cruising and the occasional vehicular stupidity. A 2015+ car will have a much nicer interior, but if you can deal with the "Rubbermaid storage tote" interior of the earlier cars, they are a good value. 2011-14 cars got revised (AKA better) suspension than the earlier ones. Most manual cars in those years also got the Super Track Pack; poke your head underneath and look for Bilsteins for visual confirmation. Newer ones are easier to spot: they got a Super Track Pack button under the radio.

G37 Coupe: If you can find one with a stick, they are nice rides. Good handling, and they make good power and fun noises. Infotainment is dated and runs everything, though.

2015+ Mustang Ecoboost (or GT if you can find one cheap): I said the M Word, I know. Have you driven one of these though? They are really nice cars and worth a look. Good handling, good power, and a really nice interior. Lots of bang for the buck here. Much nicer than the earlier cars.

2004-06 GTO: They still look good and make competitive power, even by today's standards. They are getting long in the tooth, and are rare cars from an orphaned brand, so parts availability for trim and body bits are dwindling by the day. Kinda expensive for what they are, at least around here.

Accord Coupe with the V6 (whatever the last gen is): If you can find one, and don't mind the "wrong wheel drive", these are fun street cars. Plenty of power, and especially fun on the highway!

ATS Coupe: It's like a Camaro you can see out of! Great handling and they look fancy. They did make them with manuals, and you could even get the V6 with a stick, but they have to be rare. Biggest gripe: Cadillac VUE. They have an atrocious, problematic infotainment system that, like the G37, controls everything.
 

How about the Lincoln MKZ 3.0T? The 3.0t is Lincoln's turbo v6 engine. They come 400hp/400tq for the awd model and 350hp for the fwd model. 

In reply to yupididit :

I'm generally very anti FoMoCo but the soon to be ex's MKC almost has my mind changed.  I'd like to drive one to see what it's like,  I do like the styling. 

In reply to Nick Comstock :

It sounds like a real sleeper but probably isn't the sportiest of 400hp sedans you can buy. But, Lincoln looks, safe, and could be found with warranty left over. 

In reply to yupididit :

I moved from the flat boring straight roads of Texas to the boring flat straight roads of Florida.  Sporty is wasted on me.  

In reply to Nick Comstock :

When did you move and what did I miss? 

In reply to yupididit :

Couple months ago.  Long story. 

Well then.  

When are you going to start test driving these suggestions?

And the winner is something no one suggested...

2015 Charger SXT rallye

I drove a couple FWD midsized sedans prior to diving this one. 

This one drives very nicely.  The ride is smooth, the engine is smooth and 300hp is enough.  In sport mode the 8 speed trans shifts with authority and reacts very quickly to the paddle shifters for a traditional slush box.  I really like the interior design and I find the seats extremely comfortable.  The proper wheels are being driven and aside from having two extra doors it's everything I was looking for. 

In reply to Nick Comstock :

Congrats.  I've had several as rentals and like them a lot.