OK guys, my older car is finally starting to shit the bed, and I just got a better paying job, so I am looking for a newer car, and I am trying to decide between a few. I am looking at spending anywhere between 12000-18000 on a car but obviously the cheaper the better. These are the ones I am currently looking at:
Subaru brz/Scion fr-s
ford focus st
nissan maxima
nissan 350z/370z
infiniti g35/g37
hyundui genesis coupe
hyundai veloster turbo
Any others you guys think I should throw in the mix, any I should throw out as shit?
>tldr: best used car for around 15k
>>14648239
What's wrong with your current car? What kind of shape is it in? (paint, interior, etc)
>>14648404
Shit just constantly stops working, I have spent over 3 grand this year in repairs alone. I bought the car for about 3 grand a little over a year ago.
>tfw when 1998 mercedes e320
>>14648404
paint is also in pretty shit condition on roof and hood
>>14648239
MazdaSpeed3
Get an E46 M3 for $17k.
>>14648584
>buying a merc after the w124
you brought this on yourself anon
post your local craigslist/autotrader. are you paying cash or financing?
>>14648735
I am completely aware of that, as I started getting more into cars AFTER I bought this one.
I will probably put down a large down payment and then finance.
>>14648633
I was also looking at a mazda 6
>>14648642
I love that car, but I have to drive a lot for work, so I looking for something with a bit more than 14 city mpg.
>>14648889
New Mazda6 is gud and apparently is the most fun in its class and nice on the inside along with the Accord and Fusion. Too bad
>tfw no tarbo4, v6, and no manuel on highest trim
>>14648900
yeah, that was my one concern, it only has 185 hp and fwd so it is definitely down from what I got now.
>>14648919
Seems like the current Mazda lineup are all basically styled after their de facto halo car (Miata) and are all light, fun in corners, but not particularly fast in a straight line.
>>14648926
Yeah, I like the post-2014 styling and they can be had for under 18000 so I am def looking at them, just worrying I'm going to miss the acceleration.
Jeep Wrangler TJs are incredibly reliable
>>14649019
Except they aren't
focus st
>>14649054
does anyone here own a focus st and can comment on reliability/repair costs?
>>14649064
I know that if you put aftermarket wastegate actuator and run a very hot E30 tune, they like to blow up, so keep your mods within reason and you should have no issues. also the st2 is the best value for the price
>>14648239
Of your list only the FR-S, Z, ang g37 are worth buying
I recommend an S2000
>>14649125
I was looking at an s2000 but I need at least a little bit of cargo space.
>>14649101
As I am very new to learning cars, I will probably keep it stock, as is.
>>14648239
What are the pros and cons when comparing the veloster turbo to the genesis coupe? the genesis looks far far superior. Hits the RWD meme, looks nicer, good interior space compared to the veloster, from a non-car guy it looks a league better for a similar price.
>>14649153
Yeah, I threw the veloster on there recently as I had been recommended to look at it.
>>14649153
cons: korean
pros: warranty
I would avoid anything turbo from korea, Ive seen a few of them take a shit whilst casually driving around
>>14649174
Ill probably take that off of the list then.
>>14648239
>>14649064
I have the Fiesta ST (that you posted a picture of, but didn't include on your list) and it's proven to be perfectly reliable so far, I'm at 18,000 miles in a year and a half. Especially if kept stock, it should be reliable for years to come.
Just know what you're getting into with a direct injection engine, and know you might have to have it walnut blasted around ~60k miles or so (might be able to factor this into your negotiation). Ford doesn't technically have a maintenance recommendation for the carbon buildup issue, but walnut blasting is what BMW has been doing for a while now on their direct injection engines.
I'll do my best to answer any other questions you might have about the STs.
>>14649498
As is is a lot of power to put into a front wheel drive car, how bad is the torque steer?
>>14648239
I ended up buying a 350z and I really enjoy it, I really liked that 86 as well though despite it being a bit of a meme car
Don't buy a hyundai
I had the same issue, my s2000 had over 200k on the odometer and I was starting to chase electrical gremlins and spend way too much money in repairs, so I shopped around panda extensively test drove different cars for about a year.
I ended up purchasing a Fiesta ST because I got an amazing deal on it (after thanksgiving, end of 2015, got it for less than 18k after rebates and negotiating). A lot of my friends have given me grief about dropping my s2000 for it, but I have no regrets. You can toss the Fiesta ST amazingly well and it pulls like crazy. Great car for the cost, haven't had any problems with it and I'm touching 5k miles on it now.
That being said, I've heard that some of the older Fiesta ST's had issues with tranny and sync system, so just make sure you're buying a model 2015 or newer.
>>14649633
Can't say much about the Focus (I've heard it's manageable though, especially stock).
In the Fiesta it wasn't bad at all stock, the car felt just a little under powered from the factory, and once I added some power the need for bracing became evident.
Both cars are tons of fun (along with most of your list), I'd say you can't go wrong doing a day full of test drives. If you can manage it, you might be able to schedule an extended test drive as well to get a better feel for the cars than just an around the block and back.
>>14649653
My parents own an 08 elantra and accent. They've been ok for them.
muh mazda3 05 is wearing badly. front strut went and my AC is out. As a Canadian this +15 weather is already getting bad. I don't think I can tolerate a summer without AC.
Which leaves me in a similar situation as OP. Except i'm leaning towards an acura TL SH('12) or an accord coupe exl or touring ('12-13). The genesis coupe does seem very appealing however it is hyundai and it doesn't look good for winter driving.
