Fast, fun car - good mileage? Any advice?

[Captain 'Dre]

Originally Posted by MagicHef

I have a 2001 MR2 with a turbo added. Ridiculously fast and handles better than anything else I've ever driven. It only has 2 seats and absolutely no cargo room, though.

I can get close to 40 mpg if I drive responsibly. Somehow that never happens, though, so it's more like 30-35 mpg.

I have a Miata and LOVE it.

Handles great, is zippy and gets good fuel economy-- 31/hwy, 26/city

If you need a lot of passenger room or trunk space, however, you're **** out of luck.

[crush17]

CTS-V or GTFO!

[Captain 'Dre]

Originally Posted by waz06

What the hell? We are already on page 3 and not a single mention of a Vette. For 40k you can pick up a used Corvette ZO6 with performance that will embarass most expensive european supercars.
Not many people realize that the newer vettes get great gas mileage too. I get above 20 mpg when I keep my speed below 3 digits. (and it takes great restraint to do this because it is so quick to get past 100). And get a good radar detector like BEL electronics or Valentine 1 or you will lose your license.
Yes it is a 2 seater but you can always borrow back the Yukon from your son if you need to haul more .
Try to test drive a ZO6 and take it out on some winding road. The car has almost a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution plus its low profile and big fat tires allows it to take curves easily. And its lightning quick acceleration will leave a silly grin on your face.

did not see broncojef's post above

Historically, wheelbase issues have kept 'vettes from having great handling. Fast? You bet! But lack the maneuverability of plenty of other sports cars.

[Captain 'Dre]

I have a friend with a Porsche Cayman...

It has the same chassis as the Boxter, but looks more like a 911, and is fast and handles like a dream. Used, you can easily get one for $35K in great shape.

Only a 2 seater, but at least (as a mid-engine) has both a front and rear trunk.

[broncocalijohn]

Originally Posted by MariusPontmercy

They're planning on introducing a new version of the Tesla at less than 60k.... might be worth looking into. I'm not sure if it's been rolled out yet. I took a class on venture capital as an undergrad and I did a profile on Elon Musk. The man is a genius.

Well **** then Smurf! His kid is getting ready to drive so why not buy him a $60k car!

Go with the Gremlin. Stylish, very much a classic, fast and good gas mileage. If it was good enough to be highly featured in a Mike Myers movie, it should be good enough for your kid.

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by Captain 'Dre

I have a Miata and LOVE it.

Handles great, is zippy and gets good fuel economy-- 31/hwy, 26/city

If you need a lot of passenger room or trunk space, however, you're **** out of luck.

I have never driven anything so fun. At first, it seemed too impractical, but after a while I realized that I never use my back seat. We have a minivan to carry the kids around, so even if I did have a back seat, we wouldn't all cram into a small 4 door when we could have much more space. I don't know about turbos on Miatas, but the MR2 is an entirely different car with it.

[broncocalijohn]

Originally Posted by Captain 'Dre

I have a Miata and LOVE it.

Handles great, is zippy and gets good fuel economy-- 31/hwy, 26/city

If you need a lot of passenger room or trunk space, however, you're **** out of luck.

...and it lets every dude know that you are totally available. Miata? I had a girlfriend who got one when they first came out. Within a year I got her to turn it in for a 240 SX. One hydroplaning helped her to agree.

[Requiem]

1988 Buick Grand National with a supercharger. We call it "mashing."

[Beantown Bronco]

Hey, even Bill Romanowski drives a Miata.......(granted he was playing a flaming gay guy in the movie The Benchwarmers, but still).

[Captain 'Dre]

Originally Posted by broncocalijohn

...and it lets every dude know that you are totally available. Miata? I had a girlfriend who got one when they first came out. Within a year I got her to turn it in for a 240 SX. One hydroplaning helped her to agree.

What can I say? I'm secure in my gender identity, and don't feel like a Miata makes me 'feminine'.

[broncocalijohn]

Originally Posted by Captain 'Dre

What can I say? I'm secure in my gender identity, and don't feel like a Miata makes me 'feminine'.

Oh, I agree. You totally would have to when driving the Miata. By any chance, when you bought it, did you trade it in with a Volkswagen Cabriolet Convertible?

[ZONA]

cars are for girls, dudes drive trucks. nuff said

[Tom A Hawk]

get one of these
Mercedes Benz C350 coupe
305 HP V6
30+ on highway
I average 26...drive back and forth to work city/hiway.
I traded a GT Mustang (2005).

[Captain 'Dre]

Originally Posted by broncocalijohn

Oh, I agree. You totally would have to when driving the Miata. By any chance, when you bought it, did you trade it in with a Volkswagen Cabriolet Convertible?

No, a Mazda Rx7. Nowhere NEAR as fun a driving experience.

Clerarly, YOU would be uncomfortable being seen driving a Miata. What does it matter to you if some fellow drivers conclude you might be gay because of the car you're driving? 'Fraid they'll run you off the road and try to seduce you?

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

My family has owned a 928, a 928S and a 928GTS over the years, along with various and asundry 911 models of all kinds, a 914-6 (which we dropped a bigger boxer engine into for racing purposes), a even a 924S. I have a family member who just got a twin turbo Cayenne that's a freaking rocket ship.

Mine was the 928S. I saw it in Scarface and fell in love with it back in HS. Funny thing was when I went to buy a car I wasn't thinking I had to have a 928 I looked at a new 1989 Mustang GT and figured for about the same money I could have a 928 so I did that. I probably should have bought a more practical daily driver but I was young, very young.

[DenverBroncosJM]

You at least owe it to yourself to try the 370z. I can guarantee you will not find a faster, better performing "sports car" in that price range. You can get 29 to 30 mpg on the higher probably more if you pay attention.

[razorwire77]

One of the best older used cars for the money is an E39 M5 BMW (1998-2003).

First of all it's a saloon, so the insurance is more reasonable. Secondly, it has a 400 bhp V8, along with all of the handling you'd expect from an M series. The E39 is also exceptional even by M-Series standards. You'll get 22-25 MPG if you drive fairly conservatively, which is hard when a car is this ****ing awesome.

An E39 in decent shape with decent miles can be had for between 15-20K depending on where you live.

[srphoenix]

I've really enjoyed my Evo X. 325hp and tq as it stands right now, but with a conservative tune once I buy an ecu cable I should be at 375-400 hp and tq. All wheel drive is a godsend if you live in winter climates and it pulls 1g stock on the skidpad. Plus 4 doors and a trunk are convenient if you plan on living with the car as a daily driver. Around town I average about 22mpg but if your cruising on the freeway you should be getting at least 26mpg.

You should be able to find a non-molested one with relatively lower miles for 22-25k.

[Cito Pelon]

Hargrove, your best bet is go to new car dealerships like BMW, Acura, Mercedes, Lexus, whatever and test drive the many used cars they have. You'll find a huge selection of nice vehicles and they're plenty happy to let you run them around.

Here's some good websites for research:

http://www.caranddriver.com/

http://www.motortrend.com/

http://www.autoweek.com/

edmunds.com and kbb.com have nice resources also, and you can do sortable side-by-side comparisons between vehicles that give you all the data about headroom, trunk space, all the data.

For reliability stats, Consumer Reports is the bible, it will cost you about $30 for a one-year online subscription but well worth the money.

[Tombstone RJ]

Originally Posted by srphoenix

I've really enjoyed my Evo X. 325hp and tq as it stands right now, but with a conservative tune once I buy an ecu cable I should be at 375-400 hp and tq. All wheel drive is a godsend if you live in winter climates and it pulls 1g stock on the skidpad. Plus 4 doors and a trunk are convenient if you plan on living with the car as a daily driver. Around town I average about 22mpg but if your cruising on the freeway you should be getting at least 26mpg.

You should be able to find a non-molested one with relatively lower miles for 22-25k.

Si. Love this car. Talk about bang for the buck, AWD, good looks, 4 door and you can get it with a stick or paddle shifter. Very nice. You can probably get a brand new one for less than $40k.

[loborugger]

Let us know what you get.

Oh, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...3zEihXk6c&NR=1

[lonestar]

Originally Posted by ak1971

Audi S6

I have an Audi A5 prestige series. 4 cyl turbo, 8 speed transimission AWD. when the turbo kicks in it is rocket fast.

Gets over 35 on the highway about 25 in town and has every option known to Audi on it. Ricaro racing seats, have had it above 140 with loads of RPM left. Drives turns like your on rails.


Have seen the A6 and they are more for the family man. Outstanding cars that Audi puts out.

[Hulamau]

Go Audi ... Can't go wrong! Give us a price range for starters.

You want fun ... An R8-GT is fun will set you back $228,000 with ceramic brakes and the 560hp V10 ... Not much room for the kids but you and the Misses will have a scream in' good time and look very good will doing it...

A 2012/13 S4 (my ride) S5 or an A6 can all be had for around $53k to $57k with Audi's wonderful Supercharged V6 333HP- 325lb torque with fabulous handling and ride ... Make sure and get the optional rear sports differential with Quattro ... Can't beat it for staying glued to winding mountain roads at speed.

[lolcopter]

Scion fr-s

[Beantown Bronco]

Originally Posted by Hulamau

Go Audi ... Can't go wrong! Give us a price range for starters.

You want fun ... An R8-GT is fun will set you back $228,000 with ceramic brakes and the 560hp V10 ... Not much room for the kids but you and the Misses will have a scream in' good time and look very good will doing it...

A 2012/13 S4 (my ride) S5 or an A6 can all be had for around $53k with Audi's wonderful Supercharged V6 333HP- 325lb torque with fabulous handling and ride ... Make sure and get the optional rear sports differential with Quattro ... Can't beat it for staying glued to winding mountain roads at speed.

He said it had to be under 40K