Best car for about 30,000

[SLU MD]

any car, suv, but no trucks. want something w/ some nice horsepower. seats - anywhere from 2-7 is fine. any suggestions.?

edit : i really like sporty cars that are fun to drive. needs to have some balls.

slu md

 

[James3shin]

BMW 3-Series?

 

[bret]

04-05 subaru sti... depends on where you are from to, for the price

 

[Rallispec]

my slightly biased opinion


Subaru Legacy GT LTD

 

[Sheepathon]

accord hybrid. power, comfort, saves gas, practical.

 

[EngenZerO]

nissan z

 

[fs5]

enthusiast model Z (which is what I have) or Legacy. You get more car for the money with a legacy though.

 

[NoToRiOuS1]

i agree with the accord hybrid...purely because of the gas saving features
myself if i had that money id go for a nissan maxima...because 30 isn't enough to buy a nice lexus...infinity or cars of that type that provide the 'true' luxury...but the maxima provides everything you're looking for at a cheap price..not to mention they're very reliable cars...

 

[phreakah]

350Z

 

[mitaiwan82]

get a gently used G35 coupe...seats 2+2

or new Mustang GTs (coupe or raptop) for more power

 

[Kenazo]

Dodge Magnum. Tons of room, and high horse power. Not sure what engine you can get for that price though.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Lots to choose from for $30K.

2-7 is pretty broad:

Nissan 350Z
Mazda RX-8
Mazda Miata
Saturn Sky / Pontiac Solstice
Low-end Inifniti G35 Sedan
Loaded Mazda 6 or Mazda Speed 6
Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Limited
Loaded Honda Accord V6 Sedan or Coupe
Loaded Toyota Camry
Low-end Toyota Highlander or 4Runner
Loaded Toyota RAV4 or CR-V
Chrysler 300C
VW Passat
Dodge Magnum

Of those in that short list, I would personally go with the Subaru Legacy 2.5GT LTD.

 

[Baked]

What's wrong w/ your 350Z Vs. G35 thread?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I test drove a brand new '05 Acura TL a couple weeks ago. At $35k it is a little higher than your stated maximum but a very nice car and well worth the asking price. 270hp V6, very torquey and smooth, no torque steer unless you really floor it. Integrated bluetooth, voice recognition navigation/climate control/stereo and driver presets coded into the key fob.

You might also want to check out the Infiniti G35 sedan, those can be had for $30k and they are RWD.

Don't bother with the BMW or Mercedes though. They are overpriced and reliability isn't great. Not nearly as good as the Acura or Infiniti anyway.

If you want a 4 door rocket and don't mind the small back seat a WRX-STi might interest you...if you can get past the boy racer looks. This car actually has the punch to back up those looks though and it clocks identical times to the E46 BMW M3 in the standard battery of performance tests.

 

[Twista]

depends.. what type of cars you like?

quiet?, sports, luruxy?

theres some nice luxury cars with good HP and nice sport cars

The GTO's are nice cars =)

 

[SLU MD]

Originally posted by: Baked
What's wrong w/ your 350Z Vs. G35 thread?

nothing, just looking for other opinions. ha

 

[IBuyUFO]

Originally posted by: faboloso112
i agree with the accord hybrid...purely because of the gas saving features
myself if i had that money id go for a nissan maxima...because 30 isn't enough to buy a nice lexus...infinity or cars of that type that provide the 'true' luxury...but the maxima provides everything you're looking for at a cheap price..not to mention they're very reliable cars...

You don't really save that much gas. That car might get 6 more miles per gallon than the current accord v6. Even though the accord is rated at 24 mpg city and 30 mpg highway it gets less than that. I get about 23 to 24 miles per mile freeway driving.

 

[AMDZen]

Originally posted by: Baked
What's wrong w/ your 350Z Vs. G35 thread?

Thats what I was wondering.

the G35 is still the best car in that price range, IMO.

 

[Fenixgoon]

also, audi A4, chrysler crossfire, loaded '05 mustang GT

 

[SLU MD]

Originally posted by: Sheepathon
accord hybrid. power, comfort, saves gas, practical.

u apparently didnt read the article in US news and world report last week on hybrids. takes bout 7-10 yrs to pay off the extra cost of the engine by money saved on gas. SCREW THAT CRAP, hippies.

 

[Amused]

Do you like to option your cars up a bit?

If so, tell us what options you'll be wanting.

Otherwise a 30,000 base price can quickly become 35,000-40,000 with just a few common options.

Most people here are suggesting cars based on the base price only. FEW people drive stripped down, optionless cars.

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
also, audi A4, chrysler crossfire, loaded '05 mustang GT

the new A4 with the 2.0T motor is nice. I like the A3 with the 2.0T, but no quattro untill '06.

Best bang for buck might be the V8 powered '05 Mustang GT at around 30k fully loaded, as others have stated.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Pontiac GTO

Dodge Magnum RT

Infiniti G35 - Sedan

Mitsubuishi EVO

Mustang GT


All 5 of these cars are excellent! I mean tops of their respective classes and can be had for$30K or less depending on Options of course. GTO MSRP is higher but with some haggling I'm sure $30K will be easy!

 

[777php]

Originally posted by: SLU MD

Originally posted by: Sheepathon
accord hybrid. power, comfort, saves gas, practical.

u apparently didnt read the article in US news and world report last week on hybrids. takes bout 7-10 yrs to pay off the extra cost of the engine by money saved on gas. SCREW THAT CRAP, hippies.

Thats with current prices, who know how high gas prices will go. Plus, you have the added convenience of not stopping for gas as often which I find pretty damn annoying at times.

 

[lowfatbaconboy]

Subaru STi - suppose to be better than the evo for daily driving but not as good on the track
Mitsubishi Evo - gooooood track car
350z

edit: rx-8 (but i would put it below those last 3 in terms of sportyness)