Hey guys,
Slowly creeping up on picking a new car. Been looking around for awhile but nothing out there really sells me. I currently have a 2001 330Ci 5-speed that I love with 160k miles on it. Have one baby seat in the back (not fun but do-able), another is in the works. Need something with 4 doors that can fit two baby seats, but still feel at home on a weekend track day.
Right now, I am mostly comparing new cars. I'm not opposed to a 3 year old CPO car (in fact, would prefer it), but the ATS and BMW are both new-only at this point. Not interested in CPO BMW - would put me in the E90 range, and being familiar with BMWs I'm not interested in that kind of maintenance. E90, as I understand, is a particularly maintenance intensive car. I do 18k miles/year, mostly highway, so fuel economy can't be ignored, but not looking for a prius. If I go used, I would like 3-5 years old, preferrably 3.
Requirements:
Manual transmission
4/5 doors and fit 2 baby seats in the back
25+ MPG
Fast-ish.
$40k max
What I'm looking at:
G37s - 6MT
Only comes in one trim (loaded), so it has NAV and all the extras. Sticker is 42+ (same as the BMW) but truecar claims it sells for 36+, which puts it on par with the ATS. 26mpg, so lowest of all considered options.
Likes: Proven, reliable engine with power / RWD / LSD / Decent room in the back / known good reliability
Dislikes: Exterior styling, interior styling
ATS - 2.0L Turbo w/ 6 speed
Priced one out on the website for 36k (basically, base model 2.0L turbo w/ 6speed). Not sure if this has LSD or not, may be the 'performance' package addon. Test drove one twice, once at the dealership (2.0L manual) and once at a driving event I was invited to (3.6L automatic). Its okay. I'm not in love with the car. Mother has a chevy and they frequently send her offers for loyalty cash on new cars, so figure I would probably pay 34.5 + extras for this.
Likes: 32+ MPG highway, decent power, possible LSD, exterior styling, built similar to car I am driving now
Dislikes: Dashboard, CUE, rear seat seems small, no idea about long term reliability.
BMW 328i - Haven't driven one yet, but not super excited about this. Not particularly a drivers car anymore. No LSD, manual transmissions as rare as unicorn tears, not a fan of BMW maintenance, stickers for 42k and sells for that as well. 335 way too expensive.
Mazda 6 Diesel - Don't know anything about this car yet other than from magazines.
Likes - Diesel engine gives 300+ lbft of torque, 50+ mpg, exterior styling, magazines claim 'sporty to drive'
Dislikes - Least sporty of all cars. Will probably be rare, especially in manual trim. FWD. Still built like a mazda6 and all the other cars in that segment.
Slowly creeping up on picking a new car. Been looking around for awhile but nothing out there really sells me. I currently have a 2001 330Ci 5-speed that I love with 160k miles on it. Have one baby seat in the back (not fun but do-able), another is in the works. Need something with 4 doors that can fit two baby seats, but still feel at home on a weekend track day.
Right now, I am mostly comparing new cars. I'm not opposed to a 3 year old CPO car (in fact, would prefer it), but the ATS and BMW are both new-only at this point. Not interested in CPO BMW - would put me in the E90 range, and being familiar with BMWs I'm not interested in that kind of maintenance. E90, as I understand, is a particularly maintenance intensive car. I do 18k miles/year, mostly highway, so fuel economy can't be ignored, but not looking for a prius. If I go used, I would like 3-5 years old, preferrably 3.
Requirements:
Manual transmission
4/5 doors and fit 2 baby seats in the back
25+ MPG
Fast-ish.
$40k max
What I'm looking at:
G37s - 6MT
Only comes in one trim (loaded), so it has NAV and all the extras. Sticker is 42+ (same as the BMW) but truecar claims it sells for 36+, which puts it on par with the ATS. 26mpg, so lowest of all considered options.
Likes: Proven, reliable engine with power / RWD / LSD / Decent room in the back / known good reliability
Dislikes: Exterior styling, interior styling
ATS - 2.0L Turbo w/ 6 speed
Priced one out on the website for 36k (basically, base model 2.0L turbo w/ 6speed). Not sure if this has LSD or not, may be the 'performance' package addon. Test drove one twice, once at the dealership (2.0L manual) and once at a driving event I was invited to (3.6L automatic). Its okay. I'm not in love with the car. Mother has a chevy and they frequently send her offers for loyalty cash on new cars, so figure I would probably pay 34.5 + extras for this.
Likes: 32+ MPG highway, decent power, possible LSD, exterior styling, built similar to car I am driving now
Dislikes: Dashboard, CUE, rear seat seems small, no idea about long term reliability.
BMW 328i - Haven't driven one yet, but not super excited about this. Not particularly a drivers car anymore. No LSD, manual transmissions as rare as unicorn tears, not a fan of BMW maintenance, stickers for 42k and sells for that as well. 335 way too expensive.
Mazda 6 Diesel - Don't know anything about this car yet other than from magazines.
Likes - Diesel engine gives 300+ lbft of torque, 50+ mpg, exterior styling, magazines claim 'sporty to drive'
Dislikes - Least sporty of all cars. Will probably be rare, especially in manual trim. FWD. Still built like a mazda6 and all the other cars in that segment.