Looking for a car under 25,000. Help!

[happyguy155]

Looking for a car that can change lanes well and will not be a hassle to drive. Preferably AWD with decent horsepower 200+. The subaru legacy is the best I've come up with so far, but the gas mileage is pretty pathetic and it's just not quite agile enough. Any recommendations?

 

[herm0016]

uh..... i have yet to encounter a car that does not change lanes well for more than about 2500 bucks...

what do you need all wheel drive for?
where do you live and what are the weather conditions?
do you have a family you need to haul around?
do you want fun, mileage, a combo of both?

any thing you dislike? hatchback? particular fanboyism for any brand?

it is very hard to help you if you just need a car that will change lanes.

 

[desy]

200+ hp and decent gas mileage and AWD
Uhuh

 

[exdeath]

Change lanes well? Srsly?

 

[Howard]

Change lanes well? Srsly?

He takes the 'ring to work.

 

[zCypher]

There are a crapton of cars under 25,000 that are just fine.

 

[SSSnail]

Acura RL.

 

[alexruiz]

Tough choice. As far as "changes lanes well", I am assuming you want a car with good handling.

I would suggest a Suzuki Kizashi. Trim levels S, SE and GTS with AWD will come below $25k. The car is a very very good handler, has decent fuel economy (29 mpg hwy with AWD), and has decent power. It is not >200 hp however (180 hp with CVT and AWD)

I drive one and absolutely love it! The craftsmanship is first rate, the car is very well built and put together, very solid, lots of standard features, it feels very composed and stable on the highway (mine is 6sp MT though, and after driving both transmissions, the manual feels way more dynamic)

Why don't you go and test drive one? Worst case, you don't like it and wasted a few hours, but you found out yourself. Best case, well....
I'll think you'll love it

 

[jlee]

Looking for a car that can change lanes well and will not be a hassle to drive. Preferably AWD with decent horsepower 200+. The subaru legacy is the best I've come up with so far, but the gas mileage is pretty pathetic and it's just not quite agile enough. Any recommendations?

Legacy GT...not agile enough? If I were a betting man, I'd say it probably exceeds your capabilities as a driver...most cars do.

"Not a hassle to drive"...so you want an automatic, or you want something with heated seats, climate control, cruise, backup cameras, what? Could you be a little more specific?

 

[MotF Bane]

G35x?

 

[Jumpem]

Looking for a car that can change lanes well and will not be a hassle to drive. Preferably AWD with decent horsepower 200+. The subaru legacy is the best I've come up with so far, but the gas mileage is pretty pathetic and it's just not quite agile enough. Any recommendations?

Legacy gas mileage is far from pathetic. You should get 31-32 out of it. I get 30 with my Outback.

 

[happyguy155]

uh..... i have yet to encounter a car that does not change lanes well for more than about 2500 bucks...

what do you need all wheel drive for?
where do you live and what are the weather conditions?
do you have a family you need to haul around?
do you want fun, mileage, a combo of both?

any thing you dislike? hatchback? particular fanboyism for any brand?

it is very hard to help you if you just need a car that will change lanes.

My father is looking for a car. He has a long commute to work and is not comfortable driving his subaru forester anymore. He likes the AWD, but he said it's becoming more of a chore to drive because it's underpowered when merging on this one particular busy highway. I also suggested a g35, but he doesn't want to pay for premium gas or the luxury. He can't have everything!

Thanks for the suggestions. I think he just needs to try some other cars to narrow his options down. There are thousands of drivers on the highway, and some really shouldn't be on the road. While FWD and sub 200hp is more than enough for everyday driving, there are those rare brief moments where a tiny bit of extra power or traction can save you from a collision.

And the Legacy 6 cyl gets 20mpg :\

 

[jlee]

My father is looking for a car. He has a long commute to work and is not comfortable driving his subaru forester anymore. He likes the AWD, but he said it's becoming more of a chore to drive because it's underpowered when merging on this one particular busy highway. I also suggested a g35, but he doesn't want to pay for premium gas or the luxury. He can't have everything!

Thanks for the suggestions. I think he just needs to try some other cars to narrow his options down. There are thousands of drivers on the highway, and some really shouldn't be on the road. While FWD and sub 200hp is more than enough for everyday driving, there are those rare brief moments where a tiny bit of extra power or traction can save you from a collision.

And the Legacy 6 cyl gets 20mpg :\

A buddy of mine gets about 32 with his stage 1 Legacy GT.

He doesn't want to pay $5 per fillup for premium gas, but he's going to buy a whole new car...? If he likes his Forester, have him look at the Forester XT. He'll need premium, but it'll have plenty of power.

 

[happyguy155]

^ thanks. I suggested the xt but he took it for a test and it didn't handle as well as the legacy. It's at least 2 inches higher off the ground! Also the gt with the turbo 4 is out of his price range.

 

[JCH13]

Volvo S60? S80? Mazdaspeed6? Scoobies are a good choice, but not the best mileage ever.

 

[PCMarine]

Fusion AWD?