What's the most reliable used sports sedan you can buy?

tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
5,446
0
76
Apparently BMW's suck in the reliability department so I think they are out.

Old thread revived by new member who apparently is interested in buying a used sports sedan in 2019.

admin allisolm
 
Last edited by a moderator:

zixxer

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2001
7,326
0
0
and btw

three people i work with and know very well have bmw's, and they ALL are constantly in the shop.
one is an oldish 525, one is a 540, and one is a 745il. It's a bit ridiculous how often they are driving to work in bmw 523 rentals
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Acura TL, Lexus GS400, Nissan Maxima, Infiniti I35 (or the '95-'99 I30, which came with a manual transmission)

If you want the best reliability, that's basically what you've got.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,866
367
136
Japanese > European in terms of cost and reliability

What's your budget?
 

atom

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 1999
4,722
0
0
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused:

The only real Japanese sports sedans I can think of that has been produced recently is the Lexus IS and the Subaru's.

I guess audi's as well, but they aren't exactly more reliable than a bimmer.
 

BCYL

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2000
7,803
0
71
Originally posted by: atom
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused:

Why not? The Maxima is a pretty fast car as far as mid-sized sedans go...

 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,544
924
126
Originally posted by: se7enty7
and btw

three people i work with and know very well have bmw's, and they ALL are constantly in the shop.
one is an oldish 525, one is a 540, and one is a 745il. It's a bit ridiculous how often they are driving to work in bmw 523 rentals

I think the BMWs after 1998 started having reliability issues. The earlier ones were better. My wife has an older 325i and it is still a good reliable car. It has had some minor issues but nothing that's ever left her stranded or cost us a lot of money.

My Mom-In-Law had a 1998 740i and had the power steering pump go out at around 36k miles, cost her $2500 to replace the pump (all fairness to BMW I think it developed a leak and she didn't realize it until it had lost most of the fluid). I've heard from my BMW mechanic that the 7 series cars are VERY expensive for repairs.

I have a Maxima. I've heard nothing but good things about them. I would say Camry and Accord are also good (less sporty though).
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Originally posted by: atom
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused: The only real Japanese sports sedans I can think of that has been produced recently is the Lexus IS and the Subaru's. I guess audi's as well, but they aren't exactly more reliable than a bimmer.

WTH - The Maxima has more horsepower and torque the IS, you you consider it a "sports" sedan?!!? :confused:

Remember, Nissan coined the term "4 Door Sports Car" for the Maxima ;)
 

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
81
Originally posted by: atom
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused:

The only real Japanese sports sedans I can think of that has been produced recently is the Lexus IS and the Subaru's.
Uhh... G35? Lancer Evolution? You could also make a case for larger sedans such as the M45 and the Lexus GS as being sports sedans.
 

tnitsuj

Diamond Member
May 22, 2003
5,446
0
76
Originally posted by: atom
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused:

The only real Japanese sports sedans I can think of that has been produced recently is the Lexus IS and the Subaru's.

I guess audi's as well, but they aren't exactly more reliable than a bimmer.

I wouldn't really put the I30 or the Maxima as a sports sedan. Besides doesn't I30=Maxima?
 

atom

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 1999
4,722
0
0
Originally posted by: rbloedow
Originally posted by: atom
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused: The only real Japanese sports sedans I can think of that has been produced recently is the Lexus IS and the Subaru's. I guess audi's as well, but they aren't exactly more reliable than a bimmer.

WTH - The Maxima has more horsepower and torque the IS, you you consider it a "sports" sedan?!!? :confused:

Remember, Nissan coined the term "4 Door Sports Car" for the Maxima ;)

The maxima is a bloated FWD car with a fairly crude suspension setup compared to most cars targeted as sports sedans. Yeah it's decently fast, faster than my car anyways, but I'd rather take my car out for a spin any days of the week over a maxima.

Uhh... G35? Lancer Evolution? You could also make a case for larger sedans such as the M45 and the Lexus GS as being sports sedans.

He's asking for used, I was thinking of cars beyond the current MY.
 

Thegonagle

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2000
9,773
0
71
The Mazda Protege is fun, cheap, and decent looking. It's not big, fast, or luxurious, but it's got amazing handling for a practical price. You can get a 2001 ES with mileage in the 20s for under $10,000.
 

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
81
Originally posted by: atom
Originally posted by: rbloedow
Originally posted by: atom
Since when was the Maxima a sports sedan? :confused: The only real Japanese sports sedans I can think of that has been produced recently is the Lexus IS and the Subaru's. I guess audi's as well, but they aren't exactly more reliable than a bimmer.

WTH - The Maxima has more horsepower and torque the IS, you you consider it a "sports" sedan?!!? :confused:

Remember, Nissan coined the term "4 Door Sports Car" for the Maxima ;)

The maxima is a bloated FWD car with a fairly crude suspension setup compared to most cars targeted as sports sedans. Yeah it's decently fast, faster than my car anyways, but I'd rather take my car out for a spin any days of the week over a maxima.

Uhh... G35? Lancer Evolution? You could also make a case for larger sedans such as the M45 and the Lexus GS as being sports sedans.

He's asking for used, I was thinking of cars beyond the current MY.
Ah, gotcha.
 

FlashG

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 1999
2,709
2
0
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: se7enty7
and btw

three people i work with and know very well have bmw's, and they ALL are constantly in the shop.
one is an oldish 525, one is a 540, and one is a 745il. It's a bit ridiculous how often they are driving to work in bmw 523 rentals

I think the BMWs after 1998 started having reliability issues. The earlier ones were better. My wife has an older 325i and it is still a good reliable car. It has had some minor issues but nothing that's ever left her stranded or cost us a lot of money.

My Mom-In-Law had a 1998 740i and had the power steering pump go out at around 36k miles, cost her $2500 to replace the pump (all fairness to BMW I think it developed a leak and she didn't realize it until it had lost most of the fluid). I've heard from my BMW mechanic that the 7 series cars are VERY expensive for repairs.

I have a Maxima. I've heard nothing but good things about them. I would say Camry and Accord are also good (less sporty though).


I owned a mid 1980's BMW 323 Grey market Hartge. It made well over 225hp and was fast as he!!. But, I spent almost $10K in parts during 4 years of ownership. I did all my own work. It would have cost double that if my tuner did all the work.

That?s why I traded the Hartge for a new 92 Accord that I still own. It?s got over 185K miles with hardly any problems at all.

Anyway get any Acura "S" type and you wont be sorry. Or do what my son and I are doing and upgrade a 5-speed manual Accord Coupe. Notice I didn?t say Rice it.
 

Jedikenobii

Junior Member
Jul 4, 2019
1
0
6
Sorry to play the crypt keeper and bring this back fron the dead but I've been in the market for a new (to me) vehicle. Coming from a mk4 jetta tdi where fast isnt even part of the vocabulary I've been leaning towards something more sporty. I found this thread in my searching and was hoping for some updated input. I would still like a comfortable ride and 4 doors would be preferred but not necessarily against a coup. Fwd or awd as I do a lot of snow driving. Reliability and maintenance costs when something does break are main concerns. Budget is under 10k. Thanks for any help!
 

ondma

Diamond Member
Mar 18, 2018
3,227
1,642
136
WRX would definitely qualify, although not as refined as what one normally considers "sports sedans". It is dated and less reliable than most Suburus too. Too bad they dont offer a mildly tuned turbo of 200 hp or so on the new Impreza, at least the "sport" model. That would be a sweet package, especially in climates that see a lot of snow.

As to the original question, most reliable is probably the Lexus, although not as sporty as the German models. Audi is probably the most reliable of those.

Edit: Just looked at your criteria again. TBH, I think you will have a hard time finding a traditional "sports sedan" new enough to be reliable under 10k. The suggestion of a Protege actually sounds quite good. I would recommend the Golf/GTI, but reliability is very sketchy.
 
Last edited:

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Sorry to play the crypt keeper and bring this back fron the dead but I've been in the market for a new (to me) vehicle. Coming from a mk4 jetta tdi where fast isnt even part of the vocabulary I've been leaning towards something more sporty. I found this thread in my searching and was hoping for some updated input. I would still like a comfortable ride and 4 doors would be preferred but not necessarily against a coup. Fwd or awd as I do a lot of snow driving. Reliability and maintenance costs when something does break are main concerns. Budget is under 10k. Thanks for any help!

Mazdaspeed3?
 

FedericoUY

Member
Jul 6, 2017
41
5
71
There should be a range in HP, size and other factors to choose a car in a more exact way right?