onecrazyfoo4u

I'm king of tired of dumping money into my 170k mile Hyundai Tiburon commuter breaking down all the time...plus I need to get a 4-door to haul other people around occasionally. So what do you think I should get? I don't want to spend over $8k if possible, maybe up to $10k tops. Here's my criteria:



- Absolutely has to be 4-door (sedan, wagon, or hatchback)

- Lots of POWER (prefer turbo)

- Very dependable that I can stack lots of miles on

- Decent gas mileage, 24mpg or greater

- Prefer to have something with AWD for snow, but are considering others



Here's some of the vehicles I'm looking at:



- 2005-2009 Subaru Legacy GT

- 2000-2005 Subaru WRX

- 2000-2006 Audi S4

- 2001-2004 Lexus IS300

- 2003-2006 Infinity G35 or G35X

- 2007+ MazdaSpeed3

- 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6 AWD

- Any others I'm missing that are within my price range?



Does anybody have experience with any of these vehicles? As you can see, I'm looking for something with good power for fun, but that can be somewhat luxurious too. Let me know what you think!

tibbytib

If you get a turbo, plan on replacing it or rebuilding seals. Some folks just don't know how to maintain a turbo charged car.

Tibbi

• 2005-2009 Subaru Legacy GT - I would sooner go for the wagon, but that's my 2¢
  
• 2000-2005 Subaru WRX - Great car but good luck finding one in good condition. Most wind up abused and neglected. Plus you're pretty much buying it at the resale drop off. Value-wise it's all down hill and quick.
  
• 2000-2006 Audi S4 - Good car all around. A fine pick if not maybe a little over priced. Also services will COST! Be ready for that. On the other hand expect reliability, so probably one of the top 2 in this list. small edit: Avoid the early "biturbo" at all costs. In reliability you will thank yourself.
  
• 2001-2004 Lexus IS300 - 2JZ Sedan. A cool sleeper if it not for that fact that the oil squirters in the motor notoriously bog the engine down and clog the underside of the pistons, not to mention the lack of turbos. Also with that age expect the typical Toyota issues. Probably not my pick for a DD, a toy certainly.
  
• 2003-2006 Infinity G35 or G35X - Between this and the Audi. Though I will say not having the xcoupe in the US V35s is a huge negative for that generation. IF you want a toy then trans an subframe can be swapped onto the coupe, but that's not 4 doors. IMHO, the 35 sedans are ugly, so I'd say functional but...
  
• 2007+ MazdaSpeed3 - I loved my tests of the MS3, but no AWD will be your biggest hurdle. Your info shows Location: California, if snow was a factor I'd say "pass" right away, but the AWD request leaves me slightly conflicted.
  
• 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6 AWD - AWD is nice, but the interior is unforgivably dull. It's a good car all said, but not my pick given the price point.
  

onecrazyfoo4u

I've had a turbo 240sx in the past, so I know what it all entails to get them up to par. I agree with pretty much everything you stated Tibbi! WRX's are all modified and impossible to find an untouched one...plus every kid out there has one. I was actually leaning toward the Legacy just to be different but still have the dependability of a Subaru (and more luxurious inside). I really like the Audi's, but I was worried about maintenance costs. I wonder how much maintenance costs would be compared to the Legacy?



I thought the Lexus was a tad underpowered compared to the rest of the lineup, so not sure on that one. The G35 sedan's definitely don't look as nice, but I've got to have a sedan, so... Mazdaspeed3 are a little too pricey for me in my area, so I'll probably have to rule that one out. The mazdaspeed6 looks good though, I thought the interiors were nicer than the bare bones WRX! Plus the 6 is one of the higher powered choices out there, 274hp. I think my top list is Legacy GT, G35, Mazdaspeed6, and maybe Audi S4 (depends on cost to maintain).



And I forgot to update my profile, moved to northern Utah, so we'll have a few months of snow to deal with. Nothing major, and I'm sure I could get by in a FWD. Just would be nice to have AWD.

onecrazyfoo4u

double...

SR Tech

So I'm just gonna throw this out there...



In 2009 gm made 474 cobalt SS sedans. They can be had in the 10k range with less than 50k



They mainly focused on the performance aspect of the car, but the ride quality and interior aren't bad either, plus with I/E and a tune you will have spent less than 1k and have one of the faster cars in its class. And of course they are GDI.



I also may be a tad biased



You seem to be much more into imports based on your list so I figure I'd throw a domestic into the mix. Happy shopping!

faithofadragon

for most of the cars on that list youll be hard pressed to get the gas mileage you are requesting.



my maxima had a vq35de (same motor in the g35) and it got 28 mpgs on a good day but that was on the freeway babying it and going 65 with no a/c on.



plus it required premium. same with most of the cars on the list you have up there.



the vq is a GREAT motor, but does have its quirks about it (timing chain issues, my maxima and both my pathfinders had them)



another decent car to add to the list would be a Acura Tl Type S. friend had one and its a pretty decent car and reliable. dang comfortable too, although gas mileage will be around low 20s. He got his a couple years ago for like 18 grand. Im sure a good one could be found between 10 and 14 now.