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Proposed Budget: $18,000 - $28,000ish New or Used: New or recently used (preferably no earlier than 2009ish) Body Style: 2 door, 4 seat coupe How will you be using the car?: It'll be my primary driver to and from work in Los Angeles (where I'll be living pretty close to the office) as well as my transportation for weekend cruising/dates/trips/etc. Plus, ahem, LA traffic. I'm basically looking for something somewhat fun to drive that is comfortable and won't cost an arm and a leg to maintain. I was initially swooned by the FRS/BRZ, but upon reading that their interior offerings aren't the hottest I'm a bit turned off. Having comfortable seating, non-chintzy interior, and good premium stereo options are a pretty big concern (aftermarket stereos are a possibility, but I'd really like to avoid that headache if possible). Frivolous gizmos like rear-parking cameras, heated seats, and the like really don't excite me and I typically view them as something I'd hardly appreciate, let alone want to pay $$$ for. What aspects are most important to you? First off, reliability is a big concern of mine. I first was looking at all sorts of tasty BMW 3s, Audi A4s, etc. until I read that reliability and repair costs can be a big problem. Thus, I've pretty much been ignoring most European offerings (that is, unless someone can convince me that my fears are unfounded and/or some exceptions can be had). As petty and superficial as it is, American vehicles are off the list based on their styling and public perception. As a result, I've been primarily focused on Japanese/Korean brands. The 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Premium and a 2010-ish Infiniti G37 Journey Coupe are my current top contenders. As it stands, it sounds like both vehicles can be had for around $26,000 (per what I've gleaned from AutoTrader and TrueCar). At this point I want to know if there are any other options I should be seriously considering or if the G37 would be a much smarter buy given that it is used. Also, if there are some overlooked steals to be had at closer to the $20,000 mark that'll leave me with $6,000 to blow on a bitchin stereo and/or beer, all the better.
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Jul 31, 2013 20:44
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Weinertron posted:Are you looking for a manual or automatic? If you want a stick, it'll be harder to find them used. New you can get whatever you want. Agh, I should have specified that I'll be needing an automatic given LA traffic's horrendous reputation. While having back seats are a bit of a must, they likely won't be used very often at all. I'm 6'1" and indeed found the back seats of the Genesis Coupe to be pretty much unusable when I tried to sit back there. That said, my significantly shorter female friend said she was perfectly okay sitting in the rear. While I have yet to test drive a G37 coupe, I assume it'll be roughly the same story. As loving awesome as many of the two-seater cars are out there (Miata, 370Z, I'm looking at you), I feel like having the extra couple of seats, as uncomfortable as they may be, would be a lifesaver when in a pinch. I've been recently going back and scoping out some of the sportier 4-door options to put things in perspective, but I'm still leaning toward the coupe idea simply because this will pretty much be my one time to own a more "fun" car in my oh-so-poetically-fleeting youth. Still, I appreciate the Mazda-6 suggestion and will take a look into it.
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Aug 1, 2013 21:00
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Weinertron posted:If you want a fun 4-seater coupe, your best bet really is a Mustang GT. I know you may have some preconceptions about American cars, but at least go take a quick drive in one. It really is the most fun you're going to have in a 4-seater car with an automatic transmission. 390 ft*lb of torque in a V8 that loves to rev. Duly noted. I fully understand that the American automakers have been caught up in performance for some while now, but it is mostly the styling that I strongly dislike about their vehicles. Still, I really value your input on this and will give it some more consideration. The anecdote about the G37/GC is definitely the kind of stuff I'm looking for. It makes considerable sense to me that a "hungry" automaker like Hyundai trying to prove themselves in the US market would put out the best drat "bang for the buck" car they can at this point in time.
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Aug 1, 2013 21:18
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Throatwarbler posted:If you must have a two door coupe that is Japanese the accord coupe is a pretty solid car. I wouldn't take it over a mustang considering they are priced rather similarly but oh well. There's also the Altima coupe and the Mitsubishi eclipse but the accord is probably the pick of that particular litter. I drove the EX-L the other week. It was pretty comfy and didn't look half bad, but wasn't nearly as sporty as the Genesis. While I should've tried the V6 version, I have a hard time with the $30k price tag on a plain-Jane Accord.
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Aug 1, 2013 22:06
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