Car Shopping, will spend up to 45k

[olmek]

how much do u spend on gas a month and what do you think your apr will be? on the 45k?

[madbeetz]

I drove 18k miles this year, as far as how much i pay monthly for gas, no idea. As far as the apr goes, I also have no idea. I have very good credit, so I am assuming low. I dont need my parents to pay for anything(nor will they or have they ever), I am 20 and out of the house. Rapid, are there any specific cars you would recommend? Like I said, I am looking for..
Sporty(coupe)
Relatively fast(doesnt have to be retarded fast)
Classy/somewhat luxurious
good daily driver
good car for regular 300mile+ road trips

I can spend up to 45k, but obviously the cheaper the better

[KingNeo]

I have a G35 sedan and I love it. It is by far the best value in terms of quality and performance. Also, it has the highest residual value of any car in its class which eases the pain of a depreciating asset. Also, Infinit/Nissan have outstanding reliability records.

Do your own research, but for a person in your position a G35 is the logical choice considering it will probably be the least expensive while also having the best performance. Not to mention the styling is sleek and original.

Good luck.

[moondogg]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a G35 sedan and I love it. It is by far the best value in terms of quality and performance. Also, it has the highest residual value of any car in its class which eases the pain of a depreciating asset. Also, Infinit/Nissan have outstanding reliability records.

Do your own research, but for a person in your position a G35 is the logical choice considering it will probably be the least expensive while also having the best performance. Not to mention the styling is sleek and original.

Good luck.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto, I have a G35x sedan, and everything in the above post is true.

Also, I love the handling (as opposed to the 01 Mustang I used to have), and the acceleration is freaking fantasitic. Not as good as many impractical sports cars, but it's pretty much the best V6 you're going to find. I'm pretty sure it's the same Nissan 3.5L DOHC engine as the 350Z and Maxima, which has been on Ward Auto Group's top 10 engines for since it's beginning 12 or 13 years ago.

The more research you do, the better and better the G35 looks. The combo of performance, luxury, sportiness, quality, and price just can't be beat.

Minor Downsides:
- The 6-disc in-dash MP3 player is a little weird. Difficult to read when the sun hits it, titles do not scroll (just displays the first 10 or 15 characters), disc switching is a little slow and loud, and the randomizer is just plain f'ed up (can't skip to another random song, only the next sequential/adjacent song).
- Gas milege is a little rough. It's rated relatively well for its class (19 MPG highway?), but if you drive it aggressively you will not get this. And you will drive it aggressively.
- Cup holders blow. They can't fit two 20oz WaWa coffee cups comfortably, they both will lean to the side a little. You have to always watch your drink when you take a corner fast.
- Seat adjustment buttons are awkwardly placed, not intuitive to use, and collet dirt pretty easily
- The back seat is a "real" sedan back seat, but the leg room back there is a little cramped.
- The flourecent HID headlights (or whatever they are called) piss some people off.

Despite all that, I am very happy with mine, I definitely think I made the right choice.

[Nielsio]

Get the Volvo and spend the money on a decent hometheater and audio setup.

http://www.bd-design.nl/

[madbeetz]

Well, I have been putting some thought into what some of the old geezers err...wise men have said, and it probably isnt the best idea to spend 40k on a car. Id rather invest in assets than liabilities. That being said, I think I only want to spend about 25k MAX, and infest the other 20k [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. So... ive done some research and the honda accord is a nice option. Also, 1-2 yr old pontiac gto's are in the low 20's. 400hp, pretty nice looking exterior, sick interior. Anyone drive these? What other cars would you recommend that are sporty, practical, and under 25k?

[runnerunner]

I have Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8. Sticker is about $45k loaded. It has 20" rims, looks sweet and is fast as $%^#.
0-60 in 4.9 in a SUV. Faster than any of the cars you listed or any other SUV, including a $90K Porche SUV. Guzzles gas like a SOB, but is worth it.

[SBR]

A one year old imprezza WRX (not the STI) fits pretty much all your crtiera.

[Hey_Porter]

[ QUOTE ]
I have very good credit, so I am assuming low.

[/ QUOTE ]

How can you be 20 years old and have very good credit? Honest question. I was under the impression that no matter how perfect you keep everything, it was pretty much impossible to have "very good credit" at that age simply because you lack a significant time frame for credit companies to establish an accurate assessment. I got two credit cards in college to establish credit, paid everything off the month I accrued a balance, was never late, etc. etc., and, by the age of 22 (I'm 25 now) could only characterize my credit as "average," usually because of the short time frame mentioned above. So, how'd you manage to get "very good credit?"

[wiggs73]

On the list OP gave, I like the G35 the best.

I'm actually buying an Acura TSX this week since I had to shop in a price range slightly lower than yours. But you may want to give the Acura TL a look if you haven't already. Acuras don't LOOK quite as baller and if that's important to you, you could probably do better. But they last a long time, have a LOT of nice features that come standard, and hold their value well. So if those things matter as much / more than the looks, that'd be my pick. (TL is more expensive than the TSX - I think they start at like 32K.)