I'm having really bad thoughts...

... about fleecing a car.

I'm getting a bit tired of our fleet of crap cans (two of which are in the shop, again) and am having more serious thoughts about just doing something I was never going to do, namely buy a new or nearly new car for the simple reason that I want to invert the wrenching vs driving time ratio. Something fun to drive, reasonably reliable if not modded, halfway practical.

The kicker is that the car basically has to tick the following boxes:

• Must be AWD/4WD but not an SUV (I don't like SUVs or crossovers). Non-negotiable
• Must have a slushbox so the wife can drive it. Again, non-negotiable - I have to sell the only other car of ours that has a slushbox to make this a reality. An auto/manual/double clutch box would be preferred.
• Preferably not a station wagon, but should seat four adults and have a half decent trunk.
• Sporty. Like "I would take this to the track right now if I didn't owe $35k on it" sporty would be ideal.
• No Subarus, I just don't like them.
• No Lexii (I was thinking IS300 AWD at some point) as wife doesn't like them
• No Audi, they're just not my style. Well, maybe a 4.2L S6.
• Not a super-common car either, but ideally should have half-decent aftermarket support in case I decide to buy the car at the end of the fleece.
• It would like to keep it this side of $45k new.

A Mazdaspeed 6 would have ticked all the boxes save the slushbox and would have been my preference if I wanted something used. Not sure about the latest 3 Series, I'm left a little cold by the looks and prices.

The two top contenders are both Mitsubishis at the moment (either a Lancer Ralliart or an Evo X MR). Only problem with Mitsubishi is that the nearest dealer is ~100 miles away. Another dealer has what seems a good offer on a lease for an Evo X, but I bet that's a GSR...

Anyway, after I ruled out pretty much all of the common AWD car makers, I'm all ears for everybody to tell me which cars I'm overlooking .

Acura TL with SH-AWD

Cadillac ATS AWD

G37x?

Taurus SHO

Volvo S60 R

A BMW 328i w/ xDrive ticks all the boxes. Base price is $38K. $2500 for the "sport line" package gets you auto w/ paddle shifters.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: A BMW 328i w/ xDrive ticks all the boxes. Base price is $38K. $2500 for the "sport line" package gets you auto w/ paddle shifters.

That's where I'd head first. BMW usually has pretty attractive lease rates, which of course translates to hideous buyouts at the the end.

Standard leasing disclaimer: can you claim the lease as a business expense? If so, go for it. That's the only way leasing really makes sense, unless you can guarantee this car will have a 36-month maximum lifespan with you, before you move on to something else.

The lease offer on the 328ix is currently around $400/month, but that's for 10k/year only if I read the small print correctly. That's probably not quite enough regarding the miles, and it's not the Sport Line either. The "all scheduled maintenance included for 4years/50k" is pretty sweet, though.

And no, this isn't a business expense - I'm thinking about leasing for 2-3 years to gain some breathing space, peace of mind and pile up more cash so we can buy something we really like, or just buy out the lease if we cannot continue to live without the car we ended up leasing. In fact, I'll probably hit up lease trader etc up tonight to see if there is anything that's got about a year remaining...

Suzuki Kazashi? Ive never driven one, but they're not bad to look at. And I have driven an AWD/auto Aerio, it was spunky.

I was very seriously considering the EVO X before I pulled the trigger on the '13 GT Mustang.

The lack of near by dealer and expensive/frequence maintenance intervals scared me away. I also wanted the DCT EVO which raised the price and maintenance factor.

$500 for a trans fluid change if you use the good stuff and do it yourself! Need a trans cooler if you plan to track, etc etc etc.

What I found for brand new, sporty, minus the ones you already ruled out, and in your price range:

• Acura TL-SH AWD
• Cadillac ATS AWD V6
• Cadillac CTS AWD V6
• Chrysler 300 AWD V6 (8-speed auto, natch)
• Dodge Charger (apparently you can even get Hemi + AWD)
• Ford Taurus SHO
• Infiniti G37x
• Volvo S60

I'd look at the ATS, the Chrysler/Dodge, and the SHO personally.

steronz wrote: Taurus SHO

This, the base models are loaded by bmw standards for 37-39k.

You need to get over your irrational dislike of Audi's as you can get a nice S4 DSG or A3/A4 DSG equipped car.

They're insanely nice inside, drive very well and hold together well.

Unfortunately by the time you add the heated seats to the SHO, it comes out at the same price as the BMW...

In reply to docwyte:

I could put together a nice A3 quattro (being European, I prefer a hatch for practicality). TBH what I'd probably want if I could have it would be the Golf R with the DSG...

z31maniac wrote: I was very seriously considering the EVO X before I pulled the trigger on the '13 GT Mustang. The lack of near by dealer and expensive/frequence maintenance intervals scared me away. I also wanted the DCT EVO which raised the price and maintenance factor. $500 for a trans fluid change if you use the good stuff and do it yourself! Need a trans cooler if you plan to track, etc etc etc.

I'm more concerned about the dealer distance - I don't think taking a day off work every time I have to get the car serviced would be such a good idea. At least we have dealers for most of the other makes that are being suggested (with the exception of Audi) either in Carson City or Reno.

The latest Golf R only comes as a 6MT, the last gen Golf R32 was DSG equipped...

Grrr-ba-doing! You can get the ATS (which is better than the 3-series) in AWD with the turbo 2.0 and the 6-speed flappy-shifter box!

Standard is $37,795 but you can also go up the trim levels for a Luxury $42.2K, or the Performance at $44.7K.

The 3.6L V6 Luxury AWD is $44,090 for comparison. Alternatively, a CTS Sport Wagon 3.6 AWD is $42K for the Standard and $44,945 for the Luxury. The CTS Sedan AWD starts in Luxury for $41.9K.

Isn't the ATS a completely new model? That might not be what I want, given that I have a reputation for showing up at the workshop and the mechanic going "funny, I've never seen one of these go wrong".

And building out the 300 muddied the waters. The V8/AWD is with a 5-speed auto (presumably the old Mercedes unit). You can do the base 300, the 300S (which looks really good), or the 300C. The S and C are both available with the Pentastar V6 (one of the best) or the Hemi (which is odd, because originally the C was V8 only). I just loaded out a 300S V6 AWD with all the goodies (Luxury Pack, Panoramic Sunroof, etc, etc) and it's still under $40K. I'd have to drive one of those because that's a lot of kit for the $$$.

The 300 looks like a good deal, but the 24 month lease option looks a little expensive even with a substantial down payment.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

It is, but so is the Beemer. The ATS is basically a new body/platform though, the engine, trans, and suspension have all been used before. It's a lot safer bet than many of the cars that have been around (coughAudi/VWcough)...

The SHO with the Performance Pack is $40,990. Lease looks decent (for a lease).

My dad likes his '10 Dodge Charger R/T AWD with the Road/Track performance pack. The hemi sounds sweet near the redline. 372 hp and 395 lb-ft

The awd chargers are built at the end of the model year, too.

I'll have to run the suggestions by 'er indoors. I have the suspicion that "big cars" like the Charger will probably be veto'd as she isn't comfortable driving anything much bigger than here Jeep Cherokee.

The Volvo also looks like a good deal, the Infiniti and Acura not so much.

While it may not be what you want to hear, what about something between beater and lease? Certified Pre-Owned? Or maybe something a bit older (07ish) with low mileage and maintenance records? I'd suggest finding a clean 06ish Legacy 2.5GT, but Subaru's are out... :) You could get a really nice 328ix off lease or CPO for a pretty good deal. Used A3's seem to be surprisingly cheap here, but there's probably a reason - I do love the way they look.