"Slightly sexy" 4-door, used, <$15,000

John Welsh said:

Used Genesis G70. 2.0 L turbo. Rear wheel drive sedan. 

Get one CPO and it comes with the big factory warranty.

This 

Looking at the Lexus CT 200h because it ticks some boxes, but the budget cap seems to put the mileage up around 100,000.

The Genesi are nice cars without doubt, but larger than they are looking for.

Thanks for everybody's input so far.  The Mazda3 seems to hit the most marks, plus they can choose between 4- and 5-door layouts.

Another vote for a 2014+ Mazda 6, the newer, the better. Newer cars got slightly better interiors, and if you shop right, you might be able to find a turbo one. The regular N/A cars are fun to drive in their own right. The 6 speed auto they use (and still use today) is excellent.  

Runner Up: Infiniti Q50. My parents have a 2014 Q60 (the rebadged old G37 Coupe) and it's been decent to them minus the sunroof drains getting clogged a couple times. The newer ones may not have that issue. The exhaust rotted off this year (it's 10yo now, expected), so they ended up getting a Magnaflow stainless catback for it. My 73yo mom who primarily drives it gets a kick out of the slightly more sporty tone. 

A few points of clarification.  
The Genisis G70 is akin to a BMW 3 series and you might be thinking of the Genisis G90 and previous Genisis sedans that are more akin to the BMW 5 or 7 series in size.  The G70 shares the 2.0L turbo with the hot Elantra in rwd form.  

But, price...  Launched in 2019 more like $20-$25k for sub 50k miles.   https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/KMTG44LA6KU017025

The other Lexus hybrid sedan mentioned above iy s the HS250.  A nice car.  A simplified description is that it is smaller than a Camry but slightly bigger than a Prius yet carries the larger Camry hybrid engine rather than the smaller Prius engine.  Pleasently tarted up with Lexus bits.  Model years 2010, 11 & 12

Hyundai Veloster is the right size and price, and somewhat sporty, though one of the four doors is not useful for entry.

Subaru Impreza?

Lincoln MKS, as befits a distinguished mature couple.

Not sure if it would be too large, but my go-to reliable, sporty-ish sedan these days is the IS350:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/712976925?allListingType=all-cars&city=Richmond&makeCode=LEXUS&maxPrice=22000&modelCode=IS350&newSearch=false&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fall-cars%2Flexus%2Fis-350%2Frichmond-va%3FendYear%3D2022%26newSearch%3Dtrue%26searchRadius%3D500%26zip%3D23218&searchRadius=500&state=VA&zip=23218&clickType=listing

Might be tough to find within the mileage/age/condition limits, but it's not that far outside them either. 

I use to own an Infinity Q50. As much as I loved it as a big automatic trans sedan. The transmission failed on me at 75k miles. Apparently it is a common failure point in them. That alone would keep me from recommending it to anyone.

I agree G70 seems to fit the bill if it isn't to big. I had a Genesis coupe with the 2.0t that I beat the crap out of and it never gave me issues. 

This is the perfect job for a mazda 3 or 6. It's not even funny. 

 The auto trans is actually a wet clutch, from what I understand. No slush at all on tip in. It's great. 

brandonsmash said:

Mazda, either 3 or 6. For sure. Definitely ticks the boxes, and Soul Red is fantastic. Also, they drive great.

Update:  sister and BIL sold the Solara to a GRMer as a beater-with-a-heater.  More accurately, beater-with-AC.

They seem to like the idea of both the Mazda 3 and 6, despite one criteria being a smaller car.

What does the gang think of the Mazda 2.5 turbo?  I believe they are looking at a 2018 6 with that engine.

Early versions of that engine had some issues iirc. Might want to google for that 

In reply to amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks.  I see a TSB for 2021s, covering oil consumption due to valve seals.  Not sure if 2018s have the same issue.

Duke said:

In reply to amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks.  I see a TSB for 2021s, covering oil consumption due to valve seals.  Not sure if 2018s have the same issue.

the non turbo Mazda 6 from ?2014 onward is a nice car. I have a 2015 in Touring trim. It's been quite good at everything. 

I've got a 2019 CX-9 with the 2.5 T.  Nearly 70k miles and nary a complaint.  Good mix of power and economy.  Negligible oil consumption.

Did I vote yet? My vote is for a cadillac. 

Well, despite telling me they wanted something smaller than the Solara, and without waiting for my answer about the turbo engines, here's where they ended up:

Not certain if this is turbo or NA; they didn't say when they sent the pics.  It's a 2018.  Thanks for everybody's input!

[edit] They don't think it's turbo.  At least no one told them it was.

[edit 2] 52,000 miles. Brown interior.

In reply to Duke :

Lexus is350 AWD. Find the best, newest one they can afford. 

Toyota reliable. Good appointments. Good ride. Somewhat easy to get into and out of. Sporty - at least not codgerly.

I didn't see the "they bought a Mazda post."

Looks like a Turbo to me based on the slightly wider exhaust tips and wheels. 
 

I've heard of some issues with the turbo, I prefer the NA, but hopefully it was the valve seals and it has been remedied. I think it checks all the boxes. There's a guy on here that does all the used car reviews (cant remember his name right now) that just bought a 3 with the turbo 2.5 after having owned one before that had oil burning issues. I believe I remember him saying he thinks Mazda worked it out. I'd still be checking the oil on the regular.

Very nice car!

It's a Signature trim.  Confirmed that the salesman told them it is NOT a turbo.

2018 would be a non-turbo. I don't think turbo came out till 2021. Looks like a great little car for them. 

Cool! I think it's gonna be perfect for them. I really like the way they drive. Brown interiors are awesome. What did they pay for it?

CyberEric said:

Cool! I think it's gonna be perfect for them. I really like the way they drive. Brown interiors are awesome. What did they pay for it?

I don't know, but I do know it was over the $15,000 budget.  They have plenty of money; my BIL is just King Cheapskate.

Gotcha. Was just curious what these are going for nowadays. My Dad's 2015 Mazda 3 was like $22k new, probably worth half that or so now.

Signature in 2018 was the top of the line package for a 6. No turbo; they debuted in midyear 2019 on those, I believe. That said, the 187ish HP is enough to be "sporty" with the 6-speed auto. They drive nice. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Actually, in the continuing saga of the turbo question, Edmunds says that 2018 was the first year for the 2.5 turbo, and now my sister is saying that someone at another dealership said it is.  Mazda themselves agree:

It also appears that the valve seal / oil burning issues are for 2021 cars.  2018-2020 cars get the cracking heads.