What car? 4-doors, fun to drive, can baby-toddler, $10-25k?

I know... I know...

I did search, and what I found is that the titles weren't helpful in finding an existing topic that met my needs. So I started a new favorite thread for everyone! I tried to make the title descriptive so that other might not have to repeat.

I'm car bored. I've been driving a truck for 3 years now, I'm not the kind of person that drives a truck... but it tows race cars and hauls toddler, so you know... whatever. The thing is, I haven't really been towing the race car much, so I'm just driving a truck. I miss the enjoyment of driving. I've received tentative approval from the wife to car shop.

Here is your criteria:

• Price: $10,000 - $25,000. Ideally I would like to keep it in/below $15k, but for the "right" car I can go up a bit.
• Manual transmission, or at least a good "flappy-paddle".
• AWD or RWD
• Daily driver
• It has to be able to haul a kid and all the stuff that comes with them fairly comfortably and regularly. So this means 4 doors, 5, hatch, wagon, etc. Mazda Rx-8s need not apply.
• It needs to be fun to drive. I should be able to autocross it without too many funny looks.
• Wife criteria: can't be "high" mileage, prefers "newer" cars, "reasonable" maintenance costs

I've been looking a bit, and nothing is grabbing me yet. Help! Here are some thoughts: WRX Sti, CTS V, BMW 335i / 550i / 545 / etc., Infiniti G/M, MazdaSpeed6 (why are these so cheap?)

Any thoughts? What am I over looking? Do you think I'll ultimately be disappointed with any of the candidates and should just stick with the truck?

Don't forget the Mazdaspeed 3. While it does NOT check the RWD box like you'd hope for, it satisfies everything else with aplomb. As the owner of a 2011 model child, I can tell you, it will haul him, his seat, his detrius, his mother, his mothers detrius, my fat ass, and a load from Costco and still make boostie noises that make this 34 year old giggle the whole way home. Speaking to the Mazdaspeed 6, it's the heavier AWD cousin- the only MAJOR issue is the rear diffs like to be E36 M3- most have been TSB'd by now so you should be ok, other than that, motor mounts...check for questionable mods. They're bulletproof engines as long as the CDFP doesn't fail (secondary fuel pump, NOT generally a problem on mostly stock cars). They kinda wallow like pigs though and I suspect they're not as fun as you'd like on a cone smashing mission. They're more of a highway missile.

manual, RWD wagon you may be stuck with the rolling blindspot of a, it looks way older then it really is and man I used to see a ton of them on the road and now I NEVER see them so they have to be incredibly unreliable, Dodge Magnum. Which is the prime reason when people ask for your assistance in selecting a vehicle they show be willing to let you know where they're most willing to compromise as well, as what fit what they're actually asking for and check all of the boxes, can in fact be a giant flaming piece of crap. When if you know what they're most willing to compromise on it can open up a world of 10-20 awesome options that will leave them wishing that they had the space and means to become a collector. (The end pseudo rant wasn't directed towards the OP, just people that ask but don't want to compromise).

mndsm wrote: Don't forget the Mazdaspeed 3.

Wife came with a Mazda 3 (non-speed edition). It didn't really fit me. I'm 6'3" (add another inch on a good day), with really long legs. I suspect I will find that 3-series bimmers will have the same issue.

BradLTL wrote:

mndsm wrote: Don't forget the Mazdaspeed 3.

Wife came with a Mazda 3 (non-speed edition). It didn't really fit me. I'm 6'3" (add another inch on a good day), with really long legs. I suspect I will find that 3-series bimmers will have the same issue.

That will be a problem for you then. Might be worth trying, I'm a few inches shorter but I did find my ms3 fit slightly better than my n/a car.... Though the ms6 and the ms3 fit very similarly (to me) so you might run into an issue with the DISI kids in general. Worth a shot in any event.

BradLTL wrote: - It needs to be fun to drive. I should be able to autocross it without too many funny looks.

But those are the best kind of funny looks.

The cars I'd suggest you're already looking at: WRX (non-Sti unless you're considering the original sedan version) or a CTS-V. Poopshovel seems to be enjoying his V.

My 6'5" BIL fits in/drives my sister's 2010 323ix. No one can be behind him, but he's comfortable

Not a wagon, but what about a Pontiac G8 GT?

Klayfish wrote: Not a wagon, but what about a Pontiac G8 GT?

I want one badly, but manuals are unicorns apparently.

My tow vehicle/foul weather daily is a 5 speed 2005 outback XT. This along with the rest of the turbo legacy's are at the bottom end of your budget.

On the top of my list would be an Infiniti G35 sedan with the 6 speed manual trans. Similar to the BMW driving experience except its a far more reliable car so you won't drain your kid's college fund. Difficult to find though and the mileage criteria might be hard to fit due to the car's age.

Next best might be one of the Cadilac CTS cars.

The Focus ST checks all of the boxes except RWD.

Used 2013s come in around $22k.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=06484&endYear=2013&modelCode1=FOCUS&showcaseOwnerId=54902872&startYear=2013&makeCode1=FORD&searchRadius=75&showcaseListingId=372790749&trim1=FOCUS%7CST&mmt=%5BFORD%5BFOCUS%5BFOCUS%257CST%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=369446750&Log=0

I like the three series (we have an 07 328 xi sedan) but they are a little confined in the back seat especially with a toddler seat back there.

I would look at the e90 330i or 335i. You get 4-doors, rwd or awd, nice 6-speed manual. Make sure to get a sport package car, makes a world of difference with seats, suspension and brakes over a non sport package car. Maintenance is more of an issue on the 335 vs. the 330, but many of the major issues on the 335i are taken care of by lengthened warranty periods for the turbos and fueling system. I have had my e92 335i for just over a year now and had the turbo and HPFP/injector issues taken care of by the warranty before they stranded me. No charge out of pocket. Just wish I had 4-doors at times.

It's wrong wheel drive but you could find a Mazda 5 well within your price range with three pedals. Also, all the mazda 3 goodies bolt right up .

Jav autocrossed one also so it can be done.

Klayfish wrote: Not a wagon, but what about a Pontiac G8 GT?

That thought occurred to me after posting. I need to research, they don't seem to show up in my search results so far.

Matt B wrote:

Klayfish wrote: Not a wagon, but what about a Pontiac G8 GT?

I want one badly, but manuals are unicorns apparently.

Yep... autotrader has 7... all in the mid to upper 30s.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Pontiac/G8/Birmingham+AL-35205?endYear=2015&makeCode1=PONT&mmt=%5BPONT%5BG8%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&modelCode1=G8&searchRadius=0&showcaseOwnerId=100014200&startYear=1981&transmissionCode=MAN&transmissionCodes=MAN&Log=0

In reply to BradLTL: Wow, that's more than I expected to be for sale at any given time. Seem to be holding their value for what's about to be a six year old car. Too rich for my blood at least.

In reply to BradLTL:

Watching with interest. We must be related, as I'm in almost the same shopping situation as you, albeit with a slightly cheaper price range. Looking at sedans (or hatches) with a max buy-in of $17k for something that doesn't bore me to death. I'm lumbering along in a 2010 4Runner right now so the potential of driving something with agility / acceleration / handling is quite appealing.

The previous-generation Acura TL doesn't tick the RWD/AWD box but can be found in the middle of your price range and with a decent manual transmission. A little less soulful that some other options and the body style is showing some tooth, but still quite reliable. Also not mentioned in your list is the current-generation Subaru Legacy GT. Even harder to find but they're out there. Take the Subaru bashing with a grain of salt, along with those who decry its 'downgrade' in aesthetics. I love the look of the Legacy but it's just a bit outside of my price range.

Personally I'm weighing the pro's & cons of an E46 330ix vs E90 335ix. The E90's significant boost in horsepower appeals to me but I'm also fearful of the teething problems found in some of the early 335's. Hopefully all of them have now had their HPFP issues addressed. I briefly considered a CTS-V but couldn't get past its abysmal mileage. Haven't read much here about the E60's (545, et al) which look good on paper but their rock-bottom used prices make me think there's something wrong with them. That, or nobody wants iDrive.

Anyway, good luck.

In reply to tdisalvo:

Your and my budgets are exactly the same. My wife, however, is terrified of used car maintenance costs and allowed the additional budget for a newer car.

On another note, this may be a longer process than I expected. There are literally none of the cars on this list within 125 miles of me... that is going to make kicking tires and test drives more difficult.

Availability is a bugger, I agree. At least I can get into some larger metro areas if I stretch out my radius to 200 or 300 miles. Chicagoland and Minneapolis both result in at least a few hits, but not any that are close enough to string together some test drives. I will probably resort to driving newer cars out of my price range just for comparison's sake.

Also, it seems like I found a lot more cars for sale when I WASN'T actually looking. Now that it's getting close to deal time (and the middle of summer when lots should be jammed full of inventory), cars are thin on the ground. I don't want to start trolling enthusiast sites' classifieds since pricing is typically out of whack.

At this point I found one TL, three or four 3-series, a single G35 and no Legacies. I might start looking again at smaller hatches (i.e. MS3 or WRX) but I'm not necessarily thrilled with the reduction in space. I'm 6'-3" so legroom & headroom become limiting factors.

In reply to carbon:

Autotragic only.

My answer to this question was the Mazdaspeed6, which I found locally with 68k on it. We have 3 kids all under 11 years old and it fits everyone just fine. What I really like about the car is its invisible to police and looks like a regular Mazda6 to most people.
I've added several Corksport goodies to my car over the past year and it pulls hard & makes all the right sounds. Other cars on my list were the Speed3, Focus ST, GTO and G8 GT.
Sure, it has its issues but the buy in was super cheap and I've had fun doing the essential mods that keep the car running fast.

There is a MS6 close by that I may go drive. If I recall correctly, they were only asking $8-9 for it.