Help me buy a new car.
 

My beloved 2005 Mustang has reached the end of its life. 144K miles its time to move on. Going to start a new job with a commute across a long bridge over water. Going to miss it.:(


You help me decide. Point me in the right direction. Give me the great info that puts me in the right car.......I'll send $50 to the charity of your choice.

Criteria:
I want to spend between $30k - $40K.
Automatic
Got some style
Have to be able to fit in the car comfortably
Prefer a coupe


Right now I'm thinking new Challenger, Nissan 370Z, Mustang etc. Son is telling me to look at used Mercedes, Lexus etc.

What ideas do you have?

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Update 03/11/2015
It's a done deal. I've bought and ordered a 2015 Challenger SCAT Pack Shaker. 392 Hemi 6.4L, 486 HP, 475 toruque, 4.1 second 0-60 time. Has all the same luxury "stuff" as the BMW and Lexus's.

Last years "Shaker" models sold out in 4 days. I decided if I was going retro, go all in and went with the lime green 1971 Challenger remodel. Bumblebee stripe and the Shaker hood. I deleted the stripes on the roof and the hood. Will take 6-8 weeks for delivery. Dark wheels.

I gave $50 each to the charity of their choice to Bearcat and Miles. When Simply Red shows back up, I'll get his charity the money.

The Car arrived finally......

Start walking to work, people will buy one for you.

Can you get the big Hyundai Genesis for that? Not the coupe, the big ass luxury barge. Those are cool.

If not get a BMW.

Seriously? With the V10?

I drove an e92 M3 this week, sick!

Baby blue Fiat 500

2015 WRX Limited
http://www.subaru.com/build-your-own/wrx.html

6'2"

I'd rather not have a 4 door car.

get the turbo!

Um, 2005 mustang with 144,000 miles? What's wrong with it and what do you want for it?

http://m.caranddriver.com/audi/a5

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...e/1703968.html

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...g/1714657.html

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/...o/1709993.html

Can I fit in that? Looks cool though.

nothing really. Just don't want to worry about my car breaking down.

BMW 228i (or m235i if you're willing to go a little higher)... surprisingly nice head room in the front (and I'm 6'2"-ish). Not all that stylish compared to the American muscle car, IMO, but oh so much fun to drive with pretty decent gas mileage.

Looks like she's been well taken care of.

:clap:

And yes Rain Man, all cars are referred to as she's unless you are a homo.

I know you said two door but I think these look awesome.


http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...91862320&Log=0

It might be 10 years before anyone notices though...

Can't imagine the 370z would be very comfortable.

pretty sure I got a pic of me in that 'stang when it was brand spanking new!

New Mustang GT is a pretty nice leap forward after finally overhauling everything. Are you more after a coupe for styling and/or more performance oriented?

Does it run for miles miles

I bet there is.:thumb:

I like the styling. But, it also is affront to call a car a "sports car" that have 4 doors.

walk to work double digits every day and we'll talk

Great lead. Never drove a BMW. People have said they are fun. I'll take one out tomorrow.

Then we completely agree there.

With your criteria I think BMW might really hit what you are looking for. I'm biased since current and previous cars are/were BMW coupes. Researched the hell out of it both times and always landed on BMW.

What are you looking to test drive tomorrow?

Try driving the M235 that was suggested. Have heard really good things about it being a really nice drivers car. 2014 428i is also in that range and looks great if you can get over the odd side marker things.

If you are considering anything a slightly more used than basically new there may be some more to consider from BMW (2012 335is/2010 M3 maybe 2011 M3).

I'm with your son. Used has more value and it's my next move. I'm also going to be selling my Mustang to do it. The S class is a great fit for fat guys. :D

I love my car. Hyndai Veloster Turbo. Great gas mileage and it comes packed with features for the price.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608...d=1.9&rs=0&p=0

Brand new?

Buy one a year old and save a few thousand.

I actually prefer 4 doors.

Mine's a 3 :D

Fantastic info!:thumb:

You can now legally import the 1989 R32 GTR Nissan Skyline. 600 HP, AWD, although it is a manual. With mods and NOS, you should be able to get it around your price range.

Thanks but the manual is a deal breaker. Just don't want to mess with shifting in traffic. After a hard day of work who wants to concentrate on gears in traffic?

A downside to the 2 series specifically might be the sport seats.... I didn't find them uncomfortable, but they are meant to hug your sides. The 4 series is basically the same coupe, but with more space and maybe more stuff that comes standard.

The trick between test driving say a 228 or 428 and then 235/435/m Series is to drive the lesser 228/428, and if it's more than enough power and fun, do not under any circumstances go near a 235 or 435 or M car. If you plan on driving both, just save yourself the time and go straight to the 35s. I did not follow my own advice. :D


http://image.automotive.com/f/firstl...nteriorjpg.jpg

It's just money. We'll make more. ;)

I will be looking specifically for this blue
 

I say that every day.

I think the right hand drive might also not be the greatest thing either.

If you're testing out BMW, test a Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe.

I think this was the best deal on a BMW I found today. 2014 C250 9000 miles, $320000, 5 year bumper to bumper unlimited miles warranty.

I found the handling the best of any car I've ever driven, besides a Lamborghini. The interior of the car was quiet. The AC was an iceberg. The stability around corners and over bumps in the road was excellent. It had enough pick up but still gets 30 mpg on the highway.

Having to drive over the Sunshine Skyway every day now?

Wait a year and buy the Ford Focus RS. AWD. 315 HP and a likely sticker of $36,000.

Actually, nevermind. I see you want a slushbox instead of a real transmission. The Focus RS is going to be manual only.

Like the styling of the Mercedes C250 even though it reminds me of the Accord coupe (which also looks good). For me at least it suffers from the same problem of the great looking Audi A5 since it's main issue is it could use more power in the base model. 200ish HP in a coupe that cost that much just seems a bit light.

$320,000?

gold plated? ;)

On performance cars slushbox can be a thing of the past. Probably also applies to the 8+ speed autos but a true dual clutch transmission on performance cars are quicker than anyone can shift. Still like a manual though...

I know. I was just giving BRC some shit.

The problem is that many of the paddle shifter transmissions aren't true dual clutches.

Edit: I drive a manual in some of the stupidest ****ing traffic ever. It's not bad at all.

Agreed. Have even had a few rentals with paddle shifters. On my most recent car purchase it was super tough to decide between a dual clutch and manual. Went with the DCT and mostly love it but occasionally miss the third peddle.

Yeah, I got an electric cheater smoker too.:p

When I get my 1970 426 Hemi Cuda, I'll have a manual. Until then, I'll take the cheater transmission.

You didn't hear yet? I won the $380 million powerball tonight. I've already bought the Planet too.

Gandy

....can I borrow five bucks?

...or a Porsche 356 B model?

I'm not happy with the styling. But, I grew up loving muscle cars. Way different market. Heres the car below. Whats a 335i go for?
http://ip.dlron.us/assets/inventory/...eg286910-2.jpg

Due to confusing German branding it's a 435 now if new. I think 2013 was the last year of the 3 series coupe.

Depending how much you care about fuel economy (this suggestion is awful there) not sure you can find a better coupe than a 2011 M3 at the upper end of your range.

Mileage is not a big deal to me. Paying $40K for a 2011 car with 30K miles on it, does make me pause and reflect.;)

They were 70-75k or so new. Completely biased on suggesting that to you but I really do think it's the best coupe out there for 40k.

Did you have a chance to drive the 2 series or M235?

They had no coupe's in stock. Two weeks maybe. They say they sell as soon as they get in. They keep the stock down to keep the price up. Don't know if thats true or not.

They had 4 doors but I just don't like the fit as well as the coupes.

For some reason I'd prefer stock and don't like mods at all.

Suspect the reason you may not love the M5 as much as your former 335 is its a heavy full sized car. Engine is a total masterpiece but still a full sized car.

I love the bright red on the retro muscle cars but black looks the best, to me anyway, on the Mercedes, Audi, BWM kind of cars.

Black looks the best to me too. Have one and ****ing hate how every imperfection shows. Seriously every micro scratch from even the best towels is there but still love the color.

A neighbor on my street has two nice ass BMWs that he and his wife drive. He washes and cleans them by hand EVERY weekend. I haven't slowed down enough to inspect what they are but one is that awesome pearly blue color and the other is white. They are the finest looking cars I've seen.