I'm in the market for a car that will let me run my kids around (and my wife will want to drive). Like many of you I have a difficult time buying just any old vehicle. I am really struggling to come up with a good option.

Requirements....sporty, manual transmission, 4 doors (preferable).

I've looked at the GTI and Subaru WRX wagon but I'm having a tough time dropping $40K on these cars when I could probably get a nice higher end vehicle for the same amount. Other ideas are a TSX, TL, Audi S4 or wagon...all used of course. A used WRX STi would be nice but I'm not sure that my wife would want to be seen in one of them. I'd say that the price range is from $20K to $40K...prefering to stay at the lower end.

Anyways...most of you are bigger enthusiasts than me so I'm looking for some ideas from the experts.

 

As you know, both my wife and I are very enamoured with the upcoming Honda Fit. It is very versatile and great fuel economy. Don't know if it's too small for you but if our PT wasn't running so great right now, we'd have one on order. I think you can get the "Sport" for about 20 G's. Check with your Honda guy for a better idea on pricing.
You can scan the specs here:
http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/?from=fit.honda.com

 

WRX STi's can be had for cheap, they seem to lose value quick for some reason, I've seen some in the low 30s. AWD, great for winter, and has 4 doors for the wife and kids.

 

i would go for the 2002 used wrx.... you can get one for low 20's... and it will be a very fun car!!!
if u like wagons.. they are usually cheaper in the wagon form

 

Just playing the devils advocate, I'm going to vouch for two of the "underdogs" so to speak. If you're planning on leasing/financing, MB has a great deal on the 2006 C class since a replacement is due next year. The new C350 with it's 268HP engine might be worth a look at, however will likely exceeed your budget. That said, the stellar lease rates might make it worthwhile.

I'm also a big fan of the Audi A3. It's basically a "nicer" GTI, and starts at a reasonable price for the 2.0T which isn't exactly a stormer in the HP department, but does have the upscale looks and features of the marque that its lesser brethren (GTI) doesn't. It even comes with 4 doors, and would make a functional, albeit classy family runabout.

Just a couple which came to mind.

Asif

 

Since I was just through this myself... here is how I decided on the Acura CSX

My choice was down to four cars

1) Honda Civic - cheap, looks decent. Biggest pro was the fact that it was almost 10k less than the other cars I was looking at

2) Acura CSX - reasonable price, decent engine, lots of extras (HID's, navigation, etc).

3) VW Jetta - more power than the other cars, great driving experience. Lacked some of the extras, however.

4) Acura TSX - nice engine, tranny, etc. Great looks, great interior...

The reason I ended up with the CSX was simple: It's not my only car, so the performance driving aspect was not as big of a concern if it were to be my only car. It came with the "extras" that made it feel like a luxury car. My reasoning was that I wanted to have some of those luxury features, but I was not prepared to spend the 50-60k it would have cost to also have the performance.

Anyway, my point is that if you want a comfortable sedan with decent power.. go for a TSX or Jetta.. if you dont care too much about power, I'd do something like a CSX.

 

Thanks for the great ideas...I'm going to look into a few of them. I really need to test drive a few. No one mentioned the Mazda3 (hatchback)....I think that it comes in a GT version...anyone have some evperience with this car?

 

Sure, my brother has the sedan. It's a good car... and I think I'd probably take it over a Civic Sedan if my brother didn't already have one.

If you need the room, the hatch would probably be quite useful. Not sure if you can get the hatch with leather and such, but I know that they come with heated seats now, which is nice.

 

An 02/03 Maxima SE 6sp. Can be had for $20-26k. And you could buy mine! I'm looking to move into an E90 BMW but am waiting until later in the model year or for the '07s so they can look after some of the new model quirks. Good luck with the search.

 

Since you already looked at the WRX, if power isn't a big deal, why not just get the base Impreza? It starts at $23500. Looks good, decent power, functionality and AWD.

My family has two Subaru's (Impreza & Forester) and in 5 years of ownership, the only thing we've had to do was your regular maintenace (oil change, fluids, tires). VEry solid car! But I'm sure you can make an argument for most cars in the market.

Good luck.