Please read my car thoughts below...

[Anonymous]

Hi All - I've always been a fairly lame Honda/Toyota guy because I want reliable and low maintenance costs, but I'm now late 40s and thinking about something more fun. At the same time, when I think European, I'm concerned that I'll be in the shop a lot and that will piss me off. I could buy CPO Audi A4, for example, but I believe that's just a one year warranty. I also keep my cars a long time and so that's a factor. Lastly, I want a good infotainment system and so that's why I'm not really focused on Lexus, plus they are expensive, even used. I don't see myself as a BMW or Mercedes, or Cadillac guy.

Basically, I want something sporty, yet understated, reliable and comfortable, good infotainment, and reasonable maintenance. Oh, and I want to keep the total price in the mid-upper 20s. Does such a unicorn exist?

Here are my thoughts:

2018 Mazda 6 - Inexpensive, fun and sporty, though not a true sports sedan, so-so reliability
2018 Accord 2.0 - Reliable, strong 0-60 times, somewhat bland
2017 Genesis G80 - Luxury, reliable, possibly too big and an old man's car, not especially sporty
2017 Audi A4 - Sporty, reliable, high maintenance costs
2019 Kia Stinger Base - Sporty, maybe too youngish, not sure about reliability

[Anonymous]

Op here again. I was hoping for some thoughts. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

All pretty boring cars.

[Anonymous]

Hyundai Sonata

[Anonymous]

I would get whatever is the most comfortable to drive. I feel like unless you are watching money cars having to go to repair shops aren't that big of a deal anymore. Between loaners and ubers it's relatively simple to get work done.

[Anonymous]

Are you 2018 Accord poster?

[Anonymous]

OP,

You need to go and drive them, because it will be very obvious to you once you're in the driver's seat, what moves you and what doesn't. My pet peeve, for example, is poor visibility in the back, and it's something that becomes crystal clear once I'm driving.

Unless you're in an area with low Covid numbers, I'd wait a little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All pretty boring cars.

+1. Boring cars. Sorry. No input.

Also, I think you are remiss if you don’t look at a CPO 3 series or 5 series. Or a Mercedes C or E class. You might get one in your price range. It’s around a three year warranty or so.

[Anonymous]

Maybe an Infiniti Q50? Stylish, quick, Japanese. As a bonus, they have great headlights.

[Anonymous]

Your choices are boring. Dream bigger.

[Anonymous]

Psst, OP.

A lot of DCUM thinks nothing of splashing 100K on a car, so you've come to the wrong forum...

- Mazda 5 driver

[Anonymous]

None of those are sporty, and the G80 is neither luxury, nor reliable.

If you consider those sporty, just get an Acura TLX

[Anonymous]

OP go get yourself a BMW. I just got a used one (one owner, 3 years old so just off the lease). Now I get it why they call it the ultimate driving machine.

My DH has a Tesla, and I like my BMW better. Can it accelerate as fast? No, but I got mine for about 32K and it's a convertible. And the Tesla makes the passengers sick. And it's way too tricked out.

[Anonymous]

We have a 2018 A4, and had a 2012 A4 before that. We got maintenance done at scheduled intervals (the car tells you of course) and never had it break down. Totally reliable. The main issue is maintenance costs. For example, it uses Bosch windshield wiper blades made in Germany, so those may be $35 while our Ford wiper blades are $20. Same with oil -- the Audi requires synthetic oil, and so on.

In short, when I get our Audi serviced, I expect a bill in the $500-700 range, compared to $200-300 for our Ford.

But.. so what? You said you want to enjoy life a bit. The Audi has a great interior and drives well. Put the transmission into sport mode and try that out -- it almost becomes another car.

I had an A3 as a loaner once. That's even more fun because it had basially the same engine as an A4, but in a smaller car. Super-fast and responsive, but we needed an A4 for the cargo capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Psst, OP.

A lot of DCUM thinks nothing of splashing 100K on a car, so you've come to the wrong forum...

- Mazda 5 driver

The opposite I'd say. Everyone is proud of their high HHI and how they are driving a 10 year old Camry.