Hi everyone.
I've been driving a run down 2003 Camry with 150,000kms on the clock for the past few years, recently I've decided I want to live a little so I am in the market for an entry level high performance car. My requirements are the following:
What would you guys buy? and why?
Let me know in the comments below.
If you enjoy driving, test drive a Mazda MX5. I know the power is below OP requirement but so is the price. MX5 is a driver's car and sometimes it's not just about the power.
Take one of the new all wheel drive v6 commodores for a drive and see what it's like.
<100kms EVO 8! ~$25k-$35k AWD ~200KW?
Your criteria is pretty open - you'll need to narrow it down more I think.
Also your new/used question begs the obvious question - how much are you willing to spend on maintaining a used performance car?
New cars that are worth considering at that bracket (or less):
- Golf R - great all rounder - a mate has one and its his family hauler and his Sunday drive car too. Loves it. Feels premium.
- Golf GTI - great all rounder with less power than the R.
- Focus RS - great for corners, but at the limits of being a daily driver - I own one of these. Manual only and the ride can get tiring.
- Civic Type R - depending on where you look, getting great reviews. Oz press seem to love it, esp the handling and suspension compliance on our shitty roads despite wearing 20" wheels.
- Mustang - the 4 cylinder meets all your needs…but I'd stretch to the V8 anyways if you can ;-)
- M140i - another great all rounder and great value for money now with the price drop from when it was the M135i. Its just over your budget but again, worth the money if you can stretch.
- Stinger GT (reviewing well, but note that its more of a tourer than a proper sports car, despite being RWD). Coming from a Camry though it will be a huge step up.
- i30N (reviewing well here and o/s as a true competitor for the Golf GTI); manual only though.
- Megane RS (soon to come, another one reviewing pretty well o/s)
If you want to be cautious, then yes avoid the Focus RS - while the headgasket issue is a problem, it doesn't affect that many cars - just seems so with all the social media carry on that comes with it. The bigger issue with it is Ford's customer service, particularly in Oz as evidenced by the recent recording. O/S Ford customer service is great, and many o/s owners have their repaired cars back and are happy enough.
Used cars - where do I start? E92 M3? C63? Worth noting that there's a lot you can get that will be nearing 10 years old that will be amazing drivers cars - better even than some in the new list. But you would have to set aside some money for maintenance for each year of ownership. If you are stretching just to buy the car in the first place at $60k, buy a new/demo or 1 year old car to avoid this.
Hope that helps and good luck. I know the liberating feeling that comes with "ah screw it I'm just gonna buy it" - did that myself in 2016 with the RS. I don't regret it at all - even with the HG issues.
No question. Vf2 redline.
Maybe can score a used LSA Clubby?
To be honest my recommendation is to unwind your mind and spend the money on other stuff/toys. Go travelling, buy a boat for the weekend for a year or maybe even an enduro bike and go spend some time out in the scrub looking at parts of Australia others don’t get to see. Go buy a little 4wd drive if you don’t like motorbikes and drive up some beaches and trails. Take up a sport, buy an electric skateboard or scooter or tennis racquet and go learn at your local club.
60k is enough money to live a lot, not just a little.
Keep that Camry, it’s care free and will reliably take you through the boring bits of life so you can enjoy your weekends with your new hobbies and toys.
Just 2c from a boring ozbargainer, my opinion is sitting in the rat race with a nice car just isn’t that appealing.
2015+ Subaru WRX STI (I own one, and its amazing)
2016+ Golf R DSG - Quite good cars and with a bit of tuning, they are rocket-ships.
2015+ Audi S3 but for the money you better off with a lower KM's Golf R. Unless you get lucky :)
Focus RS is also good, they have heaps of performance support from UK.
Civic Type R is another car to consider, i sat in one after owning my STI for 1.5 years and the driving position is amazing!!
If they don't cut the cake, consider some JDM classics like the R33 GTR, Supra RZ, S15 (Spec R or S), and FD RX7.
BMW E90 M3.. prices have come down on these, can be had for 35-45k for 2009ish models. Factor in $3k for rod bearings and throttle actuator replacement upon purchase and you'll have a bullet proof car.
What about reliability and known issues?
High expected maintenance?
My pick too…but…
They are very reliable after correcting the mentioned items. I have an E92 M3 myself, its far cheaper to maintain than a 335i. Just find a specialist, dont take it to BMW (I do all the work myself). I know multiple people with over 160,000km on their M3s which still drive as tight as a 60,000km model :) Also the DCT seems to be bullet proof compared to Audi models…
Civic Type R - ~$52K, 228kW, 4 doors
toyota 86 turbo-charged, 38 new + 10k to turbo it.
2009-2011 Audi S3 ($20k)
2004 Mitsubishi evolution 8 MR ($28k + appreciate in value)
2006 Mazda 6 MPS with stage 2 upgrade ($16k)
Mustang if you like being pulled over. But pretty nice looking car
Audi S3 or Demo A45 AMG
Thank me later
Hilarious some of the comments - but I think the OP knows what they want for their money. (Or is a marketer fishing cheaply for data)
In 2017 I bought a 2016 demo M Sport BMW 330i (185kW turbo). Paid just a little over 61k for mine with 5k km on the clock and balance of new car warranty. Other than price, the major points for selecting were:
1) 5 seats - allowing me to take 4 friends with me (I wish i had 4 friends)
2) 4 doors - easy access for the above 4 friends
3) 4 cylinder - Pay less in QLD rego
4) Averaging 8-9L/100 - Syd to Bne in one fuel tank (5.5L/100)
5) Rear wheel drive
It has had it's issues, such as the diff needing to be changed at 20k km under warranty (could be because it was a demo). The quality overall is not as good as a Lexus but not that far off.
In general if I was to buy again I would but at this moment only a Lexus would be of comparable value (financially and non-financially). If ongoing costs were considered I think Lexus would be less (given many parts are Toyota).
Last point - I'd only spend this amount if I had excess cash or if I could claim the expense on my taxable income.
marketer fishing for data
Precisely what I thought when I noticed no response from OP so "no soup (car suggestions) for you."
To screw with the potential marketing data, know that there are many like me in this forum and your small segment data of OzBargain isn't even truly representative of the users of OzBargain. If you submit this data to your manager, have the courtesy to point this out so maybe you will get off your ass and do a better job.
But if you're not, I've been told a PT Cruiser is the bees knees.
Personally I'd stay right away from any euro car that's nearly out (or out) of warranty. They seems like a good buy but parts and servicing prices are high and it'll cost you a fortune to repair when things go bad.
Like others have said I'd go the Stinger GT, it doesn't have the fancy German badge but you get a heap of bang for you buck and a 7 year warranty.
i always internally lol when i see a p plater with a bmw e46 3 series. if they only knew what they were in for
This x 1000 lol
Tesla model 3 but has a long wait time?
Will be more like $80k+
Maybe look for a 1-3 year old (post-facelift) AMG A45, with extended warranty.
0-100 in 4.0 - 4.2 seconds, brakes are fantastic, and grips like a lizard, and standard model is fully loaded. Is a better car than most mentioned so far.
I bought a new one for $70K last year, so $60k should be doable.
Agreed but the all-new model with significantly better interior and more power lands in a couple months and the older-gen will drop in price, don't recommend buying used one just yet.
The next gen AMG A45 is due in 2019, as far as I've been able to ascertain. This year's release is more of the same. If you have any new info on release date on the 400bhp+ model, please let me know.
Another topic for people to share their personal experiences that not always translate to useful recommendations.
I have a Tiguan, which doesn't have 160kw. This is my second Tiguan, and I get frustrated every time I think about buying a new car. It is easy to find a beautiful car with good engine, but not with good finishing and technology onboard, and safety. I find most mid and high-end cars quite disappointing in terms of internal finishing. They sometimes look like 20k cars, not 60k-80k… Some people say the same about the Tiguan, but I like it.
I think you have to check safety, engine, consumption, and then drive the options that you think are suitable.
Volvo is probably my second option; I could probably consider AUDI and BMW. The Volvo V40 could be a good option.