Need for Speed

August 7, 2008 9:05 AM

What is the most powerful car you can buy for around $25k?

A friend of mine loves fast cars and is looking to purchase a new car to replace his SUV. What he is looking for is a combination of good looks with great acceleration (top speed isn't a big priority, see speed limits). I was suggesting the Mazda Speed3, but he thinks there must be a better or more interesting choice available.

Here are the basic criteria:
- Total must be under $30k.
- Car must have a back seat.
- Car must be able to accomodate a fairly tall driver (6' 2")
- Car must be reliable.
- Preferably new, but interesting older models could be considered.

Basically he is looking for what could be described as a good car, but with fantastic performance. The price tag is what makes this challenging. What do you, MeFites, say?

posted by Vindaloo to travel & transportation (31 comments total)

Subaru WRX (MSRP $24,850) FTW
posted by yort at 9:13 AM on August 7

ah . . . "good looks" . . . nvr mnd
posted by yort at 9:14 AM on August 7

The rally competitors, Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru STI, have terrific power-to-weight ratios and therefore sparkling acceleration (sub-5-second 0-60 mph). A new Evo or STI is slightly out of the price band but there are gobs of used STIs on craigslist for less. The issue with a used performance car is it was bought by the first owner for exactly the reason your friend wants one - to go like hell; therefore it is a fairly high risk.

On preview: Legacy GT > WRX, and a new one is within the price band.
posted by jet_silver at 9:15 AM on August 7

RX8
posted by zeoslap at 9:15 AM on August 7

You could also get a used G35
posted by zeoslap at 9:17 AM on August 7

I'm a Subaru fan, so I was a little crestfallen when the CR test track team did time trials, and the Mitsu Evo smoked everybody.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2008/08/evo-sti-135-lap.html

So, yeah - nthing yort and jet_silver, WRX or Evolution.

And, hey - I like the way the WRX looks! :)
posted by Citrus at 9:20 AM on August 7

I bet you could get a Dodge Charger with a V8, or a Mitsubishi Lancer for under 30K. The aforementioned Subaru would be a better choice than both, though.

But also look into a BMW 3 series, or the Mazda RX-8 for the interesting rotary engine. I bet you could sneak into one of those for right at 30K.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:20 AM on August 7

Oh, and the Pontiac G8 got surprisingly good marks for performance, but low marks on nearly everything else.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:22 AM on August 7

Toyota Camry V-6. Plenty of room. Reliable as hell. 5.8 sec. 0-60.

Quickest Cars of 2007 $20,000-$25,000

Make adjustments for 2008 model prices, but I still think the Camry V-6 is your best bet.

(Now--handling is another matter...)
posted by dzot at 9:29 AM on August 7

The VW R32 has a MSRP around $32K. I am 6'4" and can fit OK in a Golf but I'm not sure whether the head room in a R32 is similar.

Oops, you said $30K not $35. The GTI is about $22K but isn't quite up to the R32. Maybe a used R32 - I see a few '08 used R32s online for $30K. The '04s are cheaper still.
posted by GuyZero at 9:32 AM on August 7

I'll second the Legacy GT.
posted by PFL at 9:32 AM on August 7

The Camry is indeed quick and reliable as hell -- I own one. However, it's a sluggish transmission, and its suspension is set up for Grandma.

Can you tell I'm angry that my wife won't let me get new wheels, tires and shocks?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:33 AM on August 7

An '06 STI. (Subaru Impreza WRX STI)

That's before it got uglified. Nothing's going to be faster, especially if there's anything more than straight roads involved. And they last forever. And they're "built for yumping". You'll be the idol of teenagers everywhere.

(Full disclosure: I gots me one. No repairs in 60k miles. Lots of tires, though...)
posted by lothar at 9:45 AM on August 7

A used Acura NSX. That thing will blow anyone's doors off, even at 15 years old.
posted by mark242 at 9:47 AM on August 7

You can probably get a Ford Mustang V8 2008 year-end clearance for around 25,000. Shitty mileage and rear-wheel drive, but its pretty fast.
posted by damn dirty ape at 10:00 AM on August 7

I popped in to suggest the Subaru WRX, as I currently drive one and love it. I drive a red 2004. That model year is a very good looking sedan, previous posters are correct that it did take a huge nose dive in the looks department. Other positives include: lots of power, AWD, and decent gas mileage. I'm currently averaging 24 mpg.
posted by LightMayo at 10:03 AM on August 7

If he doesn't care about it being front-wheel drive, the 2009 Nissan Maxima is going to have just shy of 300 horsepower, and starts just shy of $30k.
posted by knave at 10:09 AM on August 7

You can buy a used Porsche 928S for less than $15k. Not the most reliable car, but if you take care of it it'll run forever.

If you want something newer and more reliable, a recent model used Nissan 350Z is going to be the fastest feeling car in your price range.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:31 AM on August 7

CarMax has a vehicle recommendation tool that allows you to search for cars by establishing weighted preferences for a pretty specific set of criteria, including acceleration, vehicle type & size, price range, usage, etc. I can't vouch for the results, but it's probably worth playing with for a few minutes.
posted by grateful at 10:41 AM on August 7

Does it have to be new?

The fastest production cars around 30k (current value) that I can think of are the E55 AMG w/ 475 HP, which you can find for the low 30's or the BMW M5 w/ 400 HP for around 30k also.
posted by wongcorgi at 10:52 AM on August 7

Anecdotally, I'm 6'5" and drive a VW GTI into which I fit comfortably (most headroom I've ever had in a car--so long as no one over 5'2" needs to sit behind me). Thing goes like a bat out of hell, and starts at about $22k. The R32 is a little over your target price, but is awe-inspiringly quick.

Alternately, as far as used goes, a 3 or 4-year old Audi S4 might fit the bill too--a similar size as far as headroom/legroom goes, and one with 40K miles on it might come in under $30K.
posted by Mayor West at 11:41 AM on August 7

I was totally going to link the Ariel Atom and the T-Rex, but neither of those has a back seat. For that $30k you could get a pretty wicked old Camaro/Road Runner/GTO and expect it to blow the doors off anything on the road.

My buddy just bought a 76 Buick Regal with a 454 pushing just over 400bhp for just under $4,000. Its 0-60 isn't amazing, but it's 60-150 is absolutely unbelievable. So is the ability to do standing burnouts. It's wicked HUGE, I mean, the armrest for the passenger side is like 2 and a half feet long. I have to lean all the way forward to operate the power window.

Besides, a wicked old beast with a racer stripe has way more...what's the word...style than a new whatever.
posted by TomMelee at 12:26 PM on August 7

A slightly used GTO (the new ones that they put out a couple years ago). They have ridiculous power. thought they do look like a cavalier. well, at least one specific year, which I think was 05.
posted by Amby72 at 12:30 PM on August 7

If you're considering an RX-8, make sure you realize how bad the mileage is. I rarely got more than 16 or 17 mpg with mine (mostly city driving). Also, it is fun to drive, but I wouldn't describe the performance as "fantastic".
posted by Horselover Fat at 1:05 PM on August 7

You could also get a used G35

Or, its kissing-cousin the Maxima (again, used, of course) For my money, the Maxima is the all-around best bang for the money, especially if you can find a low-mile used car. Especially if actual space for 4 adults and their luggage is called for.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:12 PM on August 7

So far it seems either a new WRX or a used WRX STI is the preferred choice, although the VW GTI and the Mazda Speed3 are also in the running. My friend fell in love with the Mitsubishi Evo before crashing down to earth on seeing the price tag ($47k+ in Canada, yikes!!).
posted by Vindaloo at 1:35 PM on August 7

Oh geez, Canada, I should know better. R32 isn't available there retail and the CDN price on the GTI is more like $28K, still in your range. There should be plenty of them used though. Or do what this guy did and put a R32 engine in a Jetta wagon.
posted by GuyZero at 1:47 PM on August 7

Not sure if this matters, but you're treading a line here between nice little fast V6 cars like the GTI, Camry/Accord, Mini Cooper S, etc. that are (over, to some) powerful front wheel drive cars, and the low/used end of AWD/RWD fast cars like the BMW, Mits Evo, Subi WRX [STi], VW R32 (out of your range), and so on.

The Evo/WRX are going to be very fast but kind of cheap on the interior. BMW will have to be used for that price. The fast FWDs will be as nice as you want to afford, but they have acceleration problems (unnoticeable to many) of torque steer and skipping tires. This is just a side effect of having the drive wheels up front pulling the rest of the car.

I have an R32 and it is great. Ebaymotors seems to show slightly-used 08s at your price range, so a trip to a dealer to see if they have any <5k's laying around. Alternatively you can get an 04 R32 (some say it's faster, manual trans only) for well under 25k, but caveat emptor as any particular one may have been beat up a little bit, a risk with used performance cars.
posted by rhizome at 1:57 PM on August 7

GuyZero: R32s have been OKd for Canadian import in the last month or so, so they should be showing up sooner than later. Unless they're going to be getting the Euro version which is not built for a specific year and so could conceivably be waiting to receive 09's. There are additional benefits to the Euro R32, such as the availability of manual trans, more racy seats and a 4dr model.
posted by rhizome at 2:00 PM on August 7

The last years of the fox bodied mustangs were wicked powerful, handled well and are pretty dependable. Now they're way less than 25k. Prolly find a Rousch preped one with that kinda dough. the hatchback is super roomy and with the back seats folded down you can haul like, 20 8' 2x4's and close the hatch. Hmmmm, gues that would only matter to me, mine is my work truck too, but a sub 15 second quarter mile time, 20 mpg with an automatic trans, and mine cost less than 2500 bucks! tons of aftermarket upgrades and stock parts to be had makes it a good choice for the motorhead with long term intent (me) Find a good sound used one for 6000 and put 10,000 into prime seats and suspension goodies, and your ride is custom, fast and efficient. plus 9000 in savings
posted by Redhush at 4:13 PM on August 8

If you want a car that can turn corners, investiage the RX-8 or the Subaru WRX.
posted by Jerub at 6:42 PM on August 17