Sport sedan recommendations?

[BoxsterSteve]

I'll give a thumbs up for the Forester.
I've been driving mine like a rental for 9 years now.

[coreseller]

Being that the original post is 5 plus months old I doubt the OP'er is checking but here is my response......

I know it is far from a sports sedan but I would recommend your Mother try to get in and out of anything that you are considering, it will be eye opening. I am in the exact same boat and decided to buy as a DD a Honda Odyssey Minivan. Nowhere near my first choice for fun but it is an incredibly useful / practical vehicle for day in and day out driving. I honestly really missed the past minivans that we had when the wife was driving them before all of the kids started driving, she now has a SUV after ~ 15 years of driving minivans. 23 city mpg and over 30 mpg highway, TONS of room inside and comfortable as all get out to run 80 plus on long trips. My wonderful Mid 80's Mother and her friends can get in and out (for casino trips) with ease.

Like I said have your mother try to get in and out of various "Sport Sedans" repeatedly. I doubt anything (depending on their mobility) will be a good fit.

Good Luck.......Mark.......

[kirkandorules]

Should be able to find a reasonably low mileage Infiniti Q50 for $20k. Very reliable, fast, looks great, and they work well in winter weather if that's a concern where you live.

[dsallean]

I was recently helping an elderly lady friend of mine trade in her Lexus LS sedan that was a few years old. Most of the new sedans, including the Infiniti Q50 and Nissan Maxima had what she described as a "cockpit" feel and the cars were low to the ground and hard for her to get in and out. She was repelled by the thought of an SUV but once she found out how easy it was to get in and out of she bought a Murano and is so happy she did now.

[JayG]

Caddie CTS-V wagon
Stealthy, fast and comfortable

[Porsche9]

The CTS-V Wagon is sweet. Especially if you can get one with a 6 speed manual. Not sure a $20k budget would cover it.

[ymkmkrz]

MB makes great autos, but not known for manual transmissions. At 20k, a BMW E46 had side airbags in the 2000s. You could get a very low mileage 330i for that price. Great car


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[ksjohn]

I am still driving and loving my 02 330ci. The E46 is pretty much the best car I have ever owned! Super reliable, it now has 248K on it. The interior still looks great! The body is perfect, it has suffered through a few dings over the years, but those are easily fixed. It is not super quick, just a great solid engine. Simple mechanicals help keep the costs down, no turbos, etc... And plenty safe, side, front and curtain airbags.

Mine is an auto. But a friend of mine just bought his daughter a sweet 05, 4 door, 6 speed manual X drive for $7K with only 130K miles.

Just find an honest indi mechanic and these cars will last forever.

[KevinH1990]

I was originally looking at 3 series BMWs. I like the looks and the performance and the prices are attractive for relatively low mileage cars.

The feedback I received from several owners and the mechanic who works on my Boxster led me to look at other options. My mechanic told me that if I bought one, I would be seeing a lot more of him. The Mercedes Benz is not trouble free either and the prices for parts are high. So, it is probably a matter of picking your poison.

My Infiniti has been great and its relatively good reliability and low repair cost have been a nice contrast to my Porsche. I guess the smart thing to do would be to buy a nice used Corolla or Civic, but I'm sure most of us aren't on this board because we consider cars an appliance.

[911monty]

Originally Posted by KevinH1990

I guess the smart thing to do would be to buy a nice used Corolla or Civic, but I'm sure most of us aren't on this board because we consider cars an appliance.

OOOOOOHHHHHH An SSSSSSS!

[PaulE]

For my daily driver I've had good luck with my 2012 Acura TL 3.5 fwd. I bought it CPO with 9,600 miles in January 2013 and it now has 104,000 miles and is still going strong. A friend of mine who also owns a 2000 Boxster S has an Infiniti Q 37S AWD as his daily driver, enjoys it and has had good luck with it. These Japanese near-luxury cars are pretty sporty, have decent features and I think are a bit cheaper and easier to maintain than the German cars, although the status, handling and performance of the German cars is higher. When it is time for me to move on from the Acura, I'm going to look at the TLX and the Lexus IS 350 F Sport AWD and the Lexus RC 350 F Sport AWD if I make the leap to a 2 door. While I'd like an Audi S5, since I tend to own my cars for a long time and a lot of miles, it won't be for me.

[Seadweller]

VW Jetta GLI

[JayG]

A Passat or Jetta is also a good choice. Easy to find them under $20k for a newer low mileage one
Get a turbo, the 2.5 NA is a little sluggish IMHO

A MB C class is pretty small in the back seat

[MWS]

Audi S5, or that's my choice. Under 20k might be tough though (look for MY10). Could go the A5 route, but not the same. Don't know prices on the S4 (or if you could find one, an RS4), but the A4 is kinda disappointing (previous models). BMW 3 series is always a good choice, but from personal experience, BMW service was more than Audi.

[MWS]

I just remembered that a 911 is a four seater.........

[Ciao]

Audi A4, 2.0T Turbo; awesome!

[ksjohn]

I always find it interesting when people say that their BMW was expensive to maintain. But then, I do pretty much everything myself and I know where to find quality parts (often OEM) at reasonable prices. And I never, ever go to the stealership! I doubt I ever spend more than $500 in any given year on maintenance.

However, I do know what my next car will be. A nice clean 996 with a bad motor. And I will be installing a nice 400+ hp LS3 type motor in it. I know it will be frowned upon by some, but I think it will be a fantastic combination!