Sport sedan recommendations?
 

Hi All,

What are your thoughts on sporty sedans for ~ $20k these days? Is the M3 still the benchmark, or is it Audi now? Lexus? Part of its duties will be to transport an aging, frail parent to doctor appointments.. So, comfort is important.

If you want to side to comfort the I can suggest a C55 AMG. Ran one as my practical cat alongside by Boxster. Didn't need the ultimate handling sports saloon or sedan as after all got a Boxster so M3 was out.

I'm actually fond of the Cadillac ATS.

I think aging and frail are the key words, not sporty.

I recall measuring things like the size of door openings and seat height when transporting a knee replacement patient. Might want to experiment at home to see what is comfortable/needed for them.

Comfort, Sport, and, Luxury, Quality and weather never an issue; Audi

Mike gave a good answer. I sold my Jaguar XJR because it was too low for my Dad to get in and out of easily.
The easiest entry/egress cars are actually small Crossovers. P. Macan & Audi/vw clones, Acura RDX V6.
If you want a Flat 6 -Subie Outback !

I'll second that. ;)

Can't go wrong with an Audi....but would say Jaguars have come along way in terms of reliability and they drive amazingly.

But echo a small SUV might be better suited for entry/exit. Can get VW SUV in that price range and they are virtually Porsches without the badge.

One of my other cars is an '12 Acura RDX turbo (I think its a 3.0l V6) anyway its a mini SUV not a sedan but my wifes father is 86yo 5'2" & frail as a cracked egg. He gets in
& out of it fine as a bonus there is plenty of room in the back seat + cargo space. put it in sport mode & its pretty fun to drive, though nowhere close to a BMW M.

The E46 M3's are still the gold standard.

I had the chance to test drive a 2002 M3 today. It was interesting. The additional hp didn't really impress me, especially at lower speeds. The handling and steering were pretty fantastic, and on par with the 986.

You can get an S class amg for that.

If repairs don't scare there is no better German sedan until the panamera turbo came out

Reading the OP's price point carefully, I'm going to suggest something like a CPO Nissan Maxima, although it may be too low of a rider for elderly people to get in and out of.

What I would not recommend is a German vehicle for this purpose. To get one in the 20k range, you'll be faced with not only taking aging parents to doctors, but renting a vehicle for aforementioned visits when the elderly German vehicle is in the shop for one thing or another.

Sorry, but owning an older Mercedes and a very newish BMW for six short years have proven to me that their long term reliability is non-existent. I love German sports sedans, but only when I can afford to buy them new and trade them 1000 miles before they go out of warranty.

One money-pit in the garage (the black hole for dead presidents aka Boxster) is enough for me.

Hell, even a Forester, RAV-4, or CRV would do the job superbly in capability and budget.

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

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.......:cheers:

I'm fond of the E55 AMG myself. That will be next on my list if i ever get rid of my 01 Audi S4.

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.

An E55 is a money pit. For its time an awesome car hp wise and even by today's standards pretty good. Reliability is pretty atrocious. Ask me how I know. I can tell you about failed air suspension, supercharger, supercharger water pump, and on and on. This was before 60k. And the price for parts is something special.there's a reason you can by them in the teens. Consider that a about half of the money needed to run the car for two or three years.

Anything German out of warranty is a money pit.

Pontiac G8, for an aussie car they drive pretty darn good, I had a commodore SSV ute so same thing less door from new and the handling was impressive, I do long runs and was getting 7.4 Litres to 100 kms, 6 speed manual for sure is the best

I've had plenty of German cars that weren't, all VW's and one Merecedes. We have a 2008 C300 since new that has been fabulous.

I'm not a NISSAN fan....
 

...but, the Infinity G37S is a damn fine car for cheap.

for the $20k budget
 

my vote goes to a year old four door VW GTI
.

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.

Caddie CTS-V wagon
Stealthy, fast and comfortable

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.

[QUOTE=Porsche9;545360 We have a 2008 C300 since new that has been fabulous.[/QUOTE]

I need a 4 door sedan fairly regularly, so my Boxster cannot be my only car. My daughter recently convinced me that because my 1996 Infiniti G20 lacks side air bags that I should consider replacing it with something a more current from a safety perspective. If I give up my G20 I'll miss it, but a co-worker's sister was "T-boned" last year and the consensus is that the side impact air bags saved her life.

For some reason, I've been fascinated by a Mercedes C230 Kompressor sedan with a 6 speed manual transmission. I've been researching the 2005 models on the Mercedes Boards. I never thought of myself as an MB person, but there is something about the car that appeals to me.

It's nice to see that someone owns a Mercedes and a Porsche and isn't embittered by the experience.

My wife had the C230 Kompressor coupe with the 6 speed manual transmission. She got it because it was a Mercedes with a stick! The engine matching up nice to the manual trans was the weak link in my opinion. The engine (the 2.3L K) was really slow to rev down and making smooth shifts almost impossible unless you were real slow shifting. The later 1.8L K might be better. For me this characteristic made driving it not very enjoyable. You'd need to drive one yourself to see if you like it.

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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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.

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.

I'm thinking about this now. The box sits much of the time and seems I always need 4 seat to take a nice drive
I'm only thinking Audi S4 or A5 but for a 50k mile example it's $25k
Figuring a dealer might give me $8k for the box I would be back to payments

OOOOOOHHHHHH An SSSSSSS!

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.

VW Jetta GLI

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

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.

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

Audi A4, 2.0T Turbo; awesome!