Take back the keys!

I need some opinions on what car I should buy for my daily driver. As much fun as i have had with the eclipse its about time to part ways and get something newer. I am not sure though, maybe i wont get a newer car and just drive the eclipse till it dies. Upkeep is a pain and i just want something nicer since i drive 100 miles a day for work. If i do get a newer car, it needs to be decent on gas (min 25 highway mpg), manual is almost a must unless the car is otherwise the balls, AWD would be preferred. Looking to spend under $30000 and am also limited cuz i am not going to get hosed on like 5 or 7% financing cuz there are a lot of good deals out there right now which is why you wont find the new V6 mustang or camaro on my list.

Cars I am currently considering:

Cobalt SS
Fusion (sport or not)
Mazda3
Lancer (ralliart only)
WRX (sedan only)
Charger

I must say that the ralliart and base model WRX are my favorites right now due to the combo of performance and affordability. The biggest downer about the ralliart is that there is no manual option, just the 6 speed auto with the sportronic feature

i can't suggest any because idk what you like, but greenwood in atown has a maroon cobalt ss for sale. its pretty clean. and they have a ralliart lancer also maroon

impreza base!! nice interiors pretty comfy, awd so great year round, and very reliable, i dont like cobalts there interiors are cheep and ( i know ur looking for a dd )but there performance is very dull, mazdas are nice and would prob make a nice dd for u but ive never owned one, i only know mikes brother has a 06 and the engine just blew with 80 or 90k, chargers are nice but too bulky looking for me, id say go with impreza, ralliart, or fusion

How close are you wanting to get to that 30,000 number and are you looking at new or used? Are you looking to leave it stock or mod it some? Out of those choices I would either go 2008+ Cobalt SS, Ralliart, or wrx. The Cobalt is the only one i've ever driven though out of your options.

I've been looking at the Cobalt SS's for awhile and like Noah said, the interiors aren't the greatest. Aside from the seats (which are nice and pretty supportive), boost gauge (and other gauges faces), radio, and steering wheel it looks exactly like my 2006 base model does. If I had a 2007 or newer, the radio and steering wheel would look about the same too minus the usb port and what not. With that considered, I still love them and will pick one up if I find one that has the options I want, low miles, and the dealer doesn't try to dick me around (the latter goes for pretty much any car for me though lol). If your wanting to mod, it's a tough car to beat. A tune and downpipe with put you over 300whp easily. GM stage 1 will put you at 260-270whp and an in tact warranty. With that said I have to disagree with what Noah said about their performance. If your looking supercharged, yeah they're harder to get power out of but I still feel they are a decent car as a daily. If you find one with the G85 package (recaro's and LSD for 05-06, LSD only for 07) with low miles, I would jump on it.

I don't know a ton about the Ralliart so I can't really comment on it much. It does seem like it's a decent car though and I like the looks of them. Is the sportronic trans paddle shift like the evo x or just pushing the shifter up and down?

I've never driven a wrx newer than '07, but I like the feel from sitting in them. I like the previous years though, but they're a different platform so that really doesn't matter much haha. AWD gives this a big jump ahead of the rest for winter.

Like I said, I don't know if your looking new or used, but for 30K you can get alot of car if you're looking used. Evo X's can be had for $25,000-29,000 with around 20-30k on the clock. A low mile Evo IX can be had for around 24k-26k. VW mkv R32's are around 23k-28k pending miles. Those are only DSG paddle shift trans though. e46 M3's will go for 25k-30k with 35,000-50,000 miles on them. 06-07 STi's are mid 20's with 08+ being upper 20's. LS2 GTO's are usually sub $25,000. Though i'm sure all of these cars will cost more to insure than the ones you listed, and might not get the mileage as the others but it's something to consider pending on what you want to do with the car.

/book lol

Evo 8 or WRX. IF you want gas mileage D series honda.

30,000 is a shitload of money. Buy a new benz.

he got a ralliart... u guys may feel free to kick him in the balls when u see him.

it is a nice looking car tho

njrupp wrote:he got a ralliart... u guys may feel free to kick him in the balls when u see him.

it is a nice looking car tho

dumbass.

shame shame. should have got an astroghini

Yes as Noah stated I went with the Ralliart. And i think it was the best choice for my situation for sure.

Its practically new, and is a good daily driver that is quick and fun to drive.

take some pics of it

Gotta say it's actually a pretty cool car. Asthetically I like it better than the 08+ Corollas, er...I mean WRXs.

didnt realize these were made AWD with a 6 speed, cool factor just went up!


retract statement... 6 speed auto. :/

Technically its an automated manual transmission but w/e