I agree with you on the manual thing as I have never owned a performance DCT, but the GT-R is a serious contender for me too.

The M3 is definitely easier to find than an ATS-V. It really doesn't help that I like the bright red (not maroon) and want a fold down rear seat and a performance data recorder. Yikes! I think I would have better luck finding Jimmy Hoffa.

 

 

Not ready...but want to take the Type R out for a spin.

 

How long do you have to wait?

Let me know how it rides, and if you can live with the styling.

 

And the complete lack of traction.

 

Can't hurt to try

I'm not thinking anytime soon, just about to hit 100k. I have a fun 20 mile commute, over the lake and a quiet 2 lane road that accounts for 80% of my miles.

Hard to think of another ride right now, but fun to contemplate.

 

 

I test drove an ATS V6 (not V) with before I bought my G and the chassis and handling was really impressive. I prefer something overtly sporty more than comfortable, though. I also found the seats and driver positioning quite good despite reviews complaining about the seats a little bit. But the all capacitive-touch controls on the center stack were super frustrating to use. But at the end of the day the fact that there weren't any several years old available to get them into my price range like the G37 sealed the deal.

I also test-drove a 335i and liked a lot about it, but to get it into my price range made it a little older than what I was willing to trust from BMW.

Realistically M3's and ATS-V's are going to be out of my price range unless I get a pretty old one. I paid 20k for a 3 year old G37 with 55k miles on it. and I won't be able to afford double that for my next car.

I'm surprised none of the sedan-ers are mentioning the Jaguar XE. I've been watching and early depreciation looks promising for finding one of the V6 models for under 30k when they get 3 years old and the leases start coming back to the dealers.

 

Nice! I like electric cars like the Leaf I had. I think that is the future and the acceleration and low center of gravity are fantastic. Nissan keeps teasing a Nismo version of the new Leaf and a concept suv w/ 500+ hp. Those could be fun.

 

I was really interested in the RS3 for the incredible acceleration and AWD. Today I looked up tuning options for the M3 and ATS-V. You can get the M3 to 515 hp and 540 lb-ft. at the wheels for $1,400 with just a tune and intake and the ATS-V to almost the same levels for $888 with just a tune!?! That is awesome! RS3 who?

 

 

Agreed. But my car isn't getting any younger.

[QUOTE=woofersus;4205490

Realistically M3's and ATS-V's are going to be out of my price range unless I get a pretty old one.
[/QUOTE]

Pretty much this. I have $40K to spend, tops. Which puts M3s and ATS-Vs just a bit out of my price range.

Rochester is my ghost of Christmas future what with college expenses and such

 

XE is at the top of the list with the Q50 RS400 for me...in several years. I drove the 340hp 3.0 supercharged model. It was fun, and it had more torque by a decent margin. It felt about the same or marginally faster in speed. Interior, although nicer, felt...more cramped/cozier???? It's hard to describe. I do love the way the XE is designed. Biggest gripe for both the RS400 and the XE is no limited slip.

 

Search the thread for Jaguar XE... it's been discussed often.

The XE is one of those cars that takes a fantastic picture, and checks all the right boxes by reviewers. And yet for me, personally, it's an underwhelming experience in person. So much so that I didn't even bother test-driving.

 

^ this is a lot of my issue to. the G is still plenty of fun, and in 6MT form it is a rare bird. i still love mine and look forward to each drive. it is costing me next to nothing and i've been payment free since buying it cash in 2010. RWD/6MT/sedan are prerequisites of mine, and the list of suitors is short as we've all discussed. matching the reliability of the G will be hard to do, as well.

BUT, my car isn't getting any younger like you say (i'm just under 60k miles but coming up on 10yrs in service) and eventually things will start to go wrong. so, what is the tipping point? i don't know. and since new tech features and driving nannies are not high on my list, the new car must shine with its mechanical content, build quality, reliability, and fun-to-drive quota.

i do have a (refundable) deposit down on a Genesis G70 RWD 6MT which will come out some time later this summer. time, and the eventual test drive, will tell if that is a viable alternative to the G. but it would break my personal rule of not buying brand new vehicles - i always go for 1-2 year old 'mint' vehicles to avoid the initial depreciation hit. since i keep my cars a long time, if the G70 is a winner the depreciation would be amortized over a long period and i may have to live with it.