Well I've got the new car bug. The old RSX still runs great, looks good and is fun to drive. But I'm tired of my butt being pounded into carpaccio on long trips by a short wheel base, sport suspension and a seat made for Japanese back sides. And even the best stereo doesn't cover up the road noise you get in the little pocket rocket.

The Mini Cooper and the VW GTI are out for the same reasons stated above minus the Japanese seating. The Honda Civic Si is basically the same car I have with more horsepower and less headroom.

I'm not going to give up on performance but want a car that won't bounce me into the headliner when I hit a bump. It has to handle well, be dependable and get decent mileage. And it has to have good tunes. A trend in interior design is built in sound systems that do not lend themselves to aftermarket upgrades. At least not head units. And it needs some huevos, 0-60 in well under 7 seconds.

So that leaves me with the mid-size sport coupes which is where I've spent most of my years behind the wheel.

Here's what I've narrowed it down too.

Toyota Camry Solara

Nissan Altima Coupe

Volvo C30 Version 2

Honda Accord Coupe

Pontiac G6 GXP

What to do? Thoughts?

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I test drove the C30v2, its awesome. I love the little bugger. It's fully customizable, and comes with a stock turbo . The front is plenty roomy, and I'm up here on Ohio roads, which are all sh1t, with mostly ****ty drivers to dodge (almost got into an accident turning out of the dealership). Climate control, nice wheels, heated seats/mirrors, stock nitrogen in the wheels, and I love the side turn monitors. The car holds a decent amount, you could probably stack a bike or maybe two if you put down the back seats. Tiptronic is just as fun as the 5-speed. Too bad it has to run premium.

Second choice would be the Altima coupe, the 2.5 engine is pretty gusty, and I am a die hard Nissan fan.

Toytoa is thirded, I think its a bit pricy for what it is though.

Also, both of them come with MP3 imputs, so to hell you with you optical media

ADD: Have you looked at Subaru WRXs?

Pontiac G6 GXP. Do it.

I'd agree with your assessment of the C30. Fun car and lots of kitsch appeal and excellent on insurance rates. It would lower my current rate by a couple hundred a year. What I didn't like is you can't really get a great deal on one and the options are overpriced. Cruise control isn't even standard, silly Swede's.

Driving is fun except for the too big steering wheel and a bit too much under steer. Lot's of torque and it comes in way early. My left knee hits the arm rest in the ver. 2 when driving a stick though. I guess they had to make room for the Dynaudio speakers which sound great. I thought the turbo was laggy until I drove the manual tranny, it was the auto transmission though. It's built on the same frame and engine as the European Focus ST ...which we can't buy here.

I'll have to look at the Subi, I hadn't really thought about it.

Note to self: Spectrum likes the big wing and hood scoops. I'm going to test drive one after work today.

I think the Nissan looks nice.
Volvo is always a solid car.

Either would be good.

The styling of the G6 GXP is a bit... boy racer... but just don't get the street package, which includes the wing. The styling isn't as nice as the G8, but I think its a solid car. Granted, this is all based on not even having ever driven any of the cars on that list, save for early 2000's Altima and Accord.

You can blame Ford for the pricing on the Volvo's extras And Volvo's automatic trannies suck hard.

Quote: Originally Posted by AntiM I'd agree with your assessment of the C30. Fun car and lots of kitsch appeal and excellent on insurance rates. It would lower my current rate by a couple hundred a year. What I didn't like is you can't really get a great deal on one and the options are overpriced. Cruise control isn't even standard, silly Swede's. Driving is fun except for the too big steering wheel and a bit too much under steer. Lot's of torque and it comes in way early. My left knee hits the arm rest in the ver. 2 when driving a stick though. I guess they had to make room for the Dynaudio speakers which sound great. I thought the turbo was laggy until I drove the manual tranny, it was the auto transmission though. It's built on the same frame and engine as the European Focus ST ...which we can't buy here. I'll have to look at the Subi, I hadn't really thought about it. Note to self: Spectrum likes the big wing and hood scoops. I'm going to test drive one after work today.

I'll have to agree on the pricing, the one I was eyen' had all of the aforementioned features, but it was on sale for 21,000. But hey, last I checked, all Volvos are 5-star safety rating, just like Subis.

For that kinda money id be looking at 2nd hand Maseratis. Something like a 1999-2002 3200GT, 400bhp, twin turbo, 4 seats, etc can be had for around £14-20k in this country, so probably cheaper in the US.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dex For that kinda money id be looking at 2nd hand Maseratis. Something like a 1999-2002 3200GT, 400bhp, twin turbo, 4 seats, etc can be had for around £14-20k in this country, so probably cheaper in the US.

Even used, you're looking at around $40k for a later model used one. Plus the fact that they are so ridiculously rare that any repair is going to cost you big time.

Pontiac is an American car company, 'nuff said

Quote: Originally Posted by Spectrum Even used, you're looking at around $40k for a later model used one. Plus the fact that they are so ridiculously rare that any repair is going to cost you big time.

Having just read up a bit on US models, you are right, it was predominantly sold in Europe (not rare at all in the UK) so yeah strike that... unless you have the money to keep it Mike

Quote: Originally Posted by U8312_1337 Pontiac is an American car company, 'nuff said

By that im assuming your advising him not to buy the Pontiac, as per the universal truth: "All American cars are rubbish", yes? (except the Ford GT )

Quote: Originally Posted by Dex By that im assuming your advising him not to buy the Pontiac, as per the universal truth: "All American cars are rubbish", yes? (except the Dodge Viper)

Fixed that for you.
/Wouldn't mind the GT either.

Vipers are awful too.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dex Vipers are awful too.

Agreed, I'd rather have a Lotus.

But lets try and keep it on the affordable side for Anti.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dex By that im assuming your advising him not to buy the Pontiac, as per the universal truth: "All American cars are rubbish", yes? (except the Ford GT )

You mean the one that's designed and engineered by Europeans? And is horribly unreliable?

Quote: Originally Posted by 4x0n You mean the one that's designed and engineered by Europeans? And is horribly unreliable?

Yes. Most super cars are unreliable

Quote: Originally Posted by Dex Yes. Most super cars are unreliable

Granted, but the GT was (is, not sure) when it came (comes) to reliability.

Well, I was quite underwhelmed by the Camry, I didn't even stick around to terrorize the sales people. Lot's of body roll and a V-6 that just doesn't justify what you pay for it when compared to the other cars.

The Pontiac is pretty decent, but a slight step behind the Altima and Accord in almost every area. Pretty nice stereo though. Actually all the sound systems are a huge step up from ten years ago, but the Volvo is the only audiophile system I've heard.

I'm leaning toward the Accord. I like the way it mixes angular cuts with smooth curves and the slight tilt downward toward the nose of the upper body line that gives it a aggressive stance. It's got the best fit and finish of everything I've looked at. It also drives the best of anything I've looked at even edging out the Altima. Don't buy the silver one with the 6 speed manual, I think the salesman may have peed himself during the test drive. But you're kind of forced to load up on options like leather with the Accord if you want the V-6. If I go Accord, I'm going to have to shrink a salesman's head. Which I'm completely okay with.

The Altima is pretty sweet as well and you can drop some options to sweeten the price. Leather seats are just not that popular in Phoenix ...go figure. Premium gas would sting at the pump though.

I actually considered going certified used BMW. But coupes are fairly rare and insurance rates are just ugly. Maintenance is also ugly.

Well, I've driven a lot of cars at this point. I've crunched a ridiculous amount of numbers and read pretty much every review I could find. And I've seen that almost tragic look a salesman gets when he knows he just blew a deal because he was greedy more times than I care to count.

I gotta say one of the nicest new cars I looked at was the Pontiac G8. The metal flake orange is hot! The styling almost makes you forget the butt ugly Canned Hams and Canned Prix's that still ugly up the streets. I really like seeing cars like the Malibu, Aura and G8 competing at a level at least as good as the competition. If American car makers would just make coupe at that level, I'd be happy.

The WRX was a hoot to drive, ballsy as the Volvo and tighter handling and the hatch is more practically laid out. More cabin noise than my RSX though, which I didn't think was possible. And like most of the turbo cars, it requires 91 octane.

The best deal was the Pontiac G6, lowest asking price for the options I wanted plus $2500 cash back. So ...I went for the Honda. Best performance, best handling, best gas mileage on regular gas, best reliability and best resale trumped best deal.

I hit every Honda dealership in Phoenix and Avondale and ended up in Scottsdale where I put down a deposit on a Belize Blue Pearl Accord coupe EX-L V6 with an automatic. Tell me that's not a Pimp color. I paid well under dealer invoice and don't have to deal with any dealer add-ons since it hasn't been delivered yet. I think I can get it tinted and install mud flaps for less than the $700 to $1000 dollars most dealers charge for that. And I don't really need a $200 dollar pin stripping job that will peel off as I drive off the lot. Funny thing, I got two phone calls and an email almost immediately after I got home all saying, "That's a really good deal, I can't match that."

I'll post some pics when I take delivery. It's really purdy and the inside is as nice as the Acura loaners I used to get when my RSX was serviced. The audio is pretty decent from what little I've heard, I can always drop in new speakers if I want better. 6 disc, MP3, WMA, XM, aux input and 270 Watts, 7 speaker with a sub.

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