Best car for an unexpected late-night 6 hour trip

[DarkSunrise]

1) 75% highway, 25% narrow winding roads
2) Comfortable/stable at speed, nimble for winding raods
3) $40k new/used
4) Good lighting
5) Not flashy/boy-racer

Easy. Used E92 M3.

edit: Actually that's the kind of trip I'd take my GTI on. If you want to buy new and pocket $13k, that wouldn't be a bad option.

[7thgear]

get some shitty american suburban with leather seats

you get:

tons of room
comfy ride
excellent vision
no one fucks with you

[OrbitalEllipses]

$40K? Doesn't scream BOY racer? Late night 6 hour journey?

Screams GT car to me. What's a cool GT car that can be comfortable for a journey like that, yet nimble enough for some twisties/canyon?

Well. For some reason, I have a 911 of some kind (used 996 turbo?) burnt into my mind. Another, very different alternative, could be a used American muscle car of some kind with high-end suspension. Or perhaps, even a hotted up CUV of some kind from the Germans, though that's not going to do so well on the twisties with the high center of gravity so instead I'd consider a used older German wagon of some kind.

Originally Posted by juliog

My choice would be a used M3 E46, can be found under $40K no problem.

@Guff has some words.

[bestwheelbase]

Cool, lots of good ideas. Some of them are too flashy. Here is a thought I had:

Restomod pro touring Camaro? Not sure how much they cost. Outside looks like normal older car. Discreet!

Btw, trip went smoothly. I arrived super late. Saw deer along the roadside at 2am so the last leg of the journey was real slow. Safety first!

[bestwheelbase]

@rice_classic cutting through a foggy night in an NSX is the stuff of my dreams. Price is right. Lighting is easily updated. I love the idea. But I hate to think of the ticket if stopped. (I realize the concern about aesthetics is mainly artificial because even in a Prius you can get the book thrown at you!)

[chrisl]

I'd go used M3 (E92 maybe?) or 911 (996 C4S might be nice) for that, personally.

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by Guff

Toyota Supra.

I love the Supra but they're not easily forgiven for much at all. The dude would be writing the ticket before he even got to my door. (Been there, done that!)

[strat61caster]

Boss 302, faster than an R8, most people will assume it's a regular Mustang with a sticker pack.

The only car that meets ALL the criteria is a BMW M wagon or a Merc AMG wagon, how can you look reckless in a wagon?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AklFE4Zi964"]Top Gear - Mercedes E63 AMG vs. BMW M5 - YouTube[/ame]

Edit: the wagons in the video are probably too new to meet the price point but go back a couple years and you're good.

[Gaiakai]

Performance without being boy racer sounds very German to me, so I'd say E46 M3. I WILL own one one day.

If it's just 2 people including the driver, I'd say 987.2 S. You get a frunk and a trunk, get it in any shade of grey for the "big boy" image lol

[dem00n]

Honestly?

Aston Martin DB7

You can pick one up for $30Kish easy, service is nuts but from my research not a lot really goes wrong with them. Theres a few with over 200K miles out there too.

Its a GT car.

Cops love it, everyone loves it. Its an Aston baby.

[n2oinferno]

CTS-V

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by Gaiakai

If it's just 2 people including the driver, I'd say 987.2 S. You get a frunk and a trunk, get it in any shade of grey for the "big boy" image lol

Sadly, you can't get a 987.2 S for <40k right now. I tried, believe me. 987.1 S is very doable though.

[Gaiakai]

Originally Posted by chrisl

Sadly, you can't get a 987.2 S for <40k right now. I tried, believe me. 987.1 S is very doable though.

Still? That makes me very das. On the upside, lets me keep the BRZ longer

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by Gaiakai

Still? That makes me very das. On the upside, lets me keep the BRZ longer

Yep. I'm hoping in 3 years or so to be able to upgrade to a 987.2 - it has a few things I'd love to have (maybe even a 981, if they're low enough). The 987.1 certainly isn't bad though