Sold the BRZ for a wild ride!

[AdrianSaldana]

Trade your baby for the BRZ

hah kidding congrats

[akiranakayama]

Ford Focus RS? You'd have to live with terrible fuel economy and being an early adopter, though.

You could also opt for a Mazda 3 hatchback. Great interior. Good handling. Pretty damn good fuel economy. Price is right. Looks great with the appearance package. Practical. The higher output engine model also comes with a proper 6sp manual now.



The sedan version of it is pretty sweet, too, though it loses some of the utility of the hatch:




And then, when you can't resist the urge to mod anymore, you can be the envy of all the Mazda fanboys stateside by spending dat serious coin to import an AutoExe body kit:


Obviously on a Mazda kick here...

[pxtang]

Originally Posted by Sport-Tech

Golf R? By all accounts it handles better and is more involving to drive than the S3. And in Canada it's priced decently, several thousand less than the Focus RS. Hard to overlook those boxy lines though....

I've heard of Golf Rs being sold for more than S3s, and VW dealers refusing to let anyone test drive the R as well.

[Braces]

Congrats on the 3rd child. Sounds like you're making the right financial decisions.

Why not wait a little longer, save up and consider the Supra. That is what I am doing.

The Supra is still a couple of years out. Plenty of time to save up.

[Summerwolf]

I'm hoping they drop the supra fall of next year. Following that vehicle closely.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

I was thinking maybe an S3...I don't know. Any suggestions? Open to anything...sporty...luxury...combo of both...hatch, sedan, CUV, SUV.

I'm scheduled to do some track laps in a friend's S3 in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it compares to the FR-S if you haven't made a decision by then. His is modded though (APR stage 3 turbo, H&R springs on OEM magnetic dampers, Stoptech BBK, Hankook RS3, etc.)

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Braces

Congrats on the 3rd child. Sounds like you're making the right financial decisions.

Why not wait a little longer, save up and consider the Supra. That is what I am doing.

The Supra is still a couple of years out. Plenty of time to save up.

Thanks! But with 3 kids I don't think I even want to venture into the $60k+ car market (not now anyways). They are still young so I've got lots of colleges to save up for as well. I think $40-50k is generous enough of a budget to find something I really like.

[FX86]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Had to sell the BRZ today. It was sad, but I still have it for a few more weeks. The new car...drum roll...2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature in "Machine Gray". Lol it's actually pretty nice for a big honking SUV. Turbo 4 with 310 ft lbs tq. Anyways it's going to be my wife's car as we just found out we have a 3rd child on the way. I'm going to take her 2014 Accord Touring for 8 months and then pick up something fun for myself. Big question now is what to get! I honestly don't have the kind of budget anymore for something like the new "Supra" that's coming, but most likely something in the $35-50k range. I was thinking maybe an S3...I don't know. Any suggestions? Open to anything...sporty...luxury...combo of both...hatch, sedan, CUV, SUV.

mazda really stepped their game up...i drove a 2016 cx-5 grand touring awd

put it in sport mode and it goes

[Irace86]

click bait

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by FX86

mazda really stepped their game up...i drove a 2016 cx-5 grand touring awd

put it in sport mode and it goes

I agree. The CX-9 Signature edition we got is on par with luxury large SUV's like the Acura MDX and the Infiniti QX60. Test drove both and aside from the Mazda badge, you wouldn't have known you were comparing different price points.

Very comfortable and well done interior as well.

[FX86]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

I agree. The CX-9 Signature edition we got is on par with luxury large SUV's like the Acura MDX and the Infiniti QX60. Test drove both and aside from the Mazda badge, you wouldn't have known you were comparing different price points.

the interior on the upper trims did remind me of lexus, infiniti, etc...very high quality..even has than fancy control center knob in the center console and the parking brake is a little button/lever

[Braces]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Thanks! But with 3 kids I don't think I even want to venture into the $60k+ car market (not now anyways). They are still young so I've got lots of colleges to save up for as well. I think $40-50k is generous enough of a budget to find something I really like.

Start a 529 college savings plan. You'll thank me later.

[Dark]

Congrats on the 3rd child.

If you're looking for something practical yet sporty, get a used 2015+ STI. Resale value is superb. If you're looking for something fun, wait for 2017 Miata ND after their tranny issue is sorted out. I would never recommend a German car, but if you don't care, check out the R.

[Dark]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

I agree. The CX-9 Signature edition we got is on par with luxury large SUV's like the Acura MDX and the Infiniti QX60. Test drove both and aside from the Mazda badge, you wouldn't have known you were comparing different price points.

Very comfortable and well done interior as well.

Unlike MDX and some other premium SUVs, CX-9 Signature has soft Napa leather, real aluminum trim and real wood. MDX is nice, but for 55K, you get not-so-intuitive infotainment system, fake wood and fake aluminum.