Yeller wants a new car
 

For reasons that are more my failings than the car, I sold my C7 this past summer. Road noise, difficulty getting in and out of the car, that model plane glue smell that never went away, and a need to free up some cash all contributed to the decision. This was Corvette #6, so it's not a big deal - to me it's just a car. I can always buy another one.

But I want something else. I'm running out of ideas, but I feel like there's something out there that I'm missing. Here are my criteria:

- fun to drive
- relatively easy to get in and out of (i.e. no Ferrari/Lambo/Corvette)
- manual transmission
- $30K budget (OK, $35K including taxes and stuff)


Nice to have but not required are:

- RWD
- V8
- New or newish (i.e. reliable)

It would be a weekend/fun Friday car that, if possible, I would take to the track for HPDE. Hence the desire for something reliable that I don't have to worry about breaking Saturday morning and thereby wasting my entry fees and travel expenses.

Open to suggestions. Thanks!

Porsche is out because I've BTDT and have wasted enough money on those things already. Plus they're expensive.

Chevy SS is my vote.

Mustang GT

Chevy SS: Good idea, but BTDT. Not much of a track car.

Mustang GT: Gawd, the interior sucks, but the rest of it doesn't seem too bad. Currently at the top of my list.

Thanks guys. Still open to more suggestions, or comments on the Mustang...

We love our Scat Pack Charger... Just throwing that out there. But no manual offered... Maybe a Challenger?

I'll second Sconn suggestion. Lots of ScatPack Chargers around here (Detroit Chrysler country). They seem pretty fast from what I've seen and sound pretty really good at WOT. Camaro SS and 1LE's might be a good choice also. I have driven a couple of those and they are nice and quite fast. Only thing I didn't like was the low roof and sight-line. I think for the easy-in-out the Charger would be the best. Although, in the past most of the Chrysler products have been known as a POS for reliability and crappy re-sale; hopefully they have fixed those issues.

Agree with the Chrysler thing, but I do think Dodge is making a solid vehicle these days. Bought our Charger a year ago, new, and after 9k miles on it, it's just been awesome. The seat comfort is one of the best I've found and very easy in and out. Delete the mid-pipes and add bullets... The sound is unbelievable!

In the $30K range....what about a 5th Gen Camaro ZL1? It's got the ZR1 supercharged engine and I think they came with magnetic ride.

I wouldn't completely dismiss the Mustang until you drive one. I would consider a Mustang......possibly even ahead of the new Camaro.

I have driven the Mustang, and I'm really leaning hard that way. My wife had a Camaro, and although the drivetrain, steering and brakes were all excellent, I could not stand driving the car; lousy visibility and very claustrophobic.

The Challenger is not bad, but it's huge and I'm really turned off not just by their reputation for quality, but the lack of fit & finish quality that I saw. I don't think it handles as well as the Mustang either - but that's just a guess from my limited test drives and from what I read in the enthusiast mags.

I expected Mustang hate here - glad to be wrong!

Mini Cooper

My wife and I were looking for a fun car for her to drive last year and we liked the Mustang GTs a lot. I really wanted to like the Camaro, but neither of us could deal with the lack of outward visibility. The worst part of the Mustang experience was the Ford dealers, much like a lot of the Chevy dealers if you know what I mean. We ended up with a Lexus RCF which is a lot like a mustang - 2 door, about the same size, double overhead cam 5L V8, 469 HP, magnetic shocks etc. Unfortunately it doesn't meet your criteria for manual transmission, but shifting with the paddles at full throttle in Sport + mode is amazing and it is not a dual clutch transmission.

Good luck on your search.

There's more "fit and finish" issues with my '17 GS than our '18 Charger, but that's just my experience.

370z

FIAT 500 Abarth

Fiat. Ha. I said I wanted a car, not a toy. LOL.

No, seriously, that's an idea. I hadn't thought about the 370Z, Deepdiver, that's a good idea, although it fails in the "easy to get in and out of" category, it's probably not as bad as the Corvette.

I second the Mustang, yeller, and it can be easily modified any number of ways to enhance your preferred type of driving if you wanted to do that. Matter of fact a Mustang may be my next car for the same reasons as you, easier to get into and out of and less road noise. But not just yet...

WRX Subaru.

I third the Mustang GT. Easy to deal with and muscle enough. Right in your budget as u know.

I just sold a red '14 with 19k miles- was gone in 60 seconds after posting it. I test drove a newer one and almost got it.

Man, those things are BAD ASS. Big power, short gears, and AWD. A friend of mine had one in college and it was a monster.

I would never buy one. I'd be dead not long after I took delivery.

This is a good option.