Help me Decide what car to buy!

"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
10/29/2014 at 13:09 • Filed to: car search

Hey Oppo! I keep on trying to figure out what car I should buy next and I want some of your suggestions!

I am a married 27 year old web developer and have a budget of about $40k CAD all in (taxes, freight etc.). I currently have a 2008 Chevrolet cobalt coupe which I actually like (for what it is).

What I am looking for is a new car to get me back and forth to work that is decent on gas (24mpg+ average according to the EPA), it must have a sunroof (or be a convertible) and preferably a coupe but not a must (my wife has a CUV and we have no kids so space isn't a must). Doesnt matter if its new or used. I would prefer it to be somewhat reliable.

I think what I am looking for is more of a grand tourer (something comfortable with good performance, but I'm not necessarily looking to set lap times).

Help me Oppo, you are my only hope!

DISCUSSION (19)

Nibby > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:10

inb4 Accord Coupe

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Nibby
10/29/2014 at 13:13

Why not? It sounds like the perfect choice for him.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:14

Camaro SS? I dunno what the going rate for those are in Canada.

Nibby > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
10/29/2014 at 13:16

I was being serious... for a change :P

bob and john > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:17

While its IS a sedan...why not look into a 2004-2008 Acura TL?
can be had with a manual
with your budget, you can find a type-S in good nick
VERY good looking car
honda reliability
stick was one of the best you could buy
DAT V6 NOISE
very comfy cars

Failing that...you could do what my dad did and buy a 2010 A3 TDI. (about 25K for a good one with 100k km on it)

you could get them with a full panoramic sunroof
the TDI gets INSANE mileage (EPA says 30, thats bullshit, we get 45+ regularly)
awesome transmission
easy to park
fun to chuck around. and if you get a tune on it, not all that slow either

Too many M's > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:19

CPO E92 335i/E82 135i.

Infiniti G37

Honda S2000

anothermiatafanboy > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:31

WE NEED MORE INFO. Just a price range isn't enough. Do you want automatic, manual, or an auto with paddle shifters? Rear wheel drive, front wheel drive, or all wheel drive? $ cylinder? V6? V8? If you have no clue, go test drive some cars with differing layouts, you will get a feel pretty quickly for whats right for you. That's would help us narrow it down and much more accurate suggestions.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:34

used Aston Martin please

Brian Silvestro > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 13:59

Hellcat or bust

Long Live the Longdoor > Nibby
10/29/2014 at 14:39

I have actually thought about an Accord coupe or a Civic Si coupe and I can't see any reason not to get one. An Accord coupe with the 6M would likely be fun and would last forever.

Long Live the Longdoor > anothermiatafanboy
10/29/2014 at 14:47

I am leaning towards a manual, but I do not have too much experience with driving stick so an auto with paddles would work as an alternative. Drive train does not really matter, i have driven and like all three. I'm leaning towards a four cylinder, for milage reasons but would happily take a six. I am leaning towards a naturally aspirated engine, but its not a must. Let me know if you have any other questions :)

Long Live the Longdoor > Too many M's
10/29/2014 at 14:57

Funny you should mention it, I was actually looking at CPO 128/135i's last night lol, but longterm reliability and costs are a bit concerning to me. I just would need to do some more research on that.

Long Live the Longdoor > bob and john
10/29/2014 at 15:27

Very good suggestions! I love that gen of the TL (the best IMHO). I'd be a little concerned about how old it is and the fuel econ is down, but I'd be saving quite a bit of money. Interesting, that is very tempting!

The A3 is also a good option, good call! I'm not a huge fan of how diesels sound though, but I'd reserve that judhement for a test drive. I kind of forgot about the A3, thanks for the reminder!

bob and john > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 15:29

I looked up the EPA number (i'm intrested in one) and the manual TL will get 7.7l/100KM on the freeway.

you really cant tell its a diesel on the inside, its relativly quiet. Keep in mind the A3 TDI is NOT AWD. just FWD.

Long Live the Longdoor > bob and john
10/29/2014 at 17:35

I do a fare bit of city driving and normally I see pretty close to the EPA combined figure, but no biggie, it still looks like a really good option.

I might just have the test drive an A3 TDI and give it a shot, I don't want to rule anything out. I remember it being FWD and you're just saved me a quick Google to see if they attached it to quattro, thanks :) Does it come in stick or just the DSG?

Also, how long has your dad had the A3? Has he had any issues with it?

Long Live the Longdoor > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
10/29/2014 at 17:44

Approximately $47k all in brand new (though I could pick one up used within my budget). I don't mind the Camaro, but I think I want to try something other than a GM product (having owned a Cobalt and a Cruze) and it would cost me about $2k more per year in just gas.

bob and john > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 17:48

DSG only. if you loaded up a golf to similar levels would have been about 4grand LESS then the A3. but we got a deal on the A3, and the A3 is just a bit bigger. but ALL A3's were built in germany, not mexico.

We've had our car for....5 years now. 125K km. The only issue we;ve had was that the
EGR valve failed twice in all those km. I think it was a 300 fix/clean. both times.

OEM wipers lasted 4 years, 6 months. We run winters (obv) in canada, and the OEM tire package was CRAZy. They use some italian tire, marangonni Ice 4+ or something like that. BEST winter tire in the world. just grips and grips and grips. They last FOREVER too. this is would 5th winter on them. after this, they are going only because of age. the OEM contis for the summer wheels lasted about the same.

Fun fact: the suspension tuning on the A3 TDI is pretty much the set up on the Golf GTI. Firm, but not overly so. Makes it GREAT fun to toss about. Once you get the motor tuned a little more (APR stage 1) it REALLY boogies.

Long Live the Longdoor > bob and john
10/29/2014 at 18:24

ANNND I've now started looking at used A3's, damn shame they don't sell the hatch any more. I wonder what Audi's certified pre-owned service is like in Canada.

bob and john > Long Live the Longdoor
10/29/2014 at 18:30

its pretty good actually. I don't think they take cars that have over a certain amount of KM.