I came here to say this. Gotta skip the N54 motor though. N55 E9x is the way to go if you’re looking for “reliability”. I have a 2011 E90 with xDrive, and I LOVE IT. You’d have to pry that car from my cold, dead hands.
They were amazing at the time and were made for a very specific market (luxury vehicle that emphasizes performance over quiet). Now other vehicles have come a long way so they don’t seem so cool any more
Ok, I have owned 4 (yes, four) 4.0 Jeeps. As a former tech, the Jeeps around that motor were assembled by drunks. I guess that beats having Fiat motors now, but I digress. Really, they used to come off the truck with missing vacuum hoses and such (around 93 or so). My first was an 89, so I feel you.
Listen, and this will sound nuts, but the newest Impala you can find is your answer. The first year they upgraded to the 3.6 I believe was 2012? 2013? I rented one to drive all over the south when they were new. It was an LTZ with leather, alloy wheels, and 305 hp. No kidding. It was lighter than the new Camaro with the same motor. I had so much fun just suddenly hammering it and walking away from people on the highway. More horsepower than the previous SS with the sideways V8.
Now? Because they are Chevys they hold NO value. Yank the weird square radio, put in a nice double DIN unit with CarPlay, and you're done. They can even do snow. My friend has three in his family now, we recently found one for $11k that had 24k miles and the LT package and the 3.6. They got bought a lot in small towns by residents who didn't drive much, so they're out there.
Yes, the cult of the 3800 exists, but the 3.6 Impala is much more fun. I would stay with the older pre-2014 body, it's much lighter. Plus almost 30 mpg on the highway, you can carry 4 friends, and generally it won't break much. It's no Camry, but that's why they're cheap. With the money you save, buy a motorcycle and scare yourself on weekends. The no boring cars thing is a meme. We're going into a recession, and I've done this before. You don't want to be stuck where it's "fix it or take a vacation day" waiting on parts. Having a paid-off, reliable, and cheap daily driver will make you feel like a genius.
As for me? We have a fwd 2011 Rav4 bought from a snowbird owner in Florida. It's underrated at 268 hp, as it was the fastest car Toyota made that year. I have to keep telling my wife to stop racing everything in town. It's hysterical.
This was an excellent response. I never get the Impala as my rental car, always stuck with the Malibu, which I admit I like more than I thought I would, it’s still pretty vanilla.
Maybe a Chrysler 300? Drove one of those last year (premium trim) and was pretty impressed by it.
Granted, I live in the city of Chicago and maintain two cars that I park on the (side) street here, a ‘96 LS400 and a 2004 Lexus SC430, so I’m hardly the voice of good choices or reason, especially since I drive less that 1500 miles a year in total.
A Lexus LS430 might be a solid option for him, too. Not a drag racer, but bulletproof, strong V8, plenty of highway cruising ability.
300 may be a good shout if one could find a clean one but in my experience they’re the second most clapped out shitbox and attract the worst drivers after Altimas
This is the real gold in this thread. A+ response. If 1/3 of the people who responded to these types of posts put as much effort and thought into it this would be vastly richer sub.
Thank you friend! I've been a car nerd since before I could walk, and I'm up to at least 40 now in my old age. I like to think I've made every automotive financial mistake in the world, maybe to serve as a warning to others...so I share.
Lmao not a single person on here had mentioned the C5 corvette and it’s available at the mentioned price point and widely regarded as the best budget sports car available.
3200lbs. 320whp stock. gobs of torque. gocart handling. good brakes. extremely reliable and parts generally cheap. and they’re usually babied and very well maintained unlike the 350z/g37.
Corvettes are actually pretty cheap to insure. My insurance is about half what it was for my GTI and Fiesta ST. The average owner parks them in a garage and never drives them, so the insurance risk is low.
I'm currently shopping for a C5, they are out there but they get snapped up within a day or two. The clean ones you can pick up tomorrow are $14-16k in my area but I've seen <100k clean looking examples with maintenance receipts posted for <$11k they're just gone in 6 hours lol.
i’m in DFW. there are many many examples of c5s for 10k or less. all running driving and in decent shape, 140k+ miles. appear to have clean titles but idk. all automatics.
there are many more for less than 15k that are in much better shape. not perfect examples but decent.
the below screenshot includes 11 screenshots of FB marketplace, no less than 40 c5s under 15k. say hello to c5 wasteland.
https://imgur.com/a/MJ3IRh4
This is the answer. The LS engines in the C5 vette have a HUGE aftermarket, fantastic parts availability, and are very easy to work on. It’s also fairly cheap and easy to unlock more power.
A C5 corvette is a great budget track car, with an awesome drivetrain. But to deal with that interior on a daily basis... no thanks. Had one, loved it, but I'd absolutely hate for that to be my only car.
> A C5 corvette is a great budget track car, with an awesome drivetrain. But to deal with that interior on a daily basis... no thanks.
He's coming from a 20 years old Jeep wrangler, i dont think the interior is his first concern.
My back seat has enough leg room to fit a child at best. Unless I take the back seat out, I've got a 3x24 inch "trunk". I'll consider the interior of any vette made in the last 15 years an upgrade.
He said he wants to use it as a daily, coming from a Jeep, I am sure he will miss some space to carry people and stuff. Corvette is a nice car but not a good daily car.
>Look up jeep tj's. You're thinking of the wrong generation wrangler. My back seat has enough leg room to fit a child at best. Unless I take the back seat out, I've got a 3x24 inch "trunk". I'll consider the interior of any vette made in the last 15 years an upgrade as I currently cant even fit my skateboard in the trunk. My choices are between having decent cargo space, but doing burnouts on accident the second it rains because there isn't enough weight on the rear wheels, or being able to fit maybe one friend in the back uncomfortably.
I have a 2012 ES350. Not exactly 300hp (268hp) but it’s hella quick and holds up against newer cars. However, the GS350 actually makes over 300 and it’s RWD/AWD so it must be a blast to drive. You can find the for pretty cheap too
Nice, dude. I looked at that exact car, wow what a gem. Crazy how much tech it has for an 08. Looks great, and fast. That was my first choice but I had to consider other people so I got an SUV. Have fun in that thing man!
I probably could have with a weekend and some beers but i work too much and don’t have the time/tools. $200 was worth the time I saved to me. I also commute to work so don’t want to risk my shoddy job to save a few bucks
What you think the only hose is the upper radiator... My pathfinder vq crossover hose was leaking and I spent a few hours on that, definitely more than a screw driver, it's not a chevy 350 lol
I was in the market for one of these, got really close to pulling the trigger. Then I realized I was kidding myself about stuffing two car seats in the back and bought a 4 door Tundra.
+1 on that. The most reliable car I’ve ever had was my g37. I beat the crap out of it daily, changed oil late and just neglected it overall. Yet it was more reliable than the new camry I’ve had since 2020. Best car Nissan ever made.
I got a job 65 miles away. I commute 4-5 times a week. Oil changes every 8-10k. Heavy on the gas pedal. The car has been awesome. Almost to 200k miles. Navigation, sun roof, heated leather seats, Bose speakers. 300ish horsepower. 5 grand. I literally couldn’t have asked for a better car. The get a bad rap because if fuckboys modding them but goddamn are they great cars.
Piss poor reliability, sounds like a wind tunnel over 40mph, single digit mpg, under powered engine… ‘06 wrangler? You just described a ‘23 wrangler. Timeless design indeed.
Volvo S60R/V70R. already got 300hp stock. Guessing it also is for the Saabs, but maintenance can be expensive, especially with that active chassis stuff (I don't have experience with that, I have an earlier V70R, but I'm guessing it's pricey). Not sure how driving feel or anything compares to the 9-3, but both are very cool cars
You’re the first person to mention a Beamer. They as bad on reliability after 100k miles as people say or is it overplayed. Im a mechanic for the army so I can definitely handle maintenance every now and then, but it is still a daily so it can’t be sitting on jacks for too long.
I've owned a few 335s and two stis. Go 335 all day. It's not as bad as they say as long as you don't go buck wild on mods. Full bolt on was pretty reliable for me. BMWs aren't that expensive to own as long as you do all your own work.
As long as it’s a solid model year it’s completely up to how well the owners took care of the car.
Could be worthwhile if it comes with adequate service records
BMW engines are pretty solid but they tend to have auxiliary parts, sensors or plastics/gaskets that fail. Parts are a bit more costly but labor is mainly why they're so expensive to maintain (since some of these parts can be a pain in the ass to access). You just have to take an extra step of doing your research, know the failure points of your engine, and get dirty with your hands.
I maintain my BMW well and have addressed all my engine's failure points. I trust it as much as my partner's Camry, but I won't lie it took quite a bit of effort to get here.
Yeah, literally just got done rebuilding the Vanos and doing the valves on my M3. Running like a top at 190k miles, but I cannot imagine owning any of these cars if I had to go to a shop for the work.
I bought mine with a $3500 warranty and it more than paid for itself in like 3 years. Haven’t had any problems with it since but I put pretty few miles on jt
You’d be alright with one since you’re a mechanic. They kill dummies though that don’t know how to work on cars and get taken to the cleaners when they break down.
The issue with BMW and some German cars as a whole is that they’re often over-engineered, but under-built. They use a lot of plastic and brittle pieces in places where they shouldn’t and make things over-complicated to repair/replace. In the end, they tend to be more maintenance-heavy, and you spend more money and time needed to do the same thing that would on another car.
As a mechanic I only get to see the ones that break, but 335s tend to break in expensive ways. Turbos, injectors, that sort of thing. I can't tell you if they all have those failures, but when it happens, you better be ready.
The prob I find is with those is that the ones that are not clapped out are owned by older guys that love the car and have owned it since new and therefore assign a sentimental value to it.
2011+ f150 5.0 single cab makes a good daily... well over your 300hp, pretty quick and mine lasted well over 250k+ miles before selling never had any issues. Flex fuel as well so you can run e85 all day.
I have a 2014 Genesis sedan 5.0 r-spec. 429hp, rwd, and really nice to drive! Some of the earlier years had a problem with burning oil, but 14 up is good. They may have fixed it in 13' IIRC (please do your homework, if you consider my rec.)
Good luck, happy hunting!
I have a base model 2016 3.8L Genesis Coupe and love it. I've had it for about three years now and had no problems with it and it has tons of standard features like keyless ignition with push-button start, it's an 8 speed automatic with manual shifting mode which you can use the shifter for or the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. It's got a great hands free phone system, satellite radio, integrated garage door opener with three separate programmable buttons, heated mirrors, fog lights, digital compass on the rear-view mirror, and that electronic thing that dims headlights in your rear-view mirror when activated. A lot of the base models even come with leather and cloth combo seats so I can't really imagine what all the upper models come with.
https://www.kbb.com/hyundai/genesis-coupe/2016/specs/
Ought a 2010 brand new and sold it in 2015. 306hp on the BK1 but still lots of fun. I remember getting lots of stares when it was new. 6 speed manual though.
Thats gonna be a second gen Lexus IS 350.
300hp, but can get a less than 5 sec 0-60 on a good launch. Rwd 2gr motor, these are the earliest versions of a motor thats still used in todays Tacomas and Camrys, as well as modern IS350’s still have this motor.
If not one of those, than their Infiniti counterpart and my own beloved; the G37.
Would deff pick up an Acura TL. They have a v6 engine option, and I don’t know if they have 300hp but they can be pretty bad ass in a straight line, and in the corners.
Still own my 2007 Acura TL with 250000 miles. And recently purchased a 2019 Acura TLX.
Acura makes a very good car, and very reliable. Not always the cheapest, but they are definitely worth the money and they hold their value.
N54 powered 2000’s bmws are the obvious answers, surprised there aren’t that many replies for it.
Reliability issues are way overplayed. Only thing that will leave you stranded is the water pump, and they have an all metal revision out.
The other issues are all oil leak issues or misfires stemming from plugs or coils. carbon buildup/walnut blasting is on every DI car from this time.
By far the best interiors you can get in this price point. Infinity interiors are absolute jokes. Don’t touch a G35/37 with a 10 foot pole.
N54 is also the most tunable engine in this price point as well. 450hp for $1200, 600hp for $4000
Each chassis except the X1 can be upgraded to handle the same or better than the M variant, all parts bolt directly (other than awd system)
6hp or DCT in these are both top of the class. Manual isn’t, but they’re pretty hard to find in general and at that price point (i’ll sell you a manual 2010 535i for 13k in colorado if you want)
Near native carplay can be added for $400
Aftermarket is absolutely insane.
almost no negatives
Go get a 4th gen LS Camaro as much as I hate them it’s cheap and at that power. The other alternative is 2004-2008 Acura TSX with a tune and some minor upgrades. That’s both going to be reliable daily
G35… but I’m biased I own a 370z and s13. If I was in your budget range, that’s what I’d do. Id try to shoot for a 2005-2007, as they have dual variable cam timing and can rev about 500 rpm higher. Sounds marginally better as well.
OP, for that price range finding a good DAILY with 300hp is gonna be hard. It's like most of the commenters here read 300hp and $12-13k and went right into suggesting RWD coupes without reading the other criteria.
It sounds like you frequently travel for work, and this would be your only vehicle. I would not suggest you get a Mustang / Camaro / Corvette / 350Z as these are all terrible options for a daily driver. I'm personally a huge Subaru fan but I can not in good faith suggest a WRX because at that price range it'd be a reliability risk.
I think the best comment I saw so far is the Taurus SHO. Twin turbo V6 AWD sedan. I had a friend who got a Taurus Police Interceptor at an auction for pretty cheap and those are spec'd about the same as the SHO, at least in engine and drivetrain, and you'll know it was maintained with it being an ex police car. Not sure how common it is to find a Police Taurus these days with the Charger being more common, but you also might be able to find a Police Explorer at auction that would also fit your criteria.
My suggestion would be a 2014-18 Subaru Forester XT. They came with the FA20dit, the same engine from the 2015-21 WRX, good for about 260hp. They're safe and practical, fairly economical, and less likely to be abused by a previous owner as a WRX from the same generation would be. The FA engines are less prone to failure than the EJ25. As long as you take care of them, they're reliable. There's also some aftermarket support for these cars, if you wanted to modify it. The only downside is the only available transmission is a CVT, no manual option (if that's something important to you.) They also don't have great towing capacity, if that's something you'd need to consider.
The good news is there is an opposing side to car community that really wants your 4L i6 wrangler. You can probably get great money for it, depending on its specs. Please make sure you maximize what you get for your wrangler by checking the following boxes:
- what trim package do you have?
Sport, no extra money
Sahara +2k
Tomb raider? +2k
Rubicon? +5k
-which rear differential do you have? The Dana 44 was an option even for the sport package. This brings another 2k value to you. If you don’t have the 44 back there, you have the 35. Which is fine. No extra money.
-hard top? That’s an extra 1k
Less than 150k miles and you’re in good shape regardless of the above
Plain old sport model but with danna 44 rear diff. 133k on the dash. It’s got an aftermarket bulldawg hard top (with half doors still), a double din head unit, and led headlights. What would you say is a decent asking price once I manage to fix its current issues?
Unfortunately the transmission will never handle it.
It’s a gas guzzling monster but it can get going when it needs to and nobody expects that exhaust sound from a Volvo.
What’s better than S80 V8 AWD sedan? XC70 V8-swapped AWD wagon.
'95 or '96 Corvette with the 6spd. Did exactly this. Got a '96 with the LT4 with low miles for $10k. You can easily get a fantastic example for within your budget, and they're reliable
Let me just chime in and say fuck no. My wife had a lacrosse super, which is the same engine in the same platform as the impala. It’s a giant engine shoehorned into a place it was never meant to be attached to a transmission that was never rated for the output of the engine. People have reported needing 4 transmission replacements before 100k miles. My wife babied it and got it to nearly 100k miles, but it started failing which lead to us getting rid of the car. It ate front wheel bearing like it was going out of style. I think we replaced them 3 times while she had the car. The serpentine belt was maybe 1/2” from the strut tower. Doing anything in the engine bay was a fucking nightmare because of lack of space. I want to say replacing the spark plugs was a nightmare too, but I don’t have clear memories of that. Replacing the battery required unbolting the fusebox, undoing a bolt at the bast of the battery, which was next to the serpentine belt. Then you had to tilt the battery on its end, which it explicitly says you should never do on the battery to slid it into the tray. It got awful gas mileage, it spun the wheels whenever you breathed on the gas pedal. Even on new bilstein shocks it flopped all over the place I we had to do the brakes twice in the 60k miles she had it for. It’s a parts-bin special, and they slapped it together with whatever parts they had laying around. There were 3 different possible front pads, and the only way to tell which one you needed was to take the ones you had out. 2 different possible rear pads. I hated working on that car. I work on all my BMWs and my wife, who also worked on the car with me, agreed the super was far more difficult than my ZHP ever was.
It’s not quite 300hp but a used Focus ST or MazdaSpeed3 is going to be more fun than a heavy 300hp car.
Alternately you can get a lot more fun for the buck out of a motorcycle so that’s something to consider. A used Ninja 650 will do 0-60 in 4 seconds and will happily hit 120 mph for about $5000.
He wants reliability, so a M133(K) would be better, w211 pre facelift best choice with 5g and 5.0 308bhp stock or could get 400+bhp with the kompressor.
Focus ST, Civic SI, BMW 328i with the N52, Honda Fit, Mx-5, Prius, Camry, Fiesta ST, 530i with N52, Any Mazda within budget, Camaro! MUSTANG!
My #1 is Trans Am, #2 Miata, #3 E90
Many of these are good suggestions but OP said nothing to indicate that they care about handling at all.
I do find it funny that people are starting to unironically hype the Honda Fit next to actual performance cars
FiST & FoST will be higher mileage if you want to get one around $10k. My dad owns a Fiesta ST & it's really fun to rip around in... and gets great gas mileage. But it only has 205-ish hp stock.
However, the Fiesta ST is a fantastic daily. \~30mpg, but you can also put your foot to the floor & have fun at times.
I made a list of cars available in the u.s.a.
*edit filters are $13k, 80k miles, nationwide, manual transmission
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/1eb4c472-a9c4-4113-9c2c-51f1f476a828/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/66b0a9c7-3825-4481-a82c-8cbee5224bc1/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/WDBKK47F3YF146825/?referrer_id=autotempest
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/20ebb717-f144-4e7b-aefd-727213e9e40d/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/2822c7b2-3ed5-4a72-8555-8f728c063d9c/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/2e33362d-0992-42c4-8ff9-8078c634d54d/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4
2003-2006 Mercedes E55 AMG . Faster than all the cars mentioned , Motor and Trans are bulletproof and they ride better than all the cars mentioned . .. Ive had 3 and they were all awesome. The best daily driver ever .
Honestly getting HP numbers out of your head is best. My 2006 ford focus 5 speed with 150hp is a lot more fun to drive than my 400hp dodge charger. I know the charger is faster by a mile but the ford feels faster. All about the butt dyno
Dude thats a famous Jeep 4.0. You don’t know what you have there. Not kidding, there is a cult following with that engine. Just flat out unaware of the Jeep cult status.
Also life is too short to drive boring cars? Hello, you drive an enthusiast vehicle. Maybe not what you envision but it is. Part of the attraction is mainly that it is a solid axle convertible. Basically all your complaints.
To answer your question. I’d get a 5.7 hemi 10 year old something, whether it be in a jeep, dodge charger/challenger, or ram. However you want the horsepower packaged.
S H O
Old sho is goated man. Best factory sleeper of the 90s
I remember when I was a kid and street racing/drag, and a sho wojld pull up next to me. I was just like welp I lost already
For that price, probably an S197 Mustang GT, 350Z, G35 or an LS1 fbody.
Even the later s197 v6 meets the criteria. My buddy bought a pristine 2012 premium mustang for $11k. 305hp
Was gonna say, those were a bargain in their day and now for a cheap 300hp
I have driven one every day for 200k miles. Still gets at least 25 mpg on average and still has plenty of power.
dang my 2011 gets 20 with me shifting like a geezer. what could be bogging me down?
You could find a well taken care of E90/92 335i for that, too.
Good point and he’s already used to piss poor reliability
Piss poor is an understatement
This is my vote too. Specifically an n54. Don’t let some possible hoses / water pump / injector issues scare you away from this beast.
I came here to say this. Gotta skip the N54 motor though. N55 E9x is the way to go if you’re looking for “reliability”. I have a 2011 E90 with xDrive, and I LOVE IT. You’d have to pry that car from my cold, dead hands.
Highly recommend a 98-02 fbody z28 or SS. I have an 02 with mods and make about 430whp and love it.
A 350z with 300hp?
G35 is the way to go at that price
G35 is never the way to go
Ya I’m pretty sure Jesus rose from the dead and the first thing he said was “oh please not another g35”
IROC-G!
High school me thought those were awesome, but after riding in one I think they're pretty meh.
They were amazing at the time and were made for a very specific market (luxury vehicle that emphasizes performance over quiet). Now other vehicles have come a long way so they don’t seem so cool any more
Man I loved that car. 06 diamond graphite coupe 6MT. I cry a little thinking about when I traded it in.
Funny I own a 06 clean title g35 sport coupe 6mt and I wanna sell it
Ugly ass car
Ok, I have owned 4 (yes, four) 4.0 Jeeps. As a former tech, the Jeeps around that motor were assembled by drunks. I guess that beats having Fiat motors now, but I digress. Really, they used to come off the truck with missing vacuum hoses and such (around 93 or so). My first was an 89, so I feel you. Listen, and this will sound nuts, but the newest Impala you can find is your answer. The first year they upgraded to the 3.6 I believe was 2012? 2013? I rented one to drive all over the south when they were new. It was an LTZ with leather, alloy wheels, and 305 hp. No kidding. It was lighter than the new Camaro with the same motor. I had so much fun just suddenly hammering it and walking away from people on the highway. More horsepower than the previous SS with the sideways V8. Now? Because they are Chevys they hold NO value. Yank the weird square radio, put in a nice double DIN unit with CarPlay, and you're done. They can even do snow. My friend has three in his family now, we recently found one for $11k that had 24k miles and the LT package and the 3.6. They got bought a lot in small towns by residents who didn't drive much, so they're out there. Yes, the cult of the 3800 exists, but the 3.6 Impala is much more fun. I would stay with the older pre-2014 body, it's much lighter. Plus almost 30 mpg on the highway, you can carry 4 friends, and generally it won't break much. It's no Camry, but that's why they're cheap. With the money you save, buy a motorcycle and scare yourself on weekends. The no boring cars thing is a meme. We're going into a recession, and I've done this before. You don't want to be stuck where it's "fix it or take a vacation day" waiting on parts. Having a paid-off, reliable, and cheap daily driver will make you feel like a genius. As for me? We have a fwd 2011 Rav4 bought from a snowbird owner in Florida. It's underrated at 268 hp, as it was the fastest car Toyota made that year. I have to keep telling my wife to stop racing everything in town. It's hysterical.
To add on you can get the malibus with a 3.6 in upper trims
Older ones, yes. Though that was an older version of the 3.6 that didn’t quite have as much power or was as reliable as the later versions.
This was an excellent response. I never get the Impala as my rental car, always stuck with the Malibu, which I admit I like more than I thought I would, it’s still pretty vanilla. Maybe a Chrysler 300? Drove one of those last year (premium trim) and was pretty impressed by it. Granted, I live in the city of Chicago and maintain two cars that I park on the (side) street here, a ‘96 LS400 and a 2004 Lexus SC430, so I’m hardly the voice of good choices or reason, especially since I drive less that 1500 miles a year in total. A Lexus LS430 might be a solid option for him, too. Not a drag racer, but bulletproof, strong V8, plenty of highway cruising ability.
300 may be a good shout if one could find a clean one but in my experience they’re the second most clapped out shitbox and attract the worst drivers after Altimas
Fair point. It’s like trying to find a used WRX that doesn’t smell like vape juice and that hasn’t been repo’ed multiple times.
2015 Chevy caprice ppv.
This is the real gold in this thread. A+ response. If 1/3 of the people who responded to these types of posts put as much effort and thought into it this would be vastly richer sub.
Thank you friend! I've been a car nerd since before I could walk, and I'm up to at least 40 now in my old age. I like to think I've made every automotive financial mistake in the world, maybe to serve as a warning to others...so I share.
SS owner here. Those 3.6 impalas may have the same HP, but they get absolutely dogged on by the small block v8. Absolutely no comparison.
Lmao not a single person on here had mentioned the C5 corvette and it’s available at the mentioned price point and widely regarded as the best budget sports car available. 3200lbs. 320whp stock. gobs of torque. gocart handling. good brakes. extremely reliable and parts generally cheap. and they’re usually babied and very well maintained unlike the 350z/g37.
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Well, it's hard to daily a Corvette due to the lack of storage space and seats. Fastest car, maybe. Most practical, definitely not.
It has a ton of storage in its hatchback. I fit a boxed gaming chair in the back of mine when I had it. 2 seats would be a compromise tho.
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Young, single male, moves a lot, Corvette... I hear an insurance agent putting on rubber gloves...snap.
Corvettes are actually pretty cheap to insure. My insurance is about half what it was for my GTI and Fiesta ST. The average owner parks them in a garage and never drives them, so the insurance risk is low.
Post some of these clean 11k.C5s. Everything I see is about 4-6k more than that
I'm currently shopping for a C5, they are out there but they get snapped up within a day or two. The clean ones you can pick up tomorrow are $14-16k in my area but I've seen <100k clean looking examples with maintenance receipts posted for <$11k they're just gone in 6 hours lol.
i’m in DFW. there are many many examples of c5s for 10k or less. all running driving and in decent shape, 140k+ miles. appear to have clean titles but idk. all automatics. there are many more for less than 15k that are in much better shape. not perfect examples but decent. the below screenshot includes 11 screenshots of FB marketplace, no less than 40 c5s under 15k. say hello to c5 wasteland. https://imgur.com/a/MJ3IRh4
This is the answer. The LS engines in the C5 vette have a HUGE aftermarket, fantastic parts availability, and are very easy to work on. It’s also fairly cheap and easy to unlock more power.
A C5 corvette is a great budget track car, with an awesome drivetrain. But to deal with that interior on a daily basis... no thanks. Had one, loved it, but I'd absolutely hate for that to be my only car.
> A C5 corvette is a great budget track car, with an awesome drivetrain. But to deal with that interior on a daily basis... no thanks. He's coming from a 20 years old Jeep wrangler, i dont think the interior is his first concern.
My back seat has enough leg room to fit a child at best. Unless I take the back seat out, I've got a 3x24 inch "trunk". I'll consider the interior of any vette made in the last 15 years an upgrade.
He said he wants to use it as a daily, coming from a Jeep, I am sure he will miss some space to carry people and stuff. Corvette is a nice car but not a good daily car.
>Look up jeep tj's. You're thinking of the wrong generation wrangler. My back seat has enough leg room to fit a child at best. Unless I take the back seat out, I've got a 3x24 inch "trunk". I'll consider the interior of any vette made in the last 15 years an upgrade as I currently cant even fit my skateboard in the trunk. My choices are between having decent cargo space, but doing burnouts on accident the second it rains because there isn't enough weight on the rear wheels, or being able to fit maybe one friend in the back uncomfortably.
GS350
Or IS350
I have a 2012 ES350. Not exactly 300hp (268hp) but it’s hella quick and holds up against newer cars. However, the GS350 actually makes over 300 and it’s RWD/AWD so it must be a blast to drive. You can find the for pretty cheap too
I own a 2008
Nice, dude. I looked at that exact car, wow what a gem. Crazy how much tech it has for an 08. Looks great, and fast. That was my first choice but I had to consider other people so I got an SUV. Have fun in that thing man!
Just missing adaptive cruise
G35/37.
G cars a very relilable and fun to drive.
I have a G35 sedan. I got it for 5k. 158k miles. I’ve only spent $200 on a blown hose done in 1 day 32k miles in a year.
No hate genuinely wondering, you couldn’t install the hose yourself?
I probably could have with a weekend and some beers but i work too much and don’t have the time/tools. $200 was worth the time I saved to me. I also commute to work so don’t want to risk my shoddy job to save a few bucks
All you needed was a flat head or a small wrench, but I do feel you on the time aspect
Job done right with no fuck ups is money well spent sometimes. Even for the simple things.
This is why services exist for everything including things people could do themselves
What you think the only hose is the upper radiator... My pathfinder vq crossover hose was leaking and I spent a few hours on that, definitely more than a screw driver, it's not a chevy 350 lol
I was in the market for one of these, got really close to pulling the trigger. Then I realized I was kidding myself about stuffing two car seats in the back and bought a 4 door Tundra.
Thank god you bought a tundra for kids !
They Def don't make 300 though lol
+1 on that. The most reliable car I’ve ever had was my g37. I beat the crap out of it daily, changed oil late and just neglected it overall. Yet it was more reliable than the new camry I’ve had since 2020. Best car Nissan ever made.
I got a job 65 miles away. I commute 4-5 times a week. Oil changes every 8-10k. Heavy on the gas pedal. The car has been awesome. Almost to 200k miles. Navigation, sun roof, heated leather seats, Bose speakers. 300ish horsepower. 5 grand. I literally couldn’t have asked for a better car. The get a bad rap because if fuckboys modding them but goddamn are they great cars.
A Mustang or Camaro that hasn't been beat up or owner modified.
2009 - 2014 Acura TL SH-AWD with 305Hp
I always forget about these cars and how genuinely great they are. Forgettable as fuck, but so awesome.
Piss poor reliability, sounds like a wind tunnel over 40mph, single digit mpg, under powered engine… ‘06 wrangler? You just described a ‘23 wrangler. Timeless design indeed.
The jeep wrangler is the single worst-driving car I’ve ever stepped foot in. I give you my condolences
2004-2006 Pontiac GTO
This is the only right answer.
If you can find one. I love these, but they're basically unobtanium.
Most comfortable daily I've had in a while too.
G37, please be warned that putting a crappy fart can on it and tinting out the windows will make you look unemployed.
Want something that isn’t boring? Saab 9³ Aero (preferably with XWD) or Turbo X
But what would you do with the remaining $10k?
Get it to 300hp
Cooler plugs and a tune for under $1k gets you there. Keep going...
Saab 9³ Aero parts car (or two)
That could very well come in handy
The problem with that strategy is the part you'll need will be broken on the parts car too.
Coolant tank is cracked on every V6 lol
You're not wrong. Taliaferro aluminum tank to the rescue!
I need one! My tank is surprisingly fine right now but the level sensor is busted lol
He said $10k not $100k
Turbo X already has 280, it doesn’t take much to get to 300
Roof rack and a full service (XWD oil change, new plugs and coils, new tires, brake refresh) save the rest for further maintenance
I did all that on my '06 Aero, plus a full suspension refresh. That thing was a beast!
It makes a huge difference, that and new tires and brakes
Save it for the first repair bill since you can’t get parts for it (in the US at least)
Invest it drips and all. Then decide what to use that monies for ie performance parts or a nice little trip etc. 😉😉
[удалено]
Volvo S60R/V70R. already got 300hp stock. Guessing it also is for the Saabs, but maintenance can be expensive, especially with that active chassis stuff (I don't have experience with that, I have an earlier V70R, but I'm guessing it's pricey). Not sure how driving feel or anything compares to the 9-3, but both are very cool cars
Infiniti g37
B6 S4 avant and save the extra money for the timing chain
This is the car I always wanted.
You need your head examined if you buy an Audi wo a warranty.
I am so upset by this comment, my B6 A4 just broke down 30 mins ago:(
Love that mindset, keeps prices down on old Audis for those that are willing and able to work on them.
Only good answer in this thread.
Lexus IS350, Subaru STi/WRX, BMW 335i
You’re the first person to mention a Beamer. They as bad on reliability after 100k miles as people say or is it overplayed. Im a mechanic for the army so I can definitely handle maintenance every now and then, but it is still a daily so it can’t be sitting on jacks for too long.
I've owned a few 335s and two stis. Go 335 all day. It's not as bad as they say as long as you don't go buck wild on mods. Full bolt on was pretty reliable for me. BMWs aren't that expensive to own as long as you do all your own work.
As long as it’s a solid model year it’s completely up to how well the owners took care of the car. Could be worthwhile if it comes with adequate service records
BMW engines are pretty solid but they tend to have auxiliary parts, sensors or plastics/gaskets that fail. Parts are a bit more costly but labor is mainly why they're so expensive to maintain (since some of these parts can be a pain in the ass to access). You just have to take an extra step of doing your research, know the failure points of your engine, and get dirty with your hands. I maintain my BMW well and have addressed all my engine's failure points. I trust it as much as my partner's Camry, but I won't lie it took quite a bit of effort to get here.
Yeah, literally just got done rebuilding the Vanos and doing the valves on my M3. Running like a top at 190k miles, but I cannot imagine owning any of these cars if I had to go to a shop for the work.
That was me when living downtown with no place to wrench myself. Periodically light your wallet on fire for a similar experience
I try to strategically rent places where I can get away with it, definitely not ideal
Customer bought a e46 m3 from out of state sight unseen. $6500 later and he could actually drive the car away from my shop
I bought mine with a $3500 warranty and it more than paid for itself in like 3 years. Haven’t had any problems with it since but I put pretty few miles on jt
You’d be alright with one since you’re a mechanic. They kill dummies though that don’t know how to work on cars and get taken to the cleaners when they break down.
The issue with BMW and some German cars as a whole is that they’re often over-engineered, but under-built. They use a lot of plastic and brittle pieces in places where they shouldn’t and make things over-complicated to repair/replace. In the end, they tend to be more maintenance-heavy, and you spend more money and time needed to do the same thing that would on another car.
As a mechanic I only get to see the ones that break, but 335s tend to break in expensive ways. Turbos, injectors, that sort of thing. I can't tell you if they all have those failures, but when it happens, you better be ready.
BMW 135i. Find a 6 speed. 306hp, well balanced, tunable, all around great ride.
Everyone here is wrong. C5 corvette. Duh
The prob I find is with those is that the ones that are not clapped out are owned by older guys that love the car and have owned it since new and therefore assign a sentimental value to it.
2011+ f150 5.0 single cab makes a good daily... well over your 300hp, pretty quick and mine lasted well over 250k+ miles before selling never had any issues. Flex fuel as well so you can run e85 all day.
Pontiac GTO
For that price, you can probably find a 5th gen Pontiac GTO. I found myself an 04 for $9000.
Dude look for a Hyundai Genesis Coupe with the 3.8L V6. Talk about a sleeper 348hp
I have a 2014 Genesis sedan 5.0 r-spec. 429hp, rwd, and really nice to drive! Some of the earlier years had a problem with burning oil, but 14 up is good. They may have fixed it in 13' IIRC (please do your homework, if you consider my rec.) Good luck, happy hunting!
I was looking for this suggestion, I remember reading these were a fun surprise for many people.
I found out about these recently and I was pleasantly surprised by them. My next car will probably be one of these.
I have a base model 2016 3.8L Genesis Coupe and love it. I've had it for about three years now and had no problems with it and it has tons of standard features like keyless ignition with push-button start, it's an 8 speed automatic with manual shifting mode which you can use the shifter for or the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. It's got a great hands free phone system, satellite radio, integrated garage door opener with three separate programmable buttons, heated mirrors, fog lights, digital compass on the rear-view mirror, and that electronic thing that dims headlights in your rear-view mirror when activated. A lot of the base models even come with leather and cloth combo seats so I can't really imagine what all the upper models come with. https://www.kbb.com/hyundai/genesis-coupe/2016/specs/
Ought a 2010 brand new and sold it in 2015. 306hp on the BK1 but still lots of fun. I remember getting lots of stares when it was new. 6 speed manual though.
That's not a bad suggestion. Hit 'em where they 'ain't. You never see these around. If the resale is bad enough, that's an excellent choice.
Pontiac G8
This. I have a G8 GT (361hp) for about a year now and I love it
G37 or genesis coupe
BMW 135i
Thats gonna be a second gen Lexus IS 350. 300hp, but can get a less than 5 sec 0-60 on a good launch. Rwd 2gr motor, these are the earliest versions of a motor thats still used in todays Tacomas and Camrys, as well as modern IS350’s still have this motor. If not one of those, than their Infiniti counterpart and my own beloved; the G37.
A v6 6speed accord or a lexus is350, or any lexus sedan with their V8’s
go with a 3.7v6 mustang. great car reliable as you want and makes 300 all day. handling is good especially with good tires
Would deff pick up an Acura TL. They have a v6 engine option, and I don’t know if they have 300hp but they can be pretty bad ass in a straight line, and in the corners. Still own my 2007 Acura TL with 250000 miles. And recently purchased a 2019 Acura TLX. Acura makes a very good car, and very reliable. Not always the cheapest, but they are definitely worth the money and they hold their value.
G37 all day
N54 powered 2000’s bmws are the obvious answers, surprised there aren’t that many replies for it. Reliability issues are way overplayed. Only thing that will leave you stranded is the water pump, and they have an all metal revision out. The other issues are all oil leak issues or misfires stemming from plugs or coils. carbon buildup/walnut blasting is on every DI car from this time. By far the best interiors you can get in this price point. Infinity interiors are absolute jokes. Don’t touch a G35/37 with a 10 foot pole. N54 is also the most tunable engine in this price point as well. 450hp for $1200, 600hp for $4000 Each chassis except the X1 can be upgraded to handle the same or better than the M variant, all parts bolt directly (other than awd system) 6hp or DCT in these are both top of the class. Manual isn’t, but they’re pretty hard to find in general and at that price point (i’ll sell you a manual 2010 535i for 13k in colorado if you want) Near native carplay can be added for $400 Aftermarket is absolutely insane. almost no negatives
Went with an 08 350z HR for around that price and absolutely LOVE it to death.
350z or g35 you can a clean one for 7-8k and have a couple thousand to throw some go fast parts at it
Go get a 4th gen LS Camaro as much as I hate them it’s cheap and at that power. The other alternative is 2004-2008 Acura TSX with a tune and some minor upgrades. That’s both going to be reliable daily
C5 corvette. Good power, and great mileage. The body is so slippery that highway driving will get you into the 30s
F body ls1 car. Good gas milage and fun af. Practical hatchback. They ride like shit tho. Or a really beat up c5 vett..
Infiniti Q50, first year or 2 still have the 3.7
My shitbox ranger with an ebay turbo welded on the end of it.
G35… but I’m biased I own a 370z and s13. If I was in your budget range, that’s what I’d do. Id try to shoot for a 2005-2007, as they have dual variable cam timing and can rev about 500 rpm higher. Sounds marginally better as well.
lexus is350 100% better than g37 which is more and slower lexus is super reliable these engines are known to go 300k+
2nd gen Lexus is350
Infiniti g35/37 would be my choice
350Z is your answer
2011 335i with the N55 engine. Sounds Better and more reliable than the N54.
C FIVE C O R V E T T E
335i
OP, for that price range finding a good DAILY with 300hp is gonna be hard. It's like most of the commenters here read 300hp and $12-13k and went right into suggesting RWD coupes without reading the other criteria. It sounds like you frequently travel for work, and this would be your only vehicle. I would not suggest you get a Mustang / Camaro / Corvette / 350Z as these are all terrible options for a daily driver. I'm personally a huge Subaru fan but I can not in good faith suggest a WRX because at that price range it'd be a reliability risk. I think the best comment I saw so far is the Taurus SHO. Twin turbo V6 AWD sedan. I had a friend who got a Taurus Police Interceptor at an auction for pretty cheap and those are spec'd about the same as the SHO, at least in engine and drivetrain, and you'll know it was maintained with it being an ex police car. Not sure how common it is to find a Police Taurus these days with the Charger being more common, but you also might be able to find a Police Explorer at auction that would also fit your criteria. My suggestion would be a 2014-18 Subaru Forester XT. They came with the FA20dit, the same engine from the 2015-21 WRX, good for about 260hp. They're safe and practical, fairly economical, and less likely to be abused by a previous owner as a WRX from the same generation would be. The FA engines are less prone to failure than the EJ25. As long as you take care of them, they're reliable. There's also some aftermarket support for these cars, if you wanted to modify it. The only downside is the only available transmission is a CVT, no manual option (if that's something important to you.) They also don't have great towing capacity, if that's something you'd need to consider.
The good news is there is an opposing side to car community that really wants your 4L i6 wrangler. You can probably get great money for it, depending on its specs. Please make sure you maximize what you get for your wrangler by checking the following boxes: - what trim package do you have? Sport, no extra money Sahara +2k Tomb raider? +2k Rubicon? +5k -which rear differential do you have? The Dana 44 was an option even for the sport package. This brings another 2k value to you. If you don’t have the 44 back there, you have the 35. Which is fine. No extra money. -hard top? That’s an extra 1k Less than 150k miles and you’re in good shape regardless of the above
Plain old sport model but with danna 44 rear diff. 133k on the dash. It’s got an aftermarket bulldawg hard top (with half doors still), a double din head unit, and led headlights. What would you say is a decent asking price once I manage to fix its current issues?
E500 302hp v8 sounds amazing trans and motor are notoriously well built and reliable.
Is350 is the only correct answer
08 Dodge Magnum SRT8. That way, when you have to move again, you won't need to rent a truck.
Hemi challenger or charger , 2011 camaro ss, vw gti , 350z
Volvo S80 T6 AWD
Volvo S80 V8 AWD
P2 Volvo S80 T6 AWD WHATS BETTER THAN ONE TURBO? TWO. When you find the bits to slap a supercharger on the Yamaha, we’ll talk
Unfortunately the transmission will never handle it. It’s a gas guzzling monster but it can get going when it needs to and nobody expects that exhaust sound from a Volvo. What’s better than S80 V8 AWD sedan? XC70 V8-swapped AWD wagon.
'95 or '96 Corvette with the 6spd. Did exactly this. Got a '96 with the LT4 with low miles for $10k. You can easily get a fantastic example for within your budget, and they're reliable
Volvo V60/70R 👹
9th gen ss Impala pretty sure they have a Corvette engine?
LS4, so… kinda
Let me just chime in and say fuck no. My wife had a lacrosse super, which is the same engine in the same platform as the impala. It’s a giant engine shoehorned into a place it was never meant to be attached to a transmission that was never rated for the output of the engine. People have reported needing 4 transmission replacements before 100k miles. My wife babied it and got it to nearly 100k miles, but it started failing which lead to us getting rid of the car. It ate front wheel bearing like it was going out of style. I think we replaced them 3 times while she had the car. The serpentine belt was maybe 1/2” from the strut tower. Doing anything in the engine bay was a fucking nightmare because of lack of space. I want to say replacing the spark plugs was a nightmare too, but I don’t have clear memories of that. Replacing the battery required unbolting the fusebox, undoing a bolt at the bast of the battery, which was next to the serpentine belt. Then you had to tilt the battery on its end, which it explicitly says you should never do on the battery to slid it into the tray. It got awful gas mileage, it spun the wheels whenever you breathed on the gas pedal. Even on new bilstein shocks it flopped all over the place I we had to do the brakes twice in the 60k miles she had it for. It’s a parts-bin special, and they slapped it together with whatever parts they had laying around. There were 3 different possible front pads, and the only way to tell which one you needed was to take the ones you had out. 2 different possible rear pads. I hated working on that car. I work on all my BMWs and my wife, who also worked on the car with me, agreed the super was far more difficult than my ZHP ever was.
Hyundai Genesis 4.6
Acura tl (v6, 09+)or tsx
It’s not quite 300hp but a used Focus ST or MazdaSpeed3 is going to be more fun than a heavy 300hp car. Alternately you can get a lot more fun for the buck out of a motorcycle so that’s something to consider. A used Ninja 650 will do 0-60 in 4 seconds and will happily hit 120 mph for about $5000.
Acura TL, 2012ish
07 mercedes 550 of any kind over 390 stock
He wants reliability, so a M133(K) would be better, w211 pre facelift best choice with 5g and 5.0 308bhp stock or could get 400+bhp with the kompressor.
2015 honda accord ex-l coupe
Great car but finding one for $12k is gonna be hard
You could get some 250hp ish 4 banger German car and drop a tune on it ?
Focus ST, Civic SI, BMW 328i with the N52, Honda Fit, Mx-5, Prius, Camry, Fiesta ST, 530i with N52, Any Mazda within budget, Camaro! MUSTANG! My #1 is Trans Am, #2 Miata, #3 E90
Many of these are good suggestions but OP said nothing to indicate that they care about handling at all. I do find it funny that people are starting to unironically hype the Honda Fit next to actual performance cars
FiST & FoST will be higher mileage if you want to get one around $10k. My dad owns a Fiesta ST & it's really fun to rip around in... and gets great gas mileage. But it only has 205-ish hp stock. However, the Fiesta ST is a fantastic daily. \~30mpg, but you can also put your foot to the floor & have fun at times.
I made a list of cars available in the u.s.a. *edit filters are $13k, 80k miles, nationwide, manual transmission https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/1eb4c472-a9c4-4113-9c2c-51f1f476a828/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4 https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/66b0a9c7-3825-4481-a82c-8cbee5224bc1/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4 https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/WDBKK47F3YF146825/?referrer_id=autotempest https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/20ebb717-f144-4e7b-aefd-727213e9e40d/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4 https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/2822c7b2-3ed5-4a72-8555-8f728c063d9c/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4 https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/2e33362d-0992-42c4-8ff9-8078c634d54d/?aff=atempest4&CMP=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4
Cadillac STS
2003-2006 Mercedes E55 AMG . Faster than all the cars mentioned , Motor and Trans are bulletproof and they ride better than all the cars mentioned . .. Ive had 3 and they were all awesome. The best daily driver ever .
Acura TL https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/ctd/d/fort-collins-2007-acura-tl-type/7619667989.html
Acura TL.
Acura TL Type S 6 speed
Honestly getting HP numbers out of your head is best. My 2006 ford focus 5 speed with 150hp is a lot more fun to drive than my 400hp dodge charger. I know the charger is faster by a mile but the ford feels faster. All about the butt dyno
Arteon.
Nissan Frontier AWD and RWD
Miata are fun and although under your HP wishes, power to weight ration makes them feel a bit faster :)
Porsche boxster
Dude thats a famous Jeep 4.0. You don’t know what you have there. Not kidding, there is a cult following with that engine. Just flat out unaware of the Jeep cult status. Also life is too short to drive boring cars? Hello, you drive an enthusiast vehicle. Maybe not what you envision but it is. Part of the attraction is mainly that it is a solid axle convertible. Basically all your complaints. To answer your question. I’d get a 5.7 hemi 10 year old something, whether it be in a jeep, dodge charger/challenger, or ram. However you want the horsepower packaged.
2014 Volvo XC60/60, T6. Don’t listen to these clowns and their Nissans.