A good sports sedan that won't break the bank.

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turboash78

turboash78

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Canada
Regina, SK
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Turboash
I'm researching sport sedans for my next car. I have narrowed my 'wanted' list to four cars:
2003 WRX ($$)
2003 Maxima SE 6M
2003 Grand Prix GTP
2003 Sentra Spec V.
I was also considering 1999 Contour SVT, 2002 Jetta GLI VR6 ($$), 2001 Catera Sport... and if I win the lottery, a 2006 STi.

Does anyone have any preferences / personal experiences with any of these cars... good or bad? I am especially curious about the 6 speed Maxima, since I can't find any in my city to test drive: whats the gearbox like, and how is the handling?

Does anyone have any other car suggestions not mentioned here? Keep in mind that I want decent performance and handling without having to sell my house... max $25 Gs Canadian ($20ish American).







"Merry Mutha***** Christmas." -Easy E
 
turboash78
"Merry Mutha***** Christmas." -Easy E
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Please don't do that. Thanks.

On the initial subject, out of the group you've got listed, I'd go with the Maxima. It will be the most bang for the buck. Handling will be decent, power will be decent, interior will be decent. The only drawback is that it is FWD, but all of the other cars you mention except the WRX are too.

Instead of the Maxima you may want to look into the Altima 3.5 SE - same engine as the Max but in a smaller, slightly lighter car. We drove one and I liked it a lot, even with an automatic.

I'm currently working on the same task, with a slightly different (but comparable) group of cars. My budget is in the US$25k range. So far my leading contenders are:
  • 2004 Acura TSX 6M with nav - the bargain of the bunch, and I already own one in 5A transmission (wife's car). I know I like the car a lot, but I'm hoping for RWD this time around
  • 2004-2005 Sube WRX STi - plentiful but nowhere as lux as the Acura; very dependent on first owner
  • 2004-2005 Mitsu Evo VIII - not as plentiful as the STi, a little more hardcore than the STi but leather is available, also very dependent on first owner
  • 2003 BMW 325i ZSP - RWD rules; a little rarer with the options I want, premium price
  • 2003 BMW 330i ZSP or ZHP - as above, but doubled. Probably out of my price range for the mileage I'm willing to accept
  • 2004 Infiniti G35 sedan - a lot more power than the 325i, a little less handling; but very hard to find used in a manual trans
See if you can find a non-nav 2004 TSX in your price range. It's an incredibly willing car, particularly in manual trans. I love driving ours even though the power is not overwhelming and it is FWD. On paper the performance is soild but not overwhelming, but the fun-to-drive factor is as high as any FWD car I've ever driven and the overall feel and finish are very very good.
 
Sorry for the "***".

Thanks for the input. I'll check out a TSX, especially since its a stick (thats also why I didn't include the Altima in the list... I had to put the GTP in there... 280ft/lbs of torque!!)
 
I personally go for the WRX (since its AWD, which will come in handy for Canadian winters), but the Maxima and the TSX are excellent choices as well, despite the lack of power to the rear wheels.
 
turboash78
Thanks for the input. I'll check out a TSX, especially since its a stick (thats also why I didn't include the Altima in the list... I had to put the GTP in there... 280ft/lbs of torque!!)
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Yeah, the TSX has a very nice 6-speed manual. It really likes to sing toward the redline, and the drivetrain is like polished glass. It should be in the NVH museum on how to do things right. A non-nav, manual car with 20,000 to 30,000 miles on it should clock in around US$22,000. It's just entering the third model year so off-lease 2004s will be starting to become plentiful soon.

The Altima is also available as a 5-speed, but they're probably more rare. The Altima SE-R is a very nice car with plenty of power on tap, but I don't think it debuted until the 2004 or 2005 model year, so it may be out of your range.
 
A Jetta with the 1.8T(no VR6) is a good buy, they are sporty enough and the aftermarket is huge for them. With some minimal spending you can have a quick little machiene.

The Contour SVT isn't bad, but you have to find one that hasn't been completly owned by the owner. Also you just have to find one.

The GTP is a good car although people will tell you it isn't, with a pully swap they are scary fast. They aren't much in the handeling department, but then again you have a blown motor to the front wheels, you are going to get some understeer.
 
I would consider an '03 CTS before I would consider a Catera (Which is RWD, btw, Duke). They get the CTS in Canada, right?
 
Ghost C
I would consider an '03 CTS before I would consider a Catera (Which is RWD, btw, Duke).
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I knew the Catera was RWD but I overlooked it in his first message. I actually like the Catera and always thought it got a bum deal from the press and public.

I would also recommend and '03 CTS if it can be found in his price range, but for myself it's a little larger than what I'm looking for. But if you're looking at a Mxima I would also look at a CTS, though again, I assumed it was too expensive to fit the list.
 
I love CTSs', but they are out of my price range. The GTP seems to have the best bang for the buck, followed closely by the Max.
 
A brand new Mazda 6 GS-V6 with a 5spd manual is $25 995 grand canadian. Great car and they're pretty spirited cars with the V6. Or the top of the line Mazda 3 GT is 21 grand pretty nice car and with the 160hp engine its also quite spirited.
 
I'd go with the 3.5 Altima SE or the TSX... but yeah, a brand new Mazda V6 would be a bit nimbler than either, though not as fast as the Altima.
 
WRX - Great handling, interior, powertrain, everything, but from the looks of it, on the upper border of your pricerange.
Maxima - Fairly big, beefy FWD. A taut suspension can't completely correct that.
Grand Prix - Giganto powerhouse and transaxle shoved under the hood, with a big, heavy body and soft springs. Muscle-ish? Yes. Sporty? No.
Sentra - I've heard that the SE-R handles very well, but I'm not so sure about the Spec V.
Contour - Yet another FWD, but a pretty good one. The only drawback that I know of is its Ford "reliability."
Jetta - As Blazin already said, don't bother with the VR6 -- the only worthwhile VR6 is the 3.2 available with the TT, and that one's definitely worthwhile. Going for a 1.8T will shave the price. As with the Contour, the Jetta is one of the best FWD's here, if not the best. Only drawback is the price and the price of repairs.
Catera - A rebadged Opel Omega. RWD. Pretty sporty handling, and decent luxury. Definitely a top choice, though Opel "reliability" is something to be wary of.

Out of these cars, I would personally recommend the Catera, followed by the Jetta, and then the Contour.

As for other suggestions, I would recommend an Infiniti G35, a BMW 3/5-series, or an Audi A4/6. Even if you have to go several years back to find a BMW or Audi in your price range, you're still gonna get a better car than a Sentra or Jetta.
 
Spec V handling is supposed to be very good, with the helical limited slip, but it's a lot smaller than most of those cars, except the WRX. As long as you don't get a pre-2003 model (problems with cracking cats, leading to engine damage), you should be okay.

That said, if you're dipping into that size and price range for secondhand cars, you can't go wrong with a Mazdaspeed Protege. The suspension's a bit on the stiff side (klunk klunk), but it has just enough power, is moderately tuneable, and has some of the best handling out there for front drivers. Might be pretty hard to find, though.
 
Thanks for all the input guys... I think I'll check out the Mazda 6... as for the Altima, I just can't get past the appearance of that god-awful rear end (tail lights :yuck: ). The MazdaSpeed Protoge would be fun, but it's a bit too ricey for me.
 
My parents used to own a Mazda 6. We had it about 14 months and nothing went wrong whatsoever. 👍 The car was so sporty my Dad would thrash it around a little bit. A bit lacking on speed with the 2.0l but I suppose in Canada you can get the 3.0 version if you have the money. Also the suspension was quite firm too, but I suppose on roads outside of the UK you wouldn't notice it so much (if that's even an issue with you anyway).
 
niky
I'd go with the 3.5 Altima SE or the TSX... but yeah, a brand new Mazda V6 would be a bit nimbler than either, though not as fast as the Altima.
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The Mazda6 is not nearly as nimble as the TSX. We drove the Altima 3.5, the Mazda6 V6, and the TSX, somewhat together, when we were car shopping.

The Altima had the most power by far. The TSX had the best handling by far. The 6 was second or third in both categories, and the interior is way down the scale. They are relatively inexpensive, though.
 
AVOID THE CONTOUR AT ALL COSTS!

We had a '98 Contour for several years. It didn't even make it to 200,000 kms. Had major transmission problems (although it was an automatic), among other things. The interior also started falling apart after a while. I was under the impression that it was an American car, not a Brit. Funny stuff...
 
Haha, my friend has a daily-driver '98 Auto Contour.

Honestly, it's not too horrible. Shockingly enough, the chassis dynamics aren't too bad, we often joke that it'd make a great drift car if it was RWD.

I personally think the SVT model is pretty damn cool. Don't know why, but it looks like a Touring Car to me, for some reason.

Still, I would (and did, when I was looking in the same price range) take the WRX.
 
Duke
I knew the Catera was RWD but I overlooked it in his first message. I actually like the Catera and always thought it got a bum deal from the press and public.
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Just like the GTO, ironically. Style doesn't always need to turn heads, if substance can do the job.

If you need 4 doors more than you need rear-seat comfort (think kids, not adults for long trips), then there's lots of off-lease '01-'03 Lexus IS300 coming out. The new IS came out a few months ago, so the 1st-gen IS model is worth a little less. Stick versions aren't impossible to find, but autos are far more plentiful. However, there's lots of people who go through clutches (they always seem to be young drivers), which are expensive (US$1500-2000) for that car. Otherwise, they're not all that expensive to maintain. And if you go Certified Pre-Owned, you get a damn good warranty for everything else (no, it doesn't cover clutches)...but again, I've never met a 35+ year-old who needed a clutch for his IS. The automatic may provide good enough thrust, and they're strong units with only minimal hesitation.

If you want something bigger, the 2nd-gen GS300/400 might fit your budget, but the rear-seat room isn't all that much greater, to be honest. It's not quite as go-fast-sporty as the IS, but a damn good compromise if you need something a little more grown-up. Again, the GS went through a complete change earlier in 2005, so leases were broken, and it was sold from '98 to '05, so there's tons. I'm not sure how old you want a car, but avoid '98 GS300/400s if they have more than 60K miles, though.

Just my typical 2 cents from your resident Lexus service manager.
 
pupik
Just like the GTO, ironically. Style doesn't always need to turn heads, if substance can do the job.
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Funnily enough they are both based on the same platform, yes the GTO is pretty much a two door Catera.
 
pupik
Just like the GTO, ironically. Style doesn't always need to turn heads, if substance can do the job.

If you need 4 doors more than you need rear-seat comfort (think kids, not adults for long trips), then there's lots of off-lease '01-'03 Lexus IS300 coming out. The new IS came out a few months ago, so the 1st-gen IS model is worth a little less. Stick versions aren't impossible to find, but autos are far more plentiful. However, there's lots of people who go through clutches (they always seem to be young drivers), which are expensive (US$1500-2000) for that car. Otherwise, they're not all that expensive to maintain. And if you go Certified Pre-Owned, you get a damn good warranty for everything else (no, it doesn't cover clutches)...but again, I've never met a 35+ year-old who needed a clutch for his IS. The automatic may provide good enough thrust, and they're strong units with only minimal hesitation.

If you want something bigger, the 2nd-gen GS300/400 might fit your budget, but the rear-seat room isn't all that much greater, to be honest. It's not quite as go-fast-sporty as the IS, but a damn good compromise if you need something a little more grown-up. Again, the GS went through a complete change earlier in 2005, so leases were broken, and it was sold from '98 to '05, so there's tons. I'm not sure how old you want a car, but avoid '98 GS300/400s if they have more than 60K miles, though.

Just my typical 2 cents from your resident Lexus service manager.
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IS300s are still a bit pricey here, but as you said with the new one out now, I'm sure the older ones will come down in price soon... I'll have to keep an eye out (hopefully for a white one with a stick).



I knew that the Catera was based on the Opel Omega... but didn't know that it was related to the GTO... cool.
 
Since you put a Granx Prix and Maxima on the list, I'd also lookd for an S70 T5 / T5R, it's faster and has more luxury than both, if you're ok with the boxy sleeper look. You could also get an S60 T5 in that price range, if you search enough.

If you're going for handling over luxury, since you've put the WRX in there, I'd also look for an SRT4. The Sentra Spec-V has great handling, decent power, an average interior and a crappy transmission.

If you go for a VW I'd opt for the 1.8T instead of a VR6. Lighter, very easy to get more power out of it, plus you'll get better mileage.
 
Out of curiosity, what’s your budget? Used Jetta GLI’s are relatively cheap here, while you can’t find a used WRX anywhere near the same price range.
 
turboash78
I knew that the Catera was based on the Opel Omega... but didn't know that it was related to the GTO... cool.
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Our Holden Commmodore is the exact same Omega shell/body, thats where Monaro comes from our Commodore.
 
VIPERGTSR01
Our Holden Commmodore is the exact same Omega shell/body, thats where Monaro comes from our Commodore.
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Hurray for globalization! :lol: :rolleyes:

Sometimes it seems like there's hardly any GM stuff that hasn't been influenced by Opel in some way... :odd:
 
Sage
Out of curiosity, what’s your budget? Used Jetta GLI’s are relatively cheap here, while you can’t find a used WRX anywhere near the same price range.
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Around here, a used GLI runs about $27 (average), while an 02-03 WRX is around $24.

Why couldn't stupid Nissan make the stupid Maxima RWD... stupid heads... :dunce:
 
turboash78
Why couldn't stupid Nissan make the stupid Maxima RWD... stupid heads... :dunce:
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My thoughts exactly. If the Maxima was RWD and had a manual transmission available, it would be one of my favourite cars.
 
Ev0
My thoughts exactly. If the Maxima was RWD and had a manual transmission available, it would be one of my favourite cars.
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Nissan is probably worried such a car would cannabalize G35 sedan sales.


M
 

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