Helping my lady friend shop for a new car.

Mazda 3! They have an awd option and the automatic is pretty good. Hatch and sedan available. 
Another bonus - I'm sure someone on here can help you get S-Plan pricing 

Genisis G70, their rwd sedan about BMW 3-series sized is standard rwd @ $42k and awd makes is $44k

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

- 08 K3500 Duramax with only 60k miles:  PCM is fried and GM stopped making them.  One-year only part number is NLA and not rebuildable means that he has a worthless $80k truck that he can't use or sell.

Off-topic, but can't you get a used PCM?  My understanding is that basically all GM vehicles of that vintage used the same PCM and just needed to be programmed with the vehicle specifics?  Or is it the FICM (basically the injector driver electronics) that's dead?

John Welsh said:

Genisis G70, their rwd sedan about BMW 3-series sized is standard rwd @ $42k and awd makes is $44k

Tough to argue with this suggestion. 

Lot of good choices have already been mentioned so I won't repeat them.

I saw the Mitsu Evo was mentioned.  I also saw that gas mileage was of some importance to her.

If she drives cars with vigor on the road, the Evo may return MPG's akin to a thirsty V8, with the added "benefit" of a relatively small fuel tank.  I recall a review in Automobile magazine (I think) where the guy was having a boatload of fun with an EVO, driving it hard.  And also reported that he was seeing about 12 mpg's.

She's at a good price point for shopping the offerings from Hyundai, VW, and others.

Elantra n is the best option.  It's faster than the wrx, has more room inside, and is a riot to drive.  Plus it has a pretty great warranty. 

I'd say a GTI, GLI, or Golf R would be a frontrunner. All come with the DSG and have as much, if not more, aftermarket support than the WRX in case things get weird. Gas mileage on the GTI/GLI is better than the WRX as well. Only knock on them really is the touch-everything infotainment and steering wheel controls, but most people that have them say it's not as bad as the media says.

Elantra N may be worth a look too, although you don't want to be buying it on the warranty alone, as (from personal experience with Kia/Hyundai) they will find any and all excuses not to cover things. They are a hoot, though! Easily the most raw out of the list, with a loud exhaust and tight chassis. That car is a ripper!

Mazda3 Turbo AWD sounds good on paper, but it's not really in the same class as the above. They are nice cars, but not really intended to be a performance car. They are more of a near-luxury car that happens to make good power. They are a really nice place to spend time though; the interior is really nice. 

All of the above are on my own list for my next car, as I want to get something with an automatic to commute with. I love manuals, but driving one in 3-4+ hours of traffic is getting old. 

Sonic said:

Acura Integra is the Civic Si with an automatic available. 

My wife has the new Integra, we got it March or last year. Even in sport mode I don't think ir has  as much power as WRX. So maybe the Type S if she is looking at the Integra. 
 

In reply to octavious :

I think the type S is already at 50K$ or more then add in dealer mark up/gouging you could be closer to 60$K out the door. 

Kia Stinger? They don't make new ones anymore, but it shouldn't be hard to find a low mileage certified used.

I would go with David's suggestion of Elantra N. It's faster than the WRX and hits all of the buttons that you are looking at. 

dyintorace said:

John Welsh said:

Genisis G70, their rwd sedan about BMW 3-series sized is standard rwd @ $42k and awd makes is $44k

Tough to argue with this suggestion. 

I'm gonna tidy up my answer a little.  The G70 is my go-to suggestion for buying a used sports sedan.  The depreciation is real thereby allowing to buy a 3yr old car for near half of original retail.  But, if buying new, that depreciation works against you.  Therefore, the new choice of similar is easy to point to the Elantra N.  

Above said used Stinger and even CPO Stinger for good warranty.  If a used Stinger is an option then the G70 is chassis evolution of the Stinger and also a good deal at used or CPO.  

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

- 08 K3500 Duramax with only 60k miles:  PCM is fried and GM stopped making them.  One-year only part number is NLA and not rebuildable means that he has a worthless $80k truck that he can't use or sell.

Off-topic, but can't you get a used PCM?  My understanding is that basically all GM vehicles of that vintage used the same PCM and just needed to be programmed with the vehicle specifics?  Or is it the FICM (basically the injector driver electronics) that's dead?

 

Four years of looking in North America hasn't turned one up.  This truck happens to be CA emissions, so when you stack a one-year-only ECM with CA emissions, it really limits your options.  GM stopped making the ECM about 5 years after the truck was made.  I did find one non-CA ECM that the dealer says could be hacked to work with the truck, but he also said it could brick in the process.  There are some who rebuild them, but the reviews are flooded with "didn't work, crank no start, no refunds" so dad isn't keen on rolling those $800 dice.

Whatever is wrong with his ECM it's telling the truck that the DPF is plugged and it goes into limp mode/reduced engine power.  Boroscopes, new sensors, and a new DPF ruled out any problems with the DPF itself.  Replacement harness didn't do anything either.

His solution right now is to just leave a code reader plugged in.  Every time he starts the truck it says "reduced power," he resets it, and has to pull over about every 200 miles to reset it again.  Not exactly convenient or safe when he's towing 15k lbs across 3 states, but it works until we can find something else.

She test drove the Integra, but the dealer didn't have anything but base models.  Her assessment of the 1.5L included a lot of naughty words.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Four years of looking in North America hasn't turned one up.  This truck happens to be CA emissions, so when you stack a one-year-only ECM with CA emissions, it really limits your options

I mean, car-part.com shows a dozen 2008 GM Duramax 2500HD/3500HD truck ECUs at salvage yards in California.  Granted there's no guarantee that a truck in a CA salvage yard was sold in CA, but that seems like something you could confirm before ordering it.  Some of the listings include pics of the emissions stickers under the hood of the donor vehicle.

The code reader solution sounds like one of those "workable, annoying, but not quite annoying enough to fix" solutions. :)

CPO Kia Stinger GT AWD.  It's performance will slay every other vehicle mentioned here and it has a back seat and 4 doors.  Unbelievably quick, fast and good car.

Can you get a 4 series BMW that cheap?

Civic sport touring hybrid hatch..(seriously)

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

She test drove the Integra, but the dealer didn't have anything but base models.  Her assessment of the 1.5L included a lot of naughty words.

Yes, but is that good or bad?

She has poked around a bit more.  She loves the Sonata N in the seat, but is really polarized on the styling.  I love it.  She is looking for a GLI to test and we're not finding any locally yet.

You can find a BMW 4 series in that price range, but it has to be pretty stripped, which likely won't suit her taste.  She's an options queen.

Also, new requirement.... Sunroof.  She thought she didn't care about having a sunroof, but she really wants one.

The new Sonata N is a really great looking car, albeit a little polarizing. They are striking on the road when I see them. Might be a good option. Pretty sure those have the wet clutch sequential gearbox, which is the one to get when it comes to Hyundai/Kia stuff. Same one that comes in the Elantra N. 

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

She has poked around a bit more.  She loves the Sonata N in the seat, but is really polarized on the styling.  I love it.  She is looking for a GLI to test and we're not finding any locally yet.

Probably easier to find a GTI.  Drive that, if it's good then maybe it's worth going a bit further for a GLI?