z31maniac said:G_Body_Man said:A Q50S sounds like the move here. Reliable, quick, comfy and the aftermarket is huge. Bolt-ons and a tune get it to mid-to-high 300s at the tires and coilovers and sway bars really help to make the suspension feel less luxury-focused.
Serious question.
Why buy a luxury car only to make it less luxurious?
Because GBodyMan is only 19, so to him luxury is all the goodies on the interior, the rest of the package detracts from what could be a performance vehicle.
Yeah, if I'm buying a luxury sport sedan, I'm not making it any LESS luxurious. 
I am 37, and I want a little luxury with my sport. When I was 19, I would have gone the other way, so I do get that.
What about a CTS V-Sport? As I understand it it is about 80-90% of a "V" but in a sleeper package. You'd have to look for a 2015 or 2016 to sneak under your budget, but they are out there. They get rave reviews, but largely fly under the radar as they were something like $90k when new.
Tony Sestito said:Yeah, if I'm buying a luxury sport sedan, I'm not making it any LESS luxurious.
Exaclty. I'm also 37. That's why last year I ditched the lowered BRZ on wide sticky tires, exhaust and E85 tune, and picked up a bone stock 135.
The Accord 1.5 Sport is bigger and looks better, but has less options that I really would like and is likely slower than my Mazda.
0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds, with the quarter falling 15.9 seconds at 89.3mph < Motor Trend test. So, not slower than a Mazda3 automatic unless you're talking about a 2.5 model, and even then just barely. Plus turbo = good gains with a tune. And full torque pretty much anywhere but idle. I wouldn't underestimate the driving experience, it might be a lot better than you're imagining. But, it will still be way slower than a Q50 or Hemi Challenger etc.
CobraSpdRH said:What about a CTS V-Sport? As I understand it it is about 80-90% of a "V" but in a sleeper package. You'd have to look for a 2015 or 2016 to sneak under your budget, but they are out there. They get rave reviews, but largely fly under the radar as they were something like $90k when new.
I was all about getting a ATS Performance or a CTS V-Sport for a while. My boss got one, and while he likes the way it drives, he says the CUE infotainment system is infuriating and slow. He's had some issues with the car as well, including the aforementioned CUE system, which had to be replaced. That soured me on them, which is unfortunate, because they are solid cars otherwise. If the Camaro didn't have the outward visibility of a pillbox, one of those would be on the list, as it's the same car underneath.
mtn said:z31maniac said:G_Body_Man said:A Q50S sounds like the move here. Reliable, quick, comfy and the aftermarket is huge. Bolt-ons and a tune get it to mid-to-high 300s at the tires and coilovers and sway bars really help to make the suspension feel less luxury-focused.
Serious question.
Why buy a luxury car only to make it less luxurious?
Because GBodyMan is only 19, so to him luxury is all the goodies on the interior, the rest of the package detracts from what could be a performance vehicle.
Mostly just sloppiness. To me the modern benchmark for entry-level sport sedan ride and handling is the sport-package E90 and the body control on a Q50 is nowhere near as tight as that. A good set of street-minded coilovers and sway bars go a long way towards making it feel more Euro without significantly impacting ride quality and have the added bonus of making it feel less snappy on backroads. Most Q50s came with DAS so it's hard to trust the front end anyway.
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