I love my Ford Focus ST. 6-speed manual only. For well under $30 grand, you get a gnarly little monster with superb cornering, a great sound, and massive points in the fun category. I have fun driving it each and every time I hop in, even just a little 5 minute jaunt to the grocery store.
In the winter, I put snow tires on it (not studs, good snow tires) and it transforms into an incredibly fun snow beast. It doesn’t handle deep snow well, being lowered and front-wheel drive, but on packed snow it is a blast to drive.
ETA: it’s a hatchback, not a sedan. Little hatchbacks are more fun and have tons more versatility, though.
ETA: Also, the creature comforts in the ST are pretty high; mine has hand-crafted heated leather seats, sat nav, a decent sound system with touch screen, etc.
I’ve had a G37 Sport 6MT for a couple of years now. 6-speed manual, 330 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, 245 tires rear and 225 tires front. It’s built on the same platform as the Nissan 370Z - so it looks like a luxury car, but it’s actually pretty damn sporty. I like it a lot. With tax, I think it was a bit under $45K.
I think 2013 was the last year they made them, but if you’re willing to buy used, you should be able to find one somewhere out there with low miles.
Jaguar’s upcoming XE is winning lots of driving comparison tests against the 3 series plus it’s much better looking IMHO. Alfa Romeo is also returning to the US with the Giulia if you’re particularly adventurous.
My wife has a TDI Jetta that’s really great to drive–fast, great acceleration and handling. This will sound crazy, but the closest in driving experience for me was her old Porsche 928. She has the wagon, but they make sedans.
Too bad the four door sedan thing is in the way or I’d suggest the 2016 Subaru BRZ STI, or the 2016 Focus RS.
I’d second a WRX/STI or maybe a Cadillac ATS-V with dealer discounts it might be affordable.
A Subaru STi (Impreza) is a unique and spectacular experience. Rumbling flat-four, howling turbo, active center differential - and much closer to a sports car than a sedan’s driving experience.
Actually, my uncle would back you on this. He adores his car. he’s been driving Subaru for years. And drives hard. Like lock up the kids, bar the door, clear the county, hard. I’m fairly certain my aunt takes happy pills before getting in the car. She’s always got this spacy little grin.
I’ve never driven a Miata but it brings to mind the fact that to me, anyway, any car with a roof is already halfway to boring, no matter what else it has. Many years ago I was occasionally able to borrow one of these beauties (the V12 version) and it was just pure delight on a warm sunny weekend – I’ve never had so much fun with a car. I’m still hoping to buy something totally impractical like that one of these days.
I’ve not driven an WRX, but was reading up on them quite a bit in thinking about whether I wanted to replace my current car. The consensus I derived was that they were amazing machines for folk who wanted peak performance - but considerably lacking in many creature comforts, and less able than other cars when not driven hard.
Given the OP’s requirements, he’s pretty clearly asking about performance sedans/coupes, rather than sports cars. I know NOTHING about that market segment. I offered the VW GTI, because it has 4 doors, but recognize it is not a sedan. I imagine the best bet would be some BMW/Audi/Infiniti/Acura - brands and pricepoints I’ve never owned or researched.
Having rented one this summer to drive around Southern Ontario, I would have to concur. The limfac to my driving “spiritedly” was SWMBO and not the car itself.
That’s putting it mildly. I spent about 20 minutes in the back seat of an WRX and could barely walk afterwards. The only shock absorber in that car was my spine.
Seriously, if she’s already looking for a 3-series type car, the choices are pretty clear. Mercedes, BMW 3, Audi A4, Jaguar XE, and Cadillac ATS. Then there’s the second tier of Lexus IS, Infiniti and Acura which are all fine cars but not in quite the same class. The BMW, Jag and Cadillac are probably the leaders in “driving fun”.
Curiously, I’ve done both those things to my Mustang. 3-point belts and I replaced the front brakes with modern disk brakes. It stops a lot easier now.
And hey, the concern in the OP was ‘fun to drive’. I’ll put a classic up against anything. And the chicks do dig it.
