Best fun car: <$30k, >30 mpg HWY

C5 Corvette would be fun, but wouldn't offer the AWD or four seats that you'd like to have.

Civic Si wouldn't be a bad choice either.

 

My 3-series BMW gets about 30mpg highway, fun car to drive too.

 

Subaru WRX or Legacy 2.5GT might fit the bill, although they will come up a bit short on the mileage. Audi A3 or A4 with the 2.0T engine would be the same. Right price, AWD, but probably a couple mpg short of 30 on the highway.

 

Forget it all....get a Subaru WRX....period....funnest four banger ever.

 

Nissan 350Z. I got 32.5 mpg on the highways. Right now it's about 26 mpg combined because I'm rough on it on the twisties.

 

honda s2000 is another good choice

 

Get a new Pontiac G8. 30K new, low 13's and it looks tuff.

 

Mazda MX-5 Miata would be a great candidate for a "fun" everyday car. From what I gather, they're pretty good on gas too! Plus with a budget of $30 grand, you could pretty much "hot rod" the hell out of it and still have enough change for a series of track events!!!

 

VW GTi, or if you require AWD and can live with 25mpg and DCG , the VW R32. I have been looking for such a fun economical car to replace my M5 as a daily driver over the last couple of months now. I have test driven an EVO GSR, WRX STi, Mugen Civic, Acura TL-S, Infiniti G35, Mazdaspeed3, BMW 135, Pontiac G6 and Audi A3...out of all of them the GTi was the most fun to drive...I couldn't wipe the grin off my face the entire test drive...the Autobahn option interior is very nice too...much nicer than any of the others...as good as or better than my current M5 interior. It's plenty fast for a daily driver and a software upgrade alone boast both hp and torque figures to over 300. Test drive one and decide for yourself...

 

You liked the GTi more than the 135i? I've been looking for a fun econo daily driver for a while as well and Im pretty much set on the 135i. I might have to try out the GTi for a comparison now.

 

91 NSX

 

Volvo V70R
Volvo S60R

~30mpg on the highway, AWD, 4 seats, 300hp.

 

Subaru... end of thread

 

What about the Mazda 3. The mazdaspeed 3 has gotten good reviews and is as fast as the WRX.

 

BMW E46 M3. I hit 28.2mpg highway in it.

Jaguar S Type R - 22mpg highway but considering you can get one used for around $18,000, the extra $12k can towards that 8mpg.

 

I did... plus once you option the BMW with leather, Nav, ect... it is ~$10K more than the GTi fully optioned...

 

BMW 325

Lexus IS250

You can always go Japan (honda, nissan, toyota), basically any of there cars do what you want.....

 

or the volvo C30. those are a blast. You can get the top of the line T5 R-design for well under 30k -- 2.4L I-5, 227HP @ 5k, 236lb/ft @ 1500 -- 20/28 city/hwy

I have an S60R, and it's fun as well, but i am getting nowhere near 30mpg on the fwy -- im averaging about 23mpg overall. Beautiful car, though..and a fun daily. 04s and 05s can be had easily for the low 20s. chip/DP/exhaust for around 4k and you're looking at around 350-360HP. not bad.
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Besides being more fun to drive than a G35 (I'm a G35 coupe owner), I was in total agreement with you post until I read I have quoted. I software upgrade will not bring the 2.0T FSI to 300 hp or torque. Most of the software companies advertise about 250 possible crank hp after the reflash of the ECU. People from the GTI forums have run their chipped car on the dyno and had results around 230 wheel hp. With an aftermarket downpipe and Stage 2 software upgrade, around 260 hp might be possible, according to GTI owners. On the other hand, the APR Stage 3 package, with includes a much bigger turbo and manifold, intercooler, a few other bits, and the Stage 3 software will put that 4 cylinder turbo well above 300 hp. That package is around $8,000 not including install. Even with all that hp, it's still FWD ( ). I picked up all this info from the forums on GolfMKV.com and a little personal research. After test driving both the GTI and the .:R32, I was FAR more impressed with the R. As opposed to the 200hp 2.0 liter 4 cylinder in the GTI, it has AWD a 3.2 liter V6 with about 250hp that has a BEAUTIFUL exhaust note; however, the naturally aspirated engine offer far fewer modification options. The most hp I have ever heard of in the R32 with mods was about 265-270 hp, unless you want to spend some BIG $ on the turbo kit offered by a company called HPA. Used R32s can be found on Cars.com and Autotrader for a little under $30k, too. After I test drove the R32, I totally forgot about the GTI, and after I test drove my G35, I totally forgot about the R32, as I really wanted around 300 hp and RWD anyway.

I hope this helps,

John

 

It's funny when the .:R32's were first released most GTI owners laughed at the price and talked about how much more HP you could get with the GTI with simple bolt ons and reflashing. Now a bunch of them own R32's. I know of at least 6 people within the last month that traded their GTI for an R32. Owner loyalty cash and incentives played a part in that. You can get an R32 for below $30k now. A similarly optioned GTI (autobahn, 18", votex kit, DSG) isn't that far away. I love my MKV GTI, but the exhaust note of the 2.0T will never compare to my old MKIV VR6.

 

The truth is that I will not likely modify the GTi at all ... I rarely modify my daily drivers. I did drive the R32 and the GTi feels faster...likely from the turbo torque...and for a daily driver the feel is more important than the actual numbers anyway. I would likely consider the R32 anyway if it could be ordered with a 6mt...but it comes with a DCG only. After 45k+ miles paddle shifting my M5, I am ready to go back to an antiquated foot clutch system. Plus, since I will give the GTi to my now 16 year old daughter in two years as her first car, it is imperative that her first car have three pedals for safety. FYI, several studies have shown that a teen driver that gets a three pedal car as their first car have ~70% fewer accidents than those teens that start out in slushbox cars...

 

Best car I've driven lately is the VW EOS. Hardtop convertible with 4 real seats (unlike Cooper), manual transmission (unlike G6), 12 way heated seats, 2 liter turbo engine, 30 mpg on the highway.......all for $30k brand new. Also gets great reviews. Add a $300 chip and get 250 hp.

The only drawback I see is the FWD..........but for a DD I can live with that.

 

My MR-2 Spyder with 6spd SMT (poor man's F1 ) is rated by EPA at 33mpg on the highway. AFAIK it's the only car in the history of the world that can pull .91g AND get 33 hwy mpg bone stock (according to Road and Track and EPA). And yes, it WILL go 75 mph, I've attached proof
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