Sutto

I was just offered a company car for work and I'm trying to decide what to get. The general price range I'd say is $30k to maybe 37k or so. It will not need to carry anything so size isn't an issue and I was told that something sporty would be fine.

I'm thinking along the lines of a 350Z, 330i, etc. but I'm not necessarily against something like an S2000. The main thing I want is something sporty, fun to drive, navi, nice interior, etc. (2 or 4 doors). Oh..and RWD.

What would you guys choose?

TinkyWinky

First of all, what line of work are you in? Should I assume you will travel in this car for business a lot?

If so, I would look at the new A4.

Mokos23

I want to get still either the next gen Infiniti G35 coupe AWD, Lexus IS350 AWD,
or the Scion Tc if I need a 2nd car because I may be commuting farther for my job in a few months. I've owned Honda/Acura cars all my driving life, so I might want to try Toyota or Nissan this time around.

I would def pick BMW or Mercedes, but German cars are so expensive to maintain and isn't the reliability of German cars going down compared to Japanese cars?

Sutto

I'm a corporate trainer here in Tampa. Most of my driving is traveling between our locations, the most I drive on a typical day would probably be 120 miles or so. I don't need a highway queen.

xizor

s2000 will be next car if I can help it, but it wont be a replacement for my TSX.

batman

G35c all the way!!!! MDX if/when the kids come.
100th post woohoo!! at this rate I'll be a mod by 2020.

TinkyWinky

That IS a lot of driving.

Hmmm, forgot you wanted RWD. It is a no-brainer ----> 330i. My other choice would be the new (maybe not yet released) MB C350 sedan, but I have a feeling it may exceed 40 grand.

Sutto

The 120 mile days are not very common, the average is probably 40 miles per day.

kurt_bradley

From what the rumor mill has brewing, my next car will be the 2006 S2000. If it's not as hot as I've been told, I'm buying a certified 2003 S2000. I used to have a 2001.

foolioness

Sutto, welcome to the high millage club... member me!!!!
I drive 135 miles a day... and I have tp purchase my own car.....
I envy you for the company car......

CobaltForge

Damn you work for a nice company! I'm with foolioness on this one. I drive right around 100 miles or so a day for work doing the same type of work you do. My company just gives me enough for gas.

sygyzy

Is this the norm? Your company gives you a $37k car to use, when a Geo Metro would do and they don't have any requirements?

Anyway, I'd get the new IS

GIBSON6594

Choice is obvious to me...TSX

dom

What have you heard?....Lets hear it.


BTW - I vote S2000 or G35C.

Sutto

I own a percentage of the company.

virtualbong

At the age of 26?!?!?!? Please tell me that this was inherited because this is plain crazy!

For $30-$37K, I say get something fun that you can beat on since its not your car. I would pick up a fully loaded G35 Coupe, no doubt.

Sutto

What's crazy about it? I also own another company with two other equal partners. There's a lot of money to be made out there...I'm just chasing after some of it!

xizor

2003? A year before the model refresh, I'd get a 2004+ just for the wheels

Whiskers

BMW 745i fully loaded.

vitocorleone

An Acura hybrid sports sedan.

(psst! some of us are going to have the TSX for at least 7+ more years)

DCyamaha

yeah, i'll have my tsx for another 5 yrs or so. I'll have to see whats offered at that point.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Definitely as a second car.

sergeremi

Not really. It's all about connections. Who you know can sometimes pay off nicely. Throw in what you know and the sky's the limit.

If it's the company car, I'd go with a 330Ci.

As for the next car, I'll be looking real hard at the Lexus IS 350 when it comes out with a stick.

TSX.Fury

but they lowered the redline in the newer models

I'd get an older one if I was gonna get one...

my two best friends have s2k's and they will tell you that driving 120 miles a day in an s2k is gonna kill your back QUICK... rough ride for that long.

I would go with a 330 or something...

TSX.Fury

Hey this reminds me, I been joking with those guys that us TSX guys are gonna invade Fall Colors... we should totally do it if anyone's interested. I'm already meeting up with those kids anyway and it would be nice if we made a decent showing just to admire all the s2k's...

ric

Is the firm going to buy and hold? if so, your financial brackets are applicable. If they are going to lease, then you need to deal with the occassional discrepency between the sale value and the monthly lease value of the car. Two different makes - let's say an Audy a4 and a G35, both priced at $35,000 may have very different monthly leases between manufacturers and between dealers. Moreover, the same dealer may vary the lease price from month to month driven by the realities of the manufacturer's approach to leases.

ArchangelStudios

You should test drive some cars to really get a good answer to this question. However, it has been my experience that the 350Z is a two dollar whore wearing a five hundred dollar dress. I've driven two of them, and they both felt cheap. The interior vibrations were more than I expected, and the deatails are Pontiac quality at best.

I'm sure I'll get some haters for this, but I don't think you are going to want an s2000 for any type of commuting. A couple of weekends ago, a friend and I traded cars for a night. He took my 94' RX7 and I took his 04' s2000. I couldn't wait to get my 7 back. The s2000 is loud, but not a cool exotic kind of loud. The lack of low end torque seems more apparent in the s2000 than it is in the TSX making in town traffic annoying. I hate to say that I was disappointed because I have love the s2000 from a far for years.

Check out the G35 coupe. It has got to be one of the finest two door vehicles on the road today. It has a much better build quality than its Nissan cousin.

mg7726

most likely another acura. current choices are,

1- sh-awd tl
2- turbo tsx
3- rdx

i'm brand loyal

gsrthomas

Wait for the Lexus IS350, that thing is SIIIIICKKKK!!

xizor

lowered redline to improve the torque, and I hear the new gearing is much much better.

xizor

sorry the G35 is a $3 whore wearing a $10 dress, the interior materials and design the on par w/ the Z.

BusyShifter

I concurred on waiting for the new IS to come out. They seem like fun car.

TSX.Fury

hmmm I wouldnt know, havent driven a new one. All the real hardcore s2k guys hate the newer models though... lol although that could be a little feud between the old guys and the new. I'll have to go test drive a new one...

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

The new one is not bad and certainly a little more liveable around town, but when I drove it, I missed the visceral feel of 9K rpms.

As for the old school s2k drivers, the reason for hating it has to do with the softening of the rear suspension. Makes the car a little less twitchy, but also a little less oversteer prone, which was a trait many of the old school s2k drivers liked.

ArchangelStudios

Okay, true. Nissan's interior quality is terrible, but at least the G35's is passable. It seems a bit better than the Z's.

TSX.Fury

Yeah... the main complaint I hear is the lessening of the "race car" feel. I love driving my friends 02, the high redline def gives it something.

Overall though it probably wasn't an awful idea by Honda to give it a softer suspension. Like I said, I couldnt imagine driving it 120 miles a day... It would kill your back. The softer suspension is a little against their target market's desires but they can make more $ by giving it a softer feel and widening the market.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Actually, the softening of the rear suspension was to prevent snap oversteer that could result. The newer S2K exhibits a little less neutral feel and a slight penchant for understeer at the limit, which is safer for the general buying public. It's always a liability issue that results in a perfectly good car being toned down for consumption by an ignorant public. Sucks for enthusiasts like us though...

TSX.Fury

but like I said... its all about the benjamins baby, whatever makes honda more cash

gpsiir

I feel almost like a traitor, but the new Lexus IS-250/350 is looking very sweet , depends on what the prices and gas mileage would be... Lexus exec was quoted as saying that *both* the 250 and 350 are high 20's (27-29mpg) for combined hw/city, which is what the TSX gets, so a 300hp sports sedan, with all the bells and whistles that I love in the TSX, plus 100 more hp? What's the catch? (besides $$$$$)

kurt_bradley

The 04 got soft. While I like the wheels, the car had its real softened up, 1000 rpms taken away (though with a little more available torque). The suspension on the 2003 is perfect. They played with the springs and settings for 3 years and finally got it right. The gearbox was finally working properly too. I do like the 2004, but not as much as the car that finally got it right.

On the new one, we don't know mych of anything, but there is the rumor of a coupe. If the roadster could perform that well around a track, imagine what it will do with proper structural rigidity. The redline is supposed to go back up, the car made a little lighter (no open top helps), and track-worthiness increased. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath.