Need help deciding on a new car

[EpicE90]

I am currently driving a 2011 f150, which I have needed for work until now. I have someone assuming the lease and I'm excited to get back in a car. Problem is I'm shooting for a $400.00 a month payment which pretty much eliminates all the cars I like .
My shortlist has been :

G37 coupe 6mt = $499.00 a month with $1500.00 down
IS250 F-Sport =$396 a month with $300.00 down (best car for the money so far)
VW GTI= $349.00 A month $500 down ( Nice car but felt like a toy)
Vw GLI= $343.00 a month $500 down ( Same reason as GTI )

P.s I dont like sti's or evo's. Good performer's but they leave to much to be desired in all other aspects.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Ammonia]

Originally Posted by EpicE90

I am currently driving a 2011 f150, which I have needed for work until now. I have someone assuming the lease and I'm excited to get back in a car. Problem is I'm shooting for a $400.00 a month payment which pretty much eliminates all the cars I like .
My shortlist has been :

G37 coupe 6mt = $499.00 a month with $1500.00 down
IS250 F-Sport =$396 a month with $300.00 down (best car for the money so far)
VW GTI= $349.00 A month $500 down ( Nice car but felt like a toy)
Vw GLI= $343.00 a month $500 down ( Same reason as GTI )

P.s I dont like sti's or evo's. Good performer's but they leave to much to be desired in all other aspects.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Buy what you want lightly used. Win.

[momentum]

is my vote

[momentum]

it did good on Motortrend: Best Driver's Car 2012 Edition

[NewYearsBoy]

I love lexus but a Is 250 is really slow.. My brother has a G37s and it is an awesome car. and you can get them cheap.

[Nack54]

You'll love the G more than any of those other cars you've listed. Only thing about it, it's a torque-less car. Feels very slow and sluggish from a stop.

[EpicE90]

Wow that picture of the G is amazing! This car is definitley my first choice but I just don't want my payments that high . Even slightly used ones 2010s are still bringing 30k . Financed even at a good rate 72 months puts me in high 4's. I know the is250 doesn't have much power, which is disappointing. But having a brand new car with a cheaper payment vs a few year old car with a higher payment is a hard pill to swallow. I really appreciate everyone's help thank you guys.

[wakeboarder109]

Originally Posted by NewYearsBoy

I love lexus but a Is 250 is really slow.. My brother has a G37s and it is an awesome car. and you can get them cheap.

I agree with everyone else. The IS is too slow and boring to drive IMO. The G is a nice car and should have lower maint. costs than the Lexus. For financing, definitely check out you local credit union. I just joined penfed.com and they have ridiculously low rates.

[flyinb501]

Originally Posted by Nack54

You'll love the G more than any of those other cars you've listed. Only thing about it, it's a torque-less car. Feels very slow and sluggish from a stop.

G35? Yes. All the G37's I've driven felt very torquey, completely different than G35's.

[M3KILL3R]

Originally Posted by EpicE90

I am currently driving a 2011 f150, which I have needed for work until now. I have someone assuming the lease and I'm excited to get back in a car. Problem is I'm shooting for a $400.00 a month payment which pretty much eliminates all the cars I like .
My shortlist has been :

G37 coupe 6mt = $499.00 a month with $1500.00 down
IS250 F-Sport =$396 a month with $300.00 down (best car for the money so far)
VW GTI= $349.00 A month $500 down ( Nice car but felt like a toy)
Vw GLI= $343.00 a month $500 down ( Same reason as GTI )

P.s I dont like sti's or evo's. Good performer's but they leave to much to be desired in all other aspects.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Now are these prices u listed after tax and everything? and when you state xxx amount down, is that drive off?

message me if you'd like.

[Nack54]

Originally Posted by flyinb501

G35? Yes. All the G37's I've driven felt very torquey, completely different than G35's.

The g37s, I owned one before I purchased my e92.

[NemesisX]

Dude why are you looking at an IS250? Those things are slow as balls.

The IS350 on the other hand is a different story. Stock acceleration wise it's actually faster than the G37 in the 0 to 100 range (thanks predominantly to its aggressive 4.08 final drive ratio which lends itself to a sturdy 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds as measured by Road and Track or 0 to 60 in 5.1 as measured by Car and Driver).

My younger brother has an IS350 so I'm well aware of its performance characteristics. Out of all the entry level luxury sedans, it's 2nd in its class in terms of stock acceleration (behind our beloved 335i's).

Three major cons of the IS350:
1) It drives like a total boat bone stock. You'll have to equip it with F sport sway bars to get it to handle reasonably well
2) There are NO (I repeat, NO) performance upgrades for the IS350. What you see is what you get. The engine is N/A so apart from the intake/exhaust/headers for ~20-25 whp that you can add to most N/A cars, there's nothing else.
3) The transmission is PURELY automatic. The paddles on the steering wheel are not shifters, so if you wanted a "manu-matic" that allows you to control the gear you're in, you'll have to look elsewhere.

I'd get a slightly used stock IS350 before touching an "F-sport IS250." The "F-sport" part means nothing. The IS250 is not fun to drive at all.


Example, IS350 (306 HP) vs G37 IPL (348 HP) from 0 to 80 MPH-ish:

The IS350's low end is pretty solid.

I agree with Nack54 that the G37's low end feels sluggish which could be a problem because the low end is what you deal with everyday on a daily basis. The areas where the G37 shines are more top end once you get > 100 MPH, but it's totally useless for daily driving.

A 6MT G35 is generally considered to be faster in a straight line than even a G37, surprisingly.

I've never looked at them but what about a Hyundai Genesis 3.8? Don't they have like 340 or 350 HP now? And I'm sure you'll get a really great deal on them because the "Hyundai" brand name is such a turn off. If you're looking for value, the Hyundai Genesis might be one way to go. But again, I've never driven one or even looked at the prices. I know they're going to be way cheaper than any BMW/Lexus/Mercedes/Audi.

Another car you might want to look at is a new Mustang v6 (~300 HP for around $25k base MSRP). Great value.

[Silver-Bolt]

If you need to finance a car for 72 months in order to afford it, you can't afford it. Be smart with your money/credit.

[flyinb501]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

I agree with Nack54 that the G37's low end feels sluggish which could be a problem because the low end is what you deal with everyday on a daily basis. The areas where the G37 shines are more top end once you get > 100 MPH, but it's totally useless for daily driving.

A 6MT G35 is generally considered to be faster in a straight line than even a G37, surprisingly.

.

That's weird that you guys say that. I have a 6MT G35, which I've done a bunch of bolt on's to pep it up. It's pretty quick. Every time it's serviced they give me a G37X auto sedan, and that thing feels way more torquey and quicker than my car though.

I have a friend with a G37Xs sedan though and he said that he couldn't keep up with me so who knows...

[Ghetto2315]

2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track. Faster than all the cars above, better handling, and I like the looks better than the G37. Lexus is too bland and not a fan of hatchbacks like the GTi

[joey5622]

I'd get the Infiniti, I loved mine and would not think twice about getting another Infiniti car.

The car is very very enjoyable to drive! Only thing that I wasn't too happy with was the relatively poor mileage.

[EpicE90]

First, thank you everyone for all the replies. The direction this thread has taken seems to be towards performance. While I enjoy it , for my future vehicle this is not my main concern. I will be doing a lot of commuting with this car so I have to be conscious of gas mileage. So even though my list is full of cars that are a bit sporty you get the idea.

The is350 would be a perfect medium between gas, luxury, and performance but unfortunately I just cant get one for the right price under my circumstances. But overall like I stated in my opening post I am very determined to keep my payment under $400.00 a month. Seeing as how I am a full time student, I can not work as much as I used too. Which is why the is250 F-sport to me seems like the next best thing.

It seems a lot of former g35/37 drivers have nothing but good things to say about their cars which makes me happy to hear. My search is still continuing for the right car. I've expanded my search to 370z's as well . So far I've found quite a few in my price range and I have grown to like this car much more then I previously did.

[Keik E92 M3]

G37's are nice.

[lcrain]

GTI, very fun little car. Good fuel economy, tunable and very practical. Interior feels nicer than the g37 IMO if you go with the "autobahn" package. I had a GLI and it was a great car. Reliable and fun. Put a ~$700 tune on it and it was a very quick car.

I have never liked the way the g37 has looked, or any infiniti for that matter.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by EpicE90

First, thank you everyone for all the replies. The direction this thread has taken seems to be towards performance. While I enjoy it , for my future vehicle this is not my main concern. I will be doing a lot of commuting with this car so I have to be conscious of gas mileage. So even though my list is full of cars that are a bit sporty you get the idea.

The is350 would be a perfect medium between gas, luxury, and performance but unfortunately I just cant get one for the right price under my circumstances. But overall like I stated in my opening post I am very determined to keep my payment under $400.00 a month. Seeing as how I am a full time student, I can not work as much as I used too. Which is why the is250 F-sport to me seems like the next best thing.

It seems a lot of former g35/37 drivers have nothing but good things to say about their cars which makes me happy to hear. My search is still continuing for the right car. I've expanded my search to 370z's as well . So far I've found quite a few in my price range and I have grown to like this car much more then I previously did.

If 370Zs are in your price range this should be a no brainer. Go for the 370Z. If there's any time where a 370Z is "practical" to own, it's when you're young and don't have family responsibilities.

[Nack54]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

If 370Zs are in your price range this should be a no brainer. Go for the 370Z. If there's any time where a 370Z is "practical" to own, it's when you're young and don't have family responsibilities.

+1 couldn't agree more.