What would you get?

[LightningBlue17]

2017 Fusion Sport.

Sponsored

 

[MattW]

Late CTS-V wagon....and I'm not a GM guy.

Sweet. They need to bring back the M3 wagon: nice grocery-getter.

 

[Vile_the_Bastage]

It's blasphemy I know, but I'm considering trading my Mustang. It's only consideration at this stage and I may still decide to keep it, but we'll see. I have only 11K miles on my 15 GT-PP, don't owe much on it and could use something larger. Not to mention, I have the dreaded brake squeal and it's annoying as hell!

If I do it, I'll be looking for a 4 door sedan that offers the same performance as the mustang for $50K or less. I've discovered that's a fairly tough order. Several German sedans that are quick enough and large enough, but of course they're out of the price range.

Thoughts thus far:
>Chevy SS - Maybe the leading candidate right now. Very capable performer, lot's of room, great features. The only real downsides are it's bland looks, and it is just a tick slower (though the difference is negligible). I like the bland looks for the "sleeper" aspect, but that also takes away from it a bit.
>Dodge Charger: Very quick in a straight line, kind of a pig in corners. Afraid I'd miss regret it on my favorite mountain backroads. But seems like it would still be plenty fun. Also not crazy about the side view of this car.
>Used BMW M3 (previous gen w/v8): I think they did make these in 4 doors?? Ticks all the boxes, would only worry about expensive maintenance and repairs outside of CPO.

What gems am I missing?

Hopefully when you say Charger, I hope you mean one of the 6.4L variants (Scat Pack or SRT). If that's the case, go with that.

The cars sound awesome with factory pipes, and if you want a little more noise you can pay a muffler shop $150 to delete the mufflers. They also come with factory active exhaust... the same thing many of us are drooling over now for the 2018 Mustangs.

The car is a pig, no doubt about it. However, the SRT suspension is pretty dialed in for the boat that it is, and it offers several adjustments. The Scat Pack suspension is pretty solid as well, although you can adjust that variant.

The part I love most about the car has to be the transmission. The 8 speed auto is outstanding, especially when the car is in sport mode. The shifts are so aggressive, keeping the big 392 in its power band, and your ass sunk into the seat.

I prefer Sync 2 & 3 over the Uconnect system that Dodge offers, but it gets the job done. Dodge's premium sound offerings are better than what Ford puts in their cars. The subs thump harder and the mids and highs are more crisp.

The car is a comfortable road cruiser. It's a blast to drive to work or take on long trips. I really used to hate on Dodge and their offerings until I bought a used 2015 Challenger Scat Pack for my wife over the summer. We traded that one in for a new 2016 Challenger Scat Pack two weeks ago (more features and an the 8 speed auto). Most of my rambling is coming from my experience with the Challenger, but we test drove several Chargers and realistically its the same car (2 doors vs 4).

 

[Bankss550]

I vote CPO CTS-V or Charger Scatpack maybe even SRT if you find a deal. I personally may end up with a Charger in 2018 if the wife and I end up having a 2nd kid. They're sharp looking cars IMO.

 

[AlexhadanM3]

You have a 2017 with a decent list of mods. Why would you want to sell it in a year and buy a used BMW? Unless you're crazy rich, that is taking a huge financial hit. Not to be rude I'm just sincerely curious.

And I second 6G, a CPO CTS-V is a lot of car for the money.

I just get bored of cars easily. Longest I have owned a car is 1.5 years lol. I also want to go back to euro cars since I prefer them over American.

 

[swat 79]

A key question is does it have to be a manual? That will limit your options, but I wouldn't go any other way. If it were up to me, I would get the Chevy SS. I test drove one and loved it, but would also consider an ATS-V if you don't mind a 6. A CPO 2nd Gen CTS-V would also be a bad ass choice.

I love the BMW M3, or even the new 340i as mentioned above, but I would only lease and would not own.

 

[ATLalien]

Have you looked into CPO CTS-V's?

Nice! I had not thought of a pre-owned CTS-V, great idea! Definitely looking to go "lightly used". Something with less than 20K miles.

 

[vernonator]

2017 Fusion Sport?

This - slap a tune in it and you will be a rocket for WELL under your budget. :ford:

Another option is the Taurus SHO, I drove a '12 before I got the mustang and with a Livernois tune was pushing 450hp at the crank, with AWD it would smoke my current GT off the line and was in the high 4's for 0-60. (Can you tell I'm a Ford guy?) Only drawback is the future of the SHO is uncertain and they have not done much to it in the past couple cycles.

 

[ATLalien]

Thanks for the great input guys!

I may go try and test drive some in the next week or so as I'll have some time off for the holidays.

I like the idea of the Fusion Sport, but I've always thought the body was oddly narrow looking from the back. Still might be worth a look.

To respond to a couple of queries:

Charger would definitely be a Scat Pack. Anyone have any feedback on longer term reliability on these?

I've always had manual performance cars, so I do lean that way. However, one of the newer, fast shifting autos would be tempting in a 4 door sedan. So I'm open to the idea.

Part of the attraction to the SS is it's relative rarity. I never see any on the road and I believe 16 is the last year of production. I've heard they're much better looking in person than in pictures. Would definitely black out all the tacky chrome bits! Even the Gold Chevy logo looks a little gaudy on that one. Anyone here ever own one of these?

 

[Livernois Motorsports]

It's blasphemy I know, but I'm considering trading my Mustang. It's only consideration at this stage and I may still decide to keep it, but we'll see. I have only 11K miles on my 15 GT-PP, don't owe much on it and could use something larger. Not to mention, I have the dreaded brake squeal and it's annoying as hell!

If I do it, I'll be looking for a 4 door sedan that offers the same performance as the mustang for $50K or less. I've discovered that's a fairly tough order. Several German sedans that are quick enough and large enough, but of course they're out of the price range.

Thoughts thus far:
>Chevy SS - Maybe the leading candidate right now. Very capable performer, lot's of room, great features. The only real downsides are it's bland looks, and it is just a tick slower (though the difference is negligible). I like the bland looks for the "sleeper" aspect, but that also takes away from it a bit.
>Dodge Charger: Very quick in a straight line, kind of a pig in corners. Afraid I'd miss regret it on my favorite mountain backroads. But seems like it would still be plenty fun. Also not crazy about the side view of this car.
>Used BMW M3 (previous gen w/v8): I think they did make these in 4 doors?? Ticks all the boxes, would only worry about expensive maintenance and repairs outside of CPO.

What gems am I missing?

Fusion Sport
Taurus SHO
Chevy SS
Scatpack Charger


Quite a few options depending on what you are REALLY looking for.

 

[mustang1]

It's blasphemy I know, but I'm considering trading my Mustang. It's only consideration at this stage and I may still decide to keep it, but we'll see. I have only 11K miles on my 15 GT-PP, don't owe much on it and could use something larger. Not to mention, I have the dreaded brake squeal and it's annoying as hell!
...

You could keep the Mustang and buy a people mover for less than $10k.

I like manual transmission so I won't be shopping Charger.

You may be able to find aftermarket brake pads that don't make noise.

 

[ATLalien]

You could keep the Mustang and buy a people mover for less than $10k.

I like manual transmission so I won't be shopping Charger.

You may be able to find aftermarket brake pads that don't make noise.

Still keeping the option open to keep the mustang for sure, but I'm at an equity/debt ratio where it makes sense to trade it sooner rather than later unless I want to keep it for the long haul.

The brake issue is a minor thing, they still stop just fine. I just hate that I even have to worry about squealing brakes on a car with only 11K miles. Disappointing really. Course, I think most of the cars I'm considering come with very similar brembos, so I could end up back in the same boat anyway.

 

[mustang1]

Still keeping the option open to keep the mustang for sure, but I'm at an equity/debt ratio where it makes sense to trade it sooner rather than later unless I want to keep it for the long haul.

The brake issue is a minor thing, they still stop just fine. I just hate that I even have to worry about squealing brakes on a car with only 11K miles. Disappointing really. Course, I think most of the cars I'm considering come with very similar brembos, so I could end up back in the same boat anyway.

High performance sedans are very expensive and usually come with automatic transmissions. You could buy a used high performance sedan but it will likely need parts. And if its a BMW, expensive BMW parts.


How about this?

http://www.caranddriver.com/cadillac/cts-v
Now this is our kind of Cadillac: It’s got a supercharged 640-hp 6.2-liter V-8, big Brembo brakes, an eight-speed automatic, and rear-wheel drive. A manual is not offered, but you won’t care when this brute hits 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and 100 mph just 3.9 seconds later
Rank in Premium Sports Sedans
1. Cadillac CTS-V
Price: $84,99

 

[ATLalien]

Hopefully when you say Charger, I hope you mean one of the 6.4L variants (Scat Pack or SRT). If that's the case, go with that.

.

Charger it is!! Picked one up last night. Once I test drove it, there was really no going back to the other options. Ended up getting a model I didn't even realize existed (new for 17 apparently): The Daytona Scatpack. Comes with the 392, and all the Scat Pack goodies, plus wheels/tires/brakes from the Hellcat, factory cold air with an oversized naked filter, and it's own interior treatment (SRT Alcantra/leather seats, different quilting).

Thanks for all the feedback on this thread and others over the years! I'll be posting my initial impressions and a proper goodbye in another section.

 

[BigBen5.Oh]

Scatpack/SRT Charger hands down. They are faster than a GT stock vs stock and have a very nice interior. I had a 14 R/T and absolutely loved it. I have a Scatpack challenger now and the 6.4l is no joke. With the 8 spd it pulls like a monster and it sounds amazing out of the box.

I second this. I am a tech at dodge in temecula. Scat pack charger is the way to go for that price range. Fast and they look awesome.

Sponsored