I've been driving my Mazdaspeed 6 for the last 10 years and it's time for a change. With the MS6, it drives and behaves very much like a FD with the steering, how control feels and overall sportiness of the car.

What would be a suitable car with those characteristics today?

Only requirement is 4 seats and a trunk.
Being able to have fun at legal speed limit

Below is my list in that order:

2011 1M
2013 C63
2014 STI
2009 997.2 (stretching it)

No E9x M3 as it's high on fuel consumption and you can only have fun going 100 mph +

Thoughts?

 

An RX-8 with a 20b conversion?

 

Mazda 6?

 

I've always liked the Subaru's

 

get an sti. i just bought an 02 wrx thats been sti swapped, and it's a blast.

 

I daily my 08 Audi S4 and love it. I need quattro up here in the North so it makes a no brainer but also has a very nice interior and plenty of power for daily driving. The newer is a superchared v6 so a simple tune and pulley and it does even better.

 

An evo or wrx sti would be most similar to the speed 6 in my opinion. Both are fun cars that are easy to modify and make good daily drivers. An Audi would be even nicer if you want the luxury. I daily drive a V10 S6.

 

All good choices ....

STi actually feels quite good, but then I am worried about the ringland issue. How real is that?

Audis are nice too ... but I worry about reliability

No love for BMWs?

 

Cadillac ATS?

 

I'd sooner look at the Cadillac or an Infiniti G35/7 than the german junk.
Also, the new Jags are supposed to be quite nice to drive but I haven't heard about their reliability yet.

 

I thought about Infinite too ... but a M56 variant ... they are dirt cheap and comes with all the toys that only S class Benz has.
5.6L V8 and cooled seats!

But that will be like driving a dreamliner .....

How about those 335i xdrive?

 

I recently got for a daily driver an Infiniti FX50 (QX70) SUV. 5.0 V8 AWD, installed AEM dryflow drop-in filters, secondary cat deleted and Borla catback, had it tuned with Osiris reflash and got 347whp 323wtq on an AWD Mustang dyno. Great handling and fun in the twisties!

Installed a Class III hitch receiver and will be getting a tandem axle car hauler to trailer my FD around

Gets about the same mpg's as the FD, 16 in the city 20-22 hwy

 

My last daily driver was a 5.0 XF, and it really was a fun car. Super quiet and cushy, but still easy to get the rear end loose and the engine sounds amazing. That being said, it had $18K in warranty work done in the year and a half I owned it and the "ownership experience" was so below Lexus standards that I am back in an ES350.

 

Unless you have $60,000 - $70,000 to spend you can cross the 1M off your list.

 

1M are coming down in price. You can get one for $46k

2011 BMW 1M | Austin , Texas | Elite Motorsports

Also looking at F30 335i xdrive ..... those any good in handling?

Probably drive better than the MS6 with the inline 6 engine

 

We run a Subaru tuning shop and I can assure you, ringland failure is very real. We've had customers with essentially stock blocks let go, while others have increased hp and boost pressure significantly and have been fine. The 2.5L's in general were not as solid as the 2.0L's in this respect, but I doubt you're looking to go back 10+ years old to a WRX.

 

46k miles hmm I think that's the first "high mileage" one I've seen. At least someone had the ***** to drive theirs.

I'm not familiar with the later model 335i's. Are 996 Turbos still on the cheap or....? I agree, though, 997 would be nice.

 

Yeah, but maintainence will be a bitch.

FDs will $50 you to death.
Pcar will $1000 you to death.

Bmw is a happy medium, only $200 you to death.

 

hahaha! Very true. Unless that BMW has an M badge. Lord..

 

Thanks for that info! How about them new WRX with the disi engine. Are they problematic?

 

You may as well get an M2. New they are $51k

 

I have a lotus for my "DD" needs. It's remarkably like a lightly modified FD. I highly recommend one. If you need more seats, buy another one.

Great thread revive on the daily driver thread btw.

 

I test drove the Golf R with DSG yesterday and it's pretty sweet.
Super fast and competent .... at 40K brand new with warranty, I don't think it can be beat.
There is also the hatch which can haul car parts!

 

Golf R is definitely a good choice. I daily a 2012 Golf R and it's great. It is extremely nice having the extra hatch room to haul stuff around and it feels like a luxury car inside. I have fit more stuff in it than I possibly could with my previous evo 8. The mk7 is even better in every way from what I have seen

 

I have 126k miles on my S6 and aside from routine maintenance which is pretty minimal (lifetime coolant, trans, and diff fluid) the only thing I've had to do is take apart and clean the contacts in the window switch after a dunkin donuts employee handed me an over-filled coffee that spilled on it. German car parts are expensive in general but Mazda parts don't seem much cheaper. If I want luxury I'll never look to a Japanese car again. There is no comparison.