Buying a new sport sedan

Sport Sedan and Toyota Camry in the same sentence is just wrong.

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That’s what people would say about my “Souped-Up Chevy Vega”.

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Since nobody has mentioned it yet, What about the the Lexus IS 350 F Sport?

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The Genesis G70 is worth considering as well. It offers a lot for the money.

Good choice, but gas mileage is poor compared to the 4-cyl models. They are attractively priced though, even if the catfish mouth isn’t good looking. I may test drive it anyway.

I have thought about it, but the gas mileage isn’t good. The 4-cyl has about the same gas mileage as the 6- cyl.

If gas milage is important, wait for a 2023 Prius. They are downright sporty!

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Concerned about MPG but not the cost of Premium fuel . OK , fine.

You use your metrics, I’ll use mine. :kissing_smiling_eyes:

Doesn’t a French horn deserve a French car?

Fuel cost estimate for the Lexus IS350 is $600 per year more than the BMW, both with premium gasoline.

Seats in the IS350 are too low for easy exit for my knees.

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The Tesla Model 3 is the most common choice now in this segment. The Performance trim will smoke everything being discussed here. The middle trims are faster than anything Lexus sells including the IS-F. If sporty performance is what you seek, it’s hard not to consider the Tesla. Sorry if I missed an explanation above why you have not. As a car tester, I would not buy a sports sedan. I’d get a Mazda3 Turbo hatchback instead. Better in the real world in almost every possible way than most of the sports sedans discussed. AWD standard. All are automatics. Real gears in the transmission. Over 300 lb-ft of torque at idle. $35K well-optioned.

This vehicle idle at 2500rpms?

Horsepower/Torque Curve 2021 Mazda 3 Hatchback 2.5 Turbo i-ACTIV AWD (aut. 6) (model since mid-year 2020 for North America ). Detailed engine characteristics. (automobile-catalog.com)

I’m concerned about fit and finish problems of the Model 3. What do you know about that issue as it pertains to 2023 base Model 3s?

Another issue is charging. There is one place with CCS fast charging nearby, but it seems that the 7 available chargers are often not functional. I’d have to buy a Tesla to CCS adapter for $250 from Tesla. Installation could be as high as $2000. The circuit breaker is in the finished basement and the power line must run the width of the house then be installed in a finished garage. The closest Tesla supercharger is 20 minutes away on a good day and it can charge up to 250 kW. All other Tesla chargers max out at 72 kW. I realize that the Model 3 can’t utilize the full 250 kW but it can use a lot more than 72.

I have had a lot of experience testing and owning Mazdas. So far, I have seen no problems of that type for the Japan-produced vehicles. The 3 is made in the Hofu plant. The good one :slight_smile:

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When pricing Teslas, you should be aware that the MSRP that you see only applies to cars painted white–which explains why the vast majority of Model 3s that I see are white. Opting for other paint colors will add anywhere from $1k to $2.5k to the price.

20 mile trips? Get a Chevy Malibu and order sport suspension. Save your money for a 20 foot screen TV for your Rec. Room!

What if he doesn’t want to own a car whose production is being discontinued this year?

To follow up, I bought a car: 2023 Tesla Model 3. It has the standar battery and 18” wheels for an EPA range of 272 miles. Thanks @GorehamJ for the suggestion. The low center of gravity provides good handling and the instant torque delivers great acceleration for most of the driving I’ll do. I like the single pedal driving and the sound system sounds great. I didn’t want to pay extra for paint and 19” wheels so it’s white with the 18s. I was probably going to get white anyway but the $1000-$2000 for another color sealed the deal. Delivery is between 2/24 and 3/3, and I hope that if delivery is in early March that will not make me miss any of the $7500 tax credit. @VDCdriver, thanks for the reminder about paint cost. I’ll charge it initially at a 150 kW commercial charger and see how that goes. The car has a Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) battery and those haven’t been involved in any thermal runaway incidents that I’ve found. At 41 cents per kW charging from 10% to 100% will cost $18.45. If I joint the charging company plan the kW charge is 31 cents and cost to fill up is $13.95 or so.

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Also, if you use the Costco Visa card to pay for your recharging, you get a 4% rebate on the cost–the same deal as when you fill your gas tank and pay for it with that card.

Edited to add…
Congratulations on the new car!

Congrats on new car! You’re not the sort of person who gets an idea then hesitates on the execution it seems … lol … good for you. I’d prefer the white color myself. No idea why a car w/ white paint is less expensive. White paint is very visible to other drivers, so safer, & easier to keep clean-looking. So it should be more expensive. Neighbor purchased VW EV , SUV styling. Has taken it on pretty long trips, 230 miles; so far, so good. 110v electrical outlet installed, all new wiring & new circuit breaker for that circuit, spare slot in panel. Faster charging would require new panel.

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