Top Ten Vehicles for Under 40K

My last post was about the Power & Light/DJ Jazzy Jeff controversy from a marketing perspective.  It drove an incredible amount of traffic here (over 750 visits in two days) thanks to being linked from Damon Smith’s This May Concern You blog.  But that controversy has turned into one of racism and treatment of blacks in Kansas City, and that’s not something I’m equipped to discuss with much intelligence.  So this next post is more fun and something I know a thing or two about!

Here’s the list of cars I’d consider if you handed me $40,000 tomorrow.  Cars for over 40K are a whole different post that I’ll do sometime maybe.   Rules are that it must be a new car, truck, SUV, CUV, etc.  and available in the 2009/2010 model years.

2010 Ford Mustang GT - #1 on my list, without a doubt

1. 2010 Ford Mustang GT
   • Easiest choice on the list.  I’ve wanted a Mustang since my uncle took me for a fast ride in a ’97 Cobra convertible at age 14.  Nope, its not the best track car, the most practical or the most refined car in this price range and I don’t care.  For me, its the sound, the style and the Americana of it that makes me want one.  You can’t beat the gorgeous rumble of a Ford overhead cam V8 for less than 40K.  The 2010 update refined the retro but still modern exterior and the interior is vastly improved over the 2005-2009 models.  Give me a bright yellow GT Convertible with a manual tranny – can’t wait to finally get mine.
2. Mini Cooper S
   • I love these cars.  Fantastic fun to drive in a totally different way than the Mustang, but still fun.  I love the British-ness of it, fused with the driving dynamics and build quality BMW brought to the party when they bought Mini in the late nineties.  Probably the most customizable car on the market too, in terms of factory options – you can get a base Cooper for under 20 grand (barely) or you can get a loaded JCW edition for over 40.  Give me a red Cooper S with a Union Jack on the roof and three pedals on the floor.  Would love one as a daily driver with the Mustang as the weekend/nice day car.
3. Infiniti G37 Coupe
   • Though I think the earlier G35 coupes were better looking, I still love the G37 – the extra horsepower over the G35 balances out the styling loss.  It’s funny – I think these cars look terrible in sedan form but I love the coupes.  Barely comes in under 40K but that’s ok – give me one in black with dark windows, gunmetal rims and three pedals, along with a louder exhaust system.
4. BMW 328i
   • Even though the 3-series has gotten stupid expensive (it’s easy to price one over 50K), when you get in one and drive it, you know why.  They’re the gold standard for sport sedans and nobody’s ever been able to beat them, in my opinion.  For me, this is just the opposite of the Infiniti – don’t like the coupe, love the sedan.  Give me one in red with three pedals, the M Sport package and without the silly AWD option or iDrive.
5. Nissan XTerra
   • My third car, but first one I truly worked for, was a ’97 Explorer.  I loved that truck and yes, based on its frame/suspension and gas mileage, it was a truck.  The XTerras one of the few honest, truck-like SUVs left on the market and would fit perfectly with the outdoorsy, fishing, camping and biking lifestyle I had growing up and want to get back to eventually.  Would be a great truck to take to Moab too, a place that I have go to go to someday.  Give me one in red with the off-road package and, for once, the auto transmission.
6. Mazda 3
   • I almost bought a first-generation (2004-2008) Mazda 3, but ended up buying a used Mazda 6 instead (the 3′s big brother).  This country’s finally getting fantastic small cars like the rest of the world, and the 3 (and Mini) were two of the first.  With options like bi-xenon headlights, nav and heated seats, this is definititely not a Ford Escort, Chevy Cavalier or Dodge Neon from high school.  Give me the 5-door hatchback model in blue with a manual tranny.
7. Ford F-150
   • The other “outdoor-lifestyle” vehicle in my list is the F-150.  Truthfully, you really can’t buy a bad truck – the Silverado, Tundra, Ram and Titan are all great trucks, but it comes down to style, a comfortable interior, being a Ford guy and the ability to customize this truck to be exactly what you want, from a plumber’s work truck to a rich farmer’s luxury ride.  To keep it under 40K, I’ve got to go with the XLT model over the FX4 stylish off-road model, but you can get pretty much the same equipment with the XLT.  Amazing list of options.
8. 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
   • I’m a Mustang guy at heart; therefore, I can never own a Camaro but damn if I can leave it off this list.  Yes, the interior is still cheap, especially compared to the 2010 Mustang’s, but they nailed the exterior design – gorgeous.  Big points to Chevy for putting a 304 horsepower V6 in it too, which beats the old 4.0 Explorer V6 in the base Mustang.  Take points away for how heavy this thing is though, over 500 more than the Mustang, which is why the Ford’s almost as fast in both V6 and V8 forms, even though they’re giving up big-time horsepower.
9. Ford Fusion
   • This might be the first time my Ford bias is coming out in force, but the 2010 Fusion’s a dang good-looking car.  (It’s going to be dang hard to leave the 2010 Taurus SHO off here too).  And it can be anything from a fast sport sedan with the 263 HP V6 Sport model or a Prius-fighter with the Hybrid model, which got hypermiled to achieve over 81 MPG and 1,445 miles on a single tank.  Great car and loaded for about 30K.
10. This last one’s tough – thought about the Mazda MX-5 (Miata), the Pontiac Solstice and the Audi TT, but in the end, I’m going with the Volkswagen GTI.  Until the next-gen Ford Focus gets here, this is the best car in this class, along with the Mazda 3 and Mini.  Great to drive, good mileage, good looking and only VW’s overrated reliability makes me wary of including it on this list.

Well, that’s my top ten – what would YOU buy if you had $40,000?  Leave a comment and let me know – I love car discussion.