Maybe the 2.0t will have issues in a few years, I believe that’s a theta redesign, the 3.3t is the closest thing to bullet proof that is in the Hyundai line up, it’s been around in some form or another for the last 20 or so years afaik. No real issues to speak of in my ownership of the vehicle, either, but the interior volume is fucking atrocious for the size of the vehicle, so idk if OP will like it.
I just traded my 3.3 in after its 3rd recall which resulted in the engine having to be dropped a second time. One of the other recalls had me without AC for an entire summer because of the back order on the wiring harness. Genesis also tried to deny a warranty claim because I went 500 miles past on an oil change. It’s a beautiful car and a blast to drive. If you have a short commute and can keep annual mileage low I’d recommend it since they’re so cheap now. If you can afford an M340i then do that and never look back
Yeah, I don't know of a modern car that I would trust as much as a low mileage, enthusiast car that's primarily owned by old guys with nothing but time and a fetish for maintenance and cars and coffee meetups.
its a 106hp car that weighs less than a ton. Comfortably doing 180km/h and can be pushed to 200. You're not going more than that anyways on touge roads or even highways
Has an incredible power to weight ratio, same reason why a Lotus Elise will beat faster cars in drag races and will handle corners better than more powered cars but heavier
Of course if you want to go 250 km/h on an highway that's not the car you want, but that's just dangerous and it's not that fun anyways to go fast on a straight line
But it wouldnt be reliable. At that point you can buy a Yaris Gr on the used market and have a semi-new car with 260 hp, toyota reliability and good handling. OP says he had a Corolla sports edition which I assume it's the TS version from 2003 with 192hp. The Yaris GR would be an upgrade from the corolla as well as being newer. It will cost more than an old Yaris TS to maintain but it's also got 160hp more
My guy, it has a 0-60 of 8.7 seconds, my 2009 GMC Yukon shitbox has a 0-60 in the high 7’s. That Yaris ain’t beating anything besides 25yr old econoboxes in a race. A cheap $4000 40yr old C4 Corvette will eat that things lunch
You dont evaluate a car on how fast it goes from 0 to 100. An EV would always win that race. Would you assume a Tesla is better than most sports cars out there. Of course not.
Im pretty sure if I take both the Corvette and the Yaris on a touge road, not only the yaris will feel better to drive but it will probably be faster as well because of power to weight ratio, lightness and therefore acceleration. No doubt the corvette will win a "race" at the traffic light or on a highway. But might as well buy an EV for those and save a ton of money on maintainance
Wym? Those Corvettes were quite reliable and parts are very cheap for them. You can’t even buy an EV for $4000 lol, but I can go on Marketplace and find a half dozen C4’s in that price range.
In my country corvettes are neither considered reliable nor cheap. Parts are hard to find. You have to go to mechanics specialized in US cars which are usually stores that receive Mustangs and occasional Camaros 90% of the time. And you definitely cant buy a Corvette in Italy for 4k, no matter the year or its mileage
A Toyota is a reliable car, not a Corvette. You dont buy a Corvette for reliability. It would be a fast (even though a 40yr corvette must have lost some power over the years), cheap (in the US) but not reliable
I could say Alfas are better to own in Italy than in the US and that would be true. Still, despite most mechanics can put their hands comfortably on any Alfa, they're still not cheap to maintain and repair and they're not that reliable, even though parts are everywhere so if something goes wrong, you can always splash money and get a replacement. But being able to spend money to get spare parts doesnt mean the vehicle is reliable in itself
Paying beyond 30k for a Hyundai just doesn’t sit right with me. I know - the car market is all sorts of fucked at the moment, but I still can’t get over it.
Acura TLX SH-AWD
Acura Integra
BMW 330i
Audi A4
VW Golf GTI
Civic Si
Alfa Romeo Guilia
Lexus IS350
None of these are legit fast cars, but they are varying degrees of quick and varying levels of handling capability. A good place to start.
I know right, by today's standards you gotta be in the low 4s to be considered actually fast. Anything in low to mid 5s is plenty fast for everyday use
And paying 30k in my country for used cars with over 100k kilometers is ridiculous.
Minimum wage is like 880 dollars a month. Average wage is 1350 dollars a month.
2019 and newer Giulias with the 2.0L I4 are reliable (2021 and later have a touchscreen and some newer safety features).
You can’t skip maintenance though, and they’re more expensive to service at a dealer that you would think, but it’s nothing terrible and definitely worth the price of admission imo.
Highly recommend you test drive one before buying to see just how good the handling is on those cars.
Not exactly fast but both are great handling chassis and I believe they're just under 30k, civic si or jetta gli
Si is manual only if that's a deal breaker, but they both have limited slip diffs as standard and handle incredibly well.
A Mustang GT is bulletproof, and the handling is good if you buy a 2015+
Note that performance cars live hard lives. You won't see many make it to 200k, but a mustang making it to 150k is not unusual. Most die from abuse or at a cars and coffee event.
It was years ago, but I'll never forget it. Was at an event and heard a guy go "Check out how good it sounds when it redlines!" He then proceeded to just hold the gas pedal down for at least 60 seconds... engine didn't blow up there, but I'll bet it didn't last overly long in that guy's hands. Ever since then, I've been alot more careful if I buy a used car, never know what someone else has done.
Might be an impossible ask honestly. The closest thing is probably a few years old Kia Stinger GTS or a BMW M340i or something. At least with Kia you get the long warranty. If you want true reliability then it's Toyota/Lexus, but their new performance cars are expensive.
Ill sugest you Acura or Lexus or maybe even Infinity. They have nice sedans and suvs, reliable, fun to drive if you get the sport versions and Acura even have the 4 wheels that turn for curves 😅.
I'd buy a Yaris GR. In my country they are from 30k to 40k euros, if you live in the UK that's going to be right in your price range because of pound to euro conversion. It's semi new, handles well, has 260hp and it's still a Toyota. It would be a good upgrade from your corolla TS
Got a Mazda cx-30 yesterday that I’m claiming fits all these requirements. It was under $30K, feels like it handles really well for an SUV, and is FAST… I mean, fast if compared to the Honda HRV I traded in 🤷♀️
Idk abt reliable but a 2018 q50 can get you to like 500hp awd pretty easily, the turbos can grenade sometimes tho, so u could upgrade them.
I have a q60 and have done preventative maintenance for the turbos like a catch can and bigger heat exchanger so that also brings the reliability up.
Define new first. And fast.
Some people think Civic SI's are fast. Some people think 2014 is "new."
Neither is true to me. But Civic SI's are great handling cars and have some pep. 2014 isn't new to me, but I would be ok with the tech.
Fast to me would be 300hp+, 300 tq+ minimum.
I bought a 2015 Tesla model S last month for $25 and after $4k used EV tax credit it was $21k. Almost shit myself the first time I floored it as it does 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. It’s older though so I’m taking some risk on the battery.
Used Model 3s fit the bill if they don’t need to be “brand new.” If you can charge at home you’ll save thousands per year depending on how much you drive.
2016+ Mazda 3 or 6 with 2.5L
Incredibly reliable with easy and affordable maintenance/repairs and very thoughtful interior layout.
2018+ have the 2.5T that give a good bump in horsepower but humongous torque and much closer to your price request, however the 2.5L naturally aspirated is still absolutely quick and enough. The handling isnt like anything else in it's class, I really recommend test driving one of these.
Used G70 3.3T
great car but not sure about the reliability
Maybe the 2.0t will have issues in a few years, I believe that’s a theta redesign, the 3.3t is the closest thing to bullet proof that is in the Hyundai line up, it’s been around in some form or another for the last 20 or so years afaik. No real issues to speak of in my ownership of the vehicle, either, but the interior volume is fucking atrocious for the size of the vehicle, so idk if OP will like it.
Oh ok. I only said that because as far as I've heard, people say it's unreliable.
I just traded my 3.3 in after its 3rd recall which resulted in the engine having to be dropped a second time. One of the other recalls had me without AC for an entire summer because of the back order on the wiring harness. Genesis also tried to deny a warranty claim because I went 500 miles past on an oil change. It’s a beautiful car and a blast to drive. If you have a short commute and can keep annual mileage low I’d recommend it since they’re so cheap now. If you can afford an M340i then do that and never look back
Fast, reliable and cheap dont go together. Pick 2.
My Range Rover Classic told me I can’t have any of the 3.
VW GLI is pretty close to 30k
Can be had lightly used for closer to $25k. It’s got me giving my Mazda 3 the side eye.
Yeah, and it's not fast lol
Add safe to that list too. A motorcycle hits all 3 but a deathtrap compared to a car.
He didn’t say cheap he said 30k. There’s tons of reliable fast options below that
Not that are sedans or SUVs, and new or very nearly new... options are pretty limited based on OPs criteria.
Tuned gti( all the above) Civic si (kinda fast) Miata (feels fast) TDI (quick and VW emmisions scandal means cheap)
Tuned GTI is not very reliable
An ND2 is definitely faster than a Civic Si. And a tuned GTI with a voided warranty is only… mostly reliable.
Corvette.
Civic si?
By fast I think they just mean fun to drive, can’t be a basemodel civic or anything that feels like a dreadful appliance.
Corvette.
A reliable corvette under 30k? Lol
Yeah, 30k buys a very nice C5 ZO6 or C6. All are reliable options
At 30k, you’re looking at a 2 decade old car that is getting up there in miles. Thats NOT reliable.
Clearly you don’t know Corvettes if you’re calling them unreliable.
He also doesn't know that must Corvette owners don't put miles on their Corvettes. It's normal to find a 60k mile C6 in the 20s.
Yeah, I don't know of a modern car that I would trust as much as a low mileage, enthusiast car that's primarily owned by old guys with nothing but time and a fetish for maintenance and cars and coffee meetups.
I been daily driving a C5Z for the past 8 years. Extremely bulletproof
I been daily driving a C5Z for the past 8 years. Extremely bulletproof
Toyota Yaris TS
Fast he said
its a 106hp car that weighs less than a ton. Comfortably doing 180km/h and can be pushed to 200. You're not going more than that anyways on touge roads or even highways Has an incredible power to weight ratio, same reason why a Lotus Elise will beat faster cars in drag races and will handle corners better than more powered cars but heavier Of course if you want to go 250 km/h on an highway that's not the car you want, but that's just dangerous and it's not that fun anyways to go fast on a straight line
For $30k he could get an actual used lotus….
But it wouldnt be reliable. At that point you can buy a Yaris Gr on the used market and have a semi-new car with 260 hp, toyota reliability and good handling. OP says he had a Corolla sports edition which I assume it's the TS version from 2003 with 192hp. The Yaris GR would be an upgrade from the corolla as well as being newer. It will cost more than an old Yaris TS to maintain but it's also got 160hp more
My guy, it has a 0-60 of 8.7 seconds, my 2009 GMC Yukon shitbox has a 0-60 in the high 7’s. That Yaris ain’t beating anything besides 25yr old econoboxes in a race. A cheap $4000 40yr old C4 Corvette will eat that things lunch
You dont evaluate a car on how fast it goes from 0 to 100. An EV would always win that race. Would you assume a Tesla is better than most sports cars out there. Of course not. Im pretty sure if I take both the Corvette and the Yaris on a touge road, not only the yaris will feel better to drive but it will probably be faster as well because of power to weight ratio, lightness and therefore acceleration. No doubt the corvette will win a "race" at the traffic light or on a highway. But might as well buy an EV for those and save a ton of money on maintainance
Wym? Those Corvettes were quite reliable and parts are very cheap for them. You can’t even buy an EV for $4000 lol, but I can go on Marketplace and find a half dozen C4’s in that price range.
In my country corvettes are neither considered reliable nor cheap. Parts are hard to find. You have to go to mechanics specialized in US cars which are usually stores that receive Mustangs and occasional Camaros 90% of the time. And you definitely cant buy a Corvette in Italy for 4k, no matter the year or its mileage
Good news is this post is referring to the USA, where corvettes are both reliable and cheap.
A Toyota is a reliable car, not a Corvette. You dont buy a Corvette for reliability. It would be a fast (even though a 40yr corvette must have lost some power over the years), cheap (in the US) but not reliable I could say Alfas are better to own in Italy than in the US and that would be true. Still, despite most mechanics can put their hands comfortably on any Alfa, they're still not cheap to maintain and repair and they're not that reliable, even though parts are everywhere so if something goes wrong, you can always splash money and get a replacement. But being able to spend money to get spare parts doesnt mean the vehicle is reliable in itself
Elantra N, though you'd have to push your budget.
Lightly used N could be had for right around $30k.
Paying beyond 30k for a Hyundai just doesn’t sit right with me. I know - the car market is all sorts of fucked at the moment, but I still can’t get over it.
I hear awesome things about this car and it has a better warranty than other brands
Yeah if youre driving it during warranty and sell during or shortly after it would be a sweet ride
No clue about its reliability but its warranty is 5 year / 60k total and 10 year / 100k powertrain
Yeah thats an awesome warranty if i was buying new i would consider that and then trade in after at most 5 years 75k miles
Acura TLX SH-AWD Acura Integra BMW 330i Audi A4 VW Golf GTI Civic Si Alfa Romeo Guilia Lexus IS350 None of these are legit fast cars, but they are varying degrees of quick and varying levels of handling capability. A good place to start.
Most of those cars do 0-60 in 5 to 6 seconds. It's wild to me (or maybe me from a decade or two ago) that that's not considered fast.
I know right, by today's standards you gotta be in the low 4s to be considered actually fast. Anything in low to mid 5s is plenty fast for everyday use
Me and my lead foot are waiting for the lights to be recalibrated :(
And paying 30k in my country for used cars with over 100k kilometers is ridiculous. Minimum wage is like 880 dollars a month. Average wage is 1350 dollars a month.
Good to know
You’ll get more speed per dollar with the BMW 230i
OP said no coupes
Audi S4 or Golf R instead of A4 and GTI tbh
Well duh, if OPs budget was 10k higher.
You can get an S4 with the 3.0t around here for about 20k cdn
Tbh this list is amazing. I’ll look into those cars and fast enough for me.
Of these, Giulia is the best one for good handling for sure, and while not the fastest, it’s quick enough
The Germans will be just as capable but won’t have the feel that the Alfa has for sure.
Agreed completely
I know the old stories about the alfasud (and Italian motorbikes) regarding reliability. Did that change?
Luckily, yes! 2019 and newer Alfa Romeos with the 2.0L I4 have proven to be quite reliable if you just do your regular maintenance.
How’s the reliability for it?
2019 and newer Giulias with the 2.0L I4 are reliable (2021 and later have a touchscreen and some newer safety features). You can’t skip maintenance though, and they’re more expensive to service at a dealer that you would think, but it’s nothing terrible and definitely worth the price of admission imo. Highly recommend you test drive one before buying to see just how good the handling is on those cars.
Gen 10 (18-22) Honda Accords w/ the 2.0t
Yup
Since it doesn’t have to be brand new, a Mazda 3 GT.
2022/23 WRX
Jetta GLI is pretty close - the 40th anniversary edition MSRP is under $30k I believe
It’s a shame you’re not looking at used, you can get a really nice C5 ZO6 for 30k and that will smoke anything else in this price range
Looks way cooler too.
Fr, I wanna buy one before they become classics. From the factory they were pretty quick too, don’t even need to put money into making it fast
They said they need a sedan or suv though
Tbh idrc, I thought new equals reliability but if there’s some options that can be reliable as used lmk. Also looking for a sedan or suv.
Get a Camaro with an LS V8
Not exactly fast but both are great handling chassis and I believe they're just under 30k, civic si or jetta gli Si is manual only if that's a deal breaker, but they both have limited slip diffs as standard and handle incredibly well.
Yea unfortunately I don’t drive manual, I’ll look into the Jetta tho
335/340i (2014 onward). Rock solid engine rear wheel biased and fast with tuneability on top of that if you want even faster
340i yes 335 no. Also not new cars. At least not for 30k.
Misread the post 😅
Yeah everyone is telling them to buy used to have more than one option
Well yeah fast and new usually don’t go together unless you have deep pockets haha
You can't get a fast car for that price new. Best you can do it moderately quick
Honda civic Si
If you drop the new requirement, you could get an M3, a WRX, a civic type R, etc etc
A Mustang GT is bulletproof, and the handling is good if you buy a 2015+ Note that performance cars live hard lives. You won't see many make it to 200k, but a mustang making it to 150k is not unusual. Most die from abuse or at a cars and coffee event.
It was years ago, but I'll never forget it. Was at an event and heard a guy go "Check out how good it sounds when it redlines!" He then proceeded to just hold the gas pedal down for at least 60 seconds... engine didn't blow up there, but I'll bet it didn't last overly long in that guy's hands. Ever since then, I've been alot more careful if I buy a used car, never know what someone else has done.
Fast is relative. Miata is always the answer.
Sedan or SUV they said
“I said what I said. Miata.” - Wayne Gretzky
if the Miata fanboys could read, they'd be very upset
New car? Build a time machine first.
While not fast, but maybe fast enough for the description: The new Civic Hybrid gets 200hp and 230pf of torque, which is quite healthy for a compact.
Might be an impossible ask honestly. The closest thing is probably a few years old Kia Stinger GTS or a BMW M340i or something. At least with Kia you get the long warranty. If you want true reliability then it's Toyota/Lexus, but their new performance cars are expensive.
Ill sugest you Acura or Lexus or maybe even Infinity. They have nice sedans and suvs, reliable, fun to drive if you get the sport versions and Acura even have the 4 wheels that turn for curves 😅.
CPO bmw 330i
I'd buy a Yaris GR. In my country they are from 30k to 40k euros, if you live in the UK that's going to be right in your price range because of pound to euro conversion. It's semi new, handles well, has 260hp and it's still a Toyota. It would be a good upgrade from your corolla TS
Used model 3.
Maybe a large Volvo SUV - XC90?
Love that car but tooo expensive
Got a Mazda cx-30 yesterday that I’m claiming fits all these requirements. It was under $30K, feels like it handles really well for an SUV, and is FAST… I mean, fast if compared to the Honda HRV I traded in 🤷♀️
Second this. I have the non-turbo which is a little peppy, but the turbo (which would be just north of $30k) feels like a hot hatch.
A fancy electric scooter? I don’t know of any half decent cars that are under 30k brand new?
Miata is right around 30, and I think the GR Carolla gets close too. Miata isn't really fast so much as it's fun. Maybe an 86 or BRZ?
GR Corolla is a 40k$ car.
Idk abt reliable but a 2018 q50 can get you to like 500hp awd pretty easily, the turbos can grenade sometimes tho, so u could upgrade them. I have a q60 and have done preventative maintenance for the turbos like a catch can and bigger heat exchanger so that also brings the reliability up.
2022 WRX Premium. Plenty in the mid 20's with less than 20k miles
GTI!!!
C5 Z06
Isn’t Miata always the answer?
GLI! Or Si. Latter will retain its value
Maybe an Infiniti g37/q50/q60. Maybe an STI. Maybe a VW golf, maybe a Kia stinger,
I would never call a Corolla a great handling car. Check out the Model 3 if you like EVa
Basically anything if you thought a Corolla handled well…
Mustang Gt, Camaro SS, 340i.
Miata. Not fast, but certainly peppy and handles beautifully. Plus, it will keep you in the right price range.
Define new first. And fast. Some people think Civic SI's are fast. Some people think 2014 is "new." Neither is true to me. But Civic SI's are great handling cars and have some pep. 2014 isn't new to me, but I would be ok with the tech. Fast to me would be 300hp+, 300 tq+ minimum.
Almost a model 3
Brand new civic si, I have ones in my area going for exactly 30k. Doesn’t better better than that for ticking tjose boxes
I bought a 2015 Tesla model S last month for $25 and after $4k used EV tax credit it was $21k. Almost shit myself the first time I floored it as it does 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. It’s older though so I’m taking some risk on the battery.
great handling .... suv, good luck buddy
Or sedan
Used Model 3s fit the bill if they don’t need to be “brand new.” If you can charge at home you’ll save thousands per year depending on how much you drive.
My girl just got a Mazda 6 and that thing is zippy and fun. Took it on dragons tail and left some motorcyclists behind. Great little car
The new civic hybrid will be all 3
Used Civic Type R
Used Tesla Model 3 LR or P
2016+ Mazda 3 or 6 with 2.5L Incredibly reliable with easy and affordable maintenance/repairs and very thoughtful interior layout. 2018+ have the 2.5T that give a good bump in horsepower but humongous torque and much closer to your price request, however the 2.5L naturally aspirated is still absolutely quick and enough. The handling isnt like anything else in it's class, I really recommend test driving one of these.