The Best Buys on any Budget

For the most part I despise American car review sites and magazines. They’re boring, predictable, and never truly critical. They use some sort of a flawed numbering system that rates every car, including the awful ones, about the same. They never tell you that a Prius really doesn't save the environment or that you’ll look like a snob if you buy an Audi A5. They score every car 8 out of 10 and show you some footage of it driving around a bend on some generic two-lane road. They’re incredibly uninformative, boring, and the commentary is so vague and unoriginal you’d think it was written by people who don’t even have driver’s licenses. They drive a Ferrari or Porsche and describe it using words like “fast” and “sporty”. Really? For some reason I thought Ferraris were always a slow and rather boring ride myself.

They also only tell you one side of the story. They say things like, “this new Toyota Highlander is the best car for under $30,000.” And that’s not true. That’s not even true if you can only buy Japanese SUVs with a budget of $30,000. If you had no limits and $30,000 you could buy an Audi A3, Land Rover Defender, or a RHD Nissan R33. But they won’t tell you that and they definitely won’t criticize the new car their testing because then the company would pull its advertising dollars. It is a stupid system that leaves the audience bored and none the wiser.

So what I've done is put together a list of the best cars, new and used, you can buy for any budget. This is part one and it stops at $75,000, part two will come next month. This list is based on actual classified ads from private sellers and dealerships. Enjoy.

$0-$5,000:

2004 Subaru Impreza Outback

Photo by zombieite via http://www.flickr.com/photos/zombieite/2838394158/

Honorable Mentions: Low mileage V8 Dodge Ram, ’08 Hyundai Accent Hatchback, Saab 9-3, and a handful of decent Volvos.

$5,000-$10,000: 

2003 Acura RSX Type-S

Photo by philakilla via http://www.flickr.com/photos/philakilla/7225029742/

Honorable Mentions: Mini Cooper S, 2000 Mustang GT, and some higher mileage BMW Z3s.

$10,000-$15,000:

2006 Mazda MX-5

Photo by celestin0 via http://www.flickr.com/photos/celestin0/6298749443/

Honorable Mentions: 2012 Fiat 500 Sport, E46 BMW 325Ci, Mini Cooper S, Nissan 350Z Touring, Porsche Boxster, and 2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1.

$15,000-$20,000:

2004 Subaru WRX STi or C5 Chevrolet Corvette

Photo by shutterbc via http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterbc/4720221538/

Honorable Mentions: 2002 BMW M5, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, 1981 Porsche 911 SC, 1994 Mazda RX-7 Turbo, 1995 Toyota Supra SE, multiple generations Porsche 911s, and 2000 BMW M Coupe.

$20,000-$30,000:

Hyundai Genesis Coupe R-Spec or Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S

Photo by thekcb via http://www.flickr.com/photos/thekcb/5306338022/

Honorable Mentions: Audi A3, BMW 1-Series, 1995 RHD Nissan GTR, 1997 Lotus Esprit Turbo, Land Rover Defender 90 & 110. 

$30,000-$40,000:

2007 BMW M6  or 1999 Acura NSX-T

Photo by 51811543@N08 via http://www.flickr.com/photos/51811543@N08/5127836925/

Honorable Mentions: C6 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, 2007 Audi RS4, 2001 Dodge Viper GTS, E90 BMW M3, and Ferrari F355.

$40,000-$50,000:

2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10, Aston Martin DB9, or Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

Photo by schenphotography via http://www.flickr.com/photos/schenphotography/5175887365/

Honorable Mentions: 996 Porsche 911 Turbo, Ford SVT Raptor Crew Cab, 2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG, and Bentley Arnage.

$50,000-$60,000:

E60 M5 or 996 Porsche 911 GT3

Photo by thecarspy via http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecarspy/3244461508/

Honorable Mentions: 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1, 2010 Lotus Evora, 2012 Audi TT RS, and 997 Porsche 911 S.

$60,000-$75,000:

Nissan GTR

Photo by bonnett via http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnett/6229755439/

Honorable Mentions: Ferrari 550 Maranello, and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.