I Yearn For Something Bigger Than My Yaris! What Car Shoud I Buy?

Ryan won his 2008 Toyota Yaris in a radio contest. He has had the car for a long time and while it still runs fine, it's time for an upgrade into something a bit bigger and more modern. He has a budget up to $30,000 and is aiming for something like a mid-size crossover. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario.

I have a 2008 Toyota Yaris that runs pretty well but I'm growing tired of it and want something newer. I won the car in a contest that the University of New Haven radio station was doing at the time and it's been nice not having a car payment but I would like some of the tech that comes with newer cars.

I'd like something with some power. Looking for a mid-sized SUV or crossover but really am not set on anything. Would like some tech/luxury like adaptive cruise control, heated/ventilated seats, Apple carplay. AWD would be preferred. It also needs to seat four comfortably with room for a few pairs of clubs in the trunk. Budget is up to $30,000

Quick Facts:

Budget: Up to $30,000

Location: Connecticut

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Bigger than the Yaris, modern tech, power

Doesn't want: Another sub-compact

While there is nothing objectively wrong with a Yaris, but being stuck with that car for so long sometimes it's best to really move in the other direction. There are plenty of "safe bets" as far as crossovers go for around $30,000 and most of them aren't going to be particularly interesting.

But there is one option, that looks good, sounds great, and will check all your boxes: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio. I know it's a big jump going from a Toyota to an Italian brand, but these aren't the unreliable money pits that most people expect. It's not going to be a RAV4 but it's probably not going to leave you stranded either. You wanted some more punch and under the hood is a 280 hp, turbocharged four cylinder. This car also has a a ton of tech and features that you would expect from a luxury car that retailed north of $50,000. Here is a nice example with only 24,000 miles, and it's a "Veloce" trim (if my high school Latin serves me well, that means fast.)

Ryan, you're welcome for this one. Mercedes-AMG was crazy enough to put its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 in the compact GLC crossover, and now early GLC63s are just starting to dip below the $30,000 mark. 

The one I've found for you is even in a real color, a fabulous bright red, with nice black ash wood trim inside. It's got heated and ventilated front seats, a power tailgate, a 360-degree camera, and even the fancy Burmester sound system. It doesn't seem like this particular GLC63 has adaptive cruise control, and you'll probably have to add CarPlay yourself (easy enough in the aftermarket), but of course you can shop around and look at some other cheap ones to find the options you want.

But does that stuff really matter? No. What matters are the GLC63's 469 horsepower, sport-tuned suspension and chassis setup, and loud-ass exhaust note. If you stretch your budget slightly, you could get into a GLC63 S Coupe, which has even more horsepower and sporty options like Race mode. Regardless of which particular GLC63 you get, I don't think you'll be disappointed. These things absolutely rule — you'll just need to up your fuel budget.

You seem like you've lived a good, clean life. You live in Connecticut, you drive your economical car that you managed to get for free, you go golfing on the weekends. You may want a few luxuries now — really just some trappings of modernity, if we're being honest — but you don't seem to be in the market for anything too out-there. Performance, sure, but practicality first. I'm here to change all of that. Ryan, we're going ot get you out of your safe little shell with a BMW X5M.

This is a concerningly cheap eight-year-old German performance car — an X5M, no less, a car I personally revile for its suspension that feels tuned more for the appearance of performance (and the associated punishment) without any actual performance benefits. It has over 100,000 miles on it, and it's located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, so you'll be buying it sight unseen. This is a bad idea, and that's why I think you need it.

Ryan, my friend, you need to spice up your life. You need to do some dumb things, because otherwise you have no stories. What are you going to look back on in 60 years? That one time you got a birdie? No! You need adventure, you need danger, you need to spend nearly 28,000 United States dollars on a bad car that will break on you. You need to live a little, man, and this X5M is a way for you to do that. Don't play life so safe that you forget to live at all.