I Need Something More Mature Than My Mitsubishi EVO! What Should I Buy?

Shawn lives in the Bay Area and has been rocking at 2008 Mitsubishi EVO. However it's time to trade up to something a bit more mature with an automatic for traffic. He still wants something sporty and unique with four doors for arond $30,000. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario:

I currently have a 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution GSR that I love driving and love the dynamics of the car. I am looking to sell it/trade it in as it is a stick shift and my wife cannot drive a stick shift. I use her car as a commuter car and she needs a car to drive around when she has days off while I am at work. My budget is about $30k (give or take). I am looking for a used sports sedan (4 years or less old) that drives similar to the Evo X but is a bit more mature/better equipped with approximately 300 or more horsepower. Something I love about the Evo X is that there are not a lot of them on the roads here, (vs the WRX) and I would prefer something that is also a little more unique rather than putting another German sedan on a Bay Area.

Quick Facts:

Budget: about $30,000

Location: San Francisco, CA

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Fun, four doors

Doesn't want: A manual or the usual German sedan

Shawn, it's going to be hard to replicate the feel of the EVO. That was a unique car from a special time. So it seems you want to be targeting a sporty four-door with some better creature comforts that also doesn't suck in traffic. And if you don't want to contribute to the sea of German cars, the Genesis G70 might be your solution.

The G70 is one of the better values in the segment; you get both the benefit of strong depreciation curves and longer warranties than the rest. And Genesis models tend to be better equipped versus the Germans. 

G70s were available with either a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that posted a respectable 256 hp, white 2024 models get 2.5-liter engine that cranked up over 300 horses. You could also get the 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 with 365 hp. The V6 cars are going to run you closer to the mid-$30,000 range while the smaller motor versions can be scored in the mid-high $20,000 range. Here is a very nice 3.3 version with super cool quilted seats in an excellent blue for about $32,000.

I complain a lot about Tom nailing it out of the gate with the first answer, leaving the rest of us struggling to find the least wrong alternative. Today, though, I'm sorry, but Tom is completely wrong here. He suggested a vehicle that is indeed a used sport sedan that's more mature than your Evo, but that was incorrect. He should have rejected the premise of your question, like I'm about to do. Keep the Evo, Shawn. We aren't selling the Evo.

If I'm reading this correctly, you don't daily your Evo and instead commute in your wife's car. She hates the Evo (sorry, "refuses to learn stick"), but she needs something to drive when you have her car. So your solution is to sell the Evo? You're going about this completely backward. The solution is for you to stop driving your wife's car, keep the Evo, and buy something inexpensive and reliable for your commute. The G70 is a nice luxury sport sedan, but it's no replacement for an Evo. That car is special in a way the G70 will never be, and the minute you sell it, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life.

Without the money from your Evo you'll be working with a much smaller budget than you originally had in mind, but you don't need anything too fancy. Just something fuel-efficient and easy to park that makes your commute a breeze. Sorry to your wife's anxiety, Shawn, but you live in California. What you need is a motorcycle. Get your license, buy some good gear, and then drop $5,000 or so on a used bike. It'll get better gas mileage than a Prius while letting you keep the Evo, legal lane-splitting should shorten your commute, and your soul will be free. Tell me I'm wrong.

Hey Shawn, I can tell you're a smart man, since you understand the importance of compromising with your wife, though I'm sure you're sad to see the Evo go. I think an Alfa Romeo Giulia will fill its place quite nicely, though, and still offer plenty of zesty Italian driving enjoyment and sultry styling to keep things interesting. The Giulia's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 280 horsepower and sounds fantastic, while still delivering pretty good fuel economy of 24 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway, so you might even want to commute in it.

This particular Giulia is finished in a lovely Moonlight Gray Metallic paint and has black leather seats, and just under 50,000 miles on its odometer. It also has modern convenience features that you and your wife will both appreciate like a blind-spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and heated leather seats. It's even close by, located in Livermore, CA, and its $22,494 list price leaves some headroom in case it goes all Italian on you and needs some repairs. Wishing you and your wife all the best with your new car!

Shawn, I'm going to be honest with you: The real answer here is teaching your wife to drive stick. Borrow someone's Impreza or something if you're worried about your Evo clutch, but c'mon. You clearly love the car, and the obstacle to keeping it is so small. Or maybe just commute in it when your wife needs her car. You have options.

One of those options, though, is this: The only Elantra N in your area that's within your budget, for sale by a dealership with no website. Is it real? I dunno, but it's worth finding out. The Elantra N is the only automatic transmission sedan that's going to be half as fun as a tuned Evo on the streets (I assume your Evo is tuned, otherwise your excuses for not teaching your wife to drive stick are even thinner), and it's more unique than any WRX or G20 340i.

Get yourself an Elantra, and try not to get kidnapped in the process from some fake dealer advertising Hyundais at reasonable prices on AutoTrader.