Accord - new ones are big
Don't care for the body style.
Taurus - big and reasonably nice but boring, SHO might be fun
See above. Not a fan of very high doors and the Aston knockoff front grille.
5-series - fun until it breaks
I know this would be easy to get my wife into. Good looking cars. Buddy has this 535 and so far so good. Seems to make a lot of power. But a very nice one is still $$$.
E-class - nice but boring
The Benz used to age well. They didn't change models frequently. Now it seems like US cars in the 60s and 70 - a new look every 2 years. A 10 year old MB looks very dated. But - are they good cars? I think they may be less $ than the BMW for comparable cars?
Infiniti M37/45 - most of the BMW excitement but with Japanese reliability
Glorified Nissan. These do nothing for me. They look very very boring too.
Lexus GS - RWD, marginally more exciting than a Camry
A possibility. Struggle with the 3 foot wide center consoles on these ...
Acura TL - reliable but dull
Not pretty and yes, super boring.
Subi Legacy/Impreza/Outback/Baja - lots of Subi options, many with turbos and a stick
Not convinced on reliability and fuel economy is very poor on these - without a lot in return in performance, unless you step it up to a hot model.
Audi A6 - beautiful inside, typical German reliability
I'm scared of Audis newer than 1980 vintage.
Volvo S60 - somewhere between the Germans and Japanese
Yawn. Very ugly. Volvos used to be square. What happened???
Mazda6 - worth a look, $25k would buy a nearly new one. In Grand Touring guise they are quite nice and pretty decent to drive.
The stripped down model with 6 speed is just over 20k, about $24 out the door. This is something to go look at!
Altima - rental car
Maxima - fancy rental car
300/Charger - rental car
Impala - rental car
Optima - rental car
Probably some other appliances that I am forgetting....
Yes, all off the list.
Prius!? - I am serious, I do like to save gas. Is it too small? I won't drive it much.
CTS-V - you can get a really nice 1st gen CTS-V with plenty of cash left over. It's a four door Corvette with a stick, how can you go wrong? They are also pretty solid reliable cars, though a little on the small side.
Still seem to go for good money. The fuel efficiency is out the window - like every car in this category, but very intriguing. Let's discuss further!
Subi - worth a look at the WRX, STi, Legacy GT, and XT models. All get you AWD, turbo-four, and a stick.
See above
S60R - Also fun, can be had with a stick.
V70R - who doesn't love a fast wagon?
Looks ...
E55/E63 - you can get either for $25k. The E63 is a beast, the engine is an all time great. I LOVED my C63.
Just too much money, I am afraid. That's in gas and keeping it on the road, no?
E39 M5 - some love them, I was personally underwhelmed.
I guess it would be good for the stick? Otherwise a straight six would be preferred by me even with less power.
RS6 - lots of power, not known for being reliable.
Haha, that's an understatement.
XJR - air suspension makes them a little scary.
XFR - supposedly rivaled an M5 when new, auto only.
Jaguar ? is so not me / us ...
D3 S8 - another one known for air suspension issues, but stunning cars.
Is this an Audi? Sounds scary.
Pontiac G8 - an outlier here, but RWD with V8 power. GXP added stick but are still pricey.
Too "American" and not in a good way.
Lexus ISF - a little small, but it's a super sedan by Toyota.
I like these. A bit over the top in styling.
Mazdaspeed6 - you have to go back to the previous bodystyle, but you get almost 300 HP, AWD, and a stick.
This may be a fun idea too. Used to have a MS3 and it was wicked ...
G