Kia Rondo Replacements

[kevm14]

I'll get this going:
Rondo may be going to some friends so this decision may come to a head.

Top 5 options according to Bob:
1) CTS Vsport (someday we will determine if it is hyphenated or not - C/D shows "Vsport" but Cadillac's website shows "V-Sport")
2) Chevrolet SS
3) ATS w/ performance package (FE3, etc., probably the 3.6L V6)
4) Lexus IS-F
5) CTS-V2

I guess all of these can be had in the same mid $20k budget area. The ATS would be the cheaper option if the budget had to go lower, but that is also the smallest car here. The IS-F isn't exactly a big car and frankly the CTS-V2 isn't a huge car inside, either. The SS is the largest by far, followed by the CTS V-Sport.

I still think I vote for the SS. Get your V8 fix, mods are possible whenever you feel like it (or never), durable drivetrain, plenty of room, good chassis, and I could be wrong but these may be bottoming out and either hold or trend back up since there is no current replacement planned. Look at what happened to the G8 GXP which is the same car minus VF improvements (chassis and interior). Probably the second worse mileage (V2 being the worst). Not sure what the Lexus gets.

[Bob]

Yes, ideally I would like to wait another year to 18 months before dumping the Rondo to allow SS and VSport prices to fall that much more, but that may not be an option. I feel like if I do not take this opportunity to sell, then that could turn into 3 or 4 more years pretty quickly, and I definitely do not want that. Sale of the Rondo would likely be mid-summer 2017.

I guess option 6 would be to buy something German (E90 M3, C63 AMG, even a GTI etc). This is really only on the table because my wife is fixated on purchase price, not TCO. If she will only give me a budget of X, then maybe I should just find the best damn car I can for X and worry about the repair costs later. I think I can work through this rationally with her, but in the event I can't, this option may be worthy of consideration.

Another crazy option to generate about $5-7k of budget would be to sell the Prius and buy one of those cheap Volts as our other car.

If I can find an SS for $25k-ish (there have been a few getting close to that level, but they are rare and I would probably need several months to find one), that may emerge as the best option at this time. I have high confidence in the durability and it may be one of my last chances to own a V8.

[Bob]

This may be worth a look for a test drive. The CarMax test drive is usually not long, but it's something and they don't care if you just show up to joyride.

https://www.carmax.com/car/13208432

[Bob]

2008 IS F is rated at 16/23, so it is better than the V2 and SS and comparable to a VSport.

[kevm14]

Bill made an interesting argument. I'll let you figure it out.

M: CTS V-Sport
M: SS
M/F: ATS Performance
F: Lexus IS-F
M: CTS-V2

[kevm14]

You definitely should drive an SS as much as you possibly can. I really don't think it is going to get ruled out because the chassis isn't good enough, but that's your call.

[Bob]

You definitely should drive an SS as much as you possibly can. I really don't think it is going to get ruled out because the chassis isn't good enough, but that's your call.

I doubt it will either. I have very few options to explore the handling limits of any car in my daily driving, but I do want something that feels decent. I am sure any of the 5 will be more than acceptable, with a slight edge going to the Alpha platform cars.

[Bob]

Bill made an interesting argument. I'll let you figure it out.

M: CTS V-Sport
M: SS
M/F: ATS Performance
F: Lexus IS-F
M: CTS-V2

male/female? like in terms of target owner demographic?

[Bob]

I'll get this going:
1) CTS Vsport (someday we will determine if it is hyphenated or not - C/D shows "Vsport" but Cadillac's website shows "V-Sport")

The mystery has been solved: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2015/09/cad ... odel-year/

No hyphen if you're talking about a 2014 or 2015; 2016+ has a hyphen.

[kevm14]

Bill made an interesting argument. I'll let you figure it out.

M: CTS V-Sport
M: SS
M/F: ATS Performance
F: Lexus IS-F
M: CTS-V2

male/female? like in terms of target owner demographic?

Something like that.