Repair-It

Rear legroom
ATS: 33.5"
IS-F: 30.6" (yikes)

Let's not be dramatic over 3 inches...

At these dimensions, 3" makes a lot of difference. It makes less difference once it is into the "enough legroom" range. Low 30s is very tight for family use or even adults who are taller than 5' 9".

My prediction: the ATS is really under what Bob wants/needs but would be willing to deal with it because the ATS is the cheapest one on this list. I have a feeling that an even-smaller IS-F for the same money as some of the others is a bridge too far. And I don't know if the car has enough other redeeming characteristics to address that.

Interesting how the M3 found it's way on here...

Now what else is missing from the list?

What about the G8? That will most likely not depreciate much unless you put a ton of miles on it. I know it is older, but is that a big deal?

Also:
Magnum R/T
or
Charger Scat Pack

I will answer for now based on what I think.

The Mopar stuff I don't think meets Bob's chassis enthusiast requirements. It is important to understand that while this new vehicle is not replacing the Elise in any way, there are still chassis performance criteria that can disqualify it. Mainly, those cars are big and fast. Not much else.

I don't think the G8 has enough fancy stuff and isn't quite in the performance range Bob would prefer. In fact the lack of performance really does also apply to the Charger R/T. The GXP is, but by the time you find and pay for a GXP, you could have had the newer and better Chevy SS.

If there was a well-optioned SRT or Scat Pack on the 2011+ platform for the price range, that would be at least worth driving in my opinion. But likely the car is still too clumsy to be fun in the chassis department. The driving experience for what Bob appreciates is going to be very noticeably better in, frankly, ALL the vehicles on the list compared to any LX platform car. And that's kind of the point.

I suspect that German stuff is out unless Bob wants to pull a Doug DeMuro and get a Carmax warranty.

I am not overly excited about the Mopar stuff. I had a chance to do an extended test drive of a Charger R/T over the summer and while it was awesome compared to most rental cars, it came up a bit short in terms of chassis composure. It also drives and feels as big as it is.

The G8 is really only an option if my budget gets cut, although I think if it came down to a G8 GT or an ATS, I might lean towards the ATS or just try to delay selling the Rondo until the Vsport and SS are cheaper.

By the time I buy an M3 or C63 AMG at Carmax and pay for their warranty, I could just buy an SS or VSport. There are some deals to be had on these cars without a warranty, but I'm not sure I'm ready to roll the dice. It's one thing when you're talking about a $2500 750iL, but when I spend at least 10x that, I'm not sure I want to have so much uncertainty.

So how do CPO vehicles fit in with your budget? I mean, you won't find a certified IS-F in your budget I assume. Or a V2...

But the others?

CPO may only realistically be an option on the ATS, and even then I'm not sure it's worth paying a premium for.

That makes sense. The V2 and IS-F are only affordable if they are way out of their CPO age range, and the Vsport and SS are only affordable if they are at the bottom end of their respective markets so adding CPO would put them out of reach.

One CPO SS in Kansas appears to be a good deal. 2014 with 36k for $30k. It doesn't seem to be priced any higher than a non-CPO car with the same mileage so that's something.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... de1=CHEVSS

Looks like the CPO warranty adds 12 month / 12k mile bumper to bumper and extends powertrain to 6/100k.