What Is The Best Car To Buy If You Have $25K Burning A Hole In Your Pocket?

This is the time of the small car. The car you want to own, the one you'll brag about. The rock 'n' roll small car.

Americans are being offered the best crop of compacts in recent memory, if not all time. Hot hatchbacks, rear-wheel-drive hellions, impish convertibles and turbo-charged tykes, all crying out for very modest dollars.

And they've responded by buying: the U.S. saw a 50 percent increase in small car sales this September.

Not long ago, purchasing a compact or subcompact meant compromising, giving in or even giving up. For every Volkswagen GTI with a furious little engine built for fun, we were awash with tinny toys like the Ford Aspire, Geo Prizm and Hyundai Excel. Now, if you've got $22,000 or more and buy a boring car, it's your own darn fault.

t_bone - 10/25/2012 11:46:06 AM

+1 Boost

GTI, still.

LexSucks - 10/25/2012 1:55:14 PM

-3 Boost

Toyota Corolla, Yaris, Matrix, or any Toyota that costs under $25k should suffice.

Fijian - 10/25/2012 4:07:18 PM

0 Boost

Chevy Cruze Eco. Its a no brainer. Otherwise you can buy countless used cars depending how old they are.

vdiv - 10/25/2012 4:30:13 PM

+2 Boost

I'd go for a Scion FR-S or for $500 extra a Subaru BRZ.

Or if I put my green hat on maybe settle for a Honda CR-Z.

valhallakey - 10/25/2012 6:02:24 PM

+1 Boost

2003 BMW M5, or a new GTI.

TauronB2G - 10/25/2012 6:37:50 PM

0 Boost

Used M3 or Spend a few more bucks and pick up a used Cayman.
T

PUGPROUD - 10/25/2012 7:19:37 PM

+1 Boost

The one that fits your needs and makes you happy.

85bmw745i - 10/25/2012 7:36:32 PM

+1 Boost

Jetta, or Golf TDI, much better fuel economy than the Cruz and 3 yrs free scheduled maintenance. as far as used, a low mileage later E46 M3 or Z4 M coupewould be hard to resist.

topneuro - 10/25/2012 8:04:20 PM

+2 Boost

Used 2009 Honda S2000
New 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX

85bmw745i - 10/26/2012 12:02:51 AM

+1 Boost

Good picks topneuro.

Eyecarehawaii - 10/25/2012 10:51:55 PM

+1 Boost

Kind of depends what you want that car for. The author of this article seems to be shooting for a pocket rocket. I suspect that many people looking for new cars in this price range are looking primarily for economy with a bit of luxury. There are a lot of choices. What's "best" really depends on what's important to the person buying the car.

91z4me - 10/26/2012 12:38:18 AM

+1 Boost

V6 Mustang or Camaro for the sports car enthusiest, Pentastar Charger for the family hauler.

85bmw745i - 10/26/2012 2:12:42 AM

+1 Boost

I'd take a Genesis coupe over either, but the pentastar charger for the family is a good choice. While it gets nowhere near the fuel economy of its V6 competition, it is rear wheel drive (that alone sets it above the rest) and much more fun in my opinion.

2ndbimmer - 10/26/2012 10:42:29 AM

+1 Boost

wrangler unlimited

lexusrox123 - 10/26/2012 8:01:15 PM

+2 Boost

lol Who actually buys cars new? Get a year old used one for way less and get a better car.

85bmw745i - 10/27/2012 1:30:45 PM

+1 Boost

Exactly, I paid $17,400 last year for my 06 LR3 one owner with every service record. People think it is a 2012 because it is in such perfect shape.

skytop - 10/29/2012 11:29:11 PM

+1 Boost

Donate to the odumbo reelection campaign! The country needs 4 more years of abysmal failure and endless deception and lies! Also, obama needs an additional 4 years to drive the national debt up to an eye popping 22 TRILLION dollars. Donate it all!