Criteria: -Good In snow -Relatively good gas mileage -No SUV's or Pickups -MY2014+ -Fun to drive or comes from sporty manufacturer -USDM Car (no R33's) I am thinking about an i3, a 335, a GTi and some others. Help!
2015+ Subaru WRX is just under 30k 2017 Dodge Charger SXT AWD is just over 30k but you can probably find a 2015 used for a bit less. I own a 2017 Dodge Charger SXT AWD Rallye (perf. package) with all options stickers for 36k and I can personally recommend this car. Both are great in snow. WRX has better handling but the Charger has a better interior / infotainment system.
If I had 30k, and it needed to be good in snow, I would definitely get a Subaru WRX or a VW GTi. You should be able to get a 2014 or older WRX STi for under 30k if you want more power than the base WRX.
2017 Subaru Impreza 2016 Ford Focus ST. 2017 Ford Mustang 2017 Chevy Camaro 2017 Dodge Challenger there are more but i can't think of them
Can I ask why you want such a new car? The older a car is, the easier it will be to find used parts (within reason), the easier it will be to work on (usually), the easier it will be to find reputable and exhaustive evaluations on, and probably most importantly, the "new car" factor will have worn off, and your 30k will streach waaaaaay further in terms of bang for buck. You can get a few old super cars for that money, pretty much any non-limited-edition golden era muscle car in good running order (gas milage asside lol) will go for 25k and under, and you can get a solid 90's/80's car, mod it to whatever proformance level you wish, and still have some dosh left over...
A late Infiniti G35 is your best bet. The American performance cars aren't the sort of thing you want in snow. Ditto for the MX-5, Miata and BRZ. The German cars have a big probability of large issues, as does Cadillac. Dodge will give you less, but more frequent problems.
2000-ish Subaru Emprezia WRX STi. Those are sold at 10.000$ max (No tax yet)in my country. You can spend some money on upgrades after buying one.
absolutely an EVO or a WRX, in my opinion they both are great cars.. Or maybe a BRZ or a stunning 370z but they are only RWD so maybe in the snow they aren't ''at home''
Audi A4 3.2 V6 Quattro. Preferably one with an S-Line package if you're looking for something sporty.
Buy a old Bmw,Civic,Prelude,Nissan,Corrola or Vw Golf (or Old Jetta) and tune it mod it and you will have money for more games or stuff you need like food,drink,turbos etc --- Post updated --- I know you said no SUV/Trucks but a Geo Tracker/Vitarra,4 runner,bronco and stuff are cheap easy to fix and very reliable and can be fun if you dont live in a huge city
None of my business but how did you acquire $30K? Bear in mind currently I'm assuming you're quite young. This could be another troll post but I have faith that it's real.
You could buy yourself a Mustang GT or a Focus RS if you don't care about fuel economy You could also buy a Toyota GT86, those are fun The Focus ST would be good as well but it's got FWD....
Newer cars tend to have more creature comforts, such as heated/vented seats, fancy infotainment systems (Chrysler's UConnect system on their newest models 2015+ is actually good, I can't speak for any others), improved safety and refinement, etc. It's possible he values these features over a possible better older used driver's car he could buy for the same money. I know I would much prefer a newer car as a daily driver, but a track toy / weekend car can be any car that's fun to drive whether it's a used exotic from the 90s or a brand new sports car.
all of them under $30k, and if you know how to drive, good in snow (anything is good in snow if you can drive)
Audis are a big gamble in reliability. It might be unbrekable, but it might as well be falling apart to pieces. The ST, GT86 and Mustang are crap in snow. The RS is gonna suffer from the Ecoboost reliability problems.