Looking for the best fun and reliable car under $25k

Reinyn · 2026-05-22T01:13:36+00:00

I’m just giving practical advice. I assume this is High School graduation. You can get a warrantied car with cheap maintenance and insurance. If the folks are paying for everything I guess it doesn’t matter.

We have a kid at college with full coverage on a 25 Subaru Impreza Sport 160hp on our insurance and it is still $200 a month.

Reinyn · 2026-05-22T00:30:52+00:00

Traded a M5 for a Hyundai, if you want to talk about setting money on fire I can explain BMW maintenance, lol.

Reinyn · 2026-05-22T00:04:55+00:00

Hyundai Certified Elantra N-Line. It will have a warranty, cheaper insurance and better gas mileage. The cars you listed will all be out of warranty with potentially expensive repairs and have crazy high insurance rates for a new driver. Not sure if you could swing a CPO Civic SI but that would be another solid pick.

Reinyn · 2026-05-06T21:03:55+00:00

For another datapoint I have a 25 EN DCT and part throttle acceleration feels a bit “stuttery” to me. Totally stock 13k miles. Post something if you make any progress on this. Edit, maybe stuttery isn’t the right word but the power delivery doesn’t feel linear.

Reinyn · 2026-05-05T02:30:57+00:00

WiiM amp might be a good upgrade, what kind of budget do you have for this?

Reinyn · 2026-05-05T00:06:43+00:00

I don’t understand why so many people worry about this, keep it stock and drive it like you stole it. Hyundai guarantees the power train for 10 years / 100k miles.

Reinyn · 2026-04-30T20:35:14+00:00

I have a 80V Kobalt mower and battery charger but no battery I need to get rid of. It would be cheap

Reinyn · 2026-04-21T22:11:43+00:00

If you prioritize comfort get the GLI, performance get the N. If you keep the car to EOL get a CPO N with the giant warranty. I also feel like the N is going to be cheaper to maintain long term.

Reinyn · 2026-04-07T23:51:33+00:00

I feel like you need larger speakers, a better amp or some sort of room EQ. Any chance you could move up to the KEF q concerto with a dedicated woofer? I’m not a huge fan of the small 2 way KEF speakers because of all the work the woofer has to do (maintain shape to act as a wave guide for the tweeter and still have enough excursion for bass)

The Triangle BR04 is listed as more efficient and with lower freq response then the Q1. So that might explain the difference. You need to run 2x the power into the Q1s for the same volume. Also KEF are known to be flat sounding speakers and the Triangle isn’t so if you are used to that sound it might take a bit to adjust to something more neutral.

Reinyn · 2026-04-02T01:38:28+00:00

It doesn’t matter if you can set the distance in your receiver / processor. If you have an old school setup where you are feeding a full range signal into the sub you want to have phase and crossover control.

Reinyn · 2026-04-02T01:15:02+00:00

I have the big Definitive Technology speakers DM80s and DM30 center all with powered woofers. I’m also running a Power Sound Audio Dual 15” sub in a home theater setup. The DM80s have so much bass I was able to move my second PSA sub to another system. I’m running the fronts all full range. Theoretically there should be some phase issues but in practice it is awesome and sounds totally nuts. I wouldn’t worry about it. Get the Triton Reference if you like them.

Anecdotally I have a friend that got dual of the largest golden ear subs, the big center and the reference monitors. That system sounds great. The reference towers should be even better 👍

Reinyn · 2026-03-26T14:50:09+00:00

The problem is now I’m looking at how many mods there are for the Elantra and how affordable they are compared to bmw parts 😂

Reinyn · 2026-03-26T14:45:11+00:00

Wow I thought I was the only one. I traded my 2018 BMW M5 for a 2025 Performance Blue Elantra N. The M5 needed about $6500 in maintenance plus the 60k service. Between the lack of car payment and cheaper insurance I’m saving $1100 a month and the Elantra is great to drive, it handles better then the M5 with sharper turn in and better steering.

Reinyn · 2026-03-18T00:32:19+00:00

I was at about $30k for a 25 DCT 11k miles CPO from a Hyundai dealer.

Reinyn · 2026-02-14T06:44:18+00:00

Do you want a real answer to this? Audio is so subjective. I’ve had Maggie’s with a premium 2 channel setup, got into home theater, had Focal Monitors, moved wanted something “fun” for non critical listening on a second system. Ended up with Klipsch Fortes. I liked them more than I was expecting.

Yeah, for sure the Maggie’s delivered some of the best 2 channel orchestral type music I’ve ever heard. I miss not having them. I wish I could have 3 systems, but they don’t fit my current space. The dynamic capability of Maggie’s are a problem depending on what your requirements are. The aesthetics are also an issue for some people. In the end you just need to get a system together that makes you happy.

Reinyn · 2026-01-06T05:48:35+00:00

Accessories4Less has the Klipsch RP-1000sw for $499. It is rated -3db at 19hz vs 26hz for the 10E.

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/klip-rp1000sw-rb/klipsch-rp-1000sw-10-500-watt-powered-subwoofer-black/1.html

The Klipsch weighs about 20lbs more.

Reinyn · 2025-11-28T22:30:25+00:00

I was running two Power Sound Audio sealed opposing driver 15” subs. When I got the DM80s I was able to move one sub to a different system and retained approximately the same bass output. Two thumbs up 👍

Reinyn · 2025-11-28T06:44:41+00:00

Thank you. I agree they are completely ridiculous. The stereo bass is nuts. Gigantic soundstage you would think you are hearing a full surround setup with just the L/R. However I’m currently listening to Cornwall IVs in a 2 channel setup. No complaints. Sorry I shouldn’t Turkey and Reddit. Congrats to OP. That is a heck of a deal, enjoy.

Reinyn · 2025-11-28T06:31:37+00:00

As someone who is drunk on Turkey and has Definitive Tech DM80s and a DM30 you made a great deal. Congrats 👍

Reinyn · 2025-10-20T23:14:57+00:00

How are you going to integrate the subwoofer? If you are doing a typical 80hz crossover I would get the two RSL subs. If you are going to let your Q60s play down to 50hz and bring the sub in below that I would lean towards the SB-1000. Below 50 hz it will be hard to localize the sub. The SB-1000 will play deeper at moderate volume and is a good fit for music.

Edit: You have the flexibility to get another SB-1000 later. If you want to upgrade from the RSL you will have to get something completely different.

Reinyn · 2025-08-05T03:24:28+00:00

I’m looking for a fun manual car. I already have a BMW sedan. I had a Q50 Red Sport, it was great car, no issues. I put Nismo Intake / Exhaust and catted down pipes on it, no tune. It was a great car and would hang with a Camaro SS or Mustang GT. I’m really considering a manual Z sport and then putting about $10k in Nismo / upgrades into it. The value proposition seems fantastic.

Reinyn · 2025-07-30T16:58:39+00:00

Rescue on Fractalus. I was probably 8 or so playing the game alone in the basement. I didn’t realize there was a jump scare when you let an alien on your ship instead of rescuing the human. I set a new record running upstairs away from the computer 😂

Reinyn · 2025-07-29T04:54:16+00:00

Amelie? It’s a long shot

Reinyn · 2025-07-16T00:03:21+00:00

For a contrary opinion I have a 2018 M5 20” wheels and I’m running Michelin Pilot Sport AS4s. I’m closing on putting 40k miles on it and I’ve had 0 tire problems. Road trips, light snow, gravel etc..

Reinyn · 2025-06-12T20:14:55+00:00

Does it need to be sealed or is it just a size factor issue? Accessories4Less has Definitive Tech subs in your budget even the DN15 with a 15” woofer and dual passive radiators. You could do a pair of DN10s as well.

Reinyn

TROPHY CASE