considering all your requirements, i'd get the STi. while all the STis have lost their character, styling-wise, it's hard to beat the all around combo of power, handling, features, and reliability. not very many fun cars come w/manuals anymore either.

that said, $40k is quite a bit to spend on a souped up econobox (simmer down, Suby fans. I'm a former owner of 2 WRXs). the problem is that there's not much out there under $60k that does the same things. as Joey mentioned, Bimmers have too many problems, esp a bad one. either get a service plan or lease it and ditch it before the warranty expires. that goes for Audis and Benzes too. the only good models were the older Benzes from the 90s to early 2000s and a few, select Bimmers. even a few of my friends that are current or ex-German ASE techs drive mostly Japanese cars. the ones that do own Bimmers, Benzes, and Porsches either flip them early & often or they just bend over and take it when it comes time to service them. Gotta pay to play.

 

Bmw 4 year free maintenance

 

many companies include basic service plans now, but time & effort are not free. it's a hassle to bring cars in for unnecessary service, incl warranty work. i've wanted a new m3/5 for a while, but after some of my friends' bad experiences w/their BMWs & Benzes, i've just stuck to Japanese cars. it's hard having/driving anything nice in The City too.

 

Well agreed, when i suggested BMW i mean to lease it, 4 years 50k warranty & maintenance is nice to have, you do get loaner cars with most BMW and Mercedes if book apt ahead of time.

 

thanks guys. i tend to keep my cars forever. at this time i am leaning towards the STI