Hey, you twentysomethings, all full of spit and vinegar and eager to get out to enjoy life. You just finished school and are in the workforce, earning money and looking for ways to spend it; of course, you need a car. And, of course, you're not making that much money, so it's the used market for you.
But that doesn't mean you can't get what you really want: a compact, sporty coupe. Sedans are for families who settle down, and there's no settling with you, is there? You want to zip around wherever you want to go, ensuring that people know that you're still fun and carefree.
Or, maybe you just like zippy little coupes. Here are a few for a budget of $12,000.
Sensible
Toyota's youth-targeted brand Scion offers up the tC, technically a hatchback that looks like a coupe, which we can find up to 2010 here. Despite having a firm ride, reviewers said the handling was so-so with pronounced lean in the corners. Its base 2.4-litre, 160-horsepower engine provides a bit of zip and delivers good fuel economy to extend your late-night boulevard cruises; a five-speed manual was available – and is suggested, as the automatic only had four cogs. But standard features were plentiful and many options were available, so look for ones with the most toys. Being a Toyota, it has a good track record for reliability, and recalls include just faulty air bags and a sunroof wind deflector that can shatter on some models.
You can't ignore the Honda Civic when looking for a hot coupe, especially the Si version, which has reached legendary status. Again, found up to around 2010, the Si of this era was gifted with a 197-horsepower, 2.0-litre engine that made this car quick; it's only downfall was that most of that power had to be rung out past 5,000 rpm. Nonetheless, a six-speed manual will keep you entertained, while the fun is amplified with a taut, firm suspension that keeps the car poised in tight corners with little thought of understeer. Inside has Honda's now famous two-tiered gauge cluster, though some lament the long distance to the windshield. The seats are also bolstered more than a normal Civic, but the Si retains that one, typical Honda component: reliability. It's a "good bet" with Consumer Reports, and recalls for this model focus just on the air bags. It's a dependable, everyday car with a healthy injection of excitement.
Indispensable
In its normal guise, the rather beige Chevrolet Cobalt may be slotted into the category below, with the Civic Si in the top spot. But the Cobalt SS model, which you can find up to its final year of 2010, is a different story altogether. Originally, the supercharged, 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder pumped out 205 horsepower, but in 2009, a turbocharger bumped performance up to 260 horsepower, blowing away most anything in this class. Along with the added grunt, Chevy beefed up the suspension and lowered the ride height for better handling; the five-speed manual gearbox also has a feature that allows shifting without lifting off the throttle. Inside, the usually mundane interior was augmented with Recaro seats and aluminum accents on the shifter and pedals. Recalls include a failing ignition lock, power steering issues, faulty air bags and a potential fuel tank leak. Regardless, the Cobalt SS moves the slide rule closer to "sports" car than "sporty."
Questionable
In 2008, Ford unveiled a coupe version of its compact Focus; you can find it up to around 2010 for our price. But while it has a modicum of reliability, it's also hardly engaging to drive, and the 140-horsepower engine offers neither scintillating excitement nor frugal fuel economy, compared with others in its class. The interior was on the cheap side, and inside noise was relatively high; the exterior design wasn't exactly breathtaking, either. The 2012 redesign brought a much better car, but that one's out of our price range.
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