Car Chat, hey, its relevant

So, I'm kinda looking for a new car.... My beater is starting to follow the light....

Basically, NO MORE SUVS FOR ME..... they are incredibly boring, have terrible performance, have plenty of parts that can break, don't work well while driving in a major metropolitan city (boston),, and guzzle gas..... I need something fun....AND IT HAS TO HAVE BALLS...

I don't want to spend too much, and really wouldn't mind used.  It has to be a good car audio platform, as well...  It's going to be one helluva car, on the performance end, and in the stereo end

So far, here's what I've come up with:

E46 BMW M3  -this is the most expensive car I will go with....  But im concerned about performance....out of the box, it is hottt, but it's soooo well tuned, you are limited with what you can do......styling is gorgeous, and classic......interior is very nice.....power is questionable.....It has the 0-60 times I'd love, but what about 60-80 and such???  Does it have power on tap too, for when I want to pass that annoying truck in front of me on the highway?  Or is this a 0-60/  1/4 mile kind of car?

1998-2002 Pontiac Firehawk  -  this is a great looking car,  and best of all, it has American Grunt, in the form of a fire-breathing V8.....LS1, Babaaaaay!!          Drawbacks=  ZERO head room, and you cant even see your own hood in a driving position.........wont work well in the snow, so i would think

Roush 380 R mustang  -it's an american icon, on steroids....... V8,  commendable looks, thanks to the Roush Bodykit....power power power.....   Drawbacks=  Interior worse than firehawk,  everywhere you look there's a mustang,  old chasis,  winter, again, could be another major issue

Lincoln LS  -  can be a good looking car.....and has a V8....though small   Drawbacks = no manual transmission, smaller V8, some styling cues that look horrible......

2005 MUSTANG.....NOTHING TO COMMENT ON NOW, BESIDES ITS RATHER GOOD LOOKS!

SO there you have my thoughts.....  The only japanese car I considered was a supra, but the twin turbos are illegal here In Massachusetts, because of emissions.     Basically, i want a performer.  A V8 and manual transmission would be excellent, because I want tourque on demand, and that gorgeous rumble they bless us with>>>>>>  ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS, OR WHCIH ONE SHOULD I LOOK AT IN DETAIL???!!!???!!  LEMME KNOW!

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~WAYLAND

wayland1985, I didnt know twin turbos were illegal in Mass. I have a friend there who has a twin turbo (Volvo) and has been driving there for the last few years or so without a problem. Is my friend liable to be pulled over for the twin-turbo?

Twin turbos arent' illegal, it's the model.  Toyota Supra Twin Turbos, I beleive 1994-1998 (the last generation)  have very high emissions, too high for three states I think:  Massachusetts, New York, and of course, California.  They couldn't even sell Supra twin turbos in Massachusetts after 1996.  I'm sure there are ways around it though, like coming from a differend state, or registering it in another state, and gettting your inspection stickers there, but around here, you'll fail emissions.  Just a big hassle I wouldn't want to deal with.....

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~WAYLAND

that is very useful information. I wonder why california always is the state with so many safety laws.

California has a HUGE daily car driving population...without these laws, their smog problems would be unbearable.....Especially in souther california with their 90* humid days.....  They're just setting the standard, and trying to clean up their polluted air...

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~WAYLAND

Seeing as you are worried about capabilities in the snow, I would think you would want 4-wheel or All-wheel drive. Have you considered the Subaru STi WRX? It has 300 HP @ 6000 RPM, which seems good for freeway passing. The EPA MPG is 18/24 for manual transmission. It has an All-wheel drive system, which should work out well in snow. If you like this car, maybe check out the Mitsubishi Evolution as well. Heres the link to the STi WRX.