[Fiction question] What's a moderately conservative sporty car for a middle-aged guy who can afford it?

Mustangs don’t seem overly flamboyant. Maybe a nice BMW or Audi would suffice too.

Ford SHO goes like a scalded cat. Four doors seats 5. Rides like a dream.

Quarter mile 101 MPH in 13.7 seconds. QUICK

Nissan Maxima
Audi A4
Acura TL

They’re all sedans, but they’re sportier and a bit higher end than, say, a Camry.

Where does he live? On the coasts? Middle of the country? I am assuming America. If on the coasts Audi, BMW, or Lexus. If towards the middle might be an American car. Is he a keeping up with the Jones’ type guy? Then BMW is more likely. If he has his own style then go Audi or Lexus I think. Or, even Infiniti M series.

Subaru with a big spoiler?

I worked for two guys like this. One (mid-40s, lived in NJ suburb) drove a late-model Mercedes, his (WWII-era, Westchester-residing) father-in-law drove a Jaguar (he refused to buy German cars).

Good point, @JLeslie. Let’s say he lives in the Bay Area—Silicon Valley. Pretty much where I am, although in a more exclusive neighborhood.

He runs a very middle-of-the-road business, with an upscale clientele, but he definitely has an offbeat side that he doesn’t generally exhibit. He’s the one who’s hiding a costume here.

Here is the Infiniti M

Audi A7

I guess we need to know the price range?

I, personally, love the look of the Jaguar. I like older ones better but the newer ones are nice too. They look sporty and high class without being as ostentatious as a Corvette.

@JLeslie, I have no idea what cars of this sort go for. My character’s car probably says “I’ve got money” but not “I’ve got money to burn.”

A used BMW would be good.

Most Acura’s fit this bill as well.

Used Audi could work.

Stay away from Mustangs, they’re for dbags, especially if you get a non-sporty one.

Mazda-6 (older ones more so than newer ones imo).

The cars I suggested are probably around $60k? I’d have to look it up. There are Infiniti and Audis that cost less though, and would still work. A Porsche Panamara is about $75k at the cheapest, and that is very unique, and very sporty. It is really made for sportscar drivers who want a sedan, a few of our friends have one.

Oh, and I think Jaguar sometimes is perceived as a more feminine car. Not that men don’t drive them, but I see more women driving Jags.

What about a Hyundai Tiburon? It’s nice, but not too nice and is still a fairly high quality car.

Also, in Cali I would not get a Mustang, or anything that would be perceived as a muscle car. Plus, Mustangs are two door.

By the way the Audi A7 hits dealerships soon, it isn’t here yet, but it will be in a few months.

Infiniti G-37 should fill the bill.

Really cool set of wheels.

VW Scirocco. Golf GTI. BMW M3. Ford Focus RS

Mmm—I think my guy likes the Porsche Panamera. Looks gorgeous and suits his budget, lifestyle, and image. Thanks, @JLeslie—you seem to be a font of cultural savvy. And thanks, all, for your great range of suggestions.

Sure. He sounds like a lot of guys I know. Glad you found an answer.

You can go to the website and look through the exterior and interior colors availabe if you want to be more descriptive about the car in your novel. Porsche does allow special order any color, but I doubt he would bother with that.

I’m thinking Jet Green Metallic. What do you say?

It’s a short-short story. Economy matters. That’s why I need to pack a lot of characterization into a single choice detail.

A Volvo sedan.

@Jeruba: Based on what you said about him in your other question, I would think that a bright, unusual color would attract too much attention. How about black? It’s still pretty macho and a teeny bit cliched for the middle-aged man driving a nicer car, but it won’t attract a lot of attention when he drives to where he’s going to get his duffel bag. People will notice a black porsche, but people will notice, remember and comment on a jet green porsche.

Awww . . . well, then, how about silver? Half the cars on the road are silver, so it’s jazzy but still low profile. Better for global warming, too.

@Jeruba: I think silver would be excellent. I hope I didn’t spoil your fun too much! :)

@Jeruba The price of the Porsche Panamera runs from $80,000 to over $120,000.

Thanks, @Tropical_Willie. It’s a bit of a stretch, but he can afford it. He owns his own successful business, a catering company, with a clientele mostly in the high-rent district. Looking prosperous is good for his professional reputation.

All the more reason, though, to be super discreet with that gym bag and its contents.

@Jeruba You can go with a two-tone interior if you want to jazz it up a little and keep the exterior a more typical color like silver, charcoal, or black. Whatever they call those colors for porsche. I can’t see the colors on this computer. I have a two-tone porsche interior (not the Panamara, it’s a 911) it looks great.

@Jeruba Maybe he leases it and expenses is to the business as a cost of doing business.

@Tropical_Willie Just curious why you think it a good idea to explain how he pays for it? Nobody in my Porsche circle talks about whether we lease or buy, even though we might talk about other investments and money matters. That is unless someone directly asked me about whether I paid cash or not, but no one ever has.

@JLeslie I was only telling @Jeruba that the business would be the way to afford $2700 a month for a car.
Not the that Porsche club member would need to know how the gentleman could afford it. Same thing when I was in a BMW car club in New England we had members that were in seen on stage, screen and TV. We didn’t need to know how they paid for their vehicle.

@Tropical_Willie I guess it depends if it fits into her story. If he owns his own business it makes sense. I guess I was thinking he works in business, so would not be able to write is car off. I guess I identified the character too closely with my husband LOL. We buy our Porsches outright. My husband is a VP in a medium sized company. I wasn’t trying to say your idea was a bad one, I hope it did not come out thay way. I was just curious.

A Cadillac..?

I personally like the Cadillac CTX or a Nissan 350Z!