Toyota GR Corolla

Pros

• Yeah, given this budget I would also pick the GR Corolla.
• My daily is a GR Corolla and I love it!
• A GR Corolla or Supra are going to be more exciting/dynamic than any current lexus offering.
• The base at $40k is still high but worth a look.
• The most raw driving experience akin to the sti before they turned the wrx into a commuter is the gr corolla for new cars.

Cons

• Consider a GR Corolla as well.
• Si is a step back in performance, and Elantra N or GR Corolla are arguably about the same for reliability, but with nastier interiors.
• I talked to Toyota about test driving their GR Corolla and was offered a lower trim.
• Paying 50k for a Corolla that does 0 to 60 in 5+ seconds is criminal.
• The performance just isn’t there for $50k, and the rest of the car is far from it.