Considering a Z; need some advice and wisdom

Originally Posted by Wayfarer

Hey everyone. Let me start by saying that this forum has been a wealth of info that I've been lurking and reading over the past few weeks. Lots of really good stuff and a helpful community. Thanks for that!

I know there are probably a bunch of other threads on this sort of topic, but I couldn't find all of the answers using search, so I'm just going to ask for your wisdom anyway.

I'm in the market for a new car as my current one (VW Golf) is getting too expensive to maintain when compared to it's worth. I bought the golf in college and it's served me very well, including 5 coast-to-coast road trips, lots of time in the snow and salt in the north east, and running over the mountains here in Washington. Great little car, but now that I've been in a stable job making good money, it's time to have some fun and be a little impractical. No wife or kids, so why not?

I've been looking at and test driving a bunch of different "fun" cars that have come to mind. WRX, EvoX, Nismo 370 have been test drove so far, and I enjoyed the 370 the best. Other than those three, I'm not totally sure what else I should be looking at. I've been eyeing the G37 too, but it's a bit higher than the price range I'd like to stay in (<40k prefered, but would consider going higher if it's REALLY worth it). I haven't driven one either. Should I be looking at anything else in this category? Knowing what you know, and having owned a Z, would you make the same decision if you were in my shoes?

Factors to consider:
-This would be my DD
-My work commute is about 40 miles RT. Would split miles with my motorcycle for commuting miles
-I don't plan on tracking this car
-I live in Seattle; the roads are wet here 7-8 months out of the year. Normally not a concern, unless I should be taking that into account
-I get employee pricing (at least invoice) on Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Chrysler auto group vehicles
-I would prefer new. Since it's my DD, I don't really like the idea of not knowing it's whole history.

I've been shopping around and have gotten some pretty good deals quoted on Zs in the area, which is exciting. There are quite a few new 2012s hanging around that I'm sure I can negotiate the price further down. I've read the differences between the 2012 and the 2013 refresh, but I'd like to hear from those with 2013s; was the switch worth it, or would the 2012 still be just as great?

Sorry again for asking what probably gets asked a bunch, but I appreciate your input. Thanks in advance!