Car suggestions

I sold my legacy about a month-2 months ago and have been contemplating a replacement.

First off, I am in no hurry, Like planning on using next years tax return for my down payment no hurry.

Here is the list so far of possibilities:

135i
E46 M3
335xi
335d
LGT Spec B(2007)
2011 WRX STI Sedan
Audi RS4
C55AMG
Cobalt SS Turbo(mainly because its cheap and gets good MPG)
S60R(volvo)
IS350
Camaro SS(New one)

Can't think of any others right now

There is a list of cars I won't get though:
EVO(I hate them with a passion!)
RSX-S
Civic SI
G-35/37
350/370z
RX-7/8(had both)
S2000(rode in my buddies tooo slow and lots of problems)

Mustangs don't really go in either category, if I came across a GT500, or if I found one insanely cheap I would contemplate it, but for the most part I really don't like them because of the interiors and the fact everyone has one.

Stuff I am interested in, but nothing on the list is concrete, features:
Leather
manual preferred
4 door is good, since I have a kid and one on the way, although they would rarely ride in it
as fast or faster than my old Stg 2 LGT
Good/descent MPG is a plus and/or regular gas
reliable, not necessarily cheap to maintain, which would be nice, but a good track record for not breaking down
AWD/RWD, AWD is obviously better, but RWD is fine, FWD as a last resort(cobalt SS has it I know ;0)
Around 30K$, used is fine, and its a ballpark number I am striving for
Last, I do like a car that's not driven by absolutely everyone(see mustang)

I know there has been a descent amount of these style threads, so I apologize for that, I know of a lot of cars, but I wanted to see if you could add/define cars to the list thanks!

camaro ss

+1 ^^^

ohhh and get the manual with thats naturally aspirated that way you get the most hp My neighbor works for gm and he is always letting me drive whatever he gets and the last SS he brought home just ripped

Geo metro wagon.

I am looking to replace my daily driver as well. I am over the sporty multipurpose cars. I have my sports car, now I am looking at the 2011-12 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and 2013 Ford Fusion. The new Fusion looks like it's going to be amazing. Very classy looking car.

But since you're still looking for something sporty... Camaros don't seat 4 people well at all. I imagine Mustangs are the same. Both are very common. Camaros less so (but maybe because they're so new). I've seen a wide range of people from high school to really old folks driving Mustangs. Since you considered 350/370Z's and S2000's, I say why not look at Corvettes? You can buy a C6 for less than 30k and the nice thing about Corvettes is that most people don't drive them hard, which means you can find a used one in great shape for a good price. They're usually weekend cars that have been garaged and babied all their lives. And surprise, surprise, the insurance for a C6 isn't even that crazy. My daily driver (a 2003 Pontiac Grand AM) costs more to insure with the same coverage/deductible.

coryg wrote:ohhh and get the manual with thats naturally aspirated that way you get the most hp My neighbor works for gm and he is always letting me drive whatever he gets and the last SS he brought home just ripped

I didn't know there were any with forced induction. I actually would be ok with an automatic, but manual would be preferred. I test drove one well over a year ago and it was really nice

reefer87 wrote:Geo metro wagon.

I think you missed the type of cars I am looking for

alexwbush wrote:I am looking to replace my daily driver as well. I am over the sporty multipurpose cars. I have my sports car, now I am looking at the 2011-12 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and 2013 Ford Fusion. The new Fusion looks like it's going to be amazing. Very classy looking car.

But since you're still looking for something sporty... Camaros don't seat 4 people well at all. I imagine Mustangs are the same. Both are very common. Camaros less so (but maybe because they're so new). I've seen a wide range of people from high school to really old folks driving Mustangs. Since you considered 350/370Z's and S2000's, I say why not look at Corvettes? You can buy a C6 for less than 30k and the nice thing about Corvettes is that most people don't drive them hard, which means you can find a used one in great shape for a good price. They're usually weekend cars that have been garaged and babied all their lives. And surprise, surprise, the insurance for a C6 isn't even that crazy. My daily driver (a 2003 Pontiac Grand AM) costs more to insure with the same coverage/deductible.

Actually the Z's and S2000 were cars I WOULDN'T get. One of the reasons is because they are two seaters. If it wasn't for that I would probably be looking for a C5/C6. They are really sweet cars that can be had for a good price.
Part of the reason I am looking towards sportier cars is because I enjoy how they drive. I'm not trying to go race it on the weekends or anything like that. A car like the ford fusion is 20K used, which is in the price range of what I am looking for, but I would get bored with a car like that and end up wanting to trade it in. I want to get the car that I WANT to keep for the next 5-10 years.


Thank you guys for the suggestions, keep them coming!

dwolson2 wrote:I want to get the car that I WANT to keep for the next 5-10 years.

then that eliminates most american cars. I sort of have alex' view, to where I grew out out if the sporty nice head turning type if cars. they're over priced and will get you in trouble. you definitely can't think if a car as an investment, so you really have yo find a car that you like and are committed to until it falls apart. in my opinion you should never resale a car or trade it in, you end up losing money.

its good that your thinking hard about it, here's some questions I would ask and how I would look at buying a car:

is it something that is safe?
is it something that I would outgrow?
will it fit my family?
good gas milage?
will it be reliable enough to last 15 years?


sporty or how I look in others eyes would be far from what I base my decision on.

sisterlimonpot wrote:

dwolson2 wrote:I want to get the car that I WANT to keep for the next 5-10 years.

then that eliminates most american cars. I sort of have alex' view, to where I grew out out if the sporty nice head turning type if cars. they're over priced and will get you in trouble. you definitely can't think if a car as an investment, so you really have yo find a car that you like and are committed to until it falls apart. in my opinion you should never resale a car or trade it in, you end up losing money.

its good that your thinking hard about it, here's some questions I would ask and how I would look at buying a car:

is it something that is safe?
is it something that I would outgrow?
will it fit my family?
good gas milage?
will it be reliable enough to last 15 years?


sporty or how I look in others eyes would be far from what I base my decision on.

I agree, which is why I am putting so much thought into it. I have been trying to find a well rounded car, but I do want a little quicker car than my legacy. I have been leaning most to a BMW 335xi, since I can get it four door, manual, it gets better mpg than my legacy.

Personally, I would stay away from BMW, take it from someone that has worked on them for 6 years, they are a nightmare unless you have specialty tools and they seem to leak oil the minute you drive them off the lot. I replaced so many rear main seals on many different engine platforms that BMW makes...

German made cars are great but I think they go out of their way to make working on them more difficult, with having to have specialty tools and specific sockets. It's almost like they want you to take it to the dealership for repairs.

If that's not a concern then I could suggest Mercedes, They have an overly complicated fuel delivery system but outside of that they are solid long lasting cars, with the extra gas guzzling option... oh I mean one "that is a little quicker than your legacy”.

I hadn't really thought much about them, till I heard about the c63, but that is more car than I need. The c55 is sweet, and yes it guzzles more gas, but I will have to check out mpg on it. I like the idea of direct injection, which is one reason for bmw, but I hadn't heard of those oil problems before. I am planning on narrowing the list to three or four cars, then going on each specific forum and researching their problems.

Get this

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron_Super_Sport

Please!!!!

What does everyone think about Infiniti? I read the stuff Jimmy said above about BMW, and that goes right a long with what I have heard from other people. We are going to be buying my wife a new car in a few months and she has sort of decided on the Infiniti JX35. Does Infiniti have a good/bad reputation for anything inparticular?

I'd say stay away from teh camaro and mustang. everyone seems to have one.

That is unless you want to be like everyone else.

And I agree with Jimmy, take the BMW off the list. My cousin works at a BMW dealership as a mechanic. They spend more time in the shop than they do on the road.

MB, well they are nice, not sure about reliability.

For me, after the way GM treated me on my Pontiac G8 and the issues I had with it, I'll never buy another GM vechicle.

Take a look at Hyundai. yea, I know, but they have changed from the cheap throw away cars of the past. I picked up a Genessis 5.0 R Spec 4 door family sedan when I ditched the G8. Great car, too much power, true sleeper, and the Genessis was ranked top in it's class for relibility this year, which was the first year it was elegible. Think BMW 550 series or MB C class but without the big price tag. They have a lot of other fully equiped cars as well. More bells and whistles come stock in them than other cars.

Infinity and Lexus don't seem to have a bad reputation. But it all depends on if you want to pay for a glorified Nissan or Toyota? From what I've read, nothing nwe and exciting coming out of either of those car manufactures latley.

Hyundai really got their foot in the door when they offered the 10 year warranty, now they are considered to be a great car. Definitely one to consider as well.

As for infiniti, I haven't heard much good or bad about them.

clownfish14 wrote:Get this

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Veyron_Super_Sport

Please!!!!

I said around 30K, I think that's the cost of just the hub caps....

805reef wrote:What does everyone think about Infiniti? I read the stuff Jimmy said above about BMW, and that goes right a long with what I have heard from other people. We are going to be buying my wife a new car in a few months and she has sort of decided on the Infiniti JX35. Does Infiniti have a good/bad reputation for anything inparticular?

I would stay clear of infinity. I have had one and its still running, however its a glorified Nissan and I am not real happy with the quality of them. The Japanese I worked with had a saying "F%^&* Nissan" for good reason, they broke a lot and they were a pain to work on(design not tool related)

Crusty Old Shellback wrote:I'd say stay away from teh camaro and mustang. everyone seems to have one.

That is unless you want to be like everyone else.

And I agree with Jimmy, take the BMW off the list. My cousin works at a BMW dealership as a mechanic. They spend more time in the shop than they do on the road.

MB, well they are nice, not sure about reliability.

For me, after the way GM treated me on my Pontiac G8 and the issues I had with it, I'll never buy another GM vechicle.

Take a look at Hyundai. yea, I know, but they have changed from the cheap throw away cars of the past. I picked up a Genessis 5.0 R Spec 4 door family sedan when I ditched the G8. Great car, too much power, true sleeper, and the Genessis was ranked top in it's class for relibility this year, which was the first year it was elegible. Think BMW 550 series or MB C class but without the big price tag. They have a lot of other fully equiped cars as well. More bells and whistles come stock in them than other cars.

Infinity and Lexus don't seem to have a bad reputation. But it all depends on if you want to pay for a glorified Nissan or Toyota? From what I've read, nothing nwe and exciting coming out of either of those car manufactures latley.

I will definitely check out the genesis. whats the difference between the models? In your own words, I mean I can/will google it...

So from this thread the only good cars to buy are Mercedes, Bugatti and Hyundai. LOL, car shopping is so fun!

Just came back from Germany and I am always impressed with their cars! I already have 2 speeding tickets from the Autobahn I was able to drive an MB E220 CDI on my last trip and the car has so much electronics that it could drive itself.

There are 2 genessis. One is the 2 door coupe. Nice little car. Can get a V6 in it. Seems to be a fun car. has rear wheel drive.

The other is the 4 door sedan, which I have. You can get a 3.6 V6, a 4.6 V8 or new for '12 is teh R spec with a 429 HP 5.0 V8. They are now also selling a non R Spec with the same 5.0.

3.6 is teh base model, but you can get the tech package with it. same with the 4.6 and the 5.0. R Spec comes with all the bells and whistles and a stiffer suspension. Too many gadgets to list here.
But I'll say this, the R Spec still scares me at times. And I had a 600 HP truck and ride a 100+ HP bike.

Word is some dealer took a R Spec to the track. 0-60 in 4.7 sec and 1/4 mile in 12.87. All he did was turn off the traction control. Not bad for a 4 dr RWD luxury family sedan.

That isn't bad at all Ray. Sounds like a fun car! I might look into that for a replacement car for myself! How does it do on gas, from your perspective?

It has an 8 spd tranny and so get's great milage. Sticker says 16 city/25 Hwy. I've had no problems getting 25 or more on the Hwy when traveling with the family up to the Bay area or down to escondido.

But 16 in the city when it's just me is a bit harder. Something about the Lead shoe on my right foot.

My post got lost.

When I was look at cars. I tried a Jag and a Lexus 460.

Beleive it or not, the jag had no room in the back. Beautiful car otherwise.

The Lexus, though used, had everything including the kitchen sink. I just couldn't find teh sink but I know there was one in there somewhere. Price was a little high though.

I was also looking at the Tarus SHO AWD and the MK Z. I never made it to the dealership.

Wife's grandfather talked me into stopping at the Hyundai dealer. They had a Black R Spec in the showroom. I was impressed from the start and teh salesman was also impressive. So I started researching and now I own one.

Sticker was 51k with all of the dealer add ons. But I got it for a lot less. On a side note, they haven't brought that many R Spec's into the states.

sounds like a great car. I was looking into the coupe a bit more, and the price new is within my range, and it seems like a lot of car for the money. The sedan is a bit more, but its still really nice! I am just going to have to wait and see how it sells used.

what about a skyline?

dwolson2 wrote:
I didn't know there were any with forced induction. I actually would be ok with an automatic, but manual would be preferred. I test drove one well over a year ago and it was really nice.

Yea from what my neighbor said if you get the manual its naturally aspirated, so the only way to get the advertised horsepower for the SS Camaro is to get the manual

And I know someone who is selling there 2010 SS with manual trans

coryg wrote:what about a skyline?

Had one, NEVER EVER EVER EVER yes 3 EVERS, Will I get another skyline. I hate them!(BTW had mine for 3 years)

coryg wrote:

dwolson2 wrote:
I didn't know there were any with forced induction. I actually would be ok with an automatic, but manual would be preferred. I test drove one well over a year ago and it was really nice.

Yea from what my neighbor said if you get the manual its naturally aspirated, so the only way to get the advertised horsepower for the SS Camaro is to get the manual

If its automatic its still naturally aspirated, I think your neighbor has been hitting something a little too hard.
I could see the number claims being different(at the wheels), however crank HP would still be the same.

coryg wrote:And I know someone who is selling there 2010 SS with manual trans

Unless he is selling it for a killer deal, and in December, I am going to have to pass. not looking to buy a car Juuuust yet.

So, after a few suggestions, I decided to swing by 2 dealerships after work. I Stopped first at a Hyundai then at a Cadillac dealership.

I decided to take out the Genesis Coupe. I have always liked my 2 door cars so I figured I would take it out. Also, I have test driven the old(2010?) 3.8 Track Genesis coupe a few years ago. When I took it out the ride was pretty rough for a stock car. I was told that it was because it was the "track" version and that's why it was so rough. Fast forward to today... After reading some information on the coupes I found that they do have a stiffer suspension, so I asked to drive the 3.8 grand touring. They didn't have the 3.8 but the 2.0's equivalent which is the 2.0 premium. To give youa quick difference between the 2013 2.0 and the 2010 3.8:
2010- 3.8v6:
Torque: 266 ft-lbs. @ 4700 rpm
Horsepower: 306 hp @ 6300 rpm

2013- 2.0T i4
Torque: 275 ft-lbs. @ 2000 rpm
Horsepower: 274 hp @ 6000 rpm

More torque and close hp. Not to bad, now mate it with an 8 speed transmission, you get to use all that fun tq.
I also read that they changed the suspension dampening settings in the new track because of all the complaints of the old system. I would have to take that one for a drive.

Well I didn't go crazy on the test drive but the suspension is a lot better on the Premium over the old Track version. The car is really nice, I am almost reluctant to say this, but if this is how quick the smaller 2.0 is I think I might be almost scared to take out the 3.8. The car makes torque as well as the 3.0 BMW inline 6 turbocharged direct injection 135i I had taken out. I only got on it once, and it was an accident, I was at a roll hit the pedal what felt like half way down, spun the tires a little, and it kicked in the traction control. I wasn't even trying to do that. I could imagine what kind of trouble you could get into with this car.

I am still going to be looking at other cars, but this definitely moved to the top of my list. It has almost all the features I want(even in just the 2.0 premium) at a price that's very reasonable. While still getting 31MPG freeway.
My only complaint about the car is the manual shifting of the automatic transmission is a little on the slow side. Its acceptable, but not near as fast as where it should be.


Now for the CTS-V
I have read the coupe has nasty blind spots, it does, I couldn't see anything out of either left or right rear corners. That's out. I sat in the sedan, and there wasn't any blind-spots. Started it up. sounded pretty sick. but after driving the Genesis, it just seemed like a waste. I would rather keep the extra say 10K, and get a better warranty(10years vs 5 from cadillac) and still be getting a new car. Yea I loose power, but I don't know if I would even use that much. But the sound of that car is absolutely awesome. Sounds like an older muscle car.

In the end, right now the Genesis Coupe is at the top of the list. I like the idea of a sedan, but I still like my coupes, so we will see.

I love the CTS-V to bad all the points you made were true. I just loved being able to go 0-120 in faster than I can think haha

ohh and MPG SUCKS!!!

coryg wrote:I love the CTS-V to bad all the points you made were true. I just loved being able to go 0-120 in faster than I can think haha

and right after that you get yet another ticket. there isn't enough places to do that around here unless you go to a track, which your still paying a bunch of money!

coryg wrote:ohh and MPG SUCKS!!!

the mpg is important, not my key factor since i have the bike, but it would be nice to get 30MPG going down to LA instead of "having" to ride my motorcycle just to save money since my suv only gets about 16mpg on the way down there.

yea I think that gets like 12mpg

yea, now I definitely don't want it. I have no reason for a car like that.

haha but they are sick... and Justin Bieber has one!!!! haha yea they are super impractical but fun to drive if your neighbor brings them home and lets you drive them

Do you have Beiber fever? lol!

Naaa I just saw the episode of west coast customs where they tricked out a CTS-V for him haha

Does the CTs have the V6 or a V8? If the V6, run away as fast as you can.

as for the Genney, the new 3.6 has even more power than the old one as now it is direct Injected.

Crusty Old Shellback wrote:Does the CTs have the V6 or a V8? If the V6, run away as fast as you can.

as for the Genney, the new 3.6 has even more power than the old one as now it is direct Injected.

The CTS-V? Or the base model? I think I would rather get the Genesis, IMHO I think it looks better than the base CTS.
Yea the new one is up like 40hp. I'm not sure if I would rather have the 6 or 4, I am thinking the 6 since its got a few options other than the engine the 4 doesn't But I like the seats better in the track then the GT. But I don't know how the suspension is going to be.... decisions decisions...lol good thing I have like 8+ months to decide

CTS-V has a Supercharged 6.2L V8

Im pretty sure it pushes like 550 horses

CTS coup has a 3.6 V6 the CTS sports sedan comes with either a 3.0L V6 or a 3.6L V6

yea, I still am not digging the style of the non V CTS

yea my mom is gonna get a cts coupe

U should get a minivan!!! That would be the coolest car ever for u!

^ +1 that would suit him perfectly, like the honda Odyssey

NO, end of discussion. I hate minivans. Plus I already have a butt hauler, My Saab 97x.

Stay far away from any V6 the general sells. Trust me. I turned mine in due to engine issues. Lot's of others have too. And they still haven't fixed the problem.

As for the Genney, here's some reading for you.

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/

dwolson2 wrote:NO, end of discussion. I hate minivans. Plus I already have a butt hauler, My Saab 97x.

By "Butt hauler" you mean hauls butt right?

well both...for an SUV