Need a new ride

I guess I'll be the first to say: A nice 540i, maybe a 2001 or so.

 

Cadillac CTS.

 

You might also want to consider the Acura TL, 270 hp and all the bells and whistles. For top of the line TL, $35k seems to be a good value.

 

He said it had to be reliable.

 

Yeah, that's the downside. If only Acura made it a RWD. It would be a winner.

330i or C320 will require a lot of haggling to be at $35k unless you go for a CPO.

 

Have you driven a new 6s? They put a 6-speed auto in this year. Loaded, you're well under $30K.

 

Volvo S60 all day long. Do the maintenance on time and the car will last longer than you. There is even an R version out that has more power and better brakes. I'm a little biased though I have a 240 wagon with 227k on it and a V70 wagon with 100k (Olga and Inga respectively)

 

I am picking up my new G35 coupe in a few minutes, but yesterday I rode around in a g35 sedan just for the hell of it. If you want reliability, you won't EVER do better than an Infiniti.

When I was 15 my dad gave me his 94 G20 with 100,000 trouble-free miles. I dogged the car for another 60,000 miles. Besides routine oil changes, all I had to replace mechanically then entire 160,000 miles was one clutch. That's it! And man did I abuse that car!

Right now I am getting rid of a 98 I30 with 178,500 miles on it. Again, I slightly abused this car and was able to not have any mechanical issues AT ALL until last week.

I think the BMW 540s are great cars, but repairs n such might get costly if something bad happens.

As for the G35 sedan. I think the interior may be lacking somewhat, but I think the 2005s have been improved. The motor makes solid power and won't let you down.

My $0.013 Euros

 

the 5 series have been bullet proof...check out the consumer reports data...one of assoicated has 280k miles on his 528i, 1997..no problems and the car is as solid as the day it was new..the same cant not be said for caddys

 

paul, i was checking out the x type for my wife as she loved the styling and 4 wheel drive...but we both came away disappointed...poor chassis, the ride and handling were only ok the interior was cramped...the bmw, g35, acura, etc are all much better cars..and you alos have the jags ? reliablity

 

I've put 26,000 miles on my G35 Sport Coupe (daily driver). Great car with plenty of excitement and style. I actually got more attention in it then in my 348 when I first got the Infiniti. Now the 355 gets more naturally. However, I am quite pleased with the Infiniti. I am looking at the 2005 M45 Coupe when I comes out. My wife has an 04 Lexus which is fine but lacks any real driving excitement.

 

OK, 2 new Camrys.

 

From a former BMW lover, that is the exeption rather than the norm these days. BMW quality has been taking a dive, not necessarily engines, but electronics.

Cadillac's, on the other hand has been going up. The cars that come out of the Lansing plant have been great.

http://www.jdpower.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2004045

Nissan quality has been horrid lately, Infinitis seem to be OK.

 

Paul, I'm selling the wife's '04 330i. I bought her a Touareg V8 and the BMW has to go. It only has 6k miles on it. It's metallic black w/ black lthr, auto, sport, cold & premium packages, xenons, harmon kardon, etc..

The car is perfect and the only reason we're getting rid of it is because of a baby on the way... I wanted her to have a bigger vehicle and one that would be better in all weather conditions. It's been sitting at my friends dealership for about a month. It is a lease and the buyout is just shy of $38k but I'd be more than happy to talk.

You can see it at www.baystatemotorsports.com
it's at the bottom of their inventory page.

 

no problem, let me know if I can get you any more info on the car. good luck.

 

2002 XJR and select edition warranty (3yrs warranty) out the door is within your range or possibly an 2003 S-Type R with even more warranty.

Stay away from the X-Types unless its an 02 or newer. Stay away from the first two years of the S-Types and any '98 or '99 XJ. Much better bargain used, Jags only regain maybe 55% of their value after 3 years.

G35's are nice, too. 120k only out of an Audi? They should be ashamed. I have 116k abusive miles (racing, lots of full throttle and redline daily) and its putting out STOCK numbers and compression! $500 bucks in break fix plus whatever for fluids, brakes, etc. I do my own brakes, so for me its $250-300 per axle (new pads, rotors, fluids, gloves).

Sunny

 

Classic. . . have you and your wife decided on anything yet? (I'm late to the thread, I know)

Something you may want to consider if reliability, AWD, comfort, sportiness are all issues:

2005 Subaru Legacy GT sedan, with auto transmission. These can be had in Limited trim (heated leather seats, sunroof, etc) for right around $30,000 . . . come with 250HP turbocharged engine, weigh-in around 3300 pounds, and are very compliant on the road.

Open it up and it goes pretty darn quick. No torque steer. Power mods are already on their way (it shares much of the same engine with my STi) if you want some more umph in the future.

These cars are the definition of reliability. My girlfriend has nearly 200k miles on her 1992 Legacy turbo wagon, and many cars go well over 300k miles when maintained (which is minimal). In fact, Subaru just this year surpassed Honda in reliability for new cars.

Anyway. . . hope this information helps in your decision-making.