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Unhappy with sport sedan choices on the market

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Old 05-05-2007 | 06:15 PM
  #41  
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My understanding was that "dawheat" was looking for a more upscale, luxury car. My thoughts:

Acura TL - good car, if you don't plan on driving past 8/10ths. After that torque steer will sully the natural feel of the steering

Infiniti G35 - looks good on paper, but isn't as good to drive. Interior quality just isn't there, and the gas mileage is atrocious.

Lexus IS350 - looks good on paper, and performs well. Decent interior. But this one can get a little pricey.

BMW 335i - so utterly, BLAND, and boring that you could stick a Kia badge on it, and no one would notice the difference. Boring exterior, mundane interior.

Mercedes Cclass - don't know where to start on this one. I think MB really lost their way on this one. Car doesn't know what it wants to be.

Audi A4/A5 - based on the looks of the A5 and the stats, I reckon the next A4 will be "the" sedan to get. A5 looks gorgeous, and the FSI motor in both 2.0 and 3.1 iterations are great.

Cadillac CTS - el cheapo interior, and too many quality issues to make this a contender. I hope the next gen lives up to its promise on paper.
Old 05-05-2007 | 08:21 PM
  #42  
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My understanding was that "dawheat" was looking for a more upscale, luxury car. My thoughts:
Well, he said $20-30k range... that would be the Legacy GT, MS 6, A3, 1 Series, maybe a loaded Accord... as far as quality sport sedans in that range, the Subaru, Audi and Bimmer will be the better cars imo...

Mercedes Cclass - don't know where to start on this one. I think MB really lost their way on this one. Car doesn't know what it wants to be.
New or old? I think the 08 looks really good.

Isn't Subaru is releasing the 3.0R this year (mid $30s), which is a more upscale version of the Legacy.
Old 05-05-2007 | 10:17 PM
  #43  
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Stay away from the TL. It will bore you to death with blandness...

I test drove an '07 G35 w/M6 and they have finally fixed the twitchy clutch. Maybe it got fixed with the 05 upgrade.

G35 doesn't have the sharp responses of a S2000 but it provides the best blend of looks, value, comfort and fun in a compact RWD sedan.

Besides the Phoenix dealer experience mentioned by someone else above, Infiniti dealers rate near the top in customer satisfaction.
Old 05-07-2007 | 07:09 AM
  #44  
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I think the new G35 is the way to go, you can hop into a Journey for about $32k, paddle shifter automatic would be fine for a commerter IMO.
Old 05-07-2007 | 07:29 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by vinsanity,May 5 2007, 08:35 AM

I would also suggest an Evo 9, but it's not really an improvement over an s2k from a commuter-car standpoint
What do you mean? It's got 5 seats, big back seats, huge trunk, and a stereo you can actually hear while driving...
Old 05-07-2007 | 07:45 AM
  #46  
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Dude. Take caltrain to work! Then you won't hate driving and can keep the s2k!
Old 05-07-2007 | 08:21 AM
  #47  
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If this were me, my choices would be between the Lexus IS250 and the BMW 3 series.. you dont need AWD so that cuts off a good $3,000... I was just car shopping with my mother and I actually really like the Lexus... some sweet features, a nice interior, and it was pretty fun to drive even though I didn't get to push it... the BMW i know less about except that this is the top sedan for this price range almost consistently year in and year out... if this were me, I'd already be in my LEX
Old 05-07-2007 | 09:47 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by ekal42o,May 7 2007, 10:21 AM
If this were me, my choices would be between the Lexus IS250 and the BMW 3 series.. you dont need AWD so that cuts off a good $3,000... I was just car shopping with my mother and I actually really like the Lexus... some sweet features, a nice interior, and it was pretty fun to drive even though I didn't get to push it... the BMW i know less about except that this is the top sedan for this price range almost consistently year in and year out... if this were me, I'd already be in my LEX
I think the OP was looking for under 30k. can you even get a I250 or 3 series for that? Both are the bottom line cars from that brand. If that is what you know
Old 05-07-2007 | 10:11 AM
  #49  
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Try new minis. They are turbo charged now. My brother just got one and it's quite fast.
Old 05-07-2007 | 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted by rockville,May 4 2007, 04:02 PM
A friend of mine with a well cared for '02 BMW has had a number of issues in the last year including two which required towing. In less than 2 months he needed a new alternator, cam sensor and some other pricy bit. The car has about 80K on it. If that were a Caddy at least some people on this forum would hold that as absolute proof that domestic quality (even brands that have nothing to do with GM) are junk.
Anyway, it is not conclusive proof that BMW's are expensive to maintain but a 5 year old BMW was expensive for my friend. BTW, he is the original owner and doesn't abuse the car.
Have a 97 328IS, have to admit I abuse the car like it is a red headed step child. Have close to 140k on the odo. Have had to replace some item but that comes with any car. The expensive in the BMW comes from finding a good mech that can work on your car if you do not have the shade tree skills.
Lots of BMW's out there with well over 100k miles on them.


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