Looking for a new Car - anyone with experience?

**SonofaBish** · 01-25-2011, 11:06 AM

My fiance is driving our Grand Cherokee 6 days a week and it is killing me on gas.... she used to drive her dad's Hyundai and that was lovely, but he needs it back for a little while, and I'm looking at selling the Jeep and picking up a semi-nice car to replace it with.....

Our Jeep had all the luxuries, heated leather seats, dual zone climate control, obviously 4WD, etc etc... I don't want to downgrade, so i'm going to see what i can pick up in the 1999-2002/3 range... probably look for something with relatively high miles, as it won't be a vehicle we have forever, and in general I don't mind a WELL TAKEN CARE OF high mileage daily driver....

So here's what i'm considering.... in the year range mentioned above, it looks like I will be able to put enough cash in to get one of the following:

BMW 323i
BMW 325xi
Jaguar X-type 2.5/3.0
Audi A4 1.8T / 2.6
Audi A6
Acura TL 3.2
Lexus IS 300

Obviously from my list, i'm lookign for something that, 10 years ago, was a top-of-the-line vehicle... I don't mind domestics, but the reason i got the list i got to was that I originally wanted AWD for my fiance.... My first thoughts were a early WRX, but for some reason, WRX's are insanely expensive, and the only Subaru i can get for a reasonable price is a Legacy Wagon... no thank...

My favorite is teh 325xi.. its AWD... grealt looking car... but probably the most expensive of teh bunch.... my next fav is the 323i, but its RWD and often a stick - both of which are fine for me - but the Mrs. may not care for... i may be able to swing it with some pushing, but also I wanna get her something SHE wants ....

My next favorite is the Jag... I LOVE the looks of teh x-type... and they can be picked up for a great price.... however, i'm afraid that i'm 30 years too young for the Jag (i'm 25).... I told Angela that i'd let her take it for a test ride, and see how goofy she looks when she pulls back into the parking lot..also, they seem to have good reviews online for reliability and comfort...

I LOVE the Audi, and there are TONS in my price range, but of course, there's a reason for that.... after some looking, they seem to be a money pit, and most reviews say "Awesome car if you can afford the up-keep" or "Awesome car, just sell it before the warranty is up"..... so, i'm probably going to stay away from the Audi's...

The TL was my latest addition... i really dont' like it near as much as the othres, nor as much as the newer 2005-2007 TL's... but, its somethign i'll entertain...

The Lexus was also a late addition, as i just started lookign at them today.... once again, it'll be tough to find it in my price range, and its RWD... but, its a pretty sweet car otherwise, so i'd consider it if i cross paths with one

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What do you guys think? Anyone with experience of any of these cars?? I'm hoping i can find an "xi" BMW for the right price, but its going to be tough...

Any other cars i should be looking at?? Like i said, i prefer AWD, which i know limits the number of cars in the early 2000's... if i could swing a late 2000's, there's tons of options... The Infiniti G35x is an awesome car, but 2004 is the first year and they're all upward of $10K... not looking to spend that much

**venom** · 01-25-2011, 11:46 AM

I loved my 330XI. Audi was my 2nd pick, but I had a VW at the time so I wanted something a little different.

**yeahloh95** · 01-25-2011, 11:49 AM

my vote goes for bmw they are reliable and dont have the quality issues of the audi

**bgblockelcamino** · 01-25-2011, 12:21 PM

acura tl would prob be top of the list for me out of those cars. cheapest ones to maintain too and parts are readily avail. just have to make sure trans fluid has been changed and timing belt wter pump is done.

**FineLineMtrSprt** · 01-25-2011, 12:47 PM

I would avoid the jag just based on quality reasons....and the audi can fall into that catagory as well. BMW's are expensive as hell to fix if anything goes wrong...but what it boils down to really is what ya like the most and fits your needs/price structure.

**somethingclever** · 01-25-2011, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by yeahloh95

my vote goes for bmw they are reliable and dont have the quality issues of the audi

Have you ever owned a bmw?

I haven't but know a few people that have.....reliable is not a word I would use to describe them after 50k miles....not in an xi version anyway

My opinion is that if you don't do your own work, it would be cheaper to keep filling up that Jeep than to buy a high mileage European car...especially in AWD.

**03 OW SVT** · 01-25-2011, 03:28 PM

Brent, how bout an older Subaru Outback Sedan, Subies are very reliable and AWD.

Also, the Audi A4 is a good choice. We have an 07 A4 with the 2.0 turbo AWD and it is great in the snow and gets 35 mpg's regularly. The only thing is it needs a quart of oil every 2,000 miles and the Service Dept at Sewickly Audi, says they all do. Other then that the car has been great and very reliable. I know 07 is newer then your looking to get but you can find older ones out there pretty cheap.

I know the Bimmers can be very pricey to repair.

I would also stay away from the Jag.

**SonofaBish** · 01-25-2011, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by CST 03

Brent, how bout an older Subaru Outback Sedan, Subies are very reliable and AWD.

Also, the Audi A4 is a good choice. We have an 07 A4 with the 2.0 turbo AWD and it is great in the snow and gets 35 mpg's regularly. The only thing is it needs a quart of oil every 2,000 miles and the Service Dept at Sewickly Audi, says they all do. Other then that the car has been great and very reliable. I know 07 is newer then your looking to get but you can find older ones out there pretty cheap.

I know the Bimmers can be very pricey to repair.

I would also stay away from the Jag.

Subaru was my first choice, but I want somethat that we'll like... and i also don't want to go backwards in luxury... like i said, the Jeep was loaded to the gills... even had the differentiating remotes that changed mirrors, radio stations, seat positions, heat, etc depending on what remote unlocked the doors....

And also, like i said, there are a TON of Audi's.... A4's and A6's are a cake walk to come by.... but you are about the only person i've read of that DOESN'T say its a maintenance nightmare..... now, i will do my own work, but if parts are expensive, its just as much of a hassle... the older A4's have the 1.8T, adn that was my second choice (behind the Subbies) when i began looking... but everythign i read is bad news... only way i'd buy one is with a couple year warranty...and no one is going to warrant a high mileage car.... they seem to be way below Blue Book value, so that doesn't inspire much confidence either...
I really don't like teh old Legacy's, and like i said, i can't hardly find any anyhow... sure, there's a ton of 2000 Legacy Wagon's out there, but that's just not a car for me... And i've searched within a 200 mile radius of pittsburgh, and only found 1 WRX that's under 10K... and it has 140K miles...

The TL is something i will consider... not exactly what i'm looking for, but a nice car nonetheless...

And someone above said the Jag is bad on maintenance... that's the exact opposite of what i'm reading online... seems to be only good things said about it... guess i'll do some more looking around...

**SonofaBish** · 01-25-2011, 03:39 PM

And with the BMW's, they seem to hold their value better than almost anything else... they seem to be very highly sought-after, so that's always a good thing... I really havent' read anything bad about them...

but what about the 323i's? or 325ci's?? They are RWD cars... any experience with them?

**03 OW SVT** · 01-25-2011, 03:46 PM

I know the Jags used to be a mechanical nightmare years ago. I don't know about now. Thats why i said that.

**SonofaBish** · 01-25-2011, 03:57 PM

part of my problem is that people usually only comment on the internet when they ahve something to bi*ch about..... so its tough to say if those people are just unlucky, or if a whole line of cars is bad

**SonofaBish** · 01-25-2011, 04:00 PM

The TL has great reviews on edmunds and stuff...

**bgblockelcamino** · 01-25-2011, 04:15 PM

at least with TL you can get parts from part store if needed since shares a lot of parts with accords and other hondas. i have done seceral timing belts and water pumps on them. the worst i have seen with those cars is transmission problem above 150k? but typically flush the trans and good to go for another 50k before flushing again.

the jags i thought were based on the taurus? another car i would stay away from.

Bimmers are well built cars but any repairs i have had to do to them have always costed more. clutch in a M3 had to buy special sockets for it and the replacements parts for clutch and flywheel was 900 if i recall and can't cut flywheels since they are 2 peices.

**Cam99** · 01-25-2011, 05:35 PM

I had an X type a couple years ago. It only had 60k on it when I bought it, and it was an electrical nightmare. Started when it felt like it, hvac controls worked when it felt like it, radio worked when it felt like it, etc. etc. Could have been just mine, but I'd be wary of another jag.

**u1arunit** · 01-25-2011, 06:06 PM

Brent, I have had BMWs, Audis, and an Acura TL, and would never own a Jag, ever..

BY FAR the most reliable will be the Lexus or the Acura. Every other car listed is not made as well, plain and simple. Not that some are not nice cars but they require more, and costly maintenance.

**yeahloh95** · 01-25-2011, 10:03 PM

i have been around driven and worked on 5 different bmws from brand new to high miles they may be more for maintence , but they will still feel great even after 100k

**phillysrt4** · 01-25-2011, 10:08 PM

04-05 Neon SRT4 ;)

Seriously though, from the way a car "looks" I like BMW styling above the others in your list. Id lean toward the 325xi. When it comes to a 10 year old car I think just about any have the potential there for an expensive unforseen repair, especially if the maintenance is undocumented or sketchy. Hence I'd lean more toward aesthetics when getting a car from those model years.

Stories from friends who own bmw's confirm the "its more expensive to repair" theory with BMW, but the styling and AWD features of the BMW wouldn't deter me from giving one a try...

... or get a blue SRT4 with a stage 3 kit and boltons ;)

**biminiLX** · 01-25-2011, 10:27 PM

Bish, has she ever had a RWD vehicle?
If she's not used to one, I'd stay AWD/FWD only.
I still like the Legacy GT or Infiniti G35x idea.
-J

**SonofaBish** · 01-26-2011, 06:17 AM

J,

Yes, she has... she's even had one in the winter, just been overly catious when deciding to go somewhere (good thing i guess)... she had a v6 Camaro for a couple years at one point..... Plus, believe it or not, i'm crazy enough to let her drive the corvette (not in the winter though), so she's had some experience with one

**SonofaBish** · 01-26-2011, 06:19 AM

Ok, so what about the G35? I found a regular G35 sport sedan (the RWD, not the x AWD version) that seem like it might be a nice daily driver...

Anyone have any experience with the G35? I'm assuming it would be more like the TL in that its a Japanese luxury sedan, so parts might be easier to come by? My boss used to have one, and he liked it better than his Mercedes and the brand new BMW he bought...