Looking for a new Car - anyone with experience?

**yeahloh95** · 01-26-2011, 07:01 AM

paul has the g35x sedan awd and loves it

**u1arunit** · 01-26-2011, 08:15 AM

When we were talking I meant to tell you about the G35x cars, but forgot. They are awesome vehicles!

**SonofaBish** · 01-26-2011, 08:19 AM

Yea, after reading the reviews online, it looks like i'm gonig to try and stay with one of teh Japanese luxury cars.... they ALL have incredible reviews... the TL, G35 and Lexus' all get rave reviews for quality, reliability and just general owner satisfaction...

I'm going to try to be patient, but if a deal pops up, i won't pass on it..

**mineralrob** · 01-26-2011, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by SonofaBish

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

I would say TL. My sister had a vigor, 2dr legend,a 3.2tl and now a 08 TL. All great cars and never left her stranded. With the 08 she has never any issues other than routine maintenance and its still running like the 1st day when she bought it. I know i had my fair shair of parkway runs out of the legend and the 3.2tl and they never failed..Great cars IMO.

**scott5** · 01-26-2011, 01:04 PM

Oh geeze... just buy one already. And if you don't like it, do what I do and sell it then just buy something else. Haha..

But in all seriousness a g35x would be my choice for a car.. But a tb ss would look good in the driveway next to the vette haha

**u1arunit** · 01-26-2011, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by scott5

But a tb ss would look good in the driveway next to the vette haha

True but he said it must get good gas mileage. A TBSS does not apply here.

**SonofaBish** · 01-26-2011, 01:25 PM

Gotta sell the Jeep first....

had a buyer for it, but as typical with Craigslist people, he backed out at the 11th hour.... just straight pisses me off

**scott5** · 01-26-2011, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by u1arunit

True but he said it must get good gas mileage. A TBSS does not apply here.

Especially with awd and a heavy foot haha

**SonofaBish** · 02-01-2011, 09:20 AM

Welp - the jeep sold, and i went to buy a Lexus yesterday and it just wasn't as nice as it looked in the pics... It was a sharp car mechanically... but it had a line of rust where the windsheild met the roof... just wasn't something i was willing to spend my cash on... told the guy i'd buy if he dropped the car far enough for me to get it fixed, and he said to me "i won't drop it a dime"..... so, i walked out.... pissed me off, because i took a vacation day, drove 2 hours and came home with nothing....

There's 2 BMW's that i'm still considering.. the one i'm REALLY liking, but doubting I can get it into my price range... but we'll see... the other is super nice too, but the guy is very slow with responses, so i'm not sure when i'll ever have a chance to see it

**biminiLX** · 02-01-2011, 10:09 AM

Used higher mile BMWs scare me man, but glad you sold the Jeep.
I thought the 2 key settings was cool, never heard of that.
Hold out till you find one from an owner that keeps them right like you do.
-J

**SonofaBish** · 02-02-2011, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by biminiLX

Used higher mile BMWs scare me man, but glad you sold the Jeep.
I thought the 2 key settings was cool, never heard of that.
Hold out till you find one from an owner that keeps them right like you do.
-J

Yea... i'm not 100% sure yet what we'll do, but i'm a patient person, so no worries....

**90Fox** · 02-02-2011, 12:55 PM

I DD an 04 Lexus IS300 just turned 70k and I love the car inside and out. Its a top end monster for highway driving but weak out of the hole. Its plush as all hell with a great stereo, heated leather, climate control and all the other creature comforts. I have had this car since 47k and have done all the routine maintainence on it. If you do your own work you'll spend about $100 on filters and fluids but if you go to the dealership expect a bill close to a grand. Minus maintainence I've only had to put an O2 sensor in it. Very reliable and I'm extremely pleased with the car especially since it will be paid off soon.

Now I see fuel economy is a concern of yours and I have to say the IS300 is a hog!!! My girlfriend has a Jeep similar to yours with about 120k and I'd be willing to bet she gets better millage then I do in the Lex. I drive from the North Hills to Sewickley for work and I'm filling up once a week or more depending on my amount of leasure driving. I'm not sure the exact mileage round trip but I don't thinks its much. It's a 5 speed and to be honest it desperately feels like it needs another gear. I find myself checking to make sure its in 5th and not 3rd sometimes. Another issue with fuel economy is that you have to run 91 or higher which means 93 for PA residents and that makes for a $50 fill up. Now I don't drive like an ass and redline every shift but I also "enjoy" the car through twistys and on open striaghts if the mood strikes me.

Don't get me wrong I love this car and would highly recomend it to anyone for sure but if fuel economy is a priority I would go a different route. If that wasn't a factor I'd say go for it. Its a great fun car that will make the twistys a little more fun in a DD. The aftermarket is a little pricey compared to most but the car is well supported buy it. I plan on going a little wild with mine once its paid off and have been starting to aquire parts. I'll post a build thread in the non frd section once it gets underway.

Just my 2 cents hope this helps,

Matt

**SonofaBish** · 02-02-2011, 01:47 PM

thanks man -

The IS300 we looked at was nice, but it just didnt' work out... the dealer didn't tell me about the imperfections... ones that i wasn't willing to live with.....

Either way - i'm in quite a pickle... i'd prefer to stick with a japanese car because they ahve incredible reviews... however, when it comes to looks, the Mrs. doesn't liek teh '99-'03 TL's... inside they are gorgeous, but she doesnt like them outside... I wanna get her to look at one in person, but i dunno if i'll change her mind.... The G35 didnt begin until '03, and at that point, they all seem to be out of our price range... theres on in Cranberry that is in our price range, but i'm not sure about it.... its got about 10K more miles than i wanted to go..... And for the Lexus - the VAST majority of them are well out of our price range... and there's not many of them out ther.e..

I can find tons of BMW 3 series cars in our price range.. i particularly like the coupes... but i'm still kinda concerned about the reliability... if i knew i could just do routine maintenance, and be OK for years to come, hands down i like the looks of the 3 series coupes the best... but the inteior isnt' as luxurious and i'm just not sure about whether or not it'll cost me an arm and a leg..... plus, i have a buddy with an M3 who has loved his.. had no problems whatsoever

Audi's are out... haven't heard a good thing about them... except that they go well in teh snow...

I haven't looked much at the mercedes c230, but i think it'll be the same situation as the BMW... and i think the BMW is better looking, so i dunno.. the MB will have a better interior though, that's for sure

Decisions decisions

**90Fox** · 02-02-2011, 02:25 PM

The thing with the IS300 is there isn't many around here. There all on the west coast from what I gather from being on forums and what not. I was looking at an M3 and the previous owner of my Lex bought the M3 and traded the IS300 in. My car spent the majority of its life as a show car and the guy parted it to trade in. I ended up finding my car on a forum for sale before he traded it. I contacted him and he provided a wealth of insight and knowledge about my car. He had service records and all the invoices. I lucked out finding a clean one for sure cause there a lot of beat up ones still selling for big money in my oppinion.

Your def in a tough spot with what your looking for I personally would stay away from the German cars mainly the Benz and Audi. BMW's are great cars if you do the up keep and hope the previous owner did as well. Most BMW dealerships sell it new then take the same car in on trade so that would be a question to ask the salesman and hope they did all the service and what not. Just something to consider if you plan on buying from a BMW dealer.

Pics of what my car was and is now

**90Fox** · 02-02-2011, 03:04 PM

**SonofaBish** · 02-02-2011, 05:06 PM

No, thanks for the little research.... those ones you posted are out of our price range... if we were willing to take on a small car pmt, they wouldnt' be, but i'm not intersted in getting a car pmt at this point (will be getting another mortgage in the next month i hope)...

so, that leaves me looking for something that i can get for under 8K.... I found a COUPLE IS300's in that range, but not much... i don't wanna go over 130K miles.. and preferably no more than 110K... my jeep had 112K... The other thing i'm not sure of is how much my fiance liked the IS300... i loved the feel of it and the way it drove... but she didnt seem too enthused about the interior

dissapointing what you said about the Benz.... i see a lot of mixed reviews about the Benz... actually, to the point where high miles might be what you want, so all the stupid little quirks have been worked out.... I found a super nice, higher miles C240 that is an A+... price is good too.... could save a good amount of money... but i'm worried about it..... interior is spotless and very classy...

The BMW's i'm lookign at arent being sold by the original dealer, but the Carfax shows that they've been well maintenanced by VOB in maryland... Me personally, i'd sacrifice a little bit of interior flashiness for a gorgeous car outside... but i'm not sure how Angela feels about it... its a tough call... ya work hard for your money, so there's always that fear of chosing the wrong one.... used car shopping SUCKS

**scott5** · 02-02-2011, 05:26 PM

JUST BUY ONE. I will tell ya what. You give me the money and i will go buy ya something.. haha.

I know i texted ya earlier about the V.. Have you thought about a regular cts?

**SonofaBish** · 02-02-2011, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by scott5

JUST BUY ONE. I will tell ya what. You give me the money and i will go buy ya something.. haha.

I know i texted ya earlier about the V.. Have you thought about a regular cts?

yes, i have... not sure if i wanna go there

**Stangman701** · 02-02-2011, 09:42 PM

Have you guys considered GTP's at all? You could get a decent 04-06 in your price range. Most of them come pretty well loaded with heated leather, sun roof, and some have HUD and paddle shifters.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

**SonofaBish** · 02-03-2011, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by Stangman701

Have you guys considered GTP's at all? You could get a decent 04-06 in your price range. Most of them come pretty well loaded with heated leather, sun roof, and some have HUD and paddle shifters.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

I've always liked gtp's, but for some reason I'm thinkin she didn't like them.... but now that u say something, I'm gonna have to run it by her again.....