Help on looking for a new car.

[JBmac]

Have you looked at Suzuki SX4 Sport?

I am 6'4" and the sentra is a little small.

it is just me but I wanted something larger and more conformable to drive long distance in. Lets face it 5 hours in my sentra is just really cramped. Not enough room for the legs. While it is a Spec V (highest model sentra) at the end of the day it is still a sentra so it is not like it is the most conformable car. A blast to drive but still it wearing on me

So more conformable on long distance trip. If it has extra power for the fun factor then it is huge bonus points. I have grown used to having a car with a lot of get up and go power so it added to the fun factor.

I just bought the 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport model at 0% financing, in the 17 - 18k range, Has a lot of options as standard, and has a higher cab, or roof, good for taller people. Also the new Suzuki pickup truck just came out, The 2009 Equator, and that is also within your price range .

 

[NightFlight]

Accord or TSX gets my vote. BTW the TSX is the European Accord, which is slightly smaller than the previous generation USDM Accord.

-The Altima has the 2.5 in it as well.
-If you are selling your Sentra because of reliability concerns why would you want to buy a VW? Very bad idea.

 

[blackfox]

My dad was recently considering getting an Altima, but reconsidered due to the following:

Evidently Nissan has been trying to get the weight down in their cars, and subsequently use a lot of plastic parts. If you were ever to get into an even minor accident, you could be facing long (and expensive) repair bills as a number of small plastic parts can get damaged all over the place. Just fwiw.

I am so biased on cars, so will try the (uphill) battle of pitching what I drive. A Saab 9-5 Aero. Saabs, especially with GM, kinda get a bad rap - I have found my car to be dependable and reasonable to maintain - as long as you do preventative maintainance and have a nice indie saab mechanic. They are lovely cars to drive - and quite luxurious. Great gas mileage. Lots of space.

While Saabs are rather overpriced new, they depreciate quickly. You could find a nice pre-owned (saab-certified) one for a bargain. I found mine - 4 years old with 40K for only around $12K (mine wasn't certified, but it was my fourth Saab, so I knew what to look for) - spent a little more on preventive maintainance and have been golden for a few years.

If you must choose from your list - I would go for either the Honda or the Subaru. Hondas are always solid, and Subaru looks pretty good these days (though I always worry about the eventual expense of fixing AWD cars)

 

[ErikCLDR]

I've driven the 3.5 Altima. It's nice but has a ton of torque steer. Too much power for a FWD car.

 

[Scarlet Fever]

Have a test drive of the Subaru Legacy. I've driven the Outback (a raised, off-road variant of the Legacy), and it is a ripper of a car. Its boxer engine is quite perky when you need it, and sedate when you don't. Being a Subaru, the suspension is as close as you can get to perfect; it stays flat around the corners, yet it swallows up speed bumps. Their build quality is top notch, yet the cost of the car is fairly low.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I would go with one of the U.S. made auto's just to help the local economy. I just bought a Dodge Charger and boy did they have some great deals and rebates on those things. Sweet and powerful ride and came with satellite radio plus a ton of extra's. Good luck

 

[SactoGuy18]

Question: how old is your Sentra? If you're talking a pretty old one you might want to consider a 2009 Sentra. I've driven the 2008 model and it's actually a pretty nice car, with surprisingly decent interior space and engine performance, especially if you get it with the CVT automatic. With the price of gasoline threatening to go up anytime even in the current down economy, you want a car that won't bite you in the wallet in the future at every fillup.