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Need help choosing a new car...

stonyc

stonyc

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 15, 2005
1,259
1
Michigan
... for my mom. The last car she owned was a Volvo S80 and she liked it, was especially impressed by the safety features and stability. The only thing she didn't like about the car were some engine issues... whether it was the actual engine itself, or just the sensor, I'm not sure. In any case, she's looking for a new car... so let me lay out the situation and then I'd be happy for any of your input:

- she wants a luxury-class car (no Ford, Chevy, Kia, etc.)
- she's been happy with Japanese brands in the past (Toyota, Nissan in particular) and wouldn't mind going back
- she's not adverse to getting another Volvo
- money is not a problem, within reason
- not a big fan of SUV's or crossovers

The number one contender right now, given those conditions and knowing how/where she drives is the Lexus ES. I drive a Jeep Cherokee Sport :), so I'm not all that familiar with this market... so if you could throw any help this way, I'd appreciate it.

And I apologize in advance for another car thread. :)
 
u shoul take a look at the new audi's they are sooooooooooooo nice this year, acura is making really nice cars too
 
I would check out acura's. Aside from the IS and LS, none of their cars seem that interesting to me- they look like toyotas with a lexus symbol. The new LS i think isn't as cool looking as the old one for some reason.

Audis are quite unreliable and very expensive to fix.
 
With the new CTS coming this fall, I bet you could find a pretty good deal on the current gen. What does your mom prefer? RWD, FWD, AWD? The Lexus ES is not a bad car at all. My dad and I test drove it last October. Interior was pretty comfortable and used good materials. Not for me, but your mom will probably like it.
 
Have you tried Cars.com? The site has a "lifestyle" search option (link: http://www.cars.com/go/criteriaSearch/lifestyles.jsp) that allows you to search for vehicles based on your budget, how you plan to use it, etc. It will show you all the vehicles that match what you're looking for, so you'll see some stuff you might not have thought of--or even known about.
 
mac 2005 said:
Have you tried Cars.com? The site has a "lifestyle" search option (link: http://www.cars.com/go/criteriaSearch/lifestyles.jsp) that allows you to search for vehicles based on your budget, how you plan to use it, etc. It will show you all the vehicles that match what you're looking for, so you'll see some stuff you might not have thought of--or even known about.
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Oh cool, I'll give that a try.

I personally like the IS too.. but think it might be too "sporty" for my mom.

I think FWD or AWD would be optimal, considering the Michigan winters.

I'll check out the Acura and BMW sites now..

Thanks for the suggestions so far, appreciate it. :)
 
stonyc said:
Oh cool, I'll give that a try.

I personally like the IS too.. but think it might be too "sporty" for my mom.

I think FWD or AWD would be optimal, considering the Michigan winters.

I'll check out the Acura and BMW sites now..

Thanks for the suggestions so far, appreciate it. :)
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The IS is RWD so that will rule it out. It is basically a smaller RWD ES. I would then recommend the BMW 328xi. The 335i doesn't have xDrive yet( BMW's AWD system). I am sure though the 328xi will be more then enough for your mom.
 
Infiniti M.

A beautiful car, you can get all wheel drive, and it crushed all comers in the latest consumer reports. It pains me to say all of this since I love Audis.:rolleyes:
 
quagmire said:
The IS is RWD so that will rule it out. It is basically a smaller RWD ES. I would then recommend the BMW 328xi. The 335i doesn't have xDrive yet( BMW's AWD system). I am sure though the 328xi will be more then enough for your mom.
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Well, you can get the IS in AWD.. but thanks for the tip on the 328xi, I'll definitely mention it when I talk to her next.

Right, more research on the 328xi and Acura TL.. thanks for the help so far. :)
 
Is there a 4WD Audi cheaper than the RS4? The rs4 is nice, but is about £50,000 ish:eek: How about a 3/5 series estate?
3
KWBMW3erkl.jpg


5 (bit too big to attach)
http://www.bmwworld.com/pics/5er/13782_1024.jpg
 
Aha. I say take a look at an a4 then. Or an a6. If she wants to stick with Volvo, the new s40 looks nice.
 
Well, even though I'm partial to foreign cars as well, the Chrysler 300c is a sick looking sedan, especially if you put the Bentley grill on the front...it's a sick car! And this whole setup for under $40k!

 
Beaut. What can $40K get you with an Audi/Beamer?

I'm partial to a Ford Mondeo myself. Looks much better than it's soon to be replacement.

09road.jpg
 
stonyc said:
She's not opposed to it at all, but like I mentioned briefly before, although she loved the car overall she had some minor issues with the engine... so she's open to other ideas.
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The new S80 is amazing. It's new, as in all-new for 2007. This would be a hard car to beat, especially in the price range.

P2006_1008.jpg


P2006_1007.jpg
 
I don't even see the 300c in england at all most of the time! I'm not actually that good with US cars anyway. What Bmw can be got for the price of the 300c then?
 
I like the 1 range in the UK, but you're really just paying for the privilege of a beamer. Would a Golf Gti do the job stonyc?
 
While my Integra was in the shop, the Acura Dealer lent me a TSX for two days. I have to say, that is the best car i've driven. It drives nice, leather seats, GPS. Good amount of bells and whistles. The Acura TL is better, so i can only imagine what it would be like. But i've been satisfied by Acura's. You get the power and the suspention of sportier cars. Check out Subaru as well. Their legacy line is nice as well. This years model features different performance level swich. Check out the Subaru Legacy as well.
 
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