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Need help choosing a new car...

I would recommend Mercedes E-class (or all-new 2008 C-class), BMW 5-series, Audi A6, or Volvo S80.

All would be phenomenal cars at still reasonable price points that are elegant for a middle-aged lady.

If she's open to a coupe she might want to check out the BRAND NEW 2008 Audi A5.
 
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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Almost all Volvos tend to be reliability nightmares. The new S80 has an all new 3.2 V6 which hasn't gotten positive reviews, or a pretty nice Yamaha developed V8.

I would say check out Acura too. Great cars, bulletproof reliability, and insane resale value. All have FWD, or AWD too which is good for winter :)
 
true777 said:
I would recommend Mercedes E-class (or all-new 2008 C-class), BMW 5-series, Audi A6, or Volvo S80.

All would be phenomenal cars at still reasonable price points that are elegant for a middle-aged lady.

If she's open to a coupe she might want to check out the BRAND NEW 2008 Audi A5.
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The Mercedes diesels may be worth a look.
 
stonyc said:
- she's been happy with Japanese brands in the past (Toyota, Nissan in particular) and wouldn't mind going back

The number one contender right now, given those conditions and knowing how/where she drives is the Lexus ES.
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dpaanlka said:
If we're talking about Volvos and BMWs and Mercedes-Benz, Acura is just about the most boring recommendation you could have made.
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Um, that's just it--- you were talking about those cars, look at the cars the OP wrote about in his first post and later on. :rolleyes:

OP, when I read your post I immediately thought of Acura as well. Definitely wouldn't hurt to go and check out the dealership, give a few models a test drive. That said, nothing wrong w/ a Lexus, either. ;)
 
If you look at Subarus, check out the Legacy 2.5i Limited, or 2.5GT for more power.

The Lexus LS takes 207 feet to stop from 70MPH. That's the same as a Lincoln Navigator. The Audi A8L does he same in 171 feet.
 
dpaanlka said:
The Lexus is still way better than Acura. What a yawner all those cars are, have you ever driven one?
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Mm hmm. My uncle's TSX. For the record, he loves BMWs, he's owned over four or five of 'em. But he loves absolutely loves the TSX. (And for the OP, he's also owned Volvos, older Acuras, and BMWs).

Remember, the car is for the OP's mom. And she has already shown interest in a Lexus, she isn't looking for a super "fun" or "sporty" car. She's looking for luxury. Acuras manage to be luxurious without being pretentious, that's part of the appeal of them to me.

And, please remember, not everyone expects, wants, or needs the same driving experience. What you deem "yawnable" others may love, and what others deem "yawnable" you might love.
 
I would go with what the most are saying and recommend BMW 3 series (they offer a 4 year free maintenance which will pretty much cover even the worn out break pads), and don't just look at HP numbers to see which car is the fastest, there is more to actual car performance than HP (there is also the wieght of the car, suspension, AWD system, weight distribution) and it's something that most Americans don't realize.

Anyway, as far as Infiniti (nicely dressed up Nissan), Acura (nicely dressed up Honda), and the glorified Lexus (nicely dressed up Toyota) just don't have the sex-appeal of their European counterparts, they always just imitate and never innovate.
 
blitzkrieg79 said:
Anyway, as far as Infiniti (nicely dressed up Nissan), Acura (nicely dressed up Honda), and the glorified Lexus (nicely dressed up Toyota) just don't have the sex-appeal of their European counterparts, they always just imitate and never innovate.
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Especially Acura. Those are just cheap cars with leather seats trying to pass as luxury cars.
 
I would suggest the IS 250 AWD. It looks really good and is super reliable. Plus my mom has the 350 and it doesnt have the power it should, so I would assume the 250 AWD wouldn't be a race car.

My good friend just got a brand new BMW 335i in december (spoiled bastard) and he is already having problems with it. BMW's have always been a problem with my family and the people I know who own them.

Acura TSX is a good option too.
 
Chris Bangle said:
Jaguar XJ
BMW 5 series
BMW 335i
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I just picked up a 2006 X-Type. Drives well, plenty of performance for my commute. Dressed up Mondeo? Maybe. But I like it. The teething problems of the earlier X-Types appear to be solved.

Of course, the XJ is nicer, but I didn't want to shell out that kind of cash. I didn't want the BMW3/MB C class simply because the parking lot is full of them. Same for the Japanese brands.
 
I had a chat with her today and these were her (paraphrased) responses:

BMW/Jaguar was "too much" (not sure how to explain this, but it wasn't in reference to the price... more to do with the brand I think).

Audi... indifferent, didn't know too much about them.

Volvo S80, mentioned again how much she loved her old one.

Lexus IS/ES... very interested.

Acura TL... again, very interested.

So basically it seems like it will come down to if she wants to try something new (Acura/Lexus) or go with an old favorite (Volvo). Going to take her to an Acura and Lexus dealership this Saturday and perhaps take a couple for a spin.

Thanks again for all the suggestions... I'll update you all on how things end up and post some pictures. It's kind of fun spending other people's money.. :)
 
stonyc said:
So basically it seems like it will come down to if she wants to try something new (Acura/Lexus) or go with an old favorite (Volvo). Going to take her to an Acura and Lexus dealership this Saturday and perhaps take a couple for a spin.
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Don't forget, the Volvo S80 is all new and different this year, so be sure to test that out too.
 
dpaanlka said:
Don't forget, the Volvo S80 is all new and different this year, so be sure to test that out too.
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Also the Mazda-based fords, haven't been too polluted by Ford yet either.

The Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan/Lincoln MKZ should also be a decent winter vehicle.

The Mercury is likely aimed more at the womens market.

Not quite as nice and refined as the Volvo, but the people who got the Fusion AWD thought they did great in the winter.

Sort of sucks that there are only crossover versions of this from Ford, instead of the sport wagon that Mazda offers.
 
A paid for car is the best car to have! ;)

Would suggest that you start with the maximum price, see what is available, then looking at whatever criteria your mom feels important rate each car.
 
cycocelica said:
I would suggest the IS 250 AWD. It looks really good and is super reliable. Plus my mom has the 350 and it doesnt have the power it should, so I would assume the 250 AWD wouldn't be a race car.
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I hope you are kidding around, or I call BS... Your moms IS350 doesn't have the power it SHOULD? Multiple car magazines have gotten it to run 0-60 in less than 5.5 seconds, one even posted a 4.9. I certainly wouldn't call that slow, and neither would anyone else especially seeing as how it is a automatic V6.

Don't forget that a few years ago a C5 Corvette with 350HP was running high 4 second 0-60 times, same goes for some of the earlier 996 911's.
 
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