idriveahonda

Gents,

Looking for a car to put next to the Ferrari F40 and AM Vanquish in the stable. Something that my wife can drive and enjoy, when we take on trips. We both prefer a car with a "sporty" look and clean lines. Interior is important. Reliability (past 125k) is important as well.

Hoping some of you have real-life experience, as opposed to taking the (oftentimes biased) reviews online.

Budget
<$20,000.00

Currently looking at the following
BMW 530i
Audi A6
VW CC
Acura TL / TL-S
Hyundai Genesis
BMW 330i / 335i

Any insight appreciated.

If a car isn't on the list, and you recommend it...list it!

WALL-E

For that price you can get a nice 06-07 Acura RL. AWD standard, and it shits on a TL in terms of comfort. I've had both in the A-Spec versions, and my RL was my favorite sedan to drive. I regret selling it a lot. There isn't more than 1-2 A-Spec RL's for sale in the country at one time from my searching constantly.

WALL-E

For example:

Its a bit above your $20k price point, but don't let an asking price a tad higher limit your search. And in the end, if you can pay an extra $500-750 and be in a flagship car, why not?



http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=23060&endYear=2014&inGall eryView=true&modelCode1=RL&showcaseOwnerId=0&start Year=1981&makeCode1=ACURA&searchRadius=100&maxPric e=22000&mmt=[ACURA[RL[]][]]&listingId=353346059&Log=0

WALL-E

All the other cars you have listed, BMW, VW, Audi; are going to be massive pieces of shit past 125K miles, and most of them are pieces of shit before than too. I have sold "certified" pre-owned cars for almost 3 years now, those brands are the ones to stay away from if you are buying pre-owned and worried about reliability. Maintenance and service is stupid expensive, and parts later down the road are never cheap.


Those brands are the ones to buy/lease when they are new and under full-warranty; let someone else deal with the ass-raping of maintenance from 50k-125k. You can always get lucky and have a good one, but most will be very costly on your pocket.

idriveahonda

RL's are "ugly" to me though, in every color other than white.

I will look into them more though

Thanks Wall-E.

WALL-E

They are very ugly to me also, the A-spec lip kit, 18's, and lowered suspension set it off.



That car looks fucking boss, completely stock also. Drive one and see, they handle like they are on crack. Even gets a bit tail-happy if you throw it around hard enough, but is VERY VERY easy to control and bring back.


I could go into a turn, floor it mid-turn and have the rear kick out and come right back when desired, such an awesome car to drive.

WALL-E

Damn you Levi, I am considering driving to CO now, lol.



I have never, ever, ever seen a pearl white A-spec with black leather. God damn, what a hot car

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=23060&endYear=2014&inGall eryView=true&modelCode1=RL&showcaseOwnerId=0&start Year=1981&makeCode1=ACURA&firstRecord=26&searchRad ius=0&maxPrice=25000&mmt=[ACURA[RL[]][]]&minPrice=1&listingId=344135640&Log=0

Flinch

The only car on that list I would recommend to someone who wants nothing to do with constant repairs would be the TL; a distant second would be the Genesis and thats only because I don't have any experience with higher mileage ones.

Other suggestions:

- Newer TSX's (and by newer I mean 2010 and not the 1st generation body style) are now under the $20k pricetag if you don't mind miles around the 50-60k range; you can find them even cheaper if you opt for non-tech package cars

- You're still looking at 1st gen TL's for under $20k but the newer body styles are not far off....again you're looking at base FWD models with no tech package

- 2006ish Lexus GS300: all kinds of comfortable with subtle styling

- IS 250/350: if rear leg room or space is not a factor this would be worth considering

- Mercedes Benz C300: In my opinion, one of the better "cheap" German luxury vehicles. Good styling (if you opt for the "sport" and not the hideous "luxury"), RWD or AWD, and a host of pretty cool options. Fairly lengthy factory warranties (4 years or 50,000 miles) so you may even snag one still covered. I've driven a few and they are quite nice; much better than a non-sport package equipped BMW 3 series.

idriveahonda

Not a fan of ANY TSX, they look cheap.

Don't like the IS250/350 either, I see a bunch of paint flaws that show up quite quickly on those cars.

I may look into the C300's.

FLiPrayZin240sx

I've always liked Infiniti M35/45s...something about that body just looks good to me. Only catch with them is they have some oil consumption issue on some cars.