Need a full sized sedan or coupe around 30K.

[DaleMX]

I'm looking at the 2007 Camry SE V6, an Avalon, or a Maxima. The Camry is on the top of my list. The V6 in the Camry and the Avalon is 268 HP. The transmission in the Camry is a 6 speed auto and the Avalon is a 5 speed auto. The Maxima is a 255 horse unit with a 5 speed auto but costs around 3000 more. Leather interior is a must (Got dogs). So is Bluetooth hands free.

 

I need to car to haul Mom, Dad, and my girlfriend around in.

 

Any sugestions or recomendations are welcome.

[riverz]

I know this is going to sound weird but have you looked at a volvo lately. They make a s40 with a turbo 5cyl with 215 horse, all wheel drive and a six speed manual very fun car to drive and comes in a wagon and a sedan. Also very comfortable in the front and back. I am 6'1" and my wife is 5' 10" and she can sit bhind the drivers seat with out her knees thouching the back of the seat. If you ever wreck rember you are driving the safest car in the world. I have seen one that got in a head on at 80mph and the only injury was from a laptop screen that hit the air bag. The other thing is you wreck it right the thing will float with all the airbags (jk.)The (s60 is a bigger car with less interior room Figure that one out) Hope this helps and good hunting.

[dsommer]

I picked up a used Infiniti 2004 G35 sedan with a 6 speed manual. Rear wheel drive with lot's-o-options. The car is a blast to drive, go test drive one, or a newer Infiniti think they are the 45 series now or something.

[slownrusty]

I would rather take public transportation over buying a new Volvo.

 

Infiniti G35 or Acura TSX Type S all the way....Camry and Avalon are about as exciting as a stick of butter.

 

Maxima is great too but trails the G35 and the TSX.

 

If you are willing to buy slightly used but still under factory warranty, man the variety is sickening!

 

Yasin

[Moridin]

What about a MazdaSpeed6? 280HP, AWD, and a 6 spd.

 

You could always do a used Cadillac CTS-V. 400HP, 6 spd, and RWD.

[cygnusx1]

You may find good value in a Subie Legacy. Outback, GT, Spec B, Base model, wagon, or sedan. I find our base legacy wagon extremely useful and pleasant to drive. I would imagine the Spec-B to be quite a ride.

 

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/roadtests/0306scc_subaru_legacy_gt_spec_b/

 

If you want to stretch the budget a little, the gorgeous Lexus IS 250/350 base model comes in at about 32K.

 

 

Of all the ones you listed the Toyota Camry is probably the "smartest" choice financially.

[MusPuppis]

Heres what you want to do,

 

Come to Kentucky and buy my SHO 220hp/200trq. 4 Doors, leather, 5 speed. Your lookin to spend 30k, I'll only charge ya 20k! OMG!

 

Anyway.. lol.

 

I had the occasion to ride in one of the new Saab's the other day. i wish I could tell you the model.. Man, that thing was slick. 4 doors, leather, auto sadly, turbo though. We werent able to get on it cause of traffic, but it was smooth and silk, I was very impressed. I couldnt say if it falls in your price range though.

 

Tough to go wrong with a Camry. The new ones look pretty slick to.

[80LS1T]

If you can afford the Infinity M45 buy it! We have one that comes into our dealership for service(nissan) and man what a car! The thing is nice on the inside and the outside......"ultra pimped"! LOL.

 

If you what a Maxima, get a 2007 with the CVT. That car is fun to drive. The tranny is very smooth and when you floor it it just holds at like 5000 RPMS all the way up to 80mph+!(and it gets there pretty quick).

 

Guy

[veritech-z]

How are the Nissan CVT's? GM's are total and complete CRAP. The ones on the Saturn Ion and VUE are junk, and are pretty much going to fail at least once before the warranty is up. We do them all the time in the shop at the Saturn dealership I work at. Acura TSX's had bad reputations in the shop when I was working at the Acura dealership, but I'm not aware of any specific issues. The technicians would always make comments about "what a hunk of junk" they were whenever they would come in for service. They sure look nice though. Also when I was at acura, we were doing something like 7-11 transmissions a week warranty (that was across the model line-up, not just tsx's). I wouldn't want to get stuck with a bad tranny once the warranty was up...

 

On a positive note, I've got an 02 Altima that I've had since new, and put 90k on, that is very spacious inside, has been relatively trouble free (even considering it is the first model year of this body style), and has fantastic cup holders. The new SE-R altima has the same VQ35de as everything else nissan makes these days, as well as a beefed up suspension. Something to think about. If I were shopping for cars again, I'd be looking at a WRX wagon, but that's just me.

[Challenger]

Is a WRx Sti not luxury enough? If so have you looed at Srt-8 Chargers/300c, but it is a little spendy, so you could mabey just a go with one with a 5.7 hemi?

 

 

How are the Nissan CVT's? GM's are total and complete CRAP. The ones on the Saturn Ion and VUE are junk, and are pretty much going to fail at least once before the warranty is up. We do them all the time in the shop at the Saturn dealership I work at. Acura TSX's had bad reputations in the shop when I was working at the Acura dealership, but I'm not aware of any specific issues. The technicians would always make comments about "what a hunk of junk" they were whenever they would come in for service. They sure look nice though. Also when I was at acura, we were doing something like 7-11 transmissions a week warranty (that was across the model line-up, not just tsx's). I wouldn't want to get stuck with a bad tranny once the warranty was up...

 

My dad has a 5 spd 4cyl Vue and I've been telling him we have to go test drive a CVt Vue, are they really that bad? What goes out? is it the hydralics, pulleys, the belt?

[veritech-z]

They ARE that bad. They develop a whine after a few thousand miles, and the first thing they try is a fluid drain and fill, which is about $100 just for the 5qts of fluid and the syringe of VTI additive (we refer to that tranny as a VTI internally, everybody else calls them CVT's). If that doesn't fix it, they replace the case cover, which is the part with the band and pulleys on it, as well as the cooler lines. In parts alone you're now close to $3,000 (that includes 5 MORE qts and another additive), not to mention the shop time at $84 per hour plus misc. fees. I think that job pays something like 11 hours, so you're almost at $5k if it's out of warranty. They extended the warranty to I think 70,000 miles on that part only, but pretty much EVERY VTI tranny that leaves the showroom ends up in the shop at one point. It just can't handle the 2.2 liter engine I guess. Which is sad, because that's not a super strong engine anyway as far as 4 cylinders go. I haven't heard how the other manufacturers' CVT's are doing, I just know that I wouldn't recommend ours if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long time.

 

sorry for the thread jack. In other saturn news, we just released a new sedan called the Aura that is surprisingly quick for the money late last month. My dealership hasn't sold a single one yet, so they'd probably make you a good deal if you want one.

[80LS1T]

The CVT that is the Murano has had ZERO issues. The Murano also has the 3.5L engine so obvioulsy the power isn't too much for it. Maybe the GM CVT's are just crap?

 

 

Guy

[veritech-z]

That's a sound hypothesis...I'm inclined to concur (I hate working somewhere that I don't believe in the product-makes it hard to sell).

[Michael]

If you don't mind FWD, consider a V6 Accord. Otherwise the G35

[qwik240z]

The Avalon is a car for your grandpa.

 

 

 

I have an 06 Infiniti G35x as my daily driver. I love it. The car is sporty and comfortable. It has plenty of power to keep this LS1 240Z owner happy and the VQ35 motor loves to rev. 280HP in the RWD version and 270HP in the AWD. Even the automatic trans is decent. I like the manual mode. The exhaust sounds good too.The VQ really sings. The car handles pretty well. The bluetooth is great, the Bose stereo sounds awesome.

 

It also has nice modern features. It has an A/C duct that provides A/C to the back seat area and the back seats reclines too. The power windows have one touch up and down for all 4 windows and the moonroof is one touch controlled too. The memory power seats are nice too. The keyless ignition is great. You can keep the key fob in your pocket and just get in and start the car. I also like the way you can open all of the windows with the remote to cool off a hot car before you get in.

 

 

Infiniti is going to release the newly redesigned 07 model next month so they will be dealing on the 06 models. You can get one for a little more then the cost of the Maxima.

 

 

 

How long do you plan to keep it? Maybe a lease would be a better option. You can lease one for about $400. a month. Maybe less now. Sure cuts the payment and you aren't tied to it for too long if you get tired of it. I tend to get tired of cars after a short time. I had a 2002 Maxima before the G35 and kept it for 4 years but I was ready for something different after 2 years.

 

Stay with Nissan/Infiniti. You can't go wrong.

[DaleMX]

Went and looked at the Infinity website. The G35 sedan looks like a good choice for me. I'll check out carmax for a used one first but I would rather deal on a 2006 next month. Thanks everyone for all the info!

[qwik240z]

Went and looked at the Infinity website. The G35 sedan looks like a good choice for me. I'll check out carmax for a used one first but I would rather deal on a 2006 next month. Thanks everyone for all the info!

 

 

Let us know what you decide.

[dsommer]

I have an 06 Infiniti G35x as my daily driver. I love it. The car is sporty and comfortable. It has plenty of power to keep this LS1 240Z owner happy and the VQ35 motor loves to rev. 280HP in the RWD version and 270HP in the AWD. Even the automatic trans is decent. I like the manual mode. The exhaust sounds good too.The VQ really sings. The car handles pretty well. The bluetooth is great, the Bose stereo sounds awesome.

 

It also has nice modern features. It has an A/C duct that provides A/C to the back seat area and the back seats reclines too. The power windows have one touch up and down for all 4 windows and the moonroof is one touch controlled too. The memory power seats are nice too. The keyless ignition is great. You can keep the key fob in your pocket and just get in and start the car. I also like the way you can open all of the windows with the remote to cool off a hot car before you get in.

 

 

Infiniti is going to release the newly redesigned 07 model next month so they will be dealing on the 06 models. You can get one for a little more then the cost of the Maxima.

 

 

 

How long do you plan to keep it? Maybe a lease would be a better option. You can lease one for about $400. a month. Maybe less now. Sure cuts the payment and you aren't tied to it for too long if you get tired of it. I tend to get tired of cars after a short time. I had a 2002 Maxima before the G35 and kept it for 4 years but I was ready for something different after 2 years.

 

Stay with Nissan/Infiniti. You can't go wrong.

 

Well guess you covered it all!!! I didn't want to go into all that detail but you are dead on in every aspect of the G35, I love mine too although it's not an X model,( couldn't quite swing that one) but it does have the MT6, the window feature on the fob took me a while to figure out (had an 96 Maxima that did the same thing and was wondering why they did away with this feature...)they didn't I wasn't holding the button down long enough, and the one touch switch windows, I love that no more messing around with switches longer than you have too.

 

My only other choice would be an 06 Hemi Charger, plenty of power and interior room but not quite as "tossable" as the G, the Charger feels heavy IMO.