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Old    LR3w8kbrdr            09-27-2012, 8:03 AM Reply   
Ok guys...I know how these threads can go off target fast but looking for input.

I drive 36k miles a yr and have racked up over 130k miles on my suv over this time. Im not complaining about the gas mileage I get or cost of fuel but I clearly hate racking up all those miles on a brand new car and now its not worth crap bc of high mileage.

So Im looking at possibly getting a car at least until I stop driving so much for work, which at that time maybe a F150eco, Tundra or Escalade. I spend alot of time in my car so comfort is a must. I know people are going to say Honda but Im sorry I cant go from luxury loaded suv to a stripped down cloth interior and basic electronics. Maybe theyve changed??

As much as I want a bmw or audi i dont think buying one a few yrs old will work out once I start racking up mileage?? I could be wrong but has anyone driven a 335/5 series or a4 over 100k miles?

Ive had exp with infinitis & jettas. Both were nice and would fulfill my needs for a yr or two. Dont have a family and dont tow much anymore.

What are your thoughts?

***there is no way in h e double hockey sticks that the words mastercraft, correct craft/nautique, xstar, g23/25 fit into this conversation😬
Old     (shredthagnar)      Join Date: Oct 2011       09-27-2012, 8:18 AM Reply   
Well an escalade would cost just as much as ur lr3. And it burn rediculous gas. If your thinking about a pickup you can rack miles on I'd go Japanese or diesel. As far as cars go you we're onto something with the Infiniti. I just bought one a couple years ago with 60k. Already taken it over 100k and it stil runs great. Nothing electricly has messed up. Basically no complaints with my G35. German cars will run forever. Only problem is the maintenance cost is very high
Old     (sidekicknicholas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       09-27-2012, 8:32 AM Reply   
I was looking not to long ago and I drive a similar amount of miles a year....

I eventually narrowed my search to the follow:

A4, 335i / 535i, IS250/350, E350, or G35/37

After driving them all, considering the miles I put on, and just the fit/feel of the cars I went with a Lexus Is250 (which I sold to get an IS350 ... 250 is slooooowww).

I've owned these cars for like two years now and love them. Smooth ride, looks nice (to me at least), great seats (helps with all the miles), lots of creature comforts, good mileage, and it has been very reliable *knock on wood*
I bought my IS250 with 60k miles and got it close to 100k before I sold it.... zero problems
My IS350 is now at 88k miles and still runs like a champ.

MGPs (250/350 are almost identical):
City : 24 mpg
55mph highway: 33 mpg
Interstate @ 80: 26 mpg
*This is using premium fuel ... which is required due to the high compression*

Downsides:
If/when repairs come knocking they won't be cheap (but any luxury car is that way)
One cup holder in center console (I'm in the car alone 90% of the time so for me it isn't a big deal, but other might hate it)... there are some in the doors in the front, but I wouldn't trust anything without a cap in those.
LED / DLR lights are almost too bright.... I get flashed constantly and it gets annoying
Back seat is small... but 90% of the time it just me, 8% me and the Mrs., and 2% more than that
No fold down rear seats .... just a pass-through.

If I could go back and do it all over again I certainly would. The car(s) have been awesome and I got great deals on both.
Old     (cadunkle)      Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NJ       09-27-2012, 9:37 AM Reply   
When I used to drive 140 miles/day I drove a '68 Galaxie. Very comfortable and pleasant on long drives. Mileage around 16-18 depending on engine so not great but better than a truck. If I was gonna do a drive like that again and didn't care about fuel costs I'd prefer a '65-'68 Galaxie, big block and 4 speed. Racking up miles has absolutely no affect on the value of the car, maintain it and keep it nice and you won't lose money if/when you sell... Of course to maintain value you couldn't drive it in the snow/salt year after year but I don't think that's a problem in FL. Mechanically very simple and reliable, they just work, and maintenance parts/wear items are cheap and easy.

Realistically if I was to do a drive like that again I would be in a '60-'65 Falcon... Because I do care about MPG and those cars will get 30-33 MPG highway, closer to 40 with overdrive. Very reliable and cheap/easy to maintain while being more comfortable than a new econobox (Honda and the like). I can't stand being in a Honda for more than 20 minutes (I'm tall, they're small and awkward), but never was uncomfortable driving my '63 Falcon for a few hours at a time.

If you want something new just get a Crown Vic, 2000-ish, give or take a few years. Still a very simple car, maintenance will be more and reliability less with fuel injection, but mechanically they're great cars and often go 300k+ miles if cared for without major repairs.

I wouldn't touch anything FWD for a long commute, for comfort, reliability, and maintenance cost reasons.
Old     (acurtis_ttu)      Join Date: May 2004       09-27-2012, 9:43 AM Reply   
my g/f has an 06/07? bmw 3 series...almost 150k miles.....zero problems...runs great, great gas mileage, the interior still looks great. The leather they use hold up very well ( her driver seat leather looked better than my 09 escalade ( 50k miles) before I sold it), but compared to other luxury vehicles...the interior is just blahh to me.

I used to drive a 07 civic 2 door as my commuter car with an escalde as the SUV.....I always liked driving the civic, lol.

But even with that said, I'd go Lexus over BMW.
Old     (magic)      Join Date: Mar 2002       09-27-2012, 9:47 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by cadunkle View Post
...

If you want something new just get a Crown Vic, 2000-ish, give or take a few years. Still a very simple car, maintenance will be more and reliability less with fuel injection, but mechanically they're great cars and often go 300k+ miles if cared for without major repairs.

I wouldn't touch anything FWD for a long commute, for comfort, reliability, and maintenance cost reasons.
Funny, I went through this a while back. Crown Vic was close to the top of my list for the same reasons. I ended up going the Craigslist route. Bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee fully loaded (leather, heated seats, heated mirrors, newer tires, V8, AWD...) as heading up and down to the local ski areas is important to me. I knew it would take some servicing, put about $1200 into it over about two years. Not bad at all. Sold it via Craigslist for the same price I bought it for, so I was just out gas, oil, and $1,200 in service costs. I'm becoming more and more a fan of finding a killer deal via Craigslist. End up with a ride that meets my needs and I don't care about it very much. Get bored, toss it back and fish for an other one.
Old     (dbdb)      Join Date: Oct 2005       09-27-2012, 9:48 AM Reply   
I was in a similar situation.. My daily commute went from 34 miles to 60 miles round trip. At the time I had a Ford Explorer and was getting around 15mpg. I traded for a TDI Jetta for the fuel mileage. It was pretty awesome to go from filling up every other day to every 10 days. After owning it for a little bit I started hearing about the HPFP failures and how people were not getting them covered under warranty (its a 10k fix). I decided I didn't want to chance it anymore and I sold it (got almost all my money out of it). My brother is pretty good at buying and selling cars for a little profit (he ends up buying and selling about 5 cars a year) told me to start looking for a BMW 335i because they are all over the board on prices and picking one up cheap is pretty possible. I ended up with a 2009 335i with 29k miles on it (6 speed manual, Xdrive) for 26k. I've only had it for about 7 months now, but so far I couldn't be happier. The performace out of these things are great. I ended up putting this tuner on it http://www.burgertuning.com/jb4_pnp_...nce_tuner.html The car is pretty fun now. I am getting about 26mpg (all highway).
Old     (azeus17)      Join Date: Feb 2010       09-27-2012, 9:50 AM Reply   
You mentioned Jetta's, so I will assume you are open to VW's. If that is the case, I would look at one of the new diesel Passats. I have seen a few around town and they look pretty good and I assume you can get them loaded up with all the creature comforts. Being diesel, it should be pretty good on MPG's and run well past 100k miles without major issues.
Old     (wakereviews)      Join Date: Sep 2006       09-27-2012, 9:52 AM Reply   
just bought a '10 Acura TL with the manual transmission and am very happy with it so far. Has all the luxuries and you can get a used one for 30k
Old     (ttrigo)      Join Date: Dec 2004       09-27-2012, 12:06 PM Reply   
Not sure why people are down on hondas. Probably the most reliable cars out there. My wifes civic went 275k miles before we gave it to her niece. We now have a 2011 honda accord. Fully loaded, leather, moon roof, nav, etc. gets almost 40 mpgs, and she drives about 100 miles per day.
Old    LR3w8kbrdr            09-27-2012, 12:13 PM Reply   
Its not that im down on them...what does that loaded accord cost?
Old     (jeff_mn)      Join Date: Jul 2009       09-27-2012, 12:27 PM Reply   
New? $30k like everything else.

I have a 2010 Maxima SV. Loaded - every option. Sport kit, power everything, technology, etc etc. Bought it was 22k miles on it for $25k. Best car ever.
Old     (wake77)      Join Date: Jan 2009       09-27-2012, 1:24 PM Reply   
Jetta TDI. I have one and love it.
Old     (ttrigo)      Join Date: Dec 2004       09-27-2012, 1:59 PM Reply   
We got it for under 30 last year, when they were getting rid of the last of the 11's they had on the floor.
We had been looking at the tdi sportwagen also, but neither of us felt comfortable driving it. Something didnt feel right. The accord is perfect for what we need it for. Commuting, 3 hour trips to san diego with famiy. Everything fits. Heated seats are sweet too!
Old     (skull)      Join Date: May 2002       09-27-2012, 2:16 PM Reply   
Prius C brother. I went from spending $140/week on gas to around $30.00. It was the best 23K I ever spent on a vehicle and you see lots of Prius cabs with 300,000 miles on them.
Old    LR3w8kbrdr            09-27-2012, 2:41 PM Reply   
Think i might just look into a 7-8k car right now. Although I did stumble across a loaded limited 2011 Tundra in my searching for sedans lol

I probably just need to stay away from the "luxury" they seem to take the biggest hit as mileage goes up. So no M3 for me

I did find some 05+ jettas less than 10k. Besides the cheaper I go the sooner I can buy another boat
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       09-27-2012, 3:08 PM Reply   
cheap cars with soul...

acura rsx type-s (good luck finding an unmolested one tho)
civic si
wrx
gti
r32 (2nd gen is pretty lux too, but way overshoots pricepoint.... basically a 2dr A3 sline)
scion tc?

Lux cars for cheap
c class
acura tl
older g35

gawdamn would I steer clear of a high miles vw tho. Or any german for that matter.

Too bad honda has been out of the sport coupe game for so long. We need a prelude again.
Old    LR3w8kbrdr            09-27-2012, 3:42 PM Reply   
Thoughts on 2009 jetta TDI w/ 45kmiles? Just looked at an excellent condition one w/ package2 on my way home.

Man its going to be tough leaving a "manly" suv w/ all terrain tires & blacked out wheels and going into a car like this. But just need to be smart about this and its financial sense.
Old     (wakeboardingdad)      Join Date: Aug 2008       09-27-2012, 7:21 PM Reply   
Okay. I have to say Honda. I loved my sons Accord. It ran well, had great interior, was roomy, drove well and with the V6, it was pretty quick too. Mileage was good too, especially on the road. Honda's are 300K mile cars. I just bought a used 2009 CRV with 2.4, leather and sunroof. I wish I had bought another Accord, but the wife needed the tall space in the back for her hobby. Mileage is about the same as the 3.0 in my sons Accord. Not too happy about that, but the car seems way bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. We drove it 14 hours straight this past summer and while it got a little tight at times, (with two 15 year old boys in the back seat) I was not beaten to death when we arrived. It averaged 26mpg with 4 folks, all the luggage and running 75 most of the way from Memphis to Lake Erie.

As I continue to read other posts, you could consider the Acura RSX which is the CRV on steroids. (Lots of 'em) and a turbo. However, I'm not a fan of forced induction for something I plan to leave alone (minimal maintenance) and drive 300K.
Old     (wake77)      Join Date: Jan 2009       09-28-2012, 2:57 AM Reply   
My TDI is a 2012, so I would think it would be comparable to a 2009. I'm getting close to 48 mpg on the freeway and the thing has plenty of power. I haven't had any issues with mine except for the control on the sunroof (and that is due to when it got damaged in a hailstorm and I think the body shop didn't get the controls put back together). I have been very pleased and haven't had any buyer's remorse.

But I also don't think you can go wrong with Honda, Toyota, etc.
Old     (three6ty)      Join Date: Feb 2004       09-28-2012, 11:48 AM Reply   
I have an 2011 Audi A3 TDI as my company car and in 18 months have put on 70K miles. It is super comfortable, has a great audio system, all leather, gets 43+mph hwy and I average about 37mph overall each tank. It is the same motor as the VW's so the Passat, Jetta, Audi sedans and wagons all have it.
The only thing it has needed in 70,000 miles is gas, Synthetic oil change every 10,000 miles and 1 set of tires. other than that I have done nothing to it. It has plenty of power and handles great.

Im getting a new 2013 Audi A3 in December

Good luck in your search

Last edited by three6ty; 09-28-2012 at 11:49 AM. Reason: spelling
Old     (dbdb)      Join Date: Oct 2005       09-28-2012, 1:56 PM Reply   
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=286380


Seriously...do not buy a TDI Jetta. I had a 2009. It was a great car when it was working, but they have lots of problems and VW does not stand behind them. I was starting to have some problems and a friendly tech told me to get rid of it. I sold it the next day. If you read that forum, you will find lots of people have problems with them. More than anybody has let on.
Old     (dbdb)      Join Date: Oct 2005       09-28-2012, 2:07 PM Reply   
The place I bought mine from said they had 6 come back with the HPFP failure. They told me that they were all from people putting gasoline in them at some point instead of diesel, and the customer was responsible for the $9500 repair bill.

The "friendly tech" that told me to get rid of mine told me that all of the cars were tested and did have diesel in the tank and one of the customers had all of his fuel receipts that did show he bought diesel. I heard their arguement was that it was over B5 diesel and that voided the warrranty. Around here, you can only find B11 diesel because Illinois gives fuel stations a tax break for offering more than 10% biodiesel.
Old    LR3w8kbrdr            09-28-2012, 2:17 PM Reply   
Wow...thanks. I did spend a few hrs on that site last night after I made that post. Im keeping options open but ur also talking to one of I guess "rare guys" who hasnt swore he'd never own another Rover, apparently they have a bad rap for service repairs lol

Trying to switch jobs too right now too so have to play it by ear and see where I land.
Old     (pesos)      Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Texas       09-29-2012, 8:27 AM Reply   
Holy crap, Rob and I agree on something! The Prius C is great...
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       10-09-2012, 8:01 PM Reply   
I know you said no Hondas, but have you seen the '13 Honda Accord Sport. I just ran across this thing and it looks pretty cool on the outside, gets 35mpg highway and costs under $25k. Might think about trading my G35 in on this. I'd say a ton on gas...
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       10-09-2012, 8:18 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by kstateskier View Post
I know you said no Hondas, but have you seen the '13 Honda Accord Sport. I just ran across this thing and it looks pretty cool on the outside, gets 35mpg highway and costs under $25k. Might think about trading my G35 in on this. I'd say a ton on gas...
Looks like a poor mans tsx. In a good way. My dd is an 07 civic SI sedan so I can totally get behind a row your own Honda four banger.
Old     (Thrall)      Join Date: Oct 2010       10-18-2012, 10:28 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by LR3w8kbrdr View Post
Thoughts on 2009 jetta TDI w/ 45kmiles? Just looked at an excellent condition one w/ package2 on my way home.

Man its going to be tough leaving a "manly" suv w/ all terrain tires & blacked out wheels and going into a car like this. But just need to be smart about this and its financial sense.
Here's a thought, a good middle ground between a manly suv and a chick mobile (prius, honda, etc) and they're cheap and reliable. Decent hiway mileage too.
Dodge Charger. 3.5V6's get 30mpg hiway, 5.7's get hi 20's mog hiway and have muscle car power.
Pro's: Cheap to maintain American drivetrain/parts. Bulletproof trans, (Mercedes 5speed good for about 500hp). Bulletproof engine, the Hemi anyway.
Big, safe comfortable good riding car.
If it has decent wheels/trim, it lloks like a muscle car not a Prius!
Can get used V6 models with 60k mi for under $10k. Can get higher miles 5.7 V8 models, 100k mi for around $10k.

Cons:
Not as good of milage as a compact car.
Not as yuppy as a Prius or Infiniti.
They are hard on front end components, bushings, ball jts, etc.

I'm not a car guy at all. Owned nothing but trucks since about 20yrs old, same for wife, but we/she wanted something smaller than her big diesel for her new city commute and ever increasing kid carrying duties. This car fit the bill. I'm not embarrased to drive it either. Gas mileage not a huge concern. Not a ton of miles and my carbon footprint wouldn't be reduced substantially just with one fuel efficient car anyways!
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Old     (wakereviews)      Join Date: Sep 2006       10-18-2012, 10:45 AM Reply   
Plus you can smoke the tires in that thing! Definite bonus
Old     (kko13)      Join Date: Jul 2006       10-18-2012, 7:02 PM Reply   
Have you considered a small SUV. Got a 2012 Ford esacpae few months ago. Bought it for the wife because she liked the looks and we have kids so it fit our needs. Its a loaded XLt sportpakg., w/leather, heated seats, bluetooth and sync.. Pretty much everything except navigation (wich you can get). We got the V6 they do make a 4cyl. We avg22mpg. The thing is major comfy and a blast to drive. Really good deals on the 2012s right now since the 2013s are out and all new.
Old     (kstateskier)      Join Date: May 2002       10-24-2012, 7:34 PM Reply   
Funny, when this thread started I wasn't really looking for a car, but as I mentioned above in the post, I found the '13 Honda Accords online. Went to drive one last week and ended up grabbing a '13 Sport in black for $23,400. I traded on an Infiniti G35x and haven't missed it for a minute.

The Accord is not going to win any races, but through the week I have had it so far it has been the my favorite car I've owned, and I've had Acuras, Infinitis, and a couple Lariat F150s. There are just enough bells and whistles in the Sport package to make me happy and not a lot of the stuff I don't need. I also realized with the G35 that I don't hot rod enough to justify driving a car that gets 18mpg chugging premium unleaded. I have been getting 36-38 mpg with the Accord so far.
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Old     (nautiquesonly)      Join Date: Sep 2007       10-25-2012, 7:22 AM Reply   
Have you looked at Hyundai? I know I may get flamed for suggesting it ,but my wife and I just bought a new Santa Fe and love it. We got the sport with a 2.0 turbo. It will move and is getting 25mpg city and hwy mixed. Sticker says 31 hwy but she has a heavy foot. Car is loaded up except nav and sunroof. You can even start it from your smartphone. If you told me 10 years ago I would be considering a hyundai , I would have said you were out of your mind. 10 yr 100k warranty for the original owner too. They had a new elantra in the showroom loaded up and it was 24k asking price. I was able to get ours for around 2800 under msrp. Just throwing it out there as we ended up at Hyundai on a whim and drove lots of other cars. We looked at Ford, Acura, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru and nothing held even close to the Hyundai.
Old     (dirwoody)      Join Date: Apr 2003       10-25-2012, 1:35 PM Reply   
I have Ford Fusion and absolutely love it. Very quiet, comfortable, great mileage (4 cyl) and virtually zero maintenance. My wife has a lexus and I'm not a fan, would take my Ford back in a minute. If they're not nice enough, just head to the Lincoln dealership - like jumping from Axis to Malibu. Seriously worth a look at least.
Old     (jaybee)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-25-2012, 5:20 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by kstateskier View Post
Funny, when this thread started I wasn't really looking for a car, but as I mentioned above in the post, I found the '13 Honda Accords online. Went to drive one last week and ended up grabbing a '13 Sport in black for $23,400. I traded on an Infiniti G35x and haven't missed it for a minute.

The Accord is not going to win any races, but through the week I have had it so far it has been the my favorite car I've owned, and I've had Acuras, Infinitis, and a couple Lariat F150s. There are just enough bells and whistles in the Sport package to make me happy and not a lot of the stuff I don't need. I also realized with the G35 that I don't hot rod enough to justify driving a car that gets 18mpg chugging premium unleaded. I have been getting 36-38 mpg with the Accord so far.
So happy to know I am not the only person who has traded in a G35 for a Accord for pretty much the exact same reasons you did. Everyone called me crazy for doing it, but it was when gas hit an all time high and I just got tired of paying premium prices.

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