smk4565

Since I have had my car almost 10 years, I figure I'll keep my next one a while. A few years ago I thought about getting a new car so I was between Lincoln LS and 1st gen CTS, but didn't like either enough, so I spent some money to fix mine and decided to keep it. The Aurora will need new tires, oil change, check engine light is on, check gas cap light on, it needs airflow sensors, etc. So it is either put $1500 into it or get a new car this fall. I figure a 2009 Mercedes is going to last longer than a 2009 CTS or Genesis or other 4 year old luxury car, or even a new Hyundai for that matter. I don't want a FWD car, and affordable rear drive sedans are few and far between, because I don't want a Charger/300, nor do I want a used 3-series, I don't like BMW styling.

Priced about where the Genesis R-spec is, so not surprising.

Recent Mercs are rated pretty high in reliability by JD Power and some others. The 2009 E-class has good scores, it was at the end of the model run and they had the bugs worked out by then. I did find a 2006 STS-V for $21,000, but I don't want that. I've thought about the Genesis since it has the 10 year warranty and and cooled driver's seat, and for some stupid reason only the V8 E-class has the cooled driver's seat, (not on E350's) and E550's are hard to find and are thirsty and I could probably never use the power.

The Genesis does lack passion and soul. They put in the engineering work, the luxury features, the double glazed windows, the big V8, etc, but they forgot the heart and soul. Sort of the opposite of an Alfa Romeo, which has the flair and forgot the engineering.

Cadillac's gains seem to be at the expense of Infiniti, who really dropped. Even though Cadillac is shooting for the Germans, I think their sales growth will come form the decline of Acura, Lincoln and Infiniti. The luxury market is only so big, and Mercedes and BMW are still growing in the USA, however those other 3 brands are weak and ripe for the picking. I've seen a couple new Impala's on the road, so I wonder what the mix of old and new is in that 10,000 sold. Nevertheless, the execs have to be worried about over 30% drops for the Impala and Malibu and they are brand new vehicles. Although the Impala should drop in sales but go up in profit.

I sort of wondered why the CTS didn't come up before, but I just figured you didn't like the current one and 2007 was too old. Since I am looking for under $25k rear drive cars I thought about one too, but I am not a a big fan of the bulky styling and like how the Genesis V8 more. But I need to drive an E-class because I think that is what I'll end up with. I'll probably keep the car 10 years, and Mercedes last forever.

The Impala is terrible. It screams rental car. Some cars are cool, and probably 80% are appliances that no one else aspires to have. The 300C has some cool factor to it, even though it isn't really my cup of tea. The Passat with the 5 spoke wheels looks expensive and has that German build quality expensive look to it that makes people turn their heads to look at it.

The sad thing is the Chrysler 300 diesel exists in Europe as the Lancia Thema with a 239 hp V6 and 400 lb-ft of torque. 2008-09 CTS are under $25k, I imagine 2010 LaCrosse's must be also.

Every GM sedan pre 2008 is pretty bad by today's standards. I did just have a thought though, the 2005-2010 STS sells for dirt cheap now, and it does give you a fairly nice interior with a lot of equipment. Plus most people that bought that car were 70 and parked it in a garage, so there are many low miles, clean examples to pick from. They ride a little soft for my liking but Drew likes a soft ride.

Is it a 2003 Buick Regal Joseph Abboud or early 2000s Park Avenue Ultra?

What about a 1992 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur. Those are around $20-25k and have a roomy interior and pillowy ride. Mid 2000s BMW 7-series and Audi A8 can be had for $25k.

Drive a Genesis, they are really good, and the V8 is really powerful. I like the car a lot, but it just seems too boring for me, and it is a little soft. And the odd thing about the Genesis, is it feels sort of soft in corners, because it has a little body roll, but in straight lines the suspension seems to firm up. It should be the opposite, but none the less, they are a nice driving car, and pretty cheap used. If it was more interesting I think it would be my top choice, but every time I see one I just think it looks so bland. Buick Lucerne? Those have to sell for dirt cheap on the used market. But there is a reason for that.

I am really impressed though how far this class of cars has come in the past 10-15 years. Look back at a 2002 Malibu and how terrible it was compared to the interior in this car. Or the Altima, Sonata, or Taurus of the late 90s, to early 2000s and how terrible they were. Most of this class was cloth seats and plastic wheel covers and power locks and windows were your luxury features. Now they all have 17"-18" alloys, sat-nav, touch screens, leather seats with stitching, voice control, lane keep assist, etc. Cars have come a long way.

I like the new front end more than the old one, I still dislike the back end since nothing changed there. The new front is better to me, but the Impala looks way better, but more importantly, the Fusion, Sonata and Optima still look better and that is the real competition because the Camry and Accord will sell no matter what. They made good improvements, but they did so to a car that was in the back of the class. The Malibu is probably still average at best, but the Mazda 6 is getting a lot of awards and good press, the Passat is loved by auto journalists, the new Accord has been well received, the Camry sells no matter what and is back to it's 400,000 a year pace, the new Altima is strong, the Fusion really stepped up and sells nearly 30,000 a month, and the Sonata/Optima are still strong sellers. I still don't think the Malibu is better than any of those cars.

The Cruze itself isn't that good of a car to me, adding the diesel isn't going to make it better than a Passat, which has more room, more features, looks better, etc. If you take MPG out of the equation, the Cruze is no where near the car a Passat or Chrysler 300 are. It's too bad the Passat CC didn't offer a diesel. I haven't driven a Passat or 300, but I've sat in both at auto shows, I think the Passat has better build quality, and the 300/Charger to me seem really tall and wide, my car is big, but it looks little parked next to a 300 or Charger.

I did find a 2010 Mercedes Sprinter for $25,900, and that does have lots of room inside, and diesel mpg. But then I found this: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=15222&fuelCodes=DSL&endYear=2011&showcaseOwnerId=566795&startYear=2007&makeCode1=MB&sellerTypes=b&searchRadius=300&maxPrice=27000&mmt=[MB[][]]&listingId=346347434&listingIndex=17&Log=0 It's all there, 3.0L turbo diesel with 398 lb-ft of torque fitted to a 7-speed automatic, 6-passenger, room for stuff, rear DVD, Sat-Nav, 2 sunroofs, AMG looking wheels.

If every other car but the Prius, Mitsu Galant and Honda Accord got wiped off the earth, the Accord is a good idea. The Accord is just one step above a beige Camry, and buying a beige Camry is admitting you have given up on life. You can get a used Passat TDI in southwestern PA for $25k or less, but they are harder to find. There are loads of Chrysler 300's to pick from at that price or cheaper. The Chrysler 300 is a bit obstentatious as well though.

Home made car = death trap.

A 2006 S-class is under $25,000 and that was the first year of the 7-speed transmission, and the S500's equipment list can rival any $60,000 2013 car. I am tempted by that car but they are really long, and if you spend a lot of time in parking lots or parking garages, that could be annoying. For my next car I want to go smaller and more agile than the Aurora, something mid-size. Regarding the suspension, I think all S-classes have Airmatic, which has 3 settings. The S600 and AMG models had the hydraulic active body control added on which eliminates body roll. I think if you like the Chrysler 300 more than the Passat you should do the 300, because what you lose in MPG, you can make up in the 300 being about $3000 cheaper on the used market than a Passat TDI is. The Pentastar V6 probably takes 87 octane too, so that would help.

If you ignore the MPG part of the equation, a 2004-2006 Mercedes S600 is under $25k, I've seen them for near $16k before. That is 4900 lbs and 17 feet of car for around $20k. Per pound it is cheaper than deli meat. Maintenance and fuel costs on a V12 though must be astronomical.

There are 40 2012 Chrysler 300's for sale for $25,000 or less within 100 miles of Pittsburgh, most are Limited. Lots to choose from.

Forget the small cars, the Passat TDI gets 42 mpg, that beats the little cars without having to suffer with a 1.4 liter 4-banger with 140 lb-ft. The Passat is also really big on the inside, compared to it's exterior footprint. My guess too is a loaded up TDI that is a a year or two old is under $25k. I myself was going to look for a new car (well a used one) for $25k or less in the fall, I am sort of between the Genesis (due to the V8) and a 2009 E-class, because those seem cheaper than a 2009 C-class in most cases. I don't drive a lot of miles, so I was looking more for RWD and some performance and and luxury and mpg wasn't as big a concern for me. E350 Bluetecs of the 2007-2009 era are under $25,000 and they do run forever and hold value. I saw a E350 bluetech with 226,000 miles on it for sale for $15,000, not worth it to me, but most cars are dead at 226,000 miles that one still has value. 2010 or newer E-class will be out of your budget though. For FWD Family sedans I think the Optima, Fusion and Mazda 6 are all strong, but I suspect none of those are really what you are looking for, they are all pretty mass market and even though they are good, they still are a FWD appliance to some degree. Chrysler 300's on the used market are cheap, I've seen 2012 Limiteds for under $25k. I personally wouldn't buy any Chrysler because I think they all fall apart, but you do get 290 hp, an 8-speed, 30 mpg, roomy interior and big car looks for a low price. But I like the Genesis more than the 300. Genesis coupe sucks though, it is really loud and unrefined, although it is quick.

Mercedes has the electrified self tinting glass, but it is only on used on sunroofs or roof panels. They are looking at doing it on rear side glass, but legal issues arise. Not only do states have different laws, but every country also. Could be hard to fight the legal battles in all those places, and probably not worth the hassle just to have tinted rear glass. Great technology for sunroof or glass roofs though, and I think consumers would pay for it there, where as rear side tint, not so much.

I wonder how Acura stays around and sells cars, they are just badge jobs of Hondas, although Honda has some pretty big fan boys. I can't imagine that RLX will sell in any decent numbers, $60,000 for a 300 hp fwd V6, no thanks. And this is $30k for a Civic. Hopefully the Mercedes CLA puts a hurt on this brand.

I don't get the delay on the 9-speed, they run risk of not being first with a 9-speed, and the S-class is always first. I read that one headlight costs over $1,500, so it isn't like they are trying to cut corners on costs. It also made me think that Cadillac was worried about the $4.80 door handles on their flagship, how do they feel about spending $3,000 on the head lights. Another interesting factoid, is the perfume lasts about 7,000 miles and costs $65 to replace.