Need another car
 

BMW older 7 or newer 3 series (M3 maybe), 5's are just weird for me.

Audi

Suburu

The Porsche and Benz are useless for the family and the Beater I refuse to put my kids in so that leaves the wifes Tahoe as the family hauler and she wants a spare.

Figure $20-30k range

Opinions

My two picks would be the new Suby Forrester or a newer certified BMW 3 series..

You can by an Audi if you want problems. You can buy a Subaru if you want an invisible car.;) How is the 5 series weird? The 7 series is strange in my opinion. Seems like the perfect car for visiting diplomats. The 3 series is a great car for those that want 4 doors but have no need for adults (or reasonable large children) to sit in the back. I just bought a 5 series and the rear seat are very reasonable for adults, at least on short trips. If you are looking for just a 2 door, the M3 in a very capable car.

5 series is weird for me visually.

The 3 and 7 both make strong statements, the 5 just seems too vanilla.

But that's my personal aesthetic talking. The 5 is a capable car, just kinda plain, IMHO.

My dad just bought an 04 M3 Convertible with 22K miles, CPO, super clean for just a touch above your price range. There are definitely deals out there for M3s, the market has tanked for them in recent months. It will put a smile on your face every single time you get into the driver's seat. It was also the only BMW to make Consumer reports list of most reliable cars. If you do the maintenance (which can be a bit pricey, but the warranty/extended maintenance programs help), they will run for a long time. Lots of guys on the M3 forums with well over 100K miles and no real problems to speak of. He really hasn't driven it very much at all because he is never home, but he is getting about 17-18mpg around town thus far and closer to 25mpg on the one or two highway trips he has taken.

Audi - no. Talk to Jim C.

Subaru - actually, when you get away from the boy-racer STi, they have some good cars. Legacy and Forester are both good cars, and can be had with the turbo 2.5 flat-4. Quick, fun, reliable cars.

BMW - That money will buy you a nice E46 330i ZHP (performance package), E46 M3, E39 540 6-speed, or an E60 3-series. I hate the 7-series, but I suppose it would buy one of those too.:) If it were me and I needed 4-doors, I'd probably buy the 540/6. You hate the 5-series, so the 330i ZHP is another good choice. It's the closest to an E46 M3 4-door you can get.

I'd also throw out a Mazdaspeed 3 or 6. Fast, fun, reliable. Also Acura TL or TSX, Lexus GS or IS. Each will be decent to drive and last forever.

you might consider Lexus or Infinity...both have legendary reliability

I forgot Infiniti. You could easily pick up a G35 or M35/M45 for that money. BMW driving experience with Japanese reliability.

Volvo R series are worth a look. 300 horsies and great fuel economy, and definately not part of the "herd".

Yup. Volvo or SAAB. You need to go a little bit Swedish here! :D

Been Swedish, loved it.

In HS there was this au pair who lived up the street.

Had a thing going with here.

She was awesome.

Did not care that I had two other GF's.

Piano player buddy of mine loved her also, she'd always tell him what a wonderful pianist he was but with the accent it always came out as penis.:)

There are some great deals on straight 325i's. I bought one a few months ago after I morted my 964 and it has been a real pleasure, a really nive DD...fast enough, very tossable and gets 31+mpg on the highway.

It is CPO as well. Good luck with your search.

That would be my choice without hesitation.

Family hauler .... hummmm .. just bught a 99 M3 for my 20 yr old son/engr major ... not a good family hauler > unless you equip everyone with a neck brace >> cause the E36/M3 goes like a raped ape... and it's only 240HP....

I found my mojo >> only to turn it over to a 20 yr -old...

Don't get a M3 for a family vehicle.... unless your kids are named Arton, Mario, Michael, or Jimmy

Toyota

One of my Brothers-in-Law is a QA/QC manager for Toyota USA in Torrance, CA. He says the japs are fanatics on quality and going for six sigma (read zero) failure rates on stuff. A few years ago, he told me of a very intense set of meetings and investigations because three Lexus 430s in the US had had some water pump failure problem. THREE!!

They must be having a fit over the recent transmission replacement that our 5 year old GX470 with 50K miles had done on it...luckily it was under warranty, and I think it was an anomaly for Toyota...something seemed to be wrong from the beginning, the transmission is smoother and better than ever before.

Garrett

That proves my point.

Ah, six sigma, the latest fad in corporate America. We had a crap-load of classes and meetings about it, but like every other fad i seems to have passed. American companies are all about quality, until they discover it has a short-term impact on the bottom line.

Of the choices, I like the E39 5-series (though I'd want a 528i or 530i with manual - BMW's I6s are better than their V8s and their manuals are better than their autos). You could say they're boring, I think they're understated. I also like the E46 3-series, before the electric steering and run-flats of the new cars.

I'm thinking of getting one of these myself. The Z4 M Coupe I drive daily now is an extrovert - people are always checking it out, pointing, taking pictures with their cell phones. Some dates love it, other hate it. I miss having my black 325i, which made me virtually invisible on the road. Once I sell my Z4 roadster, I'll begin searching for a black 528i manual with Sport package (the 528 has a bit more torque than the 530, iirc). My 2nd choice would be a 330i sport package, probably swapping in a 3.46 diff.

the Subaru Legacy GT is a nice drive, available with auto or manual- that price range will probably get you damn close to new. AWD and it's a quick little car. Only thing is the interior is a bit cheap looking but if you can get past the silver paint everywhere inside it's a nice car. Gas mileage is a better deal overall too.

All the others you are definitely used territory. Audi will put you in poor house quick, BMW will start having problems after 60K especially a 7 series.