[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by beepbeep

Audi S-anything: run away. They are nice when they work...which they frequently don't.
SAAB 9-5: dirt cheap and best bang for buck until engine grinds to halt due to sludge-issues. Russian rulet.
BMW 5xx: nice but not really made to last. Lot's of small fidgety issues. Rear hatch rusts, steering bushings wear quickly etc.
Ford: low-budget car trying to mimic up-market cars. It shows.

My best bet would be a Volvo V-something or a Subaru.

Your Audi comment is true for some but not others. I have a higher mileage 2002 S8, over the course of one year and 10,000 miles I have replaced an HVAC fan and cooling fan clutch, grand total of maybe $300 in parts. It doesn't get much better than that in a used car.

Saab sludge = moron owners that followed the ridiculous extended oil change intervals. Many other makes had the exact same issue including Toyota. I had a 9000 Aero with 235k, original motor, turbo, transmission, head gasket, etc.

The Fiesta and Focus are about $20k brand new. You get what you pay for, in this case a fun to drive economy car that is as nice or nicer than the competition.

Oh yeah, and Subarus have a propensity to eat head gaskets and weak transmissions. The V70R AWD bevel gear fails and takes out the AWD system. Every car has its issues....