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Either way, I have my manual, and I enjoy it.
Point being, if none are available for test drives, most people will give up. The same thing happens with BMW, among others.
Chicken & egg.
I wanted a 325i and tried to find one with just the sport package and manual transmission and couldn't find anything that wasn't fully loaded.
Then, having read the favorable magazine reviews, I test drove the TSX 6MT and that was it - I never looked back. It was so tossable and playful, and had the slickest shifter and sweetest revving engine I had ever experienced - nicer even than the also excellent BMW.
Ironically, I was totally satisfied with it until I took it to a couple of BMW club track days (where, BTW, I was able to keep pace with E46 330is and E36 M3's) and decided that I wanted RWD.
Except for it being FWD, the TSX has almost the perfect mix of sportiness, luxury, and refinement. It was simply a pleasure to own - and for 90% of drivers (who don't take their cars to lapping days), FWD is no handicap.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Maybe you think 250 HP is too much to drive the front wheels, but I beg to differ.
I've got 272 HP going to the front wheels of my Mazda6, and it's just right. I've suffered NO torque steer, even when exiting a tight corner. The only tug I've felt with a FWD V6 is with an Altima 3.5SE I tested a few years ago.
I've even driven the TSX V6, and felt that the power was nice, with no noticeable torque steer. Can't say that for the 4-cylinder, even with a manual. The power was adequate, but still felt noticeably weaker compared to the G and 3-series, and I wasn't about to drop $36K on a FWD sedan just for the V6 (which IMO is way overpriced just to get a bigger engine).
I never understood why Acrua thought they needed a V6 in the TSX, never made sense. If they wanted more HP, then take the turbo engine from the RDX and make it a low pressure turbo engine, say in the 220-230 HP range. This would give the TSX more HP without having some of the FWD turbo issues. Add a real sport package to the car 6 spd manual and wham, got yourself a great car.
Being back in school for my masters, I needed to lower my monthly payments on my car, so I went with a 2010 Ford Fusion SE with 6 spd manual and the Appearance package (also known as sport package) have to say, its a lot of fun to play with. I got 235/40/HR18 tires, slightly lower suspension, and taunter suspension all for $24K OTD. It has a bigger back seat then the TSX and living here in Phoenix, the last thing I want in the summer time is leather.
But I'll be looking for a new 2012 A4 once I'm done with school, the back seat is bigger then the TSX, BMW or C class.
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I have a dealer courtesy car for the next week or so...RX 450h. Not sure if it is the hybrid implementation or the CVT...damn thing can't get out of it's own way...MOVE...I'm screaming at it. After a while...and pulling my quad muscles stomping the gas pedal like King Kong squishing a hobo standing in the way of his blonde bombshell...the behemoth finally moves.
Sure, its very quiet, and i'm averaging 28mpg...because it drives like an ol Lady (no disrespect to old ladies...my mom is an old lady )
Glad I have a car while my recall work is being done...need my car back.
My short list is the G37x with plan b being the Lexus ES350 and plan c being the 335.
In my heart the 335 is actually at the top of the list, but since I'm buying it's slightly out of my price range.
I rented a G37 on vacation this year and was pleasantly surprised about how much better it was then the last G35 I drove.
I have a 335iS on order - for European Delivery
in September.
Good luck w/your quest!
- Ray
One data point......
Personally, I'd go for the BMW. Also, for $h*ts and giggles, drive the VW CC; you might be pleasantly surprised.
350. I laugh everytime one of my buddies takes his BMW in for repairs or maintenance after 50k...Its a joke. Don't take my word for it competitive info is all over the internet and this site.
BMW's inline 6 is one of the sweetest sounding, smoothest revving engines on the planet, and it's well worth the premium in price to have it.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
i own a infiniti g35x from 2007, actually looking for bmw 335xi sport 6 speed manual and would not be if infiniti put a 6 speed in awd form.
At this point, I am looking for a comfortable cruiser with decent gas mileage.
In my quest I decided to lowball the dealers because I am ready to take delivery with the right price. if I can't get the deal I want for the specific car, I'll move on to the next manufacturer/dealer.
As far as the IS250 it is way to small for me at this point in time.
Hmm, I wasn't aware that I had to do "research" to your standards in order to comment here. Thanks for the advice but I've done the research....and, I owned a 2009 Infiniti coupe. While reliable, the "intentional", as you call it, tailpipe tone was just plain annoying. As for resale, you can quote any number you can dig up but what counts is what a person can actually get for their car in the real world, and it was not great.
With 4 BMW's owned, sorry to disappoint you, but they all were stellar in terms of their lack of repair issues. I'll take any of them over the two Infinitis I've owned or the two my son has had.
My bringing up the VW CC was mainly in response to KD's mentioning of the Lexus ES350. Not every car we become interested in have to be MT's or the road-burning classic "enthusiast" cars.
Ultimately the comments we express here are based on our OPINIONS, and even though you may not agree with them, mine count as much as yours or anyones :shades: .
Ditto, except I've owned nine(currently have 3); in my garage the poster child for mechanical issues and high repair costs has been my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
BTW - If you trade your car into a dealership, no matter what make it is, your going to get hosed on what you get for it. But if you sell it privately you'll be able to use the high resale value to your advantage.
This is "car-trading 101", which probably having bought and sold more than most, I am well aware of, thanks :shades: .
BTW, I got hosed selling both my two Infinitis, so if you're thinking you're going to get what the published numbers are, you will be sadly mistaken in the real world . My car sales were to private owners and took many weeks and hard negotiations to come to fruition. Again, real world market place guys.....hope I don't confuse you :confuse: .
I was in the exact same situation as you about half a year ago. My parents have reached the age where they can get us kids to to the shopping and testing for them.(though we have kids as well - heh). CPO 1-2 years old was also an option.
Anyways, the short list was the TSX, the C Class, the CTS, the G37, and the IS250/350.
TSX - this came in last place. It suffers from front wheel drive and while it is pretty inside, it still has a noisy engine and a feel to it that is pretty "normal". And the looks aren't that great. It has that smiley face look that only the Japanese can pull off.
IS250/350 - Had a lot of the same issues as the TSX. Just sort of "meh", though a very nice and pretty car overall. But it lacked something identifiable as a soul or a personality. Like going to Cold Stone and getting just vanilla ice cream. Sure, it's superb, but even the most awesome vanilla is still vanilla. The prices of the TSX and IS also seemed a bit inflated.
So that left the G37, G8, the C350, and the CTS.
The G37 was good, but it really has an odd feel to it - it's a young person's weekend racer in a business suit. It doesn't feel as polished or refined as it should be, and perhaps that's because it is based upon the Z. It also has that dolled-up feel to it. I guess it was sitting in the M next to it that reinforced to me how big of a difference there was between luxury and just looking like it. You''d figure that an auto manufacturer would build a smaller version of its better cars instead of pimping out a lower brand...
Great car to drive, though. Just was missing something.... It's kind of how I describe the Volvo S60 and Audi A4 - close but still feels off.
It boiled down to two choices that were an absolute tie, the C class and the CTS.
The CTS was what they eventually settled upon, but only because of the GM dollars that he had. It is a fantastic car all-around. The car drives great, handles great, and has a very nice interior. It's by far the best thing GM has ever made.
My personal favorite, though, was the (new model) C350. It felt just about perfect in how it drove. The interior was also perfect as well - great seats, and you could tell that it was really a smaller version of the E class and S class. I'd rate it as a slightly softer road feel of the 3 series. Both are within a few percent of each other. But the edge for luxury goes to Mercedes. The edge for performance goes to BMW.
(note - the new E class sedan is based largely upon the C class - if you want something larger that is)
Your story is interesting, thanks for that. This is exactly the market segment that I am interested in. I had a '98 A4, and I'm currently driving an '05 TL. If I were to replace that car today, a lot of the vehicles that you listed would be on my list. My thoughts:
IS - don't particularly like Lexus or Toyota, this one is out
TSX - I really liked the previous model, I sort of agree on the current one. Not as attractive, gotten too big, too soft and bloated. But a good value choice.
A4 - is now too expensive. No 6 cyl choice.
BMW - The 3 series is close, but BMW's have never quite done it for me. I guess I want a little higher mix of luxury and a bit more reasonable purchase price.
CTS - I don't mind the looks, I'll take your word on the interior. I'm just not quite ready to buy GM - need to see longer term reliability and survivability of the company.
S60 - I really like the looks, although I haven't sat in it or driven it. I'm shocked at how much it costs. Also not sure how the ownership changes of Volvo might affect things long term.
C-class - too expensive. Also not sure I'm ready to have the MB stigma (how it looks to others). But given that, I think the C-class is BY FAR the most attractive car in the class. Given your comments on the interior, I have no doubt that this would be good as well. I think I'd consider getting a 2-3 yo one coming off a lease to save some money. And I think this is the one I'd eventually go to if I was going to leave my TL. It would have to be worth it, and the other cars on the list just aren't quite appealing enough at this time.
I decided on the g37 and it is now in my possession. White, wheat interior, accents, nav, premium plus other stuff. I sent the sales rep an offer within email after doing my homework. In the end the offer was accepted without negotiation on the dealers part.
Process was as painless as can humanly be. I'm pleased with the car.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
But for the price, it is also a good deal - at the end of the year, with incentives, we're talking about 3-4K more than an Accord V6 or Camry V6, and about the same price as a TSX. As an upscale family sedan, it is a fantastic alternative.
***
As for the original poster's comments, yes, it took me a long time to get over the whole Mercedes stigma as well when I first owned one years ago. They are fine cars and if it's any consolation to you, they carry a bit less stigma now than a typical BMW does. At least around here.
The C 300 Luxury is probably the best compromise, though, since the sport is nice and all, but the interior of the Luxury is by far better. Just two things, though - one, you absolutely do want to add the rear spoiler to it as it makes the back end look more defined. And the panoramic sunroof is awesome looking with the Sandstone Beige. (it's tinted very dark black so it adds nice contrast) It's really the only color combo that the car looks best in, IMO, and I generally hate beige and tan colors. 35K all over town, so CPO at 25-30K is a snap.
Just curious, what is it about the G37 that makes is "not a proper luxury sedan"?
I doubt that you can get the G for 3-4k more than the Camry with the SAME options. You should be able to get a loaded Camry for about 27K (MSRP = $33K) at the end of the year. In order to get a loaded G for 30K, the dealer needs to give you 14K discount (MSRP = $44k).
Entry Lux Sedan = G, 3, C, ES, A4, TL
The G37 Journey has almost the same exact options as a Camry V6. They dropped the base model as well and now relegate that to the G25 where it belongs. The G37 starts out at the mid level trim. Most of the options aren't really required, either, and the car rides far too hard with the sport tires or sport package. Hence why, IMO, it's not a real luxury car - though it is a good upscale sport sedan like the 3 series.
Truecar has one for $32320 near me. And it's not the end of the year - there's no incentives going on right now.
It's $27K even for a Camry V6 XLE (no options, either) - no incentives, ever. Like I said - it's a fantastic deal and a better replacement for the tired and boring Camry in any case. For 4-5K more, it's a no-brainer, really. It represents what I feel is the best value for the dollar currently on the market. And for 90% of people who have never had either a proper luxury car or a proper sports car, it's going to feel like they won the lottery compared to their old car.
But for the original poster, it's not quite what he seems to want - he wants a step up from all of that. Fair enough. Myself, like I said, I really like the G37 a lot. But then I can get one with manual, so it's a huge incentive as well.
- Ray
You should be able to get a base V6 XLE for about 25K. You can get a loaded XLE V6 w/ NAV., Smart key, DVD... for 27.5K here without negotiation. You should be able to get it a lot cheaper toward the end of the year.
People can also get a base Camry for about 16K as well.
If one lives in the Northeast, RWD is not a bargain, so one would be looking for a G37x, at least I would. There is a $10,000 difference between a G37x and a Camry with the same options. You can't even get the same options on a G25 as are available on a CAMRY.
I would rather drive the Camry in NY based on the last two winters than the G25 with RWD.