Thinking about getting a new DD

[HAULN-SS]

I'm thinking I might be in the market for a new DD.

I drive a lot. I have about 150k miles on my Malibu, and it is still going strong but some things are starting to aggravate me. I just put tires on it and did an alignment at the end of the summer, but its now shimmying again like it needs another alignment.

I think i messed up buying the 4cyl, because it has never gotten quite the mileage that i was expecting. Most days I pull a mountain twice, even though its on the freeway, i think this kills my mileage. They came out with a 6speed trans about 2 months after I bought that might have solved that problem though.

Anyway, so now I'm thinking of doing something different. I would love to buy a CTS-V or something, but I can't really see putting all those miles on a car like that.

I'll probably buy a year or two old, sub 25k miles. I think I have a new set of wants:

V6 or Turbo 4 (or something with a good amount of torque)
at least 28mpg combined driving
leather
sedan probably, but could be a coupe or hatch
reliable- see mileage issue

Soo..anyone DDing anything or know of anything that you'd recommend?

[JustinG]

Price point?

[CaptainHenreh]

ford fusion hybrid.

[HAULN-SS]

Hrmm..sub $30,000 price point

[HAULN-SS]

ford fusion hybrid.

Can those get out of their own way? Looks like it weighs more and has less power than my malibu. I'm not really looking to move mountains here, but the malibu works pretty hard to pull the mountain i cross every day and I think thats what keeps my highway mileage average lower than its supposed to be

[JustinG]

2012 Impreza Wagon, Mazda 3, etc. $30k can easily get you an economical sedan, but if your climbing a big ass mountain, nothing is going to get awesome gas mileage, aside from maybe a diesel. So, how bout a new TDI Jetta or Golf?

[HAULN-SS]

Had thought about a diesel. What's the word on VW Reliability in the last couple years? They still catch on fire and shit?

I guess I might need to de-emphasize mileage a little bit. I dont really care about it so much, but my current car lied to me, and said it would get better than it does, and i think that's a function of lack of power.

More emphasis on having enough power to not feel like it's struggling at 65mph going up a grade

[JustinG]

Had thought about a diesel. What's the word on VW Reliability in the last couple years? They still catch on fire and shit?

Dunno, I know Jon Felton, had a TDI Golf, and just got rid of it, for a GTI. Not due to reliability though, just cause the TDI was boring. Maybe PM him and see, username is Getfast

[caa337]

New honda accord with the 271 hp V6?

[WRXtranceformed]

What about any of the new Hyundais? The Sonatas are sweet, any of the Genesis's are awesome too.

[JPolen01]

New honda accord with the 271 hp V6?

New accords are great for the price. My dad just got a fully loaded 2011 for LESS than 30k OTD. Driven a few times and the j series has plenty of get up for how big the car is. Mileage is decent. I think upper 20s?

[HAULN-SS]

Forgot about genesis. Looks like you can find some examples of '10 that fit the bill and price range. Accords..ehh, maybe a coupe. Not crazy about the 3 doors. If I went the subaru route, would probably get another legacy. Hell, it looks like a '06 GT like I had (Which was loaded in every way except no nav) can be had for under 10.

Out of curiosity - I noticed you can find the occasional E350 benz from previous (2007) can be had.

Also did see a couple of the 3.6L CTSs like Lees that caught my eye in the price range.

[ScottyB]

what do you really want? it seems like any appliance will do just fine. 30k will buy you a hell of a lot of car.

if you aren't opposed to FWD, the V6 accord is tough to beat. i think you can even get it in a manual if you wanted.

[HAULN-SS]

what do you really want?

Kinda started this thread to figure it out. I think something a step up from the malibu is about due. The older I get the less I am concerned with make/model for some reason, which has typically mattered in the past.

So, to step up from the malibu:

RWD or AWD is fine, but not opposed to FWD. We'll call these nice to haves. When I bought the malibu, I didnt have the jeep, and I was losing AWD in the subaru, so I wanted FWD for winter months more than anything.

A more plush interior would be nice. Malibu has cloth seats. The main reason for wanting leather is the ease of clean-up. Turns out cloth is a real pain in the ass to keep clean. Leather is a must for the next car

Decent sound system. Mp3 playback pretty much a must, either in Aux port or on disk

Automatic for sure..manual a pain in the ass in traffic.

A little more power. Call it 200+ HP

[JPolen01]

What about any of the new Hyundais? The Sonatas are sweet, any of the Genesis's are awesome too.

The Genesis sedan is really nice. My grandfather bought one for his wife after ditching their Lexus ES300 and they love it. For a hyundai it looks damn good, has a decently powerful v6, and the interior is actually nicer than expected. It definitely rivals a lexus/acura/benz/bmw interior for a fraction of the cost. The coupes are sweet too. 2.0 turbo or the optional 3.6L v6 I think? RWD would be fun

[CaptainHenreh]

Yeah, it sounds like you're describing a Genny sedan. BUy it new, and you won't have to worry abotu warranty.

[SlimKlim]

How about one of those Optima Turbos? I kinda dig the styling. The BRZ or the whatever the hell the totally not memorably named Scion is called would be a huge sacrifice in space and people carrying, but otherwise awesome. The BMW 335d gets decent mileage and has an ass ton of torque for that mountain, idk what those are going for used these days. How about a Scooby Legacy GT all optioned out?

[ScottyB]

he had a leggy GT, traded it for the malibu i think.

i like the optima turbo. really all you'd need for what you're doing.

[Evan]

kia optima turbo,
or something ford with the ecoboost

i reaaallly like the optima turbo. even though i really want a wagon/5 door, im still considering buying one. its a hell of a car.

and anythign hyundai makes, kia makes in a better looking and better optioned version.
(well maybe except the genesis)


oh and remember, hyundai/kia 100k mile warranty doesnt transfer to 2nd owner.

[HAULN-SS]

Really? I thought it was exact opposite of that