New car recommendations wanted! (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

another good site for crash test ratings:
http://www.hwysafety.org/

 

[Justin Doring]

Patrick, "Mike, check www.jdpower.com they have some good info. And, according to JD Power the BMW was actually 6th or 7th this year behind Volvo. Still excellent though."
Those damned, poorly built X5s and Z3s keep skewing the ratings! Oh well, sixth or seventh, as you say, is still excellent.
Philip, "Did you miss the part about seating four adults? No way the 330 qualifies, no way."
I disagree. Four average-sized adults can fit very comfortably in the 330i. The new Audi A4 and Volkswagen Passat are a bit larger than the 330i, but the 330i makes more efficient use of the room.
"Hmmm... low mileage like that would seem to me to be one of the very few reasons to lease. But buying is smarter if you plan on keeping the car for a while."
This is my exact thinking as well.
"Since your wife already drives an MDX you may want to look at something complimentary. I'd get a car."
Once again, excellent thinking! Diversity is the spice of life!

 

[Alex Prosak]

I second Justin's vote for the BMW 330i, if you want AWD you can get the 330ix. While not quite as fun to drive, the Audi A4 and A6 are good choices too. FWIW, the Audi's are also a better value.

 

[Greg_R]

The Passat is very roomy and gives a nice ride. The Audi A4's back seat was very cramped for me (6' tall)... maybe the A6 would have enough room. I've also sat in the back of a BWW 330... it was quite cramped. Most of the problems with these vehicles have to do with headroom (vs. leg room). I guess they slope the roof down earlier for looks or aerodynamics?

Although on the lower end of your price range, Subaru's cars have a good bit of room in the back seat. However, they may not meet your fit/finish requirements (they are excellent mechanically).

 

[Todd Hochard]

Four average-sized adults can fit very comfortably in the 330i.

Being 6'1", I disagree. My friend's A4 even seemed to have more rear seat room (it was still slightly cramped to me).

Older Audis didn't age very well. Perhaps they've fixed that? Of course, if you trade every couple of years, it shouldn't matter.

 

[Justin Doring]

That's odd, as I'm 5'11" and my friend is 6'3" and we both had plenty of head and leg room in both the back and front seats, and the automobile was equipped with a moonroof.

 

[Sarah S]

Saturn has a good selection of cars for mostly under $15k. Extremely reliable, seats 4 adults comfortably and comes out very high on the safety scale.

 

[RossTerry]

Chevrolet Trailblazer with the i6 motor or an ext model with the 5.3 v8

 

[matthew_rm]

Saturn? LOL it's an uglyer Kia
BMW, or the VW. Both very nice. Acura Tl S rocks to!

 

[Dennis Reno]

I test drove the Passat W8 yesterday evening. My overall impression is very good.
Pros:
Nice ride
Minimal road noise
Interior is well done
- nice, firm leather seats
- all controls easy to reach
Engine offers plenty of power
All wheel drive
Plenty of room
- With the driver seat set for me (6') I still had plenty of room in the back seat
Cons:
Transmission
- very smooth, but shift too early during regular driving; tiptronic seems to help
Tires
- what the..??? High profile 16" is the best they can do? My salesman wasn't aware of the fact that VW is offering a "Sport" pkg for 2003. It will include 17" lower profile tires that should improve handling.
I plan on test driving the Audi, BMW and Acura but there are no dealerships nearby. The test drives will require a trip of 25+ miles. No big deal, but the dealership better offer great service as I won't be able to simply drop the vehicle off if there is a problem!
Thanks for your suggestions! Keep 'em coming!

 

[Justin Doring]

The Volkswagen Passat W8 is a nice automobile...except that it costs $10,000 more than it should.

 

[Dennis Reno]

I think all vehicles are about $10k to high! However, the W8 appears to be priced in the same vicinity as the competition.

 

[Peter Kline]

Re: The W8 Passat. Try to find a MB or BMW with all the features it has for the price. You won't. This being said, it is a bit pricey compared to the {assat V6 which is almost as nice and about $4,000 less. All that extra horsepower is a waste however since, in my opinion, a high powered car is just for those who like to be first at the next red light! The 1.8T I have is plenty adequate and because of the lighter weight is better handling.

 

[PatrickM]

Dennis, you'll like all the vehicles your looking at. The A4 backseat this year is very good compared to the previous model year. The TL's are even roomier but are bigger cars than the 3 series or A4's. The BMW's are all nice but their is a premium to them. If their's a Volvo dealership around check out a S60 T5 or AWD. Once you sit in Volvo seats everything else seems like wooden benches.

Patrick

 

[Philip Hamm]

Saturn has a good selection of cars for mostly under $15k. Extremely reliable, seats 4 adults comfortably and comes out very high on the safety scale.

I beg to differ. If you look at the stats you'll find that Saturns are no more reliable than any other GM car. And that is not good.

The Passat 1.8 5 speed is very nice. A4 is nice. A4 is too small for people in the back seat - there's plenty of room in the back of the Passat.

And look at the Subaro Legacies and Outbacks, they are fantastic cars.

 

[Shane Martin]

Saturns are horrible for reliability and rattle like crazy. Not to mention the fact they have zilch for power.

The new Infinity g35 is a really nice car and something you should consider.

 

[Dennis Reno]

Question to all you VW owners - how is the service at your dealership? I've been researching different vehicles and noticed a trend with VW. It seems that many people are less than satisfied with the service they receive at the dealership.

Another reason for me asking is after test driving the W8 on Friday evening the salesman told me he would send me a quote by Monday. Seeing as Monday was yesterday and I have yet to hear from him... makes me wonder.

 

[Peter Kline]

Dennis. It is widely variable. While I have not had any trouble with my dealer I'm still considering going to another one because of the excessive time it takes to get an oil change.... 2 1/2 hours on my last one. In all truthfulness, the dealership is undergoing changes (they will soon move out the BMW franchise to another location). However they are not particularly friendly and even suggested that I go to the new dealer closer to me! I have read that there is a new VW mandated program that dealers most shape up or lose their franchise. For years between the 80s and 90s VW was an also-ran and almost packed up and left North America. The turnaround came with the Golf, then the Jetta, New Beetle and now Passat. Choose your dearler carefully if you have a choice. The sales force has nothing to do with the service area - one can be good the other bad. Good luck!

 

[Steve Zatkoff]

I would say that service has been acceptable. I have found a good service rep and go to him when I bring the car in. VW will have to shape up their service departments, considering that they are now selling the W8 Passat and the forth coming Pheaton and the Touareg SUV, if they want to compete with Mercedes.