What vehicle would you recommend for commuting? I'd assume a used luxury vehicle since I'm gonna be putting on the miles.. I'd like something in the 10-15k area - maybe a G35?
Best used luxury vehicle? (with half-decent mpg..)
- Thread starter zixxer
- Start date
'03 g35 is the only thing i know in that price range. how old of a vehicle are you considering? i've been looking at some used luxury vehicles for some people i know but i'm only looking at newer body styles. the older 5-series (525i or 530i is probably decent with gas) or a 4-6 year old lexus should work. u can get a c2xx mbz that's like 5 years old in that price range. older style tl (pre-2004). audi a4. idk if the a6 has good mpg but i know you can get an 01 or 02 for that price range. maybe an 03.
you should list some more specifics cause there's a lot of cars you can consider.
* what is half-decent mpg to you? low 20's?
* performance a factor?
* age/mileage on vehicle you prefer?
* is reliability of concern?
* how important is luxury to you? is just the name important or do you actually want the car to look and feel like a luxury car?
i'm sure there are more questions that'll help others answer your question but i'm kinda tired at this time of night
you should list some more specifics cause there's a lot of cars you can consider.
* what is half-decent mpg to you? low 20's?
* performance a factor?
* age/mileage on vehicle you prefer?
* is reliability of concern?
* how important is luxury to you? is just the name important or do you actually want the car to look and feel like a luxury car?
i'm sure there are more questions that'll help others answer your question but i'm kinda tired at this time of night
- Oct 28, 1999
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ES300/ES330 will pull just shy of 30MPG on the highway and around 20 in town.
It doesn't get a lot better than that luxury wise. A 1.8T/2.0T Audi A4 will also do well, but not as much luxury and the reliablity isn't on par with Lexus.
It doesn't get a lot better than that luxury wise. A 1.8T/2.0T Audi A4 will also do well, but not as much luxury and the reliablity isn't on par with Lexus.
Zenmervolt
Elite member
- Oct 22, 2000
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The Volvo S60 and S80 are incredibly comfortable cars. Volvos have a history of exceptionally comfortable seats. I'd recommend an S70 like mine, but that might be a bit older than what you want to look at.
ZV
ZV
Originally posted by: alimoalem
'03 g35 is the only thing i know in that price range. how old of a vehicle are you considering? i've been looking at some used luxury vehicles for some people i know but i'm only looking at newer body styles. the older 5-series (525i or 530i is probably decent with gas) or a 4-6 year old lexus should work. u can get a c2xx mbz that's like 5 years old in that price range. older style tl (pre-2004). audi a4. idk if the a6 has good mpg but i know you can get an 01 or 02 for that price range. maybe an 03.
you should list some more specifics cause there's a lot of cars you can consider.
* what is half-decent mpg to you? low 20's?
* performance a factor?
* age/mileage on vehicle you prefer?
* is reliability of concern?
* how important is luxury to you? is just the name important or do you actually want the car to look and feel like a luxury car?
i'm sure there are more questions that'll help others answer your question but i'm kinda tired at this time of night
* what is half-decent mpg to you? Yes, low 20's is fine but prefer mid 20's.
* performance a factor? No. I have motorcycles for that
* age/mileage on vehicle you prefer? Neither is a big deal - I work on my own vehicles so I'd prefer something that isn't too difficult to work on.
* is reliability of concern? Not really. I have another vehicle and motorcycles that I could drive should something major happen.
* how important is luxury to you? is just the name important or do you actually want the car to look and feel like a luxury car? I don't care as much about the name as I do the look and feel. I have a long commute and work long hours and it'd be nice to not have to drive a 5 speed and instead get an auto that's nice and comfy.
I'm half-considering trying to find one of those police auction crown vics..
Not a fan. Might as well get a sentra and put leather seats in it. Those things are tiny, horrible on the highway, and the motor is the only decent thing in it.
I'd like a mid-size at least -
I'm thinking about looking for an older 5 series.. May be out of my price range though..
in that case, i think your best bet would be a used 99'-03' TL/CL 3.2. maybe an I35...
friend has a 99' CL 3.0... everything's original and it has over 130k on it.
lexus' are too expensive used, and i haven't heard anything good about early 00's volvo/VW/audi...
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
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secretanchitman
Diamond Member
- Apr 11, 2001
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bmw 3 series...anything 2000 and above. i drive a 2000 328i and its been running like a champ.
the G35 isnt bad at all either. if you can get it at 15k or less, you are a very lucky guy.
the G35 isnt bad at all either. if you can get it at 15k or less, you are a very lucky guy.
If you want a luxo-barge (and who doesn't) you can pick up a town car, recent model year and in great shape for 15k. Doesn't get more comfortable than that, and they are totally reliable.
Expect 25-27 mpg highway, 20-23 mpg city.
Expect 25-27 mpg highway, 20-23 mpg city.
T2urtle
Diamond Member
- Oct 18, 2004
- 3,432
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luxury cars dont tend to have that great of MPG, all the options that make it luxury is extra weight. leather seats, navi system, all the control units, wiring and etc.
the ES300/Es330 will be your closest shot.
And the A4 1.8T, the guy who said the A4 aren't as luxury as a ES300 must of been in a LOADED lexus because those audi's have more creature comforts then most cars out there.
my friend a4 2002 1.8T quatto, has heated rear leather seats, RDS radio, steering wheel controls. all one touch windows and sunroof. but the realibity is so-so well he hasn't had problems with it yet from 50k- 60k now. flawless.
the ES300/Es330 will be your closest shot.
And the A4 1.8T, the guy who said the A4 aren't as luxury as a ES300 must of been in a LOADED lexus because those audi's have more creature comforts then most cars out there.
my friend a4 2002 1.8T quatto, has heated rear leather seats, RDS radio, steering wheel controls. all one touch windows and sunroof. but the realibity is so-so well he hasn't had problems with it yet from 50k- 60k now. flawless.
But 239 HP (from a V8) in a boat is not fun at all.
EDIT: Just realized that most of the cars here are not very fast, either. Carry on.
i've seen g35's under 15k in the bay area (california). and decent mpg is relative...OP said mid 20's and higher is preferred, which is somewhat attainable by the g35 anyways.
i'll agree with some others and my previous post for the g35, bmw 3-series (2000 and later), 5-series (body style before 2004...2000 should be in your price range), volvo s60/s80, lexus es300/330, and maybe mbz c2xx.
i have no experience with them but from what i've heard bmw's and benz's require special tools and are harder to work on than other cars so you should probably look into that since you said you'd prefer to be able to work on the car yourself.
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,544
- 924
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Must have been a high mileage sedan or a salvage vehicle. I drive a 2003 Nissan Maxima and I could probably get $11k for it considering the mileage and city driving yields about 18mpg with premium gas. I'd be stunned if the G35 got more than 1 mpg better than that in real world driving considering it has the exact same engine.
there used to be a lot more g35's in my area but i just did a quick craigslist search and a 2003 g35 with 53,521 miles (clean title) is $15988 (negotiate to $15k) and another one with more miles (76k miles, also clean title) is $13.5k. there were others with more miles in the same price range but i'm not sure that'll cut it for you. there's one with a salvage title listed at $10k with 51k miles.
i haven't checked san diego's listings but just cause you guys don't have prices like that doesn't mean no one else does. btw, i was just going off the EPA numbers. not sure why your mileage is so low but it's still just 2 mpg less than what it's supposed to get. 26 freeway does kind of fit the bill when mid 20's is the preferred mileage, doesn't it?
i haven't checked san diego's listings but just cause you guys don't have prices like that doesn't mean no one else does. btw, i was just going off the EPA numbers. not sure why your mileage is so low but it's still just 2 mpg less than what it's supposed to get. 26 freeway does kind of fit the bill when mid 20's is the preferred mileage, doesn't it?
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,544
- 924
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It was rated at 19/26 new but real world driving gets me about 18mpg. Best I've seen on freeway driving was maybe 25.
Are those prices for the sedan or coupe?
I've got a 1997 Cartier (210 HP). It's significantly faster than my previous cars (1991 Sable, 2001 Taurus). The peak HP is low for an engine that large, sure, but you it's got almost all the power available basically from idle all the way to the shift point. They are faster than you'd think.
Also, the block is the ford modular V8. It would be easy to swap in a HO version of the 4.6 from a mustang GT or Mark VIII or something, and then the sky is the limit as far as power output goes. My dream is to turn my LTC into a monster of a sleeper when I've got time to park it for a while and money to spend on it.
It'll need a limited slip diff, though (just a few calls to junkyards to find one for an LTC). I can spin one of the rear tires from a start on dry pavement with the current output. More power will just leave one of my back tires as a puddle of rubber on the road ...
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