new car search: Acura TL vs Lexus ES330 vs Dodg MAGNUM!

[LongCoolMother]

yes, it is a strange selection...

my dad is looking for a new car to replace his 4cyl '95 camry. we're looking at around $30-$35k. Initially it was between the acura tl and the es330. not the 3-series or the g35, as those he doesnt want a sporty or fast car, just one that is comfortable and reliable. the es330 fits the bill perfectly, its just that i think its pretty ugly and i convinced him that its pretty horrid looking. the tl imo, while not beautiful, looks far better. he likes both cars, havign test driven both. he prefers the es330 since its a bit quieter/softer/plusher in every aspect, but he says the tl is really good too. ill be driving it a lot too during the weekends so he wants to compromise on something we both like, the tl.

actually, we were almost completely sold on the tl after driving it, the awesome blue interior lighting, aluminum panels, black leather, extremely silent idle noise, and all the standard features. it was pretty awesome, it was the first acura we considered in a while and man, it was impressive, since they've really got things together in the refinement category now.

we thought it was decided- but then we went to take a look at the es330. oh geezz, it was soo nice. the leather was plush as hell, the ride was SOO quiet and smooth. the interior looked real pleasing too, nice curves, easier on the eyes than the relatively sharp acura. big buttons, minimalist deisgn. it was just real nice and spacious. but then again....its ugly

now for the oddball. im real big on biking and snowboarding and usually we just take my brother's truck out for that. but my brother is selling his s2000 and his truck to get a wrx. thats fine, but we need that truck and we wont be able to use the wrx all the time. driving through the snow isnt that great with FWD and a nice sedan so we're thinking of a SUV of some sort. the dodge magnum looks REALLY sweet for a wagon imo, and its cheap as heck too. $32k for the RT with AWD, 5.7l Hemi. i just dont know how dodge is these days with their reliability. like i said, 1st priority is reliability. taking this thing to tahoe during the winter would be great, as it can fit snowboards and drive through the snow.

what are your guys' opinions/experiences with these models? anything we should look out for? ive heard some stuff abotu the es330's transmission, but i dont know.

 

[ckk81]

hands down........take the TL

 

[boyRacer]

TL

/waits for recommendations of cars other than those mentioned

 

[Actaeon]

TL

 

[Cooljt1]

tl....damn such a nice car although i'd say you are leaning towards the es330 by how it sounds

 

[dcdomain]

TL. Though I love the Magnum when hooked up right, but I guess you won't be making many aftermarket modifications.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

TL - I like its body

Keep in mind we have an ES330 and it's a nice car. The interior is nicer, I like the plush leather and smooth and quiet ride. I don't like the body of the ES330 from the front and when you drive around it handles somewhat like a boat, but it's not all that bad.

Honestly though, you won't go wrong with either.

 

[NFS4]

TL

 

[skim milk]

TL!!!

 

[PoPPeR]

I'm normally a Lexus fanboy because my family owns 2 and they are great cars, but I've seen and read all about the TL's and from all accounts they seem to be wonderful cars. I really hate the styling on the new ES's, but then again I always thought they were girl cars anyways. TL looks much much better.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Did you consider the Volvo S80?

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Did you consider the Volvo S80?

i did reccomend volvos, specifically the s60 though. we arent too sure about the reliability of volvo nowadays though. they really came a logn way in styling though . sure, volvo's an option, but it has to be new. my dad is real big on the reliability thing. his camry is up to 150k with no major problems yet :Q.

thats another reason why we arent looking at the 3-series. for one, he doesnt want a sporty car (at the expense of quietness/plushness etc.) hell, he barely drives his camry to the limits, lol. not the bash on BMW or anything, i love them, but i dont think anyone can seriously say they are reliable relative to lexus/acura.

it seems liek everybody here likes the TL. so there arent any problems to report with them? we pretty much liked the TL a lot.

 

[TechnoKid]

For 32k the magnum isn't bad, though I'd rather get a full size crew cab 4x4 truck; something like a Ford F-250, which just tips 32k, or a F-150 which is under 32k. You can do more with a truck then a wagon, but you can fit more passengers in the wagon than in the truck.

 

[z0mb13]

TL

 

[LtPage1]

Tl, for sure. the lexus looks like an avalon. the magnum is a definite no- buy american (cadillacs excepted) and youll regret it sooner or later.

 

[thedarkwolf]

You should atleast go test drive a magnum. The car has a lot of Benz stuff in it including the 5 speed trans and if there is one thing american auto makers do right its V8 engines. All the cars are nice and pretty much any car should go 150k miles without a major problem anymore.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Did you consider the Volvo S80?

For $15-$20k more than their budget?

An S60 is closer to their budget, but it would be pushing it unless you got a stripped down model.

 

[CombatChuk]

Magnum,

Torque out the ying-yang on that car. Plus you'll have so much more utility space, and be a little different.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Did you consider the Volvo S80?

For $15-$20k more than their budget?

An S60 is closer to their budget, but it would be pushing it unless you got a stripped down model.

You can get a base S80 for just a little over $30k

http://www.volvocars.us/Showro...ecifications/Features/

It says $35,900, but Volvo has a huge profit margin, which is a large reason why they depreciate so much. We were offered one for about $31k IIRC.

When you say a stripped down model, what do you mean?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Did you consider the Volvo S80?

i did reccomend volvos, specifically the s60 though. we arent too sure about the reliability of volvo nowadays though. they really came a logn way in styling though . sure, volvo's an option, but it has to be new. my dad is real big on the reliability thing. his camry is up to 150k with no major problems yet :Q.

thats another reason why we arent looking at the 3-series. for one, he doesnt want a sporty car (at the expense of quietness/plushness etc.) hell, he barely drives his camry to the limits, lol. not the bash on BMW or anything, i love them, but i dont think anyone can seriously say they are reliable relative to lexus/acura.

it seems liek everybody here likes the TL. so there arent any problems to report with them? we pretty much liked the TL a lot.

Volvos will last a long time if you get the proper servicing/maintenence done on them. They WILL be more expensive to maintain though compared to an Acura or a Lexus.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: Nebor

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Did you consider the Volvo S80?

For $15-$20k more than their budget?

An S60 is closer to their budget, but it would be pushing it unless you got a stripped down model.

You can get a base S80 for just a little over $30k

http://www.volvocars.us/Showro...ecifications/Features/

It says $35,900, but Volvo has a huge profit margin, which is a large reason why they depreciate so much. We were offered one for about $31k IIRC.

When you say a stripped down model, what do you mean?

I mean I looked at an S80 with a window sticker of $55,000. It was the executive edition. S60s start at 31k and go up to 38k for the R type.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother
we wont be able to use the wrx all the time. driving through the snow isnt that great with FWD.

Uh, Subaru does not make any FWD cars. Every Subaru is AWD. So that WRX is AWD. It'll go through snow better than the AWD Magnum too, since Subaru has years of experience with AWD systems for difficult weather. There's a reason that people in places like NH and VT and other snowy and mountainous states absolutely love Subarus.

ZV

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Did you consider the Volvo S80?

i did reccomend volvos, specifically the s60 though. we arent too sure about the reliability of volvo nowadays though. they really came a logn way in styling though . sure, volvo's an option, but it has to be new. my dad is real big on the reliability thing. his camry is up to 150k with no major problems yet :Q.

thats another reason why we arent looking at the 3-series. for one, he doesnt want a sporty car (at the expense of quietness/plushness etc.) hell, he barely drives his camry to the limits, lol. not the bash on BMW or anything, i love them, but i dont think anyone can seriously say they are reliable relative to lexus/acura.

it seems liek everybody here likes the TL. so there arent any problems to report with them? we pretty much liked the TL a lot.

Volvos will last a long time if you get the proper servicing/maintenence done on them. They WILL be more expensive to maintain though compared to an Acura or a Lexus.

A Volvo WILL last a long time if you take good care of it. If you don't, it will break your wallet worse than a BMW. Volvo labor costs the same as BMW, but parts are a bit more expensive. It's also not a car that you'll ever be able to work on yourself, it's engineered to prevent that.

Don't get me wrong, Volvos are great cars, I've owned one or the other for the last 10 years. They are fantastic cars, and there's a reason they have the 2nd most loyal buyer group (Second to Saab, their Swedish rival) in the world. They are fun to drive, they're wonderfully comfortable, they're safe and they are solidly, if overly, engineered.

When it comes down to it, no one is going to pick a European car because it's the most practical. A Toyota or Honda is more practical, undoubtedly. But the Volvo, BMW, Saab, Jag or Alfa is a fundamentally better car. That said, the Japanese cars are probably the ones for your dad.

 

[Farbio]

Originally posted by: NFS4
TL

did the world just stop? are cows flying? did brandon just reccomend a honda over a toyota?!?!?


hehe - i'm not an es330 fan at all, think they handle too 'boatish' but i do have a place in my heart for displacement and that magnum has that - if the utility is the issue, go for it, but otherwise, sounds like the tl would be better - more refined, better gas mileage, nicer interior, etc

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother
we wont be able to use the wrx all the time. driving through the snow isnt that great with FWD.

Uh, Subaru does not make any FWD cars. Every Subaru is AWD. So that WRX is AWD. It'll go through snow better than the AWD Magnum too, since Subaru has years of experience with AWD systems for difficult weather. There's a reason that people in places like NH and VT and other snowy and mountainous states absolutely love Subarus.

ZV

ooops. my appologies. i worded it wrong. yea, i knwo the WRX would be awesome in snow. i meant to say that my brother is selling his s2k and the old truck we usually borrow to go snowboarding. if he sells both of these cars and gets a WRX, we wont always have the option of borrowing it (we could before because he had 2 cars). the FWD statement was meant to address the issue if we bought a TL or a ES330. it wouldnt be that great to drive through with those sicne they are both FWD.

i shouldve elaborated a little bit more. the WRX would be great, only problem is, we wont be able to use it all the time. lol my dad was just asking me today if he should buy a wrx too so we can have 2 in the family. i told him for a little more than 30 grand he can get the sti. then he asked how the interior was and i said...."civic" hes like :Q!!!!