This is a good problem to have...

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paulxcook

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,277
1
0
Right now I have a '96 Crown Vic cop car. It sucks gas and it's ugly, but it's paid for, and other than leaking oil it's pretty solid.

However, there's an excellent chance I'll be needing a different vehicle soon for work. It'll need to be under $40,000 (but I have no problem with it being a $20000 used car either), have OK gas mileage (combined 20 mpg would be awesome), and most importantly needs to be a vehicle I'll enjoy driving for several hours a day around the city while visiting customer sites.

Obviously this will be a big jump from my current car, and as I didn't expect to be looking for such a vehicle so soon I'm not even sure where to start.

It doesn't even have to be a car, and SUV or 4 door truck would be cool too. The only "vehicle type" requirement would be that it has to be child carseat capable.

Any opinions?

edit: duh, I left out the "good problem" part. It's a good problem because work will pay for the car and gas.
 
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Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
The new Saturn Aura is nice. Can be had new in the 20's. The NEW Vue is also nice but a SUV will eat more gas then a car for the most part.

The new Caddy CTS is REALLY nice. But that would be close to your 40k mark.

Some Acuras are ok as well for good feal.

But I woudl still lean Aura as you can get a top of the line model with roof, leather, etc... and still be in the 20's with a very low % rate.
 
theeedude

theeedude

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
126
Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia would be a good choice if you want more room. I think loaded it comes out to about what you want to pay.
Infiniti G35 or M35 if you want a luxury sedan. There is also EX35 SUV coming out soon that looks nice.

 
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ggnl

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2004
5,095
1
0
Well, you have a LOT of options with a $20,000 to $40,000 budget, so maybe you want to narrow it down a little bit. Start with:

1. Car or SUV. If you have no preference you might want to list what you're looking for in both classes.

2. What size? Coupe or sedan for cars. 2 row, or 3 row seating for SUV.

3. Sporty, practical, or luxury? These aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but there's usually an emphasis on one or the other. (Practical meaning hauling capacity, gas mileage, etc.)

4. Domestic or import? If import, European or Japanese?

5. Will you be driving in snow/winter weather? Offroad?
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
If I'm doing that much driving and I didn't require large luggage/hauling capacity I'd be looking at nothing other than a luxury oriented sedan/coupe.

From a pure functionality standpoing I'd want something that was comfortable, low blindspots, great turning radius, easy to get in and out of, ect.

My short list would be something like an Acura TL, G35, BMW 3 series, Lexus IS/GS and for a darkhorse the new Caddy CTS.

If I wanted a little more utility something like an Acura RDX or an Infiniti FX would be at the top of the list.
 
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paulxcook

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
4,277
1
0
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. vi_edit, you just... get me. That's what I was looking for. I know almost nothing about Acura, Infiniti, etc.

I'll try to clarify my position.

1. Car or SUV. If you have no preference you might want to list what you're looking for in both classes.

I'm open to both, and I'll add 4 door trucks to that list. Again, whatever vehicle I get must be able to accommodate a kid's carseat.

SUV/Truck: I don't need a Ford F250 or a friggin Excursion. Something that would allow me to haul furniture on the weekends, server parts during the week (backseat instead of truck bed), but would most-importantly be comfy enough that I wouldn't hate driving it for 3 hours out of the workday. Also, ~20 mpg combined would be nice.

Car: No smaller than Civic or Corolla size, probably bigger, but nothing as big as my current boat of a car. Some passing power would be nice, but I don't need a sports car. Again, must be child seat capable. Something understated but comfortable and with some power would be ideal. Probably looking for a V6 of some sort, but who knows. Well, you guys, hopefully.

2. What size? Coupe or sedan for cars. 2 row, or 3 row seating for SUV.

Don't need 3rd row seats. Car should probably have 4 doors, so not a coupe.

3. Sporty, practical, or luxury? These aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but there's usually an emphasis on one or the other. (Practical meaning hauling capacity, gas mileage, etc.)

Kinda already covered this in #1. Don't need sporty, I would like practicality, but with some nicer features that would make the car enjoyable to drive 3 hours a day.

4. Domestic or import? If import, European or Japanese?

Quality is more important to me than country of origin. Since I'll be driving this thing like a pizza delivery guy, it'll need to be pretty durable/reliable.

5. Will you be driving in snow/winter weather? Offroad?

No intentional offroading, no, but I'm sure there will be some snow driving this winter, midwest winters are always a mixed bag, but this past February we really got hammered with snow. My RWD crown vic didn't do so well in/on that.

 
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desy

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2000
5,447
216
106
Honda Ridgeline will give you tons of flexibility and a car like ride with AWD and 4 doors
My 2!
 
NutBucket

NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
27,151
635
126
Except that doesn't exist for the '08 model year in the US;) If the company is paying for my car damned right it'll be new!

He could always go for an Outback XT or maybe even a Legacy 3.0R. Truth be told, I think there's more room in a Civic than a Legacy sedan.
 
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