What's my next road trip car?

[Rex]

Are we talking about the same 2005-2008 RL?

It's not a sports car, but I wouldn't say ts a slug. I've never driven one, but both C&D and MT seem to think its a capable sedan.

My main pointS for recommending was 300hp, AWD, Acura/Honda reliability and its got great (for used buyers) depreciation.

[Rex]

You might be able to find some early SRX's in your price range.

[frapjap]

You might be able to find some early SRX's in your price range.

THIS. I saw one on the road the other day and forgot all about it. Some folks say they're weren't nicely appointed (for a Cadillac) but I liked 'em.

[frapjap]

Some other thoughts after driving on the highway a ton lately.
2000-2007 Saab 9-3 2.0t
2000-2004 Saab 9-5 aero
02-04 Cadillac CTS ('04 gets the 3.6)
2001-2004 Mini Cooper S (I'd really like to see you get one of these for a short while)
early 2000's S430

An honorable mention on my local autotrader. An S500 for under 10k.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?c ... dard=false

[Jesda]

After browsing autotrader for the past hour it's INSANE how overpriced used cars are right now. A Y33 Q45 in decent shape was $5k several years ago. It should be $3500 right now. I guess I scored one hell of a deal when I picked up my '01 Seville last year for $3800.

This economic slump should end any day now... :| I should probably keep what I've got until the wheels fall off, which I don't mind at all.

-----

I'm baffled by why fuel economy on the Y33 Q45 is so poor. 23mpg highway seems kind of low considering the 4.1 V8's low output (266hp). The Seville (300hp, GM recommends 87 octane) has an EPA rating of 25, highest I've seen in real life was 26. The Lexus LS400 (290hp) is rated at 25 mpg highway, but I've achieved an honest, steady 27mpg in that car.

[I'm using the old EPA ratings since they seem closer to long-distance highway mpg]

The Cadillac SRX looks like the best bang for the buck. $10k or less will get me a V8 with about 100k, and the longitudinal Northstars were heavily redesigned and are quite dependable as a result, arguably even more dependable than the early 3.6 V6 which was prone to sudden timing chain failure. Fuel economy is a bit less than I prefer, 21 mpg highway, but I like that it's basically a rear-drive Seville with cargo space.

I came really close to buying a QX4 earlier this year but the rust they seem to suffer from is scary. With the time I spend tooling around the snowy northwest and the salt they use on the road here in St Louis, I dont think I can confidently own one.

--$50k+ for an underpowered V6. FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!! You can buy a 5 Series for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, for under $60k you get a V6 in the Bimmer, too, but at least it has a chassis designed by the Germans. Oh, and torque.

I think the RL existed for only one reason: To keep loyal Acura customers from abandoning the brand (primarily to Lexus) when it came time to trade in their TLs for an upgrade. It doesn't seem like Honda aimed for anything higher than that.

Based on sales volume, I'm not entire sure the RL achieved that goal, and I suspect heavy incentives were still needed to move the metal.

When Honda puts in the effort they usually set a new, higher standard for the entire industry, but when they're lazy, like with the new Civic, the results are embarrassing.

[Jesda]

Some other thoughts after driving on the highway a ton lately.
2000-2007 Saab 9-3 2.0t
2000-2004 Saab 9-5 aero
02-04 Cadillac CTS ('04 gets the 3.6)
2001-2004 Mini Cooper S (I'd really like to see you get one of these for a short while)
early 2000's S430

MB from 1999-2007 is downright scary.
DriverDriver seems to love his 9-5 wagon, and it's one of the sharpest looking five-doors ever made, along with the Mazda 6 wagon and CTS wagon.

A late 90s/early 2000s Saab Viggen would be epic, especially a three-door hatch. Very hard to find.


The ideal first-gen CTS, aside from a V, would be an '03, the first year of production. It came with the 230hp (225?) 3.2L V6 from the Catera, but by that point, all of the 3.2's reliability issues were resolved, and there's no scary timing chain timebomb waiting to go off. Plus, you could get a manual.

[frapjap]

Viggen is a very pretty car, unfortunately I have never seen one of those before today.
The CTS is a really enjoyable car, i took one for a spin last year and really fell in love with it- especially the interior. It was a strong contender, but in the end a new-ish car wasn't purchased.

Whats awful about the MB's? Just for my general knowledge...Poor quality control?

How are prices on the used Touaregs? A friend had one in college. It was powerful, extremely comfy, and had a ton of space for adults and ski equipment.

No Mini love?

Also, you could keep what you have a get an NB miata for a little while. Plenty of room in the passanger seat for Newton.

[Jesda]

I heard early Minis were a PITA, but that's third party from other sources. And perhaps by now, most of the issues on older Minis have been resolved during the warranty period.

As for MB, that's the era when they replaced durability and longevity with poorly implemented techno-wizardry. Lexus beat them on longevity and sold similar cars with much lower transaction prices, and BMW was pummeling them on performance and youthful appeal, so MB's North American margins were disappearing. They figured the only way they could charge as much as they do for their cars is by investing in gadgets and gimmicks.

They finally figured it out around 2007/2008.

[Bubba1]

Also, you could keep what you have a get an NB miata for a little while. Plenty of room in the passanger seat for Newton.

This ^ You've spoken many times about getting a Miata, but then end up buying more subdued old people cars. Why not give in to your passion and get a little zoom zoom for the summer? Newton will love the breeze.

[Kompresshun]

This ^ You've spoken many times about getting a Miata, but then end up buying more subdued old people cars. Why not give in to your passion and get a little zoom zoom for the summer? Newton will love the breeze.

X3 - As much as i'd like to replace my car sometimes, I keep thinking that maybe I should just buy something that's fun to drive on short trips and around town, then continue driving my car for long trips and commutes. You could just save the Caddy for long road trips and drive a Miata the rest of the time.

[Rex]

The Q45's MPG is so poor, due to Infiniti not making any significant improvement in the transmission. I believe all the cars you cited have at least 1 extra forward gear, but I could be mistaken.

A co-worker picked up a Saab wagon last year (don't remember what model, but it is a 4 cyl turbo), he likes it but find it to be a bit "different". Seems some parts are easily sourced (think GM) and some are not (Swedish). 1 example is his front brake pads, his specific model/trim/MY has more than 1 potential part # and luck would have it no one could source his except the dealer and that took >2 weeks.

I like the (older) SRX and Mazda6 wagon, but wasn't completely sure I could be a "Caddy guy" and couldn't find a nicely equipped Mazda6 wagon for a reasonable price.

Is the Mazda5 wagon just too ... well you know mini-van-ish?

[Kompresshun]

Is the Mazda5 wagon just too ... well you know mini-van-ish?

I drove one of those a while back and fell in love with it. It is a bit mini-van-ish, but it drives so much like a car that it makes you forget about it. I came very close to buying one of them instead of our Commander, but I was concerned about load capacity at the time, since we already had one car and I also wanted 4WD/AWD. It was surprisingly roomy though and was a real joy to drive overall, so I highly recommend them. If I could do it over again, I wish we would've considered one now, because this week was the first time that we've even used the 3rd seating in the Commander

[Rex]

Are you still looking? This guy's dropped his price to <$5k
2000-infiniti-q45-black-leather-interio ... 45541.html

[Jesda]

Wow, nice!!!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

4600. Wow, that is a steal and a half.

...WOW
Jesda, jump on that. Do it. DOOO EEEEET

[Jesda]

Its from Delaware though. I vow never to buy another car from anywhere that far north or east ever again.

I think I'll be enjoying the Seville for a while longer. I feel like that Q should be $3700, but I've maybe become spoiled by the low resale value of domestic cars.

[VQpwrdSE-R]

Jesda theres a blue Saab viggen near me for sale in pennsylvania. If I remember correctly its under $4500. If you want more info I can get it to you. I don't know much else about it. It is the same gen as the one you pictured. How many were produced?

[Jesda]

I put an ad up for the Cadillac just for the hell of it. Let's see if anyone bites.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Look into an E39 540i 6-speed. Tons of fun, dirt cheap (about the same price as a 528i around here), and dead nuts reliable....as long as you keep up with maintenance. There's nothing more fun banging through the gears in a big sedan, dusting off cars along the way. I had an E34, but I've driven a few E39s and they're a blast.

If you can swallow maintenance on German cars, they're fantastic. Just never something I could do...

Otherwise, I don't really see any other options being better overall than the Cadillac. LS400s and RLs are nice and comfy boats, but imo they're boring and dull. A Q/M would be cool, not nearly as fun as the Bimmer though. Seems like you have a pretty solid car already.