I am looking to trade our SUV ('05 Mazda Tribute and an '03 Mazda Protege) for something classy and sporty. and fairly good on gas..... Any ideas??

New or used. Just cant be any more than 27,000 out the door... This is the budget I have to work with right now..

Looked at the TSX. Nice, but still seems kinds small. But so far my 1st choice.
Mazda6 - Nice but seems to kid-like.
Audi A4's - My favorite!!! New ones seem out of the price range, and the used seem expensive for 3 years old and around 40,000 miles. (about $27,000 used)
Looked at some smaller Mercedes - Nice but very small.

Any other opinions? Cant be to sporty, because it must be an all weather car that the wife can drive in the snow, and thus front wheel drive and auto.

 

TSX, IMO, isnt small, its just right.

 

Do the STX's hold their value well?

 

I drove a Mazda 6 on the German Autobahn last spring. It is well made, has low maintenance and is nicely thought out. I ran with the big dogs and did not seem to labor. Just my 2 cents

 

^^ Maybe but the TSX has better warranty.

 

I liked the 6. It was pretty well made. Has lots of after market parts if you want. It drive nice. Had nice hard seats. It could alomst pass as a German car, as could the TSx. but my friend has the first year Mazda 6, which was 03 I think. It is a stick with all the goodies. It is basically worthless. He is upside down it because of the hugh deals they are giving on them now.

I think the TSX is better on gas, but then it is a V6 vs a 4 Cyl....


hummm..... Hummm... Now you got me thinking again...

 

An '04 or so G35X? Jaguar X-Type AWD? ES330? '05 Maxima?

I'd honestly go with an A4, if you could find a last-generation 1.8T or even 3.0 for around the price you're looking for. It's classy but still a solid performing car in terms of handling, and it's pretty kick-ass in the snow. I would've went with the A4 over my TL-S in 2003 if it had a little more power.

 

New:
Honda Accord EX V6
Nissan Altima 3.5 SE
Mazda 6
Dodge Charger SXT
RSX Type S
Subaru WRX


Used:
2003 TL-S
2003 CL-S
2000-2002 BMW 5 series

 

I had a 2000 A4 2.8.. What a car... It was purely awsome... and ALL the maint (oil to head-light bulbs and even tune-ups) were included..

 

The TSX isn't small... you can pack quite a bit into it! Here's one run when I was moving last year:


The rear seats fold down. I've transported tables, TV stands, shelves, CD stands, you name it.

As far as ppl, I've had 5 ppl (including myself), all seatbelted, all comfy.

 

HaHa. Do you find yourself needing more power? When I had my 03 CL, I had a TSX as a loaner. It was nice., Great radio as compared to the CL and it felt tight. Nice fit and finish.. Had nice low end torque, but then it sorta died. But then again with the higher gas prices, I have been taking it easy on the take off's...
What is the warrenty on the TSX??

And does anyone know about how they hold their value??

 

Don't forget the Subaru's. I believe you can get into a somewhat base Legacy GT for $25K or so, no? Then theres' the Saab 9-2X...with the GM Discounts now, they're probably about $25K...4 yr warranty, etc.

 

The legacy GT will bring you to around 30k. THe regular legacy can be had for 25 or so


9-2x is a nice choice too, but there's a reliability issue I'd be worried about...

lol. This coming from the guy who owns an american car..

 

go for a 03' 04' G35 coupe best car to get for that price in my opinion.
i am going to be getting a new car in december around the 30k range and i was looking at that, the TL, s2000, and as of now the G35 is puling me in its direction w/ the Z in a close second and the TL in 3rd. My fiancee has an 05 TSX black/black fully loaded and it is a beautiful car just too small for me.

 

TSX's hold their value very well, I've seen used '04 TSX's selling for a couple of grand less then a new one.

 

Talk about contradictions. Have you ever been in a G35c? The trunk lid has instructions on how to pack golf clubs in since it's so tight. I'd be suprised if the trunk was anything more than 1/2 of the CL, or TSX for that matter. And I'm 5'10", and if I sat in the back, my head hit the glass in the back and my feet were pinched by the front seat!

I'm getting anywhere between 30-32MPG on the TSX now. Before the gas price spike, I kept my old driving habits from the CL-S, and I would get between 24-26MPG. I've also got the tendency to drive more aggressively the closer I get to empty, so I may get 30MPG per the trip computer until that drive home from work before filling up when it'll drop to 28.8

You get used to the change in power, you just need to get a feel for when the car will downshift when you go WOT, and you'll have no problems merging. It's a totally different car from the CL-S, so you can't compare the two or expect the same level of performance from a 2.4 vs a 3.2l. Once you get over that, you're golden.

I think there was a comparo with the Legacy GT, TSX and others under 30k from C&D that was posted in one of the boards that you can search for. Check out the Volvo S40, too.

 

I dont want the G35 because of the rear wheel drive. I alsomt got one before I got my CL.

The SAAB looks nice. Dont like the 9-2x hatchback. I do like the 9-5 but i dont know how much of a deal the family price gets. Optioned as I like it came to 30,575 (MSRP) They dont list the family price on the web, so that means I have to go and talk to someone.

Damn, I just dont know. Maybe I should just wait and save cash for the downpayment and get a better car..

 

Anyone know how much I can get off the sticker of a new STX Auto (no Navi)?? I think it stickered at the mid 27,000 range..

 

ranked 9th in 04

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/...7/article.html

 

nope, you could easily get '05 L-GT for 25k. brand new.

 

Yup....the GT Limited's go for about $30k.

 

for the price constraint...+1 on the L-GT

 

AS you can see from matt's avataar, he owns one. Let's take his word for it @ $25K.

 

He did take his word for it, he was comparing the GT to the GT Limited

 

get an 04 sti, put snows on in the winter and in the summer blaze a trail and the sti gets just about the same gas mileage as the wrx and has 73 more HP. that's what I would buy.

 

My bad, no he wasn't

 

My money would be on a Legacy GT 5 speed