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Old 02-13-2012, 09:32 AM
 
Location: Denver, CO
3,135 posts, read 11,831,109 times
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Again, won't find another car for $30k that offers what the Optima SX does. 274HP and 0-60 in 6.2 seconds, and 22/34MPG. No premium required. Find another car that offers that performance with the MPG and features for this price. Made in USA.

There is a new Limited trim available that has a few more features that is still in your price range.
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Old 02-13-2012, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,274,526 times
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The other nice thing about the CT200h, is the hatchback, since you can more easily put bulky items in the car. Sometimes you never know when you may have that car, and buy something that may not fit in a vehicle with a trunk, but it will in the smaller hatchback. I would strongly consider the Lexus CT200h as well.

The Acuras are decent cars, too, but if you don't want premium gas, then they're out. Out of warranty, the Audi and BMW are going to have issues, whereas the Acuras and Lexus are less likely to have issues.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
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(As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)

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Old 02-13-2012, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Miami, FL
8,087 posts, read 9,784,183 times
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Mustang 5.0 if you are considering any other models than those on the OP. It will hold more resale value for when you wish to move on to another. Probably the best vehicle under $40,000 currently available in the U.S.A. Far better than many a more expensive Import.

It meets and exceeds all of your requirements in terms of options, reliability, coolness factor, and ability to gain good mpg on regular gas no less.

Honestly, go test drive an automatic 5.0 Mustang. Make sure you have the opportunity to fully depress the accelerator.

Last edited by Felix C; 02-13-2012 at 10:27 AM..
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Old 02-13-2012, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Vallejo
21,676 posts, read 24,828,364 times
Reputation: 18907
The Optima's a nice car, but it's not near-luxury let alone entry-level luxury. It and its Sonata sisters are steals on features for the dollar but the Koreans, as good as they've gotten, still aren't quite there on the handling. That's really not a problem in the family sedan segment since they're pretty much all content over actually making cars that drive well. The last family sedan the bean counters didn't squeeze every last feature in on was the previous Passat. Not that bean counters are all bad... you get a lot more value in that segment but the cost cutting is also very evident. That's never more true than in the Optima/Sonata, and you see in the performance numbers. While the class leaders are all sub 6 second 0-60, the K-Twins loaf along at a bottom of the pack 7 second range. Worse yet, in real world passing it's similarly bottom of the pack. Fuel economy promises high but delivers what the competitions V6s do. The handling/ride are average. On the other hand, it costs thousands less and comes better equipped. I doubt most family-sedan buyers are overly concerned with 0-60 times and would happily trade them for money in their pocket and extra feature content.

Regardless, if the OP is willing to look at the CR-V the Optima/Sonata twins are definitely worth a look. While far more expensive, cross shop it with a Buick Regal. They're remarkably similar vehicles on paper (aside from the substantial price difference). On the Internet I'd take the Regal. It's a better car. In the real world with real money I'd take the Optima.
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Old 02-13-2012, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Long Island, NY
1,775 posts, read 3,770,967 times
Reputation: 1894
Quote:
Originally Posted by Malloric View Post
The Optima's a nice car, but it's not near-luxury let alone entry-level luxury. It and its Sonata sisters are steals on features for the dollar but the Koreans, as good as they've gotten, still aren't quite there on the handling. That's really not a problem in the family sedan segment since they're pretty much all content over actually making cars that drive well. The last family sedan the bean counters didn't squeeze every last feature in on was the previous Passat. Not that bean counters are all bad... you get a lot more value in that segment but the cost cutting is also very evident. That's never more true than in the Optima/Sonata, and you see in the performance numbers. While the class leaders are all sub 6 second 0-60, the K-Twins loaf along at a bottom of the pack 7 second range. Worse yet, in real world passing it's similarly bottom of the pack. Fuel economy promises high but delivers what the competitions V6s do. The handling/ride are average. On the other hand, it costs thousands less and comes better equipped. I doubt most family-sedan buyers are overly concerned with 0-60 times and would happily trade them for money in their pocket and extra feature content.

Regardless, if the OP is willing to look at the CR-V the Optima/Sonata twins are definitely worth a look.
Exactly. I dont know much about KIA's in general but they dont appeal to me for a variety of reasons, it not having luxury features or super fuel economy being part of that.

What about the VW Passat? It seems to be in the >40K range for a mid range model w/ satellite radio and navigation.

I am leaning toward the Acura TL and Audi 4 - but I have to factor in the increase cost of Premium fuel. I'm not sure how much more $$ that adds to my monthly expenses. I guess since most of these cars require Premium (or have Premium as their "Preferred/Recommended" fuel type), I have no choice but to suck it up.

Going to be making appointments at local Dealers for test drives.On my list:
Lexus Hybrid
Lexus IS250 (sorry I meant to say 250 not 200 in my OP- but you knew what I meant).
BMW 335i/325
Audi 4
Acura TL
Acura TSX
VW Passat (??)

PS To answer above questions - I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years. I drive a Civic now w/ only 65K miles and the only reason I am selling it to a family member is because that relative needs a car ASAP and I can use that as an opportunity to "upgrade' my current ride instead of waiting another 5 years for my Civic to start having issues.

PPS whatever car I get, it will also have to handle well in the snow since I live in NY where winter snowstorms are likely (hence why the CRV was on the list). I have heard the BMW absolutely sucks with handling in the snow. That and the run flat tires seem to be a negative.
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Old 02-13-2012, 10:58 AM
 
Location: Vallejo
21,676 posts, read 24,828,364 times
Reputation: 18907
VW/Audi reliability... sketchy. Also, they really went cheap (and large) on the new Passat. It's not a premium car like it once was and much more a direct competitor to the Camry/Accord. Personally, I think the base model Passat is a pretty good deal. You get everything you'd expect for 20 grand. Start loading it up with options and the price gets ridiculous. The Kia does have a lot luxury features... it's more a lack of luxury execution. It'll probably have more features than most luxury cars your looking at. For example, heated AND ventilated seats on the TL are part of the $6000 advanced package.

Fuel economy is by no means bad, low to mid 20s which is what you'll get from an Acura TL and A4 -- you just won't get TL performance numbers, ride quality, interior quality, etc.The Kia is a value proposition. It's got most of features a loaded up Acura TL does for $10,000 less.


Premium fuels not going to cost that much more. Probably in the $10-20 a month range, depending how much you drive of course.
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Old 02-13-2012, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,274,526 times
Reputation: 7137
I would tend to skip the BMW with standard tires, and non AWD for the snow, for the most part. However, adding AWD adds to the cost, complexity, and maintenance/repair out of warranty. Audi's Quattro AWD system is very good, but Audis generally have reliability issues as they age. The Passat is really a mixed bag in terms of reliability on past iterations, so I would tend to expect the same from the newer model. VW/Audi is just not known for long-term reliability that is on par with Lexus and Acura. You can get an IS250 AWD which will handle better than the RWD model in the snow, so that might be worth considering. The Acuras should have no problem with snow in FWD or AWD configurations.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare
(As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)

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Old 02-13-2012, 11:30 AM
 
14,780 posts, read 43,511,849 times
Reputation: 14621
Quote:
Originally Posted by LegalDiva View Post
Exactly. I dont know much about KIA's in general but they dont appeal to me for a variety of reasons, it not having luxury features or super fuel economy being part of that.

What about the VW Passat? It seems to be in the >40K range for a mid range model w/ satellite radio and navigation.

I am leaning toward the Acura TL and Audi 4 - but I have to factor in the increase cost of Premium fuel. I'm not sure how much more $$ that adds to my monthly expenses. I guess since most of these cars require Premium (or have Premium as their "Preferred/Recommended" fuel type), I have no choice but to suck it up.

Going to be making appointments at local Dealers for test drives.On my list:
Lexus Hybrid
Lexus IS250 (sorry I meant to say 250 not 200 in my OP- but you knew what I meant).
BMW 335i/325
Audi 4
Acura TL
Acura TSX
VW Passat (??)

PS To answer above questions - I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years. I drive a Civic now w/ only 65K miles and the only reason I am selling it to a family member is because that relative needs a car ASAP and I can use that as an opportunity to "upgrade' my current ride instead of waiting another 5 years for my Civic to start having issues.

PPS whatever car I get, it will also have to handle well in the snow since I live in NY where winter snowstorms are likely (hence why the CRV was on the list). I have heard the BMW absolutely sucks with handling in the snow. That and the run flat tires seem to be a negative.
The upcharge on premium isn't necessarily as bad as people think, when you actually figure it out.

If you drive 15k miles a year and average a conservative 26 MPG you will spend about an extra $175 a year on premium gas (premium averages around .30 cents more per gallon), or a little less than $15 a month. Over 5 years it will add around $875 to your fuel cost. Honestly, for someone considering spending $30k-$40k on a car, I wouldn't dicker over whether it needs premium or not.

Think long and hard about whether or not AWD is something you really need. A lot of people justify it for the 10 days a year or so it may actually be needed to get around, but don't realise they are paying a daily fuel economy penalty for having it and paying a decent upcharge to get a car with it. If you live in say, Buffalo, it may be more necessary, living near NYC, you probably don't really need it.

FWIW, if you find that your Civic is competent most days, you probably don't really need AWD, but if you are concerned, you may want to take the RWD IS250 and 3-series off the list or restrict your search to only those models with AWD.
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Old 02-13-2012, 12:21 PM
 
Location: Long Island, NY
1,775 posts, read 3,770,967 times
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Thanks - I dont really need AWD. Dont care much for it - my Civic handles really well in the snow, and last year we had 3-4 snowstorms and it handled beautifully from the LI suburbs all the way into Manhattan and back.

I have the following cars listed in order from lowest priced to most expensive (based off hte MSRP from TrueCar.com)....

Please feel free to chime in. I plan to use True Car.com to get the best price (ideally under $38K w/ all taxes/fees).

Lexus Hybrid = $30K
Acura TSX = $31K
Audi 4 = $33K
Lexus IS250 = $34K
BMW 328i = $35K
Acura TL = $ 36,490

Surprised the Acura TL is coming in at the higher end - its just Honda's luxury line. I also want to know differences between Japanese and German engineering in terms of handling. I want it to be as nimble as my Civic - I fear the Acura TL may be a little too "bulky" in terms of handling. The TSX is on the list but everyone is telling not to bother w the TXS because its not as roomy inside as the TL.
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Old 02-13-2012, 12:31 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
3,135 posts, read 11,831,109 times
Reputation: 2484
My as well put the Infiniti G25x on your list.
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