help - Luxury w/ preformance for under $30,000

[-Hank-]

Hey, my last car got stolen so I'm now in the market for another car.
Cant spend over 30,000
I want preformance, speed & suspension.
needs to be nice or luxury.

I just had a lexus sc400, so anything better than that basically

cars I've been thinkin of so far
Infinity g35
Cadillac CTS
Lexus IS300
the new GTO

not sure what to think of past those, not a fan of Mercedes.
dont really want anything FWD
any suggestions or opinions are appreciated.
thanks.

[3kgt222]

99 m3 convertible!!!

[NISSANSPDR]

Originally Posted by -Hank-

cars I've been thinkin of so far
Infinity g35
Cadillac CTS
Lexus IS300
the new GTO

Yea an E36 M3 would be my guess w/low miles so you can have that happy balance of performance and luxury.

The new GTO I wouldnt really call a luxury car...but it sure has the grunt.

If you want a newer BMW...you could always try to get a slightly used 330ci or 330i.

Another car I would consider would be an A4 Quattro either 1.8T or 3.0 V6.

Personally I think the CTS is ugly so maybe you could consider the Charger or 300C.

[DinanM3_S2]

I'd get a certified used BMW 330i/Ci w/ either the Sport or Performance package.

The interior build quality of the 3-series is much better then that of Cadillac, Infiniti, or Pontiac... and I personally like it more then the IS300, but that is arguable. BMW basically built its reputation on building a blend of luxury and performance in their cars and I would argue that they still do it better then anyone else out there. As I always say, the BMW 3-series is the best all around vehicle out there for less then $40,000.

I think these two C&D comparos do a good job of highlighting just how good the E46 3-series is.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=1983

Between these two comparos, the 330i beats out literally all of its real competition. No car has been quite as dominant in one class as the BMW 3-series, especially the 330i, is. It isn't the most powerful, it isn't the most luxurious, and it isn't the fastest of the group anymore, but when you drive the 3-series there are absolutely no major flaws like you would find on the other cars. The CTS has nothing going for it except its engine, the G35's interior feels very cheep, the A4 isn't as fun or as reliable, etc. If you are at all like me, when you drive the 330i you will get a bigger smile on your face then with any of these other cars.

Possible alternatives...
2006 IS250- Very good car, and you might just be able to get one new, just not very well equipped.

E90 325i- On paper the new E90 325i is very close to the outgoing E46 330i. 215hp v. 225hp. The only problem is again, a new 325i rarely goes for less then $32-33,000, which is over your budget. I like how the E90 handles but I like the interior in the E46 more. Its a tough call for me.

My final advice would be to just go out and test drive all of these cars. Having a bunch of faceless posters tell you what they like the most is one thing, but you really shouldn't buy anything until you have tested everything.

[-Hank-]

not too sure if I like the whole BMW idea, plus the fact that it would have to be slightly older than I'm looking for... What are some of the preformance specs for the 99's and up? I wasn't too impressed with earlier versions as far as speed goes.

Yea the gto isn't really luxury, but its on the other end of my spectrum as far as what I want. I think the interior looks good enuf and I like the LS2 engine.

as far as my personal (albiet uneducated) opinion goes, I think im leaning twards the infinity g35

the car I get is also going to have to be quite reliable, as its probably gonna have 15-20thousand miles per year put on it.

I dont know much info about the audi's, but I've heard good things. Any specs as far as preformance goes? or sites I can find more information about them and the different types of them?

thanks.

[BP2K2Max]

I'd go with the G35 or the cadillac. the GTO's not luxury enough and the IS300 really isn't that fast. peronsally i'd take the G35 cuz i like nissans and i love the VQ motors. the caddy's nice but for what you're gonna pay for it you can get the G35 which has about 50 more hp and 25 ft-lbs of tq.

[SuperHighOutput]

I'd say either the G35 or the CTS 3.6L. The CTS has 255hp and 252lb-ft, and the G35 has 280hp and 270lb-ft so it's going to be a little faster than the CTS, but you can't go wrong either way.

[BP2K2Max]

^ the Manual G35's actually have 300 hp, the auto's have 280.

[curtis73]

2001 7-series. You could find a 750iL model with about 70k miles for $25k. And that's with navigation, privacy screens... just a darn nice car. Right now on Ebay there is a 2000 750iL with the V12, fully loaded with 67k miles at a buy it now of $29,500. Now that's luxury and performance. If you've never driven one, give yourself the joy of just a test drive.

[SuperHighOutput]

Originally Posted by BP2K2Max

^ the Manual G35's actually have 300 hp, the auto's have 280.

Do you think he'll be able to get an 05 for 30k with a manual? I'm pretty sure they run more than 30k but I may be wrong.

[k3smostwanted]

Originally Posted by SuperHighOutput

Do you think he'll be able to get an 05 for 30k with a manual? I'm pretty sure they run more than 30k but I may be wrong.

umm....what?

G35's brand new only run $35k dont they? i see it being possible...

E36 M3??? pftt....i can get a 01 E46 M3 for a tad under $30k in my area.

[iVteC_PoWeR]

I would get a manual 2dr G35 if i had to pick out of those options...

[BP2K2Max]

they had the same motor in 04 so it's not like he has to buy it brand new. i'm actually in the market for a G35 myself so i've been doing the reasearch and there are a lot of pre-owned G's with low mileage in and around that price range. with some good bargaining skills i'm sure you could get a nice 04 G35 6 speed coupe for less than $30K

[-Hank-]

Finnaly had a small ammount of time to go look at cars before work this morning. Went to a few dealerships in a local automall.
Test drove a used g35, very nice car... love how it handels, but I don't know if It was just circumstance or just my area, because every used g35 coupe I saw was atleast 33k and thats 04's too, (Live in sacramento ca)

Was very impressed with the chrysler 300hemis, nice car... wish they were within my price range

Havn't got a chance to look at the bimmers yet, but I'm gonna go spend all day on thursday at another automall drivin shit so I'm sure ill find a few bmw's

saw some good deals on brand new pontiac gtp's but I still dont think im into the whole fwd thing.. just dosn't feel right. anyone have experiences with these cars?

any other imput would be appreciated, im still up in the air and its startin to bug me

another thing is, no matter what I get it has to be an auto. I know there are alot of differences in auto's between car makers, so which ones should I stay away from and which ones are good as far as automatic trannys go?

[Jaguar D-Type]

2005 GTO. 3 series are a dime a dozen.

http://ultimategto.com/bondurant04cars1.htm