Should we give reviews on non-standard "what should I buy" choices? If so, I got a couple more:
'91 Infiniti Q45 (my last car). Only available in auto transmission. Bought June 2004 for $2000 with 13Xk miles on it. I was poor and in college and just needed something to last me a year. I ended up driving it until February 2006 when it got loads and loads of electrical problems (either from a leaky trunk or from damage at the front of the passenger side door/front fender, I think). I traded it into a dealer for $3500 with 148k miles for credit off my 4Runner (because of the high trade in value, it was more off the price of the 4Runner than a price for the Q, but they wouldn't budge on the sticker price of the 4Runner but would negotiate in the trade in. Real value was likely around $1k). I experienced 19 MPG freeway, 12-14 MPG city. Requires premium fuel.
+ Quick for a boat (low 7s 0-60)
+ Seats are like lazy-boys on wheels.
+ Roomy, not as large (seemingly) as the Maxima I previously wrote about, but still good for 4 6 footers seated comfortably.
+ Rather classic styling (for a luxury sedan). The 94-96 look as good as anything coming out of Germany, IMO.
- Horrible fuel economy.
- Lots of useless features that don't work too (analog clock, HICAS steering [its worthless], 6 or so ash trays/cigarette lighters and before I was getting all the electrical problems, the passenger seat power seat motor went out, and the power windows were failing).
- Plenum is a pain in the ass to take off.
The rest of the maintenance, without actually doing any, seemed pretty difficult as the engine compartment is quite cramped. The 90-93 had some long term problems that make them expensive to own, but a 94/95 (96 loses the VVT) I would recomend if you are looking for a competent highway cruiser. The handling is surprising good for a 2 ton boat, but at the end of the day it is still a 4000 pound boat. I would also suggest avoiding the "Q45A" models, as the aging active suspension, no matter how good it was when it was new, is going to ultimately fail and just be dead weight.
Overall If you can find a good deal on a 94-95, it is one hell of a car for the money. Parts are expensive, but, barring crazy electrical problems like mine had, it should be a rather reliable luxo-cruiser.
01 Toyota 4Runner SR5 [4x4] auto tranny Bought February 2006 for "$17500" through a dealer (my first time). I put quote around the price since I traded in my messed up Q for $3500, which I don't think would be worth anything more than $1k, so I think my actual purchase price was more like $15k. Had 62k miles when purchased. I get just under 20 MPG freeway and 15-18 city/back roads, and this is with 31" On/Off road all-terrains, smaller tires would probably give better results.
+ Competent off-road vehicle. Comes with an optional locking rear diff (which mine has) which has gotten me out of a number of mud bogs.
+ Folding rear seats give plenty of cargo room.
+ Surprisingly good visibility for an SUV.
+ Good clearance (9.5" with the 265 optional tires which are pretty common on the 4x4s)
- Poor ride (although this is partially because I am setting it up to be a real off-roader, stock configuration is better but still not near car quality).
- Limited rear seating compared to other SUVs its size.
- Slow. I don't know the numbers but I would suspect a 10 second 0-60 on mine. There was an optional dealer installed supercharger which is supposed to make them pretty peppy, but I hear there are transmission problems with that option.
I haven't had to do any maintenance beyond oil change so far.
Overall great daily driver if you can swallow the fuel cost. Deffinately won't be taking it on the tracks, but you can still have loads of fun in mud pits and trail riding. Also can make a good rock crawling rig, but for the cost it would likely be smarter to go with another one of the choices.