Opinions needed on Sports Sedans

[Boosted1]

I am getting married in the spring and need to get rid of my '93 3000GT VR4. My fiancee and I are thinking of trying to trade both her '04 Sunfire and my car for a new one. We have two smaller car payments and we could instead go for one larger one. There are two requirements for my fiancee: the car must have 4 doors and it must be an automatic. She would also like (if practical) heated leather seats, a sunroof, and climate control - preferrably dual zone. I would like something fast. We have looked at several cars thus far. They include the Altima SE-R, the Mazda6 GT V6, the Grand Prix GT, the Grand Prix GXP (depending on the $ difference). We may explore the Accord sedan V6 and the Legacy GT. Any thoughts on the cars mentioned, and are there any other suggestions? Let's think decent gas mileage (the GXP shuts down 4 cylinders), as well as the "cool" factor and speed. I am leaning towards a Pontiac because they look like they'll give us more for our cars than anywhere else. Thoughts?

[JLad10687]

What about a Pontiac G6? They dont have all the luxuries you listed but they are nice. Or if you want to go with maybe a 2002-2003 Chrysler 300M, they have 243 HP, leather heated seats, sunroof, large, 4 doors, only made as an auto. Or if you wanted to spend more then that, a 300 or 300C. How much are you actually looking to spend and are you looking for brand new?


EDIT: Or a brand new Jetta GLI...they are sweet, fully loaded, leather power everything, refrigerated glovebox, heated seats, the works and 200HP too. They cost around 25G though, a normal Jetta costs about 18G. But again, Im not sure what you're looking to spend.

[Boosted1]

Actually I am taking a G6 GTP out for a test drive later this week in addition to a Grand Prix GT. I just don't think I like the look of them enough though. A 300C Hemi would be nice but they are quite a bit. I like the 300M's but we want brand new - it would help us get rid of our cars too. If this was two years ago I would get the blue Jetta GLI...gorgeous looking car, 18" BBS wheels, I love it. But I don't care for the redesign all that much. The price of the car isn't the biggest issue for us...the cost per month will be the determining factor. If we could get a car for $550 or less, it would be ideal. We are open to leasing and 72 month financing. Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by JLad10687

What about a Pontiac G6? They dont have all the luxuries you listed but they are nice. Or if you want to go with maybe a 2002-2003 Chrysler 300M, they have 243 HP, leather heated seats, sunroof, large, 4 doors, only made as an auto. Or if you wanted to spend more then that, a 300 or 300C. How much are you actually looking to spend and are you looking for brand new?


EDIT: Or a brand new Jetta GLI...they are sweet, fully loaded, leather power everything, refrigerated glovebox, heated seats, the works and 200HP too. They cost around 25G though, a normal Jetta costs about 18G. But again, Im not sure what you're looking to spend.

[Chad82]

I would suggest looking into an 02+ maxima. You aren't going to be smoking people, but it runs a respectable 0-60, can come in an auto, can have all the amenities you need. One of the best cars in its class IMO.

[Boosted1]

Agreed, my dad has an '00 Max and even they are nice. Certainly the bigger 3.5L and 255hp gets the job done. The only thing is I want brand new - no test drives or anything. Mine will come straight from the factory to me. And I don't care for the new Max. The 02/03 are awesome though.

Originally Posted by Chad82

I would suggest looking into an 02+ maxima. You aren't going to be smoking people, but it runs a respectable 0-60, can come in an auto, can have all the amenities you need. One of the best cars in its class IMO.

[JLad10687]

Some more ideas in that price range:

Acura TSX -- I drove one once before and it was one of the most luxurious cars I've ever been in. I felt like I was in a $100,000 car. The 4 cylinder is also surprisingly strong. I think its in the 200HP range. Very nice. I think they carry about a $25,000 price range.

Saab 9-3 -- Very luxurious, 4 doors, only come in auto(I think). I'm not 100% sure of the cost but probably less then 550 a month. Sporty turbo engines with 200HP

Toyota Avalon -- A Lexus at heart. Upscale 4 door sedan with many of the ammenities of a Lexus with a Toyota price tag. Not very sporty or fast from what I hear but still a nice car.

Go to www.edmunds.com and click new cars on top. Then in the middle, click on monthly payment, and choose the payment that you want. Its kind of helpful, the payments are a little low though, atleast when I was looking for a car, if you want 550, id do the next one down.

[Vtec95Civic]

Friend of mine has a Mazda 6, very comfortable and decently fast, not fantastic.