Which car to buy?

I'm in a dilemna. I research myself to death sometimes and in this case, it's getting me nowhere as I keep getting mixed reviews. I'm looking at used cars and need to buy one in the next couple of weeks. I have a company car and have to turn in the keys as I'm switching employers. I want a classy car that is reliable/dependable. My budget is 15-18k. I have a subscription to Consumer Reports on-line and have researched a lot of vehicles. I thought I was sold on the 03 Acura TL until I read about the transmission issues they have. Acura does warranty until 100k on this issue, but what happens after that?? I'm looking at an Infiniti I35, Volvo S60, Audi A4, Nissan Maxima. All the vehicles around the 04 year. I read the Audi owners love their cars, but see a lot of reliability issues. Volvo seems to be hit and miss, but Cons Rep rates the 04 %26amp; 05 good. I'm so confused and just want to make a wise purchase. I want a car that is fun to drive and will last ! Any help???

Which car to buy?
why dont you go with less of a car and purchase brand new, that way you will receive a lengthy warranty.
Reply:It is difficult to decide which car you want to buy after looking at all the fine details of the best cars. If you ask people, they will try to tell you what they would buy, but not what you would buy, because only you can make that call. I went through the same decision making process last year when I bought my hyundai favoring it over Honda, Toyota and a few others. This is not to say the others were not good enough, but more to say that it was a calculated choice.





I think what can help you here is a guideline to come to such a decision with minimum headache(and possibly heartache, since you will have to 'settle' somewhere between your expectations, desires/wants and needs). I used a matrix with all the major features I wanted in the car and made that a heading. Then I listed each brand on the left, one by one, and gave points to each of them based on my research for each feature. The car that did not have the feature got a zero, while the car that had the best version of it got a full 10 points. After giving points to all my expectations, desires/wants and needs in the car, i summarized the matrix by giving each feature relative weightage. I wanted heated and power seats more than the moonroof/sunroof. So I assigned a 5 weight to the heated power seat and a 4 to the moonroof and so on and so forth.





After that was done I just multiplied all feature-weights and car-points(that i had assigned previously) to come up with a final score for each brand. I selected the car with the highest points- that 'happened' to be Hyundai. For me, it was important to not have a bias toward or against any specific car. For example, some people do not like Hyundai's reputation, and that is where research helps you sift through details and focus on the quality of each feature YOU WANT.





So I took emotion out of it and ranked the cars, and thats what I would recommend to you..Good luck and make sure you enjoy the experience. That is the fun part!!!
Reply:I would take a look at the BMW 3-Series. The Certified Pre-Owned Program BMW offers is pretty much amazing. I bought a 2003 BMW 5-Series used with 67,000 miles on it two years ago and it is amazing. I now have 130,000 miles on it and it is running great. I also have a BMW 3-Series with 140,000 miles on it and it is great. Though BMW's are supposedly extremely unreliable, I never have any problems with mine. It is worth the look, other than that, if you are not interested in the BMW, go for the Volvo S60 because their build quality is amazing. Have you ever thought of the Cadillac CTS? They are very reliable and some people love the styling. Also, the Saab 9-5, they are reliable and look good. Avoid the 9-3 because they are not reliable at all.
Reply:Since you are looking at used cars, it should be on a car by car basis. Don't decide you want a certain car make, only to realize the pick of the litter was another brand. Start looking at all of the cars you are considering, pick the one looks like the best overall value. Even here, you will get all sorts of mixed reviews, just go out and pick one.
Reply:Buy American.
Reply:I would go with a Nissan Maxima. There's no equality among cars as to which one will last, but just which one will be worthy and comfortable to drive.
Reply:This is a highly personal decision. If the reliability issue is the most important, choose one of the Japanese cars. I would not own an Audi out of warranty under any circumstances. I know several former Audi owners and they are now in the "Never Again" camp. If I were making the decision, I'd rank them Infiniti, Acura, Nissan, Volvo, and Audi. Y





ou might also consider a 3-series BMW and the Lexus IS300, although you might have to go a year or so older than with the others to keep the price point you want.





Drive them all and pick the one you like.
Reply:how about a camry, I have seen them driving around with 400,000 miles on them, personally I don't care for the Volvo, but I do like the A4 and the maxima.





I could help you, once you decide what you want, by saving you time and money, but finding and negotiating a good deal on your behalf. E mail me with your needs. negotiators.jeremy@gmail.com
Reply:I would start my research with sites like:


http://cars.mybuywatcher.com/


to read some reviews from around the net.


or autos.yahoo.com to start compare 3-4 models.


Overall, Toyota/Honda will give you the 'most' car for each $ but Audi and Volvo are also good options.


All the best!
Reply:GO AND LOOK AT SOME HONDA ACCORDS BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY RELIABLE PLUS THE HAVE A VERY GOOD RESALE VALUE.





GOOD LUCK