car totaled, need replacement suggestions.

[T2urtle]

The day finally has come where I need to find a replacement car for my daily driver, 2005 Infinti G35 AWD sedan. Car is a total lost and I need a replacement soon. I want to spend about $10-12k on the said replacement. Hopefully I can get something with 80k and it must be AUTO.

A big part of the reason why I haven’t jump into anything is because I really don’t love anything out on the market. When I bought the car, I was looking for a sporty sedan, IS350,CTS, A4 and Legacy GT. Now I’m looking for a sedan/wagon/hatch that can be sporty.

Things I like about my car was everything was cheap on it, cheap to own, operate and repair. It had 127k, 100k driven by me. Only needed to replace like 2 cam sensors, 1 crank sensor, 1 wheel bearing. Everything else is normal fluids/belts/tires. The car is AWD with snow tires, I loved going out in the snow. I live in the Chicago, so we get snow but not as much as NY people. It was slightly modified and tracked a few times. Car stopped on a dime thanks to the brembo upgrade.

Things I didn’t like, MPG was horrible!!! It was premium only car, mixed driving I get 19mpg. Updated window sticker government has it at 18 combined. When driving hard, you felt the weight of the 4000lb car. Lastly, it was useless for carrying things around. Seats don’t fold, smallish trunk and backseat. Heated seats got warm at best.


So I need some help with possible replacements, naturally getting the same car or the newer version comes to mind. I want to try something else, plus the new ones will have the same issues.

2010-2012 VW GTI 4 door – not awd but will get snow tires. Should have a lot of help for them forums. Car is easily tuned to get good power. Maybe some reliability issues but I don’t mind doing some work, just not every day.

2008ish Subaru Outback – I think this hits everything on the head minus the power. They have turbo models but I rather have the MPG. These cars hold so much value, I don’t think it’s a good bang for the buck.

2010ish Acura TL – FWD, Similar to my G35, I’ve heard FWD models can get close to 30mpg on the highway.


Anything else out there that I might not noticed or overlooked?


TL/DR; Need a car to replace my G35 sedan for 12k

 

[XavierMace]

Does it have to be in-state? Subaru's (and similar cars) carry much less of a premium out west where snow isn't a factor. Plus no rust. If going the Subaru route, you sure about the NA option? It's like a 2mpg difference between the NA and Turbo. There's a 2006 Outback XT in your area for $6800: https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/d/2006-subaru-outback-xt/6450068961.html

If you're willing to consider out of state, there's a 2007 Outback XT out here for $4900: https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/d/2007-subaru-outback-25-xtruns/6454501592.html

Sticking with the hatches, a 2008-ish Mazdaspeed 3 would also be in the same price range. If you're fine with a sedan, a GS350 would be worth considering. There's a 2007 GS350 AWD in your area for $7500: https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/d/2007-lexus-gs350-awd/6415703539.html.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

G37 or Q50? I understand why you loved the G35. I had one too. The pony car of 4 door sedans. Ain't much on the market that strikes the same balance of performance and frugal. Sure you could try a BMW and I've had a couple of those too but never outside of warranty.....

Acura TL is meh IMHO. Rather just get a newer high trim accord instead.

I like the Foresters over the Outbacks. The ones I've driven (XT) have been way more fun than the Outback. Space to haul stuff in either one. If you can only have one car these are good ones.

VW GTI is a solid choice but for the same money you can get a newer 7th gen MQB golf. Easily tune-able as well.

Mazda hatchy handles really well and has a nice interior. I always found mine to be a bit loud on the highway and thirsty. Cheap, practical, and fun on a twisty road.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Acura TL is meh IMHO. Rather just get a newer high trim accord instead.

I test drove both; liked the driving feel / suspension of the TL enough better to get one. (They were the same price.)

Wouldn't really recommend a 2008-2013 Honda V6 to anybody though. Some of them burn oil really bad. There was a class action suit.

@OP - the VW and Subaru are going to be more expensive than most cars to fix.

What about, say, an Altima? They're not super-expensive (you should be able to get a relatively lightly used 4-cylinder for ~$12k easily) and the most recent generation (>2012) are really nice cars, IMO. Don't really have the "solid" feel of the luxury sport-ish cars like the Infinity or the TL, but they're competitive with the Accord/Camry, IMO.

 

[aigomorla]

I dont think i can go back to FWD after driving RWD's.

Also i dont think i can ever trust Acura and transmissions again after owning a 2001 TL Type S.
The MDX is also said to be prone of transmissions problems as well. My friends MDX had to get its transmission swaped twice in the span of less then 30k miles, which sort of put me off on getting another Acura.

 

[BurnItDwn]

If you're looking at Subarus from that era, be wary of rust and head gasket problems. I wish they still sold WRX wagons & hatches, but Forester XT is more or less a WRX wagon, at least the first couple of generations when they were wagons rather than SUVs ...

TL will be comfortable
GTI will be nice and should feel sporty, hatch gives it almost as much utility as the outback

Honestly, the G37/Q50 option seems pretty attractive

Otherwise, what about something like a Buick Regal? Usually you can get a several year old, single owner, from a retiree in excellent shape at a very good price ...