My Volvo 850 Turbo has been relegated to a part-time role, partially because of the free mass transit I enjoy, and partially because I don’t feel like paying for premium fuel. If it was running poorly I might not care so much, but with nearly 300k miles and no problems since I replaced the fuel pump 50k ago, I’d like to keep it nice. No telling when I’ll be able to replace it.

We’ve decided to concentrate on debt (mortgage and student loans). Current economy reminds us that we’d realy like to be mortgage free so if the whole economy slide off the table we’d still have our house if not our jobs.

I sold my Porsche Turbo and BMW Z4 and purchased a house.

I plan on picking up a used 02-03 S2000 (9000 rpm but with the glass rear window + good stereo) and supercharging it come spring.

No new cars anytime soon for us. Who has the money for that right now? My IRA makes me sad (but I’m dollar cost averaging every two weeks from my paycheck so I’ll be happy when the market bounces back).

Having bought a MINI as a commuter car a few years back, my eyes were opened as to how other car companies treat their customers (much better) so I have left the GM fold and bought a lease returned BMW 525i. Bonus is it gets better mileage than the Buick albiet with premium. The cost of the car was less than what I was spending on repairs on the Buick, so it made perfect sense.

We’re real happy with the purchase. I think of it as an Audi A4 for $10K less.

My other car is a ‘96 Pathfinder that I beat, beat, beat on regularly. I may replace it for an old Landcruiser since I just have to get .8 mile to the train station 5 days a week. If I’m feeling especially masochistic, I may even get a used automotive hair shirt Land Rover Discovery.

TTACs reviews, and as importantly, poster responses and real-world advice, will help me develop my list of next used cars to consider, when, as and if.

Right now, on my shopping list for about 2013, presuming the US economy doesn’t toddle off to hell in a handbasket, or we run out of oil, before then,

1. ‘08 Subaru Outback
2. ‘06 Mercedes C-class Wagon
3. ‘08 A6 Avant
4. ‘06 5-series Touring
5. ‘08 Lincoln MKX

Why yes, I DO like station wagons. Why do you ask? New wagons depreciate more, and faster, than the same model as a sedan. So, for a lower price and with greater capability, I get to drive the same car, with maybe a slight efficiency penalty. Overall, on actual total cost per mile driven, I win by NOT buying new.

Oops, you said LX, not GX. The XC90 isn’t in the same class as the LX so please disregard my previous comment.

Fine. TWO bottles!

I posted this on an FrankWilliams review and thought it relevant to your question:

Frank Williams

I totally agree with blautens above…MORE comparison reviews.

We are all usually buying within a slot, and there are soooo many competitive cars in each slot.
It would be nice to get reviews from TTAC that go beyond the simple stat comparisons available at sights like Automotive.com.
TTAC reviews have a lot of emotion and real drive feel added.
This truly helps.

And most cannot test drive a car long enough to fish out all of the details.
After all, most cannot take a car on a 55 mph plus road for highway feel during a test drive.

TTAC reviewers spend time and a detailed, comprehensive review of a group would truly help.

On a side note, envy you on your much wider choices of cars and much bigger engine. If gas down here were 100% more expensive than up there, I’d still be paying something like 200% more than you for gas. Oh well, I hope the recent findings off our coast willinspire the gov to give us some relief. Taxes make up about 65% of the price of a liter down here.

Drove the V8 beast from Atlanta to Providence in three days. Lost all feeling in my right butt cheek.

LOL.

Have you considered an XC90 over the LX470? I leased a Sport model last Summer and love it. No issues to speak of @11k. Lease rates aren’t as good as last year of course but there are deals to be had I’m sure. Can’t go wrong with a Lexus, though…

We’ll be keeping the G35x purchased new in 2004 for another 3-4 years.

BlackbirdHighway

Please, tell us what you bought? Don’t keep us in suspense like that!

I’ve done numerous 7-hr trips in my Altima SE-R, and one 14-hr trip, and I can say that it is built to cruise the highway just as much as it is to race from stoplight to stoplight. Relatively quiet, Bose sound system, 29mpg, roomy, “mafia-approved” trunk size, etc etc. And it’s for sale. Interested? I’ll throw in a bottle of scotch

I did a small amount of research before buying the SI but after a year of ownership the Civic sells itself. The 2008 was purchased without considering any other makes. From walking in to the dealership to driving off with the car took less than 2 hours.

This highlights, I think, the problem Detroit faces. We both owned Honda cars before this. I had a 92 Civic SI and she had a 96 Del SOL VTEC. Both cars were fun, and ran like clockwork. When the time came to replace them Detroit was never considered at all and the others only in slight passing.

Detroit would have to make the gold standard in cars and do it for over a decade before either one us would even walk in the door.

“The Geo Storm (it’s brother/cousin, etc…) is mostly the same car sans: Lotus Tuned suspension, disk brakes, style. But it’s the same platform.”

Thanks for reminding me about that. I’d almost forgotten about the famed Isuzu/Lotus companionship. And it really was: I think it was the Elise that had an Isuzu four-banger in it for a while?

Now, if they produce a new Isuzu 117, sign me up. That car has always been a favorite of mine, but you can’t seem to find any good examples here in the States.

I’d really like to see Isuzu divorce itself from any remaining GM/Toyota ties and go back to producing economical, smart vehicles for the US again– and NOT just SUVs, which is pretty much what buried their US presence if you ask me. Well, that and a nonexistent advertising budget. C’est la vie.

Me too. Isuzu cars are quirky. Once you drive one, you’re hooked. I’m afraid Toyota is going to do to Isuzu the same crap GM did to them: suck tech, sink them and then divorce.

If they ever produce another car, I’ll be one of the firsts in the showroom with the check in hand.

The Geo Storm (it’s brother/cousin, etc…) is mostly the same car sans: Lotus Tuned suspension, disk brakes, style. But it’s the same platform.

From Brazil

I drove my mom’s Siena to about 300K Kms, and the car has now 350K kms on the original motor. With minor maintenance.

I live in Venezuela, third world also. Good luck with the Logan and stupidly expensive Renault parts. At least the Fiat’s one are dirt cheap (well here)

“Nope… nor planning to do so.

Good to find another Isuzu fan here: Banger. Maybe not the same vehicle.”

My first vehicle was a 1993 Isuzu pickup. Manual everything, no options, and a carbureted (!) 2.3-liter lump good for 90-something horsepower. Reliable, as you could imagine, because there was very little to break on this thing. If only that 2.3 had a timing chain instead of a belt– and perhaps fuel injection– it would’ve been pretty much perfect.

The Impulse was pretty cool. I saw a good example of one the other day. They had a style the GM clones (Geos) couldn’t touch. The dual round headlights? Very tasty.

I’d really like to see Isuzu divorce itself from any remaining GM/Toyota ties and go back to producing economical, smart vehicles for the US again– and NOT just SUVs, which is pretty much what buried their US presence if you ask me. Well, that and a nonexistent advertising budget. C’est la vie.

If Isuzu ever actually starts selling passenger cars and their own unique small pickup trucks (look up their rest-of-the-world pickup on Google– beautiful), I’ll feel a strange, almost magnetic pull into one of their showrooms. Heck, right now I have to fight the urge to try convincing my wife how much we could “actually use” an NPR medium-duty truck!

My last purchase was three years ago–a 2001 BMW 740i with the Sport Package–and I do not plan to purchase another car for at least another 2-3 years, unless I come across a well-kept, low-mileage 2004+ G500 that can be had for a reasonable price before then…

The interesting thing though is I sold my Ford Ka 2007 with 10K km on it rather than the older Fiat Palio 2005 with 32 k km on it. Why? The Palio though driven three times as far just seemed more well put together and available to go the long distance. All it has required is normal maintenance, while the brand-new Ford Ka (the Palio was bought a year old and with 10 k km on it)went back to the dealership at least 8 times in its first year (once staying there for about 3 weeks due to a problem in the AC). I intend to keep this car for the long term. 10 years is the goal. And I think it will make it. The Ford, well I just didn’t trust it. I’m a Ford fan, having had 2 other cars of theirs, but the Ka burned me for at least a good while.

So that brings me to the Reanault. My second. It will be putting my total ownership at 2 Renaults, 3 Fords an 6 Fiats. Why did I get the Reanult and not another Fiat? 2 reasons: Business opportunity (it came cheap, with a lot of goodies) and Fiats in Brazil are now so well regarded they have increased their prices and are now among the most expensive. Couldn’t justify getting a Siena (direct competitor to the Logan) for over 3000 dollars or so more.