Well basicaly my parents laid out to me that i aint getting the GS400 but if i wait a bit longer (next christmas) i can get a nice car of mine own (yay). Anyway.. they want me in a automatic.. 4 door not neccesarly sedan but a 4 door. my options are these

G35 4 door... prolly to expensive unless they come down in price but my parents like the AWD
IS300... this one is the purtiest out of the group but i kinda want a faster car.. 0-60 in 6.9-7.0 seconds seems slow but i wouldnt be sad if i got the car
C320: I love mercedes it seems like a fun car
Jetta/Passat

whats ya'lls input on this?

 

G35 Sedan: Drove one while my Q was getting serviced. VERY FUN to drive. I have an 03 GS4 and hands down I think the stock G35 outhandles my stock GS4 anyday! The tranny keeps the engine in the sweet spot 70-80% of the time so you don't notice the lack of HP compared to the Lexus V8 too much. The engine's got a nice growl and the steering is rather precise. Two gripes: 1. Rear of the car looks funny. 2. Poorly designed interior. Not only does the plastic feel cheap, but the controls are kind of a hassle to operate. The radio buttons are small, the climate control buttons/switches just are not up to par with Lexus/Toyota ergonomics (i hated having to toggle the volume. how tough is it to put a freakin' volume **** in anyways?)

IS300: It's a lexus...what more can i say? It's kinda trendy and i think it suits younger people well. I hear it's a great car to drive, since a few of my friends have them. However, I've never driven one (only been the passenger). The interior design is okay...a little too modern for my tastes. I think younger drivers love it though...I'm 26, but my tastes are a little conservative to fully appreciate the IS interior concept.

Mercedes C320: Hmmm...nice car, make sure you buy an extended warranty. My personal opinion is that once Daimler and Chrysler merged, Mercedes-Benz took a hit in their quaility and reliability. I believe they have one of the higher defects per 100 cars ratios among the luxury car manufacturers.

Volkswagen Jetta: Not really in the same class as the aforementioned vehicles. But good for what they are. Again, reliability concerns me. And I'm not too thrilled about the blue instrument gauge/dash colors. Our eyes aren't "designed" to see blue with high acuity in a quick glance. You might have to divert your attention from the road longer in order to read the instrument cluster. But it sure looks trick!

Volkswagen Passat: Sat in one...it was okay. Again, the blue gauges get a from me. The W8 peaks my interest however. But I personally wouldn't want to own one for more than 3 years.

Verdict: IS300 (which you can make faster with mods) in first place. G35 Sedan in second place. There really isn't a third place for me.

All in all, test drive and see for yourself!

Good luck.

 

If the G35 is too expensive, you might want to eliminate the Benz. I think those run around 40k.

What's your budget ? Does a 2 + 2 coupe equate to a 4 door ? If it does, G35 coupe all the way.

 

Straight off, I lean towards the G35 and IS300. Now if you are considering pre-owned, it is pretty open and I'd be back to the GS3/4. Benze and VW brr...

The IS 300 is pretty small so if it is a weekend party car where you and your buddies will be along, the G35 would be my choice there. I choose Toyotas first and then Nissan, so either of the two will be nice rides...depends on your criteria. Take 'em for a drive and see what you like.

 

I know this is gonna make a lot of you guys angry, but I'd have to vote Acura TL. YES YES YES, it's FWD, but IMO the interior quality blows away the infiniti. The outside design looks just like a BMW, except it isn't ugly haha. IT is a beautiful with 270hp, stock, and one of the best manual trannies in the business. Everything about it, the handling, the power, the brakes, the quality(although not up to par with lexus). There's even a new A-spec out too with even better handling. The best thing to do is to test drive all these cars and really p off the dealers. Make them work for you. But give the TL a serious thought. And on the IS quality, yes it has great build, but it feels too much like a Toyota to me. I considered buying one before and decided not to. The design seems trendy, but it doesn't feel as expensive as a VW Jetta. *Please don't hate me for saying that* Even the engine needs updating. . . but it is a really fun car to drive, RWD, and handles like a dream. I personally feel that the latest IS's are disappointing and overdue for a redesign. . . which should have come right after the G35 was released! Again, check out an Acura TL, or even better go for a Pre-Owned GS400. Also a used previous generation 7-series BMW(might still be too expensive).

 

Big question is how big is the budget?

The G35 is a nice car, great engine and tranny, but like other said the interior has little to be desired. Your young, so it should not be an issue. The cost of this car will run in the low 30's.

The IS is a great car, although small, has a proven engine, been around a while and has the quality touches you'd expect from a Lexus. My buddy just bought an '04 a couple days ago for 29 even, fully loaded, no nav though.

The MBZ, errrr, I wouldn't touch anything but the C32 AMG in the C class. That said, I am sure 50K is out of the question.

VW...you might as well get a used 60/70's bug and bank the rest...at least your oil changes won't run past $75 bucks at the dealer.

 

What was the reason for not getting the GS400? V8? If so, explain to them that the Lexus V8 powerplant gets similar MPG to the Lexus I-6 engines, like the one in the IS300.

Out of the list you gave, I wouldn't touch the Mercedes with a 10 foot pole, out of reliability concerns.

The G35 is an awesome car, as is the IS300. I would rule it down to those 2 cars and drive them both and then make up your mind.

 

dj.ctwatt is partially correct here.....Acura's interiors are indeed higher quality than Infiniti's, and the TL (like most Honda products) has a great shift linkage. but the TL's front-drive and 270 HP give it a pretty good dose of torque steer. Every auto magazine test I have read on this car has complained about it. Try it carefully before you buy one.
I own an IS300, and I disagree that it feels like a Toyota. No other Toyota product sold in the American market has such a good combination of price, luxury, handling, sportiness, quietness (with the all-season tires), an all-aroud roadability. And the prospect of AWD IS300's in the future will cure its one bad habit....lousy snow traction.

 

yeah, i second this and rule out VW as well. i have friends who had VWs from the late 90s...nothing but problems. i was also checking out VW message boards when i was car shopping last september. i read too many new VW owners complaining about how their cars had weird unexpected problems within 10k miles.

i was considering a G35 as well. they are sweet cars. of course IS300 is great.

well, if you don't care about having any room...think about the Nissan 350Z. it is a sweet and fast car. a friend of mine was thinking about it. we went on a test drive. you want fast...the 350Z is fast! now, they have the new 350Z roadster...it is HOT! well, i know you said your parents said four door...the 350Z is a three door...

so i guess for 4 doors, you choices come back to G35 or IS300.

 

I agree with most everyone here, and think the G35 and IS300 are both great choices. You mentioned AWD, so I immediately think of the Audi A4, but I'm not sure if they are more $$ than the Infiniti or Lexus. I love the styling of the new Audi's, and the A4 has many engine choices, although I think the easiest to mod is the 1.8T.

I would make a list of what is important to you, like styling, performance, reliability, price, modability (I think I just made up a new word ), and then go drive them.

Good luck!

David

 

If you want both AWD and a Lexus (without going to an SUV, of course), wait a little while and check out the upcoming GS AWD.....your parents might change their mind about a GS when they see it will have AWD, even if it is a little pricey. Even if the AWD is only on the GS330, I personally would rather have a 330 AWD than the 400 with just rear-drive....it is more flexible and will give much better traction. AWD has been proposed for the IS300 but Lexus hasn't made a firm commitment on it yet.

 

for a low $30k car, i'd go for audi a4 1.8t 6-spd. my gf is shoppin for one rite now and with some options, it comes out to about $33k.

but if you do get a g35, i wouldn't really go for the sedan. personal taste, but i dont think it's very appealing.

 

Audi's/VW's are great looking, great feeling, fun cars, competitively priced. But some personal experience of mine and of a lot of friends have warned against them. You can expect to pay almost as much for an oil change as a Porsche, which also belongs to the same company. Any kind of maintainence/repair, which will occur often will be very expensive, and often result in the car not being drivable. This has just been my experience, but if you don't mind these kinds of things, then go for it. . . but the typical lexus build quality(meaning never having serious problems, ever) should not be expected out of any other brand. It's not to be arrogant, it's just from experience. German cars are wonderful, just be prepared for the headache. One of my good friend's A6 had to be taken in to shop for almost a week and he only had 25K miles. . . all paid by warrantee, but maintainence is very expensive. My cousin's Jetta recently incurred some serious shop time, and none of it was covered by warrantee(it was a 99). Total repair costs: $435, that's a real number, not pullin it out ****. . . something about a gasket or seal, I don't remember. . . she had smoke blowin out the hood at only 35K miles. My brother's new BMW 530(yes it's not VW group I know) wouldn't start on his second day of ownership. . . some computer problem. . . two days downtime. Knock on wood, but the oldest Lexus in our family, my 90 LS 400 has almost 200K miles and has never been undriveable. . . just something to think about. But man that RS6 is nice. Same with M- cars and AMG

 

Yeah. . . the Acura does have lots of torque steer, touche. The IS 300 is better than Toyota too, I was just severely disapoointed as I was expecting more from it. The materials don't have that expensive look/feel that the rest of the Lexus line does. Just try sitting in an ES330 or a GS for a few minutes and you will see what I mean. The heavy feel to the door lock, the tank like doors, ample rear seat room, more leather than plastic interiors, expensive looking dash lighting vs. orange(the G35 has this too). It really is more of a taste thing than fact. But the IS is a sportier sedan, so it can get away with these things. I guess I'm more of the typically conservative Lexus customer. At the IS's price, it's a bargain too. But the only car IMO that has successfully combined sport and luxury is the AMG E55 which is in a completely different league. But despite what I say, it still is a great car.