+1, just get a used Prius - it will get you over 50mpg as long as its not a 75mph commute.
BIT - I know you don't agree but.....pay cash, just get liability insurance and you will see a net savings as long as gas stays high...I mean the monthly difference in the example below is $250 in gas costs...Prius versus SC.

may be a net savings per month, but there's still the cost of buying the car in the first place. if you save say net $200/mo. and the car cost $12k, that's 5 years to break even, not to mention the humiliation and torture of driving a used prius without full insurance.

true, but I'd rather dump my money into another car rather than pay a crazy amount for gas..that money goes right out the tailpipe. For me, it was not really about saving overall $$, it was because I didn't want to use a C-5/C-6 as a daily driver...paying less $$ to the evil oil companies was just an added bonus

IMO - this one is not bad looking for a DD....
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...13844290&Log=0

OR if the OP is a Prius hater...just get a Civic...
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...11730558&Log=0

I see you are in Wisconsin, are you planning on driving it in the snow? Based on your list, I'd get a 2004+ TL. I owned an '05 (back in '05) and it was a great car. It was very reliable, comfortable, and with snow tires, went surprisingly well in snow. Mine had the full A-Spec kit, so it looked great too.

Since you live in Wisconsin, will you be driving a fair amount in bad weather? If so, I'd avoid the IS300...or any RWD IS model. I owned a 300 for several years, and its build-quality was first-rate, but it was lousy on slick surfaces, even with all-season tires, traction-control, and the snow-mode automatic transmission. That 3.0L straight-six engine uses premium gas like a V8....except on the Interstates, I rarely got more than 17-18 MPG out of it. The back seat is super-tight. And the shift-lever modes have several quirks in them. But they are reliable, and are not likely to give you much trouble.

Good point. New Hyundais and Kias, today, are not the junk vehicles they were before 2000. They also have excellent warranties....but parts of those warranties may not be transferrable.

(I disagree, though, about the looks of some of the new Hyundais. Their styling is not always my cup of tea)

The big issue here is the need to tranport a 2 year-old. A SC must be a PITA to deal with given carseat, buckling in, etc. When you get down to your short list, make sure you take the child and carseat for a test run with your SO. What may be easy to use for one of you may not work for the other.

My son once bought a used Monte Carlo that the previous owner had just bought the week before. He said he bought it for his wife to drive their infant child around. One try of getting the child into the back seat of the 2-door made her say "Nope - never".

+1 on an old Civic SI or an acura RSX. Dependable, fun to drive and very decent gas mileage.

+++3 That would be my list as well especially 06-11 Civic SI. I can't see myself driving any KDM products yet.

Shell out a few grands more for a new Mazda 3 or a Toyota Camry L, why settle for a used car when you can get a new one? Chevy Cruze looks pretty good too.

first, i don't see oil companies as evil. at all.

to be fair, one thing i omitted in my 'calculation' above is that the second will have a return too when sold. so let's do that again:

if add'l car nets $200/mo., and cost $10k, but in 5 years it can be sold for $4k perhaps, then obviously there's a net win.

hmm... maybe a stick shift car could be had for even less money since they less popular?

ES300 might be a good deal, my 01 with 187k miles gets 27 on trips from buffalo to cleveland going about 75, so i'm assuming newer ones are better. The are quiet comfortable and safe, and when i had my cousin, for a week, car seat was an easy thing to deal with, Also look at acura rl's? and maybe infiniti g35's.

Thanks for all the input guys. I guess I really should stay away from the IS300 then since it gets almost same gas mileage and RWD for winter would not be good as Wisconsin is BAD in the winter. I hate the body styling of the ES300 so no way, and I will NEVER own a pruis LOL. So yeah overall I'm looking for a sporty looking 4 door, that gets decent mileage, not necessarily prius mileage because I'd rather have a few more horses vs gas mileage. So I think I'm still leaning towards the TL and the TSX (I like all the luxury options available)

Also I'd like any input on 04 or newer Mazda 6? They look like good cars as well and are pretty quick with the decent mileage.

Another thing guys. Saying I would be better off not getting a newer car I have done the research lol. I know I'll be paying on the loan longer but its not really a problem, But I did the math, its still cheaper than my SC was for payments because of the down payment I will be making. I also quoted all these cars with my insurance company and the TL and TSX my insurance is staying the exact same! So I think they just go off of how big the engine is, and also that its a 2 door or 4 door. And 4 door cars typically get lower rates.

See if you can get a 2005+ C230 sedan for under 12k. It's a fairly reliable car (stay away from 04 or older) and gets great gas mileage. I used to own an 05 before my IS and it is not the fastest but still pretty sporty yet luxurious and still got around 30mpg on highway. It's rwd but get a decent set of snow tires and you'll be fine. I'm sure you are used to driving the SC in snow anyways. Like others mentioned, the IS300 doesn't really get the best mpg.