I'm looking for a new daily commuter..the SC needs work and is becoming more of a project vehicle, so after talking to my parents, the decision has been made to start looking for a new commute car (drive ~45 miles per day). I only have a few stipulations. It has to be newer than my Lexus, either a 3 door, 4 door or 5 door, and it must be at least somewhat nice. I don't want the same kind of horrible build quality on the Camaro, but it doesn't have to be Rolls Royce luxurious. My girlfriend (soon to be fiance) and I already have her 2010 Camaro 2SS and my 95 SC300, so we really don't need another 2 door (unless it's a really low mileage GTO).
Budget around 25-27k, Under 500/mo
I'm considering these so far:
2009 Pontiac G8 GT
2011 Audi A3 (maybe, would have to be super well equipped and CPO)
MK6 GTI/R (new or CPO)
BMW 335i (if CPO, or under warranty, must have nav..any info about this car over 50k miles?)
BMW 135i (" " and the six speed manual to justify being a 2 door)
BMW 535i again with the BMW 35's..the motor is just that good
Cadillac CTS (3.6 V6 is a great engine)
G37 Sedan
Lexus GS350
Lexus IS350
VW CC 2.0T

anything else I should look at? Any advice? they are mostly all premium brand vehicles..but thats what I want and what I'm used to.

 

Honestly they all seem like nice cars. Any one of them would be a fine choice. The A3 and the VW might be a little bit anemic for your taste, though. Everything else is fine.

I can only comment on the IS350 because that's what I have. It's a solid car all around, but there is one problem that's pervasive on all IS350s that you're guaranteed to run into, and that's sqeaks/rattles/creaks inside the car, especially with sharp temperature changes.

Sometimes it's annoying. Sometimes, the noises go away on their own. It doesn't annoy me too much but I've had stretches during cold weather where I'd hear creaks.

I haven't heard creaks/rattles for a good 3 months now so it's really sporadic and kind of unpredictable. Some people have done various TSBs to greatly diminish the problem. I creaks and ratltes are not all that hard to solve if you apply enough cushioning to the right place. The problem is you don't know where the source is exactly most of the time.

That's really the only issue with the IS350. Factor that into your assessment when making your final choice.

 

For that type of $$$$ go look at a BRAND NEW Golf GTI. 5 door hatchback, fun to drive, good mpg, lots of room, very well built inside so it'll have that premium feel you're used to with your Lexus, and will probably be WELL below your budget.

25-27k will buy you a well equipped, brand new family sedan. I really like the Ford Fusion that's out right now in terms of the look/feel of the car. The Buick Regal(its a rebadged Opel) is another good looking new car, handles like its on rails(once again, its a rebadged Opel, throw out your preconcieved notions of grandma's LeSabre).

 

low miles you asked for
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=457016

or maybe this
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460546

or this
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=453406

 

These are the best overall of what you listed.

I recommend spending the 20 bucks for an online subscription to consumerreports. Nobody else actually collects the kind of reliability data they do or goes as in depth into every aspect of the car.
Check this out:

 

With that money, I'd definitely buy new, as your title suggested.

 

G8, IS350, GS350, G37 all get my vote

 

Also look at the Acura TL and Infiniti M35/M45. Either gets you a very good car at a decent value.

 

Yeah, the Infiniti M is a pretty stylish car, both 2nd and 3rd generations. The interior appointments are SEVERAL cuts above a G35/G37.

Personally I love the wood dash option on these cars, especially the 2nd gen car that had that sort of satin/low sheen look. Reminds me of the inside of a yatch.



3rd gen cars are beautiful inside as well, if a bit busier looking. Personally I prefer the "look" inside and out of the 2nd gen car, but the 3rd gen car does come with all the latest tech:

 

Seriously, that's a pretty diverse list. You need to decide for yourself, not what a forum of strangers, with different tastes than you, would get.

 

..or, just go to the bookstore and buy the April '13 Annual Auto Issue...

 

Youve got such a wide spectrum of cars, you need to trim it down to make the process easier.

 

That's an option too. It's about 10 bucks, but you get access to the video road tests and all the other products they test for another 10 bucks.

 

Or save yourself $10 and just go read, read, read on various sites and forums. Narrow it down to 2-3 models, then go on car forums like this to research the reliability/common problems. Personally I trust what the actual owners say about their cars on enthusiast forums like this over anything a potentially biased magazine says(remember whoever pays the most for advertising might indeed get favorable reviews)

 

are ALL the older BMW x35 motors going to have the fuel pump issue forever??? Don't they just replace the fuel pump with the exact same unchanged unfixed part number?