I drove the M35 and 45 and they have AWD which would be very nice. They just seemed to nervous sporty for my wife and they are out of the 19 to 20 range. Maybe I will just have her drive a FWD avalon also see how she likes it. The BMW warrantee is superb from the dealer. Yes a AWD midsize sedan would keep her from fretting when it snows but stab track and trc control is mandatory. Anyway this is getting long thanks for all your input.

 

If you want something a bit less sporty, check out a used CPO Lincoln MKZ AWD. I have an 07 going off lease and it has been completely reliable for 42K miles. It has traction control, but not stability control (standard starting in 09), and did fine in snow - especially with winter tires. The only weakness was on half icy, half cleared pavement when it felt a bit wonky. The interior size is OK and the trunk is very large. It looks a bit too much like a Fusion inside, but the 3.5L engine is a big improvement over the 3.0 in the Fusion.

BTW, if you buy a Fusion or MKZ, I have a set of 17" Michelin winter tires and wheels I'll sell you cheap - plus a set of winter floor mats.

 

I finally pulled the trigger on a Camry Hybrid 09 with 8 k miles loaded minus nav for 19000after decidng betwee a Rx, Avalon all all for under 20000. I was willing to fly to pick one up but found it down 90 miles south.

The extra 50 electric horse and CVT has it fall betwen 4 and 6 cyl power and the wife likes it. Hold on 07 328 xi and 07 plus G35 till the kids move on.

The cornering is a nice change to the heavier LS.
The Yota extended warrantees are 1000 bucks.

As you would expect the quality of the materials and workmanship shows. The LS is comparitivly steadfast in the wind. Gotta love torque.
She likes the Camry I like the LS win win. Warm

 

A Toyota with an extended warranty sounds like the epitome of reliability.

Glad she liks it. She wins and your piece of mind wins also

 

BMW -- Bavarian Money Waster
My 328 shows that BMW designed these cars to have failures, and keep dealers working.
How else can you explain:

• Plastic waterpump impellers that die at 60k
• Radiators that lack a $1 reinforcement to top neck, so they go out at 80k?

Weight savings????

Go for the G!

 

Is having another car for your wife an option?
I have a LS430 for myself and she told me it sucked up too much fuel, it was too big, and it was too ostentatious for her liking to be humble among peers.

SO...

What I did was find a used 04 Prius for $16,000 two years ago, and she absolutely LOVES it. It gets 45mpg even with her ON/OFF switch gas pedal driving, it's got glass all over the car so she can park it easily, AND it's humble and has the false feeling that she's saving the earth as well. Insurance was additional $590 a year, but we are actually saving close to that in gas and mileage NOT put on the LS430 for her portion of the driving, as well as my use of it for short, insignificant trips to grocery, cigarettes, and pet grooming, none of which I wanted to do much with a pristine interior of the Lexus.

AND, more importantly, I get to KEEP my LS430.

I did have a BMW M3 Convertible for a while, and it was simply a JOY to drive. It never fell apart in 2 years I owned it, and maintenance was as simple as my LS430. I can recommend that car to anyone if they are willing to put up with the insurance costs. I think all the niggling issues happen to all the neglected and old BMW's that do need a ton of stuff replaced if it hasn't been to a dealer for a long time. Some electrical bugs here and there but that will easily be exchanged for benchmark handling and driving pleasure... In the case of my M3, electrical bugs limited to power window glitch and but never completely failing, and LED's on the dash missing pixels, which can be annoying if you let it, but the more hard driving you do with a car like this, the less you stare at the dash and more on the road at a very rapid rate.

Infiniti Nissan G35/G37 are an absolute gem too, and many of my friends have moved into them or 350Z. It's as honest and predictable as any BMW chassis, and in my view, leaps over what a GS300/400 will do in performance driving joy factor. (I did autocross in the Solo2 Nationals avidly in the past so I'm a bit biased for handling)

But hey! The GS is more comfortable and appropriate for 4 people on a double date, heading to a nice dinner, it smiply LOOKS NICE!
And you have the feeling of owing a Toyota, the same feeling of "never, ever, getting stranded anywhere"
Everything a LS430 is in a smaller package, I guess the GS.

Also, if you ever get a chance at driving a Acura TL Type S, go do it. While some can't stand FWD like me, it did change my mind about FWD being not fun. (for a sedan in non-racing venues.) It's a lot more refined in my view than a Maxima in any trim...and MAXIMA does not equal G35/37 at all, very different car.

Other midsized cars, these come to mind for nice to own one way or another; IS250 with manual, IS350, but NOT IS-F, Any BMW E90 3 Series, E46 Sedans and Coupes, Used M5, Mercedes Benz E class, also the new C, VW Passat (trust me, its ugly but is everything an Audi A6 is, which is VERY good), Audi A4.


AS for me though, nothing really replaces for the grand size of the LS, the flagship sedan feeling, and the value of such car when purchased for a deal on a used lot with low miles and in great condition. Bad economy have ended a lot of ownerships for LS owners, and as such for prospective buyers, is never a better time to buy one than now.

 

I like the BMWs mechanically, but their styling is so dull and similar across their lines. Mercedes, on the other hand, is just too ostentatious. Infiniti is a nice enough car, but it has never made that much of an impression on me. In summary, I'll be getting another Lexus...

 

I did get the wife a hybrid as you mention. A Camry. She loves it(see above).

Bro you gotta quit smok'in.