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Help me pick a new daily driver

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red68chevL

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Guys, I am now in the market for a daily driver. I currently drive a 2001 Bonneville SSei (love it) but its showing the signs that someone should pass it on or deal with it until its a clunker. I love Pontiacs but hey GM axed that brand. I am a GM buyer , but not impressed with many GM cars out there. The impalas haven't been redesigned in years, I'm not a fan of any thing Buick. So I am looking elsewhere (like Ford ahhhh!).
We have 2 little kids so we are looking at Sedans. Before you ask, NO, I dont want a minivan, wont even consider it. I would like to spend less than $25k including trade in. I am a fan of good gas mileage although my commute is something like 2 miles, basically not a factor. This is a long term purchase, I have had the Bonneville for 8 years, plan on keep this one 8-10 years. I like doing my own maintenance, but am starting to realize that my time is worth more than what it takes to maintain a car beyond oil changes....

I have looked at:

2012 Chevy Cruze -too small
2013 Malibu Eco (on the maybe list)
2012 Ford Taurus - love the looks but haven't driven one yet
2012 Volkswagen Passat TDi (my wife loves her Diesel Jetta)
201x Ford Fusion SEL/ maybe Hybrid (like these, have driven as a rental)

Anything else I should look at? Personal experience with any of these? Anything to avoid?

Any advantages to buying new? I typically buy cars a year or two older to take advantage of the depreciation, but lately it seems that the used cars are holding value, due to the economy.
 
#2 ·
IMHO I would not waste my time on any Hybrids, with a 2 mile commute you will never recover the cost of system. The Diesel Passet is going to have the same cost recovery as the Hybrids. If you were driving a lot of in town driving with a 10 mile commute a day then the Hybrid makes some sense, if it was a highway 10 mile commute then the Passat is the best. Look at the regular gas versions of those cars, better yet let someone else take the hit from dealer, buy a one to two year old of one of those cars. Why give away 30% of the purchase price.

Hybrids are really a gimic with the way people are using them.
 
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#3 ·
I have been very pleased with our 2007 malibu I bought four years ago with 30k miles on it. Mileage with the 4cyl is 28 city and 34 highway. No unexpected repairs. Parts are relatively cheap. Lots of room under the hood to make repairs easy. Easiest oil change I have ever done with cartridge accessable from the top. Also the under carriage is well coated and not showing surface rust most cars up here usually have.

good luck with whatever you choose
 
#4 ·
Might be difficult to get a Passat TDI for $25k, maybe, most of the 2012's I've seen around here have been fully equiped to start with. GM, for comparison, I bought a 2006 Caddy STS AWD in 2010. Had 42k on it, paid 19,900.00. GM gave a 100k mile/6 year warranty from date of original sale. I traded it at 98k miles (only issue I had was a failed cat converter, replaced under the extended GM warranty) this past April on a 2012 SRX, which I will tell you, has been one of the nicest daily drivers I have ever had. Stepping ahead I know, a little out of the price range you are looking, just wanted to share what I think is a nice product. FWIW, in a sedan, if you could find a Caddy CTS (2008 & later) priced in the mid 20's, it would stack up nicely against that SSEi (my wife had a '96 Bonne SSE, I had a '00 Bonne SE). Good luck on your search.
 
#5 ·
I would suggest the Taurus as you still have kids. The largest backseat and trunk you will find. A good solid car and does not come with handicap plates like a Buick.
 
#7 ·
Yep....STI
 
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#9 ·
Scott, I am a dyed in the wool Chevy fan. Owned one ford in last 40 years. my wife wrecked her car last Thanksgiving and we spent 2 months looking at cars. We wound up buying a 2012 Hyundai Elantra Limited for $21,478. Car is made in Montgomery, AL. Car has navigation package, backup camera, heated front and rear seats and the list goes on. We opted for the 4 cylinder engine instead of the 6 cylinder, 4 cylinder will spin the wheels quit easily and accelerates much faster than my Silverado. Runs great on the highway, comfortable on long trips and we have gotten as much as 41 miles per gallon on the interstate. Trunk space is huge. Styling is great. Fun to drive. Told my wife the other day that if they made a full-size pickup that I would sure have to test one out. Car comes with 100,000 mile warranty and the dealer gave us a written guarantee to extend the warranty to 200,000 miles with the same coverage as manufacturer's warranty. To find a car with all the items and such a warranty in today's world is quite a rarity. This from a guy that owns 4 Chevrolets.
 
#10 ·
Buick Regal or Verano.
I have the Turbo Regal and it is a wonderful car, and gets good mpg. I've had a plethora of BMW's, MB, Passat's, jetta's ect, and this is the best one yet.

DL
 
#14 ·
Why not one of the Buicks? The Lucerne is not a bad car at all really. This new Regal they have out looks good too. Although ill admit im not sure they fit the price range though.
 
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Discussion starter · #15 ·
Thanks to all that responded. Exactly what I was looking for, some real world experience. I knew that the Passat and the Fusion Hybrid will be a stretch at $25k, but had not considered a Cadillac or Buick. To be honest, the only reason I hadn't is that I think of those brands as baby boomer generation type cars (I'm 33). No offense to anyone. I also think of them as "more expensive" brands, even though that is not the case for all models. I will look into these.

Jerry, I am just not sure I can get my brain past the import car stigma. My wife drives a Volkswagen and that took some getting used to. But, as you said, imports are built in America while some American models are built in Mexico, Canada, etc. I appreciate the explanation of all of the good with the car.
 
#16 ·
Take a look at a 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 GT. They cost in the vicinity of $25K and are a heck of a lot more fun than most of these economy cars brought up so far. I am running 22.6 MPG over the last 5,000 miles or so and have 355 HP on tap. My car runs 13.9 in the 1/4 and I'm a novice drag racer. I have two car seats in the back (my sons are aged 2 and 1) and without car seats it would easily seat five 6 foot tall people in comfort. 4 bags of golf clubs fit in the trunk. Most of the owners on the g8board.com are your age. I own a model year 2009.5, which means it has bluetooth as well, and most of the issues that the owners of the 2008 models complain about have not cropped up for me, and I have 67,000 on the ODO. Have fun in your search!
 
#20 ·
I had a 2009 Mabilu company car and when the lease ran out I got a 2011 Fusion. The Mabilu got a little better mileage and looks a ton better. The Fusion has a little more room but the 6p tranny can never find the right gear. I would rather have the Mabilu and I really like the looks of the 2013. I would also look at Buick, my brother in law has a 2011 LaCrosse and it is awesome. He is a 30 yr old import guy and the LaCrosse made a beleiver out of him.
 
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