Help me buy a new car.

[Tokitoki]

I have an 18 year old Audi and have never had any trouble getting work done for it. It still runs great.

Go with one of the Audis. I'd say that A4 you posted would be a good start.

[BIGSTIC]

Just gonna state my opinion.

Convertibles are no better than motorcycles. Honestly they are loud, leak, cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and pretty much just a fair weather car. I have had convertibles from and old MG to a 92 Camaro to a 04 Sebring to a 07 Mustang and toss in half a dozen more just for the hell of it. I found if you kept them in a garage and only drove them when it was fair weather they held up pretty well. But if you are gonna drive this thing day-in/day-out I really wouldnt suggest a convertible. I tend to get them, fix the problems, and sell them to some schmo who thinks he will love the wind in his hair. Sorry the wind gets old. Oh and dont even bother getting a convertible with a rear seat cause all you will do is piss off the passengers if you go over 35mph.

Honestly I would look for a very nice 4 door lexus/mercedes/bmw/audi/etc. that has all the bells and wistles. Hell even look at the new Caddies cause they are pretty sweet. Get the bells and wistles and buy used low miles and enjoy your escape. Who wants to hear all the road noise when you can have peace and serenity. If you want road noise go buy a $5k road bike and go for a cruise.

Go to Ebay Motors and just define your search by Price and see what kind of luxury you can afford.

Just my 2 cents.

[Remyo]

Cheapest car with 45+ MPG, then if any money left use that for gas.

[Khamsin]

It's hard to think of a regular old sedan that can do something your Altima can't. The kinds of things you'd notice by jumping up to a Lexus/BMW seem to me to be those little creature comfort things that make you say "oh.. that's cool!" while you're driving around and you randomly notice it, then after a week or two you take it for . As such I can see where you're going with the convertible idea, since that's a vast change, one you'll never overlook. Just out of curiosity though, you don't live too far north do you? I think the snow is supposed to be really rough on a convertible top. Unless ya garage it at home and can park it somewhere convenient at your work with maybe some kind of overhang.

I might actually advise you to stay away from performance machines if you're concerned about luxury. ^ pointed out the Lancer Evo, which is hot and all, but you're going to feel every single bump in the road and driving really turns into an exciting game. Every time. (Basing this off my STI). Sometimes I wish I'd gone for something a little more luxurious and a little better on gas mileage.

My suggestions... If you're living in a snowy area and want to test out a standard sedan, try the Subaru Legacy or the Audi posted above. For convertibles I think I'd try the Lexus or the A4 you posted originally. And I think the only other one that hasn't really been posted is the Mercedes variant.. Linking cause it's hooge.

http://autodrum.com/img/media/wallpa...mg_2006_01.jpg

Nah, we get maybe a week of snow per year, and I park in a covered area at home, anyway. Washington is a pretty temperate climate, never too cold or too hot, although it's hardly fair weather all the time.

[Senji]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...onvertible.jpg

[Nitsuki]

a 350Z, you can prolly net a good one for around $20k used.

[Kiro]

If you were me, you would get this car.
[img]Audi[/img]

A Saab 9-3. These have got to be the best designed cars. Seriously, it has everything you could ever want, in the perfect spot. The form of the car follows its function perfectly. In addition to being fairly scarce on the roads, they are probably the only brand of cars I have never heard any negative feedback for.
Saabs are sold by the same dealers that sell Saturns, check one out. There are tons of other cars out there that are more sporty, and will get you noticed, but I honestly feel you get the most bang for your middle class buck with one of these.

DESIGNED BY EX-JET PILOTS, YO!

[Sigi]

Cheapest car with 45+ MPG, then if any money left use that for gas.

This. Why buy a new car? Buy a used car that gets excellent mileage, invest the money that you would be pissing away for a lux car and gas. Let some other sap get hit with the 50% devaluation from a new car.

[Awoir]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche- ... enameZWDVW

[Denchi]

Just don't buy American.

Audi's are fun, but yeah, expensive and hard to repair.

BMW's are awesome, I'd recommend that.

[Odon]

Lancer Evolution. Best bang for your buck.

Evo's are nice. My cousin has an Evo IX, not sure of the specs, but he let me drive it. It was freaking awesome, so much power, your head gets locked in place, but that happens in a lot of high-powered cars haha.
I heard the Turbo's die out on Mitsubishis cars rather easily, but thats just what my friend said, but hes an all-pontiac/GTO guy.
I don't have a lot of experience except driving it a few times however, but i constantly hear Mitsubishi's cars are unreliable.

S2000 are NICE. MY friend has one.....oh god...i freaking hug it everytime i see it...its......its...just get it. haha.

Audi A4's are nice. Audi is a lot..."better" in general terms than they used to be. Cars arn't crappy no more pretty much.

Yeah, I drive an Evo, and let me tell you, I can't see myself driving any other car. I fucking love this thing.

[Ksandra]

I know you want a convert. But since you're buying a car right now you really should look into this offer:

http://www.dodge.com/en/refuel/

dodges may not be that stylish but in 2+ years gas could easily top 10$ a gallon, and that offer could save you tons during the length of payments on the car. I don't know too much about them though so you should definitely do some research but that is a really damn good offer they are giving.

[Piper]

http://www.wheelsworld.com/901-2003-Inf ... a-RT5.html

Luxury and muscle with a sporty look. So many mods available when ordering. I currently have a 2007 Mazda 6 with about 52,000km on it which I'm thinking of trading in for one of these beasts.

[Vertabreaker]

Audi support is horrid.

My friend had taken in her Audi TT since it sounded like the brakes were squealing a bit, and she thought she heard an odd noise. They gave her an SUV in the meantime, and worked on it for a day. I went with her to pick it up this weekend, and they told her they couldn't find any actual problems, but just dusted off the brake pads and added some lube, and told her to bring it back if it keeps doing it. Not only were they very nice and friendly about it, but they didn't even charge her for the SUV or service. Plus, she tells me that she's always had good service there.

On the other hand, you could suggest it was 'horrid' because they didn't actually fix anything, but at least she didn't pay and got a free SUV for a day while they looked into it.

I've never had 1 problem with Audi support. I have an 05 Audi A4 1.8T and it's the best car I've ever had. It is an absolute beast in the bad weather with the Quattro.

I would recommend either an A4 2.0T or one of the new A3s. They're fucking sexy.

[megabyte]

http://www.stangbangers.com/AMC-Gremlin_Ad.jpg

or

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Smart_car.jpg

[Isiolia]

If you really want a convertible...wait until fall/winter to buy it.

Same as buying a motorcycle, you're entering the peak buying season for that type of vehicle, therefore, you're going to have a harder time getting a good deal on one.

Have you considered keeping your current car and getting a less expensive convertible for fun? You could likely find a decent Miata in the low teens, or an older Porsche Boxster or BMW Z3 in the upper teens. S2000s can also be cool if they match what you like, but since you said you don't go for performance driving as much, probably not.

Might as well get a two seater, given the rear seat legroom in the ones with a backseat.

BMWs, like Audis, are pretty expensive to maintain, but they're very nice cars. It just tends to come down to if said "niceness" is worth paying a lot more for to you.

IMO, rather than looking at taking out a large loan and swapping cars entirely, consider getting a second vehicle that's not as practical. Motorcycle could be nice, could get a Jeep or a sports car or whatever too.

Or hell, just go get some stuff done to your Altima to spice it up, if you haven't. Performance parts, sound system, tint/appearance, whatever. Better to spend a couple thousand on that than put yourself $20k+ in debt just 'cause.

[sekaran]

Wait for the 2009 Audi A4s if you get one of those (Getting one in a few years, hoping for the diesel!). If I was to get a convertible at around that price, the S2000 would be at the top of my list for a new car. If going used, you can find a few '07 Corvettes around that price.


http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/9...03smallgx7.jpg

Scratch the Corvette. Didn't see the bit about performance driving thing. Mercedes CLK?

[Darus Grey]

There has to be something better you can do with $10-$20k. Just think about it!

[algrensan]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ywallpaper.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...010562copy.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/P1010591.jpg

get like a used 2005+ slk350-which is what i have. i don't have updated pics of it lowered and with clear corners. don't get a 2009 cause i think it looks like shit with the "face lift" imo.

[Hitoshura]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._9-2X_2006.jpg

SAAB are so CASH. Not sure where the hell you can find one but I really love these cars.