If you're wanting to purchase a used luxury vehicle, say a saloon or SUV. I would definitely go to Carmax. You can purchases an extended warranty through them on your vehicle, where you can take your car to the perspective make's dealership. You won't be having unknown/uncertified mechanics touching your vehicle. From experiences I've known about they nearly never make a fuss about any services needed. Small or large.
As far as a luxury makes I would purchase used, I would probably hit up Acura, Lexus, and Infinity. You can't beat Japanese reliability. G37s are great. IS250s are fun, and Acura TL/TSX sedans are great as well.
Have you looked into an Acura? Same reliability as Hondas but more sporty and have more premium options. I love the TL, its a damn horse of a car and looks great. The 2007 model is superb too, it also holds its value real well. Plus repairs aren't expensive as its built on a honda base.
How much do you wanna spend on a lease. G37 can be had at 250 a month. That's pretty loaded. Now called the q60. The new one comes out this fall so there is a fire sale on those.
Certified pre owned VW Passat. Great cars with extreme interior comfort and slick. Great on gas and on the eyes. Would hit... I mean, would buy again. Affordable too
I'm still trying to decide here. Lease is up at the end of the month. I've found an 07 Lexus IS350 with under 50k miles at a great price I think - under $15k. Anyone have experience with these cars? I've been in them a couple of times. I must admit that while the power of the 350 isn't needed, it would be fun. I drove a Highlander from 07-11 so am really familiar with the layout of the Lexus as far as the interior package, and I really liked it. So I'd have concerns with getting a 7+ year old car, but it's a Lexus... should be good with very little problems for a long long time right? Thoughts?
Personally would keep the Optima. I really like my 2014 Impala. I used to have an older model Maxima...an 89. Those things last forever. We actually gave my old Maxima to a family friend a couple of years ago, and as far as I know its still running. Does the Kia still have a lifetime warranty on it? Just make sure your really sure about the car you want OP. My mom wanted a luxury Lexus for a long time and I told her to stick to her guns even if she had to spend more. She ended up with a really nice Acura(both vehicles wouldv'e been in the $40k range). Every time I talk to her and the conversation about cars comes up she always pouts about not getting her Lexus, lol
I would jump on any 7 year old car with under 50k on the odometer. That it's a Lexus makes it even better. They're great cars and very reliable. Does it have its service records though? I would check into that. If it's been babied for those 50k miles, that seems pretty fair. That price is interesting as well. Is it private party or a dealer sale? The value of that car according to years and miles, assuming excellent condition is closer to 18-22k in price. That would definitely be a great deal.
Yeah, the thing is I have some equity in the Kia. It's a lease, but my buy out price is lower than its current value. Not sure by how much, especially if I am doing a trade-in. If I could sell privately there's probably $2.5k-$3.5k of equity there.... I "think" that equity will probably go down over time, not because of the mileage I am putting on it, but because it will just become an older Kia, take that for what it is. So if I can get at least say $2k of equity in a "trade-in" to pay down towards a different car, it makes sense to me. With this Lexus in particular, it's 4 years older, but a beast of a car performance wise (fun!) while being premium which I like. The Optima is definitely premium in terms of features and finish out. Leather, bluetooth, nav, nice sound, sunroof, yada, yada... but it still feels a little Kia-esque to me... which is snobbish in a way, but it is what it is.
I am in the same boat. I am looking for a daily driver that doesn't feel cheap (think mazda2 or yaris..). i was hoping to find something under $20K. Need it to be reliable...so it rules out some of the cheaper options. I am not a big fan of nissan (most recently I bought an 2010 altima for my sister)...and the car just feels cheap. I need to check out the G37.
If you are planning on buying used, do yourself a favor and stay away from BMWs, Audis, VW, etc. They break down and are expensive to maintain. You will be paying a lot more for them in the long run. The Maxima you mentioned is a good choice. Tough, reliable, and nice powerful engine. Infiniti G37s is a good choice as well. As are Acura TL. TSX, as well as Lexus counterparts. When comparing lexus, Acura, and Infiniti, I generally find Lexus to have the most luxurious feel among the three (better interior and softer ride). Infinity generally is more performance oriented. No matter which one you get, make sure it is MANUAL TRANSMISSION! As others have said, Accord or Camry will work as well, and they will work for a loooooooong time, but yes they are boring. These cars also hold their values very well. In general, the resale values tell you plenty about which cars you should be looking at.
and lexus is toyota and mercedes is volkswagen just because nissan owns infinity doesn't mean they can be compared like that. would you compare scion to lexus because they are both parts of toyota?
Yes. In Japan, they're all Nissan. They just get rebadged here. Mercedes is not VW though. Not sure where you got that.
VW bought Porsche. But the cars are very different. That aren't just slapping a Porsche badge on a Bug.
