Help pic a car for my brother!

[4DGS]

ok, so my brother is coming from an 01 Oldsmobile Aurora with every option. (leather, heated seats, sunroof etc) But it's got high kms now and is starting to show it age and he's looking to get into something newer.

Budget >$13000 Canadian

What he wants in the car;
FWD or AWD is a must, he doesn't want to bother with RWD in the winter (I store my G)
Decent sized trunk He's a photographer and needs a little bit space back there for his gear, fold down seats is a super plus as his car now doesn't have them
Low KmsHe drives car until they are ready to die, lets make this one a longer life
Good reliability this is a given when most people buy cars, but it just means that easy to break BMWs and Audis are probably out of the question.
Decent Gas Mileage He is willing to trade a little gas mileage for AWD

I have had him looking at Altimas and Maximas as I know the cars pretty well, but he is also open to SUVs. The rogue would be his first choice but still so new that the prices haven't come down yet. The Murano would be solid but they seem to retain value pretty well and haven't come down to the 10k mark.

I was thinking maybe a TL, but the old ones have crazy transmission issues and the 2003+ are still $15000+

He's not huge into modding cars, but I am sure if he had a more modable car then he might drop it and put some wheels on.

Any ideas towards this!?

[Wannabe6MT]

Definatly a Maxima. Like a 2002 to 2003 with the VQ35

[mark5]

maximas or a sub

[4DGS]

we found an 04 Max with 88km (40miles?) full leather all the options (except nav) and that dumb sideways sunroof. $12,000 It's local so I'm going to take a look at that.

I know he would be interested in Subarus, but they can be hard to find for a solid price with out being older than 2001. I know he wants to get into a newer car than where he is now.

[Wannabe6MT]

Maximas are nice cars man. Smooth with a lot of power.

[Sukairain]

My recommendation - pre-facelifted Acura TSX.

Reliability A+
Gas Milage A
Usability A
Trunk Size B+
Safety A
Luxury B
Value A
Engine A-
Handling & Performance B+/A-

[Wannabe6MT]

^The TSX is slow as hell. How did you give it an A-?

[Tangerine]

I'm with Sukairain, TSX is a good choice

Originally Posted by Wannabe6MT

^The TSX is slow as hell. How did you give it an A-?

Because he rated the engine not how quick the car is. Not everyone is all about performance you know.

[Wannabe6MT]

He rated the engine for reliability as an A, and gave the performance an A-. That car has sub-par performance. It really does. Thats the ONLY thing that is a downside about the TSX. It is quite slow.

I am sure his brother would want a car that can atleast keep up with his current Oldsmobile... which would destroy a TSX.

[simin510]

i would pick a maxmima

[Tangerine]

Reliability can be as a whole (with or without engine, electronics, mechanics, transmission etc). There is braking performance and handling performance which the TSX does well at, better than the Aurora.

I didn't know that a mid to high 7 second 0-60 V8 engine was faster than a mid to low 7 second I4. The new TSX has a V6 option, guess which model is sold more the I4 or the V6. The Oldsmobile Aurora would destroy the TSX by its terrific sales figure or get blown away by its perfect working A/C or buttery smooth shifts

I still stand by my choice, just not on the ratings given by Sukairain. Performance was not mentioned by OT, but fuel consumption and no RWD was so....

What is your suggestion? A Nissan/Infiniti product?

[4DGS]

TSXs are slow Aurora would definitely put it away.

Any SUVs? Something with a small 6?

[mark5]

Originally Posted by 4DGS

we found an 04 Max with 88km (40miles?) full leather all the options (except nav) and that dumb sideways sunroof. $12,000 It's local so I'm going to take a look at that.

I know he would be interested in Subarus, but they can be hard to find for a solid price with out being older than 2001. I know he wants to get into a newer car than where he is now.

that sounds like a crazy deal!

[Wannabe6MT]

Originally Posted by Tangerine

Reliability can be as a whole (with or without engine, electronics, mechanics, transmission etc). There is braking performance and handling performance which the TSX does well at, better than the Aurora.

I didn't know that a mid to high 7 second 0-60 V8 engine was faster than a mid to low 7 second I4. The new TSX has a V6 option, guess which model is sold more the I4 or the V6. The Oldsmobile Aurora would destroy the TSX by its terrific sales figure or get blown away by its perfect working A/C or buttery smooth shifts

I still stand by my choice, just not on the ratings given by Sukairain. Performance was not mentioned by OT, but fuel consumption and no RWD was so....

What is your suggestion? A Nissan/Infiniti product?

My suggestion is a Maxima, and i'll stick at that. Solid, reliable cars, that handle well,, are comfortable, and atleast have enough power to get out of their own way. My old Trailblazer had more get up and go power than the TSX i test drove..

Originally Posted by 4DGS

TSXs are slow Aurora would definitely put it away.

Any SUVs? Something with a small 6?

I dont know how you feel about GM, but Trailblazers are dirt cheap now. I had one. The interior wasn't the most attractive, but it had less rattles than my G and it has an award winning Inline 6 engine with way more power than you'd expect (it would beat V8s in its class with performance and economy)

They are really smooth on the freeway, can haul a lot of crap, and parts are cheap and its easy to fix. Check out www.trailvoy.com

[Tangerine]

Originally Posted by Wannabe6MT

My suggestion is a Maxima, and i'll stick at that. Solid, reliable cars, that handle well,, are comfortable, and atleast have enough power to get out of their own way. My old Trailblazer had more get up and go power than the TSX i test drove..

The Trailblazer SS felt like a slug when I test drove it, against my STi.... your point? You feel torque, you can have an engine with massive amount of torque and still be slow but not many people know. I guess people are so obsessed with power numbers and the amount of cylinder an engine has . What were the track times for your Trailblazer?

There are tons of slow cars on the road (see if you can comprehend what I am talking about). I have not been in an accident with my sis' old TSX due to its acceleration, those cars makes power up top and are linear it is suppose to be smooth powerband cause its marketed as a luxury car.