[Timgt5]

We had some wonderful weather this weekend, so I took advantage of the it to test drive a few vehicles. I am looking to buy something later this year.

Rav4 V6


I was actually quite impressed with this one. My wife wanted me to look at a crossover. Normally Toyotas are souless dull appliances, but the RAV4 with the 6 was quite spunky, with 269 HP it had a lot of get up, and was rather agile. On the highway it was reasonably comfortable. The cargo space was also impressive. The interior, well econo grade, the only real let down here (Toyota as of late has skimped on interior materials) I ultimately decided I did not need a crossover, but for anyone looking for this capability this smokes its competitiors. It is a shame Toyota cannot spread this fun to the rest of its lineup.



I drove a 2008 Infiniti G35. A really fantastic car. It packs a powerful 306 HP V6, and a ready to play suspension. The car stuck to the curves like glue, and was still comfortable on the open road. I was worried the cabin and seats would be too small for my frame, but I fit in it just fine. IF your idea of an upscale car is lots of room and a hoovercraft ride, this is not for you. If you want a lower cost alternative to the big German hardware, this is worth a look. For those up North opt for X model with all wheel drive.



2009 Nissan Maxima,

Great looking car, nice interior. This pleasent to drive with 290 Hp under the hood. Somehow though I enjoyed the G35 a lot more. For those looking for something that does not look like every other Accord Camry or Altima, on the road this one is worth checking out.

Next a used Cadilac CTS...

[Fresia]

Love shopping for a new/used car. Enjoy the test drives and whichever you decide to go with!

[Okami]

Damn. Those are all awesome choices. Im hella jealous. I need a new car ASAP at this point. And if I could even afford to have that kind of a choice range right now I'd be stoked.

Id love to try out that infiniti. <333
Best of luck to you and damnit, have fun. Hah.

[Sabrina]

All look very swanky - good luck with the shopping and whatever you decide to buy. Let us know!

PS - I like the Rav4 V6 best.

[racee]

love car shopping toyotas last! and if keep up maintanance they will look and run like almost new even ten years later just got rid of a solara and ran great i love the highlanders drove the hybrid one and actually was one of the better hybrids,which is a feat in it's own!
was going to get one last year but still wasn't sure between that and another car so i just got a used suv for the interm and going to make my purchase later this year!

Tried the mercedes CL600 coupe i really shouldn't get two cars because the coupe just isn't practical for everyday use for me but it would be in my leisure time.

Good luck on car shopping

Sounds like you prefer the handling of RWD cars over FWD. The price of gas appears to be going up again. You might want to look at cars with 4 cylinder engines - maybe turbo 4s - to get the best of both worlds, fuel economy and decent acceleration.

[Timgt5]

Originally Posted by unhappyguy

Sounds like you prefer the handling of RWD cars over FWD. The price of gas appears to be going up again. You might want to look at cars with 4 cylinder engines - maybe turbo 4s - to get the best of both worlds, fuel economy and decent acceleration.

There is definately something to be said for a well sorted rear wheel drive set up, and Nissan's FM platform is beautifully balanced. You could not help but grin, throwing the G into a corner and then powering out, where as cars like the Accord, Maxima, Camry (zzzz) negotiate, the G attacks, of course the very nice young lady at carmax, was not amused.

As four 4 CyL, The Sonata Turbo comes to mind, as does the CC Turbo (VW) both are spry and fuel efficient. Fortunatley for me my commute is a short one.

One of the cool things about the RAV4 V6 is that it only gives up 1 mile per gallon to the 4 for almost 100 more HP, amazing feat. I wil give toyota that one.

[Timgt5]

Originally Posted by racee

love car shopping toyotas last! and if keep up maintanance they will look and run like almost new even ten years later just got rid of a solara and ran great i love the highlanders drove the hybrid one and actually was one of the better hybrids,which is a feat in it's own!
was going to get one last year but still wasn't sure between that and another car so i just got a used suv for the interm and going to make my purchase later this year!

Tried the mercedes CL600 coupe i really shouldn't get two cars because the coupe just isn't practical for everyday use for me but it would be in my leisure time.

Good luck on car shopping

One of the cool trends has been the 4 door coupe, The Mercedes CLS, THe Volkswagen CC, combine the swanky sport coupe profile with the practicality of four doors.