The answer is not M5... Now what?

Back seat in the IS-F is near useless.

C63/E63 or CTS-V.

yupididit wrote: Back seat in the IS-F is near useless. C63/E63 or CTS-V.

It does look a little snug given the front seat positions...then again, I don't ride in the back of my cars.

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/4769201133.html

Surprise the whole family and drag home a '92 Galant VR-4 :)

wearymicrobe wrote: Are we missing the white whale in the room

$30k gets you one with around 40 or 50 thousand miles. Autos were about 60% of the run, so you shouldn't have a problem finding one. You'll be disappointed with the refinement compared to the BMW. Mine gets 18mpg in mixed driving. On the highway at 80, it'll average about 20. In 60k miles, mine has needed oil changes and I replaced the clutch fluid. I'm still on the factory brake pads.

V2 CTS-V would be #1 on my list, and yes, you can get them with flappy paddles.

poopshovel wrote: V2 CTS-V would be #1 on my list, and yes, you can get them with flappy paddles.

Are the paddles decent? Or are they a marketing department checkbox?

BradLTL wrote:

poopshovel wrote: V2 CTS-V would be #1 on my list, and yes, you can get them with flappy paddles.

Are the paddles decent? Or are they a marketing department checkbox?

No idea, but any car I've driven that has them (including the C63 and E63 AMG, which have the best flappy paddle boxes I've experienced,) I've ended up just leaving in "auto" anyway.

In reply to poopshovel:

The M5 had the SMG. It was basically a paddle driven manual transmission. It had an auto mode, but manual shifting was much better and smoother. Once I got a feel for it, I enjoyed using it.

I know Acuras have paddles, but they are design not function. Audi has the DSG with the dual clutch. Mercedes seems to be somewhere in the middle.

Functional paddles are probably the best compromise (since my wife doesn't drive a stick), second choice would be a manual, least desirable is a full auto.

Doug Demuro says the auto is ok in the CTS-V

http://dougdemuro.kinja.com/cts-v-wagon-update-do-i-regret-buying-an-automatic-1252845308

I've had a bad jones for a Dodge Magnum. You know, the station wagon they made for a couple of years. Those things can be modded for BIG power. They're simple enough that you can fix most issues in your home garage.

Current front-runner:

http://m.carmax.com/vehicle/11148719

Low miles, plus available CarMax's warranty makes it easier on the wife's standards.

Thoughts? Comments?

Low mileage plus warranty is trumps with the wife.

Overpriced by ~3K maybe. But it is a stick.

Im kind of amazed how much fun you (/wife) can take out of shopping in this segment.

Funny as it sounds, i dont think a lot of the stuff mentioned here is comparable to a fast 5 series in any way other than being a 'super sedan'. If i were looking for a 'nice' car i'd probably rather have a regular 545 plus bits and pieces than a top spec old cadillac or a g8 or a lot of these other options which are spiffed up versions of fairly plain vehicles.

BradLTL wrote: Current front-runner: http://m.carmax.com/vehicle/11148719 Low miles, plus available CarMax's warranty makes it easier on the wife's standards. Thoughts? Comments?

That is probably the most expensive V1 in the country, and all the V1's are manual.

I was pointing you toward a V2. But if you're looking for a V1 there are tons of nice ones out there well under $20k.

$9,000 buys a lot of tires & maintenance.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/4817993045.html

$25k gets you in V2 territory.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=30513&endYear=2015&modelCode1=CTS&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&showcaseOwnerId=75964&startYear=2007&makeCode1=CAD&engineCodes=8CLDR&engineCode=8CLDR&searchRadius=0&maxPrice=40000&showcaseListingId=388232934&mmt=[CAD[CTS[]][]]&listingId=377877899&Log=0

SRT8 is your answer:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=60477&endYear=2015&modelCode1=300&showcaseOwnerId=575420&startYear=1981&makeCode1=CHRY&searchRadius=100&maxPrice=30000&showcaseListingId=379622976&trim1=300%7CSRT8&mmt=%5BCHRY%5B300%5B300%257CSRT8%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=385866898&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=60477&endYear=2015&modelCode1=300&showcaseOwnerId=575420&startYear=1981&makeCode1=CHRY&searchRadius=100&maxPrice=30000&showcaseListingId=379622976&trim1=300%7CSRT8&mmt=%5BCHRY%5B300%5B300%257CSRT8%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=388201909&Log=0

Magnum SRT8 :

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=60477&endYear=2015&modelCode1=MAGNUM&showcaseOwnerId=64348267&startYear=1981&makeCode1=DODGE&engineCodes=8CLDR&engineCode=8CLDR&searchRadius=100&mmt=%5BDODGE%5BMAGNUM%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&listingId=389651636&Log=0

Ugh... this is miserable.

So, the CTS-V I posted earlier sold (was it one of you?). It was the best option I had found to this point. Yes, it was the most expensive Gen 1 CTS-V, but I considered that a "wife premium". It had low miles and the benefit of coming with a CarMax warranty, plus I would have paid about 3k less than the list price. If I wasn't able to find anything else, I would have gone in to buy it Monday.

Now, I don't have that option. This is the least fun I've had shopping for a new car.

I would be happy with a Gen-1 CTS-V, but I only want to pay about 15-18k. When I bought the M5, I figured it was at the bottom of the depreciation curve and would mostly hold it's value over time. I'm not so sure about the CTS-V.

Gen-2 CTS-Vs are nice, but I suspect that in a few years they'll be worth the same as the Gen-1's are now. So, paying 30,000+ for one now, to only have it worth half as much in a couple years doesn't seem appealing.

The C63 is the coolest car on my list currently, but at 29-35k not counting warranty costs it's a bit stout on the cost. The other issue is the backseat. It looks a bit snug. I'll check one out in person tomorrow to verify.

The thing is that I want to spend 18k or less. The wife wants basically a CPO car and would rather spend up to 30k. There are cool cars in my range but they tend to lack the low mileage, newer, warranty requirements. There are plenty of family suitable cars in my wife's range, but they tend to be beige. There isn't much in the middle.

So the manual trans is no longer an issue?

Warranty Shmarranty. In the words of Tommy Boy: "I can take a E36 M3 in a box and stamp a guarantee on it, but all you're buying is a guaranteed piece of E36 M3."

Also: If you want to pay a $5k premium (25% of the total cost,) for low mileage, consider this: They DID have problems; most notably the factory radiators and differentials. Most V1's with 100k or so miles have had these issues addressed already.

Personally, I'd rather have a $15k, 100,000 - 120,000, 1 or 2 owner mile well-maintained car than a 40,000 mile car that's due for serious maintenance for $10k more, but YMMV.

I'm glad you didn't spend crack-smoking money on that under-driven, hideous burgundy colored one, FWIW

poopshovel wrote: I'm glad you didn't spend crack-smoking money on that under-driven, hideous burgundy colored one, FWIW

Thanks for the moral support.

I'm with you, I'd be fine with a car with 100k on it. My wife makes it a no-go. Compromise makes car shopping no fun.

Wish this had popped up 12 months ago. I'd have been on it like stink on E36 M3!

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/4821352166.html

V1 CTS-V will go through OEM motor mounts on a regular basis as well.

The IS-F is incredible, easily the best all-around car I've ever owned, though I have tinkered with mine a little bit.

I'm kinda at the "punt" mode and am just trying to get a half decent car....

Audi A4 Avant

Thoughts on this?

BradLTL wrote: I'm kinda at the "punt" mode and am just trying to get a half decent car.... Audi A4 Avant Thoughts on this?

on the plus side, it's a wagon, and it's very nice looking.

on the minus side, an A4 2.0 is about as exciting as a Honda Accord (possibly less exciting, actually), it's an automatic (even less exciting), and it's VAG, so you'll still get nickel-and-dimed with stupid stuff breaking.

If you're just "punting", why not buy a fully-decent car (like an Accord) rather than a half-decent car?

ansonivan wrote: Maserati Quattroporte, what could possibly go wrong?

About as much as that Lexus IS-F mentioned above. Honestly, I'd just recommend a different M5. Sounds like yours was beaten and not maintained prior to your ownership.

I would hate to have to pay someone else to maintain/repair my M5.