What car for the wife?

I think we are about to replace my wife's car and I need some help. My wife hates getting a new (to her) car, doesn't matter what kind of car, she hates the process. Also, she has STRICT requirements which may are may not be bound in reality. So, I need some help. Here are the requirements...

• Less than $25k
• Sedan are mid-size SUV
• Bigger passenger space than a Mazda3 (transporting a baby + stuff)
• Heated Seats
• 2008 or newer
• Low mileage for its age
• Under warranty + reasonable maintenance costs

I am honestly stuck on this one. There are a couple cars I've come up with, but it would require finding the gem to meet all the requirements:

• Lexus ES
• Infiniti M
• Merc E Class

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated, links to actual sales would be helpful too!

Thanks!

2-year-old Mazda6 or Ford Fusion SEL V6. Both are quite tasty. Let someone else pay the first two years of depreciation.

why not a legacy? the newer ones are VERY nice! (especially the wagons!)

My magical making-the-wife happy car picking box produced:

Sedan:

• 09-11 Mazda6
• 08-11 Chrysler 300
• 09-11 Subaru Legacy

Wagon:

• 09-11 Subaru Legacy/Outback
• 08-11 Volvo V70

SUV:

• 08-11 Ford Edge
• 09-11 Ford Flex
• 08-11 Mazda CX-9

G8 GT

My wife loves her's. We bought it new when Pontiac was having their fire sale--it didn't hurt that her 5-spd Mazda 6 wagon had just been totalled... .

Cadillac SRX all-wheel drive with the V-8

Or join the bazillion other Mom's and get a Town & Country

Seriously get a CR-V new body style, cheap, easy to maintain and they are beyond easy to drive.

Plus they hold metric tons of baby stuff.

Volvo XC90 - an '08 CPO with reasonable miles can be found in your price range if you don't need all the option boxes ticked (unlike my wife). Skip the V6, mileage is the same as the V8 and the Yamaha sourced V8 is a ripper. Comfortable, safe, roomy, has a built in center row booster for older kids, 3rd row option for flexibility in the people/stuff hauling ratio (3rd row is kids only though).

OK, so I just looked and I was wrong - XC90s apparently have held their value and start in the 28s and hit 30+ quickly.

You didnt say if she was an enthusiast or not. What are HER likes in addition to requirements. If she does not care, i would look for something 4 cylinder, midsize or large with stability control, six airbags and five or preferably six speed automatic--and relatively good looking.

hyundai sonata

my choice if if i had the means: 2011 kia optima ex with premium package

toyota avalon--used not a 4 cylinder

toyota rav 4--used

subaru forester-- no five speed automatic

ford fusion

nissan altima

acura tsx

ford taurus aor taurus x-- not a four cylinder

in addition to all the others mentioned

frankly there are so many cars at that price point that unless she gives a little bit more info on the intangibles--like liking external rear view mirror housings with the blinker integrated in them:) your brain could explode with all the possibilities--if you are like me

my agreement with my wife is: you choose the car and if it scores high in reliability and safety and we can afford it, you can have it.

Luckily one of the requirements for Debbie is manual trans. She prefers sedans. MS6 was one of the few cars that complied.

2 Miatas

I was going to say MazdaSpeed6, so kudos to fastmiata

I already have a car, I'm hoping to one day trade mine for a boat.

fastmiata wrote: Luckily one of the requirements for Debbie is manual trans. She prefers sedans. MS6 was one of the few cars that complied.

That was actually one of my wife's requirement too. But she wanted a new car and we were not too impressed by anything that had a manual trans in our price range. Luckily, 6.0L of V8 torks takes some of the sting off of a slushbox... .

buy her the nicest lexus rx you can get. Chicks dig those, and they are as reliable as a hammer.

BradLTL wrote: - Lexus ES

Don't forget the Camry. Same thing.

Also, Mercury Milan

Definitely a Mazda6. Good looking sedan. Especially if you lower it a bit. I saw one on the Mazdaspeed springs at Laguna Seca.

BradLTL wrote: What car for the wife?

If she can cook go for a Subie, but if she's a looker AND cooks, hold out for somethinghigh end & European!

Try'na help.

Ariel Atom.

Just let her go out and pick something on her own if that doesn't fit the bill.

Based on suggestions, she is leaning towards the Subie's and CR-V but wants to go put stuff in the back to see what fits and how much room there is in each. Her dislikes: Malibu, Fusion, Camry

I'm 6'3" (6'4" on a good day), she is 5'8" and my son is holding strong in the 90% for length, so we are going to always be fighting for leg room. Rear facing car seat, strollers, groceries all need to fit with preferably some room for us.

I guess some test drives are in order.

pimpm3 wrote: buy her the nicest lexus rx you can get. Chicks dig those, and they are as reliable as a hammer.

Have you looked in the back? My Boxster had more storage space.

Nissan Maxima(incredibly sturdy vehicle)