I'm trading in my '03 Mustang GT convertable for a new, more practical, car (and for plenty of good reasons so don't even try to talk me out of it...).

I want a sedan (NO HYBRIDS) and I won't go any lower than V6. That's pretty much all I care about. Somewhere around 20-25k. I was looking at the new '06 Chevy Impalas and they seem pretty choice.

What do you guys suggest?

9/7/2005 10:25:09 PM

i hate those impalas

9/7/2005 10:27:11 PM

'03 nissan maxima, 6-speed

9/7/2005 10:28:54 PM

I should also say that I would prefer an American car...

9/7/2005 10:34:37 PM

no one in The Garage is gonna recommend an American car, and for good (sadly) reasons.

9/7/2005 10:35:44 PM

I understand that foreign cars are both better made and also less costly in the long run, but I'm really much more interested in spending money that stays in America.

You don't even have to recommend it... if you happen to know a car that fits my description, it would be cool if you just mentioned it so that I don't have to spend many hours looking for it.

9/7/2005 10:38:39 PM

you know
a lot of foreign cars are made here

9/7/2005 10:39:45 PM

saturn

[Edited on September 7, 2005 at 10:43 PM. Reason : f]

9/7/2005 10:40:48 PM

Honda V6 Accord.

My girlfriend's is pretty nice. Just don't get it if you have long legs.

9/7/2005 10:46:28 PM

you won't be buying an american sedan thats practical and have all the money stay in america. america doesn't do reliable or practical, they outsource

9/7/2005 11:06:49 PM

if you must buy a new american sedan

buy a pontiac, they make a few very nice models

9/7/2005 11:08:32 PM

Actually I was looking at a Pontiac G6 Sedan. ...And a few others. Here's the current list:

Pontiac G6 Sedan (V6)
Dodge Stratus R/T Sedan (V6)
Mazda Mazda6 Sports Sedan (V6)
Chevroley Impalla LT 3LT (V6)

If you had to pick from those four, which would it be and why?

9/7/2005 11:15:30 PM

If it's got to be an American Car, then Cobalt may be good for you.

[Edited on September 7, 2005 at 11:18 PM. Reason : asdf]

9/7/2005 11:18:02 PM

the mazda6 for looks, awesome suspension, pep?

9/7/2005 11:18:33 PM

the Impala is actually a pretty good car

9/7/2005 11:24:16 PM

Quote :

"but I'm really much more interested in spending money that stays in America"

this doesn't fly.

BMWs and (i believe) Hondas, along with other stuff, are made in America...lots of domestic stuff is made in Mexico. Ford and Mazda are halfway the same company, along with Chrysler and Mitsubishi. Ford owns Jaguar, and Saab is PART OF GM...just like Chevy and Pontiac are part of GM.

hell, a Plymouth Laser was the exact same car as a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and a Mazda pickup is the basically a rebadged Ford Ranger (same thing with a Mazda Navajo and Ford Explorer).

there isn't enough of a line between foreign and domestic anymore to make it worthwhile to consider. just get the best car for the job.



and "less than V6" doesn't necessarily mean shit. My car has a 4 cyl, and it has about 360 horsepower. A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a 4 cylinder, 4 door SEDAN that will accelerate essentially as quickly as a Corvette for 75% of the price.

9/7/2005 11:25:43 PM

Just wait for gas to upto $6 a gallon

she'd be back to 4-cylinder requirements.

9/7/2005 11:28:06 PM

get a dodge charger or 300m

9/7/2005 11:38:16 PM

v6 altima 0-60 in 5.9 ina manual of course

Most of them are built in Smyrna Tenn.

[Edited on September 7, 2005 at 11:41 PM. Reason : []

9/7/2005 11:39:22 PM

nihon no kuruma ga ichiban kuruma da yo



[Edited on September 7, 2005 at 11:41 PM. Reason : i vote maxima/altima, of course]

9/7/2005 11:40:40 PM

Definitely check out the Mazda 6. I test drove a Mazda 3 yesterday, and it felt a lot nicer than the other small sedans I've been looking at. I'm assuming the rest of their new line is equally fun.

I'd also recommend looking at the Altima. I've driven one of the new ones once and ridden in them a few times, and they seem to be pretty decent. The 3.5L 6 should be enough power for you. If you need something bigger (car size), check out the Maxima.

I rode in a Stratus R/T yesterday, and it felt pretty cheap. I didn't drive it though.

9/8/2005 12:11:48 AM

These are badass...

9/8/2005 12:25:10 AM

practical? what's that?

9/8/2005 12:29:31 AM

highly practical

9/8/2005 12:31:46 AM

practical is an old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era

9/8/2005 12:32:17 AM

practical is a relative term

9/8/2005 12:33:22 AM

^^dude...fuck with a wooden boat. You won't call it practical for long.

9/8/2005 12:35:48 AM

A few are (x5 and z4).

That doesn't mean the money stays in america.

evo might accerlate to 60 near a corvette, but dont count on it being as fast esp for a z06.

He is looking at cars that cost 20-25k now, and like 5-10k next year. Buying american car new is about the dumbest thing you can do, unless its a vette.

Quote :

"this doesn't fly. BMWs and (i believe) Hondas, along with other stuff, are made in America...lots of domestic stuff is made in Mexico. Ford and Mazda are halfway the same company, along with Chrysler and Mitsubishi. Ford owns Jaguar, and Saab is PART OF GM...just like Chevy and Pontiac are part of GM. hell, a Plymouth Laser was the exact same car as a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and a Mazda pickup is the basically a rebadged Ford Ranger (same thing with a Mazda Navajo and Ford Explorer). there isn't enough of a line between foreign and domestic anymore to make it worthwhile to consider. just get the best car for the job. and "less than V6" doesn't necessarily mean shit. My car has a 4 cyl, and it has about 360 horsepower. A Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a 4 cylinder, 4 door SEDAN that will accelerate essentially as quickly as a Corvette for 75% of the price. "

9/8/2005 1:16:28 AM

Corvette

400hp, 25mpg, that's pretty practical

9/8/2005 1:34:58 AM

I drove an Evo today, all i can say is yahooooooooooooooooooooooo

9/8/2005 2:06:56 AM

The quality of "american" cars are still lacking. There's better way to help America, and Americans than
artificially inflating the profits of a car company that makes an inferior product. You should test some of
the competition. There are some good cars out there, a number of which have been mentioned. I kind of
like the new Mazdas. I can't think of a car in your price range I would see myself buying new, therefore
I would also suggest considering something 1-3 years old, and still under warranty. Stretch for a Merc.
C class perhaps?
Ahmet

9/8/2005 3:20:02 AM

From all the cars I have gotten to drive at work, I would suggest:

Pontiac G6 (Kinda pricey for its smaller size, but very sweet)
Pontiac Grand Prix (start off almost the same price as a G6, good pickup and LOTS of room)
Cherolet Impala (Lots of pickup and pretty good room. Wouldn't suggest the last model though)
Mazda 6 (They aren't as roomy as some of the others but they are still pretty hot)
Altima V6 (Fast and pretty nice)
Magnum/Charger (Pretty damn nice and will definitely turn heads, but fairly underpowered with the V6)

I wouldn't suggest the Stratus. Thats a very weak platform compared to other cars in its class.

9/8/2005 6:54:06 AM

id say grand prix

9/8/2005 10:43:20 AM

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/07/Autos/ford_recall/index.htm

top 5 biggest recalls in the nation's history? all Ford and GM

9/8/2005 12:02:04 PM

9/8/2005 12:17:16 PM

(yes i see the huge flaw in this statistic, but that doesnt mean its not fun)

9/8/2005 12:20:00 PM

Don't get a land yacht, you'll regret it next summer when gas shoots up again

9/8/2005 12:20:02 PM

lots of foreign companies have plants here and pretty much assemble the cars in the US. Though most do import the engine and transmission, but they seem to be chaning that to be me US built now as international shipping is becoming more expensive as more and more trade aggrements that increase world shipping and trading. Hyundai just built their huge plant in Alabama for their new luxury sedans thats totally build and made in the US.

It seems as though a good number of US car manufacturers are imported more and more materials that are made in foreign companies but still assemble the cars here. I do believe they still make the transmissions and engines in the US. Durham has that huge transmission manufacturer that makes them for GM i believe.

9/8/2005 12:47:10 PM

Quote :

"'03 nissan maxima, 6-speed"

Or try to find a car that can run on 87 octane

9/8/2005 2:50:13 PM

i agree. definitely get one that can run on 87 octane

9/8/2005 3:20:10 PM

honda's and acura's are pretty much all designed and built here except for the s2000 and RL.

my TL was designed in CA and built in OH. no wonder it's a BIG POS.

9/8/2005 11:58:32 PM

second the mercury marauder idea

9/9/2005 3:07:29 PM

The NEW impala would be sweet as long as you got the V8...changing back to a RWD V8 platform is a damn good idea (i think they're using the 5.3 and it IS OHV)...hell, the asheboro sheriff's dept is thinking about signing a new contract for the impalas and doing away with the crown vic...if you want a "sedan" and you don't wanna go "less than a V6", these V8's are more powerful and rival the mileage so you'd be stupid to opt for a V6 impala when the 303hp 5.3 is available

well, at least that's my take on the impala

9/14/2005 10:39:21 AM

Quote :

"It seems as though a good number of US car manufacturers are imported more and more materials that are made in foreign companies but still assemble the cars here. I do believe they still make the transmissions and engines in the US. Durham has that huge transmission manufacturer that makes them for GM i believe. "

Just because it's an American car doesn't even mean it was assembled here. Both my old '91 Ford Crown Vic and my mom's current '97 were built in Canada, and I want to say some GM products are built in Mexico, whereas my dad's old '84 Honda Accord and his current '91 were both built in Ohio.

[Edited on September 14, 2005 at 10:44 AM. Reason : o]

9/14/2005 10:44:09 AM

Quote :

"Corvette 400hp, 25mpg, that's pretty practical"

I get better than that on the highway.

My vote goes to the new potiac GTO or whatever it is, those things are bad as helll

9/14/2005 11:51:44 AM

is this thread serious? we own an american car, and i know we would have gotten a foreign one if we had been allowed. foreign cars > american cars.

9/14/2005 12:35:21 PM