Thread: Planning my future car purchase. Looking for ur 2 cents

I'm new-ish to the forum (lurked for a bit- no formal intro). I'm enjoying all the knowledge everyone shares about cars, events, and business. This has to be one of the best forums I've ever been a part of and worth every min I spend reading. So I'd really like to get some practical advise. I love my little old Benz but I need to do some planning for the future. The kiddo will need a car soon and wants to modify my baby Benz (I'm sure he'll post his 2 cents as he's been bugging me to get to planning). So I've got a few ideas. I only buy used right now. I work from home, I do a little driving to clients, but mostly driving is for fun/traveling. I'm in the OC (SoCal) so I do a lot of city driving. So gas mileage is important a bit to me. I have 2 dogs that do go in the car with me, I do car pool to events so I need some room for people... I think that's about it...

So the org list was this...

Jaguar XF 09
Merc E55 AMG 03/05
Cadillac Escalade 07/08
Porsche Cayenne T 04/05
Lexus GS Hyrbid 07
Audi A4 09
BMW M5 06
Merc C300/350 08/10
Merc CLS500 06
Merc GL450 07
Merc G500 02/03


and now its more like this...

MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 500 06?07
PORSCHE CAYENNE Turbo 04/06
MERCEDES-BENZ E55 AMG 04/05

I've not tested the Cayenne yet. And really I don't know anyone personally who owns one. But I like the look, size, room, and what I've read about.

My goal is to upgrade summer of 2012.

I look forward to your input

The E55 AMG and the Cayenne T are equal in specs with in a small variable.... so Super V8 or Turbo V8?
Of course the AMG will have more power by 20hp....more power = more fun but the Turbo is AWD who launch wise could also be fun.
As for the CLS its a looker not much of a performer.... compared to the AMG & turbo

I agree with the above. Id say more so the Cayenne simply because its capable in more situations. I love E55s but a heavy rear wheel drive sedan is only useful up to a point. Turbo all wheel drive and a high driving position are dare I say more practical. Ive spent some time in a CLS 55 and while it was fun you can definitely feel the waeight being thrown around. Plus though the four door coupe look is nice it is a pain in the ass when it comes to getting in and out of the car. Specially if youre a taller/bigger person like me.

Now i personally am a performance oriented person. I like to modify my cars, so which one would you think Yeti has a better end result (cali state legal of course) would end up more powerful and better looking???(Body kits and engine mods)

not sure of your price range but have you considered the Porsche Panamera? I am not sure how much you can get a used one for, but just a thought!

Thank you Deuce818 and TheYeti for your feedback!

The Panamera starts (used) in the mid $70's which is a bit more than I want to spend right now and to get the performance I want the Turbo is 114k. The List of cars I did have an interest in have a price tag between 25k and 35k, are fun fast and in the luxury bracket (with the exception of the A4 which was ruled out after I found it only had a I4 for an engine). The E55 and Turbo for an 04/05 runs about 25-28k

Sadly I like to drive fast. And I spent 4 yrs driving in Chicago so now I drive even more aggressively and enjoy it greatly! LOL. So I want something responsive with get up and go. I would like to at some point take it on track too.

~K

The 03/04 E55's had some problems(at least that's what I've heard). Out of the cars on your revised list, I like the E55 the most. The W211 is a great looking car(I wouldn't put a body kit on it), and with some simple mods you can get some decent power out of it. The M5 would be my top choice, but the SMG transmissions have had a TON of problems and are very costly to deal with.

If you decide to go for a Cayenne TT make sure it's a '06+ where they fixed some of the many errors - also upgraded the PCM system from CD to DVD etc. They are generally very unreliable cars, terrible fuel economy, extremely expensive to maintain. I had an '04 TT (07-03) which was a nightmare - had many many problems with the car. I traded it in for a '06 Cayenne S when released (07-05), a much better car IMO - plenty of power, nice naturally aspirated engine sound, less know errors and cheaper to maintain and insure. My friend had to replace the gearbox and engine after 103k kilometers in his '05 TT - costed him 20.000 EUR in Germany. I've head a lot of bad stories from early TT owners. I am sure that their are many great stories out there - just be very careful. But when the car is actually operating it's great - the best 4x4 all-arounder IMO. It's sporty, practical and cool.

I know it wasn't on your list, but have you considered a B7 Audi S4? I love mine, it's plenty fast, and has been very reliable. The 4.2L V8 is one of the nicest engines I've ever had in a car. You could probably pick up an 06-07 with very low miles for under 35k... Gas mileage isn't fantastic, but honestly, it won't be any worse than a lot of the cars on your list. Get it in the Avant (wagon) body style and it'll be just as roomy as the Cayenne!

Regardless, good luck with finding the right car!

Thank you Lightlysalted. I'll look into that one... And On the gas... as long as I don't have to put more in when I go around the corner I'm good. I'm not looking for big Asian gas mileage. Keeping a bit real
~K