Infiniti i30
Infiniti i30
Aside from length, a 4th gen Taurus/Sable is my pick. Very comfy.
If searching CL for Infiniti be sure to search Infinity also since 20% of the listing are spelled wrong.
Brian wrote: Aside from length, a 4th gen Taurus/Sable is my pick. Very comfy.
They aren't even that long, for utilitarianism on a budget, they're a bargain. The one I linked last page even has the duratec in it, which can make more power if you wanted to go stupid.
MTN, I said that because your typical "ballin' on a budget" type of people who own these inexpensive luxury vehicles are the types you should never buy a vehicle from.....and Chicago has a ton of them.
WOW Really Paul? wrote:Brian wrote: Aside from length, a 4th gen Taurus/Sable is my pick. Very comfy.They aren't even that long, for utilitarianism on a budget, they're a bargain. The one I linked last page even has the duratec in it, which can make more power if you wanted to go stupid. MTN, I said that because your typical "ballin' on a budget" type of people who own these inexpensive luxury vehicles are the types you should never buy a vehicle from.....and Chicago has a ton of them.
In the city, yes. But Chicago also has these places called "suburbs" that have a lot of people that buy a car and drive it for 150k miles and take care of it.
Gonna go ahead and nix the tauri unless I come across one that is really stupidly cheap.
In reply to mtn:
Fair enough, I'm obviously still not a firm believer of the depreciated luxury cars.
If it weren't for the FWD/AWD requirement.....I'd tell you to look for Lincoln LS/Jag S-types. 
The safe bet:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/5419265768.html
Looks clean. Decently low miles.
If you need some more room:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/5409027034.html
or
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/5419135402.html
I kind of want to be jerk and just list other brandings/variants of cars on your list, like geo prism instead of toyota corolla, first gen prius instead of yaris, 200sx instead of sentra, pt cruiser instead of neon ... 
But seriously factoring in the list...
Sw2 saturn i would buy 3+ and just change off if one had an issue. Or 2 Bmw 328ti... and just drive it backwards 
In reply to WOW Really Paul?:
What about bumping down to an X-Type? Those depreciated like a used prophylactic when they were in production. I imagine they're stupid cheap now, and all the abused and neglected examples have already died. The ones that are left are probably fairly well maintained, I'm guessing. And they're AWD.
Cheap answer is a Saturn TwinCam, the lux option is a Buick Lesbre w/3800 power.
You can fight it all you want, but a Taurus or equivalent gm with a 3800 is the answer here. They get you the most transportation per dollar, they are as reliable as gravity, they get good fuel economy, they can fit five people, they are easy to work on, parts are cheap and in stock everywhere, and there are still plenty of clean examples available. They are boring, yes. But everybody should have at least onecar in their fleet that will actually get them to work in the morning.
There are some 3800 options I'm considering (alero, I think it's the smallest of them) but the Taurus is just too big.
Alero is not 3800. An Alero is the Oldsmobile equivalent to Grand Am.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Alero
Olds Intrigue can have 3800 but if it has the more common 3.5L, pass.
This 3.5 is known as the Shortstar. It is derived off the Northstar.
Wifey and I are going to go and check out a Lexus ES tonight. The thread has changed since she freaked out at the thought of doing it so quickly, so we extended the rental through Friday. We'll see what happens; this extends the budget to about $5500.
From Wiki:
2000 taurus (4th gen) = 198 in long, 73 in wide (sedan and wagon are essentially the same)
2001 ES (4th gen as well) = 191 in long, 71 in wide
For fun - 1990 BMW 750iL (e32) = 198 in long, 73 in wide
EDIT - HOLY CRAP: BMW curb weight 4250, ford curb weight, 3316
I felt like your wants were describing either a Toyota Avalon or Lexus ES to a "T." Except the "not too long" thing, they are full size-ish cars. (Lexus ES is really midsize, being based on the Camry until fairly recently.)
I found these:
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/5387086681.html
https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/5393404295.html
I like that second one because of the low mileage. I think these would be amazing backup cars, and might be nice enough that your wife would want it as her primary car. That's a lot of car for $3000.
Buddy of mine had an ES300 for a long time that survived over 300k miles of EXTREMELY poor maintenance between him and his dad. His family is of the mentality that a vehicle doesn't need work until it leaves you on the side of the road, so things like, say, timing belts and oil changes were only ever done when something serious landed it in the shop. Makes no sense to me because they most certainly have the money to properly maintain their cars, they just dont. But 300,000+ miles of that is about the most resounding endorsement of reliability I can give.
How about Volvo 850s? I've previously had two of them that survived the abuse of teenage me without a flaw (though parts do tend to be a bit pricey.) Super comfy, fairly luxurious, just a touch quirky and downright quick with the high pressure turbo. You could buy the nicest one around with your budget, or even an 850R if you can find one in time.
dculberson wrote: I felt like your wants were describing either a Toyota Avalon or Lexus ES to a "T." Except the "not too long" thing, they are full size-ish cars. (Lexus ES is really midsize, being based on the Camry until fairly recently.) I found these: https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/5387086681.html https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/5393404295.html I like that second one because of the low mileage. I think these would be amazing backup cars, and might be nice enough that your wife would want it as her primary car. That's a lot of car for $3000.
Wow that is a nice avalon! I kinda almost want it.
Robbie wrote: From Wiki: 2000 taurus (4th gen) = 198 in long, 73 in wide (sedan and wagon are essentially the same) 2001 ES (4th gen as well) = 191 in long, 71 in wide For fun - 1990 BMW 750iL (e32) = 198 in long, 73 in wide EDIT - HOLY CRAP: BMW curb weight 4250, ford curb weight, 3316
The 2nd gen ES was only 187 inches. I know that is only 3 inches, but it makes a difference.
dculberson wrote: I felt like your wants were describing a Toyota Avalon.
If I had to buy a getaway car today for cash and get the goods across country as quickly as possible, I'd buy a Toyota Avalon.
My choice would be a Civic or Accord (there's tons in the burbs), but it seems like you are looking at stuff that's more luxo. What about an Acura 3.2 TL (older version of TL) or a Maxima?
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/5391348066.html
In reply to Robbie:
Yep, the Taurus and ES are both mid size segment in that era.
slowride wrote: My choice would be a Civic or Accord (there's tons in the burbs), but it seems like you are looking at stuff that's more luxo. What about an Acura 3.2 TL (older version of TL) or a Maxima? http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/5391348066.html
Like the Maxima. Unsure on the TL. I want to like it. SWMBO likes it. For some reason I'm not sold.
There are a couple reasons I'm looking a little more luxo--first, I'd rather end up with something I'm ok keeping for the next 3 years either as a backup or the wife's daily. Second, it will be a daily for the wife for at least a month (no big deal), but likely at least 9 months. Her commute is E36 M3. I want her to be in a nice place for the 1 to 2 hours a day she's in the car.
Looking at Avalons makes me want an Avalon.
I will never understand my wife. So far, in the past 48 hours, I've heard this from her:
The ES is too big
The Solara is just right (SAME SIZE!)(We're looking for one, but she's picky with it)
The Forester was great, she loved the visibility... buttt its a boring car, and she doesn't like a hatch (wants a trunk where people can't see in)
She loved the Mazda3 hatch! (wait... didn't I just say... nevermind)
The TSX isn't nice enough (but the Forester, Mazda3, and Solara are)
The TL, that is the car for her! (I'll just ignore the fact that it is the same size as the ES)
We're young, we should get something impractical! (Hates every 2 door I've showed her other than the Solara)
Trying to remember any other hypocrisies I've heard from her.
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