Comfortable highway car, sub $40,000 area. Best choices?

[kamakurakid]

I just completed a Calgary > Victoria round trip in my Honda, the car is feeling a bit uncomfortable on the highway after 12 hours in the seats and the road noise. In the next two years I will be making this trip once a month as well as a few tours down to the southern USA.

Looking for a sub $40K car or SUV, four doors, really comfortable seats and quiet. Used I am thinking, something a couple of years old to get maximum value. So far, considering all over the map, from Subaru, Lexus, BMW, VW, etc, though not considering anything from Ford, Chev, Chrysler simply due to not liking their designs.

The vast majority of the time, only two adults in the vehicle, a couple of bikes on the roof or snowboards. Should seat four or five just in case I have guests along during some of the drive. Gas milage is secondary to comfort and quietness to a point, I know I can get a Rolls Royce for $40K, but who wants to maintain the thing. I run winter tires in season, if it is an issue.

Any real world experiences from Beyonders?

[Sentry]

Retired P71 Crown Vic.

Save your money for something you won't mile out on the highway.

[Cos]

One of my bosses has a maxima. Quite a nice highway car.

[J-D]

Originally posted by Cos
One of my bosses has a maxima. Quite a nice highway car.

Seconded :)

Pretty decent on road noise, too

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by Cos
One of my bosses has a maxima. Quite a nice highway car.

Not considered this, will take a look this week. I suspect it could be Infinity crossover design so that might be good.

Thanks.

[ercchry]

lexus ls ftw! v8+retarded amounts of sound deadening and you have exactly what you want

[Novus]

Originally posted by ercchry
lexus ls ftw! v8+retarded amounts of sound deadening and you have exactly what you want

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-2007-LEXUS-LS-460-Moon-Leather-Navi-41995-PH-18664127750-W0QQAdIdZ198545119

:dunno: :dunno:

[Cos]

Personally the CEO has an Infinity and we like the Maxima better. Just seems nicer, dunno why. Plus I HATE the styling of the M45

[Lex350]

Originally posted by ercchry
lexus ls ftw! v8+retarded amounts of sound deadening and you have exactly what you want

really an ISF for under 40K?

[ercchry]

Originally posted by rotten42


really an ISF for under 40K?

when did i say lsf? ls400, ls430, ls460....

[Kardon]

Originally posted by rotten42


really an ISF for under 40K?

Lexus LS≠ISF

[corsvette]

Originally posted by ercchry


when did i say lsf? ls400, ls430, ls460....

Or save some $$$ and try out the Toyota Avalon,they arevery nice highway cars.

[redline]

Audi A3?

[sloan]

Passat CC 2.0. Drove to Vegas in one. Great car. Think it would be a base model tho.

[911fever]

You can get an IS-F out of the US for under 40k with decent miles too. Expensive to maintain though compared to other comparisons in this thread

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by Novus


http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-2007-LEXUS-LS-460-Moon-Leather-Navi-41995-PH-18664127750-W0QQAdIdZ198545119

:dunno: :dunno:

That is a nice car, yards of space and dead quiet.

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by corsvette


Or save some $$$ and try out the Toyota Avalon,they are very nice highway cars.

I rented the top of the line Avalon for a week in 2004, it was indeed very nice on the highway. Boring inside but silent all the way, cruised at 130 km/hr without a care. The newer models must be even better.

[kamakurakid]

Could low ball for this 1998 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph Sedan, $330,000 when new and something like 1,800 produced. Nice drink bar in the rear, think my wife would mind driving me around?

http://www.martysmithmotors.ca/details.php?carid=743

[Speed_69]

Definitely not the most exciting cars but if you're just looking for a highway cruiser, a used V6 camry or V6 accord should be adequate. Saves you a bunch of money, they're quiet, reliable and fits all your needs.

[black13]

Definitely a lexus. Doesn't have to be a newer one either since the highway miles would kill the value of a high end one pretty quick along with maintenance costs.

[911fever]

Originally posted by kamakurakid
Could low ball for this 1998 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph Sedan, $330,000 when new and something like 1,800 produced. Nice drink bar in the rear, think my wife would mind driving me around?

http://www.martysmithmotors.ca/details.php?carid=743

that website/dealer has the MOST inflated prices I have ever seen in Canada. SO OVERPRICED!
'95 BMW 325i convertible with 128,000km for $11,800? '01 Acura TL for $10,800? 2000 Infiniti G20 for $9,800? 2004 Mercedes C240 for $15,800? Are they mad?? WTF is with these ridiculous prices!

[Lex350]

Originally posted by ercchry


when did i say lsf? ls400, ls430, ls460....


dude you mean LS......that was just my point. There is no IS460. Do your homwwork before you post. The ISF is the only 8 cylinder in the IS line.

Now if you said IS300 or IS350 then we wouldn't think you were talking out of your ass.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by rotten42



dude you mean LS......that was just my point. There is no IS460. Do your homwwork before you post. The ISF is the only 8 cylinder in the IS line.

Now if you said IS300 or IS350 then we wouldn't think you were talking out of your ass.

He's typed "ls" every single time. That's "LS" in lower case. If he were typing IS in lower case it would look like "is".

The more you know.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat


He's typed "ls" every single time. That's "LS" in lower case. If he were typing IS in lower case it would look like "is".

The more you know.

THANK YOU! haha... everyone else got it but that guy... you think the 400, 430 and 460 parts would have given it away :nut:

[Lex350]

that's retarded.....who does that?

[01RedDX]

.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by 911fever
You can get an IS-F out of the US for under 40k with decent miles too. Expensive to maintain though compared to other comparisons in this thread
40K US isn't 40K CND landed:)

[bjstare]

Originally posted by rotten42

dude you mean LS......that was just my point. There is no IS460. Do your homwwork before you post. The ISF is the only 8 cylinder in the IS line.

Now if you said IS300 or IS350 then we wouldn't think you were talking out of your ass.

I knew what he meant from the first post.


You're the only one that we think is talking out of his ass.

[Neil4Speed]

No question, LS460, a Nice reliable highway cruiser, it may even have adaptive cruise control in 07!

[911fever]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2

40K US isn't 40K CND landed:)

More like 45-47k landed

[123focus]

04-08 Acura TL. I've driven a few and you won't be dissapoint.
You could even get a type-s. :)
http://www.autotrader.ca/used_cars_Car_details/Calgary_Alberta_2008_ACURA_TL_1529853.html?srcID=5&frnID=7738373&cofid=CT200548103042706&prv=Alberta&r=20

http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/97634/2008-acura-tl-type-s-01.jpg

http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/97634/2008-acura-tl-type-s-02.jpg

[T-Dubbs]

any mercedes is amazing on the highway

[Sugarphreak]

...

[atgilchrist]

+1 for the VW Passat or CC, great highway ride.

[911fever]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
You could picked up a newer lightly used Buick for a very good price, not to mention the reliability rating for Buick the last couple of years has been extremely high.

Buicks generally are very comfortable and well bolstered making them very suitable to do a lot of long distance driving on the highway. They also tend to have a lot of sound proofing/deading compared to other cars and most have decent passing power.

If I was looking specifically for a highway cruiser (especially with a 40K budget) I would start there.

http://www.autotrader.ca/used_cars_Car_details/LETHBRIDGE_Alberta_2010_BUICK_LACROSSE_266199.html?srcID=5&frnID=6581182&cofid=CT200451210210706&prv=Alberta&r=20


(PS: this is not a plug for Buick... I have just genuinely been impressed with them over the last couple of years)

Buick's depreciate worse than a rock, better to stick with Japanese sedans for that price range

[TYMSMNY]

wow, that LS460 on kijiji is quite a deal! plus it'll be everything you asked for + more!

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by TYMSMNY
wow, that LS460 on kijiji is quite a deal! plus it'll be everything you asked for + more!
I dont know how much I'd trust buying an LS460 from a Suzuki dealership that advertises the mileage as 12345 and the description as moon/leather/navigation lol. Car is most likely out of it's comprehensive warranty period and that could be trouble.

[TYMSMNY]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2

I dont know how much I'd trust buying an LS460 from a Suzuki dealership that advertises the mileage as 12345 and the description as moon/leather/navigation lol. Car is most likely out of it's comprehensive warranty period and that could be trouble.

true... probably just to lure the fishes in. Glad my IS was under warranty when they replaced half the engine... lol.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


This is one of the reasons I mentioned Buick actually, a lightly used one can be had for a very cheap price.

Look at this one as an example,
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-2007-Buick-Lucerne-Sedan-W0QQAdIdZ208527959

Basically it is $22,000 for a 2007 with less than 50K on the odo... I bet you could knock a few thousand off that price too. For a car that you are just going to run miles up on it would be perfect for highway cruising.

Hard on the ego though, I would feel like a 67 year old grain farmer from Ituna, Saskatchewan driving a Buick. One day I will be 67, finally a car I can grow into.

[Tomaz]

I know you didn't want to go into Domestic, but i LOVE my dad's 300C. It is such a highway car :bigpimp:

[darthVWader]

VW Jetta TDI

Nice ride and great on fuel.

[bbcustoms]

Cadillac all day

Nothing smoother on the highway, you can easily get into an 08 dts for under 40

[talonboi]

Lexus is a very good car and decently priced.

any GS400 GS430 etc or yeah like mentioned the LS line up.

i drove my car to saskatoon (2002 Lexus GS430) 650kms on 3/4 tank and it was soooo quiet i heard one of my passengers fart while sleeping in the back.

[J@Tuner]

Lexus LS/GS, Mercedes E/S Class, Cadillac STS/DTS, BMW 5/7, all nice to drive on the highway and if you aren't picky on the year you don't need to spend 40k on one. Service records, one or two owners, lower KM, you will be fine. Gas isn't too bad on any of them until you get into the V12's which are super smooth on the highway.

[max_boost]

How about the new Legacy?

[kamakurakid]

Thanks for the suggestions, will look for a car when I am in Arizona next month. Might buy two and sell one up here, as I see there are solid buys down there in the 20K zone. Unless I can find a non Deerfoot driven, always stored in the winters one around here.

40K is getting into the new car zone, worth considering.

[anhsicun]

like said above lexus LS / GS series, i have a 2000 lexus ls400 and on hi-way it drive so smooth that u can fall asleep. also good on gas for a v8 i avg 600 - 680 km hiway / city driving. another good thing abt these car, r there bullet proof as long u keep up with the maintenance. also if u wanted to mod ur car their alot of aftermarket support. the only bad thing i can say abt these car is lexus old paint sucks, i bought mine with very lil rock chips after one year of winter driving, i have massive rock chips on bumper + hood. so if u find a mint one 3m it!! anyways good luck with ur search.

[autosm]

You can get a brand new loaded 2010 Maxima for 40k if you don't finance through Nissan. I have a sales guy from Royal oak Nissan phoning me daily....do you want me to give him your number? LOL

Pretty nice car for 40k, I think. Gots to spend lots more to get same features on other makes of cars.

[gpomp]

WRX OR MUSTANG V6 !!!!!!!11

[Moe Man]

buick roadmaster, best car you will ever drive! :thumbsup:

I know you didnt want to go domestic but I think even on beyond they will admit that they are the best highway cars. You can buy a fairly new cadillac for under 40k. And it will ride better than any german car you can think of.

One thing that I hate is high reving cars at highways speeds...My SIR reved at 5000rpm going like 130kph, it was stupid. My Caddy revs at 2000rpm going 135kph and probably gets better fuel milage at that speed then my SIR.

[freshprince1]

I did a ton of Highway driving when I had my '02 Maxima. It was the perfect car for cruising. Tons of room, super comfortable seats, excessive power and torque. easily pass at almost any speed. Bulletproof reliability.

Maxima hands down.




*sniff sniff* I miss my Maxima. *tear*

[sneek]

I'd personally get a Caddy. Boring, quite and frankly really good highway cars. If I was looking to spend the full 40K they I would look at an ES or something of that variety.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by 123focus
04-08 Acura TL. I've driven a few and you won't be dissapoint.

when i worked for acura, i always said to coworkers the UA6/7 is a car to take on a road trip for sures, i never liked the fact that that chassis was built in north america and was missing AWD but i drove LOADS of them everyday and they were very comfortable and you dont really need the type S, the 3.2 delivered tons more than its predecessor in the UA4/5. just make sure all the service bulletins are up to date with them if you decide to get one and they're great cars.

long term i would've picked KA9 RL - made in japan, that had to be the lincoln towncar of acuras, the ride was like being on marshmallow suspension if you could imagine but gutless powerplant. im sure you could find a latest gen RL - KB1 for around 40ish, SH-AWD, one of the few made-in-japan North American market Hondas, but with all of its fancy electronics - that was its downfall, constantly i remember customers coming in complaining that the auto sun shade wouldnt come up or the headlight projector motor for peering around corners didnt have enough angle.