Best luxury sports car up to $50k?

[likwid]

Hey guys,

I will be in the market for a new luxury sports sedan very soon and have done some research, but would like the opinions of others as well. I am willing to spend up to $50k on this car, which will be leased.

Right now the cars that I am interested in are:

Mercedes C300
Audi A4
Lexus IS250
BMW 3 series

What are your thoughts on these cars? Right now I am leaning towards the Mercedes, as it has a lot of great features, and I really like the looks of the new ones. Also, I like having the latest gadgets and technology. I have heard BMW's and Lexus lacks in this area. Performance also isn't a huge deal. I would take a car with 220 HP with looks/interior over a 300 HP car with lackluster features. Anyways, give me your thoughts on these cars and if there are any major ones missing from this list.

[Hakkola]

My thoughts are that they're not really luxury sports sedans.
That said, which bmw model are you looking at? I'm driving an 09 328i now, it's pretty nice, but I prefer the exterior and interior of the C-class, it is much nicer, I can't speak for the c-class handling though as I haven't driven it.

Another thing to think about is if you want an auto tranny, because the bimmer auto transmission blows, no pickup at all unless you put it into the manual mode, big delays in power delivery.

[bituerbo]

Originally posted by likwid
Hey guys,

I will be in the market for a new luxury sports sedan very soon and have done some research, but would like the opinions of others as well. I am willing to spend up to $50k on this car, which will be leased.

Right now the cars that I am interested in are:

Mercedes C300
Audi A4
Lexus IS250
BMW 3 series

What are your thoughts on these cars? Right now I am leaning towards the Mercedes, as it has a lot of great features, and I really like the looks of the new ones. Also, I like having the latest gadgets and technology. I have heard BMW's and Lexus lacks in this area. Performance also isn't a huge deal. I would take a car with 220 HP with looks/interior over a 300 HP car with lackluster features. Anyways, give me your thoughts on these cars and if there are any major ones missing from this list.

The mercedes tops all in fit and finish, as well as ergonomics and driver comfort. Will this be a year-round driver? Mercedes is the only one that doesn't come with an AWD option. And these aren't luxury 'sports' cars, they are luxury cars, or luxury 'small' cars.

Luxury sports cars are the Audi R8, Mercedes SL55 AMG, BMW M3/M6, and Lexus... well... the IS-F is the closest they've got.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by bituerbo


The mercedes tops all in fit and finish, as well as ergonomics and driver comfort. Will this be a year-round driver? Mercedes is the only one that doesn't come with an AWD option.

AWD is over rated, just get good tires. I've been driving rwd MB and BMW's for the past 4 winters with good tires and haven't been stuck once.

[BigMass]

you listed the IS250. Why not the IS350? It's within your budget

[dimi]

Forget AWD and don't bother with a 3 series unless you can afford 335. I know you said performance isn't the main concern but when you take away the TT engine and the ZF tranny there really isn't much left, but that is my opinion. I drove a 328 and the GM tranny is awful, far from what I would call luxury.

Skip the IS250.

I love the exterior of the benz, but I am not too familiar with the other aspects of the car.

A4 was just redesigned so a 2.0T would be my pick

[2002civic]

I love my 08 A4, great looks, interior, handling and the ability to produce big power. Plus the dealerships are great which is different than MB and BMW from past experiences and yes that was a BIG factor in my choice as I hate the BMW dealerships in calgary and that stopped me from getting a 335.

[likwid]

The Mercedes C300 does come in an AWD "4-Motion" model. This will be a year-round driver, and I don't like winter driving, so better handling/traction in bad conditions is also important.

[schocker]

For AWD you could always go for a bmw 335xi, that is a tad over 50 though, or the 328xi is well below, the infiniti g37x would be a fine choice, or a audi a4 2.0t quattro.

[berbatov]

The 3.8 Tech package GENESIS 48850

[sCream]

Originally posted by bituerbo


The mercedes tops all in fit and finish, as well as ergonomics and driver comfort. .

Im going to have to disagree. Have you been in the other cars? In regards to fit and finish and overall interior, id say the Lexus wins in a landslide, but i guess thats just my opinion. And yes ive been in all the cars listed.

[likwid]

Originally posted by sCream


Im going to have to disagree. Have you been in the other cars? In regards to fit and finish and overall interior, id say the Lexus wins in a landslide, but i guess thats just my opinion. And yes ive been in all the cars listed.

What make the Lexus' interior/features better than the others? I heard their tech (Navigation, interface, etc) lacks compared to newer cars like the Mercedes and Audi.

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by likwid
What make the Lexus' interior/features better than the others? I heard their tech (Navigation, interface, etc) lacks compared to newer cars like the Mercedes and Audi.

I think he was talking about fit/finish, ergo and driver comfort, seeing as that's what he quoted

[JordanLotoski]

Id say the c class or 335xi ...the IS is for commoners hahaha

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by MIWYFSHOT
Id say the c class or 335xi ...the IS is for commoners hahaha

Or for people who want their electrical equipment to work

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by Eleanor
Or for people who want their electrical equipment to work

Yes and that too.

[max_boost]

335
/thread

haha

Why do you think everyone has one?

[likwid]

335 is out of my price range with the options I would like.

[96integra]

I'd take the A4 or even A6 if you can. Love the new look!

[Proyecto2000]

how about the G37? Sure the resale value aint as great as a Lexus or Benz, but I personally think that its a great looking car with excellent performance.

However, if I where to go and buy a new car right now, my top 3 choices would be the #1 - C class, #2 - IS350 and the #3-G37