The best luxury cars under 35k
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The best luxury cars under 35k
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2006 Lexus ES330 (base price $32,300) In theory, the ES sedan is an "entry level" model. It's not supposed to be the one you stick with -- just the one you start with -- before moving up the Lexus food chain to something pricier, something fancier. But many buyers will find the level of luxury amenities the ES offers -- including available heated and ventilated 10-way power seats, premium Mark Levinson audio system with in-dash GPS navigation, projector-style headlights and dual-zone climate control air conditioning -- every bit as top shelf as the stuff you'd find in a more expensive model like the top-of-the-line (and roughly $20K more expensive) LS430 sedan. Indeed, the biggest difference between the LS sedan and the five-passenger ES is not interior roominess (the LS actually offers only slightly more head/leg room for front and rear seat occupants) or the plushness of the cabin. It's the V-8 engine found in the $56,225 LS430 -- vs. the 3.3 liter V-6 that powers the ES330. But a modern V-6 like the one in the ES produces power comparable to the V-8s of the recent past -- 225-hp -- and that's enough for 130 on the top and a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds. The front-drive ES also gets much better gas mileage (close to 30 mpg on the highway) than the thirsty V-8 LS -- and offers superior poor weather grip than the rear-drive LS. This is not to knock the LS430 -- a very handsome premium luxury sedan. But when you can get most of what makes a car like the LS luxurious at the same store -- with the same top-drawer warranty, industry-best customer satisfaction ratings and excellent dealer treatment -- for twenty grand less, "entry level" doesn't seem like anything less than a top of the line deal.
2006 Infiniti G35 sedan (base price $31,300) It's an excellent choice for buyers who want a serious enthusiast's car that can carry five people around a track as quickly as most two-seat sports cars -- and which offers automatic climate control, bolstered leather sport buckets and a 225 watt Bose audio system to make the trip as comfortable as the lounge of a private club. The G35 is available as both a coupe and a sedan -- and comes with the same basic high-output 3.5 liter V-6 used in the Nissan 350Z. Power output depends on your transmission choice; pick the six-speed stick and you'll have 298-hp at your disposal. Automatic-equipped cars are downrated slightly, to 280-hp. But this is still close to best-in-class standard power -- and you won't be disappointed with the car's ability to make tracks. Six speed models can reach 60 mph in less than 6 seconds -- as good or better than many purpose-built sports cars. Stick versions also come standard with 18-inch wheels, firmer suspension calibrations, high-capacity Brembo brakes and drilled aluminum pedals. You can order all-wheel-drive, too -- and still come in under $35K.
2006 Acura TL (base price $33,100) One of the really nice things about the TL is it comes in one basic fully loaded version -- with the major options being an automatic transmission and touch-screen GPS navigation (the latter pushes the price to exactly one C-note over our $35,000 limit, to $35,100). Otherwise, everything's already there -- including 17-inch rims, High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights, leather sport buckets, climate control AC, sunroof and surround-sound audio system with 225 watts, CD changer and MP3 capability. Also standard is a potent 3.2 liter V-6 -- an engine that is very similar to the 3.2 V-6 used in the NSX supercar. Like the engine in the NSX, the TL's V-6 features variable valve timing and lift (VTEC) for high-rpm smoothness with good low-end torque. It produces 270-hp, just 20-hp less than the NSX -- and is very much a "driver's engine" that seems to enjoy full throttle runs to its 7,000 RPM redline. The standard six speed manual can be swapped out for a five-speed automatic -- but enthusiast drivers will be pleased to discover that stick-equipped cars get higher-capacity Brembo front brakes and larger diameter stabilizer bars. The TL is finished with modern-looking aluminum accents and cool blue LED backlighting inside. All versions come with both head and side-impact air bags, as well as stability and traction control standard.
2006 Audi A4 Avant (base price $31,940) Luxury sport wagons are great because you get everything the luxury sport sedan offers the enthusiast driver -- great handling, hard-charging acceleration, athletic good-looks -- plus that extra bit of practicality that makes buying the "sport" part of the package a lot easier to live with -- and justify. Here, after all, is ample room for groceries, the kids' overnight bags -- even a way to carry long and unwieldy objects from The Home Depot. Stuff you just can't do with a compact sport sedan and its token of a trunk, but stuff you can do with the A4 Avant -- which offers more than twice the luggage/storage space (27.8 cubic feet) of either the BMW 3-Series sedan (12 cubic feet) or the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan (12.2 cubic feet). And that's with the back seats up; fold them down and the A4 Avant offers 60 cubic feet of room. That's serious capacity; like MC Hammer used to say, you can't touch this. The A4 Avant's only real competition is the Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon -- which also offers all-wheel-drive as part of the deal. But the Jag has far less luggage/cargo capacity (16 cubic feet) and is more cramped inside, especially in the rear seat area. In addition, the X-Type Sportwagon starts at $36,300 -- which is close to $6,000 above the $30,740 base price of the significantly roomier, more functional and newer, more technologically up-to-date '06 Avant
2006 BMW 3-Series (base price: $30,900) It's a Yin-Yang of horsepower and chassis; of proportion and line. This is a car that's right in every important respect -- all at a price point that doesn't automatically exclude drivers still young enough to properly appreciate it for what it can do -- not just for its value as a sheetmetal totem of its owner's affluence. These are the hallmarks of a great car -- and the 3-Series certainly qualifies. Previous weak points -- such as power/straight line performance relative to similarly priced sport sedans -- have been eliminated. The standard engine in the '06 325i is an up-sized and up-rated version of BMW's famous DOHC in-line six -- displacing 3 liters and making 215 horsepower vs. 2.5 liters and 184 horses last year. That's a substantial improvement you feel every time you put your foot down. 0-60 capability of the entry-level 325i is now within a few tenths of last year's top-of-the-line 225-hp 330i (approximately 6.3 seconds) and well within the "respectable" range for a modern sport sedan. Even better, the price point of the '06 325i -- $30,300 -- is only a few hundred bucks more than the price of last year's much less powerful, smaller-engined 325i ($29,300) and about five grand less than the only slightly stronger '05 330i ($35,700). An already exceptional car is now that much better -- and for not much more than last year's model.
2006 Cadillac CTS (base price $30,515) GM's luxury division has done an impressive turnaround in the space of just a few short years -- and the model that launched the resurrection of Cadillac -- the rear-drive CTS luxury sport sedan -- remains the most appealing such model available from an American automaker. It offers the driving fun of a standard six-speed manual transmission -- as well as your choice of two potent DOHC V-6 engines. The base model comes with a 210-hp 2.8 liter powerplant; optional is a larger, 3.6 liter V-6 that produces an impressive 255-hp -- for a base MSRP of $33,160. A five-speed automatic with automatic/manual control of shifts is available -- as is GPS navigation and an 18-inch wheel/sport suspension package with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, stability control and upgraded brakes. Also new for the '06 model year: XM radio with a Traffic/Navigation function that provides real-time info about congestion, accidents and other potential problems. The Caddy's highly distinctive angle and planes bodywork can be made even more so if you order the newly available high-impact "infra-red" metallic paint.
2006 Chrysler 300C Hemi (base price $33,425 ) Drive this car and it's 1958 again; the sky is sunny and America's number one, we feel great about ourselves. Vietnam, OPEC -- and "downsized" front-wheel-drive econo-boxes -- are still years away. Savor the cushy seats; the expansive dashboard and long hood. The reassuring feel of heavy doors that slam shut like the doors of Fort Knox -- it oferrs that sense of limitless power and confidence -- a letterman striding down the hall, lesser humans making way -- pretty cheerleaders batting their eyes. This is just the sort of car ordinary working and middle class Americans used to drive routinely in the years following World War II -- but which became expensive rarities after the oil shocks of the 1970s and the changeover in the layout of "regular guy cars" from V-8 powered and rear-drive to V-6 (if you were lucky) and front-drive. But the Motor Gods have smiled on us -- and once again an ordinary working stiff can slide behind the wheel of a big bruiser 5-passenger lead sled with a steamroller V-8 capable of squashing the overhead cam/multi-valve powerplants of top-shelf Euro-sedans. The Hemi-equipped 300C is priced $20,000 less than the base price of a six-cylinder E-Class Mercedes-Benz, too -- and within a few grand (either way) of far less substantial mid-sized, V-6/FWD sedans like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, Chevy Malibu Maxx and so on. It's an American luxury car they way they used to build them: large, powerful -- and affordable.
2006 Jaguar X-type (base price $32,330) Jaguars have historically been timelessly elegant -- and timelessly unaffordable. But the entry-level X-Type sedan -- which shares many of its exterior and interior styling cues with the handsome XJ-series sedan -- is within the reach of anyone who can afford a decently-equipped mid-sized SUV. Base price includes a 227-hp 3.0 liter V-6 engine, five-speed automatic transmission and full-time all-wheel-drive to give this cat grip worthy of the chrome "leaper" ornament on the hood. Major standard features and amenities include climate control AC with micron air filtration system, 120-watt audio system, 16-inch alloy road wheels, tilt and telescoping wheel, attractive wood veneers, leather seat covers and trim -- plus safety-related technology that includes driver and passenger side impact air bags, head curtain air bags, stability and traction control. Like its big brother the XJ, the X-Type is distinctively Jaguar, with the crisp, pleated lines of a properly pressed English morning suit -- and will always be in style.
Buick LaCrosse CXS (base price $28,435) The LaCrosse is one of the "new" Buicks GM's entry-luxury division hopes will appeal to a younger generation of buyers -- without alienating the AARPers who have become Buick's customer base. The CXS version is fitted with one of GM's most advanced engines, an all-aluminum, DOHC 3.6 liter V-6. It produces a smooth 240-hp and is teamed up with a 4-speed automatic transmission. To further entice younger buyers, Buick offers XM satellite radio and an MP3 player -- as well as an available remote starting system similar to the one used in some Cadillac models and the new Corvette. It lets you key the engine to life from inside your house or office, so the car is warm and toasty (or cooled down if it's summer) by the time you open the door. Though it's a mid-sized sedan and realistically a five-seater, six can make it in a pinch -- like when you have to bring the family back from the airport. The tilt/telescoping wheel is a nice touch, also -- one of those small things you'd formerly find only in a high-end domestic -- or a medium-priced import -- but never a medium-priced GM vehicle. Though it's not quite a Lexus or BMW -- the LaCrosse is a nicely equipped, comfortable cruiser with most of the comforts you'd find in those cars, but for substantially less green
2006 Lexus ES330 (base price $32,300) In theory, the ES sedan is an "entry level" model. It's not supposed to be the one you stick with -- just the one you start with -- before moving up the Lexus food chain to something pricier, something fancier. But many buyers will find the level of luxury amenities the ES offers -- including available heated and ventilated 10-way power seats, premium Mark Levinson audio system with in-dash GPS navigation, projector-style headlights and dual-zone climate control air conditioning -- every bit as top shelf as the stuff you'd find in a more expensive model like the top-of-the-line (and roughly $20K more expensive) LS430 sedan. Indeed, the biggest difference between the LS sedan and the five-passenger ES is not interior roominess (the LS actually offers only slightly more head/leg room for front and rear seat occupants) or the plushness of the cabin. It's the V-8 engine found in the $56,225 LS430 -- vs. the 3.3 liter V-6 that powers the ES330. But a modern V-6 like the one in the ES produces power comparable to the V-8s of the recent past -- 225-hp -- and that's enough for 130 on the top and a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds. The front-drive ES also gets much better gas mileage (close to 30 mpg on the highway) than the thirsty V-8 LS -- and offers superior poor weather grip than the rear-drive LS. This is not to knock the LS430 -- a very handsome premium luxury sedan. But when you can get most of what makes a car like the LS luxurious at the same store -- with the same top-drawer warranty, industry-best customer satisfaction ratings and excellent dealer treatment -- for twenty grand less, "entry level" doesn't seem like anything less than a top of the line deal.
2006 Infiniti G35 sedan (base price $31,300) It's an excellent choice for buyers who want a serious enthusiast's car that can carry five people around a track as quickly as most two-seat sports cars -- and which offers automatic climate control, bolstered leather sport buckets and a 225 watt Bose audio system to make the trip as comfortable as the lounge of a private club. The G35 is available as both a coupe and a sedan -- and comes with the same basic high-output 3.5 liter V-6 used in the Nissan 350Z. Power output depends on your transmission choice; pick the six-speed stick and you'll have 298-hp at your disposal. Automatic-equipped cars are downrated slightly, to 280-hp. But this is still close to best-in-class standard power -- and you won't be disappointed with the car's ability to make tracks. Six speed models can reach 60 mph in less than 6 seconds -- as good or better than many purpose-built sports cars. Stick versions also come standard with 18-inch wheels, firmer suspension calibrations, high-capacity Brembo brakes and drilled aluminum pedals. You can order all-wheel-drive, too -- and still come in under $35K.
2006 Acura TL (base price $33,100) One of the really nice things about the TL is it comes in one basic fully loaded version -- with the major options being an automatic transmission and touch-screen GPS navigation (the latter pushes the price to exactly one C-note over our $35,000 limit, to $35,100). Otherwise, everything's already there -- including 17-inch rims, High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights, leather sport buckets, climate control AC, sunroof and surround-sound audio system with 225 watts, CD changer and MP3 capability. Also standard is a potent 3.2 liter V-6 -- an engine that is very similar to the 3.2 V-6 used in the NSX supercar. Like the engine in the NSX, the TL's V-6 features variable valve timing and lift (VTEC) for high-rpm smoothness with good low-end torque. It produces 270-hp, just 20-hp less than the NSX -- and is very much a "driver's engine" that seems to enjoy full throttle runs to its 7,000 RPM redline. The standard six speed manual can be swapped out for a five-speed automatic -- but enthusiast drivers will be pleased to discover that stick-equipped cars get higher-capacity Brembo front brakes and larger diameter stabilizer bars. The TL is finished with modern-looking aluminum accents and cool blue LED backlighting inside. All versions come with both head and side-impact air bags, as well as stability and traction control standard.
2006 Audi A4 Avant (base price $31,940) Luxury sport wagons are great because you get everything the luxury sport sedan offers the enthusiast driver -- great handling, hard-charging acceleration, athletic good-looks -- plus that extra bit of practicality that makes buying the "sport" part of the package a lot easier to live with -- and justify. Here, after all, is ample room for groceries, the kids' overnight bags -- even a way to carry long and unwieldy objects from The Home Depot. Stuff you just can't do with a compact sport sedan and its token of a trunk, but stuff you can do with the A4 Avant -- which offers more than twice the luggage/storage space (27.8 cubic feet) of either the BMW 3-Series sedan (12 cubic feet) or the Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan (12.2 cubic feet). And that's with the back seats up; fold them down and the A4 Avant offers 60 cubic feet of room. That's serious capacity; like MC Hammer used to say, you can't touch this. The A4 Avant's only real competition is the Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon -- which also offers all-wheel-drive as part of the deal. But the Jag has far less luggage/cargo capacity (16 cubic feet) and is more cramped inside, especially in the rear seat area. In addition, the X-Type Sportwagon starts at $36,300 -- which is close to $6,000 above the $30,740 base price of the significantly roomier, more functional and newer, more technologically up-to-date '06 Avant
2006 BMW 3-Series (base price: $30,900) It's a Yin-Yang of horsepower and chassis; of proportion and line. This is a car that's right in every important respect -- all at a price point that doesn't automatically exclude drivers still young enough to properly appreciate it for what it can do -- not just for its value as a sheetmetal totem of its owner's affluence. These are the hallmarks of a great car -- and the 3-Series certainly qualifies. Previous weak points -- such as power/straight line performance relative to similarly priced sport sedans -- have been eliminated. The standard engine in the '06 325i is an up-sized and up-rated version of BMW's famous DOHC in-line six -- displacing 3 liters and making 215 horsepower vs. 2.5 liters and 184 horses last year. That's a substantial improvement you feel every time you put your foot down. 0-60 capability of the entry-level 325i is now within a few tenths of last year's top-of-the-line 225-hp 330i (approximately 6.3 seconds) and well within the "respectable" range for a modern sport sedan. Even better, the price point of the '06 325i -- $30,300 -- is only a few hundred bucks more than the price of last year's much less powerful, smaller-engined 325i ($29,300) and about five grand less than the only slightly stronger '05 330i ($35,700). An already exceptional car is now that much better -- and for not much more than last year's model.
2006 Cadillac CTS (base price $30,515) GM's luxury division has done an impressive turnaround in the space of just a few short years -- and the model that launched the resurrection of Cadillac -- the rear-drive CTS luxury sport sedan -- remains the most appealing such model available from an American automaker. It offers the driving fun of a standard six-speed manual transmission -- as well as your choice of two potent DOHC V-6 engines. The base model comes with a 210-hp 2.8 liter powerplant; optional is a larger, 3.6 liter V-6 that produces an impressive 255-hp -- for a base MSRP of $33,160. A five-speed automatic with automatic/manual control of shifts is available -- as is GPS navigation and an 18-inch wheel/sport suspension package with High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, stability control and upgraded brakes. Also new for the '06 model year: XM radio with a Traffic/Navigation function that provides real-time info about congestion, accidents and other potential problems. The Caddy's highly distinctive angle and planes bodywork can be made even more so if you order the newly available high-impact "infra-red" metallic paint.
2006 Chrysler 300C Hemi (base price $33,425 ) Drive this car and it's 1958 again; the sky is sunny and America's number one, we feel great about ourselves. Vietnam, OPEC -- and "downsized" front-wheel-drive econo-boxes -- are still years away. Savor the cushy seats; the expansive dashboard and long hood. The reassuring feel of heavy doors that slam shut like the doors of Fort Knox -- it oferrs that sense of limitless power and confidence -- a letterman striding down the hall, lesser humans making way -- pretty cheerleaders batting their eyes. This is just the sort of car ordinary working and middle class Americans used to drive routinely in the years following World War II -- but which became expensive rarities after the oil shocks of the 1970s and the changeover in the layout of "regular guy cars" from V-8 powered and rear-drive to V-6 (if you were lucky) and front-drive. But the Motor Gods have smiled on us -- and once again an ordinary working stiff can slide behind the wheel of a big bruiser 5-passenger lead sled with a steamroller V-8 capable of squashing the overhead cam/multi-valve powerplants of top-shelf Euro-sedans. The Hemi-equipped 300C is priced $20,000 less than the base price of a six-cylinder E-Class Mercedes-Benz, too -- and within a few grand (either way) of far less substantial mid-sized, V-6/FWD sedans like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, Chevy Malibu Maxx and so on. It's an American luxury car they way they used to build them: large, powerful -- and affordable.
2006 Jaguar X-type (base price $32,330) Jaguars have historically been timelessly elegant -- and timelessly unaffordable. But the entry-level X-Type sedan -- which shares many of its exterior and interior styling cues with the handsome XJ-series sedan -- is within the reach of anyone who can afford a decently-equipped mid-sized SUV. Base price includes a 227-hp 3.0 liter V-6 engine, five-speed automatic transmission and full-time all-wheel-drive to give this cat grip worthy of the chrome "leaper" ornament on the hood. Major standard features and amenities include climate control AC with micron air filtration system, 120-watt audio system, 16-inch alloy road wheels, tilt and telescoping wheel, attractive wood veneers, leather seat covers and trim -- plus safety-related technology that includes driver and passenger side impact air bags, head curtain air bags, stability and traction control. Like its big brother the XJ, the X-Type is distinctively Jaguar, with the crisp, pleated lines of a properly pressed English morning suit -- and will always be in style.
Buick LaCrosse CXS (base price $28,435) The LaCrosse is one of the "new" Buicks GM's entry-luxury division hopes will appeal to a younger generation of buyers -- without alienating the AARPers who have become Buick's customer base. The CXS version is fitted with one of GM's most advanced engines, an all-aluminum, DOHC 3.6 liter V-6. It produces a smooth 240-hp and is teamed up with a 4-speed automatic transmission. To further entice younger buyers, Buick offers XM satellite radio and an MP3 player -- as well as an available remote starting system similar to the one used in some Cadillac models and the new Corvette. It lets you key the engine to life from inside your house or office, so the car is warm and toasty (or cooled down if it's summer) by the time you open the door. Though it's a mid-sized sedan and realistically a five-seater, six can make it in a pinch -- like when you have to bring the family back from the airport. The tilt/telescoping wheel is a nice touch, also -- one of those small things you'd formerly find only in a high-end domestic -- or a medium-priced import -- but never a medium-priced GM vehicle. Though it's not quite a Lexus or BMW -- the LaCrosse is a nicely equipped, comfortable cruiser with most of the comforts you'd find in those cars, but for substantially less green
__________________
R.I.P Pablo "Fathead" Garcia & Kevin "Slo_Si" Gonzalez Forever in our hearts.
R.I.P Pablo "Fathead" Garcia & Kevin "Slo_Si" Gonzalez Forever in our hearts.
Thread Starter
You Can't Moderate Me.
Joined: Feb 2004
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Originally Posted by FLBigDog
ill take the chrysler 300 c with da hemi or the g35 coupe, yay herb
Im giving you rep points just for reading all that
__________________
R.I.P Pablo "Fathead" Garcia & Kevin "Slo_Si" Gonzalez Forever in our hearts.
R.I.P Pablo "Fathead" Garcia & Kevin "Slo_Si" Gonzalez Forever in our hearts.
Thread Starter
You Can't Moderate Me.
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,541
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by FLBigDog
Thank you my skittle firned you too will receive points for coprying anf padting shtat
__________________
R.I.P Pablo "Fathead" Garcia & Kevin "Slo_Si" Gonzalez Forever in our hearts.
R.I.P Pablo "Fathead" Garcia & Kevin "Slo_Si" Gonzalez Forever in our hearts.
