As some of us get older, get married and have a family, its not as practical to have 2-seater sports cars anymore. We need something with 4 doors and roomy. Of course it would be nice to have the sports car and the family sedan, but if that's not possible, compromises have to be made. but who ever said that you can't have a fun as hell to drive family sedan or wagon? this thread is dedicated to those. so if you have to buy a super sled or wagon what would you get? Here are my choices.

2005 Cadillac CTS-V

The most affordable of the group, but the growl of that V-8 under the hood will make your wife's panties wet. 400hp and 0 - 60 in 5.2secs.



2005 BMW M5

Pure engineering bliss. V-10 power with 500 horses and 0 - 60 in 4.7 secs, but mroe then twice the price tag of the Caddy.



2005 Mercedes E55 AMG

A bit softer then the BMW but will still make the hair on your neck stand up when you punch it. 468 HP but gobs of torque, 516 ft-lbs at 2650 RPMS.



2005 Audi S4 Avant

The slowest of the group but you have more storage space and AWD which makes this one the only family car I would take out in the snow or to the mountains for a day of snowboarding with the family. 340 HP and 0 - 60 in 5.7.




[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 9:51 AM. Reason : .]

7/16/2010 9:18:32 AM

The E55 pic is a red X. Also beware that E55s are known to be dangerous ($-wise) out of warranty For Mercedes I'd recommend the C63 instead, unless it's not big enough for your needs.



[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 9:52 AM. Reason : k]

7/16/2010 9:23:09 AM

What kind of budget are you talking about here? These cars are priced all over the place.

7/16/2010 9:29:21 AM

you're not buying an m5

7/16/2010 9:31:27 AM

Lets keep the budget at under 50 grand.

7/16/2010 9:48:43 AM

with 50k to spend on a car.. I don't see why you couldn't get multiple cars, but hey that's not what you asked. I'd get a cayenne S turbo if it were me. 450hp v8, a trailer hitch, and about as much performance as you're realistically gonna see/use if family is concern (read: goin fast in a straight line)

7/16/2010 10:35:13 AM

nice!!

7/16/2010 10:41:10 AM

^dont' forget to put aside $10k per year for fuel costs. (for a Cayenne Turbo)

For $50k I say get a used Mercedes C63 AMG...at the least test drive one!

[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 10:44 AM. Reason : lol, what am I saying. C63 gets horrible gas mileage as well]

7/16/2010 10:41:51 AM

which is why I have multiple cars

takes the pain out of spending all that $$ in one tank

7/16/2010 10:51:13 AM

s60r / v70r is a good choice on a budget (<$13k)







[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 10:57 AM. Reason : ]

7/16/2010 10:56:28 AM

the LS6 CTS-V have the rear diff blowout problem... I don't know what year that was improved, but I'd make sure I bought one with the improvement.

A friend of mine has an 04 CTS-V that has had the diff fixed once, and it has started to whine again.

7/16/2010 11:08:53 AM

Also, not that you'd be doing a lot of burnouts but I heard they're notorious for axle hop.

7/16/2010 11:21:13 AM

I'm already getting tired of the Miata as a DD and being that I'll probably be married and settled within the next 5 years or so, I've been eyeing these kinds of cars for a bit.

I'll probably go for the Audi S4. (the avant isn't available in the US)

7/16/2010 12:53:20 PM

[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 12:59 PM. Reason : ..]

7/16/2010 12:58:47 PM

^A good choice, or if he can find one...the GXP model.

7/16/2010 1:06:26 PM

CTS-V is already on my list of "potential next cars". For me that's probably 3-4 years from now, but... If roomy is on your list, why not consider the S6 in addition to/instead of the S4? It's not quite as much of a driver's car, but it will still go like hell and handle with some aplomb. Plus I've always liked A6/S6 styling better than A4/S4 but that's personal preference. S60R/V70R is a good sleeper pick as mentioned, but I don't know if the new generation will have one.

Of course I kind of went in this direction, on a lower budget, with my current car even though I don't *need* the room at this point in my life. Handling isn't the Marauder's forte but ~310 HP and legitimate room for five is nice.

7/16/2010 2:33:43 PM

Why go for the snazzy cars with high horsepower that are bogged down by their weight?

My BMW 335i has 300hp stock and pushes 0-60 in 4.8 seconds and handling is still superb. Don't get me wrong, I love the Caddy and the M5, but what balance of luxury vs. performance are you really looking for?

7/16/2010 2:54:58 PM

Sigh...I remember the good old days when 4000 3500lbs was considered heavy.

7/16/2010 3:58:59 PM

I"m not looking for anything. I just made this thread for fun. But you are right and in all reality the 335i or S4 Avant will be my next vehicle.

7/16/2010 4:14:49 PM

no audi please. ill pay you the difference just to keep those POS off the road.

7/16/2010 4:41:05 PM

amsj

7/16/2010 5:45:19 PM

how do you guys afford $50k cars?

7/17/2010 12:28:29 AM

Because we're like 30.

7/17/2010 1:16:38 AM

me too. maybe i should have never bought this house. it drains any hope of a $50k car.

7/17/2010 9:23:36 AM

sell house live in trailer have baller cars.

profit

7/17/2010 11:42:23 AM

with a 50k ceiling, I'll assume something like a 20-25k floor (i.e., you want something nice)

335i can be had for mid 20s, and they are fantastic. 3-series formula taken to the next level: not the best at anything, but really good at EVERYTHING.

CTS-V

if you don't need a ton of room, but need a backseat for a toddler, I like the 135i (mid 20s) or 911 (996 for low-mid 20s, 997 for i'm guessing upper 30s, maybe 40k). 135i can fit moderately-sized adults in the backseat, but if you plan on doing it much at all, get a 335i. 911 is little kids only in the backseat.

I bet you could get a nice Maserati GT for somewhere in the $40s...more backseat room than a 911, but obviously not in the same class as, say, the CTS-V in terms of practicality



S4 is also an option, but i'd rather have a 335i. E90 M3 is an option, too, but most people are 335i guys, not M3 guys, despite what they might want to believe. The 335i is a stud...you will know if you want more car than that.


I like stuff like the V70R, etc, but that's another tier up the size/weight/practicality/softness scale that you don't need until you have a couple of kids that are a little older (although even then, the 335i or CTS-V should be fine for most people)

Quote :

"how do you guys afford $50k cars?"

Quote :

"Because we're like 30."

haha, and in my case, when i get home this fall, i'll have spent over a year on deployments, getting paid extra, tax free, and spending almost nothing. My limitation has become not what I can afford, but how much I can bring myself to spend on a car. Right now, I have a 10 year old Honda S2000.

I'll get home in the fall, and then am scheduled to go out to for a couple months of training in AZ in the spring. After that, if it looks like I won't be getting sent off anywhere for a while, I'll buy something nice.




[Edited on July 17, 2010 at 12:33 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on July 17, 2010 at 12:35 PM. Reason : ]

7/17/2010 12:30:16 PM

i like how these were all the rage when they came out. dont see very many of them on the road anymore

7/17/2010 1:30:41 PM

my neighbor has one of those and i hate it because he can't fit the giant piece of shit into a parking spot.

7/17/2010 3:08:26 PM

I'd probably go for the Audi A8 W12

7/17/2010 8:02:58 PM

everyones into the yuppy mobiles, maybe its just me but ive never been into the beamers, audis, etc... even though i could afford one. just screams privileged. I guess if your just looking for performance first their really arent too many routes you can go for sedans.

7/17/2010 9:56:30 PM

^ spoken for the truth!

i like m5s always have always will... and as much as they say privileged the whole add a chip and you can hit 200 is pretty sweet!

7/17/2010 11:42:02 PM

i'll take 3 shaggin wagons plz

7/17/2010 11:52:55 PM

i would like n rs6 avant!!!



full of win!

7/18/2010 12:33:17 AM

Quote :

" i like how these were all the rage when they came out. dont see very many of them on the road anymore"

My dad has one and he just lets it sit while he drives his Ram all the time. Pisses me off.

7/18/2010 1:23:01 PM

They drive like shit... the entire chassis does...

My mom has a 300c and i test drove a hemi challenger and though the challenger is much prettier it still drives just like the 300c... which is terrible.

7/18/2010 8:56:48 PM

also INB4 YELLOW el cominos

7/18/2010 11:20:02 PM

Quote :

"haha, and in my case, when i get home this fall, i'll have spent over a year on deployments, getting paid extra, tax free, and spending almost nothing. My limitation has become not what I can afford, but how much I can bring myself to spend on a car. Right now, I have a 10 year old Honda S2000."

Yeah, my deal isn't too different. For one thing, you have to think about retirement. In addition, there's a huge world that goes far beyond having a nice car to drive around in Raleigh North Carolina. Lake houses, beach houses, sailboats, yachts; travelling the world?...How much is that $50k car really worth to you? I'll buy a $50k car after I have all the other shit.

[Edited on July 18, 2010 at 11:49 PM. Reason : l]

7/18/2010 11:49:26 PM

i don't know about you but i drive my car every day and having something that is nice, comfortable and reliable is high on my priority list. now add to that some great handling and gobs of power and its wroth every penny.

7/22/2010 2:29:19 PM

Quote :

"How much is that $50k car really worth to you?"

Its worth it to me that I can have a little bit of joy every time I get in it and stab the pedal. Considering that would be a lot, its worth every penny.

7/24/2010 1:29:42 AM