Cannot find a car I like.....

[Crab Rangoon]

all I can suggest is German, since its practically all I like. You seem like you want a nice car, but it has to have some pickup. How abou the VW Passat W8? The 5 series is great, and so long as you dont have to have a BRAND new car, used M5's are awesome cars (one of my faves) with not-so-killer 2nd hand prices. I'm waiting around on picking up an M3 or a Porsche 944S2, or a 928S4 wouldn't be bad (neither are ungodly pricey like 911's and 969s) either. But I still wouldn't sell my VW :-D
p.s. the new M5 is projected to come out next year, and you could always wait to check out the M6, which is unreal. Anyhow, look up some statistics on the newly outfitted M5, which has an engine to blow away all previous year models. Definately more than the old "400 ponies" :twisted:
And the new S4 convertables seem nice, but I think they are priced a little higher than the 4 door S4, which still isn't enough for your money. They went from a twin turbo V6 at a good price, to a naturally aspirated weaker V6 at a high price. Crazy.

[MikeDeL]

LOL VW...... Blake you could get one of those New Bettles......plenty of head room.

[kaiser]

I got a 1974 Plymouth Satellite Sebring for Sale. 69000 original miles. $1500

[Crab Rangoon]

Or, again on the subject of German/VW ;) Have you checked out the new R32? It's the new 3.2L VR6 engine planted in a GTi body with a visual makeover, inside and out. Oh yeah, and it's driven by front and back wheels, instead of just the front ;) They are priced 30-35 depending on the options you want, with a new sales strategy of no offers/pressure, they basically give you the layout of what is available, you pick what you want, they tell you how much it is (no pressure also means no haggling). Have you checked out a VW lately? 8-)

[adamRS80]

Mercedes only made C36, and C43 AMG models from 1995-2000, C32 from 02-04 and now C55. No C280 AMG has ever been produced. It might be a C280 with the AMG sports package, but there is a huge difference between a true AMG Meredes, and a Mercedes with AMG parts.

Blake, I'm sure you'd like an E500, although they start over 50k. Infiniti (Nissan), and Lexus (Toyota) make reliable cars, but they're not likely to become classics. There's a reason why people cherish a 15 year old Mercedes while the 1991 LS400 is the beater luxury car of choice. I loved your SL500. I think you'll notice all the little differences if you buy something else. You should hold out for the new Mercedes CLS 500. You can read about it now at www.edmunds.com

[adamRS80]

The S4 went from a twin turbo v-6 with about 250hp to a 340hp 4.2 liter V-8 from the A-8 and A-6 sedans. The new S4 destroys the old one but ist's still a pretty small car which might not work for Blake. The W-8 is no longer being sold in the US. Volkswagen stopped production because of poor sales. Less than 300 have sold so far this year in the US. As cool of an engine as it was it will probably end up as that odd engine VW made for a few years since it was so short lived. It was only offered in the Passat and with fewer than 3000 in US it's probably only going to get more expensive to fix down the road as they dissappear.

Mercedes is definitly "working on it" with respect to the service dept. at Mercedes Benz of San Anotnio. They've allowed another family to open a Mercedes dealership near Boerne. The competition is probably the most effective way to fix any problems over on San Pedro.

[sparkie_m76]

If you don't mind used, Carmax has a couple of nice BMW's. I was there today and saw a 5 series and 7 series for less than 50k. They also had a very nice CLK55 AMG, but I'm not sure if you would feel a little crowded in there. I believe all three were 01-03 models.

[Crab Rangoon]

The S4 went from a twin turbo v-6 with about 250hp to a 340hp 4.2 liter V-8 from the A-8 and A-6 sedans. The new S4 destroys the old one but ist's still a pretty small car which might not work for Blake. The W-8 is no longer being sold in the US. Volkswagen stopped production because of poor sales. Less than 300 have sold so far this year in the US. As cool of an engine as it was it will probably end up as that odd engine VW made for a few years since it was so short lived. It was only offered in the Passat and with fewer than 3000 in US it's probably only going to get more expensive to fix down the road as they dissappear.

Mercedes is definitly "working on it" with respect to the service dept. at Mercedes Benz of San Anotnio. They've allowed another family to open a Mercedes dealership near Boerne. The competition is probably the most effective way to fix any problems over on San Pedro.

Yeah, I've got one of those odd engines VW made back then (G60), but its quite lovable you like the newer S4? I dunno, maybe as a stock car for somebody who doesnt care, its updated, but for those who like to play with their cars, it hasn't sounded like the current model has nearly as much potential as the older one. Anyhow, hope he has better luck in finding a good car.
Oh yeah, and speaking on used BMWs, the newest Austin dealer has some good stuff on their used lot. They had an M5 for around the price of the 03 used M3's (the M5 was 02), plenty other 5 series between 30-40K, and 02-03 M3's for anywhere between 36-48K. Most of these cars had mileage low enough to still have half or more of the factory warranty, not to mention you'd be getting it from the BMW dealership to begin with. Sure, its a drive for you, but its the dealer between Parmer and 183 on McNeil.