Acura CL 3.2 & TL 3.2
Good cars, for what it's worth. In that price range I assume you're looking at late ninties era? Might be some trouble with the automatic transmissions, I seem to recall some talk of that. Otherwise, stellar reliability and decent performance.
Audi A4 & A6
Like any German brand, electronics are a known issue as is expense of repairs. Are you looking at the Quattro versions, or FWD? Versus the BMWs, the Bimmers will be a lot more fun to drive. I wouldn't bother with the FWD Audis - go Quattro or go home.
BMW 3 & 5 series
The 3 and/or 5 series is another of those cars I will one day own... I've been pondering an older one of these two as well, but they're a bit out of my price range without a lot of effort. Still, a good example will be an amazing car. 3 is lighter and more fun to drive, the 5 is bigger and more luxurious, so take your pick. Do remember: the more electronic gadgets, the more things to go wrong. IIRC the power window regulator in these cars (a known issue) is somewhere in the range of ~$150.
Lexus ES 300 & GS 300
Meh... FWD, Toyota based, boring. But reliable as the sun and pretty nice, too. But boring.
Mazda Protege5, Mazda6, & Mazda Millenia
Protege5 is a stellar car, lots of power and it only came fully loaded. Not quite up to par with Civic/Corolla in reliability and fuel consumption, but by no means poor in either category. The P5 is actually one of my favorite cars, and were to go FWD again it would definately be on my list. The 6 you won't find in this price range. :P If you mean the 626... go with the P5. The Millenia, though, actually offers pretty good value for money used, and was a decent car.
Mitsubishi Galant & Mitsubishi Lancer
I'm not sure what the dealer network is like in the States, up here it's pretty poor, so buying a Mitsu is a gamble. If you find it used for cheap, with warranty, it's worth the look. But there's no compelling reason to chose on over the Protege or something better.
Volkswagon Jetta & Passat
Decent cars - the TDI offers incredible fuel mileage. There are many people that will tell you that German cars offer a very different drive than Japanese ones - they're heavier, more solid, etc. Again, some electrical problems, but if you like the car, don't let that stop you.
Some other cars to think about:
Toyota Echo - the predecessor to the Yaris, decently fun to drive and very cheap now. Sips the go juice, too.
Pontiac Sunfire/Chevrolet Cavalier - Ugly as sin, but cheap to run and repair and cheap as dirt to buy.
Ford Focus - decently fun to drive, and available cheap because it's a Ford. Less reliable than the Japanese cars, though.
Good cars, for what it's worth. In that price range I assume you're looking at late ninties era? Might be some trouble with the automatic transmissions, I seem to recall some talk of that. Otherwise, stellar reliability and decent performance.
Audi A4 & A6
Like any German brand, electronics are a known issue as is expense of repairs. Are you looking at the Quattro versions, or FWD? Versus the BMWs, the Bimmers will be a lot more fun to drive. I wouldn't bother with the FWD Audis - go Quattro or go home.
BMW 3 & 5 series
The 3 and/or 5 series is another of those cars I will one day own... I've been pondering an older one of these two as well, but they're a bit out of my price range without a lot of effort. Still, a good example will be an amazing car. 3 is lighter and more fun to drive, the 5 is bigger and more luxurious, so take your pick. Do remember: the more electronic gadgets, the more things to go wrong. IIRC the power window regulator in these cars (a known issue) is somewhere in the range of ~$150.
Lexus ES 300 & GS 300
Meh... FWD, Toyota based, boring. But reliable as the sun and pretty nice, too. But boring.
Mazda Protege5, Mazda6, & Mazda Millenia
Protege5 is a stellar car, lots of power and it only came fully loaded. Not quite up to par with Civic/Corolla in reliability and fuel consumption, but by no means poor in either category. The P5 is actually one of my favorite cars, and were to go FWD again it would definately be on my list. The 6 you won't find in this price range. :P If you mean the 626... go with the P5. The Millenia, though, actually offers pretty good value for money used, and was a decent car.
Mitsubishi Galant & Mitsubishi Lancer
I'm not sure what the dealer network is like in the States, up here it's pretty poor, so buying a Mitsu is a gamble. If you find it used for cheap, with warranty, it's worth the look. But there's no compelling reason to chose on over the Protege or something better.
Volkswagon Jetta & Passat
Decent cars - the TDI offers incredible fuel mileage. There are many people that will tell you that German cars offer a very different drive than Japanese ones - they're heavier, more solid, etc. Again, some electrical problems, but if you like the car, don't let that stop you.
Some other cars to think about:
Toyota Echo - the predecessor to the Yaris, decently fun to drive and very cheap now. Sips the go juice, too.
Pontiac Sunfire/Chevrolet Cavalier - Ugly as sin, but cheap to run and repair and cheap as dirt to buy.
Ford Focus - decently fun to drive, and available cheap because it's a Ford. Less reliable than the Japanese cars, though.
