Commuter car down the road

[FC]

Originally Posted by Alan

You're considering some really nice cars .. very tough choice ... would you consider an Audi A5 ? It is a fun comfortable car to drive with a nice engine and very good looks.

Never been an Audi guy, but I am not against trying one. My sense from years of reading reviews is that I would not be happy with something from Audi if it doesn't start with an S.

[robg]

Originally Posted by FC

Never been an Audi guy, but I am not against trying one. My sense from years of reading reviews is that I would not be happy with something from Audi if it doesn't start with an S.

Audi S5 sportback is very nice as well.

You could probably pickup a CPO RWD Taycan in your price range in a couple years as well (I think the cheapest ones are still around 80, but that should change in 1-2 years).

Both are, of course, going to be tighter in the back vs an e53.

[FC]

Yeah. I need to do some good old fashioned car shopping and comparisons.

[SARAFIL]

E53 is in different class than the others - do you want/need the extra space and ok trading off some of the sportiness?

[JST]

Arteon? They won’t make them much longer but they should be available cheap.

[Josh (PA)]

Yea, if the goal is a useable back seat then I would not be looking at a sloped roof 4 door coupe style. Check out a used 540 along with the e53.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by FC

I don't want dirt cheap. I'm looking for an upgrade to the GTI.

I don't need new. The MB's above would be up to 6 years old in a couple of years when I'd be looking for a car. But I do want something nice if I'm going to spend time on it every day.

And yes, the i4 seems like a good fit, which is why it was always penciled in as the choice. But it would be around $80k new, and that's a lot.

Originally Posted by Josh (PA)

There is a 330e plug in hybrid. Don't know If it does anything better than an i4 other than put gas in for long drives

The 330e has my vote.

But, as I recall, your wife always wanted an MB in the stable, and I’m thinking it might be time for her to get something she really likes

[FC]

Originally Posted by SARAFIL

E53 is in different class than the others - do you want/need the extra space and ok trading off some of the sportiness?

I don't really know the answer to that. I'd need to know how much of one I gain for how much I am losing of the other.

[John V]

Why not a pre-owned panamera? Seems better than an ugly modern BMW

[FC]

Originally Posted by John V

Why not a pre-owned panamera? Seems better than an ugly modern BMW

They seem big and pricey.

I was just looking up the 540, and realized that there was an M550, and then I remembered that the president of my last company bought one of those and parked next to the F80 and it was massive. I can’t imagine wanting that.

Like I said, I’ll have to check them out in person.