Need to buy a new car

I have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited - It has been a great vehicle with lots of power, plenty of features, sleek looks and a great warranty. For the money you're looking to spend, I'd certainly urge you to have a hard look at it.

The other vehicle I would also recommend would be the Volvo S60. Great value, good looks and great reliability - though maintenance is going to be higher than for the Hyundai.

 

..can't edit my post, so here's a follow up: Best bang for your buck will be the Hyundai or Kia (Sonata or Optima, respectively) - they offer the best standard warranty in the business combined with plenty of options and outstanding styling. I would steer you away from luxury brands (Jag, BMW, MB) given that their warranties aren't better but you're paying significantly more in maintenance without adding any real residual value.

Volvo would be the only luxury brand that I would recommend as their vehicles have proven themselves time and time again as outstanding value - if you can get your hands on an S60, then I would go for that.

 

Now may be the time to buy a 2012 model. they are being discounted to make way for 2013 models.

Have you considered Honda - we have an Odyssey and a Civic - would have bought an Accord but my wife thought it too large. The Odyssey is to cart my bicycles around and to go camping in (so vehicle choice depends on secondary uses sometimes).

We had a Subaru Outback for several years and will buy another Subaru next year.

 

If you lease make sure you have appropriate insurance. I had a friend whose car was totalled in the first few days of his lease. He owed the lease company more than what his insurance paid.

 

That isn't unusual when a car is purchased with a loan either.

 

..if it's brand new, you can insure to get full purchase value. I have that on both of my vehicles ( 4 years - if either is totalled, I get full replacement value )..

 

I don't know if you want to take my advise or not because I stick strictly to "cash cars" (I hate payments) but I've had excellent luck with Nissan. In fact I prefer vehicles with timing chains instead of timing belts...though I have a 2005 Hyundai I put 90 miles a day on and it's been great so far too. I sold my little Nissan Frontier to a buddy who needed a car, it had 217,000+ miles on it when he bought it a year ago. He still driving the sucker. Original everything on it except battery and tires.

 

I am looking at a cash deal also. Even if it is a new car, I prefer cash.