hmontaq

My wife got a loan for $20,000 and wants a luxury car. I love euro cars but wife likes luxury. If you had a choice what would you get? 2000-2003
Cadillac CTS, Mercedes C Class and CLK, Jaguar S or X type, Lexus I300.
I ask here so I get an imparcial response. Something sexy but reliable too.
Ther are a lot of C Class models... What should we look for if thats your choice???

SteveL1

Is the total budget $20k including tax and licence or are you putting something down or trading in something. Does she want a 2 door or 4?? If the total is $20k and she wants a 4 door, I would look at '00 0r '01 BMW 5 series or E class. If she wants a 2 door, the E46 BMW 3 series is hard to beat.

Evil Duffman

If i were you Id get and 02' BMW 325ci. You might be able to get an 02-03 Lexus ES300 for around that price and they are a nice smooth ride and pretty reliable. But I think they are kinda ugly. Id stick to BMW or Benz. I like the X-type jags too.

hmontaq

She wants a 4 door... I do see C Classes in this range where I live.

hmontaq

She isnt hot on BMW's but I guess I could swing her that way. I live in Houston Tx. if that helps.

AK*S203*owner

I recommend looking into the Certified PreOwned Program. Many corporations lease c-class models for their execs who drive a few miles to work each day. You can get these cars after they are 1 or 2 years old with low mileage, in excellent shape, still under warranty and in the price range you are desiring.

Make sure to take a test drive and ask the salesman to show you the service history. Unresolved problems that the service department can't verify are the red flags to look for, other than that, a few items on the service history would be normal barring anything like a transmission replacement or major electrical problems.

This is a great way to save big unless you need to know that you were the only owner the car has ever had.

alpinweiss

$20,000 will buy you a C-Class somewhere around the 2000-2001 model year.

My wife and I truly love our 2005 C230K; it is a nice car, and has a lot of visual appeal. It is also fun to drive with the manual transmission. Quality seems to be good (so far).

2001 was the first year of the MB W203 body style. If you get one of these, shop carefully. Some of the early W203's had some quality issues. A 2002 or later model might be a better bet.

I also agree with the idea on the BMW 325i. 2001 was the third year for the BMW E46 body style. This was a reliable and good-looking car.

Cadillac? NO!

Jaguars are indeed sexy. Quality is still a step or two below the German cars.

Lexus has good quality, but that would not be my choice. It has the personality of a Toyota (i.e. boring).

Buellwinkle

It really depends on her age, let's say she's between 18-30, get a one or two year old Beatle convertible. A good safe chick car that's fun to drive. 30-45, get a 3-5 year old the MB C or CLK or the Bimmer or an Audi A4 (probably the nicest of the German cars). If she's 45-65, get the Jag-X, classy car for a classy lady. If she's over 65, get the CTS, my father-in-law who's 83 looks good in his and he's on his second one. I'm not a fan of Lexus styling so they are out from my point of view and the older IS300's looks like a Corolla that's been pimped and has less leg room.

blkc230k

ha no offence here, but i do find sexy seeing 18-30yo ladies driving a MB C or CLK or 325, A4 etc.....
nothing beat a sexy women in a high end european cars!

jsloan01

Except when the sexy women are in our cars!

mbny

my input would be to avoid the Jag X-type. my dad had the 02' and may have spent more time driving loaner cars. Biggest piece of crap ever. The only thing the he really loved about that car, was that he only did a 24-month lease. IS300 is ok, but had a long production run and just seems old and played out now. The CTS is pretty cool but feels nothing like a caddy. my friend has an 03' CTS loaner now b/c his 02' STS has been at cadillac for 2 months now. they stripped a spark plug at his last service and dropped something into the engine and a week later the engine blew so now they dropping in a new one after weeks of battle with cadillac and the dealership the car was purchased from. long story. buttomline the CTS he has rides kind rough, rattles alot and feels cheap compared to the STS. doesn't have that smooth, floating on a cloud drive like the STS and isn't nearly as comfortable. but then again, driving my dads 04' E-class and my 05' C class shares this as well. i guess corners need to be cut for these entry level cars although i didn't experience that with my 02' BMW 330Ci. however, i recommend driving the cars and seeing what you and the wife like best. BMW is a good suggestion as well, try and get her to look at that although after driving it, you will enjoy it most. smooth inline 6, tight, crisp handling, good quality and mine was without a single issue for the 50k miles i put on it. do get certified pre-owned on whichever vehicle you choose though. they can be expensive to repair. good luck with your decision and let us know what you decide

hmontaq

I can get a 2002 and sometimes a 2003 here in Houston. Trucks and SUV's are all anyone drives here so cars are sometimes cheaper.

hmontaq

We are both 39... Thanks guys keep them coming. I hear a lot of bad things about Jags. She loves the look but I am trying to tell her about the trans problems for one.

tifosiv122

I've had 3 tranny's and 2 engines on my S-Type...the car has constant problems electrically as well. I'm told the 2002 X-Types are mostly lemons which is why they have such a low resale compared to the 2003's. That being said, I would still buy a Jag in a heartbeat...as long as it had a full 100,000 warranty.

Erik

Buellwinkle

Jaguar consistantly beats out MB and Audi in JD Powers long term dependability surveys. I've never known anyone to dislike their Jag or complain about it's dependability. It's not like the Jag's of 20 years ago. If she likes it, get it. The X I believe will be discontinued so it will be classic.


How many years have you been 39? I've been 39 for 10 years now.

Outland

The rear diff and driveshaft are the biggies on the X type. Still, I think its a pretty decent car, given how little they go for now.

20K isn't a lot of money...and youre looking at cars that might get down under 20K, but the warranty is gone, and every one of them, except the Caddy is gonna be damn expensive to maintain, much less repair.

I'd go with the CTS, its still fresh, the body style is current, the car has been very reliable, and its considerable bigger than all the other shrinky dinks youve mentioned. Its also going to be a lot cheaper to maintain down the road, given that its an american car... unless you buy a used toyota, er Lexus Camry....a pretty dull car, IMO. The first W203 sedans, especially the C240 and C320 from 2001, have some concerns about electronics, the BMW is now out of production, and therefore youre getting less luxo bling for your buck. Same goes for the A4 and the C is about to replaced as well. THe X type, ironically, may be the best buy- its not supposed to be replaced until 2009... No offense, you don't seem to have any requirements other than its a luxo car and its under 20K, so get the one that looks new the longest.

hmontaq

WOW!!! That a lot of trouble and she loves the S type. How can the either have more trouble than the other when its the same engine and tranny??? When we test drove at 3 different places I found one with a bad tranny. It shifted REALLY quick and it was an automatic. The rest shifted like a normal car.

hmontaq

She has a whole list of 2002 and 2003 C240's under 20,000 to look at. Cars are cheap here. Check the Autotrader for C240's in Houston Tx. CRAZY.
I found a CTS on Ebay here at a dealer for under 2003 $20,000 with wheels on it already. No offense taken... you have to remember its a woman. Most ladies just like what they SEE when they look at cars. At least mine does.

hmontaq

Wonder how that could be with all the bad things I have heard as well as the poster here with multiple engine and trannys???

My wife has been 30 for 9 years. I dont try to hide my age, most likely because I dont look 39. lol

tifosiv122

Mine only has 2X,XXX miles...it's an '00. I've had various problems from day 1. The tranny's were replaced because the car kept staying in gear (it would shift to drive but stay in park) and the engine blew about 10,000 miles into owning her. The place I have it serviced sells Jag, MB, and Lexus...they tell me by far the Jags are in more for problems then the others...

Erik

tifosiv122

Read through this 13 page thread, a lot of issues these cars have happened to me, including the shifting issue:

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef23032/0

Erik

hmontaq

GREAT READ! She is out of the Jag state of mind and focused on the 5 or 6 C240s we have to look at. All 2002 and 2003 and under $20,000. She doesnt want the Lex. Says its too sporty and she isnt into BMW's. CTS... maybe. So we are looking hard at the C240. What are your opinions? They all have 40,000 to 60,000 miles.

mbny

my dad's 02' X-type went through 3 tranny's as well in the 24 months he leased it for. rear parkdistance thingy broke twice, first time within the first week he had it and the navi went crazy once too. however, i have heard that jag has made major improvements on the newer ones, but b/c your looking at the 02', figured i'd let u know it's issues which were very common. Jaguar was very good as far as servicing and taking care of it's customer. They admitted and recognized the tranny issues right off the bat and even started dropping off loaner cars at my parents house and towing his away. my dad did appreciate the way they took of the issues.

tifosiv122

If you can, get it from an MB dealer and get a 100,000 starmark warranty.

Erik

diamondblak05

I would be extra careful if buying a car in or from Texas. That state is so close to the flooded states. I've heard so many horror stories about flooded cars from Katrina making their ways to Texas (just look at all the cheap but beautiful, dentless, scratchless cars on ebay) and alot of other states. There was a big story on the local news 4 days ago about this very same issue here in Wisconsin. Several buyers got robbed!

Back to the issue, for $20K, I would get a 3-series...esp. the 330ci hands down.