New(ish) car time coming

[mshills]

Hi all.

 

Got in a wicked car accident in January. Was in hospital and in-patient physical therapy facilities for six months. Golf may or may not be in my future — will have to see about that, but I’m at peace if I cannot play any more. Very lucky that I am with my family and not my ancestors!

 

I have not driven since January, but I’ve just been cleared medically. Still need a little time to clear myself mentally, but I’m not too far off.

 

Here are the contenders, looking at all of these 2-3 years old, probably not buying new.

 

Lexus LS 460 (would go back to a 2013 model on this one)

Cadillac CT6 - Premium Luxury or Platinum trim

Lincoln Continental - 2.7TT or 3.0TT

Genesis G90

 

Anyone driven, or better, owned one?

[Wriggles]

I bought a new Cadillac ATS back in June, 2017. A very good, well made car. A tight back seat, and a smaller trunk than the CTS or the XTS, but the same car, in my opinion. Prior to that, I had certified Devilles, a 93, and a 2002. The 93 wasn't taken care of by the previous owner, but the 02 was pristine.

 

Certified means nothing. Most are lease cars, and none too well taken care of. After numerous things wrong with the 93, including a transmission rebuild at 25K miles, suspension issues, etc. along with numerous dings and scratches, I was told I bought a used car. (The dealer repaired the mechanical issues, but the dealer attitude was poor.)

 

Bought at a different dealer, the 02 was pristine, owned by a caring individual. Trouble free for the 12 years I owned it. Still looked and ran like new when I foolishly traded it.

 

Beware of the "certified" cars.

[bigred90gt]

Of your list, I would opt for the Genesis.

 

The best advise I can give will mirror advice given for club recommendations: go drive all of them and see what fits you best.

[vaca22]

I too am looking at replacing possibly 2 vehicles - a 2005 Mazda3 that I purchased brand new and a 2005 Civic, also purchased brand new.

 

The Mazda is my daily driver and has been mind-blowingly reliable, 266k miles with virtually zero issues aside from a thermostat replacement 5 years ago. It's a manual, and I'm getting pretty tired of shifting after all these years. It has not been garaged in 8 years and rust is starting to creep. I was in a fender bender last April and was surprised it wasn't totalled.

 

The Civic has only 116k miles but power nothing - crank windows and no power locks.

 

Buying a new car was a big deal to me then, but as I have gotten older I don't think I could ever do that again. I have my eyes set on a 2014-2015 Kia Optima SX or SXL turbo that is loaded with so much stuff for only $16-$18k. Since the wife doesn't do nearly the amount of driving that I do, I was considering a low-mileage lease for her.

 

It's been 14 years since I've had to do this and part of me is excited, but also nervous. I have never personally purchased a used vehicle.

 

[zeoalex]

So I actually worked on the CT6 a bit (development on the motor, and a little work on the hybrid version). It's a nice car, and it drives really well, but it is guilty of standard GM corner-cutting (just lower quality interior bits, mostly. Again, it's nice but it doesn't stand up to the competition in terms of interior materials). You can get it with Super Cruise I believe, which is really really cool. If you end up going for one of these, shoot me a PM and I can get you a friends and family code

 

people seem to really like the Continental, and those ecoboost motors are great from what I hear

 

I don't know a ton about the Lexus or Genesis, so I can't really speak to those. If I had to give a suggestion in a similar vein for what you're looking at, I'd say go take a look at the Kia Stinger. For similar (or less) that most of your other options you can go out and look at a fully loaded GT2 with the TTV6 (makes ~370). They sticker around 50, but apparently they can't even give them away so there always seems to be a ton of cash on the hood. I'm dying to get in and drive one, but everything I've heard about them is great, people just don't know about them or don't care because it's a Kia

[mshills]

Thanks! I have no qualms at all about buying a Korean car -- I'll have a look at the Stinger too.

 

Only issue is at this point I'm looking for isolation -- I want a smooth-riding, quiet luxury car, not a sport sedan. I am intrigued by the CT6 as I am impressed by the powertrain and thoroughly impressed by the lightweight structure for the size of the vehicle. But since Cadillac is trying to be BMW from 15 years ago, I suspect the CT6 will not give me the luxury car ride I am looking for. I'd say the G90 or the LS460 are the leaders in the clubhouse, but hard to say until I drive them all. Someone else recommended a 2016-17 Jaguar XJ L Portfolio. That is a beautiful car and I will need to add it to the list.

 

I had the 3.5 Ecoboost (kick-ass motor!) in the Lincoln MKS that sustained the accident and helped save my life. I broke my left tibia & fibula, my left pelvis, my left shoulder, my left humerus, left elbow was shattered in many small pieces as was my left forearm, and my right heel and kneecap were both crushed. So needless to say, getting back behind the wheel is a BIG deal.

 

Of course I must go drive them all and then make my decision. Keep the advice coming.

[altess27]

Take a look at the Volvo S90 or anything from Mercedes if you are looking for comfort and luxury. Of your list I would probably go with the Lexus or Genesis, couldn't really go wrong with either.

[KAndyMan]

Sold my LS460L 2 weeks ago to replace it with a SUV. DUMBEST thing ive done in a few years!! And im no stranger to doing dumb $***. The ride, build quality and dependability just cant be beat. I put 60K miles on that car in 2 years and only thing that had to get fixed were 2 ball joints at 100k miles. Cost me about $200 for the parts, few select words and i had it back together good as new. Not to mention for a car weighing around 5,000lbs the thing would move! Think it did 0-60 in 5 or 5.5 sec. I was in the airport yesterday and there was Volvo S60 on display. That is one sweet looking ride too! Not to mention the safety a Volvo brings god forbid you have another accident.

[Bill Broderick]

Although I haven't driven any of the specified models, I have owned a Lexus since 2011. I had a 2011 CT200h Hybrid from 2011-2013 (it got totalled by the insurance company when I got rear-ended at a red light and pushed into the car in front of me) and a 2013 RX450h hybrid, which I've owned ever since. Both have been awesome vehicles. If I had to buy a new car today, I probably wouldn't buy a Lexus. But, that's because I detest the new front end styling of all of their vehicles. But, from a quality standpoint, I don't think that anyone can go wrong with a Lexus.

[MountainGoat]

Considering your list, I would buy the BMW you didn't include.

 

[bigred90gt]

> @MountainGoat said:

> Considering your list, I would buy the BMW you didn't include.

>

 

Until warranty expired and you had to fix something.

[mshills]

> @MountainGoat said:

> Considering your list, I would buy the BMW you didn't include.

>

 

Learned my lesson on this one. Sorry, no used BMWs, ever!

[MountainGoat]

> @mshills said:

> > @MountainGoat said:

> > Considering your list, I would buy the BMW you didn't include.

> >

>

> Learned my lesson on this one. Sorry, no used BMWs, ever!

 

I understand. That's why I never buy used. Forget I brought it up.

 

[GHIN n Juice]

If you want a smooth ride then buy the Lexus. That’s essentially what their made for.

[dan360]

Happy to hear you made it out alive. Car accidents can be horrendous, and modern technology is allowing people to walk away from things that just 20 years ago, ...sorry, too morbid maybe but you're here and that's a good thing.

Of that list, for me--admitted motorhead and mechanical person--I would take the Lexus and not look back. Second choice if forced, would take a closer look between the Genesis and the Lincolns. The Cadillacs are great for a bit but like the person said earlier, they suffer from some pretty ridiculous GM cost cutting and don't age well.

I'm not 100% sold on the Genesis but Hyundai/KIA (same parent company) have been quietly building nice cars.

[JDFish]

Good luck with the PT! I would not hesitate to buy a Genesis - a friend who is a car-guy recently leased a G70 sport and he let me drive it. It is really well designed and drove great. The fit and finish inside and out is excellent - and it should be since they stole the several Audi and Mercedes designers. I was considering one but I could not get all of my golf gear in the trunk and instead bought an Audi SQ5 (I am an Audi fan anyway). Lincoln and Cadillac lost their way a long time ago with glimpses of hope but continual cost cutting measures still leave them behind in quality in the luxury/luxury sport car arena IMO. Lexus is not what it used to be, and almost every auto maker has gotten better. Good luck with your search - half the fun is in the test driving.