MORE ON MSN AUTOS
Wheels of car-crazy celebsThe cars that celebrities choose to buy sometimes border on the eccentric.
MSN AUTOS VIDEO
We have several cars, but I looked at several of these when I decided to replace the Mercedes diesel I've been driving as my regular driver for almost 300,000 miles. After driving the upper trim line Chevrolet Cruze in europe in late 2009, where it comes with a 163 hp 276 ft.lb. turbodiesel, I decided it was worth waiting for if it was coming to the USA. But it kept being delayed, and the little turbo-gas we have here doesn't even compare in performance or mileage.
I finally looked at the VW Passat with the turbodiesel, and was very impressed, especially since it was nearly as big as my Mercedes and had more rear seat room than any car I've seen recenly. When the dealer called and said he had new Jetta with the same motor, just a few months old at a huge bargain price, I looked at it and found it to be the roomiest small car I could imagine, and very powerful with 236 ft. lb. of torque. After a weekend test drive and 42 mpg (!) around town, I went right back and bought the car. Its all in what kind of luxury you're looking for, I think.
If you want a "luxury" car that is a decent bang for the buck, start looking at the more basic cars are the starting platform--The Impala and Taurus are two examples that come quickly to mind, there are certainly many others. Upgrade them with all the bells and whistles, and you essentially have what is contained in the luxury cars. Do be somewhat careful of the price, as most of the time doing this will save you ten thousand dollars or more---but not always.
Also, if a person is a bit of a history buff, ignore that Buick on the list. A car based on Chevys economy platform is a steaming pile of junk, and history shows pretty clearly that this pile steams even harder when you adorn it with more glitz. The luxury versions of the econobox have been reliability laughing stocks with outrageous repair bills for generations now, it's just not the category to "give another chance" on or you might be the next guy stuck with a Cimarron.
