rai

Sorry I'm not a fan of Hyundai. If I'm not wrong the don't have MT. Plus (IMO) I'd rather pay up front for a Honda/Acura for a car with better resale and (I'd guess) better enginering. Hyundai is too much of a cheap way out (or at least that's my preception).

I can't believe anyone is paying near $30K for a Hyundai

vader1

I am kinda in the same boat as you but I need one that can pull a small speedboat and will likely go Subaru because it can tow 2700 lbs. I can say however in your case if milage is a concern I think the TSX is the way to go. The Legacy is rated 28 highway with the turbo but guys on that board who like the boost are getting 21 or less.

The magazines also don't seem to rave about the handling and fun to drive of the Sub the way they talk about the TSX. AWD is a plus if you want stability control. That one makes me curious. Is the wife a bad driver? I have never had a car with stability control, live in the land of crap weather and never saw a need for it either.

With any car I purchase I will keep in mind one thing, gas could be $4 a gallon overnight if something goofy happens. I am now in an income bracket where I can afford a fairly nice car in addition to the S, and always kind of wanted a 330, but the more the days pass, the more I just think about getting a civic hatch, paying little for gas, and leave the bling to others.

vader1

Nothing bad to say about the Hyundai, but just wanted to say GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rai

[QUOTE=vader1,Sep 12 2005, 11:03 AM] AWD is a plus if you want stability control.

Karl O.

Errr, I think a TSX engine would start coming apart at 7800+ RPM- look at a dyno chart, power has already peaked and is falling off by 6000 RPM.

My TSX generally gets good gas milage, I went out of town this weekend and got stuck in traffic on the interstate- spent almost three hours idling in traffic with the A/C blasting and spent the rest of the time with the cruise at 85 mph and still got almost 23 mpg. I normally get 30 or 31 on the interstate if I keep the cruise below 80 mph, even with four passengers and luggage.

The Legacy GT Limited is seriously worth considering, it's pretty quick and handles well. I didn't need the +50 hp or the AWD so the TSX looked like a better deal to me for $4k less (at the time). Plus it had HIDs, better stereo, nicer interior, etc.

Accord is always a safe bet, but it's just sort of bland. The V6 engine is a really nice engine, maybe if I drove the '06 model with the 6MT/V6 option I might feel differently about the car.

vader1

Not trying to bash stability control, just thought since you live in the NE region you were probably a pretty safe driver in bad weather. I see lots of SUV's in the ditch in snow storms, and generally don't believe it is because they did not have SC, but because they drove like jackasses that thought 4wd meant they could drive any way they wanted.

I am sure a good sc system could someday keep me from making a mistake perhaps, I just don't drive in any kind of way in the snow or rain that would get me into trouble in the first place. I guess I was saying that if a car I was interested in had SC, fine, but I would not pay extra. I also would not personally rule out a car that did not have it if it were just for me because I have been driving in black ice and blizzards since I was 16. If the car were for the girlfriend, or perhaps a wife and kids, I might be more inclined. The girlfriend is from Hawaii and her driving can be scary.

motokichi

Would you consider an Audi A3 with DSG?

rai

yes but seem to be top dollar. Can cost up to $34K without quatro. Guess if/when it gets awd it'll be $36K+

kadeshpa

I just don't think I'd want to rev the crap out of the motor when I'm driving a sport/lux sedan. I'd rather have power all across the rev range with a nice amt of torque.

I think the ultimate killer car would be the TSX with a nice V6 w/ abt 215-240hp. Now that would be sweet.

BPUKiller

My brother has a TSX, nice car but no torque. He says his Scion Tc "feels" faster than the TSX. I guess he means the Tc has a more usable powerband. I like the Accord V-6. I drove a coupe when they first came out. I was quite surprised by the power in a good way. I didn't buy because the stick only came in a 2-door. They are fixing that for 06 when the sedan gets a stick. I don't know if I'd stray away from either Honda or Toyota since I have had great ownership experience with either company. If it were me, I'd get the Accord V-6 6-speed sedan. It's pretty much a cheaper version of a TL. I'd look at a entry-level V-6 Avalon too, you may think it is too big, but the power is great and so is the build quality.

Sam