Should I buy Malibu or Sebring or Sonata?

[cook2005]

Hi, I have a question for you. I wonder what do you think. I would like to buy a new vehicle or a 1 year old used one. I test drove many cars and I came up with top 3 possible cars. I like 4 door sedans that are bigger cars since I got a Chrysler Concorde V6 leather with wood grain that is 210 inch long! So I need a car for 3-5 years that has some luxury and ample sporty power if I need some. So I test drove almost all of the available mid and full size sedans in my price segment except Hyundai Sonata, Azera, Ford Fusion.(I cannot buy BMW, Mercedes, Acura, Lexus, Lincoln, Cadillac) What I am looking for is luxury interior look in some extend but sporty engine and soft suspension like a luxury car. This category is called sport luxury sedan I know. My top 3 choice would be : 1, Chrysler Sebring Limited 3.5L V6 (I like to look but little bit concerned about the quality) 2, Hyundai Sonata Limited V6 or Azera Limited V6. (The interior looked real upscale and the exterior is also okay but not that good as the Sebring) 3, Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 3.6 V6. It was nice to drive but something was missing for me. Something that would make that car exceptional for me. I test drove the Toyota Camry V6, Nissan Altima V6, Honda Accord V6 but they cost more than they would worth in my opinion in addition American cars have nicer exterior than those in general. Pontiac G6 GT has poor interior (no luxury look), G8 GT was thrilling (V8 with 361 hp!!) but too expensive and again not too luxury looking interior although it is super sporty. Dodge Charger looks aggressive but the interior is poor looking. The Mitsubishi Galant is ugly. I do not like the Saturn Aura (copy of Malibu) and I am not fan of Mercury Milan either (downgraded Fusion for me) The question is What do you think I should get?? I know Hyundai since 2006 has improved a lot but still I am uncertain with Hyundai. If yes sonata or azera? From my Concorde the Azera would be better change due to its size although the Azera is still smaller than the Concorde. THe 300C is just not my style either. It's too Bentley looking. Sebring looks good but I am uncertain with its reliability and long term quality. Malibu LTZ V6 vs Sebring Limited V6 vs Sonata Limited V6! Which do you suggest buying? So could you drop me some lines what do you think?

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[dcotter0579]

Buying a car is like buying underwear - boxers or briefs? The car will be wrapped around your butt almost as much as your underwear but is a lot more expensive. Accordingly, a stranger's advice is not a good thing to follow. Drive and price all of them, check into their reputations for quality and endurance, check into the cost of repair and parts and whether your local garage can do the inevitable off-warranty work. Check into the cost of insurance. Figure operation costs (mileage).
Cost probably shouldn't be your chief consideration, if you cheap out on a car but hate to drive it, it's not a good purchase.
Funny thing about pricing, sometimes a loaded cheaper model winds up being more expensive than a luxury version of essentially the same car even though they are similarly equipped. I have found this to be true for Mercury vs Ford models of the same platform. By the time you trick out the Ford with "options" that are standard on the Mercury, you are way behind, financially.