Snow can be an issue and I live on a hill. However I work from home and the wife has an SUV herself.

The change in plan just came from what I can only describe as one of the most enjoyable and comfortable driving experiences I have had. I have to give the car back today, but if they would let me I would drive it from Atlanta up to NJ tonight!!!

The Camaro and Mustang both have unuseable back seats. I mean there really isn't a lot of room in either of them. At least the Charger and 300C have 4 doors.
They are all very cheap inside though. The interior fit, quality and comfort on all of the above isn't great.
Unfortunately the practicalities of life dictate our choices for us sometimes, and while a mid-size SUV may be 'numb', it is practical, most of them are comfortable and depending on brand the interior quality is vastly improved.

When we were looking for cars last Sept, we were struggling to split either the Mazda CX9 or the new Dodge Durango. Really like the look of the Durango and now that the Italians have spent money on the interior, is much better than previous Dodge's. We couldn't really justify spending $30k-$35K on either, so we eventually went for the Dodge Journey. Smaller (therefore cheaper) than the Durango, but just as comfy and plenty of room. Drove it from Michigan to Florida and managed almost 28mpg, driving 5mph over posted limits.

Once decided on the vehicle, shop around dealers though. We had one dealer try and sell us their demo with 4500 miles for $3k more than the one we bought which only had 50 miles on it. And I think we put the 50 miles on it test driving it.

We also used a credit union to finance the purchase. This allowed us to get a cash price rather than an inflated price for financing. Saved us about $5k.

CWT

My lease is up in September and and I am going for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Have had a Liberty in the past and I liked the 4wd way better than the Volvo XC90 AWD that I have now. It will be trail rated so OH can take it off to climbing expeditions and have leather seats so they're easy to clean muck off.

Drove an Edge for a couple of weeks last year and hated the Sync system.

Our beef with some GMs is that their designers are lazy and don't have flat folding third row seats in some of their models - my friend has a Yukon and you have to physically take the third row seats in and out of the car, which is a real pain in the arse.

The new Grand Cherokee's are nice. I think the SYNC system is a love/hate relationship...

As for the rear seats in some GM's (Yukon & Tahoe) I don't get that either. My father-in-law has a Tahoe and although my Acadia has a smaller footprint, I swear it has more room for the passengers (especially the 3rd row) and the seats fold flat into the trunk. Like you say, taking the seats out and having to store them somewhere is a pain, especially if you go to home depot etc and buy something bigger than you were expecting.

It's a lot of car for the money. I'm yet to go in one but given my recent experiences with modern Hyundai's I have high expectations for it.

Just went through this trouble a year ago. Looked at Corvette, Camaro and Challenger. Based on your situation I agree with the chrysler 300 or similar or an SUV, but.......
if you are only doing personal transport and the wife has an SUV check out a used Jaguar.

They are awesome cars (2006-2010), and when you look at prices for corvette/camaro/challenger new/used with SRT pkg, you can beat the price. The reliability is much better than the 70's/80's. I had only one minor problem in 12 months, cost $150 to fix (battery).

I love mine, but have no snow issues here in TX. Also, it is not a common car, how many Camaros etc... do you see daily, a bunch. If you go hard top it is even more afforable, and then just roll in an aftermarket 3-5 year warranty, since they are alll generally low mileage.

Just depends how you want to "Roll."

Look up how much the insurance is and the maintenance costs, especially for the winter shite.

If you want a monster, get a Ford F-150 plus...they're fun.

Concur or 250/350 size, check the police auctions, you can get a deal there.

This is going to be my first brand new car (that much I have decided) and although the idea of a Jag appeals to me, I just don't think I am old enough to own one just yet (Perhaps 10 years from now).

I am torn, I have been making up the lists in my head as to what car I want and have been all over the place however my shortlist now looks like this

1. GMC Terrain
2. Dodge Charger (SRT8 Superbee - its a bit pricey but looks awesome)
3. Chevy Camaro
4. Dodge Challenger
5. Audi TT (there is a used quattro with 67 miles available in my price range)

So as you can see I am all over the place, just want something that looks good and that I can enjoy.

Do you care about used or new?

Shelby (do it!)

http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/...2-f5aa89d3763f

Range Rover Sport

http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/...epage:homepage Type&Rp=R&PP=20&sV=List&CD=203+662+14+966+240+190+ 398+15+9&Q=03abc53d-f5fa-407f-8572-f5aa89d3763f

Ignore my last post then!

I had a charger as a hire car for a month here (3.5 "high" output) and I got frustrated with it very quickly. It should have done more, but felt pretty weedy. The only nice thing about it was you could get the back end out in the slightest bit of rain in Houston. I had gone from driving a 450 HP car in the UK, so it was always going to be a let down!

I also had a quattro TT - the 3.2 with the DSG 'box. I loved that car and we could get the dog in the back no problem, and the boot had a decent amount of luggage space. We could use the car for a weekend getaway no problem. You could get 3 people in it, as the passenger in the back (as long as they aren't too tall) can have their legs kind of across into the other footwell. That was 250 HP, but it felt quick. The speed of the gear change on that thing was great fun!

I don't know much about the merits of different SUVs, but have you thought about a Nissan Murano? That should fall into your price range.

What are you all droning on about? Just buy a Subaru and be done with it.

I had the last good Subaru before they started making cars for mom and pop.

The 2000 Subaru Impreza WRX I loved that car and if they stopped making sluggish cars I would be tempted...