VW Passat, Audi A4, BMW 3?

[tryingavw]

Sooo...

RE: C class interior being too plasticy. I am not surprised to hear that, and that rules it out – I am not spending 80k on a plastic interior, otherwise I would buy a Honda (and get change for my 80k!)

now having 2x merc c class i would say the interior is better than the CC but not quite as good as the r36. but to say plasticky is not fair. i have the c320 cdi sedan ( 165kw/500nm) and now the c220cdi wagon ( 125kw/

on paper the c220 is the same speed as the passat 125kw but in use feels much quicker as the twin turbo means there is always torq and its feels responsive except if in neutral and slipped into gear ( a habit i have at the lights)

check out the c220 which is quite roomy and i think will have enough punch once you've tried it. you should easily be able to pick up a demo with satnav and xenons for under 80k.

looking past all these issues, the merc c class chassis with RWD, excellent steering and repsonsive power is very hard to beat! plus the car feels so rock solid.

[ScottyP]

Interesting quandry you're in there, and a similar one to mine although I'm not quite stretching up to $80k.

Have you considered the Falcon G6E Turbo? Realise it does not have the Euro cache, but it's a hell of a lot of car for the money, and will destroy anything sub - $100k from Europe. 0 - 100 in 5.1, and all the motoring mags seems to be able to replicate this easy.

In addition, there seems to be an over-supply of them, which means there are very good deals to be had. You can pick one up with sat-nav, reversing cam and optional 19's for <$55k. Leather is standard.

The only two things holding me back are my general dislike for 'large' cars and the fuel consumption is a bit off-putting, but it would not be far off an R36. About the same in fact.

Cheers,
Scotty P.

[Leagle]

I was in an identical position one year ago... with a budget of circa $80K I found myself with either choosing one of the premium Aussie car (SSV Calais or Ford G6ET), a premium Jap car (namely Liberty GT) or stretching a little to one of the performance Euros (BMW 135i, or toying with blowing the budget altogether and getting a Merc C63). The Aussies were great but the low kay demonstrators looked tired. The new Lib GT looked hideous to me. The 135i was too small and the C63 (the benchmark) was tempting but a bit of a stretch budget wise. I also looked at a few other non-performance cars and was almost tempted by the IS250C (convertible) until I drove it and realised how underpowered it was (maybe if there was an IS350C....) I almost gave up on a new car until I saw the Passat R36 and Passat CC. I liked the R36 but I was absolutely blown away by the CC's styling (OK I too had some initial reservations about that rear rump but thats only because the rest of the car looks so great - its not a bad rear in isolation). One drive with that silky smooth R36 motor and feeling that quality interior and playing with all those gadgets sold the car. For me the fact that it was "only" (sub) $80K was unbelievable. Had it had another Euro badge on it, surely it would have been priced at double (ahem, I think the Merc CLS350 is). If you haven't already, go and drive a CC and experience it. Don't just look at the back of it. If I was in the market today for another premium car (and assuming I couldn't stretch to a C63 or M3) I would happily pick the CC again one year on.

[MrVW]

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to post comments on this thread.

I made a car decision, I decided to go with an Audi A6. I realise this has completely blown the 80k budget - but I think it's worth it...

[mebius9]

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to post comments on this thread.

I made a car decision, I decided to go with an Audi A6. I realise this has completely blown the 80k budget - but I think it's worth it...

Wait... isn't A6 due for model change soon?

[MrVW]

Wait... isn't A6 due for model change soon?

Yup! That's exactly why I got my new one (with lots of specs) for very little. To be completely honest, I am not a massive fan of the new shape, especially the front grill. LOVE the new interior, but I like the interior in my new car also.