[Mike W]

Scott Linton of Linton Motorsports in Manassas was recommended to me in my search for a 996. He was looking until I decided I don't really like 996's enough to spend $ on one, he was very helpfull.

Shortly thereafter a friend of my purchased an A4 from him without knowing that he had been recommended to me and seems happy with the car.

[pookie]

Thanks Mike.

Also you Saab guys what kind of mileage where you seeing interstate wise?

[good hands]

about 30 on the highway.

[N Fotouhi]

Originally Posted by pookie

Thanks Mike.

Also you Saab guys what kind of mileage where you seeing interstate wise?

If safety and gas milage are high on the list, I think that SAAB tops the Accord on both. 2.0L turbo in very easy on gas with front and front-passenger side airbags. Anything after 00 MY also has traction control standard. BTW, because it is a turbo, I have always used either mid-grade or premium gas, but I think regular is fine.

For $15K you should be able to buy close to a 04 9-3 sedan, maybe even a certified car. The depreciation on SAABs are the pits. A freind just bought a 07 for $21.4K. That included about $5K in various incentives and a little haggling.

Good luck.

[86911TLCAB]

Go to the Tysons corner area...lots of dealerships there..tito

[Rick K]

Had a '99 Saab 9three for 3 years - good car, averaged close to 30mpgs on the highway as well - no troubles at all. Rubbery feel to the stick shift if you are going manual (long throw), 3rd gear is the best/most fun. Big time turbo lag, really kicks in at about 4000RPMs.

Honda's are basically bulletproof and cheap to maintain - can't go wrong there, but leaves a lot to desire for fun drives.

Interestingly enough, I was travelling the other day, and Hertz messed up my reservation (they usually "up-grade" me to a midsize car, which always turns out to be a Bord Faurus). Instead, they gave me a compact - turned out to be a Mazda 3. I wasn't expecting much, but pleasantly surprised. The car was extremely peppy, the tip was lots of fun, and it was as tight as a drum on highway and around curves - seemed like a really good package for an extremely reasonable price. Interested to see if others have had similar experiences.

[BlackTalon]

It would be interesting to have one of the mechanics (RickV?) chime in with their experiences on some of the out-of-warranty cars in the class you're looking at.

[BillJ]

Originally Posted by pookie

Also BillJ how is that A6 on the interstate gas wise. Her commute is almost all interstate.

Probably not as good as some of the others in your list at about 26mpg, but I have a heavy foot and it is a manual. Certified ones probably fall outside your price range though.

[Dr K]

Love my Prius. Love it more with the stickier tires I put on it (no loss in gas mileage, just don't slow down for turns now). Very reliable - I've had it almost 4 years.

Peter

[The Donkey]

I have a CPO 530i, 2003. you can probably get one in the low 20's now i would think. they are the last year of the pre'bangle body style. built very well. i haven't had any issue. very safe or at least it appears. i get 30 mpg on the interstate. 24 around town. it is a 5 spd and is fun to drive. my parents have all saabs and they do get great gas mileage. they like them but they don't care much for the driving experience. so, i don't know if they are any fun to drive. i am always looking for my family and the Volvos look pretty safe, same driving experience as Saab and get good gas mileage I would assume.