$20k and fits 5 and going to have for 5 year challenge?

I am considering buying a larger vehicle to Darth Commuter. Personally I am getting older and getting into a subcompact has gotten tedious. While there is the fall back Panther Platform cars is rather have a 2013/2014 vehicle in the $20k range. I'm not against a SUV, wagon, truck or sedan. Currently on my radar are four specific vehicles that I have driven and enjoy, what I'm looking for is you experience with others in the range.

My list of "I could live with this for five years" cars in no order:

2014 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R Spec - at $21,000 this was a heck of a lot of car.

2013 Dodge Durango Crew 5.7 - with cloth, no sunroof but Bluetooth and Navigation and 24k miles at $20,500

2013 Acura MDX Technology - $13,500 gets new tires and 72k on the clock. Nice seven passenger alternative.

2014 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 5.7 - Its a truck! $22,500.

What else should I look into?

In reply to QuasiMofo:

How far is your commute?

A real Darth Commuter would be to trade your Cruise in for a different Chevy with somewhat similar styling...are the 2014 Chevy SS's down to that price range yet?

Can the Infiniti M56 be bought that low yet? They do depreciation like crazy.
I just like the idea of 5.6Ls in a sedan.

Piggy backing the MDX, what about the crazy ZDX which only seats 5?

Buy the truck and use it to drag all sorts of dead cars home. Profit!

You can buy a lot of nice highway burning corvette for that money.

The Genesis is a nice choice.
Kia also had a Rwd V8 that no one knew about. Are K9000's cheap enough yet?

Wasn't there a Saab version of the Trailblazer with an LSx in it?

I found a couple M56 for low low 20's on CarGurus last time I searched that tire burner (a few months back). BIL had that engine in a Titan for over a decade and all it asked for was fuel.

I'd also look at the GS450h.

Edit: drive an Equus while you're at the Hyundai CPO counter.

Woody wrote: Wasn't there a Saab version of the Trailblazer with an LSx in it?

There was, but IIRC it was mid-late 2000's.

I would go truck. I am back in one after about a two years of not having one in the fleet and it is a must have to get stuff done. I drive it more than any of my other vehicles. Probibly more than all my other cars combined.

1 year old Charger?

Pete Gossett wrote: In reply to QuasiMofo: How far is your commute?

One way 7 miles 5 days per week and 62 2 days per week.

John Welsh wrote: A real Darth Commuter would be to trade your Cruise in for a different Chevy with somewhat similar styling...are the 2014 Chevy SS's down to that price range yet?

We drove a G8 GT and I was shocked that it had about the same interior volume and egress as the Cruze. Perfect for young Quasi, rough on old Mofo

mazdeuce wrote: Buy the truck and use it to drag all sorts of dead cars home. Profit!

6 twelve hour shifts and one 6 hour shift every week has reduced me to racing in that new class SPEC-Tater.

mndsm wrote: You can buy a lot of nice highway burning corvette for that money.

Not enough seats.

I love the idea though.

John Welsh wrote: The Genesis is a nice choice. Kia also had a Rwd V8 that no one knew about. Are K9000's cheap enough yet?

$30's still. They really seem to be holding value!

OHSCrifle wrote:

Woody wrote: Wasn't there a Saab version of the Trailblazer with an LSx in it?

There was, but IIRC it was mid-late 2000's.

Not terribly won over by what's under the skin on that truck. Bankruptcy era GM vehicles are mostly off my list just from my dealership experience.

dean1484 wrote: I would go truck. I am back in one after about a two years of not having one in the fleet and it is a must have to get stuff done. I drive it more than any of my other vehicles. Probibly more than all my other cars combined.

We've got _armtruck (because it's gotten the F knocked out of it!) for using as a truck.

patgizz wrote: 1 year old Charger?

Actually on the radar! We had a rental V6 base car that left me unimpressed but it was mid to high mileage Enterprise car so I'm going to have to drive an appropriately equipped V8 car

Other than a Charger, how about another cop car...

AWD, Ecoboost, Taurus SHO.
The SUV disguised as a sedan.

In reply to John Welsh :

Or it's fraternal twin, the Lincoln MKS, which often sells for less than the SHO

Taurus SHO cop cars are down around 10K from what I've seen. Really good deals IMO, though I think you would need to switch out to a civvie interior to make it truly livable.

https://lexington.craigslist.org/cto/6146630284.html

I like the idea of the Taurus SHO, Ford seems to get a lot of stuff right these days.