<p>So my husband has FINALLY decided that he has put enough money into his 1999 Volvo S70 even though he is just under the 200K mileage mark he was going for. He is considering an odd mix of vehicles, but I thought I would ask here whether anyone has experience with these vehicles. </p>
<p>He has had two Volvos in the last 25 years, so he is commited to at least looking at the S80. He is also going to drive a Camry, a Honda Accord Crosstour, a Buick LaCrosse. I also like the Toyota Venza, Lincoln MKZ, and Cadillac CTS (I think). </p>
<p>So, what do you think? Any experience with these vehicles?</p>
<p>Why not just a regular Honda Accord? The Crosstour hasn’t gotten very good reviews but the Accord is a top car. We own two of them. I currently drive a 2000 Volvo S70SE and I will be looking at the Volvo S60…it’s a comparable size.</p>
<p>All of these cars are in different price brackets but if money is not object my choice out of these vehicles would be the S80 . the CTS wagon is a great option and it’s a different type of vehicle . All of these would be great options , it really just comes down to what you like the best .</p>
<p>I have heard that this is a bad time to buy Japanese cars. The recent difficulties in Japan have decreased the supply, and the prices have gone up. So it may be better to choose a car that doesn’t come from a Japanese manufacturer or wait a while.</p>
<p>I drive a seven-year-old Camry with almost 100,000 miles on it. I was thinking of replacing it with a new Camry, but now I will probably wait a while longer until the supply of Toyotas is back to normal.</p>
<p>I loved my old '98 Volvo wagon but the constant maintenance costs made us trade it in.
Our '98 Honda Accord on the other hand rarely had a problem but was not as comfortable as the Volvo on long trips.</p>
<p>I really like the looks/features of the new Buicks…the LaCrosse and the Regal (which is more the size of the Camry). I’ve read good reviews on them. </p>
<p>I currently drive a Toyota Avalon that I love.</p>
<p>Have you considered the Ford Fusion? That is what my husband wants me to look at when I replace my Volvo. He’d like me to get the hybrid Fusion. Personally I don’t like the look of the car, but it might be worth considering.</p>
<p>^^ My sister visited us recently driving a Ford Fusion that is her new company car. She works for a large publishing co. that chose the Ford Fusion over the Chevy Malibu after test driving/evaluating both. Sis really likes the Fusion. Like most cars, I think some colors look good on the Fusion and some don’t. Her white one looked nice.</p>
<p>I was at the local Subaru dealer last week and they told me that there will be cars coming in for a while and then production will slow down considerably or stop as parts needed won’t be available from Japan. I read an article that stated that March or April was the time to buy a new car and that missing that, it might be better to wait until 2012. New and used cars will be going up in price as shortages increase.</p>
<p>Marian…you are correct about the shortage of Japanese cars…we just bought a Lexus and while we didnt get a “bad” deal…we were told that we could have gotten a better deal had we bought a couple of months ago…this is all due to the earth quake and tsunami…</p>
<p>The Volvo S80 is a beautiful car, however it is only rear wheel drive.(at least it was a couple years ago) If you are done hauling kids around you should look at the 60.</p>
<p>If you like Volvos, consider the XC60, a newer model with advanced accident avoidance technology (“city safety”). It is available in front wheel drive or 4wd.</p>
<p>We drove the Honda cross-tour. It was nicer than we expected, but a bit pricey. If we were replacing our minivan it might have been a contender.</p>
<p>I like the Honda Accord, especially now that the 2011 models offer memory seats. We are considering Acura and Audi A4 (DH’s favorite) too, but I think the Accord gives the most bang for the buck.</p>