Car question

[Ashcan Bill]

For what it's worth, I have a Lexus IS350 I've been very happy with.

306 HP with snappy acceleration.
6 speed auto.
Paddle shifter for those winding roads.
Seats 4 comfortably.
Rear wheel drive.
Decent handling, with a sport suspension package available that I really didn't see the need for.
Full leather interior with more gizmos than I can name. I kinda loaded up on the options when I bought it.
Problem free. All I've done is routine maintenance.
Mileage ranges between 24-28 mpg using premium fuel.
Minimal glass compared to most new cars. I hate driving in a fish bowl.
Depending on options, the IS350 should fall in your price range.

Like you, I keep my cars for a long time. I figure I'll keep this one until it hits the 15 year mark. I have absolutely no regrets buying it, and there's nothing out there I'd really rather have at the moment.

My wife is making noise about getting herself a new ride. She has an 11 year old Lexus RX300 that's also been bulletproof. I'm going to hate getting rid of it, but I won't tell her no. She prefers an SUV, so at this point I'm going to steer her either toward another Lexus or maybe an Infinity. After 11 years, hers is still worth probably 20% of what we paid for it. Lexus maintains a pretty decent trade-in value.