[amit_mechengg]

I replied to your thread and 2 days later my friend was in a similar situation due for an upgrade. We went and bought a certified Range Rover Velar in $52,000. The odo was just 7200 miles. Pristine clean brand new condition. To be frank nothing can beat the experience from this car. Do have a look at this too, its a YOLO car for Indians.

[landcruiser123]

One life, buy the Dodge Charger. V8s are dying :(

Buy a used SUV like RAV 4 (CR-V) or Highlander (Pilot) as a second car.

[shree_shell]

Very interesting thread. While I agree with GTO that V8 cravings can be best satisfied in the United States, it's important to note that they are more likely going to be American cars which have poor built quality. Unless, you are looking for something a bit more radical i.e. American Trucks. I live in a red neck town and can assure you that American Trucks, esp. the F150/250/350 series are considered very reliable. Note that you may also consider the SUV counterparts of these trucks.

If I were to be in your shoes,

My Truck choice - 1-2 yrs Used F150 Raptor

My SUV choice - Some big ass hauler like Suburban or Cadillac!

I would stay away from electric cars because if you are a whimsical inter-state road tripper like me, it will always give some form of anxiety.

Btw, Trucks these days ride really well and provide much needed soft ride on long trips. Its worth test-driving a F150 or RAM 1500 (not the work-truck spec) just to experience that.

[sierrabravo98]

I am surprised that more members are not suggesting the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade trinity (well, maybe not a new Escalade as it starts near 80k USD). These are true blue American SUVs which ought to fulfill all your requirements. If you are willing to compromise on the V8 thing, then the Ford Expedition is also a great option.

IMHO, there is no point in going for small Japanese/German crossovers (by US standards). You can experience a X3/X5 or an Infinity anywhere on the globe. But the pleasure of driving a full size BOF SUV can only be enjoyed to the fullest in North America.

[BusyBoyKK]

Allow me to confuse you further.

The new 2022 Acura MDX A-Spec or even better Type S variant. It's not a V8. But should give you good driving pleasure with enough power, decent handling, enough space for 4 people on those long drives, and awesome audio - a new ELS Studio 3D audio system.

And within budget.

[mr.sinha]

CarBot, it seems you've got a great taste for powerful vehicles and a generous budget to match that. The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody is definitely drool-worthy (707-hp) if you can afford it. New would be 20K+ above your budget, other used ones could be within 60K. But that also does not leave money for a powerful family hauler with lots of luggage space.

So on a practical side, given you V8 specs and budget, I can think of the following:
(excluding the pickup trucks even with the 4-door crew cabs, unless you are in Texas country and you need the flatbed also to carry farm equipment and fodder for your cattle).

Chevy Yukon or Suburban. Both very powerful, spacious and quite luxurious.

Toyota Sequoia or Lexus GX 460. Can't go wrong with either. Legendary build quality. Lexus is smooth as butter.

Infiniti QX80. Definitely should be a contender. Very luxurious and powerful. Do take a test drive at least.

Not a fan of the Jeep Grand Cherokee - I like the Wrangler better, which is not practical for family.

"Wrapped-in-luxury" V8 SUV I've seen/rode (not driven): Cadillac Escalade - a classic American. You travel like a king. But about 30-40K over your budget.

As someone said, go American - I fully agree. So my top 3 would be:
1. Yukon/Suburban
2. QX80
3. Lexus GX460

Good luck with your vehicle shopping.
For used car shopping, I personally prefer Carmax - 30-day (used to be 7-day, but now they extended) no questions asked return policy - not many dealers give that.

[kinetic]

Originally Posted by CarBot

...... Also kids are 5 year old and 6 months old hence mommy needs to sit at back, so considering Charger RT. ......

Based on the portion of your response I highlighted there, you're going to have to pay close attention to the overall width of the rear seat. You're basically trying to accommodate 2 child seats and an adult. Not all your options will allow that. I'd imagine most full-size American SUVs (ones with the V8s you desire) could manage that, but its not a done deal. You'd have to check it in person.

If you're willing to forgo the V8 requirement, there's probably some great Euro options to consider with NA V6 or turbo-V6 options. A 2-3 year old Porsche Cayenne S comes to mind, or even a 1-2 year old LR Discovery. Not sure if the V8 RRS fits in that budget. Also not sure if any of these would satisfy the rear seat requirement stated above. It's really a matter to figuring that out in person.

Important Note: The US car market is exploding right now due to the chip shortage and general supply chain issues. New car inventory is at historic lows, and used cars are rocketing upwards in prices. Depending on when you're looking to buy, this could be worse or it could get better if supply issues are resolved. I'm in the market (kind of, I'm always looking ), so I can attest to prices creeping up steadily.

Good luck on your search!

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by shree_shell

My Truck choice - 1-2 yrs Used F150 Raptor

I am enjoying this thread a lot and liked reading the various suggestions, especially yours. I wish in India, we had such a varied selection of cars / trucks, instead of the usual crossovers from Tata and Hyundai.

I am not much of a car guy, but I worked in the US for a government agency, and our fleet was mainly a mix of Malibu, Impala, Charger, Yukon, and Suburban. Its an all domestic fleet mix. While the vehicles are durable and have robust engines, in terms of build quality and maintenance, they are very untrustworthy. Constant maintenance issues, inferior part quality, breakdowns, electrical issues.. you name it, we faced it.


But the Ford F150 is really a reliable workhorse. Most of my colleagues had them and the engine required just the basic maintenance and had very little headache. I was very tempted to get one, but decided not to.

No wonder, every rural American wants the F150, simply because its a utilitarian work horse that has very little issues. I am yet to see an Indian owner though with a Ford F 150 with a mounted gun rack ...

[george_kj]

If you are open to buying used vehicle I would suggest a 2014 or latter ML/GLE 63 AMG. I have one and never regret driving it. I am attaching a picture of my baby.

[CarBot]

Now this is why Team-bhp is like a family, I am so overwhelmed and so over confused and at the same time so very happy to see all the response.

Life was simpler when us Desi's used to buy car in US for the first time- go Japanese used to be the mantra. Settled Desi's used to go German. Now people like us (if I may say petrol heads) are spoilt with wide variety of choices and oh boy with these amazing suggestions and suggested alternatives, this is what I am leaning towards.

If I decide(more than if I decide if wife approves for) 1 Car Strategy:

1. Charger R/T (new)
2. Chevy Suburban / Tahoe (certified)
3. GMC Yukon SLE/SLT (certified)

Most probably 2 car is what I might end up with
Charger/Challenger R/T (Certified, but all certified are priced very close to new ones) + Subaru Forester (certified)
I don't want to let go of the V8 rumble while it is still being manufactured. I want a piece of that cake.

Now the spanner in the works was with F150 Raptor, I will definitely test drive this for sure before deciding.

And another interesting observation was that there were not many suggestions on the Subaru, let it be WRXs or the STIs(yes these are not V8s but they are enthusiast cars. You get manual and a great exhaust in STI). I have heard there are reliability issues with Subaru's but all those reviews are with a decade old Subarus.

I owe you guys an update as soon I purchase the car.

I don't think there is anything left to get confused about the choice But hey who knows, keep pouring in your valuable suggestions.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by CarBot

1. Charger R/T (new)
2. Chevy Suburban / Tahoe (certified)
3. GMC Yukon SLE/SLT (certified)

@Carbot, if you get the Charger new, please shop around. As its a in-demand vehicle and in favor with those who like muscle cars, dealers are quite shrewd and tack on premium pricing. 2 dealers in the same town will price the Charger differently. There was a very good story about this on Jalopnik.

Use autotrader, edmunds, car and driver, kbb and nada to get a good idea of what the price should be. When you go to the dealership, do not mention how you will pay - whether in cash, loan, or in house dealer financing.

Haggle a lot, go through the fine print, question every charge that is tacked on. Some dealers add sneaky costs. Once, you have finalized on the car price, then and only then tell the dealer you will pay in cash or loan.

Interest free loans are always the best, but dealers often remove the dealer rebates when you mention that you will be using the loan facility.

You can also compare the dealer financing with bank financing and ask him to match it, if the bank's is lower.


I added in a link from jalopnik as a template, it helped me a lot when I was shopping around 10 years back.

https://jalopnik.com/ten-things-you-...car-1641172702

[shree_shell]

Being a devil's advocate here.

A two car garage is fine. But with the cost of insurance and registration (depends where you live) it will quickly make you borderline regret buying your least favorite of the two cars.

If you are truly smitten by one of Dodge-wife-beater-muscle cars, another way to do that is to rent it for a few days for a roadtrip on Turo. They have a great collection of cars. I also suggest this because safe and legal 0-60mph or 100mph sprints becomes old and unsafe really fast.

[kamilharis]

This might sound odd to most of the BHPians, but I would recommend evaluating the majestic Genesis GV80, it can be a killer of an all-rounder, and the matte finish paint job it gets in some of the variants are great looking. TAHOE/YUKON might be a no-nonsense USA car but hey, that's too common I would say!

The GV80 always grabs my attention with its presence whenever I come across one.

[aaaajwedk]

I was just watching Doug DeMuro's BMW M6 review on YouTube. He said that the 2014 models sell for around 35k-45k USD depending on how its specced. The manuals are more expensive since they're extremely rare (only around 70 in the world!).

They've got a 560hp V8 which sounds really tempting. They fit your budget, and you'll have some cash left over for when something might go wrong with the car.

[Eshan Joshi]

Originally Posted by CarBot

1. Charger R/T (new)
2. Chevy Suburban / Tahoe (certified)
3. GMC Yukon SLE/SLT (certified)

Hey CarBot,
If you are fine with a used sedan and want a single car check out a used Lexus GSF. You can get a decent used one with for around 50k dollars. It comes with a NA V8 and is pretty family friendly and goes 0-60 under 5 seconds. But finding one might be hard.
And if you are fine with a V6 check out the Kia Stinger. You will not be disappointed.

And another interesting observation was that there were not many suggestions on the Subaru, let it be WRXs or the STIs(yes these are not V8s but they are enthusiast cars. You get manual and a great exhaust in STI). I have heard there are reliability issues with Subaru's but all those reviews are with a decade old Subarus.

The WRX STI / WRX is very raw. It has a stiff ride and loud interior sounds. I would not recommend it as a family car. But as a personal car? yes.
If you decide to get a V8 family hauler, you can get the subie as your second one.