I got to drive the Jag--not an easy feat since not just every dealer has one. Very impressive car (but it ought to be--the sticker is just north of $125K). Downside is that it is substantially more than I wanted to spend, but the upside is that it is a dealer demo with 2200 miles on it--general manager's demo car, so it can/wll be significantly discounted. It is a deep pewter metallic (Carpathian Grey) with black rims and black/charcoal interior. I'd rather have all black on black on black, but I can't get a $20+K discount if they have to source one from another dealer, and this one is a good looking car as it is.
I really didn't want to go the whole way to $100K for a car, but my buddy's wife just bought a loaded Escalade that stickered just under $100K, and that is nothing more than a leather-wrapped Suburban IMO. It seems there is a rather clear demarcation line at around $50K--anything under that mark is all about the same in looks and performance, and as soon as you crack that barrier, the prices climb very rapidly.(as in $10K increments).
The Benz is out, and the Porsche is teetering on the edge. The Benz is compromised in back seat headroom (due to its coupe-like styling), and not a lot of trunk space. The Porsche is just expensive and every dealer has at least a dozen of them, and they aren't giving them away, despite the rather large inventory. BMW doesn't really have anything that appeals to me (their big sedans are "dated")--neither does Audi, and Maserati was never really an option due to their history of reliability (or lack thereof), small dealer network, and the fact that their flagship sedan looks like a bloated Buick. The new Alfa's are getting rave reviews, but the only Alfa I ever owned was a Spyder (30 years ago), and I still can't get that taste out of my mouth.
From the total loss of my other car back in May, and the sale of my bike, I have $70K cash readily available, and can gather up the rest, or live with a car payment for a couple years (would be no more than a payment on an Accord or Camry), but I haven't had a car payment since 1998 (other than work trucks, and that is the business, not me, personally).
Someone chime in and talk me out of this before I call the dealer back today!
Reading that last paragraph back to myself, it just drips of "justification"
Someone save me...
