patrick.net

BMW, the ultimate driving machine. Three year old 5 series BMW's (the wife's ride) with under 30k on the clock are right around 40k most places. You can find a 7 series (my ride) close to that with a little luck. If you have to ask why a BMW then you probably should be buying a Lexus.

All true. But remember Mercedes are for people who need to drive, BMWs are for people who want to drive. Jaguars are for fools, I owned one once. Only once. I also zipped my private parts up in my zipper once. Only once. It was far less painful than owning a Jag.

For $40,000, why not buy new already? Yeah, your not going to get an S Class or 7 series, but your getting a brand new car. I would much rather have a new cheap car over a used expensive car any day of the week.

SF ace says

The 3.5 Liter engine is just right for the car, which admittedly drives heavy, and it is (in a good way), about 5000 lbs.

Not true. An E350 weighs just over 3800 lbs with a gas engine and under 4300 with diesel.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/10q4/2011_mercedes-benz_e350_bluetec_diesel-short_take_road_test
http://www.carautoreviews.com/2010-mercedes-e-class-e350-4matic-e550-e63-amg-review-prices-pictures-specifications-videos/

You have a lot of choice in this area for the "executive-class" car: Audi A6, BMW 5-series, Mercedes E-class, Infiniti M, Lexus GS, Jaguar XF, Acura RL, Volvo S80, Cadillac CTS, and Lincoln MKS.

"Best" is hard to say, as it's a matter of personal preference. For example, a Cadillac CTS-V could smoke almost anything else, but probably doesn't fit a lot of people's "best." At the same time, the Lexus GS might be the quietest, but a Lexus usually isn't a driver's car, unless it's an LF-A :) .

I'm assuming you're looking for someone to tell you whether to buy the Mercedes, the BMW, or the Lexus if you're asking this question. People have mostly given good opinions on that question.

Wrong, 74 eldo drop top is the only way to go, didn't you ever watch "Tin Cup"?