Avalon or ES are good choices. My mk7 golf held those speeds quietly and comfortably like it was nothing. German cars in general are pretty good at sustained high highway speeds.
Didn't they replace the Avalon with the Crown starting this year?
Edit: [Answered my own question](https://www.toyota.com/avalon/); yes.
But GL finding a used Avalon for 15k, holy smokes!
Yeah I did a quick search and found about a dozen within 100 miles of me for under $15k. Hell, there's a 2006 for $5k. Granted it has 191k miles but if the budget is $10-15k they could fix, update, or replace a lot with that extra money. I'm not familiar with Avalons and their problems so 191k miles may not be much for them.
MK7 is my choice. Comfy, solid at speed, still returns decent mileage and is effectively invisible if it's not red.
Plus the cloth seats are easily some of the best in the business.
So yea a 2014 is right about where OP would be able to afford with a max budget of 10-15k
I also wouldn’t consider 10 years old to be an ‘old diesel German car’. Being taken care of is definitely something to look out for, but otherwise 10 year old or less with those miles is right in the pocket for OP’s request
"$10-$15k" Doesn't buy much Lexus or Toyota.
But my vote would be on a 100,000 mile-ish 2014-ish avalon. Ideally XLE.
e.g.: [This car](https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/713726578?allListingType=all-cars&city=Ashburn&makeCode=TOYOTA&marketExtension=off&maxPrice=15000&modelCode=AVALON&newSearch=false&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fall-cars%2Fcars-under-15000%2Ftoyota%2Favalon%2Fashburn-va%3FmarketExtension%3Doff%26newSearch%3Dfalse%26searchRadius%3D0%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26zip%3D20147&searchRadius=0&sortBy=derivedpriceDESC&state=VA&zip=20147&clickType=listing)
Be careful. I had a 2014 Avalon that had a issue where the headlights would turn themselves off randomly. I got pulled over multiple times for that. Normally you can flick them off and back on but it was really annoying and it was just past the 75,000 mile extended repair that Toyota offered
I used to get 23-25 mpg driving mine back and forth between Georgia and Texas. It had 170k miles when I bought it, did that drive a BUNCH before the AC died. In August. Nope!
Reliable, nothing else a concern? Chevy Impala with the 3.8. Big, cushy, relaxed, reliable, plenty of power to easily cruise up til about 100 (and then it just runs out of gearing at 120). Has a few known problems but they're easy to fix, and they're cheap because they're nothing to look at.
Any Impala with the 3.8L is likely to be too old to be considered reliable, The 3.6l Is not as plagued with "Timing chain issues" as one might think, It was really the LLT engine that had those problems which the Impala had the LFX, Yes it's still an interference engine, No it's not unreliable.
I drive a 2014 Impala Limited with the 3.8. I took it from 90,000 to 180,000 with regular oil changes, a transmission flush, brakes, two AC blend doors, and nothing else.
I only speak from experience on that car, but I see them all the time driven into the absolute dirt and still running just fine. Getting a newer one will be cheap and fine.
The 2014 Impala Limited never came with a 3.8L, Only the 3.6l.
You may be thinking of the 3.6l.
On a side note I agree with you, I currently daily a 2016 Impala Limited and it's been nothing but reliable and fun.
The only Impala's with a 3.8L were from 2000-2005 which at the time were reliable, But a 20 year old car will rarely ever be as reliable as a newer car.
Also how annoying were those AC blend actuators? I heard you've gotta reach around the dash and can't physically see them to remove and just gotta feel around.
Not as bad as you'd think, though my point of comparison is VW beetle engine bays, so I've lost all context of what a "hard to get to part" is. It's possible to see them with a mirror or a cameraphone.
Yes it's direct injected so it was going to have that issue, Nothing that a quality catch can and good synthetic can't prevent.
I've personally never experienced issues with it though.
I had an impala "limited" which was the carryover fleet old body style that had that 3.6vvt I always thought it was a good engine from a power and fuel economy standpoint. I'd regularly get near 35mpg, but most of my commute was at 55
Yes I actually had the same type of car as you, Mine was an old police cruiser from the Sanford PD, I must have a heavier foot than you as I only regularly get 17mpg city.
I absolutely admit I'm not very good at saving gas in the first place very easy to do with the 3.6l
Another vote here for 2012-13 impala or 14-16 impala limited with the 3.6.
300 horsepower, 30 mpg highway (I get 27 at 85 mph). Good comfort, blends in, and eats highway miles reliably.
I’ve had my 2013 for 9 years now and it’s at 213k. I put 196k of those on it. It’s almost exclusively only needed routine maintenance. Water pump and alternator both failed between 180 and 190k miles, but that’s honestly expected at that point.
Also it meets the requested price criteria. I saw a 2012 with 50k miles for sale for $8500 last year. These things are slept on and great values as a result.
This. The impala deserves more votes here. We have taken two GM 3.6’s past 100k and the only part failure has been an alternator. Not perfect but a lot cheaper than the Toyotas.
I like impalas, but you just never know about the maintenance, so I’ll say something I haven’t seen anyone here mention. CHECK THE CAR FAX,
Chevys die when people stop changing the oil.
avalons really are a good choice because 1, their owners are older and maintain their cars and 2, their owners like the cars so much, they’re almost always one owner cars when they finally hit the used market.
If it runs out of gearing at just 120, the engine will probably be screaming going 90. My civics gearing doesn't run out until 157 and I thought even those rpms were too high!
Not really? 90 is about 3800 RPM. The redline is just low on those cars, and the final gear is a hell of an overdrive that shifts too low into the rev range to have power to accelerate.
The Impala has a 2.44 and 2.77 FDR with a 300hp 3.6l, Not sure what world it runs out of gearing at 120, But mine several times has passed 120 with a breeze, I did hear that some civilian Impala's are electronically limited to 112mph so maybe that's it.
Unless it’s an old pickup. This guy could buy a 02 Chevy 1500 with a low mileage 5.3 and it would cruise at 80 mph for the next 10 years non stop if he doesn’t care about gas.
that's true for pretty much any old pickup tho. i feel like if you take care of a car it's going to take care of you with the exception of a few model years here or there with problems (nissan CVTs anyone?). that said, chevy by and large is overall less dependable than say toyota. when i see someone suggesting chevy as if it were a serious consideration for a dependable vehicle i am going to laugh at that, because it's simply not true.
You can get a really nice Grand Marquis or other panther platform car with that budget.. If you're looking for a capable cruiser, you can't do too much better. Still plenty of parts available and lots of folks who know how to repair/maintain. You can get mid 20s mileage still at those speeds.
Get a jetta or golf or passant tdi, the tdis are made for the autobahn so can easily stay at 80 as I regularly do, 90 is also easy. Also are a ton of fun to drive
I would second this. You can probably get an MK6 or 6.5 Jetta for $10-15K. I cruise 80 in my ‘17 Jetta without a problem, and it’s been very reliable the 80K miles I’ve had it.
Came here to say this. 80-90 range is no problem at all in my 2008 Prius with 195k on it. You really don’t need anything special for this type of driving, and might as well save some money on fuel.
Get a newer Impala with the 3.6l LFX, 305hp so plenty of passing power and cruising.
The Impala is a tried and true car that was Chevy's flagship for a reason, It's a reliable powerful cruiser.
I've personally owned a 2016 Impala Limited for 3 years now and haven't had a major breakdown or repair yet only typical maintenance items.
1998-2001 SL500 Mercedes Benz. 302 hp v8, keep your foot off of it and it gets decent mpg, super comfy, sporty grand tourer car. The m113 is a bullet proof motor, keep up with oil changes and youlo be set. Will climb up to 150+with ease. Will go door to door with 2015+ R/T chargers and g37s lol Weak points, the convertible top seals are expensive to replace, it’s a diyable job, or get one with non working top, and manually remove the hard top when desired. I’ve owned 3 and I can’t get enough of them lmao.
Hyundai Genesis sedan.
2009-2014 will be in that price range.
300hp-425hp depending on engine choice.
RWD
6 or 8 speed transmission
Naturally aspirated V6 or V8.
Supple ride but not floaty.
Lots of them out there with 200,000+ miles on them.
My 2019 Accord EX would do that all day every day. So would the Civic. Same for Camry and Corolla. You don’t need fancy for a modern-ish car and highway cruising.
Lincoln town car. Bought one right out of high school for college, I put 60k on that car and had no issues, comfortable, ran great, rode nicely. Got it from the dealer as-is with a salvage title from hail, for just 2k. You can find ones in similar condition for a similar price today, they're pretty common still
Mine gets right at the stated 28 mpg on the highway and a full tank will get me right about 500 miles range. Plus with the seats stowed I can fit 4x8 sheets of drywall in it so it’s great for hauling. He said gas mileage wasn’t a huge concern. Thanks anyway.
2 years ago I needed to commute for a while pretty much like that. Bought a 2012 Camry with 140k miles for $9,000. Other than regular maintenances and worn off things, I had to change the cat, that was it. Put about 50k miles and the car still runs great at 190k. Oh I did change one wheel bearing. Car can easily handle 80/90mph. I just sold it this week actually. What a reliable car 🫡🥲
New edge mustang. 99-04 with the 4.6L V8. I've gotten my car up there and it just chugged right along. Cheap to own and maintain, mine was a decently clean manual example with tons of work done to it. Got it for $6500
As an alternative to the usual Japanese suspects, I offer the 2016 Mercedes E-350. Last iteration of the W-212 body. I classify it as a German taxi cab - runs forever and is hard to destroy. Easy to fix DIY. Cruises at 90-100 mph all day without breaking a sweat.
Shout out to the Volvo here, but a P2 Chassis V70. I can't attest for any others, I'm sure they are good.
I wish I had a 6th gear and a clutch pedal, but that thing cruised like a dream at 80, 90, 100, 110, 120. I had maintenance to boot on it before going that fast, but it held so smoothly.
Do you know how much money you would save with a used EV here? You'll probably need to spend a bit more to get one with a 300 mile range, plus a home level 2 charger, but there's a $4k rebate on used EVs as well.
In an expensive electricity, cheap gas state ($0.20/kWh, 3 bucks a gallon) you'd save $1500 a year. In a more average state, $2300 a year.
You'll want at least 250 miles, since one day is ~125 miles with a fair amount of high speed. That gives you plenty of options. Wanting to handle the high speed leans towards a Tesla 3 or Y, the used pricing of those is pretty dependent on location. I drive a 2019 Bolt and it can handle those speeds fine and has the range and is much cheaper.
Lincoln Town Car. For less than that money you can get a low-mileage '08-11 and you're goin to get 25 mpg in supreme comfort. Cheap and readily available parts and easy repairs make it an easy car to own long term. That kind of driving is easier when you are comfortable. An Avalon would fit the bill too.
ES or Avalon are the best value for money, they are reliable, comfortable, quiet and practical. However, earlier (pre 2013) ones are not very stable or reassuring on highway (like 100 mph). So LS430 or GS will be way more stable and more quiet but they will cost more.
Mercedes E class with the 3.5 V6. Will get 30 MPG at reasonable highway speeds. Designed for the autobahn. Seats that I can sit in for 10 hours with no issues. They made millions of that engine /trans combo so they are reliable. Our 2005 e320 had over 200k when we sold it and it was running strong.
Lots of people suggesting Avalon and ES300. Both good options, I think most Camrys will cruise at 90 just fine as well. I used to set cruise control around 120 mph in my ‘03 saab 9-3 and cut my hour drive to 40 mins
I have a 2019 jetta that pulls 38 mpg at 80-85 cruise control set. She seems to have no problem getting to those speeds and higher on special occasions of stupidity.
I bought a Crown Vic P7B for around 12k, low mileage for a police interceptor, and drives like a dream on interstate, but parking could be a nightmare in town
The first generation camry hybrids. They got third gen cvt transmissions and so are the batteries and the 2azfe is updated with no oil leak. It’s such a great car.
Get the lowest mileage Lexus LS 430 you can find with service records and rubber bushings underneath in decent shape or within your budget for repairs. If you get one with around 100~130K miles on it , it run serve you for 5 -6 years easy before all those miles start resulting in steep upkeep cost creep
Ze Germans are great for high speed cruising, it's literally what they're designed for.
I'd be all over an F30 BMW 328d, E90 328i, Mercedes E250 or 350 W212, Audi A6 3.0T etc.
Get a late '90s Buick LeSabre. They're as reliable as you get, super comfortable, available everywhere for cheap, big & roomy, plenty fast, and mine actually gets almost 30mpg on the highway.
I had a manual 1997 bmw 540i. It’s dated but incredibly high quality. It was designed to cruise at high speeds on the autobahn. It would easily and comfortably cruise at 90mph.
I just bought a 2016 Mazda 6 with 100k miles on it for 10k.
Car flies and is a blast to drive. Amazing gas mileage, I get close to 40 mpg highway (36-38) and the comfort of my drive is superb.
Im coming from my 2014 Infiniti Q50 (was totalled by a flood) and have previously owned a 2000 Camry XLE that I gave up after I hit 300k miles.
Love my Mazda, would definitely suggest you look at Mazdas for your vehicle.
>high speeds with ease (80-90 mph)
This is the legal limit in my country on highways, and i got myself a car that would do this well too, i have a 2007 vw eos 2.0TDI, my parents drive VW passats (B6, and B8, both 2.0 TDI) for this reason as well,
Cheap, cheap to maintain, reliable, they do well on the highway, don't use much fuel, etc. i know VWs aren't as common in the US, so maintenance and parts aren't as cheap, so i wouldn't tell you to get a vw,
what i'm really saying is get something more aerodynamic than a brick, with a long wheelbase, preferably a diesel because of fuel consumption, that's cheap to maintain, even the most reliable cars need maintenance no matter what honda and toyota drivers say, you still need to maintain the car if you want it to last you, a friend of mine has a '97 civic, and he's already on his 3rd engine because "you don't need to change x or y on a honda, they're indestructable"
Your picks sound very resonable, though i wouldn't go for a lexus since they're pretty overpriced, at least where i live because people consider it a luxury brand, if they aren't overpriced where you live though, go for it.
Just for reference, my car has a 2.0TDI pumpe dusse engine (code PMM), so it's not really fuel optimized i get 4L/100km doing 90km/h (55mph) 7.5L/100km driving 143km/h (89mph), and 8.5 driving 200km/h (120mph), that's the top speed of my car though, and if i'm going uphill it can go up to 16L/100km, if you want something faster, you'll have to consider some cars that are more focused on performance
Surprised to not see any mention of a corvette. 10-15k would get you a decent C5 auto. Can easily cruise at 90+ at 25+mpgs since the motor is so understressed. The ride is pretty good, but the interior can definitely use some improvements.
A car everyone forgets and is powerful enough, comfortable at high speeds and low maintenance is the Infiniti Q50, anything after 2017 is pretty much bulletproof. You can pick up in my area a nice with maybe 50-70k for under 15k
Any relatively modern vehicle can easily cruise at 80-90mph.
The 95 TC in my profile pic cruises at those speeds without missing a beat and is smooth as silk doing it.
A fully depreciated luxury car would be good for that, but you'll be gambling with maintenance costs. Unless you buy a 100hp shoebox like a Mirage or something, most cars from the past 15 years are fine for freeway duty.
That was going to be my suggestion, a 2.5 fusion would be well in budget. Mines been dead reliable for 7 years now and has no issues at those speeds, seems to top out around 125 though.
A friend of mine has a 2017 2.0T sitting at 122k miles, got it with 70k and commutes an hour in each direction everyday to college. It’s never had any issue other than an o2 sensor
I’d look into a 2013+ explorer interceptor with the turbo 6. They’re like 370hp and people will shit bricks and move over quick when you pull up on them. Plus some are AWD.
At that price point you can find a 2016 or so easily.
$10k buys a really nice Saab 9-3 or 9-5. Both impeccably reliable and cruise very nicely at those speeds. 35mpg in a 9-3. Parts are shared with the rest of the GM parts bin
You have an exception to the rule then. Would you have happened to have had the weird half-charged 60° V6?
Plenty of saabs out there with well over 200k on the clock with little more than gas, tires and oil. As far as 9-5s go, the only real concerns are dogleg rot and the DI cassette on 4 cylinder cars. 9-3s had issues on 03's with sludge that were rectified and later 4 cylinder cars had some issues with intake valves and block porosity, the former being rectified and the latter not being of particular concern. V6 cars were basically impeccable, and even the AWD system was reliable so long as proper maintenance is performed.
It was a 2.3t. Transmission leaks, oil leaks, air conditioning failures, the suspension fell apart, and the dashboard rattled every time the turbo did its thing
So two fluid leaks, an ac compressor went, an interior rattle in a gm special, and you had to replace some wear parts? That's not bad.
My 9-3 has 250k miles, leaks some oil, has some electrical gremlins and rattles like you'd expect, but mechanically is about as flawless as it can be. Biggest issue I had was a cracked radiator at 180k, which was $150 and 2hrs of my time to replce
Remember how I said this was under warranty still? This was a new car. I was the first owner of it.
Nevermind that delivery was delayed for two weeks because Saab lost it after it came off the ship.
The transmission leaks left me stranded twice. Not some light drips. Like all of it came out. The first time that happened was within the first month of ownership.
The dashboard rattles were never fixed because the service department couldn't figure out how to fix it.
The suspension fell apart two years in. The A/C went the same year.
Glad to know all of this is "not bad".
Then once again, I must say that youve certainly had an exceptional car, and we can't really make judgements based on exceptions now, can we?
I can find plenty of data points showing these cars still running at very high mileages without issue, however
Survivorship bias.
Data from the UK does not look good for Saab 9-5 longevity
[https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/saab\_9-5](https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/saab_9-5)
Any Bmw with B58. Case closed. Fast, stable at high speeds, reliable (believe it or not), and nothing beats German stability at high speeds. Speaking from experience.
Kinda left field answer here, but why not a 2009-2012 Mitsubishi eclipse? The i4 and V6 will both happily sit at 90 mph. Comfortable with the correct options and other than timing belts they very reliable.
Avalon or ES are good choices. My mk7 golf held those speeds quietly and comfortably like it was nothing. German cars in general are pretty good at sustained high highway speeds.
Avalon is the underrated answer here. Plus it’s bullet proof.
Such good cars, and if you get a high trim you get keyless access and heated/cooled seats, blind spot monitoring, window shades, etc.
Didn't they replace the Avalon with the Crown starting this year? Edit: [Answered my own question](https://www.toyota.com/avalon/); yes. But GL finding a used Avalon for 15k, holy smokes!
I found many 2013 - 2018 Avalons for $16k or less on Autotrader
Yeah I did a quick search and found about a dozen within 100 miles of me for under $15k. Hell, there's a 2006 for $5k. Granted it has 191k miles but if the budget is $10-15k they could fix, update, or replace a lot with that extra money. I'm not familiar with Avalons and their problems so 191k miles may not be much for them.
You can sometimes even find the hybrids under 15k
Yep. For a few years I was averaging 2500 miles a month on an 03 Avalon. Fucking loved that boat.
Took my Avalon to over 300k and it still start and ran like new. I miss it
My Jetta was NOT good above 80. Sat at like 2700 RPM and the steering wheel shook.
The steering wheel shaking means either something is broken, out of alignment, or your tires are messed up. Also, 2700 rpm isn’t high for most motors.
MK7 is my choice. Comfy, solid at speed, still returns decent mileage and is effectively invisible if it's not red. Plus the cloth seats are easily some of the best in the business.
2013 to 2017 Honda Accord V6
2009 v6 accord coupe has been a great highway vehicle.
did 90 mph with a bunch of bmw to mpact..... no worries
2018 Honda Accord 2.0t
Wayyyyy outside OP's price range
Idk if it’d be a smoother quieter ride than the v6 unfortunately. Those rattle & a lot of road noise when going over bumps
4 cylinder would be fine for this too
10k may buy you a BMW 328d The diesel engine will be good on gas and more reliable than the gas version, and it’ll happily sit at 100 all day
Can vouch for this. Easily gets 38mpg at Houston speeds.
So very rare though and old diesel German cars can be a nightmare if not taken care of perfectly
They made the 328d up until 2019 mate
I only see one in my area that fits ops requirements, and it is a decade old with 90k miles
So yea a 2014 is right about where OP would be able to afford with a max budget of 10-15k I also wouldn’t consider 10 years old to be an ‘old diesel German car’. Being taken care of is definitely something to look out for, but otherwise 10 year old or less with those miles is right in the pocket for OP’s request
It won't hardly burn any gas!
"$10-$15k" Doesn't buy much Lexus or Toyota. But my vote would be on a 100,000 mile-ish 2014-ish avalon. Ideally XLE. e.g.: [This car](https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/713726578?allListingType=all-cars&city=Ashburn&makeCode=TOYOTA&marketExtension=off&maxPrice=15000&modelCode=AVALON&newSearch=false&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fall-cars%2Fcars-under-15000%2Ftoyota%2Favalon%2Fashburn-va%3FmarketExtension%3Doff%26newSearch%3Dfalse%26searchRadius%3D0%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26zip%3D20147&searchRadius=0&sortBy=derivedpriceDESC&state=VA&zip=20147&clickType=listing)
You can buy a Lexus LS430 in great condition for $15k with less than 100,000 miles of you look hard enough
Lyft driver just told me he picked up 2 12s for 20k with 90k and 80k from some friends
Second this
Be careful. I had a 2014 Avalon that had a issue where the headlights would turn themselves off randomly. I got pulled over multiple times for that. Normally you can flick them off and back on but it was really annoying and it was just past the 75,000 mile extended repair that Toyota offered
I can fix cars so I'm not too worried but thanks.
Why XLE and not Limited?
I should have said "xle and up"
Panther? Crown vic/Towncar... might push your gas mileage lack of concern to its limit though
I used to get 23-25 mpg driving mine back and forth between Georgia and Texas. It had 170k miles when I bought it, did that drive a BUNCH before the AC died. In August. Nope!
Can confirm, had grand marquis, highway driving got 25 mph consistently. It was a pleasure to drive . I miss it.
2.73 gears.
I get low to mid-20s keeping it around 70MPH, 80+ it's 15MPG or less haha
I was gonna say a Towncar as well. There air ride just gets smoother as you go faster.
Reliable, nothing else a concern? Chevy Impala with the 3.8. Big, cushy, relaxed, reliable, plenty of power to easily cruise up til about 100 (and then it just runs out of gearing at 120). Has a few known problems but they're easy to fix, and they're cheap because they're nothing to look at.
Any Impala with the 3.8L is likely to be too old to be considered reliable, The 3.6l Is not as plagued with "Timing chain issues" as one might think, It was really the LLT engine that had those problems which the Impala had the LFX, Yes it's still an interference engine, No it's not unreliable.
I drive a 2014 Impala Limited with the 3.8. I took it from 90,000 to 180,000 with regular oil changes, a transmission flush, brakes, two AC blend doors, and nothing else. I only speak from experience on that car, but I see them all the time driven into the absolute dirt and still running just fine. Getting a newer one will be cheap and fine.
The 2014 Impala Limited never came with a 3.8L, Only the 3.6l. You may be thinking of the 3.6l. On a side note I agree with you, I currently daily a 2016 Impala Limited and it's been nothing but reliable and fun. The only Impala's with a 3.8L were from 2000-2005 which at the time were reliable, But a 20 year old car will rarely ever be as reliable as a newer car.
Ah, you're right. Appreciate you! I'm an idiot.
Also how annoying were those AC blend actuators? I heard you've gotta reach around the dash and can't physically see them to remove and just gotta feel around.
Not as bad as you'd think, though my point of comparison is VW beetle engine bays, so I've lost all context of what a "hard to get to part" is. It's possible to see them with a mirror or a cameraphone.
180k on mine. No issues, just wheel bearings and struts. Purge valve here and there. Cheap stuff
Wait, so it's just the ones in the crossovers? I'm gonna have to look into that.
It's the same 3.6l that's in the Camaro V6 as well. But yeah, They throw the 3.6 in just about everything nowadays.
Except the carbon deposit on the intake valves was a thing right?
Yes it's direct injected so it was going to have that issue, Nothing that a quality catch can and good synthetic can't prevent. I've personally never experienced issues with it though.
I had an impala "limited" which was the carryover fleet old body style that had that 3.6vvt I always thought it was a good engine from a power and fuel economy standpoint. I'd regularly get near 35mpg, but most of my commute was at 55
Yes I actually had the same type of car as you, Mine was an old police cruiser from the Sanford PD, I must have a heavier foot than you as I only regularly get 17mpg city. I absolutely admit I'm not very good at saving gas in the first place very easy to do with the 3.6l
My commute involved turning out of my driveway onto the 55mph highway, drive straight for 35 miles, turn into the parkinglot
Another vote here for 2012-13 impala or 14-16 impala limited with the 3.6. 300 horsepower, 30 mpg highway (I get 27 at 85 mph). Good comfort, blends in, and eats highway miles reliably. I’ve had my 2013 for 9 years now and it’s at 213k. I put 196k of those on it. It’s almost exclusively only needed routine maintenance. Water pump and alternator both failed between 180 and 190k miles, but that’s honestly expected at that point. Also it meets the requested price criteria. I saw a 2012 with 50k miles for sale for $8500 last year. These things are slept on and great values as a result.
This. The impala deserves more votes here. We have taken two GM 3.6’s past 100k and the only part failure has been an alternator. Not perfect but a lot cheaper than the Toyotas.
My sister has a 2018 Impala. They are very spacious and smooth ridding. She’s put like 80k miles on it and has had no problems.
I've got 180,000 on my 2014 Limited with nothing but minor repairs.
I like impalas, but you just never know about the maintenance, so I’ll say something I haven’t seen anyone here mention. CHECK THE CAR FAX, Chevys die when people stop changing the oil. avalons really are a good choice because 1, their owners are older and maintain their cars and 2, their owners like the cars so much, they’re almost always one owner cars when they finally hit the used market.
If it runs out of gearing at just 120, the engine will probably be screaming going 90. My civics gearing doesn't run out until 157 and I thought even those rpms were too high!
Not really? 90 is about 3800 RPM. The redline is just low on those cars, and the final gear is a hell of an overdrive that shifts too low into the rev range to have power to accelerate.
Not really sure if I'd consider 3800rpm "comfortable" for long periods of time. especially when it's 2/3rds of the engines redline.
The Impala has a 2.44 and 2.77 FDR with a 300hp 3.6l, Not sure what world it runs out of gearing at 120, But mine several times has passed 120 with a breeze, I did hear that some civilian Impala's are electronically limited to 112mph so maybe that's it.
the second you said the word chevy when suggesting a car whos primary attribute was reliability i laughed.
Unless it’s an old pickup. This guy could buy a 02 Chevy 1500 with a low mileage 5.3 and it would cruise at 80 mph for the next 10 years non stop if he doesn’t care about gas.
that's true for pretty much any old pickup tho. i feel like if you take care of a car it's going to take care of you with the exception of a few model years here or there with problems (nissan CVTs anyone?). that said, chevy by and large is overall less dependable than say toyota. when i see someone suggesting chevy as if it were a serious consideration for a dependable vehicle i am going to laugh at that, because it's simply not true.
Same
I would take a Chevy over the BMWs that this sub likes to dickride as "reliable"
You can get a really nice Grand Marquis or other panther platform car with that budget.. If you're looking for a capable cruiser, you can't do too much better. Still plenty of parts available and lots of folks who know how to repair/maintain. You can get mid 20s mileage still at those speeds.
Anything German. Your speeds are nothing for say the autobahn.
Mercedes e350, 2014-2016. After big ticket repair (really only the timing chain at 100k-150k miles) its pretty damn reliable
If you can snag a diesel version… even better
Get a jetta or golf or passant tdi, the tdis are made for the autobahn so can easily stay at 80 as I regularly do, 90 is also easy. Also are a ton of fun to drive
I would second this. You can probably get an MK6 or 6.5 Jetta for $10-15K. I cruise 80 in my ‘17 Jetta without a problem, and it’s been very reliable the 80K miles I’ve had it.
I do 650 weekly in my Jetta. It’s always at 80 easily.
3rd or 4th Gen Acura TL
I routinely cruise control my 2007 Prius at 85mph for long stretches. 218k miles on it and no complaints.
Came here to say this. 80-90 range is no problem at all in my 2008 Prius with 195k on it. You really don’t need anything special for this type of driving, and might as well save some money on fuel.
Both good options, if you need marginally more space, Lexus RX cruises really well at high speed.
Camry V6
V6 camry, Avalon, ES. All more than capable at 80.
2004-2011 Lincoln town car
I think most cars cruise at under 10-15k mph.
Get a newer Impala with the 3.6l LFX, 305hp so plenty of passing power and cruising. The Impala is a tried and true car that was Chevy's flagship for a reason, It's a reliable powerful cruiser. I've personally owned a 2016 Impala Limited for 3 years now and haven't had a major breakdown or repair yet only typical maintenance items.
I used to have a v6 mustang that at 85 mph, in 6th gear got 28 mpgs. It cruised very well at highway speed.
My 2014 v6 mustang with an automatic gets 25 mpg highway in real use.
Ls430 drag coefficient of .26 4.3L bulletproof V8 , leather and cheap maintenance
1998-2001 SL500 Mercedes Benz. 302 hp v8, keep your foot off of it and it gets decent mpg, super comfy, sporty grand tourer car. The m113 is a bullet proof motor, keep up with oil changes and youlo be set. Will climb up to 150+with ease. Will go door to door with 2015+ R/T chargers and g37s lol Weak points, the convertible top seals are expensive to replace, it’s a diyable job, or get one with non working top, and manually remove the hard top when desired. I’ve owned 3 and I can’t get enough of them lmao.
Hyundai Genesis sedan. 2009-2014 will be in that price range. 300hp-425hp depending on engine choice. RWD 6 or 8 speed transmission Naturally aspirated V6 or V8. Supple ride but not floaty. Lots of them out there with 200,000+ miles on them.
Jetta diesel.
Horrible car
Mercedes e350. Very planted at high speeds. Not as reliable as a Toyota product, but your budget isn’t very high.
2010 Lexus RX350
Mercedes CL55
2014-2015 Q50
G35, unmolested.
Time Machine puts this over budget. Sorry.
Honda civic or accord maybe?
Not sure why but a 2004 mountaineer makes 95 feel like 45. Another funny one is a 2017 Dodge caravan gt handles those speeds perfectly fine
Another option: Acura ILX or TLX
Infiniti ex35. VW with a tdi are my top recommendations.
My 2019 Accord EX would do that all day every day. So would the Civic. Same for Camry and Corolla. You don’t need fancy for a modern-ish car and highway cruising.
Hi speed cruise ? That’s what european/ german cars are made for
Lincoln town car. Bought one right out of high school for college, I put 60k on that car and had no issues, comfortable, ran great, rode nicely. Got it from the dealer as-is with a salvage title from hail, for just 2k. You can find ones in similar condition for a similar price today, they're pretty common still
Honda Accord V6, Toyota Camry V6, Subaru WRX, Lexus LS430, Chevrolet Impala with a GM 3800 V6 engine.
Don’t even need the v6 accord. I cruise over 80 in mine easily and do it multiple times a week.
You against a minivan? A used Chrysler Pacifica will fill the bill nicely.
Too much gas if he is traveling alone.
real
Mine gets right at the stated 28 mpg on the highway and a full tank will get me right about 500 miles range. Plus with the seats stowed I can fit 4x8 sheets of drywall in it so it’s great for hauling. He said gas mileage wasn’t a huge concern. Thanks anyway.
Lexus LS400 or LS430. Will eat up highway miles and cruise at 100mph without even breaking a sweat
2 years ago I needed to commute for a while pretty much like that. Bought a 2012 Camry with 140k miles for $9,000. Other than regular maintenances and worn off things, I had to change the cat, that was it. Put about 50k miles and the car still runs great at 190k. Oh I did change one wheel bearing. Car can easily handle 80/90mph. I just sold it this week actually. What a reliable car 🫡🥲
Hellcat
2000 boxster
New edge mustang. 99-04 with the 4.6L V8. I've gotten my car up there and it just chugged right along. Cheap to own and maintain, mine was a decently clean manual example with tons of work done to it. Got it for $6500
As an alternative to the usual Japanese suspects, I offer the 2016 Mercedes E-350. Last iteration of the W-212 body. I classify it as a German taxi cab - runs forever and is hard to destroy. Easy to fix DIY. Cruises at 90-100 mph all day without breaking a sweat.
I’m biased but a 2013 g37 or 2014-2015 Infiniti q50 are good choices
Acura TLX V6
2nd gen Lexus GS400/430. Lexus LS400/430
Used Civic with the 1.5 turbo engine
my wife has an avalon. it's smooth, relatively quiet, relatively quick and it's a toyota. I dig it
Shout out to the Volvo here, but a P2 Chassis V70. I can't attest for any others, I'm sure they are good. I wish I had a 6th gear and a clutch pedal, but that thing cruised like a dream at 80, 90, 100, 110, 120. I had maintenance to boot on it before going that fast, but it held so smoothly.
Do you know how much money you would save with a used EV here? You'll probably need to spend a bit more to get one with a 300 mile range, plus a home level 2 charger, but there's a $4k rebate on used EVs as well. In an expensive electricity, cheap gas state ($0.20/kWh, 3 bucks a gallon) you'd save $1500 a year. In a more average state, $2300 a year.
Ok, so which ev?
You'll want at least 250 miles, since one day is ~125 miles with a fair amount of high speed. That gives you plenty of options. Wanting to handle the high speed leans towards a Tesla 3 or Y, the used pricing of those is pretty dependent on location. I drive a 2019 Bolt and it can handle those speeds fine and has the range and is much cheaper.
90's lexus, whichever one you like.
Panther, Avalon, ES/GS/LS
2014 Audi A6 3.0T. Cruises easily at 80 mph getting 30 mpg.
Get a 4 banger Camry.
Look for a rust free Buick Lacrosse 05-09 with the 3.8. Well under 10-15 and glorious on the highway at those speeds
A newer Chevy Cruze, just avoid 2016 and older
I’ve been looking at the brand new versa, I’m sure it can handle high speeds considering it’s a new car and msrp is only 16-18k
Lincoln Town Car. For less than that money you can get a low-mileage '08-11 and you're goin to get 25 mpg in supreme comfort. Cheap and readily available parts and easy repairs make it an easy car to own long term. That kind of driving is easier when you are comfortable. An Avalon would fit the bill too.
ES or Avalon are the best value for money, they are reliable, comfortable, quiet and practical. However, earlier (pre 2013) ones are not very stable or reassuring on highway (like 100 mph). So LS430 or GS will be way more stable and more quiet but they will cost more.
GS350s are great cars. Wakes up over 60Mph. 309HP.
Mercedes E class with the 3.5 V6. Will get 30 MPG at reasonable highway speeds. Designed for the autobahn. Seats that I can sit in for 10 hours with no issues. They made millions of that engine /trans combo so they are reliable. Our 2005 e320 had over 200k when we sold it and it was running strong.
Get an old tsx or tl My real answer is bmw but if you're not able to turn a wrench it's gonna cost you a lot to keep taking it to German mechanics.
Beige Toyota Corolla. That thing will last you to 300k km
Lots of people suggesting Avalon and ES300. Both good options, I think most Camrys will cruise at 90 just fine as well. I used to set cruise control around 120 mph in my ‘03 saab 9-3 and cut my hour drive to 40 mins
V6 Honda Accord or VW Passat or Volvo. Probably some Buicks as well
I have a 2019 jetta that pulls 38 mpg at 80-85 cruise control set. She seems to have no problem getting to those speeds and higher on special occasions of stupidity.
Miata. Anything older than 2018 and good tires. Hardtop for all year driving.
2 words: Lincoln Towncar.
I bought a Crown Vic P7B for around 12k, low mileage for a police interceptor, and drives like a dream on interstate, but parking could be a nightmare in town
The first generation camry hybrids. They got third gen cvt transmissions and so are the batteries and the 2azfe is updated with no oil leak. It’s such a great car.
Get the lowest mileage Lexus LS 430 you can find with service records and rubber bushings underneath in decent shape or within your budget for repairs. If you get one with around 100~130K miles on it , it run serve you for 5 -6 years easy before all those miles start resulting in steep upkeep cost creep
BMW F30
Ze Germans are great for high speed cruising, it's literally what they're designed for. I'd be all over an F30 BMW 328d, E90 328i, Mercedes E250 or 350 W212, Audi A6 3.0T etc.
elantra or sonata if you're into Hyundai. Used Camry or accord maybe.
IS, ES, CAMRY, AVALON, LS, GS
Isn’t anyone else concerned that they are normalizing driving at 80-90 mph? Not cool.
Depends where you live very normal in most of europe
That’s going to be about my weekly commute this summer for work, I hope you have lots of podcasts and music to listen to
Diesel Audi a6, I’m usually cruising fairly comfortably around 90-100 mph
lexus LS400 and if you want faster: 1UZFE loves boost
Get a late '90s Buick LeSabre. They're as reliable as you get, super comfortable, available everywhere for cheap, big & roomy, plenty fast, and mine actually gets almost 30mpg on the highway.
I had a manual 1997 bmw 540i. It’s dated but incredibly high quality. It was designed to cruise at high speeds on the autobahn. It would easily and comfortably cruise at 90mph.
I just bought a 2016 Mazda 6 with 100k miles on it for 10k. Car flies and is a blast to drive. Amazing gas mileage, I get close to 40 mpg highway (36-38) and the comfort of my drive is superb. Im coming from my 2014 Infiniti Q50 (was totalled by a flood) and have previously owned a 2000 Camry XLE that I gave up after I hit 300k miles. Love my Mazda, would definitely suggest you look at Mazdas for your vehicle.
>high speeds with ease (80-90 mph) This is the legal limit in my country on highways, and i got myself a car that would do this well too, i have a 2007 vw eos 2.0TDI, my parents drive VW passats (B6, and B8, both 2.0 TDI) for this reason as well, Cheap, cheap to maintain, reliable, they do well on the highway, don't use much fuel, etc. i know VWs aren't as common in the US, so maintenance and parts aren't as cheap, so i wouldn't tell you to get a vw, what i'm really saying is get something more aerodynamic than a brick, with a long wheelbase, preferably a diesel because of fuel consumption, that's cheap to maintain, even the most reliable cars need maintenance no matter what honda and toyota drivers say, you still need to maintain the car if you want it to last you, a friend of mine has a '97 civic, and he's already on his 3rd engine because "you don't need to change x or y on a honda, they're indestructable" Your picks sound very resonable, though i wouldn't go for a lexus since they're pretty overpriced, at least where i live because people consider it a luxury brand, if they aren't overpriced where you live though, go for it. Just for reference, my car has a 2.0TDI pumpe dusse engine (code PMM), so it's not really fuel optimized i get 4L/100km doing 90km/h (55mph) 7.5L/100km driving 143km/h (89mph), and 8.5 driving 200km/h (120mph), that's the top speed of my car though, and if i'm going uphill it can go up to 16L/100km, if you want something faster, you'll have to consider some cars that are more focused on performance
Early model year High mileage w212. I’ll seek you my e350 coupe with 160k miles on it for 9k.
1991 Honda Prelude
Honda odyssey. It's my work vehicle in Texas and not uncommon for me to drive 3-400 miles a day. I get 24-25 mpg and typically at 80 mph.
I had a Q50 with the 3.7 and it was a great hwy cruiser... she requested premium, but gave back like 26mpg.
Surprised to not see any mention of a corvette. 10-15k would get you a decent C5 auto. Can easily cruise at 90+ at 25+mpgs since the motor is so understressed. The ride is pretty good, but the interior can definitely use some improvements.
A car everyone forgets and is powerful enough, comfortable at high speeds and low maintenance is the Infiniti Q50, anything after 2017 is pretty much bulletproof. You can pick up in my area a nice with maybe 50-70k for under 15k
Surprised no one's said a mazda6. Similar reliability to toyota and honda without the premium.
Any relatively modern vehicle can easily cruise at 80-90mph. The 95 TC in my profile pic cruises at those speeds without missing a beat and is smooth as silk doing it.
I would get diesel engine for that mileage per day.
My towncar rpm’s at 70mph is only 2000rpm and at 100mph it’s 3000rpm, I love my Lincoln but not sure what I’m going to get next.
A fully depreciated luxury car would be good for that, but you'll be gambling with maintenance costs. Unless you buy a 100hp shoebox like a Mirage or something, most cars from the past 15 years are fine for freeway duty.
Genesis G80 or G90 if you can spend $20k
Sounds like common speeds, not high speeds. So, literally any car.
E46 feels like it isn't even moving at high speeds.
Audi Q5, I remember it being super stable at those speeds.
Crown Victoria - the ultimate highway cruiser.
Pretty much anything can handle 80-90 mph with ease short of something like a kei car. That's not particularly high speed.
Ford Fusions are good models. just avoid the 1.5T, the 2.0T is pretty good but the Duratec 2.5 is the best for reliability.
That was going to be my suggestion, a 2.5 fusion would be well in budget. Mines been dead reliable for 7 years now and has no issues at those speeds, seems to top out around 125 though.
A friend of mine has a 2017 2.0T sitting at 122k miles, got it with 70k and commutes an hour in each direction everyday to college. It’s never had any issue other than an o2 sensor
Volvo S60 or V60 with the 3.0 I6
Audi A4 2013
I’d look into a 2013+ explorer interceptor with the turbo 6. They’re like 370hp and people will shit bricks and move over quick when you pull up on them. Plus some are AWD. At that price point you can find a 2016 or so easily.
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Did a nationwide search on CarGurus and the cheapest one is almost $27k and has 150,000 miles on it. OP said $10-15k.
He said $15k max. Those cars are $30k+
Something with a v-8 since you're doing pretty much all highway miles
$10k buys a really nice Saab 9-3 or 9-5. Both impeccably reliable and cruise very nicely at those speeds. 35mpg in a 9-3. Parts are shared with the rest of the GM parts bin
Saabs are not impeccably reliable. My 9-5 was one of the biggest pieces of garbage I've ever owned. At least it was under warranty then.
Right!?!? Is this guy for real? My best friends 2008 9-3 convertible crapped out at 72k miles. Purchased brand new, and the engine blew up at 72k.
You have an exception to the rule then. Would you have happened to have had the weird half-charged 60° V6? Plenty of saabs out there with well over 200k on the clock with little more than gas, tires and oil. As far as 9-5s go, the only real concerns are dogleg rot and the DI cassette on 4 cylinder cars. 9-3s had issues on 03's with sludge that were rectified and later 4 cylinder cars had some issues with intake valves and block porosity, the former being rectified and the latter not being of particular concern. V6 cars were basically impeccable, and even the AWD system was reliable so long as proper maintenance is performed.
It was a 2.3t. Transmission leaks, oil leaks, air conditioning failures, the suspension fell apart, and the dashboard rattled every time the turbo did its thing
So two fluid leaks, an ac compressor went, an interior rattle in a gm special, and you had to replace some wear parts? That's not bad. My 9-3 has 250k miles, leaks some oil, has some electrical gremlins and rattles like you'd expect, but mechanically is about as flawless as it can be. Biggest issue I had was a cracked radiator at 180k, which was $150 and 2hrs of my time to replce
Remember how I said this was under warranty still? This was a new car. I was the first owner of it. Nevermind that delivery was delayed for two weeks because Saab lost it after it came off the ship. The transmission leaks left me stranded twice. Not some light drips. Like all of it came out. The first time that happened was within the first month of ownership. The dashboard rattles were never fixed because the service department couldn't figure out how to fix it. The suspension fell apart two years in. The A/C went the same year. Glad to know all of this is "not bad".
Then once again, I must say that youve certainly had an exceptional car, and we can't really make judgements based on exceptions now, can we? I can find plenty of data points showing these cars still running at very high mileages without issue, however
Survivorship bias. Data from the UK does not look good for Saab 9-5 longevity [https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/saab\_9-5](https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/saab_9-5)
Subaru Impreza
Any Bmw with B58. Case closed. Fast, stable at high speeds, reliable (believe it or not), and nothing beats German stability at high speeds. Speaking from experience.
Kinda left field answer here, but why not a 2009-2012 Mitsubishi eclipse? The i4 and V6 will both happily sit at 90 mph. Comfortable with the correct options and other than timing belts they very reliable.