When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
What 2015+ cars are comparable replacements for Grand Prix GXPs?
I like to plan ahead, in case something happens to my GXP, but I'm having second thoughts on what I'm thinking my "backup plan" car will be in case my GXP gets wrecked or has a major engine problem.
What cars from 2015+ do you consider an equal OR better car than a Grand Prix GXP, that can be driven similarly? My budget is an absolute maximum of $35k with all fees included, and I'd much rather be at $25k. Let's have a discussion here... don't just spit "Camaro" at me and not say why you think it's worthy. Tell me what you've actually driven and how it compares. It has to be fun to drive (or why bother?), have decent visibility, a good size trunk, and have paddle shifters. And it can't be something old like a G8 GT. I've been living without a car on warranty for 8 years now, and I could really use a break on my next car since I'm now married and wanting to buy a house next year. These $1200 unexpected repairs that occasionally happen to my GXP aren't working in my life too well now that I'm married.
I currently have a 2017 Buick Lacrosse Essence FWD on loan from the local dealership. I've been driving it like I drive my GXP--fairly aggressively. It isn't as capable of semi-aggressive cornering when turning (the steering wheel does not like being snapped back to going straight again after making the turn... it's a little alarming) but otherwise holds up pretty well. It has 305 hp, a V6, and a 0-60 time of around 6 seconds. It's the same V6 that is in the Buick Regal GS... which I haven't driven yet... mostly because it doesn't have paddle shifters and I prefer to drive with them. Anyway, the Lacrosse is not much slower than us. Makes a little better gas mileage. Has tons of tech... more than I know what to do with. This one has the dynamic drive package, which is a better suspension, larger wheels, and a sport mode. The sport mode makes the steering stiffer and possibly firms the suspension maybe 10%. Overall, I am finding I don't like the sport mode being on, because it makes the steering feel less responsive and simply a little stiffer, which makes it less precise. I feel like it's pretty comparable to a GP GXP, but it's a downgrade as far as aggressive, predictable driving behavior are concerned. It doesn't feel as well balanced, and even when driving in manual mode using the paddle shifters, it just isn't quite the same feel. I will say the suspension and overall ride comfort is 3000 times better than the GXP....
In June, I took a 2019 Buick Lacrosse Premium AWD for a test drive and it was a lot better than this one, and it wasn't a mileage thing, because this 2017 I have right now only has 24k miles on it. I didn't get to have it the 2019 AWD one for very long, so I didn't have time to get comfortable with it, like I have with this one I have on loan right now. But the 9 speed automatic they put in for the 2018 and 2019 models is a lot better. It was a hell of a lot of fun using manual mode with it, because the car would actually increase in RPMs when downshifting (which is normal...), but the 2017 strangely does not do this... not audibly... and barely visibly via the tachometer. The 2019 AWD version was LOUD and aggressive when downshifting and I really liked that. I need to take another one of the 2018+ AWD versions for another test drive, because I'm forgetting how the car was to drive though... it's been nearly a month.
Anyway, some of the other cars I was considering were:
-Jaguar XE R-Sport = has build quality issues and electronic problems... I've been in a group on facebook with a bunch of owners and it's just one stop-start engine issue after another, along with other things that require towing...
-BMW 430i or 440i Gran Coupe = not real happy about the idea of owning a BMW and I just simply don't think I make enough money to take care of it... but I may still want one
-Buick Regal GS = comes in boring colors and has no paddle shifters so I am annoyed by that
-Mazda Mazda6 Grand Touring = low hp, but supposedly Mazdas are fun to drive... I haven't driven one yet...
-Chevy Impala = too damn big
-Chevy SS = Not real fond of how they look
-Chevy Camaro = again, not fond of how they look
-Cadillac = I hate all that angular design stuff... no thanks
-Ford Mustang GT =not real thrilled about the idea of owning a Mustang after being a Camaro fan most of my life
Your list of cars is kind of all over the place I wouldn't even know where to start honestly. I consider a Grand Prix gxp a **** box but yet here you are putting it on a list with a 4 series bmw and jaguar xe-r? If you haven't driven a 6th gen camaro id suggest driving one before completely eliminating it as a possibility, they are very fun cars to drive, stable predictable and can be pushed pretty hard. I personally prefer the feel of the 6th gen over the c7 vette. As far as cars comparable to a Grand Prix, test drive a new maxima, or Camry, I prefer the maxima but they are pretty similar.
I'm not sure if you've just driven a ratty *** Grand Prix base model or what to give you the "**** box" impression, but my GXP has every single option that was available and is in great shape other than it being old and thus higher maintenance.
I've driven three Jaguar XEs and they were fine, but slower, and they have some problems that leave their owners stranded. I've never been left stranded by my GXP, but I've lived the high maintenance life style of GXP ownership for 10 years and it has been rough sometimes on the wallet, and will surely get worse as it ages.
I've been in a 440i GranCoupe, and it's a much tighter fit than my car, and I kind of detest of the idea of owning a BMW when I've never paid them any attention before. Comes in a great color called Snapper Rocks Blue Metallic, which is the only reason I'm interested in the first place. It's also expensive to get the 440i with the options I would want, so I'd probably have to opt for the 430i... which is slower... just to be able to get the white leather interior and some other things.
My goal is to find a sedan I like that has around 300 hp, a similar 0 to 60 time of less than 6 seconds, a head up display, paddle shifters that work well, steering wheel controls for the radio that don't have annoying ergonomics (like most of the current GM products, including the 2019 Buick Lacrosse), and it can't be an angular mess of a design (Cadillac, for example) or a common tire burner (Dodge Charger or Subaru) that every dork at a car show or fast food drive through has. So far, the best suggestion I've gotten from a friend is a 2019 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design. Pretty interested in test driving one... It looks good. Just doesn't come in too unique of colors other than a nice red. But I don't want a red car.
Pine Grey Metallic is the most interesting color on the S60, but you can't get an R-Design in that color and therefore, you can't have paddle shifters on a S60 in this color.
Best color with paddle shifters is Denim Blue Metallic. That color looks a bit less flashy than I'd prefer, but I need to see one in person. At least it's not the same dark blue every single 2019 car comes in right now (which is the same dark blue every single car has come in for the past 5 years...).
You are not going to buy a car UNTIL.... 1) you smash the GXP... or 2) It has major engine troubles...
Yes?
And if so, am I also correct that you.... 1) absolutely love your GXP, and .... 2) that it currently is in excellent visual condition and exhibits no signs of engine failure ?
Also... just curious... what are the odd $1200 unexpected repairs you have been paying for?
And lastly... you obviously never see winter, but, how many miles per year do you drive and what is the highway to city mile ratio?
Basically I'm looking for a plan in case the unexpected happens. These cars are known to have problems with their piston rings, with their lifters, and with their transmissions. It's just a matter of time...
The latest was $1400 to replace the power steering pump and water pump. I had noticed what looked like oil on the water pump manifold when I was washing the car:
I did research to try to figure out what would cause this. It pointed toward seals and/or needing to replace the water pump and power steering pump. Looked in the shop manual at the different procedures for disassembling things. Decided whatever the issue might be, it wasn't going to be something I can do in one night. Why? Wasn't sure which parts to order in advance, don't own all the tools needed, and I would need to be able to fix the car after work and be able to drive it to work the next morning. That wasn't going to work out. Decided to take it to the Pontiac (Buick/GMC) dealership I bought the car from 10 years ago, because I knew they'd give me a free loaner car while they fixed it. They gave me a 2017 Buick Lacrosse Essence FWD and off I went. 7 days later the car was fixed. I would not have gone to a dealership had they not provided me a free loaner car. That saved me a lot of money on Uber/Lyft or renting my own car from an Enterprise or similar...
The previous expensive repair was the alternator replacement last year because of "Charging System Failure" on the DIC. $930 solved that.
I drive between 4000 and 5000 miles a year and 90% of it is city driving. Currently my GXP costs me between $3k and $3.5k in maintenance, repairs, and gas each year on average.
sounds like you took care of some timely maintenance... alt is done and so is water pump and steering pump... should be more or less bullet poof I've never heard of piston rings being a problem but at any rate I say it lasts for awhile still.
P.S. I second the one guy that said look at the Nissan Maxima...
Have you considered a Ford Taurus SHO. New will be a little over your price point unless you can get a deal but used are in your range. Turbo v-6, awd, 365 hp and with all of the bells and whistles you can want including paddle shift and mod-able. Rare enough that you probably won't see another one at the gas station every day. I've never owned this model but I had an older SHO that was a great car and I've heard nothing but good things about these. The only downside is they can look a little generic. I would consider one if I were in the market but not looking at the moment plus I'm still hung up on the G8-GT/GXP style.
You need to look at a 2016+ Q50 with the 3.0t. They are within your $25k price range, still have factory warranty, plenty of room inside, have excellent power/torque from the factory, and become monsters with minor mods. I am in love with mine.
Owning a Nissan Maxima would kind of repulse me, so I have to skip that. I just have a bad impression of them every time I see them. I'm not trying to upset anyone when I say this, but I just feel like they are normal cars that get beat on, and aren't something worthy of washing and waxing every couple of months. I don't go to too many car shows these days, but it would be great if whatever I own is actually something that looks like it belongs there. My GXP usually gets some interest and is always accepted. It would be a weird feeling to go from something that people admire, to something that people overlook.
With those last couple of sentences, I know what you're all thinking: "If you want to go to car shows, you're stuck with a Charger if you want a 4 door sedan." (Or the Alfa Romeo, but I'm not crazy enough to do that). And you might be right. The problem with that is, if I was going to get a Charger, I wouldn't get one of the top models, I'd want to get one of the lower ones to save gas and not have ridiculous amounts of HP. So I'd probably end up with the 300 hp Charger GT in Plum Crazy, Sublime, or F8 Green. I'm not thrilled with the interior in pics I've seen, but I still need to go test drive one and see what I think at some point. You're going to find me complaining about the size of some of these cars, so I might as well complain about the size of a Charger now to get this started... They are an inch wider, 2.5 inches taller, about the same length (which is good), and strangely 600 lbs heavier than a GP GXP. Gas mileage is supposed to be a little better. Overall, not bad at all, especially compared to some of the other options out there.
The Taurus SHO was originally something I investigated, but it's just so boxy and large. It's 3 inches wider than a GP GXP, 5 inches taller in height, and 4 inches longer. I'd like to stay around the same size or get something smaller by a little bit, just to simplify parking and be less likely to get backed into (or nosed into) in the parking garage at work. They also get really terrible gas mileage (16 in the city, 24 on the highway... what is this... 2002? It weighs the same as the Charger GT, has similar power, and the Charger gets 19/30) and I just don't need that much of a car.
I hadn't looked into the Infiniti Q50 before. It has a similar funny look like the Maxima has, so I assume it's a brand engineered model on the same platform? It might be worth a look though. Just based off autos.msn.com (to see the exterior specs) it's 2 inches narrower, an inch taller, 10 inches shorter in length, and only 280 lbs heavier than my GXP. 300 hp and supposedly similar MPG. It could be worth a look. The Q60 is a bit better looking, but I'd be giving up 2 doors and more money.
The Kia Stinger has a horrible looking front bumper, but a beautiful rear. I've been thinking about looking into one of those more. The 2019 Stinger GTS comes in a unique orange color. I've never pictured myself owning an orange car, but it beats owning the same blue, red, gray, white, silver, or black every other car comes in. The headlights and front bumper on this thing though... man... I don't know how the design team made such a great looking rear, but that ugly mug.
The rear looks like a Maserati or Jaguar product (well... when you see one in white or silver) while the front looks like a bulldog with its face smashed on a window. Or... a BMW with Hyundai Genesis coupe headlights.
I'm still focusing on the 2019 Volvo S60 T6 R-Design. It has 316 hp, gets 21/32 mpg, has AWD, paddle shifters (have to get an R-Design to get those UNFORTUNATELY), I'd be stuck with a plain black interior (unfortunately... because the other trims can have a cool two-tone beige/black with an extremely cool looking steering wheel), and a HUD is optional. The thing that I can't get over is the darn thing is 80.3 inches wide. Do you realize how wide that is?! My GP GXP is 74 inches wide... the 4th gen Camaros are 74 inches wide. How can a small Volvo sedan be 6 inches wider?! That thing might be harder to park in a narrow parking lot by a lot, so I'll have to try that out. Anyway, it's an inch taller than a GP GXP, 11 inches shorter in length, and weighs 300 lbs more. I'd appreciate having a shorter car, but the width of this thing is crazy. I also watched a couple reviews on youtube, and the exhaust is not fun at all.
I'm not completely against the 2018-2019 Buick Lacrosse Premium AWD though. I think it's a very attractive car when optioned properly. Still kind of interested. Mostly interested because they are dirt cheap for what you're able to get. There are some unique colors, but they are very hard to find on Premiuim trim cars with the dynamic drive sport package (the way to get the cool wheels). The good colors are Pewter (medium blue-silver) and Carrageen (dark green). 310 hp, same width as my GXP, 2 inches taller, an inch shorter in length (though with the 20 inch wheels I couldn't back out of my garage a single time without having to go forward and back up again... either bad turning radius or very difficult to actually tell where your rear is, even with the backup camera). Weighs 200 lbs more. Gas mileage is 20/29 with the AWD version.
The Maxima and the 2016+ q50 are not in the same world. Google VR30DDTT and read up. Now pick rwd or awd and with minor bolt ons you're 400-450whp and 450-500wftlbs. The AWD models are hitting 0 to 60 times in the mid 3s.
The Volvo has interesting mechanics... but it's body lines in my opinion are too safe... I still think you are overlooking the Maxima as a replacement for the GXP.
It's body lines are perhaps the most striking in the 4 door "budget" segment... look up some pics of LOWERED MAXIMA's on Google... it looks good. Fuel Economy is also very good, and, it performs practically the same as the GXP for acceleration. BUT besides all that... Nissan probably makes some of the most long term comfortable factory seating in the entire world bar any manufacturer... something specifically the GXP isn't the best at for sure. It's residual value is probably slightly above average compared to the field too.
If you were not looking at a 4 door I might have suggested by the way a Lexus RC F sport series as a dark horse contender.
Too bad you don't like the Charger though... got to give it good marks based on it being a RWD platform with 4 different engine choices and having a super strong residual value overall.
I too have thought of replacement for my GXP, and have owned more than 35 GM performance cars but for me the Challenger really does it in the looks and performance dept.. The new 1320 edition is pretty cool, and what else can you say about Dodge willingness to give customers some great color options. Paddle shifters are cool, I have them on my Comp G as well but they are rarely used so I wouldn't base any purchase on a must have option. Not a fan of the Camaro either, if money was no object I would own one though.
If money was no object and I wasn't married now, I'd just get a Jaguar F-type coupe with the 6 cylinder engine and be done with the issue. I'd have good gas mileage, a gorgeous car, and I'd feel like I'm driving something with some of the visual appeal of a 4th gen Camaro (work with me here... it looks good, but is still a pretty conservative design that doesn't have a bunch of scoops and spoilers and completely lacks angular boxy lines I dislike). Supposedly they are far more reliable than the Jaguar XE (which for over a year, I thought that would be my replacement for my GXP, until I joined the Facebook group of XE owners and saw all the issues they end up having). I'm sure I'd be very happy to have this 2017 Blackberry Metallic F-type. But it likely isn't as practical as my other choices, and the cost of repairs off warranty are surely very high. It'd be nice to be "on warranty" for the first time in a few years... so I would not be able to afford that car.
I don't remember if I wrote this above or not, but a turn off regarding the Volvo S60 is that it is 80 inches wide. My GXP and the 4th gens are 74 inches wide. We all know it's already hard to avoid door dings at 74 inches wide. An extra 6 inches seems pretty nuts.
My wife and I are going to be buying a Mazda CX-3 later this year. Unfortunately, her 2014 Ford Focus hatchback will surely have the transmission issues reemerge that are described in the mass action lawsuit against Ford right now. Unfortunately all of her repairs to the transmission (so far) were done under warranty, so we won't even benefit from that lawsuit's payout. And we'd like to dump the car while it's still good, before the values plummet. So unfortunately, I will just need to make sure nothing happens to my GXP anytime soon, as we also planned on shopping for a house next year.... Needing to buy her a car 100,000 miles sooner than we expected was not exactly in my/our plan when I started this thread.
If something does happen to my GXP in the next couple years, I would probably lean toward the Buick Lacrosse since the value of them is so low right now. Either that or I'd downgrade and get a Mazda 3 or 6 just to save money. Or maybe if our house is close enough to where I work, I'd just opt for driving a 4th gen to save a ton of money on insurance and, of course, the initial purchase price. Ideally, nothing will happen to my GXP and I'll be just fine for another 3 to 5 years. But you never know.
Not bragging but... Guess I'm lucky that I don't feel I need to replace my GXP.
Because I own also a 2014 Dart 2.4 Rally that is my go to drive far and cheap car, and a 2012 Unlimited Sahara Wrangler for weekend getaways and winter time.
What about an E-class? I haven't seen it mentioned yet, don't you like them? The up to 2016 models look great imo, and the new ones are good as well, at least in sedan form...the wagon has this weird, modern unibrow thing going on at the rear.
Ah, I forgot to check this thread for a long time.
Well, here's an update.
My wife and I bought a 2019 Mazda CX-3 for her to drive last week. A friend's son passed away (not in the car) only 3 months after my friend purchased the new car, and the deal was good, so we bought it. Had something like 3,340 miles on it when we bought it. It's a CX-3 Sport, so it is missing a lot of luxury options, but my wife likes it so far. It's irritating to buy a new car and discover it doesn't have light up mirrors in the visors or any possible way of hiding what you are storing in the center console though. Mazda doesn't make a cover and the aftermarket currently does not either.
But for me... I'm no closer to selecting a "backup plan" car than I was. I feel like I've pretty much striked all of them off the list, but I guess I'll go through them one-by-one. I do know I don't want an AWD car anymore. Mess up a tire = 4 new tires needed. And the cost of replacing parts and maintenance... man... it just sucks. I just wanted AWD so I didn't have to have FWD. And that just isn't a smart choice for the wallet.
There's so much planned obsolescence in cars these days, that all of the choices seem bad. When you combine that with the fact that turbocharged and supercharged engines do not last as long as naturally aspirated ones, cars overall right now really suck. Every manufacturer is trying to come up with better fuel mileage so they are throwing turbos and superchargers on nearly everything. But Who cares about saving gas when gas is cheap compared to a headgasket replacement?
Some of this is a repeat of what I said earlier, but with updates:
-Jaguar XE R-Sport = has build quality issues and electronic problems... I've been in a group on facebook with a bunch of owners and it's just one stop-start engine issue after another, along with other things that require towing...
-BMW 430i or 440i Gran Coupe = not real happy about the idea of owning a BMW and I just simply don't think I make enough money to take care of it... they are known for having crappy quality plastic that doesn't age well, even plastic intake manifolds (not sure if these two models have them, but BMW has been using a lot of them), and you just won't get 10+ years out of one without spending a fortune.
-Buick Regal GS = comes in boring colors and has no paddle shifters so I am annoyed by that. So annoyed by the lack of paddle shifters that I believe I will not ever consider one.
-Buick Lacrosse = still considering, but not considering the AWD version anymore. I really didn't want another FWD car, but I may be stuck with one in the future. AWD cars cost too much to maintain when I live a place that hardly ever sees snow or ice.
-Mazda Mazda6 Grand Touring = low hp... I haven't driven a Mazda6 yet. This one is still on the list, but I wish Mazda made something more comparable to a Camaro or Mustang. An RX-7 that didn't have a rotary engine would be nice...
-Mazda MX-5 = My knees barely fit and I can't get groceries, go to Sam's Club, or go to Home Depot. NEXT!
-Chevy Impala = too damn big
-Chevy SS = Not real fond of how they look
-Chevy Camaro = again, not fond of how they look
-Cadillac = I hate all that angular design stuff... no thanks
-Ford Mustang GT = not real thrilled about the idea of owning a Mustang after being a Camaro fan most of my life
-Dodge Charger = Chrysler Fiat make some terrible cars. It just isn't going to happen. I keep hearing horror stories about things going wrong with these cars.
-Dodge Challenger = see above. Plus, despite the fact I like the way they look, the car is overall too large.
-Volvo S60 T6 R-design = looks nice, but Volvo is owned by a Chinese company now and the build quality is suffering supposedly. They also, supposedly intend on no longer making gasoline powered vehicles in the very near future. Additionally, this car is ODDLY wide. I already thought my GXP was hard to park to not get door dings. The Volvo is 6 inches wider. Why in the world does the car need to be that wide?!
-Nissan Maxima = similar to Chrysler, Renault being involved with Nissan has done nothing but make their quality go down. I'm not ever trying a Nissan. They are supposedly some of the worst new cars to buy right now (tied with Chrysler Fiat brand cars and below Volkswagen cars, which also don't age well).
-Infiniti Q50 = Same story as the Nissan Maxima. Renault sucks.
-Ford Taurus = too boxy, not into it. It's too large of a car.
-Kia Stinger = maybe. The rear end looks super cool. The front does not. I want to see how reliable these end up being.
-Mercedes ____ = similar to BMW, these just aren't built to last these days.
-Toyota Camry = the new ones look fairly nice. Not thrilled with the idea, but maybe.
-Toyota Supra = I think it looks pretty good, but I question whether BMW getting involved with it is going to make it a disaster to own long-term. I'm disappointed all of the different trim levels are turbo charged though and since it is a new model, it'll probably retain its value used for several years longer than I'd be in the market.
-Honda Accord = looks fine, but there's no way I'd want the manual, the CVT, or the 10-speed auto, so that just kind of sucks as a whole. Plus they are turbo-charged. Meh.
-Alfa Romeo Giulia = I don't make enough money to maintain that beautiful hunk of metal.
-Lexus IS250 = I might consider an old Lexus IS250 from 5+ years ago. I'd have to do research. I'd want to avoid the current Lexus models with the > < grill.
-2020 Hyundai Sonata SEL = Have you seen one yet? Beautiful sedan from the side and rear. Honestly, I think it looks very nice overall. It was redesigned for this model year. Has 190 hp, so I'm sure it's slow, but meh. https://www.hyundaiusa.com/images/ve...llery/rspa.mp4 https://www.hyundaiusa.com/images/ve...kout-style.mp4
I like the way it looks a lot, and I could easily live with that nice blue color. It has the paddle shifters I desire... though who knows if they are fun or super lame...
Overall, not thrilled the the choices. I guess I'm too picky.
07-19-2019, 01:48 PM
What 2015+ cars are comparable replacements for Grand Prix GXPs? 
