So did and do I, but I'll tell ya, it would have been nice if the parents were able to sign the check every now and then :)

2006 4.8is

• Range Rover
• X5
• Audi A5, S/RS4, S/RS6
• Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Or is there a collector car you would like to buy with the $60k? Viper, AC Cobra Replica, Porsche?? Hell you could maybe find an Ariel Atom for that $$$ and have some real fun!!

http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/full_screen_v2.html

Let us know what you get!!!!!

Audi S5. When I saw that car I literally couldn't stop staring. I almost followed it. It's absolutely gorgeous, blows the 335xi out of the water, and I didn't think that would happen. Quite possibly the most beautiful car for under $100,000.

However, the A5 may be a smarter choice for you, especially because 5.9 sec is quick enough is it not?

What a wish list.
The thing is, you say you need a 4x4 so why are the Merc,Lexus,335,S5,A8,7 Series & the SRT-8 listed?
A car that you've overlooked which is right under your nose is an X3. If you like the X5 then the X3 is perfect. Cheaper to run,same build quality,great engines & a 4x4. Seems a shame not to concider it.

335xi

x5 4.8 19in tires

Is Audi still having problems with the V8?

Only the Lexus LS460, Mercedes CLS500, and the 7-series are RWD. Everything else is either 4WD or AWD. I go to school at CU Boulder but my family is from Breckenridge so I do drive up there in the winter to go skiing and visit. I have been to countless "safe" driving school along with the American Driving Academies formula driving school, so I now have an SCCA license. The AWD would just serve as a nice feature and also be a nice insurance cut since the policy will say it is a mountain car. They are not actually buying this car outright, it is going to be a 36 month lease that will end right around my college graduation, at which time I, like my brother and sister before me, will receive a new car. Out of the list I have been getting feedback from my friends that the A8, 7-series, and LS460 are not the right image for an 18 year old; I believe their words were "70 year old man." I test drove an SRT-8, and it moves in a way something that weighs 5000lbs should not, but the ride is terribly harsh. The new S6 is hovering in the 70's, and same for the RS4 which is about 68-74k. Then miraculously I saw an amazing sight today; a Lexus IS-F and a Mercedes-Benz C63 all in one day. A new IS-F costs very similarly to any of these other cars to lease and lists for about 58k with great residuals; it is fast (416hp, 371ftlbs), luxurious (touch screen nav, heated/cooled seats, Mark Levinson Sound), comfortable (smooth 5.0 V8, 8-speed automatic, deep bucket seats), and other than the strange bulge in the hood it looks the part. I would say same goes for the C63, but it seems a bit over the top and slightly chintzy on the interior; not to mention an even more inflated price tag.

What problems? I have the 4.2 in my S4, it's been absolutely trouble-free. Apparently, the 2.7T engine in my outgoing A6 was a well-documented lemon, but I never faced any reliability issues with that either. I have never heard of any problems with the V8, though.

I stand by my statement that the A5 would be a smarter choice. I also agree with whoever mentioned the X3. Those two should probably be your top choices; they're both quick, easy to drive, stylish, well-built and generally reliable.