Two years ago, my wife thought she made a sound decision when she bought a 2012 Scion iQ. In her eyes, the iQ was cute and fun like my Smart Fortwos, but should be reliable because it’s a Toyota. Unfortunately, not only has the car been a reliability disaster, but it seems nobody else thinks the car is cute and fun. My mom just revealed that she thinks Sheryl’s car is a massive disappointment and disrespectful to her profession (she’s a lawyer). Now, my wife is looking for a new car that fits her career a little better. What should she buy?
If you’ve been in the car community for long enough, you’re probably well aware of the concept of buying a cheap car that makes you look like you have money. In theory, this is especially handy if you work in a profession where you need to project a certain image, but you might not have the dough to buy a new ride for that purpose. I didn’t subscribe to that idea for a long time. I thought that if you bought a 20-year-old Mercedes-Benz, you wouldn’t be fooling anyone. I thought that you didn’t have to be a car enthusiast to deduce that someone’s driving an old car, no matter the badge that’s on it.
Witnessing my wife’s experiences with her cars has taught me that the concept of “balling on a budget” is shockingly and confusingly accurate. When Sheryl drove a 2010 Toyota Prius, she was seen as a sort of environmentalist lawyer, and she got no complaints. Sheryl told me that she even blended in, as some lawyers do drive Prii and other hybrids because hybrids are green and trendy.
When Sheryl switched to the 2001 BMW 525iAT that we bought from our secret designer, the Bishop, her positive-image score spiked off the chart. Almost daily, she would get compliments about the BMW. There were several instances where guys offered her $5,000 on the spot for the wagon. It blew my mind because that BMW was a rustbucket that I had purchased for just $1,500 – but it did look really clean with tinted windows and fresh wax.
Everyone complimented the BMW, from Sheryl’s clients and opposing counsel to my family. Everyone sort of treated the BMW as a massive upgrade from the Prius. It was almost like Sheryl had won it big or something. Practically overnight, Sheryl was taken as seriously as those lawyers with the billboards and expensive suits, when all she had done was trade a decent hybrid for a cheap and rusty BMW. Clearly, people didn’t care. She really was balling on a budget.
Unfortunately, the BMW’s rust advanced to the point where the car’s jacking points could no longer be used. Worse, driving it 40,000 miles in a single year did a number on the BMW’s engine. So, she decided to pass it on. In hindsight, this was the wrong decision. We could have fixed Wanda the BMW. Even worse, the guy who bought it ended up committing a hit and run with the vehicle after failing to register it for months. Guess who had to mop up that mess? Oh, and then the friend that we loaned the Prius to managed to destroy the car by ramming a deer.
The Cute Mistake
Sheryl found herself in the car market again, and this time, she decided to get weird with it. She adored driving my Smarts, but I warned her that Smarts are way too finicky to drive 40,000 miles a year without major headaches. Sheryl chose the next best thing, the car that was more or less a Smart, but by Toyota.
At the time, I thought it was an okay decision. The example she chose appeared to be in great shape with tons of life left in it. While I didn’t think it was a “lawyer car,” I also knew that Sheryl typically enjoys being underestimated. She sort of plays a character not unlike Peter Falk’s Columbo, and it’s amazing how well it works in real life.
So, she got the iQ, and at first, things were great. The car scored 40 mpg, everyone thought it was oh so cute, and we got a decent deal on it. At first, the car didn’t even give us any issues. It started every single time without failure, even when my own cars failed me. We then drove the iQ most of the length of Route 66, and the car was an absolute joy on that monster of a road trip.
Then, the house of cards began falling apart. We installed an aftermarket cruise control system, which eventually grew a hunger for accelerator pedals. The cruise control managed to kill not just one, but two accelerator pedals over the course of just 10 months.
The problems only get more frustrating from there. The engine had a mystery issue of randomly sputtering and then shutting down while at idle. I replaced the spark plugs and coils, which fixed the issue. Now, the car has an intermittent rough idle. The engine stays running, but something is sometimes unhappy. I went through the work to put the old coils back in, and there was no change.
Update: The iQ has developed a new and fun problem. Last week, it blew both of its low-beam headlight bulbs at the same time. I replaced some somewhat crusty-ish headlight relays and the bulbs. Well, the bulbs just stopped working an hour ago, then came back to life 10 minutes ago. This is fine, totally fine.
As of a couple of weeks ago, gas pedal number three has intermittent failures. This is concerning since we did have the cruise control uninstalled. Previous diagnosis seemingly confirmed that the cruise control killed the gas pedal. But that’s no longer a factor. What’s going on now?
This morning, the iQ presented a new issue when the heater refused to blow warm for 30 minutes of Sheryl’s freezing morning commute. The coolant looks great. Maybe the blend door got stuck? There’s more, from the incessant whining of the CVT and the rust that’s appearing in strange places, to the fact that it occasionally throws traction control errors.
In fairness, the Scion didn’t get like this all on its own. Sheryl crashed the iQ during the summer, and then crashed it again only three weeks ago. Many of these recent issues cropped up after that second crash.
Everyone Hates The iQ
Yet, it wasn’t exactly the unreliability that soured Sheryl’s relationship with her car. Over the past two years, we’ve witnessed how people who used to think of the car as something cute and novel have turned on the vehicle.
The same people who complimented the car or expressed wonder two years ago now call the car a total piece of junk. Clients think Sheryl is a joke because of the car, and opposing counsel have gone from underestimating Sheryl to just openly mocking her. Somehow worse is that Sheryl seems to now have a negative reputation. I cannot begin to type out what these people are actually saying, but they’re calling her a type of transphobic slur who drives the tiny piece of garbage. [Ed note: What is wrong with people? Gee whiz. – Pete]
This negative reputation has reached the point where she lost a lucrative contract, largely because of the car. Her own clients have cursed Sheryl out over her car. Mind you, Sheryl’s law practice is unique in that the client names the price they pay for her work. Many of these people do not pay for her services at all, but demand that she drive a new luxury car. Basically, she’s no longer Columbo.
But the worst sting came from the inside. Not only does Sheryl’s best friend want to commit violence against the iQ, but my mom spent a great portion of Christmas dinner dressing down Sheryl in front of everyone about why she thinks Sheryl’s car sucks.
Seriously, this conversation went on for longer than an hour, and my mom went hard. She said that, by driving the iQ, not only is Sheryl insulting me, but she’s disrespecting the family and me as a whole. Mom also said that if Sheryl cared about me and actually respected me, she’d drive a real lawyer car and make more money. This conversation would normally be way too personal to publish, but it hit me like a ton of bricks because it came out of the blue and was weirdly harsh. Long story short is that, apparently, over the past two years, my mom has lost respect for my wife because of the iQ.
I defended Sheryl throughout this conversation. I have a fleet of crappy, weird cars. I am not disrespected by my wife choosing to drive a weird car. She’s a grown woman and can make her own choices with her own money. But Pandora’s box has been opened. The words that have been said cannot be taken back. It’s clear that everyone now hates the iQ.
Our conclusion is that the iQ is actively harming Sheryl on multiple fronts. She has been depressed about this, and I have been dealing with headache after headache. I honestly have never seen a car cause so much strife before. Yet, most people seem to agree that the iQ sucks. In fact, our very own readers have been saying it for over a year now.
We’ve made the decision to get a different car, but the question is: What car?
So Many Choices
When I posed this question to The Autopian‘s staff and contributors, I used the qualifier that it should be somewhat “lawyer-like.” Ideally, I’d love to pay cash for this car, but that would mean a budget under $10,000. Financing also works, but Sheryl’s not looking to get into a loan on a $40,000 car anytime soon.
First out of the gate was Jason Torchinsky, who recommended a Scion xB. Or, specifically, he said that we should buy a dirt-cheap first-generation xB, and then pay someone to make it the most luxurious xB in the world.
David Tracy was next, and his recommendation was a 1980 Subaru GL wagon. I’m not even sure what to do with this recommendation.
Matt Hardigree returned us to reality with the recommendation for a Lincoln Town Car, but specifically one that isn’t black. The idea there is that Sheryl won’t look like a livery driver. Also, I guess she’d get to say that she’s a Lincoln lawyer?
Stephen Walter Gossin recommended a 2000s Jaguar on the account that they look great, are plenty luxurious, and can be had for dirt-cheap.
My mom said Sheryl’s new car has to be high-end luxury. The wildcard is Sheryl’s best friend, a Honda fangirl, who recommended a mid-2010s Civic, an early 2010s Accord, or an Acura.
As far as Sheryl’s own picks, she wants something like a mid-2010s Subaru Legacy, an Infiniti G37, an Infiniti EX35, a Toyota Avalon, a Lexus LX470, a Lexus LS400, a mid-2010s Mazda3, a Hyundai Veloster, a Hyundai Genesis sedan, or another Toyota Prius. She also wants another BMW E39, but she’s reluctant since the last one didn’t go so well.
The good news is that Sheryl’s mileage has gone down over the past two years. As of now, she puts about 25,000 miles a year on her car, an improvement over her old mileage of 40,000 miles a year. Still, that’s nearly double the national average, so Sheryl needs something that’s at least somewhat durable.
I don’t think a Civic is a good pick. Civics are extremely hearty cars, but I’m not sure it would give Sheryl the image she’s looking for. Likewise, early 2010s Accords are often seen as great first cars, so I’m not sure that will also complete the mission as desired. I know Sheryl also loves the Hyundai Genesis, but will the Hyundai badge turn people off? I also adore Stephen’s suggestion for a highly depreciated Jaguar, but I’m positive my wife will get murdered by repair costs.
The Legacy, Veloster, and Mazda3 are Sheryl’s bucket list cars, so those would be considered in spite of how anyone feels about them.
Since we have direct access to the people who hate the iQ, we started polling them on my cars. I have like 13 crappy cars, so I can easily sell some or give one to Sheryl. Apparently, the most “lawyer” car in my fleet is the BMW E61 wagon that I bought from the Bishop, but that has over 180,000 miles and is already very finicky. I do not trust that BMW to take Sheryl’s beatings without breaking in a hilariously expensive way.
The three cars that both line up with the image goal and with Sheryl’s own desires are the BMW E39, a Lexus LX470, and a Lexus LS400. E39s are easy to find in decent condition for cheap enough. But Sheryl has deep concerns about long-term reliability, which is fair. The two Lexus (Lexi? Lexuses?) are great ideas, but I’ve been gobsmacked at old Lexus values.
Most of the Lexus in my local area have well over 100,000 miles, and their sellers are still demanding $7,000 to $8,000 for them. I could have sworn that these were $3,500 cars back in 2019.
Anyway, I have found some affordable Avalons, Priis, Camrys, and some newer Honda Accords. What’s stopping us from moving forward is just being unsure. I don’t want to blow a ton of cash on a car that fails at improving Sheryl’s image, or worse, is a car she ends up hating.
The shortlist for now is a Toyota Avalon, a BMW E39, a Toyota Prius, a Subaru Legacy, or a Honda Clarity. But we cannot seem to make a decision for fear of making the wrong decision. It’s funny because I’ve purchased cars entirely on impulse before. But that’s me. I can get away with buying a dumb car. My wife doesn’t have that luxury, so I want to get this right.
Whew, it sure took a long time to get here! Now I want to turn it over to you. What car should she buy? Should she just tell my mom and her haters to buzz off? What car would you expect someone who functions like a public defender to drive? Please help me, my brain is melting from the indecision.
Top graphic image: Mercedes Streeter
Go Japanese. A decent Acura TL is a $7k car, a good ’10s Lexus ES can be had for less than 10k. If you decide to finance, the current Integra can be had for mid 20s for certified pre-owned and does an excellent job of hiding its Civic roots. There are even a bunch of last-generation Mazda6 out there (even Soul Red!) around the 10-12k mark. Any of these would be a safe, pleasant, reliable (and in some cases fun) choice.
If you are considering a vehicle based on what others may think of it, and you, a huge mistake is being made…Really.
Buy what you like, can afford, or want.
It’s not their money.
And it’s especially not their place to be judgmental based on what you are driving.
Not my place here, but you opened the door here.
Your Mom sounds like she may need some sort of help.
Sorry/not sorry…
I am surprised that the car your wife drives affects her career.
My lawyer wife drives a 2004 Smart Fortwo diesel in the city and has had it since new, though we have other cars that are not eccentric.
More concerning is the number of faults on the iQ which seems to belie the legendary reliability of Toyota products, and given the age of the car it might just be time to move it on for that reason.
The replacement for the this small a car is a conundrum whenever that occurs. The Smart is no longer supported here and spares are increasingly difficult to get. Possible replacements are a Fiat 500 ( not great reliability be still small enough for city runabout and parking) or to wait in hope for a small EV like the Renault 5 to be released in the market here. A larger car sort of defeats the purpose of a car that lies in the city centre pretty much 100% of its life.
A Lincoln Continental.
The ultimate power play would be to double down with an Aston Martin Cygnet j/k
Given Sheryl is a lawyer, and the suggestion is an Aston Martin, a “bond” joke is warranted here, but I can’t quite come up with it. Criminally bad, I know.
To my way of thinking, she should buy something but only because it sounds like the Scion is at the end of its useful life. And she should tell the haters to buzz off. I might be inclined to use stronger language, but what I would say and do might not be right for you.
That said, it is true that the way a person presents oneself, including the vehicle they drive, influences others’ perception of them, fairly or not. I do not think a high end luxury car is necessary. Something reliable, ordinary, clean, and comfortable should be sufficient. She should buy a reasonably new Prius or Camry.
A lot to unpack . . .
We have so many lawyers in the neighborhood and the range of their cars is pretty wide. We have our share of Telsas (labor lawyer), BMWs and M-Bs . . . but also a KIA Telluride, an older Honda hybrid with the body style you have in the photo above (corporate lawyer), a gen 5 Subaru Outback (immigration lawyer), a new Genesis (corporate), an Audi, and a Lexus (worked in the DA office). What we don’t have is what you are describing as “balling on a budget.” No one is driving a 20 year old Euro-mobile for nostalgia or badge-envy.
If Cheryl works in an office, she might take inventory of the cars the most successful lawyers drive and use that as a guide if career advancement is priority #1.
Costly Signals is a concept you want to look up if you are unfamiliar with the term. I’m sure we’re all familiar with what it is . . . i.e. you want to walk into a posh lobby with a smart-looking receptionist and private offices with fancy wooden furniture if you are shopping for a financial planner, for example. Even though you intellectually know that the fees they charge their clients are what pay for the fancy digs and restaurant-grade espresso machine.
Read the last blurb in the link for more on Costly Signals.
https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/11/25/g-s1-98752/8-economic-insights-were-grateful-for?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_social_post_id=598806856&utm_term=nprnews&utm_social_handle_id=10643211755&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwY2xjawOSmrJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEee5kZy7lIOucExsDR0f_51EYdN6EkviMcG_hw1ckYDcEJRHXwosLzvT3OxkQ_aem_kdeNILey32dwmHm-oe8Y6g
Sheryl noted that she has read about Costly Signals! I didn’t, so that’s why I said “balling on a budget.” But it seems like Costly Signals is more applicable to her situation.
The correct answer is Lexus.
The more correct answer is “whatever the heck she wants because it’s her car, she has to live with it for 40k miles per year, and everyone else can bugger off if they don’t find it fitting”.
No disrespect intended to your mother, of course.
Would it make sense to leverage your left coast co-worker contacts rather than shopping locally?
You would get better condition for a lower price.
Have them buy it, fly out, drive back, and write it all up as content.
yes this, mercedes. and stop in SLC on your way and i’ll buy ya a beer at our very trans-friendly gay bar that is my third space.
I’ll have to take you up on that offer one day! Also, I hope there will be pizza involved, considering your name.
of course! there’s a pizza place across the street actually.
I am shopping in Florida and California for this very reason. I hate spending money on rust!
i follow sheryl (and you) on bluesky and think the world of you both. i’m honestly bothered, a lot, by all of this and hope you don’t internalize too much of the negativity.
imo, given the nature of her work something that is rational, safe, and has good shiny paint is more important than the badge. the one time i had a lawyer she showed up in a 9-2X Aero and i got off pretty damn easy.
Golf Alltrack, A6 or A7 Jetta in Sport or SEL trim, ILX, literally any Volvo, as new of a Fusion Titanium or Sport as you can get, A4 Allroad, Mazda6, Verano, Regal, Elantra GT Sport
please god, let her have something with factory cruise control and some damn heated seats.
I didn’t even think of a 9-2x! Good call!
The newest 9-2X is now 20 years old, still has an open Takata airbag recall, has been hooned for 200,000 miles minimum, is loud AF inside on the freeway, and will not reliably travel 25k a year anymore without issues cropping up at least quarterly. She’s a lawyer, not a teenager trying out for the Snowboard Big Air competition on the X-Games. :-).
lmao definitely was not suggesting that for the lawyer wife. my most recent needing a lawyer experience was in 2012 so it was still pretty fresh and fun at the time.
Had a 9-2X Aero and it was fine, but MPG won’t be good and like you said these are 20 years old and I had problems finding body panels in 2011 after a small impact when someone backed into it, and it was 6 years old. Now it would scrounging in scrapyards unless you wanted to turn it back into a subie. Plus yeah by now unless it’s pristinely maintained or a serious enthusiast, most examples will be pretty worn down…
Logical. Can’t believe those are that old now. Fun call is better
i 100% back the fun comments in here and of course the staff suggestions but like at the end of the day, if you finance a little on top of $10k cash is it the end of the world? it’s her livelihood and for some reason it’s a bone to pick for the people that orbit her.
if i were looking for a lawyer, one driving a more modern, basic but pragmatic car is way preferable to one spending almost $8500 on a soon-to-be 24 year old beige lexus barge.
okay last reply to myself of the day here but…hear me out, what about a Passat GT? kinda rare. large, unassuming wallflower of a sedan, sits on very attractive 19’s, the NMS is an excellent highway cruiser, you can park it anywhere, kind of classless in a sense…
and she can peel out and make wookie sounds with her 280 HP VR6 whenever she pleases
bet the nice folks at Galpin VW could help you hunt down a nice one
The only answer is to troll everyone being dicks and judging someone based on what they drive by upgrading to a Yaris. The legal community all have weird sticks up their bums about what people drive for some reason.
Only to get one-upped by the guy riding his bike into the parking lot with his right pant leg rolled up so it doesn’t get caught in the chain.
I like Matts choice of lincoln. If not a town car, perhaps a MKS ecoboost, a taurus SHO with a suit?
Other options that come to mind that lawyer family members like- pretty much any bmw 3/5, toyota matrix, genesis, and gen 9 accords with the 3.5 v6.
I don’t know if it’s a *good* choice, but this has me wondering how resale values on the last-gen Continental have held up. It would certainly be unusual, and probably very comfy for piling on the miles. Here on the West Coast, at least, I’ve hardly ever seen them, even when they were new.
How about a Mazda 6? There are 2019+ models available for 20k and under all day and older models for even less.
Literally signed in to suggest a Mazda 6. I have a 2018 with the 6 speed. Fantastic to drive, reliable, cheap to maintain. I also leased a new 2008 Mazda 3 for 2 years and that was excellent as well.
Really anything since the Skyactiv-G was introduced in MY2014 would be good, though I think post 2018 facelift is best and they upped their rust prevention game significantly around that time. The NA 2.5 engines are every bit as bulletproof as a Lexus or Toyota product and should serve her well.
Given what she’s dailied before, I don’t think the somewhat “sportier” suspension tuning on Mazdas will be a problem for her.
She’s considering a Mazda 6, too! In her eyes, it’ll be like the bucket list Mazda 3, but bigger and more “distinguished” or whatever.
Yes exactly – it says “I’m a professional, but I still enjoy some driving engagement”. The looks of the post-facelift last-gen models punch way above their weight too. People that pay way too much attention to what she drives (which sounds like a lot of people right now) will probably even *think* it’s a Lexus!
Note: Genesis cars do not have Hyundai badges — not even the first generation car that was literally sold at Hyundai dealers while the Genesis dealerships were being built out. I think it would be a great choice if you could find one in decent shape.
Avalon was a nice car, but if you could find a latter-day Toyota Crown, then that would be even better.
However, my favorite choice would be a W116 S-Class, as seen on the album cover and music video for Jackson Browne’s “Lawyers in Love”. I mean, it’s only fitting!
[Edit: Seriously though, I’ll bet you could find ANY relatively recent Lincoln product for far less than any Lexus, and Lincolns have very nice interiors that would impress any client or mother-in-law.]
I didn’t have any plans to sell my HMV Freeway but I suppose I can let it go for a good cause.
The car shaming is absolutely unacceptable and should not be tolerated.
I see DT is keeping the tradition alive with offering up completely ridiculous car suggestions.
While the Jaaaaag does look decent, would you really want to deal with reliability/age issues on a car that sees much higher than average annual mileage?
Clarity?!?!
My airport beater car is a ’17 6sp Mazda 3. It’s actually fun and engaging to drive. But, it’s not what she needs for her mission.
Get the nicest Lexus LS you can afford.
Don’t make this hard.
The fancy Prius, the Lexus CT200h. Values on them are all over the board, as they sit in that odd area so many Lexus models do where they really are just fancy Toyotas but weren’t made in massive numbers and have a cult-ish following.
Damn they look good, at least the ones before the predator grille. Great choice.
Good call, my mother in law had one for years no issues. Friend of mine has a 2014 one with 175,000 on it and is running great. Hybrid batts will need replacing in 50k or so he said, but still good life left on it, and he’s had few issues. Only thing it’s eaten is wheel bearings about every 60,000 on rear wheels, no clue why…
Wait, isn’t Miata always the answer?
Look, it’s simple. Buy the nicest Lexus you can afford. Then enjoy pootling around in the Nice Lexus for a startlingly long time, bin it, then repeat.
As stated in the article, used Lexi are vastly overpriced for what you (typically) get. I’ve noted that to be true even in Los Angeles, where there is a much larger selection available compared to the Midwest.
The ownership costs will be so low that the price delta will pay for itself in a couple of years
Yeah, a used Lexus may be worth it. I just feel weird about paying like $8k for something that already has around 140,000 miles or whatever.
as fun as an LS430 would be to have in your fleet, i don’t think a car that predates the original motorola razr by two years is the right choice here lmao
If this were three years ago and someone had a 6speed diesel Passat wagon with 300k miles on it with two different alloys and two steelies and was “only” asking $10k you would have screamed “shut up and take my money that I really need for the rent”. We remember. 🙂
1st and foremost, people suck and I’m sorry yall are dealing with that. Inner circle stuff is hard but on a professional level, that’s absolutely despicable. I’m genuinely bummed that she’s going through that.
On to the cars… the best bang for the buck on all these fronts is definitely going to be an Acura, Lexus, or Avalon. Understated, professional, classy, and reliable. Genesis are great and the design has aged well but they have hit the realm of low price luxury that gets beat up. If you could find a good one though, that would be a win. They are fantastic.
I “daily” an E39 (and I’ve had four of them altogether)…but I work from home. The newest ones are about to turn 23. They are wonderful, wonderful cars, but absolutely should not be considered for someone who needs a reliable car to put 25K on per year. And I’d trust an E61 even less for that task, sorry.
I think Avalon is the answer, if that’s something Sheryl can get excited about, or a Lexus ES, which has been closer to an Avalon than a Camry for the last couple of generations. You’ll probably pay a little more upfront, but long-term prospects seem likely to be good.
And, sorry about all the BS over something that shouldn’t matter so much to any of these people.
Thank you for confirming my beliefs! I love my E61, but it doesn’t exude confidence about being able to take on piles of miles at a time. Sorry, Bishop!
Yeah, I recently spent some time with an E90, and while that whole experience was born under a bad sign, it confirmed to me that that generation of Bimmers is much more complex, more electronically finicky (and an E39 is bad enough), and not as well-designed for serviceability.
A CPO late-model BMW, maybe a 3-series, that still has some free maintenance included (not sure if they still do that) plus the extra warranty coverage can be a killer deal for a nice commuter that won’t actually break the bank to run, but there is still a pretty high upfront and/or monthly cost involved.
How shallow is this woman’s mother? She that obsessed with what people perceive of her daughter, by driving a small, affordable and environmentally friendly car? Get a new mom.
A Suzuki Esteem with one red door. IYKYK.
I think your Mom’s heart is in the right place, albeit from a particularly Mom-ish angle.
If it’s affecting Sheryl’s professional reputation, it’s a problem. It’s other people’s problem, but it’s still a problem.
I think the answer is to get the nicest appliance-level sedan you can comfortably afford. Try and find one in the lowest possible spec because that way it’ll be cheaper to run and repair, and then care about it about as much as your washing machine.
A grey Camry isn’t going to set the world on fire but if it means Sheryl is judged on the quality of her lawyering then it’s a positive choice.
I head the cup holders on the Esteem are actually better than those on a C-class Mercedes.
It sounds like the badge is the “big problem”. With that mileage per year I’d definitely say Lexus is the way to go, model doesn’t really matter. Most people just equate it with fancy. A Mazda badge would be fine, if it were on a CX-5. SWG’s jag suggestion would be perfect, but once again potential reliability issues come up… The Lexus tax might be well worth the cost if it stays reliable, is more comfy over long distances, and shuts up all these, let’s say, snobs?
My dad was a lawyer and he drove a first gen Hyundai Excel he got as a barter trade for legal service.