Well, we decided we wanted to get a new car. We drove the Genesis, E350 Mercedes, ES350 Lexus and a few others that were not even considered. Of the 3 finalist, all had their shortcomings. Some had their pluses that the others didn't have. The E350 was nicer than the others but not by much. So it came down to price. The Genesis was 20K less than the E350 and 10K less than the ES350. That alone was not the deciding factor. I liked the way the genesis drove. It was tighter, more responsive, had more power then the others, and higher epa ratings. In the NHTSA crash test the Genesis beat both the others. On a scale of 1 to 5 the Genesis was a 5 in all the test. We got standard equipment, no options, with 3.8L V6 with 311 HP. 8 speed transmission. All three cars were specked with standard equipment only. It is a little over 4,000 lbs and rides very good but still has good road feel.
Last week we drove to the NC mountains and I can say this thing handles better than car I have ever owned. This includes an early 80's corvette, my 500SEL and many others. We both love it and can't wait to take a long trip in it.
I may have made a mistake and if so, it is not the first nor will it be my last. We did our home work and have no regrets so far.

Thanks for all the inputs. They gave us a better handle on what to look out for.

PaulM

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84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)