Woah, Kevin. You’re all over the map there, in terms of vehicle and engine size. What are your criteria for selecting a new car?
I’ve also ended up with the Pontiac G6 a number of times at rental counters, but on a recent trip I got a Chevy Impala, which I was happily surprised by. Good handling, peppy engine, nice interior. Much better than the Cobalt (which is another popular rental) and the Malibu.
Of course, I’d argue for the Audi S4 over everything else — don’t foresake fun and solid German engineering (Max will need a car in, what, 10-11 years?) for a budget. Kids will always remember the awesome cars that their parents own fondly… I still remember the Corvette Stingray that my mom had. If only she’d stopped having kids after me — she could’ve kept it! 😉