Wow, what a great category. There are a lot of really good choices out there, and it really is kinda hard to pick just one. Therefore, I have to suggest that you try out as many as the cars as possible, but I'd want to keep the list down to five if I were you, maybe even less than that.
On the cars you've mentioned thus far:
- Toyota Camry: Its not a horrible car, but quite frankly it isn't the first on my list when it comes to cars that size. Granted, they are very well-known cars with a good reputation, but there have been an increasing amount of issues with the mechanical bits and pieces, as well as the interior build quality, and all of that may depend on who built the car and when.
- VW Passat: This is one of my perennial favorites in this category, but there are quite a few positives offset by a fair number of negatives. Most importantly, at least in my opinion, you're getting a solidly-built car with a very good reputation for quality and performance, all of which can be had for a fairly decent price. That being said, the Passat costs more than the competition, is usually more expensive to insure, and also includes the expensive replacement parts as well. But, all things considered, I love the Passat. The basic 'value edition' with the 2.0T is still a nice car, and at least where I am, thats what I'd want to do with.
- Nissan Maxima: Again not a bad car, but then again, I'm not very experienced with the Maxima on the whole. I much preferred the previous Maximas, but these ones aren't bad either. If the Maxima is considered, it would likely be the most sporty of the cars you've mentioned, and that likely can be a deal maker or breaker. Oh, and the CVT option drives me crazy...
- Chrysler 300: Yes and no. I love the looks, I like the performance for the most part, but the build quality isn't that great, and has been completely destroyed by the current Ford and GM products. Beyond that, the only model worth getting is the V8 300C, and with gas the way it is, I don't know if most people want to stick with it.
- Lincoln MKZ: This car is a very interesting car indeed. Quite frankly, I like it both inside and out (except the tail-lamps), and it seems to be a pretty good quality car. If I recall correctly, it was one of the most reliable new cars last year, and that certainly is a plus when you're finishing ahead of the 'standard' Camry and Accord. The good news about the MKZ is that you can get the excelent 3.5L V6 and the new six-speed automatic, both of which (at least in my opinion) are some of the best bits you can get in an American car these days.
- Buick Allure: We call this car the LaCrosse down here in the States, and it isn't that bad. That being said, I don't think I'd consider it the best of the W-Body cars either. If you're looking for that size, I think you'd find the Chevrolet Impala to have more than enough 'luxury' in the higher-spec LTZ and SS models, and as an added bonus, you save some money too. It isn't that the Buick is bad by any means, it just doesn't seem to make as much sense as the 'lesser' W-Body models. And even then, you can get a nicely-equipped Lucerne within your price range, and to be honest, I'd have the big Lucerne over the LaCrosse any day.
---
A few other models worth a look:
- Saturn Aura: At least in my opinion, the Aura is among the best cars available in this size and price range. The car is built very well, performs as good if not better than most of the competition, and is priced very competitively. As a testament as to how good the car is, it has defeated the Camry several times in quite a few comparison tests, particularly the XR model. Given that you can get it with the awesome 3.6L V6 and the six-speed automatic, not to mention a great number of standard features, beyond in many cases what is available in other cars.
- Ford Taurus (Fivehundred): Okay, its boring. But they are pretty decent cars, and the new facelift looks good. The new 3.5L V6 and the six-speed auto work great, and there is the FordSync option as well, which is a pretty nifty way to hook up your phone, PDA, iPod, etc to your car.
- Honda Accord: Quite frankly, it is still the best mid-size car you can buy. Yes, I may be crazy for the Aura, but the Accord is still a favorite of mine. Its a wonderful drive, they are built extremely well, they hold their value, etc etc. If you look into an Accord EX V6, I doubt you'd be disappointed.
* Side note: You may want to consider the Acura TSX as well. Depends on what you're looking for. That too is a wonderful car.
