Not all sports sedans are created equal

It's time to shop for a new car. For the next few weeks I'm chronicling my search, reviewing the process, the products, the marketing, the sales experience and the transaction.

Day 11: Are we done yet?

Looking at this many cars is harder and taking more time than I would have thought. I'm not sure how many cars most people look at before they actually buy, but my guess would be somewhere between three and five would be about as many as most people can handle before they make their decision.

I spent Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee trying to drive the cars I can't find in Sheboygan (that would be most of them). I visited five dealerships and drove two cars. Unfortunately the Saab dealer didn't have any 9-5s on the lot, the first Ford Dealer I visited didn't have a Fusion Sport and by the time I got to the dealer who had one, it was a few minutes away from closing time, so I was only able to see and sit in the car, the test drive will come later this week.

I did manage to track down a Chevy Malibu LTZ and drive that. Here's a tip: if you want to like this car, don't compare it to a BMW 328 or an Audi A4. The Chevy is a good car, powerful with a stiffer suspension and all the right features (sunroof, satellite radio, automatic climate control, etc.) but it's just not as refined. It's a more powerful version of a family car, but not a sports car. There's no manual transmission. The driver's seat doesn't offer the lateral support you need for hard driving. The suspension's stiffness allows too much of the road noise to come through and it's jarring over bumps. This is disappointing because I really wanted to like this car.

My Audi dealer experience was very different from what happened at the BMW dealer. I walked into a busy showroom on Saturday afternoon and it was clear that every salesman was occupied. Expecting a long wait, I was surprised when the sales manager, excused himself from the customers he was talking to and came up to me, let me know everyone was busy, offered to get me a bottle of water and asked what I was interested in. The one-minute he spent setting expectations of when I would be helped made the five minutes I had to wait perfectly acceptable.

The car itself was everything I expected. Quick, tight and fun to drive. It differs from the BMW in that it feels more gadgety and high tech with the interior and dash design while the BMW is more classic. The Audi was on the top of my initial list based on what I think about the brand and what I've read about the car, and after driving it, it's still right up there. Especially since it's just a few thousand more dollars than the Chevy.

So far I've driven an Audi A4, BMW 328ix, Buick Regal, Cadillac CTS, Chevy Malibu LTZ, Nissan Maxima and VW Jetta TDI SportWagen, and the cars I can see myself living with are the Audi, BMW and VW. I still have to drive the Fusion, Sonata, Infiniti, Saab and Subaru. With any luck I'll get this wrapped up this week and I can get on with my life.