although a tad bit above his price range i would recommend the new BMW 5 Series in either 525i or the 530i... they might not be the fastest sedans in the 40-45 price range, but i believe if he already has the cars he has he does not need one fully focused on performance... they new 5 series offers the comfort and status that the 3 series and the c-class do not. not to mention it is noticeably roomier/more comfortable in the rear seats. the 5 series offers a steptronic automatic transmission and an average manual transmission.