i have a perfectly good car, which i love, however it is quickly becoming too small for our needs and especially my wanting to carpool this year. currently we can only take one extra child and even that is a tight squeeze between car seats in the back seat.
phil and i are finally going to test-drive tomorrow. we have a few cars on our shortlist but i thought i'd ask for a few opinions on the subject. all thoughts are welcome! i want something with the functionality of a minivan, without BEING a minivan (phil refuses to buy one). i also can't have anything huge - our garage doors are staggered and thus split in the middle.
here are a couple that we have our eyes on right now:
2006 mercedes r-class
2008 buick enclave
acura mdx (not sure of year yet)you should know that i'm terrible when it comes to big ticket items. it drives phil nuts how i go back and forth. but to my credit, i research things to death! i've been pouring over consumer reports and reading what i can about our favorites online. i even found a website that asks many specific questions and matches you to car models. of course, the top 5 cars were minivans. *UGH*
so please send your thoughts along, including all the little details about things that drive you nuts or that make your car a pleasure to drive...the things you wouldn't do without. thanks everyone!
so please send your thoughts along, including all the little details about things that drive you nuts or that make your car a pleasure to drive...the things you wouldn't do without. thanks everyone!
13 comments:
I really like the Mazda CX 9. I also heard Chrysler Pacificas are nice if you're not a big minivan fan, but you want a roomier vehicle. Both vehicles have 3rd row seating.
Hi Angie,
car shopping huh! the first two look extremely expensive. I like the look of the mercedes the Buick looks like a shoe. Good luck in your decision.
I'd stay away from the Buick FOR SURE. We've rented a couple of Buick's before and they're GARBAGE! Mar LOVED her MDX and Lindsay still LOVES hers, so you probably couldn't go wrong there. I don't know the first thing about the Mercedes but it sure looks nice! Anyways, that's my 2 cents! Oh yeah, and are you calling me a loser cause I drive a mini van? J/K. They are NOT cool and I will be the first to admit it but I sure do like that mine is paid for and I like that the gas doesn't cost me my first born child. That's always a bonus! hahahaha!
Seriously, I can only see you in the Benz...
I thought the Buick looked most like what you might drive, but it isn't getting good reviews among your other friends.
So my vote is the Benz - if you get it, do you want to car pool to girls night out?
i'd LOVE to have an Acura MDX...i think they rock. i love the look, and acura makes an amazing car.
So this on isn't on your list but you could try the Honda Pilot. I've driven these a few times and love them!!
They all look really nice. I don't really like Buick but I don't know much about the enclave... it does look nice. I have heard that mercedes cost a lot to fix if anything goes wrong, but again I'm not sure about the r-class. I like the sporty look of the MDX. I can't wait to see what you end up getting. I SO wish we were getting a new, and bigger, car. I'm desperately waiting for my car to DIE so that we HAVE to. :) Have you looked at the Lexus SUVs? SO NICE.
Okay Ang, I had to weigh in on this one! I used to have an MDX and absolutely LOVED it!!! If I didn't have four kids and have to haul around all their crap and all their friends everywhere I go, i'd totally still have it! They drive beautifully, look great and have space for 5 - 6 kids, but they are still the smaller size SUV! Good luck! Can't wait to hear what you get!
-PS a lot of my friends have the Honda Pilot which is Honda's version of the MDX! They Love em!
I'm not sure which one I would pick. I love the romminess of minivans but I could honestly never drive one. I gotta give it up for the Tahoe- I freaking love that thing.
I have a lot of friends with MDX's and it seems they all love them. Otherwise, I'm opinionless. I do love my minivan though - it's awfully convenient for my life stage right now (but I made Al promise me that I could get a big SUV for my next car).
Hi Anj!
We just bought a new car (really, we did!)We bought a 2006 Honda Pilot and I L-O-V-E it. It seats 8 (and some stuff) -- or 5 and LOTS of stuff. Or 2 and TONS of stuff. =) It drives like a sedan. I never feel like I'm driving an appliance or a tank and it gets really good gas mileage (22mpg freeway/18-20 city), rear A/C, super super roomy bench seats, it would easily fit 3 on the second row. Both bench seats adjust forward back/recline, etc. It has rear side curtain airbags (safety 1st, right?)and it's not a minivan. And the configuration of the 2nd and 3rd row is really versatile. And it's a Honda--quality.
Angie,
This is Ryan and I think this is my first time ever responding to any blog but I thought your question needed a guy's response too.
Mercedes - They have been reported to be one of the worst companies for reliability the last few years. Repairs can be more expensive.
Buick - Reliability could be a question. That said, you will get the best financing and warranty with this SUV if buying new.
Acura - Japanese made! Great reliability (good news if buying used), personally I like the MDX most. You definitely get what you pay for with this SUV.
My short list of top SUV's/crossover: Lexus, Acura, Volvo, Honda and Nissan Murano (probably too small, but they are fast!)
Good site/article for info and comparing SUV's:
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/Luxury-Midsize-SUVs/
my parents have an MDX (they got it in 2002 and it has about 300,000 miles on it (that number is NOT an exaggeration)). my mom really likes the seats, and boy is she picky about car seats. it has the 3rd row, which is nice when you are hauling peeps around. they are thinking of upgrading to a new one after testing every other car out there.
different car: my sister is planning on getting a subaru tribeca. i've test driven this one and really liked it.
one of our favorite "dates" is test driving cars :) and dreaming a bit. this has worked out best when we would show up to the dealers in my dad's audi rs :)
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