Wife needs a new car/suv, give me some ideas.

T

turboclam

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
We will soon be a family of four at the end of Jan, another girl. A newborn and a three year old. Would like something not too big or too small and get decent gas mileage. Would prefer a 3rd row seat. Looking for something about the size of an Enclave/Acadia. Under $30,000 hopefully. Jeep Commander? SRX? Give me some ideas and opinions. Thanks!
 
Bought my wife a 2010 GMC Terrain last Jan. I got the AWD 6 cyl, loaded with heated leather, navigation, two video screens in the rear. Its a nice vehicle. Hers was $38,600.00.If you don't need the AWD it would be in your price range although it doesn't have the 3rd row seating you are looking for.

Bryan
 
We had a jeep commander and I highly recommend you stay away from them. It was loaded and had the 5.7 liter hemi and the tiniest gas tank or should I say peanut shell! The suspension was sloppy and klunky!

I would go with a V6 suv that gets decent mileage with the liquid gold! I know the GMC Terrain and the Honda's get good mileage as far as SUV's go.

We are in a similar situation with the two boys we have and a little girl that will be born in the next couple weeks. We bought the new regal this past April. We love it. A 2.0L turbo that goes forever on a tank of gas.
 
Look at the Mazda CX9. I did a lot of research on SUV's with 3rd rows. The Mazda got great reviews and won SUV of the year in 2008 and 2011 I think. We bought it off lease and got the GT. The 2nd row is very generous. It is a big SUV but drives much like a car. It is the nicest vehicle I have owned. Check out YouTube for the reviews. I believe the new ones are coming out with direct injection which should boost fuel economy substantially.
 
If you need a third row, number one on my shopping list would be a Ford Flex. Personally would/will get the eco-boost twin turbo model, but that may be a bit above your stated budget. Next on my list if I decided I didn't need/want a 3rd row would be the Ford Edge. Very economical.
 
Used '09 and up Chevy Suburban since they have the 6 spd auto and can get 3.08 rear. We get 17mpg in day to day driving and 20mpg on the highway loaded up in our LTZ and I bought mine used in 2010 at $34K with every option imaginable, high $20's should get you a more base model in the used market. I have a 15 month old girl and a 3 yr old girl, we looked at the Ford Flex, but the Suburban won us over, plus it can tow a Buick easily.
 
Ford Flex with the Eco-boost motor would be at the top of my list also. Also look at the previous body style Cadillac SRX. It had a 3rd row seat and could be had with either a v6 or v8. The wife wants the new Cadillac CST Sportwagon. No 3rd row seat, but lots of room.
 
Damn you All!!! jk

Now you've got me thinking about it again!

We really like the Flex too. Her Freestyle is at the mileage where it's trade in time, or keep it forever. Think I'll go over and take another look at em. That EcoBoost is a mighty nice seeling point...;)


I went all through the CTS wagon and was really disappointed. The rear cargo area didn't appear particularly useful. Narrow and really short in depth. Couldn't even get a kids wagon back there to haul a cooler and kids around the car shows in. Height looked too short to put a good stroller into even, glad we're past that tho. And that step in... The front floor is so high it's like a 40's car. Weird. It was comfortable to drive, but just not what I could live with, even if it were the V model. It's a shame, I love Cadillac's.

I don't see myself as a Lincoln guy. Looked at the MKT tho. Stunningly beautiful inside and out, but I thought it lost some of the Freestyles functionality with the sloped down rear roof area. I don't know how many times that tall cargo area has proven useful without need of going back home to get the truck!
 
I think it really depends on the ages of kids. Ours are 9, 6, and 3 and we bit the bullet and went the mini-van route with a Honda Odyssey about (5) years ago. Gotta say its been a great vehicle and worked well. The sliding doors are worth having, plus you can take their friends along pretty easily too. I kept my older Camry & Tahoe as well but its more work to load them in/out the back than it is with the mini-van. My wife wants a Honda Pilot next (when the Odyssey hits 200k), but I like the newer Tahoes.
 
6APPEAL said:
Ford Flex with the Eco-boost motor would be at the top of my list also. Also look at the previous body style Cadillac SRX. It had a 3rd row seat and could be had with either a v6 or v8. The wife wants the new Cadillac CST Sportwagon. No 3rd row seat, but lots of room.
Click to expand...

That was one of our top choices (SRX-older generation). Really liked the looks of it, especially Sport model. The rear seat is pretty small, which is what mostly killed it for us, and in actuallity it is really just a big 'car'. Were looking more for an SUV type. Plus the price was up there.

Scott A said:
I think it really depends on the ages of kids. Ours are 9, 6, and 3 and we bit the bullet and went the mini-van route with a Honda Odyssey about (5) years ago. Gotta say its been a great vehicle and worked well. The sliding doors are worth having, plus you can take their friends along pretty easily too. I kept my older Camry & Tahoe as well but its more work to load them in/out the back than it is with the mini-van. My wife wants a Honda Pilot next (when the Odyssey hits 200k), but I like the newer Tahoes.
Click to expand...

The newer Odysseys got stunning reviews and are always praised by the car mags. My wife is just not a mini van person or that would be top on our list. Don't know much about them except that they are pretty awesome.

One last thing to think about. The CX9 GT has a LOT of convience/safety items. HID lights, adjustable headlamps, LED tails, rearview camera, leather (not the best quality though) seats, blind spot monitoring system, 3rd row air bags, 3 zone heating, navigation, 20" rims, traction control system, remote hatch, pretty cool keyless entry system with no keys, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers.
 
With gas prices projected hit $5 a gallon (or close to it) this year , I would go with an Equinox. The 4 cyl. model gets 32 mpg. Plus that will keep you under 30k. Giving up the 3rd seat is worth the huge cost savings IMO. If the 3rd seat is a must have, I would look for a slightly used Acadia to make up for the increased gas cost.
 
Minivan. Get her past the minivan part and get her in one. They are not "cool" but they are too damn practical to ignore. Get a "sporty" one. LOL like a grand caravan R/T (we just got one on the lot).

SUV's are for people that can't admit they need a minivan. (My wife and I each have a minivan as a DD)
 
Scott A said:
The sliding doors are worth having, plus you can take their friends along pretty easily too.
Click to expand...


No sliding door but the ability to bring everyone is the reason we have Suburbans. Plus the room behind the rear seat to fit the needed gear for the activity of the day(or week). Plus, it is big and I feel safer than a car in a collision, down side the mileage. I have a '94 with the tbi 350 that gets 17 mpg all around and our big gun is the voetec 454 that gets 13 around but has gotten 15 on trips with highway travel. Though it does drop off when towing as most things do to about 10 when pulling our big trailer. Another upside is ease of fixing them and getting parts. Pretty much change the oil/filter and put gas in. The '94 is at about 275k and the '99 is at about 185k

That said the Flex is on our short list the next time we upgrade. Wife loves the look and our older ones rarely come along any more. (8, 13, 15, 17)
 
So I went to the local Ford dealer and picked up some brouchures, so the wifey would have something to hold in her hand, and colors to look at...

She still likes the inside, but not outside of the Flex. Says she just doesn't like it. And she still won't eat the price difference for hanging a Lincoln body on the same vehicle... Luckily I picked up the one for the Explorer too.;) That looks niiiice!!!

So I was reading the powertrain options, Flex 3.5 Duratech/ 3.5 EcoBoost...MKT 3.7 Duratech/3.5 EcoBoost

Explorer uses a Ti-VCT 3.5L / But the EcoBoost that comes in the Explorer is a stinkin 2.0L 4Cyl.!!!:rolleyes: WTF?
Can't get the towing package with a 4cyl, or 4wd...

Why on earth can't we get the good motor, or even the colors we want on the Explorer? Same thing when we got the Freestyle. She took black cuz the other color choices Sucked!!!

So since we don't Need need a newer vehicle you won't believe what she said,,, I'd be able to finish her TA in style if there's no car payment! Oh man! Visions of a crossbraced uni-sub connector, not having to buy the econo version TH-200 4R, 18's, and a sound system you can't turn past 3 are dancing in my head~!!! And I thought Christmas was over....:D

And of course, by the time I could finish, there'd even be enough no-car-payment money to put my butt back in a fairly nice GN that I could make the GNX clone I've always wanted from!

Riiiight... It's never this simple...
But I can hope, for now...
 
Got my wife a Durango R/T holds the road well plenty of power with the hemi an has the guts to pull the GN.
 
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