Moved the In-Laws from 22 yr old Lexus to BMW

"Mosqvich" (mosqvich)
12/01/2014 at 21:32 • Filed to: BMW, X1, Lexus ES300

My in-laws bought a 1992 Lexus ES-30 similar to the one pictured back in 1993. I believe it was a program car or lease return, regardless they got a pretty good deal on it. They've taken pretty good care of their Lexus and, like the one pictured, it goes to show how long one can make a good car last. One really nice option is its manual transmission. Imagine the possibilities. I digress. It is beginning to spend a lot of time getting serviced and it lacks a lot of modern conveniences like Blue Tooth, safer brakes, and all wheel drive (my in-laws have a steep driveway and get snow and ice). So, it's time to go.

The trick was convincing them to buy a new car. Why a new car? Because at this stage in their lives, this will likely be their last car. They are in their 80's and don't drive more than several thousands miles a year. We looked at a lot of different vehicles, but my father-in-law has a fantastic roll call of past cars he has owned and we needed to appeal to his inner enthusiast, or at least a little bit of it.

My father-in-law purchased his first car as a young US Marine was a Triumph TR-3. He bought while he was in Japan, but didn't drive it until he was stationed in San Francisco.

He followed up the TR-3 with a TR-4. But to hear him tell it, he preferred the TR-3.

He moved on to other cars when my wife and her sister came along. The TR-4 just wasn't practical. He purchased a Mercedes 280. It's a beautiful car, but not quite as sporting, but could carry around a wife and a couple girls.

He also bought a Volvo 240. Ugh. "It was ugly, but good." It was a station wagon at least.

But you can't keep an enthusiast down. His next car was a Porsche 911 Targa from the mid 70's. This is the car in which my wife learned to drive. I think we all know what a 911 looks like and there is no need to paste in a Wikipedia photo. None of the cars pictured, by the way, actually belonged to my in-laws and were found around the internet.

He bought some other cars including a Mazda Protege, a Nissan pick-up, and the Lexus ES300. Based on a compilation of these cars and a somewhat limited budget, we finally arrived at the BMW X1. We did seek out a "stripper" car, meaning we didn't want to have a bunch of unnecessary extras like iDrive, the larger engine, sunroof, etc... It does have Valencia Orange paint ($550 option), the winter package with heated seats, etc..

The X1 really checked a lot of boxes including easy ingress and egress. This is incredibly important for a few octogenarians. It also has a list of safety features as long as my arm (see Volvo and Mercedes). It's actually pretty peppy, but not out of control (there's a reason the 911 had to go as well). Finally, BMW had a really good Black Friday sale. Seriously, they did. The car's MSRP was around $38k and we got it for about $5k or so off that. This will include BMW's maintenance program, windshield replacement, and dent protection. The latter two allow for repairs without using insurance nor deductibles. Overall, it was a pretty good deal.

Looking for a good Lexus for your track or drift car?

DISCUSSION (30)

My citroen won't start > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:34

Oh no, not the second most hated of BMWs

bob and john > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:37

Volvo 240. Ugh

brave words to say on oppo.

GhostZ > bob and john
12/01/2014 at 21:38

Them's fightin' words

Mosqvich > bob and john
12/01/2014 at 21:40

Kinja'd!!!

I'm brave.

petebmwm > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:40

Fun to drive and can't beat the bang for the buck!

Funktheduck > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:40

I like the X1. I think it's a really good size and looks nice.

No Prius Needed > My citroen won't start
12/01/2014 at 21:40

I thought it was:

1. X4

2. X6

3. X1

Mosqvich > My citroen won't start
12/01/2014 at 21:42

It actually drives really nicely and fits the "application" perfectly. It's no M4, but part of the discussion was the height. A 3-series was too low for them to easily get into and out of. The X3 would've been fine, but too much money for what they wanted to spend. Today's car prices were quite a shock to them! Remember, it's been 21 years since buying a sedan. The Nissan pickup doesn't count - they got it super cheap.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > My citroen won't start
12/01/2014 at 21:42

Is the Series 2 Active Tourer number 1?

jkm7680 > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:42

That's pretty cool!

Mosqvich > Funktheduck
12/01/2014 at 21:43

The only design area that bugs me is the C Pillar, otherwise, I agree. I like it a lot.

Funktheduck > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:46

I've noticed c pillars getting fatter on newer cars. I think it has to do with rollover protection more than style.

Mosqvich > Funktheduck
12/01/2014 at 21:47

I do too. My wife was concerned about her Mom being able to see well. I basically said what you said. She agreed.

Funktheduck > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:49

If it weren't for larger mirrors (compared to previous gen) and the back up camera on my car, backing up would be a lot more trouble.

Bad Idea Hat > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:57

For some reason, that Lexus doesn't seem a whole hell of a lot out of place in modern car design.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 21:59

One of my neighbors (who is around 15 years younger) had the first X1 I ever saw. I've got a 1M and am an enthusiast, but there's no question that if you are looking for a small SUV the X1 is a very nice car. I think I like the Macan better (and it's more $$), but his X1 is pretty nice.

How much do they want for the manual Lexus? That's like having a unicorn.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > No Prius Needed
12/01/2014 at 22:00

1. 5series GT (yuck!)

...big gap...

...anything else...

Mosqvich > Bad Idea Hat
12/01/2014 at 22:02

It's really not too bad. It has a fairly new clutch, but my in-laws don't trust it for their annual trip to Florida or to Chicago or out to see us.

Mosqvich > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
12/01/2014 at 22:03

I'm not sure what they want. I'm trying to figure out a fair price for it. Seriously. I'd be lying to say otherwise.

We did look at a Macan in San Francisco last week, but that was WAYYYYYYY too expensive. My father-in-law did like how it looked though!

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 22:09

Is the car in or near SF? I am as well. I might know a person interested in the Lexus (seriously).

Mosqvich > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
12/01/2014 at 22:17

We were there on vacation. They live in Missouri. They met in San Francisco and go back every year. We go every other year. We love it there.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 22:22

It's a great place. I've been here about 9 years. If we were having this discussion last week I would have suggested you go to my friend's restaurant Park Tavern in North Beach.

My citroen won't start > Mosqvich
12/01/2014 at 22:26

I'd say get them an RX.

My citroen won't start > No Prius Needed
12/01/2014 at 22:27

1.X6

2.X1

3.X4

My citroen won't start > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/01/2014 at 22:27

I'm not quite sure what that is

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > My citroen won't start
12/01/2014 at 22:32

My bad, it is still a 2-Series for some undescribably stupid reason, but it is this blasphemous bastard child.

Kinja'd!!!