Car buying rumination

"ImmoralMinority" (araimondo) 01/23/2017 at 09:56 • Filed to: None

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I am sitting here playing with car manufacturer web sites as I figure out what car to buy for my wife - a major purchase, so not a small decision. After visiting three dealerships (Volvo, Acura, Infiniti), I have a good idea of what she wants. As far as driving the cars, she liked driving the Infiniti the best, but Acura was a close second. I think Volvo is out of the running, especially because the salesman was an idiot who could not answer any questions about the car.

Here are the things that are important to her:

Technology packages - she wants things like lane assist, blind spot warnings, adaptive cruise control, intelligent braking, and the like. Lots of airbags, etc.

Third row of seats - despite initially thinking otherwise, she realized that she does not want to lose the third row of seats, so a fold down row is a necessity. In particular, she wants to be able to put Toby in one of these when we travel:

Comfort - she commutes about 20-30 minutes each way every day to the next town over (she is a special education kindergarten teacher), so she wants to be comfortable. She doesn’t need max luxury, but she wants something well appointed.

Rear bucket seats - when I said “bucket seats” to the Acura salesman (who was about 28), he said “those are CAPTAIN’S CHAIRS.” We used to call them bucket seats, but whatever. 2 rear seats with a console between them (with 2 USB ports for power) is essential if we are to travel with 2 teenage brothers who are generally homicidal to each other on their best days.

Size - she does not want to go full size SUV. Does not care about a V8 engine, wants something that feels smaller than her Sienna, but still gives her that fold down third row.

This morning I have been playing with building cars on manufacturer websites.

Infiniti QX60 - Packaged with exactly the options she wants, MSRP comes out to about $53,000.

Acura MDX - Packaged with exactly what she wants, MSRP comes out to $57,000.

There will obviously be some variance at the dealer.

I have been looking at the Toyota site this morning, and we are hoping to make it to the dealer after work today. The Sequoia is too big, and only comes in a V8 that she doesn’t need.

But the Highlander ticks a lot of the right boxes, and at the kind of prices we are talking about, we could afford the AWD Hybrid. We are not off-roaders. She will be using the car for a commute that is about 60% highway driving, and for family road trips. So the hybrid might make sense. If not, we could load up a Highlander for what we are talking about spending for these other cars.

Throw your thoughts this way, Oppo. I’m a-waitin’

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:07

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I’ve driven all three of these vehicles and I’d recommend the Toyota before the others. The Infiniti is very nice but it’s got the same mechanical/electrical issues as the Pathfinder.

The Acura has some of the best seats I’ve ever been in but - maybe because the one I was in was all black - it felt much smaller inside than the others.

The Highlander Limited is excellent as far as upscale family haulers go. The custard-colored leather with brown stitching is very attractive and the seats have the right mix of comfort/firmth for road trips.

ttyymmnn > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:09

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Captain’s chairs swivel. Bucket seats do not.

shop-teacher > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:11

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Hybrids really shine in around town commuting. The regenerative braking of constant stopping is what charges the batteries, so don’t expect to see any benefit on road trips. I’ve never so much as looked at a Highlander, so I have no opinions on the vehicle otherwise.

Check out the Ford Flex. It’s insanely comfy and roomy, available with second row captains chairs, and IMO looks fantastic with an available two-tone paint scheme.

Wacko > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:13

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if you are checking a Infiniti QX60. might as well check out a Pathfinder.

since it’s the same thing. A Platinum with all the toys she is looking for has a MSRP of 44700$

S65 > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:20

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Have you considered a Mazda CX-9?

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > S65 01/23/2017 at 10:47

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Already suggested, the wife hates Mazda because of his RX-8.

Future next gen S2000 owner > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:49

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....2 teenage brothers who are generally homicidal...

Ahh, memories. What about a highly optioned Durango? That has a third row, no?

osucycler > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 10:51

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Just recently bought a 2017 MDX SH-AWD with Technology package. Owned it about 2 months now and really pleased thus far. It is Mrs. osucycler’s so I got to provide minimal input. While we were cross shopping I wanted her to have AWD and vented front seats. Her requirements were nicely appointed interior and a V6. We looked at the Lexus but couldn’t get over the front grill and we discovered that we actually liked the idea of 3rd row seating (the mid row bucket seats and 3rd row fold fairly flat) even if it would get very little use. She drove the Outback and liked everything about about did not like the way it looked (no 3rd row either). We looked hard at the Highlanders but the interior and exterior styling just did not appeal to us. On the MDX all the tech bits work well but being the first vehicle we have with lane departure and lane assist has taken some getting used to but has become second nature pretty quickly. It is no rocket ship but moves down the road pretty briskly and without much fanfare and is very quiet. The two driver keyed memory is nice in that I like my seat and interior lighting one way and she likes another. I won’t call them cons but my worries are the transmission (I couldn’t find any direct problems related to the 2016-2017s but some issues have been brought up in past years models), how much I am going to be able to work on the vehicle (being that her old 04 Accord V6 only needed maintenance items gives me hope the it will be very little), if you leave the automatic engine cut off on there can be a slight lag once you let off the gas and get going from a stop. We hope to keep it for a very long time. Good luck!

Chuckles > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 12:35

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A friend of mine has a Highlander hybrid that’s only a few years old. He spent a decent chunk of his life as an airplane mechanic, and he does a lot of simple car repairs at home. His wife loves driving the Highlander, but after attempting a brake job he told me “never again.” Everything in terms of the electrical system is tied together. Bleeding the brakes turned into an ordeal. Unless you do a lot of city driving (where you’d really reap the benefits of the hybrid), I’d say get a Highlander with a traditional engine, load it up with goodies, and enjoy the fact that you’ll still get decent mileage without the added complexity of a hybrid.

Textured Soy Protein > ImmoralMinority 01/23/2017 at 12:36

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If you’re not hung up on fancy brands, the QX60 is the same underneath as the Pathfinder, and the MDX is the Pilot (but the MDX has a more trick AWD system). The Mazda CX-9 may also be worth a look and can be optioned up very nicely. Also the Hyundai Santa Fe is a 7-seater now (the Santa Fe Sport is the 5-seater).

One thing about the driver aid tech: most lane departure systems are super goddamn annoying in my experience. They may be useful if you drift out of your lane on the highway but if you drive on a road with turns and a clearly marked shoulder, every time you get a bit closer to the shoulder or maybe kiss the line a little, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP YOU ARE DEPARTING YOUR LANE BEEP BEEP BEEP!

I test drove an Acura TLX and supposedly it defaults to lane departure warning being on every time you start the car so you constantly have to deactivate it.

My wife’s Impreza holds the setting but leaves an annoying yellow light on the dash to remind you lane departure is turned off. The first few times we took her car to visit her family, the route is a bunch of curving 2-lane highways, and the stupid lane departure would keep beeping at me and it would make my wife who is already a nervous passenger freak out like WHY DO YOU KEEP LEAVING THE LANE THE CAR IS TELLING YOU TO STAY IN THE LANE AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

I was very glad when I figured out how to permanently deactivate it.

The other things like intelligent braking assist and active cruise are generally nice but you should be sure to see how each car’s lane departure warning behaves on curving roads and if you can keep it off.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 01/23/2017 at 12:44

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Captain Kirk agrees with you.

Captain Picard does not.

Yet another example of why Classic Trek is better than New Trek.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 01/23/2017 at 12:46

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I tried to find a gif of Kirk spinning in his chair, but couldn’t. So I went with Homer instead. I never noticed that Picard’s chair didn’t spin. Blasphemy!