Car Shopping: Your Thoughts?

Hey TFP,

Our two existing vehicles (a '96 Pontiac Bonneville SSE and a '00 Ford Windstar SE) are in the process of being driven into the ground and are about to give out on us, so we have been car shopping around for a replacement.

On our list of contenders so far are:

1. Ford Flex - my overall fave, whereas wife prefers Lincoln MKT - which is really the same car under the hood, but more expensive
2. Mazda CX9 - cheapest of the lot, and quite well regarded AFAIK; preferred for price more than for looks (that smiling grille is creeeepy)
3. Buick Enclave - favorite in looks (not counting the MKT), but not as well regarded; similar price as Flex.
4. Honda Odyssey - least favorite in looks, but gets best mileage and very well regarded; Same price as Flex.

[Wife is standing over my shoulder prodding me to add Infiniti QX56, but that puppy's way out of budget - so fergetit!]

So here we are, either waiting for new car prices to drop by the holidays or for an acceptably-equipped used car to appear on the market.

In the meantime, we'd love to narrow down our choices. The only must-have features are seating for 7+, moonroof, and decent mileage. We're likely going to go the ZAG route, using a no-haggle price (cuz we suck at it).

What are your thoughts? Any other models you think we ought to consider? Any experience with the above? Shopping tips?

 

12 passenger... 20 passenger available!

 

Take them for test drives. You will probably weed out one or two that way.

 

I have an Enclave, and it's not bad. I've driven the QX56 (my car is the M35X) as a rental, and it's not bad but doesn't get great mileage. Tell your wife that. My wife loves the Enclave, and it's the family car.

 

I doubt it They ALL drive tons better than our current vehicles. We already tried out two different Flexes (one with the Ecoboost and one without) and an Odyssey. Also going by reviews, which seem to corroborate our findings.

Nice! I just love how those things look, and would love to try one out. However, I've read that the handling feels "stiff". I guess I'll need to see for myself.

LOL that would have actually come in handy for when we were relocating to NoVa from Kentucky. We ended up going with an RV rental, which in retrospect wasn't a bad idea at all

 

If you are thinking minivan as a possibility you should look at the Toyota Sienna also.
The Sienna and the Oddy are the cream of the crop for mini-vans.
We looked at them about 3 years ago and bought the Sienna because my wife preferred the driving position. Honestly I would have been comfortable choosing either one. Two quality vehicles.

 

Quite right about that, fflowley, I suppose Sienna and Odyssey are pretty much interchangeable, and both are excellent vehicles. We just seem to prefer the way the Oddysey looks, especially the later year models (though still, least favorite lookswise). There seems to be an awful lot of them popping up on Craigslist for sale.

God, we are so van. I mean vain.

 

From the choices you have, I'd suggest either the Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey. Both good cars, as far as I know.

Definitely skip the Buick and Ford. Especially the Ford. I mean, look at it.

Seriously? Infiniti are crap cars in my experience. Comparatively. I have a 2011 Toyota Landcruiser here; it drives fast, has good handling, is comfortable, reliable as fuck, and I've never been happier with a car before. Plus, it definitely looks better than that Infiniti abomination. Frankly, I'd take the Landcruiser over any Mercedes GL, Land Rover or Porsche SUV. The only exception would be the Audi Q7... I love that car.

There's a reason why the oil-guzzling Arabs love it, too.

Hell, the Chevrolet Tahoe is leagues better than the Infiniti QX56. In black, looks better too.

 

Be sure to talk to your dealers about cars coming off lease. I've bought new in the past, and I vow to never do it again. People often make the claims of the car lasting longer, how much they cost to fix if something breaks, etc. When you look at the mileage, depreciation of the car, and how much would have to go wrong in repairs to justify new vs. used, it's really a no-brainer anymore.

 

@Bear-Club and Martian, totally in agreement with you both. The main difficulty is finding a vehicle equipped as needed, while having not too much mileage on it.

I suppose it's easier with Odysseys, everyone and their dog seems to be dumping them on Craigslist, but the other models simply aren't represented all that much.

We did find an almost unused Lincoln MKT for about 20k less than invoice, but it was marked as a lemon (repeated powertrain failure in its history), so we were kinda scared to go for it.

 

Odyssey, no question. How exactly do you want it equipped? I didn't have a hard time at all finding a used EXL-nav, with DVD's, navigation, leather, seat heaters, etc etc. They get great gas mileage, they have Honda reliability and Honda resale value, and they drive like a sedan. What's not to love?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...898683&dma=WASHINGTON_DC_WE&rdm=1316307180187

There are 396 used Odyssey's within 50 miles of you, with 40 of them being Certified Used. I'm sure you can find something configured to your liking in that list!

 

How long have you had these vehicles?
Whats your yearly mileage estimate?
Buying outright or financing? If financing, how long you willing to go (24 months...60 months..)?

Now is actually one of the best times to buy new. Dealers are trying to clear the lots of the '11 models as the '12s should be hitting the showrooms any day now.
Only downside is maybe not getting all the bells and whistles you want.

If you plan on owning the car for 7-10 years, or more, depreciation is a non-factor.
If you put high mileage on the vehicles, depreciation is a non-factor.

 

I did not like the Odyssey. It was too hard to get to the 3rd row, which was an issue. It also handled poorly.

 

Really? I loved the way mine handled. Car and Driver seems to agree. In fact, they've ranked the Odyssey #1 in minivans for the last three models

Fourth gen in 2011: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y_nissan_quest_toyota_sienna-comparison_tests

Third gen in 2007: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ta_sienna_2007_honda_odyssey-comparison_tests

Second gen in 2005: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...san_quest_2004_toyota_sienna-comparison_tests

The third row was a big awkward to get in and out of, but I haven't been in a van that was significantly better at it, and *I* didn't have to get in and out back there, so I lived with it.

 

They have their opinion, I have mine. The steering was too soft for my tastes, and the third row as virtually impossible for a 5 year old to get into unassisted, which was a complete deal-breaker. Second row captains chairs were a must for us.

 

We bought the Pontiac when it was about 2 or 3 years old, so right now it's around 15 years old.
The Windstar was bought when it was 4 or 5 years old, and it's 11 years old now.
We aren't looking to keep the new vehicle around quite that long. Since this would be the most expensive car we've ever bought, we are looking to trade it in every 5-6 years or so, to keep things fresh and working (counting on a good trade-in value). However, I'm willing to change my mind on this.

Maybe 10k or so per year?

We prefer to buy outright, but will finance if there are additional incentives for doing so (and then just pay the whole thing off anyway).

Not sure if either of those conditions apply to us, but I see what you're saying. We would definitely prefer a previous year model if it means getting it cheaper. Unfortunately Ford has been changing their promotions, and for some reason made their 2011 models more expensive (at least via Zag) in the last week. The current promos should end at start of October, so we'll see what new promos come out at that point.

Nice link! Thanks for that. One thing I'm wondering about though - how come so many people are looking to dump their fairly new Odysseys? I mean, I'm sure it's a fine car, but there's an inordinate amount of people wanting to get rid of it.

 

Did the one you are referring to not have 2nd row captain's chairs? Mine did...perhaps that is some of the confusion?

Nefir, I don't know why people are selling them...people sell every car pretty much proportionally to how many are made, and they churn out Odyssey's.