“Fine, go ahead – get a new family car…”
-Mrs. Hoonette Kaluski
Yes folks, it’s a household miracle, the wife has approved a new vehicle purchase. It was surprising too, as I didn’t really need to whine for too long or perform any unusual tricks. After all, my current family car, a 2005 Acura MDX, has been superior vehicle for over five years, by far a record longest time of me owning a single vehicle. I cannot say enough good things about it; rock solid reliability, inexpensive maintenance, and at 125,000 miles is still runs and drives as good as some of the new cars that I have been reviewing on this here site.
The MDX is our only vehicle and it is getting old. We do need a vehicle that is reliable, large (I can honestly say that the MDX gets packed up to the roof with stuff and/or people all the time), and safe. Not that the MDX isn’t all those things, but I could improve on it. And, I’ll admit it, I’m just bored with it, too.
The problem with my wife agreeing to a new family vehicle is that it created a situation for me. The situation will kill hours of my time, drive me insane, and in the end I won’t know what I really want. It is not so much as the process of choosing a new car as it is finding the right one for the right amount of money. I decided to look at brand new cars first, specifically leases, which require less money out of pocket and fit us because we do not drive a lot.
It should not be a surprise that the Acura dealer was the second place I visited. Second, because I fell in love with the new Jeep Range Rover Grand Cherokee. Advertisements would have you believe that you can lease one for about $300 per month, and perhaps you can, but with a hefty down payment on a stripped down Laredo. The V6 Limited with a luxury package I wanted came in at $2000 down out of pocket and $490 per month for three years and 12,000 miles per year. Not bad, but more than I expected or was willing to pay.
Acura dealer was the next stop. There were 2013 and the all-new-ish 2014 MDXs available. The base, but still nicely equipped, 2014 models were $2500 down and $480 per month, 12,000 miles per year, with the 2013 about $40/month less. Not bad. The real surprise was the bigger-and-V6-equipped-for-2013 Acura RDX at $3000 down and $369 per month. It’s a little smaller than my current MDX, but not much, and while we do occasionally use the third-row seat, it’s not a deal maker/breaker. All three of the Acuras are nice cars, and between my Integra, half a dozen of other Hondas I have owned, and the current MDX, I obviously have a soft spot for these vehicles which most enthusiasts would classify as appliance-like.
Then I stopped by the Land Rover dealership. Because why not? I have wanted a Land Rover forever, I have an unexplainable lust for them and that’s all there is to it. They also happen to make the LR4 which is damn roomy and very comfortable. It’s also a much more expensive than the other cars here, but hey, YOLO, amirite?
No, I am not right. This one does not make any sense at all; it’s oldest and it feels it, least reliable, least efficient, and $700+ per month, most expensive. It was off my list within twenty minutes of me drooling on one in the showroom. Gawd I love the damn thing, the driver’s sitting position alone is worth the price. Also, I maybe a bit of a snob.
There are a million of other similar SUVs and CUVs out there, certainly much cheaper ones too, but I am not really interested in any of them. Above listed Acuras aside, I think I want something that is more truck-ish, 4×4-ish in nature. It’s just a desire, one that’s similar to people who want a Nissan GT-R even thought they’ll never drive it to 5/10ths of its ability.
To be continued…
[Photos copyright 2012/2013 Hooniverse/Jeff Glucker/Kamil Kaluski]
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