Time to replace the family car with a bigger family car
04-09-2013, 05:43 PM
#22
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I'm pretty sure she's not pregnant...I think she's just getting tired of lacking space to haul around all our son's stuff.
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04-09-2013, 05:49 PM
#23
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edit: now I can't find it, but I swear I saw somewhere that with the right model you get a 4500 rating. I'd never be towing more than a miata on a trailer which would be hopefully be under the 3500 mark anyway (borrowing a small light trailer)
Last edited by ianferrell; 04-09-2013 at 05:53 PM. Reason: I invent numbers.
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04-09-2013, 11:13 PM
#24
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If I was in your shoes and genuinely needed a bigger "car," Id just buy a used tahoe. Nice and cheap to operate (minus gas), plus I can use it for towing.
If I was looking at something newer Id go with either a new Durango or Grand Cherokee. I have a few customers who have the 3.6 Durango and say the 290hp is plenty and it gets decent mileage (19 comb with AWD) plus the are both pretty nice.
I just love the way the new Durango looks.
But Ive never had anything that consistently got over 20mpg, I dont care about fuel economy that much.
If you start looking at minivans, I remeber reading about a caravan r/t that had the 283hp v6, It was rated pretty decently IIRC.
As little as I care for Ford, I think the Flex looks pretty good.
If I was looking at something newer Id go with either a new Durango or Grand Cherokee. I have a few customers who have the 3.6 Durango and say the 290hp is plenty and it gets decent mileage (19 comb with AWD) plus the are both pretty nice.
I just love the way the new Durango looks.
But Ive never had anything that consistently got over 20mpg, I dont care about fuel economy that much.
If you start looking at minivans, I remeber reading about a caravan r/t that had the 283hp v6, It was rated pretty decently IIRC.
As little as I care for Ford, I think the Flex looks pretty good.
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04-09-2013, 11:30 PM
#26
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Terrains are pretty small, went and test drove them with a friend.
The 6 ran very well. but gets similar mileage to your cx7.
The 4 was slow, and in AWD (im assuming you want that) I think the economy is like 20/29.
Good thing is if your looking at the terrain, the terrain is cheaper compared to the equinox at the same equipment level.
I think the Acadia/Enclave/Traverse is the size you are looking for. I like them and havent heard of any huge common problems, only advice is dont get the 19s, last time I priced them they were very high.
The 6 ran very well. but gets similar mileage to your cx7.
The 4 was slow, and in AWD (im assuming you want that) I think the economy is like 20/29.
Good thing is if your looking at the terrain, the terrain is cheaper compared to the equinox at the same equipment level.
I think the Acadia/Enclave/Traverse is the size you are looking for. I like them and havent heard of any huge common problems, only advice is dont get the 19s, last time I priced them they were very high.
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04-09-2013, 11:35 PM
#28
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Buddy of mine bought his wife an equinox, she loves it. Direct injection 4 bang gets almost 30ish. I figured the terrain would be the gmc version of the equinox. I guess we need to test drive. I am against buying new though, it's just not my belief.
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04-10-2013, 10:08 AM
#29
They aren't that much bigger than what you currently have either.
Fuelly.com says 21-23 mpg combined for those two, nowhere near the 29-30mpg highway the love so much to advertise.
Acadia/Traverse is much bigger, but they are expensive and again the MPGs are a bit under 20 combined, closer to 18mpg in real world everyday use...
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04-10-2013, 10:52 AM
#30
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Old friend of mine has a ford explorer sport trac. He swapped in a 4 cylinder cummins turbo diesel. That thing rips, and he claims around 30mpgs. I just have a hard time grasping the fact that in this time, vehicles like our cx7 and similar size suck so badly on fuel consumption.
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04-10-2013, 12:30 PM
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but the OP said no to the Rav, and it barely fits a rearfacing car seat.
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04-10-2013, 12:33 PM
#32
Your car is a 2007. In 2007, people wanted performance, not efficiency. That's because when the 2007's were designed (2005-2006 timeframe) gasoline was rising but still CHEAP. Nearly as cheap, on an inflation-adjusted basis, as the mid-60s. Car design trade-offs are always reactive to gasoline prices. If you really want fuel efficiency, you need a car from the '80s.
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04-10-2013, 12:42 PM
#33
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A small, shitty economy car from the '80s. 
My 1994 stock-power Miata gets 25 MPG and will not carry 2.5 people (safely) along with all of the crap most people think they must have for a small child.
OP wants a vehicle that is larger than his current one (which fits five properly-sized humans and some stuff) but with better fuel economy than my '80s-designed roadster.
My 1994 stock-power Miata gets 25 MPG and will not carry 2.5 people (safely) along with all of the crap most people think they must have for a small child.
OP wants a vehicle that is larger than his current one (which fits five properly-sized humans and some stuff) but with better fuel economy than my '80s-designed roadster.
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04-10-2013, 03:51 PM
#34
I was just kidding about the '80s car, of course. But, they did get tremendous fuel mileage. They were also much smaller and lighter, and didn't need to meet all of the safety and emission standards that are now in place.
By the time the Miata came around in '90, fuel prices had dropped substantially ('86 was the big drop) and a performance Renaissance was in full swing.
What does this have to do with OP? Since fuel prices began spiking again starting in 2007, efficiency has once again become a driving force. If he can just hold off a little longer . . . I'll bet he'll find a lot more fuel-efficient choices in a depreciated used car. Of course, by then fuel prices may have dropped again and he won't care anymore. Such goes the cycle.
By the time the Miata came around in '90, fuel prices had dropped substantially ('86 was the big drop) and a performance Renaissance was in full swing.
What does this have to do with OP? Since fuel prices began spiking again starting in 2007, efficiency has once again become a driving force. If he can just hold off a little longer . . . I'll bet he'll find a lot more fuel-efficient choices in a depreciated used car. Of course, by then fuel prices may have dropped again and he won't care anymore. Such goes the cycle.
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04-10-2013, 10:26 PM
#36
It's not super big but Subaru Forester. Retarded reliable, awesome in the snow. My dad has an 05 with 155K+ and just bought a 2011 XT (turbo). The 11 is so nice I would legitimately give up my Miata for it. It doesn't get great gas mileage though (about 25hwy). Supposedly the 2014's will do 30+, turbo, with cvt trannies.
Also Honda Odyssey is AWESOME. I used to hate driving it when I first got my license. Until I realized how awesome it was I could carry all my friends. And do hectic burnouts. And beat most small cars in a race. Only issue was apparently they had a "porous block" issue (ours was an 04). At around 100K miles it started dumping oil all over. Like puddles while just idling. The new ones didn't seem to be as fast. Probably because the only ones I've driven were the fully loaded super heavy versions.
Also Honda Odyssey is AWESOME. I used to hate driving it when I first got my license. Until I realized how awesome it was I could carry all my friends. And do hectic burnouts. And beat most small cars in a race. Only issue was apparently they had a "porous block" issue (ours was an 04). At around 100K miles it started dumping oil all over. Like puddles while just idling. The new ones didn't seem to be as fast. Probably because the only ones I've driven were the fully loaded super heavy versions.
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04-11-2013, 01:16 AM
#38
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Here's what pissed me off....
First let's go back in time:
August 2007:
My wife had a 2002 Saturn SL2 while she was going to college. I had the Miata, a 2000 Silverado 4x4 single cab, a '78 Triumph Bonneville, and a 1950 *****'s CJ3A. She got her hospital job and she said, "now that we're married...sooner or later we're gonna have a kid. We will need a bigger vehicle, and I hate drive to work on the interstate in my Saturn that sits low. There's too many tractor trailers and I feel like I'm being blown off the road. I want something that seats 5 people and sits higher."
I said, "No problem, let's car shop."
September shows up and we hit the local Toyota dealer. We looked a a Rav-4. I hated it. She goes, "my friend has one, and I like this, but I don't want to copy off her." I'm like, "good, cause I hate this thing anyway." It was also pretty pricy I felt for what it was.
They also had a Saturn Vue. It was AWD, V6. We test drove that and I kind of liked it...she hated it.
We went to another dealer and she test drove a Chevy Equinox, (which is the same thing as a Saturn Vue). She liked it...I hated it, but I figured, "it'll be for her...get something SHE likes and be done."
That dealer was shady though and they are known to be high priced.
I found an Equinox on Cars.com for a better price at the same dealer I bought my Miata from (I bought my '99 Miata in 2006 for $6,000 cash...bone stock except for mad tyte 16" Motegi's with 103,000 on the odometer). We went to that dealer and looked at the Equinox they had, but then we both saw they had a CX-7. It was boring charcoal with boring charcoal interior, had like 38,000 miles on it. We test drove it and finally we both agreed on the CX-7. However, I didn't agree on THAT Cx-7. I didn't like the color and the price. This was Tuesday. Thursday rolls around and she's cryin the blues about how "I'm never gonna get another car, and you have all these toys...blah blah blah". I tell her, "Tomorrow you're getting a car and that's that". Found our 2007 CX-7 on Cars.com at a local dealer. Beautiful color, 2 toned black and gray interior, 31,800 miles, decent price. We go to look at it, the dude offers us a decent trade in for the Saturn...she's happy, therefore I'm happy...good to go.
Fast forward to Spring 2012.
Wife is knocked up halloween night at SEMA show in Vegas (October 2011). Says "We have the CX-7, but if I drive that to work, what would you haul our kid around in?? You can't put a baby in a Miata, and your truck is single cab...I don't want a newborn in a single cab truck."
I think to myself, "here we F'n go..."
I tell her, "remember when I had that 1995 Ford F-150 and I picked our dog up from the vet when she got spayed and I T boned that escort wagon that pulled out in front of me while I was going 55mph? Well, I wasn't wearing my seatbelt and all I had on me was a brush burn from the airbag blowing up against my wrist. In that split second of impact, I managed to grab our semi sedated dog by the collar who was laying on the seat next to me and I braced her for the impact. Take a guess what would happen if my lifted Silverado collided with a Mazda CX-7."
That is a non acceptable answer to a wife's question.
We shopped for a crew cab 2007 or newer GMC Sierra (not the classic body style).
I was pissy because you can't get a 6' bed in a 1500...it's like a 4.5' bed. Bullshit.
Then I was like, "listen...my truck is awesome and I have a lot into it and I will never get out of it what I have into it. I really don't want to sell it."
The CX-7 started making a weird grinding noise in the rear. I told her, "it sounds like a wheel bearing". We took it to the dealer, and it sure was...both rear wheel bearings. They replaced them under warranty while we were there. We walked around the lot and found a 2009 Mazda 3 Hatch (miniature station wagon). The mileage was like 31,000, the price was right...so we bought it on the spot. I like it. She drives it to work when she works, and I drive it to work when I work. It's our fuel efficient work beater, and secondary kid hauler. I figured, "why give my truck away to shell out $18,000 on another truck that gets the same fuel mileage and can't haul as much when we could get twice the fuel mileage and have a daily work commuter at the same time."
Now it's April 2013.
Our kid is not a fat kid...he is long and in the 97th percentile for his age. He is 8 months old and doesn't fit into anything smaller than 12 months old. He mostly wears 18 month old clothing. This prompted the buying of a toddler sized car seat. Now it's starting to suck trying to create room for this kid who crawls EVERYWHERE and uses every piece of furniture in the house to stand up on. I give him 3 weeks and he'll be walking.
My wife always complained about the fuel consumption of the 7 and how it required premium. It's not that it requires premium, it's that if you're going to put premium in it, why does it only get 20mpg's?? Hell, my Miata takes premium, but it also run's 13's in the 1/4 mile and gets 29 mpg's.
I don't care...it's 2013. Technology has come a long way...why the hell can't a gasoline engine make decent power in a small SUV and get good fuel mileage? This blows my mind and there is absolutely no excuse. Yes I am one of those guys who thinks the government has it all wrapped around their greedy finger...cause they do and it's BS.
First let's go back in time:
August 2007:
My wife had a 2002 Saturn SL2 while she was going to college. I had the Miata, a 2000 Silverado 4x4 single cab, a '78 Triumph Bonneville, and a 1950 *****'s CJ3A. She got her hospital job and she said, "now that we're married...sooner or later we're gonna have a kid. We will need a bigger vehicle, and I hate drive to work on the interstate in my Saturn that sits low. There's too many tractor trailers and I feel like I'm being blown off the road. I want something that seats 5 people and sits higher."
I said, "No problem, let's car shop."
September shows up and we hit the local Toyota dealer. We looked a a Rav-4. I hated it. She goes, "my friend has one, and I like this, but I don't want to copy off her." I'm like, "good, cause I hate this thing anyway." It was also pretty pricy I felt for what it was.
They also had a Saturn Vue. It was AWD, V6. We test drove that and I kind of liked it...she hated it.
We went to another dealer and she test drove a Chevy Equinox, (which is the same thing as a Saturn Vue). She liked it...I hated it, but I figured, "it'll be for her...get something SHE likes and be done."
That dealer was shady though and they are known to be high priced.
I found an Equinox on Cars.com for a better price at the same dealer I bought my Miata from (I bought my '99 Miata in 2006 for $6,000 cash...bone stock except for mad tyte 16" Motegi's with 103,000 on the odometer). We went to that dealer and looked at the Equinox they had, but then we both saw they had a CX-7. It was boring charcoal with boring charcoal interior, had like 38,000 miles on it. We test drove it and finally we both agreed on the CX-7. However, I didn't agree on THAT Cx-7. I didn't like the color and the price. This was Tuesday. Thursday rolls around and she's cryin the blues about how "I'm never gonna get another car, and you have all these toys...blah blah blah". I tell her, "Tomorrow you're getting a car and that's that". Found our 2007 CX-7 on Cars.com at a local dealer. Beautiful color, 2 toned black and gray interior, 31,800 miles, decent price. We go to look at it, the dude offers us a decent trade in for the Saturn...she's happy, therefore I'm happy...good to go.
Fast forward to Spring 2012.
Wife is knocked up halloween night at SEMA show in Vegas (October 2011). Says "We have the CX-7, but if I drive that to work, what would you haul our kid around in?? You can't put a baby in a Miata, and your truck is single cab...I don't want a newborn in a single cab truck."
I think to myself, "here we F'n go..."
I tell her, "remember when I had that 1995 Ford F-150 and I picked our dog up from the vet when she got spayed and I T boned that escort wagon that pulled out in front of me while I was going 55mph? Well, I wasn't wearing my seatbelt and all I had on me was a brush burn from the airbag blowing up against my wrist. In that split second of impact, I managed to grab our semi sedated dog by the collar who was laying on the seat next to me and I braced her for the impact. Take a guess what would happen if my lifted Silverado collided with a Mazda CX-7."
That is a non acceptable answer to a wife's question.
We shopped for a crew cab 2007 or newer GMC Sierra (not the classic body style).
I was pissy because you can't get a 6' bed in a 1500...it's like a 4.5' bed. Bullshit.
Then I was like, "listen...my truck is awesome and I have a lot into it and I will never get out of it what I have into it. I really don't want to sell it."
The CX-7 started making a weird grinding noise in the rear. I told her, "it sounds like a wheel bearing". We took it to the dealer, and it sure was...both rear wheel bearings. They replaced them under warranty while we were there. We walked around the lot and found a 2009 Mazda 3 Hatch (miniature station wagon). The mileage was like 31,000, the price was right...so we bought it on the spot. I like it. She drives it to work when she works, and I drive it to work when I work. It's our fuel efficient work beater, and secondary kid hauler. I figured, "why give my truck away to shell out $18,000 on another truck that gets the same fuel mileage and can't haul as much when we could get twice the fuel mileage and have a daily work commuter at the same time."
Now it's April 2013.
Our kid is not a fat kid...he is long and in the 97th percentile for his age. He is 8 months old and doesn't fit into anything smaller than 12 months old. He mostly wears 18 month old clothing. This prompted the buying of a toddler sized car seat. Now it's starting to suck trying to create room for this kid who crawls EVERYWHERE and uses every piece of furniture in the house to stand up on. I give him 3 weeks and he'll be walking.
My wife always complained about the fuel consumption of the 7 and how it required premium. It's not that it requires premium, it's that if you're going to put premium in it, why does it only get 20mpg's?? Hell, my Miata takes premium, but it also run's 13's in the 1/4 mile and gets 29 mpg's.
I don't care...it's 2013. Technology has come a long way...why the hell can't a gasoline engine make decent power in a small SUV and get good fuel mileage? This blows my mind and there is absolutely no excuse. Yes I am one of those guys who thinks the government has it all wrapped around their greedy finger...cause they do and it's BS.
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04-11-2013, 01:30 AM
#39
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Too bad they don't offer diesels in mid size SUVs here. Perhaps look around for the jeep grand Cherokee diesel they sold a few years ago? Awesome vehicles, tons of torque, and great fuel economy but will likely be hard to find.
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