Brigala
CPST Instructor
Thoughts?
We scrapped the whole idea of an Excursion and are going back to the drawing board. I think we'll do a big diesel pickup for towing, and something in an SUV with a 3rd row for daily driving.
I was surprised to find out that in terms of used vehicles, the Mercedes was comparably priced to the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban class of vehicles we had been considering, and the Volvo was cheaper (when matching comparable years and odometer readings). Since I won't need to tow anything substantial with my daily driver, I'm seriously considering these options.
I'd be interested in a 4Runner if I could find one with a 3rd row, but those are rare enough that they're quite expensive. We looked at a Highlander today but my husband isn't convinced it's got what it takes for daily gravel road driving, and it was right at the top end of our potential price range.
I'd also sacrifice 3rd row seating if I could find something with enough clearance and durability to handle the road we'll be living on with good gas mileage. But it looks like I have to ditch gas mileage in favor of something that can off-road a couple of miles a day, and if I'm going to own two gas-hogs I'd better be able to cram a bunch of people into one of them so we're not taking two cars places.
Ok, so I looked at 3 cars on a "luxury used car lot" today. Went by myself so I didn't get to have my husband chime in on anything. One car I saw was an Audi SUV. I don't recall the model name but I ruled it out after finding there was literally NO ROOM in the 3rd row to put knees. After climbing into the 3rd row I actually was unable to put the 2nd row back into place; it was about 6 inches too short to fit my knees in there. No space for a RF seat at all, and I don't think any FF seat of any size would fit either; maybe a RSTV or a Radian but that's about it; anybody small enough to fit in that rear seat is going to need a child restraint, and there just wasn't any room for a child restraint, and with my oversized children that's going to be a problem.
Next I looked at the Volvo XC90. This one has the advantage of being pretty darn economical. The 3rd row was cramped, but not as bad as the Audi and at least on the passenger side the 2nd row seat was able to be moved forward a few inches to make more room in back. I was not able to test drive this one, and they had just sold the V8 version so all they had was the straight 6. Not sure yet which one I'd want but they said they get them in all the time. The one they had on the lot was only about $11k (2004, something like 60k miles on it). Question mark: Will it hold up to the road I need to drive it on? The salesperson seemed to think that of all the SUVs on their lot that the XC90 was the best one for that. Also the built-in booster in the center of the 3rd row seemed like it could come in handy from time to time.
Last, I looked at the Mercedes GL450. They had two of them on the lot, both MY 2007. OMG, I think I'm in love with this vehicle. The 3rd row was actually spacious enough for adults AND had two full sets of LATCH. 2nd row had 2 full sets of LATCH plus a top tether in the center... seriously, a tether anchor for every rear seating position. I think the 2nd row may be wide enough for a FF Frontier 85 and a RF Radian side by side, leaving room for another adult in the 2nd row. I was really impressed with the power buttons that stow the 3rd row seats for you and bring them back up. No reaching and pulling at all. In terms of the interior of the car, this is my DREAM vehicle that I didn't even know existed. Now... will it handle a rough gravel road as part of its daily life? Not sure.
What am I missing that I should be researching? Both vehicles were packed with air bags all over the place. Anybody know whether they get comparable safety ratings? Anybody have one of these vehicles and have an opinion about them?
We scrapped the whole idea of an Excursion and are going back to the drawing board. I think we'll do a big diesel pickup for towing, and something in an SUV with a 3rd row for daily driving.
I was surprised to find out that in terms of used vehicles, the Mercedes was comparably priced to the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban class of vehicles we had been considering, and the Volvo was cheaper (when matching comparable years and odometer readings). Since I won't need to tow anything substantial with my daily driver, I'm seriously considering these options.
I'd be interested in a 4Runner if I could find one with a 3rd row, but those are rare enough that they're quite expensive. We looked at a Highlander today but my husband isn't convinced it's got what it takes for daily gravel road driving, and it was right at the top end of our potential price range.
I'd also sacrifice 3rd row seating if I could find something with enough clearance and durability to handle the road we'll be living on with good gas mileage. But it looks like I have to ditch gas mileage in favor of something that can off-road a couple of miles a day, and if I'm going to own two gas-hogs I'd better be able to cram a bunch of people into one of them so we're not taking two cars places.
Ok, so I looked at 3 cars on a "luxury used car lot" today. Went by myself so I didn't get to have my husband chime in on anything. One car I saw was an Audi SUV. I don't recall the model name but I ruled it out after finding there was literally NO ROOM in the 3rd row to put knees. After climbing into the 3rd row I actually was unable to put the 2nd row back into place; it was about 6 inches too short to fit my knees in there. No space for a RF seat at all, and I don't think any FF seat of any size would fit either; maybe a RSTV or a Radian but that's about it; anybody small enough to fit in that rear seat is going to need a child restraint, and there just wasn't any room for a child restraint, and with my oversized children that's going to be a problem.
Next I looked at the Volvo XC90. This one has the advantage of being pretty darn economical. The 3rd row was cramped, but not as bad as the Audi and at least on the passenger side the 2nd row seat was able to be moved forward a few inches to make more room in back. I was not able to test drive this one, and they had just sold the V8 version so all they had was the straight 6. Not sure yet which one I'd want but they said they get them in all the time. The one they had on the lot was only about $11k (2004, something like 60k miles on it). Question mark: Will it hold up to the road I need to drive it on? The salesperson seemed to think that of all the SUVs on their lot that the XC90 was the best one for that. Also the built-in booster in the center of the 3rd row seemed like it could come in handy from time to time.
Last, I looked at the Mercedes GL450. They had two of them on the lot, both MY 2007. OMG, I think I'm in love with this vehicle. The 3rd row was actually spacious enough for adults AND had two full sets of LATCH. 2nd row had 2 full sets of LATCH plus a top tether in the center... seriously, a tether anchor for every rear seating position. I think the 2nd row may be wide enough for a FF Frontier 85 and a RF Radian side by side, leaving room for another adult in the 2nd row. I was really impressed with the power buttons that stow the 3rd row seats for you and bring them back up. No reaching and pulling at all. In terms of the interior of the car, this is my DREAM vehicle that I didn't even know existed. Now... will it handle a rough gravel road as part of its daily life? Not sure.
What am I missing that I should be researching? Both vehicles were packed with air bags all over the place. Anybody know whether they get comparable safety ratings? Anybody have one of these vehicles and have an opinion about them?