The Santa Fe, the Rendezvous both have optional seating for 7. The Mercury seats 7; I'm not sure if they have a model that seats fewer. The KIA only seats 5. THE SF and the KIA drive very nicely. The Rendezgous is comfortable and roomy and drives well too. The Mercury seemed kind of stiff and heavy but it was okay.
I can say with first hand knowledge that Lexus SUV's are great. Styling aside, they make for great cars. Styling is important, though, and the RX especially is definitely styled more for women than men. Have you thought about the 4Runner or Sequoia?
I bought a 2007 Cadillac Escalade a few months ago and I love it. They are offering a navigation system for free as of a couple days ago.
My parents just bought this 2004 with DVD and GPS on ebay for $25,000. Excellent condition. 28,000 miles. I swear, I would never buy new again. Total ripoff on a depreciating item.
If you like the MDX, I would advise you to go and get yourself a fully-loaded Honda Pilot (seats seven) and put the extra money in a mutual fund or something. Seriously, Acuras are simply not worth the price. They're rebadged Hondas in most cases.
Damn, it is a good deal! I need to look into that, maybe CarMAx or something in that nature and get one like one or two years old.
I'm looking at a Rendezvous at CarMax -- 2006 loaded, 12,000 miles for about $19,000 versus the $25,000 or so brand new.
Wow, I bet none of these guys have ever driven an Acura. If you knew anything about imports, you would know that Acura is the BEST bang for the buck in terms of luxury cars. Acura packages their cars with MORE standard features than any other brand. Common things like heated seats, leather, HIDs etc are all OPTIONS you have to pay extra for on other brands. I have like 4 cousins in the Houston area and I've shopped for most of their cars. I can tell you Acuras are hell of a lot cheaper than Lexus, BMW, Mercedes-benz and you get a lot more for what you pay for. As for the rebadging part: A Lexus is a rebadged Toyota. Infinities are rebadged Nissans. Audi is a rebadged VW. And is there anything wrong with Hondas? Oh wait they last forever, have awesome resale value, have fully loaded standard features, but it's a Honda it must be cheap. I guess you would only be satisfied with your bimmer since your salesman says, "Come on, it's a bimmer." The point is Acura's are cheap because they don't have all these customizable options that can bring up the total cost of the car up 25% but they include them in most of their trim levels. The less they have to customize, the cheaper the car is in general for everyone. My mom got the Acura TSX for 25 and it's got heated seats, power everything, 200HP, HIDs. All options you must buy in "Premium packages" in Lexus', BMWs, Mercedes entry levels. Seriously, go to Edmunds.com and do side by side comparisons. Also from my experience, Acura dealers allow more leadway in negotiating a deal. BMW/MB/LEXUS didn't even let me get $2k off MSRP although I would have been a repeat buyer. Acura offered $2k off INVOICE for repeat buyers.
I've driven every make of car. My buddy has a new Acura. But I still prefer Infinity's. It has a lot to do with past experience, overall performance, and aesthetic appeal. I certainly don't hate Acura's. I just think there are better cars than them for the price.
I don't understand what you mean by "I just think there are better cars than them for the price." Of course infinities are going to be better because they cost more in general...
I bought a Honda Pilot EX-L (?) after Christmas. Sweet. White with tan leather interior. I bought new-- first new car since 1983. Got a good deal from an old friend of my wife's oldest brother. Anyone else pull the trigger?
I just bought my wife a Lexus GX470. But I got it new for her. You're right about the depreciation. It's better on Lexus but the residual value at the end of the 3-yr lease is still just 54%. However, I plan to buy it and normally keep a car 9-10 years so it doesn't matter too much to me. We love the car btw. I like the way it looks too but that's personal preference. Quality and interior luxury appointments can't be beat though. Also, last night I picked my parents up from the airport. We used it to seat 7 people. My wife is 5' 7" and it is tight for her. I wouldn't suggest anything more than an hour drive if you're over 5' 5".
