First Gen Infiniti QX56? Though it's a V8, I believe it meets most of your other criteria.

 

I like mine.

 

You're a lucky guy.

 

My FIL is cool, my MIL leans on us like there is no tomorrow (they're divorced).

I don't dislike either so it works I guess.

 

Think our next car to replace the Civic will most likely be a 2011 Chevy Traverse LTZ. It scored higher than the Pilot (which was our default) in Consumer Reports.

It has memory seats, Bluetooth, Navigation, rear-view camera, rear sensors, etc. The Traverse LTZ also has ten speakers like the Touring Pilot, but the LTZ also has cooled front seats, 31 more HP on the engine, one more transmission gear, same fuel economy in FWD, and 7.7 sec 0-60 times (vs. 9.1 in Pilot). I like the look of the Traverse better too.

When I visit my parents in Rochester, I'll go test drive one to see what my dad thinks about it too. We won't be buying one for about 2-3 months, but I'm shopping around now.

 

Not a bad choice. You should be able to find one that's certified & get a decent deal.
Best of luck shopping.

 

The only thing that would be a deal killer is if my wife thinks the Traverse is too big. Coming from a Civic, that could very well happen.

 

Buick Encore? (sort of seriously)

 

We had a traverse as a rental a year ago...and while initially liked it...by the end I thought it was a turd.

Granted, this was a rental unit. But there were a lot of little things that struck me as annoying or stupid.

 

Do you know how absolutely tiny that thing is???

 

I do, which I why I was only somewhat serious considering she was coming from an '03 Civic

 

She'll get used to it...wife came from a 2000 Civic, to a Prius, to a Highlander.

She has driven my Jeep a lot...but the Highlander is bigger and she was concerned...she is fine driving it and likes it.

 

Your last comment intrigued me.

 

That's what I'm thinking. I think if I tell her that we're getting one and that she can pick the color (as long as it's not white or black), then she might get used to it.

 

Might have to pass on the Traverse. It's 204 inches long (giggity), and it might not fit comfortably in our garage. We do have an alcove on the side of the garage that I park on, so we'd have to see how it fits in the garage before we make the decision to purchase one.

 

Do what my aunt & uncle did when they bought an ext cab 1/2 ton. Tell them you want to test drive it to your house to see how it fits in the garage. I don't see why that would be a problem.

I can fit (barely) an S550 in my garage, so I'm not too worried about much else being a problem, since everything I'm looking at isn't as long as the Merc.

 

I have a gently used TL I'll sell ya. Its barely broken in.

 

I actually did that this weekend, but the salesman came with me. The Traverse fit actually a little better than I thought it would. My wife and I would need to actualyl swap parking positions since my side has a cove in which to store the lawnmower, bikes, other crap. More room to manuever around it. She'll just have to be careful when she does pull into the garage.

I showed my son the cool Transformer feature where the mirrors fold in and out, and he immediately wanted to get the Traverse. "Cool! A robot!" The wife is still not convinced we need something that big, but we eventually do, especially since my son is getting older, and we'll soon have to start carting his friends around.

 

Does it have 116 cu. ft. of space in it?

 

I had a Traverse as a rental at work training for 3 weeks and I gotta say, I really liked the room. We fit 9 people in it to go out numerous times and everyone was happy (most of them were tiny girls but still).

It was a basic rental as well but the power wasn't terrible for a vehicle of its size and it was surprisingly easy to park. I personally don't love the styling but got used to it and really dislike the boring Pilot styling so of the two this would be my choice.

Edit - Girl just bought an Edge and really wanted the Acadia due to styling. I too enjoy the exterior but the interior is ugly unless you move to the Denali line. In the end I convinced her that she drives too much and doesn't need a huge SUV with sub 20 mileage for basically herself and Jack Russell. Good luck!

 

Yeah, we definitely need more space. The Pilot is boring, and so is the Highlander, but they're backups if the Traverse won't work for my wife. But I have to somehow use my powers of persuasion to get the Traverse.

 

Stop putting out, oh...wait...

 

 

It's go time!

We're looking at this Traverse:
http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/...b-2e124b062f54

It's in Orlando, so it's about two hours away. We could arrange a transfer to Jacksonville for free, so we'll see if we take advantage of that service. I want to see if this vehicle has ever been smoked in.

 

Best of luck. Looks like a nice one.

 

Nice.

 

Nice, much nicer than my rental too. Good luck

 

Dammit! Have to forego that Traverse because it doesn't have Bluetooth. I'm having a hard time thinking how a $45K vehicle doesn't have Bluetooth standard.

 

Hell, even my Jetta has Bluetooth.

Good luck with the car search. I think the Traverse is a nice choice. Big car that doesn't drive like one.

 

Will be checking out this Traverse later today. Wife actually likes the color.
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-...sting=55434977

 

Made a counter offer of $25,500 for the car. We'll see what they say.

They offered $3K flat for my wife's Civic. In good condition it's worth $3,750, so I would sell it to them if they came up to $3500.

 

They dropped the price of the Traverse to $25,500, and they're offering $3,600 for our Civic, which is very reasonable. I don't agree with their $499 DOC fee or the $225 Tag Transfer fee, especially since I will be using my own license plates from the Civic. I can transfer the tags myself.

Just waiting for the wife to come home so I can take the car to the dealership...

 

Nice, hoping it all works out well for you.

 

Get it!?

 

Yep!

Unfortunately, I'm scrambling to find a camera battery because the one we have is dead and I cannot find the charger to take pics.

This this is huge, but awesome. I have to teach my wife how to park the thing into our garage!

 

 

Congrats.

Now let me grab my magnifying glass.

 

What is this, a SUV for ants?

 

I blame Acurazine.

 

I blame you