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Buying a new car.

Surely said:
Well, if you don't want to buy an Escalade, you could always steal one.

http://www.autoremarketing.com/content/trends/escalade-tops-list-highest-theft-rate
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No way, I'm not going to buy a new car only to have it stolen! :eek:

Sankersizzle said:
Back to reality, I'd recommend your choices that you check out an GX460 from Lexus. It's competitively priced compared to your choices, and it's much more spacious than an X5 or Q7. It also feels much bigger.It's also a Lexus, so unlike the Range Rover doesn't have a 47% chance of blowing up and killing it's occupants every time you turn the key. Seriously though, it will run forever if Lexus hasn't declined in quality -my dad had a '95 LS400 that had 550,000KM's and never had anything replaced (until it was totalled). To be honest though, it's not very sporty or visually striking (I think it's good looking, but my friends disagree). The interior is easily the nicest of the bunch though.
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I'm seriously considering the X5M, looks like a pretty slick car with power to match, considering the sheer weight of the car. But that would make it a tough choice between this and the RR Supercharged.

Badandy said:
Although I doubt CR took into account the fact that you can get a ridiculous amount of money off of the list price. You could walk in there with three shirt buttons and a rubber band and they'd contemplate the offer. And that's no diss on the Escalade, there just aren't that many people in the market for one right now.


Out of your choices, I'd have to go with the RR. I've always been a fan and the interior is first-rate. The only drawback, and it is a drawback, is the reliability. If you can live with that, and some can, I think it's your best choice by far. If you want something luxurious that can also haul around a lot of stuff, I'd take a look at the Lexus LX. This thing is a beast. My mom had a Land Cruiser (which the LX is based on) a while ago and it was a great car even though the brakes would constantly have to be replaced because of the mass they were trying to slow.
So, RR or the LX in my book.
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The RR is a great car and yes, reliability is still an issue with RRs till now, I had my brake calipers replaced 4 times for my current RR Sport, which as only been driven for 4 years. But no doubt that the interior is a massive lounge...

So.. I'm left between two choices! The X5M or the Range Rover Supercharged.. Tricky choice.
 
puma1552 said:
Escalades are cool if you like to sell drugs.

Escalade=Ghetto wet dream
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:eek: some small 4' high woman down the road is driving her kids to school with a Escalade
here in the UK those are solely used for the school run , drug dealers here in the UK want to keep a low profile on the road and drive impreza's or evo's ;)
 
greygray said:
So.. I'm left between two choices! The X5M or the Range Rover Supercharged.. Tricky choice.
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Well, the X5M is going to be faster (as far as I know), but I'd go for the RR Supercharged if you don't mind the price differential. Something about that car just screams "class", and, if you're going to go for the top of the line trims between BMW and RR, it's always been my contention that RR is the SUV to have.

The Cayenne doesn't have as much space as the RR, but if you threw the X5M into the lot, have you checked out the Cayenne GTS/Turbo?
 
Badandy said:
Well, the X5M is going to be faster (as far as I know), but I'd go for the RR Supercharged if you don't mind the price differential. Something about that car just screams "class", and, if you're going to go for the top of the line trims between BMW and RR, it's always been my contention that RR is the SUV to have.

The Cayenne doesn't have as much space as the RR, but if you threw the X5M into the lot, have you checked out the Cayenne GTS/Turbo?
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I've tried the Cayenne GTS, it handles as well as the M, much better than the RR supercharged to be honest. And the Porsche badge screams respect :eek: However, in terms of space and true family practicality, it's lesser than the M and RR Supercharged. I'll go to test-drive the RR Supercharged tomorrow, I guess I'll be settling for an RR Supercharged if all runs well tomorrow! Now for the rims.. For an RR, would a 22" or a 24" look better?
 
How often do you have 7 people in your car? Can't you just rent a car for those rare occasions?

The vehicles in this list are surely not a good buy at this point, given that fuel prices are only going in one direction. I remember as a child my parents did just fine with a Nissan Primera. I feel sorry for all the dads out there that have to put up with driving these land barges instead of a nice saloon car just because they had kids.

If you can afford a new Escalade, I'd imagine you'd also be able to afford a really nice Mercedes C or E class, or even a Jaguar XF.
 
Tomorrow said:
I don't care what Consumer Reports thinks, a Flex is NOT in the same class. My wife drives one. It's a great vehicle, but it's a crossover. A Navigator and a Suburban are true SUV's.
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Yeah, I agree. They put some vehicles in very curious groups.
 
greygray said:
I've tried the Cayenne GTS, it handles as well as the M, much better than the RR supercharged to be honest. And the Porsche badge screams respect :eek: However, in terms of space and true family practicality, it's lesser than the M and RR Supercharged. I'll go to test-drive the RR Supercharged tomorrow, I guess I'll be settling for an RR Supercharged if all runs well tomorrow! Now for the rims.. For an RR, would a 22" or a 24" look better?
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Your choice on the wheels obviously but I've always liked 20-22 on RR's.

neiltc13 said:
The vehicles in this list are surely not a good buy at this point, given that fuel prices are only going in one direction. I remember as a child my parents did just fine with a Nissan Primera. I feel sorry for all the dads out there that have to put up with driving these land barges instead of a nice saloon car just because they had kids.
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You feel sorry for dads who have to put up with RR Supercharged and X5M's? In any case, he seems to be comfortable with the fuel costs.

If you can afford a new Escalade, I'd imagine you'd also be able to afford a really nice Mercedes C or E class, or even a Jaguar XF.
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Unless it's a C63AMG for performance, which is not the car for him at all, the interior on a RR Supercharged is infinitely better than an E class or Jaguar XF.
 
As many people have said here before, don't get the Escalade. My uncle works for Cadillac and he said he would never buy one of them. He said they are the worst cars on the road safety wise. If I were you I would choose the Range Rover. They are so sweet.
 
tktaylor1 said:
As many people have said here before, don't get the Escalade. My uncle works for Cadillac and he said he would never buy one of them. He said they are the worst cars on the road safety wise. If I were you I would choose the Range Rover. They are so sweet.
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CR over-all road test scores

Escalade 61

Range Rover (Sport) 61

number of vehicles in this class with a lower rating: 0
 
Gregg2 said:
CR over-all road test scores

Escalade 61

Range Rover (Sport) 61

number of vehicles in this class with a lower rating: 0
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He's not considering the Range Rover Sport...

I don't really buy into what consumer reports says, though. I'd much rather have a Range Rover Supercharged even if it's rated lower than a more boring competitor. Practicality and reliability are important, but there are other factors to consider.
 
Badandy said:
He's not considering the Range Rover Sport...

I don't really buy into what consumer reports says, though. I'd much rather have a Range Rover Supercharged even if it's rated lower than a more boring competitor. Practicality and reliability are important, but there are other factors to consider.
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CR did not have a rating for other than the Sport model, but the results would be similar. And I agree with the last statement, which I also made above that post.
 
Tomorrow said:
I don't care what Consumer Reports thinks, a Flex is NOT in the same class. My wife drives one. It's a great vehicle, but it's a crossover. A Navigator and a Suburban are true SUV's.
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Yeah but the OP has NO real SUVs in his post.
 
Badandy said:
They all are real SUV's :rolleyes:
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This issue was in a ~10 page spread in Car and Driver. They got a whole bunch of industry experts together to try and determine a real SUV, and they came up with the following: a SUV isn't a real SUV unless it has 4WD, a lo-range gearbox, is body on frame with it's construction and can tow at least 7000lbs. Obviously not conclusive, but I agree!
 
Sankersizzle said:
This issue was in a ~10 page spread in Car and Driver. They got a whole bunch of industry experts together to try and determine a real SUV, and they came up with the following: a SUV isn't a real SUV unless it has 4WD, a lo-range gearbox, is body on frame with it's construction and can tow at least 7000lbs. Obviously not conclusive, but I agree!
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so a truck?
 
greygray said:
I'm seriously considering the X5M, looks like a pretty slick car with power to match, considering the sheer weight of the car. But that would make it a tough choice between this and the RR Supercharged.
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I can't begin to describe the feeling you get when you smoke a 911 or GT500 in an SUV. Consider that when you're buying the X5M. I'm not going to lie to you though, the ride is pretty terrible and there is terrible road noise, but I love it!

Like I said before, we had a Range Rover Supercharged, and the transmission failed at 30K KM's and it could not be repaired, they had to offer us a new vehicle. That wasn't the only problem with the car, it was terribly, terribly built. Most of the people I know with RRS's have major reliability issues. It's kind of their stigma.

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dukebound85 said:
so a truck?
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Pretty much, yeah. A pickup truck with a covered bed :p. It's got to have all those things to get the utility part down!
 
dukebound85 said:
RR are notorious for being problematic. Why people buy them who knows
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I wonder that about any vehicle with a poor reliability rating. My other important criteria are safety and economy. None of the large SUVs qualify on two of the three. I own a Mitsubishi Outlander, probably a "tweener" 'cause it's bigger than a CRV or Rav 4, but smaller than dozens of others.
 
Sankersizzle said:
This issue was in a ~10 page spread in Car and Driver. They got a whole bunch of industry experts together to try and determine a real SUV, and they came up with the following: a SUV isn't a real SUV unless it has 4WD, a lo-range gearbox, is body on frame with it's construction and can tow at least 7000lbs. Obviously not conclusive, but I agree!
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I would call it a truck chassis, body on frame, and RWD/4WD. What would they call my RWD Expedition, a crossover? :rolleyes:
 
senseless said:
There's not one reliable vehicle on your list. Can you guys fit in an Acura MDX?
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+1 to this. My brother had one of these (the current gen) and it was awesome. Handled well for an suv, had a ton of features (xenons, cooled seats, backup cam etc - all the trappings of any other luxury suv), and cost much less than most of your list. The only knocks - the nav system was overpriced (as all factory systems are) and sucked. At the end he had given in and just used the garmin, literally sitting on top of the factory screen lol. The other knock was the mpg was not as good as it prob should have been for a mid size suv. (about 16mpg in a why/city mix). It had a third row for use in a pinch. As an adult I wouldn't want to take a long trip back there, but for a kid or an adult on a short drive, it was just fine.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
If you can afford the purchase price, you can doubtless afford the upkeep. None of the cars on the list are cheap to maintain, even the Escalade with it's meat-and-potatoes GM truck mechanicals.
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Range Rovers aren't known to be just "problematic" they are known for catastrophic failures. I already told you my transmission story. It's not that people can't afford to fix the vehicle, it's that that you don't want to be without your car 3 weeks out of the month while it's taking a dump in the maintenance bay. I know one persons story is just an anecdote, but there's a reason the stigma exists.

But I must say, if you get one that works, they are sexy, sexy vehicles.
 
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Badandy said:
He's not considering the Range Rover Sport...
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I'm currently driving the Sport, and it's having some niggles.. that's why I'm switching, but I'm not sure if I should jump-ship to BMW territory.

Sankersizzle said:
I can't begin to describe the feeling you get when you smoke a 911 or GT500 in an SUV. Consider that when you're buying the X5M. I'm not going to lie to you though, the ride is pretty terrible and there is terrible road noise, but I love it!

Like I said before, we had a Range Rover Supercharged, and the transmission failed at 30K KM's and it could not be repaired, they had to offer us a new vehicle. That wasn't the only problem with the car, it was terribly, terribly built. Most of the people I know with RRS's have major reliability issues. It's kind of their stigma.

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Pretty much, yeah. A pickup truck with a covered bed :p. It's got to have all those things to get the utility part down!
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I tried the X5M and it was pretty alright. Yes road noise was a little on the loud side but boy, it handled well for a behemoth of its size. It's a tough choice between the 2, because I've to consider reliability in the long-run. I don't want a good car that will only incur high repair costs in the long-run. I'm just crossing my fingers, hoping that the current gen RR does not have these issues...
 
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