Dieses ist nicht ein minivan.
 

European Car a few months ago had a write up on a red 330 touring with the e46 M3 333hp power plant and sports suspension. Beautiful!

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

1. Landcruiser
2. M5
3. MDX
4. Benz M Class
5. 2002 forward Discovery

Stay away from the Jeeps. Bucket of bolts around 70K miles. Best long term luxury drive is the Landcruiser. Unbreakable. 200k pluas, but you pay for what you get. Post 2002 Discovery ain't bad and you'll be able to steal used ones as the model is being phased out. MIL has an MDX. Its a niiiice truck. She had the RX Lexus before and IMO, the MDX is much nicer, but the RX is nevertheless a very nice ride. That new GX Lexus looks like shit. I don't see how it doesn't roll over.

The FourRunner is a great truck, but its so overpriced that you might as well just jump into the fully loaded MDX instead. Sequioa is nice too, but be careful - its American.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

You're warning off Jeeps on reliability and recommending a Disco? You are one crazy dude.

I forgot about the MDX, though. Probably a solid choice. Agree with you on the LandCruiser. Those things are rock solid. A bit bigger than the others Chef mentioned, though.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

1. Too big. 2 climate zones - ridiculous to park
2. What?
3. Not bad. Hate the 3rd row seat. Drives nice. Probably reliable.
4. Also, not bad. Seats are flat. Not much lateral support. X3 better here and better mileage.
5. Hire a mechanic or hope that you're close to one.

Yes, stay away from the Jeeps. Rattle trap is no exaggeration. And remember, you'll have to go to a Chrysler dealer. And then peel your skin off.

This gets good mileage......
http://cdn.rsc01.net/ig.rsc01.net/re...le/image04.jpg

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

The NEWER Discos. Oh, and when I wrotee M5, I meant X5.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

Yet another bastard Bangle creation.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

Come on. That thing is cute as hell. The headlights work and it has working turn signals. Or you could get an M3 convertible that's battery powered.

http://www.bmw-online.com/Img/Icn/ki...owered-car.jpg

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

Sigh. Had to give up the sports car and get myself a car that actually could carry my family and stuff. Settled on a brand new 2004 MDX, base model. Very well loaded with options, leather, sunroof, etc. etc., seats seven, not too big, not too small, and very aggressively priced. I got mine for invoice about a month ago when the 2005's were about to come in. That's about 33,700. Pretty good deal for the price. If you really wanted to save more, you can get the Honda Pilot and save about 7K off that. The MDX and Pilot are basically the Honda Odyssey minivan, but a little more disguised.

The things I do for my family. Anyway, it's decent for what it is, and I got a great price, and you can too.

etfs

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

FYI, never put your kids, or anyone's kids in the 3rd row seat. I think I posted the article here a couple of months ago - but you have a greater than 60% higher likelihood of being killed in a rear end collision than a passenger in the back seat of a conventional SUV or van. The back window and door are extremely dangerous to the passengers in the 3rd seat.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

Thanks NFH, one is an infant, the other is coming soon, so they won't be in the third row for many many many years, and now, probably not at all. Note to self, in-laws ride in back.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

For you and anyone who wants to read. Don't let the title scare you. Popular Third-row Car Seats May Kill Your Kids

"The third row is pretty vulnerable to rear-enders - like about twice as dangerous" as other rows, says safety consultant Mike Brownlee, formerly in charge of defect investigations and rules compliance for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As more third-row seats hit the market, injuries and deaths will increase, he predicts.

This guy says twice as dangerous, other says up to 400% higher likelihood of death. Regardless, MDX is one of the highest rated for crash test safety. Just don't sit in the back.Crash Test Results and Safety Features for Model Year 2004/2005 Vehicles With Third Row

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

Thanks for all of the tips. I had forgotten about the MDX. Friends of ours have one and love it. I'll have to pass that along. I think that she would do well in a V70 model, but I'm not sure that I could convince her to get a wagon. I am pretty sure that she has the mentality that she doesn't want to be seen in a wagon. Oh well. I'll also suggest to her the XC90.

I know a guy who ran out and bought a Cayenne Turbo. He loved it and hated it, had lots of trouble with reliability, I think. I also know that she would never go and buy a Porsche -- if I suggested that she buy one, no matter what the model, she would never take my suggestions seriously again. As for the X5, I think that she'd be paying too much for performance that she doesn't need and wouldn't use. She's the typical RX buyer -- Jewish suburban mom. At least she'd have use for the all wheel drive. (New Englander, house further up north that is going to be remodeled, family down here.)

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

For those of you who need to move on from the two door coupe, try a new Legacy GT wagon/Outback XT on for size. Detuned WRX STi engine, AWD, and available manual transmission. Fast, and you can tell all of your uninformed friends, "Oh I bought a little Subaru," without mentioning that it will hit 60 mph in fewer than 6 seconds. Alternatively, if you have some more cash, spring for the V70R. Another Q Ship, except to those in the know. How many people know that Volvo makes a 300 hp wagon, with a 6 speed manual, and AWD? The masses just think that Volvo makes safe cars. Sure, safe cars, with absurdly comfortable seats, with an engine that hammers. Next price point would be an S4, but that's getting to be quite a chunk of change.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

The Cayennes have VW engines. i know that they either did or are going to recall. The biggest problem with that vehicle (other than the fact the Porsche is really proud on price - is that in order to use it as an SUV, you have to take the damned head rests off and jump through a hoop to get the back seat down. Same for the Toureg.

That's why I thought an X3 would be perfect. Nice German styling - quiet ride. 2.5 or 3.0 liter option. Not exactly performance, but no slug either.

New SUV for Jewish MIL.
 

Agree on the Legacy GT, v70R, (S60R too) and Audi S4. Simply put, they are sleeper rockets to the untrained eye. Flinty, congrats on picking up an MDX for such a good price.

I have always wanted an e46 M3, but after the latest bearing recall debacle, I may have to set goals towards a pre owned S4 in a few years.