What car for wife and future children

asoduk wrote: The ES seems like a really nice car and there are a ton out there.

The ES is a nice car. The great thing about them is you could get them in two body styles and a total of 5 trims and you can get them with out the pretentious L on front by just getting a Toyota Camry XLE Limited. Don't know if that is a thing.

The Avalon drives like a FWD Lincoln. Floatseverywhere and very comfy. Reasonably quick in a straight line but not a dance partner. Neither is the ES/Camry though.

Give some American iron a test drive. You might just like it.

Here is some recent chatter you may find relevant to your situation:

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/awd-mid-size-sedan-not-a-subi/99516/page1/

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/lincoln-mks-ecoboost/98497/page1/

Great information for a similar search there John! Thanks!

I'm going to be visiting some dealerships this week. Any opinion on calling ahead vs walking in as a stranger off the street? My only experience with a dealer was having them basically process some paperwork for me. I realize used car dealers are a little different than new car dealerships...

I will just offer this: If you are planning on travelling with as many as two young children, the space afforded by what today is considered a full-size sedan will be stuffed to overflowing in a heartbeat.

1988RedT2 wrote: I will just offer this: If you are planning on travelling with as many as two young children, the space afforded by what today is considered a full-size sedan will be stuffed to overflowing in a heartbeat.

My experience in the last 10 years validates this statement.

I wish they made something the size of the Avalon in wagon form. That would be the SMALLEST I would attempt with two little ones. My wife, no matter where we go or what we drive, somehow packs the car full.

It's a neat trick.

The Toyota Avalon wagon is the Toyota Venza.

but that is a crossover, with a much higher belt line. so is it a wagon, or is it the crossover based on the sedan.

which is it?

WHICH IS IT!!?!?!

My googling shows the venza to actually be based on the camry, which then makes me wonder what the difference is between the venza and the highlander and the lexus RX?

asoduk wrote: My googling shows the venza to actually be based on the camry, which then makes me wonder what the difference is between the venza and the highlander and the lexus RX?

$, $$, $$$

In reply to asoduk:

Under that same logic, it seems that the Avalon is based on the Camry too.

In similar fashion, the Toyota Matrix is the Corolla wagon.
The Ford Edge and Flex are the wagon of the Taurus. Actually, the Taurus may be a Crossover with a trunk rather than a lift gate.

Well, I think I found it! With weeks to spare!

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/5202097443.html

It is beautiful! Taking the wife to see it Monday for final approval.

Your unborn children would appreciate a Miata....one each.

Nick_Comstock wrote: I honestly can't see any context in which a V8 and RWD could be considered a negative

only when V8 AWD is better. my wife loves her 9-7x.

what's wrong with a 9-5 for mommy duty? i fail to see the need to change unless the car is nearing the end of it's reliable life anyway. especially not to something as lifeless as pretty much anything toyota puts their name on not named lexus LFA.

I don't think you'll find them near $15k but the biggest interior space you'll find in a wagon today is actually the Prius V, believe it or not. That's about the minimum size I'd consider for a "largest car in my driveway" appliance.

For reference, I have two little ones, and we drive a Fit and a Leaf daily. But we also have a Volvo 740 wagon in the garage, and there are definitely times we fill it up to capacity.

Also I didn't see the kids mentioned. Do you have them? Ages? How many?

If you don't have kids yet, I would stall on getting something kid friendly until the last possible second.

asoduk wrote: Well, I think I found it! With weeks to spare! http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/5202097443.html It is beautiful! Taking the wife to see it Monday for final approval.

I like it, and think your wife will appreciate having such a fine automobile. I spent a lot of time researching LS430's, and there really aren't any problem areas. As you probably know, that is the last year of the 1st version, the 2004's-06's were revised slightly and had a 6-speed automatic.

This one appears to have the "NL" package which includes navigation and the Mark Levinson stereo, but also gets you the climate control seats (hence the perforations) and the intuitive park assist (hence the sensors in the front/rear bumpers). Also, it appears that this has the more pearlescent "Crystal White" exterior (versus regular white which is "Parchment Crystal"), and if so he is correct that it is a little rare, if not necessarily valuable. I think the interior is "Ecru," which if so even though it might be tan, it is the lightest tan I've ever seen.

Personally, I prefered the non-Nav cars as the navigation system is technically no longer supported by Lexus and is expensive to fix. If it works there is hacked software available on the Lexus forums that will update it. If it ever does break you can always replace that whole dash section with the part from a non-Nav car.

Finally, LS430's are due for their big timing belt service at 80k. This is not a big deal and you can do it yourself for $500 in parts. But it is really scary to a lot of typical Lexus owners so it could be something you could use to get the price down, particularly if they are harping on the "low miles" as a reason not to budge.

@SEADave: I went and drove it at lunch. Wife is going after work. Probably the nicest car I've been in. Oscillating fans: WOW! It also has a full service history of 5k oil changes.

It is in fact an NL car and is actually Crystal White with updated nav maps. It is beautiful. The leather is really really light in color. Even lighter that "linen" in a 944.

Nav wasn't really on my list of wants, but I don't mind it.

I did watch the youtube video of the timing belt. Looks to be pretty simple once you get to the belt. I was wondering with its age if I should do it early.

@Bastomatic: We are 3 weeks from the due date of our first. While its not a NEED to get a new car, I think its the right time to get rid of the 9-5.

@Patgizz: nothing wrong with the 9-5 other than its getting old and little things are starting to happen more often. 9-7X is a great SUV, but we don't really want an SUV.

@DeadSkunk: already have 2 miatas.

How about a newer Taurus? I think the 2 liter ecoboost in that would be a nice sleeper.

Also, how about a newer Mazda 6? You could probably find a used one.