eric- - we've been going thru the same thing. with bambino/a #2 on it's way. it's minivan city for us.

we have been sold on either the sienna or the odyssey. the one with the features we want doesn't have this or that.

good luck with the lawsuit.

 

Yeah, like Don Vito on the jackass tv show! I feel you on that.

 

Get a hybrid SUV

 

Who's hating? Or does having a differing oppinion and offering logical suggestions make one a hater? Haha..

I understand your size reasons, though an Armada is pretty excessive. My brother has an '05 Forrester and complains about the size for kids stuff, but says it's definitely livable for the difference in gas prices and dealing with a huge vehicle in adverse conditions. They have a 11 month old and a baby on the way. We recently went sledding with that car and my RS coupe w/ 6 adults, 1 5yr old, 1 3 yr old and my bro's baby w/ 4 sleds, an ice chest, and extra clothes for everyone. The 3 guys on that trip were all over 6' tall. The drive was an hour each way. I didn't see a problem or hear a complaint, but I guess extra space is always nice.

IMHO the best vehicle for your needs would have been the last model of Pathfinder. That's the best 'big on the inside/small on the outside' car I have seen. I had a '97 4x4 LE and it was great. The newer ones w/ the 3.5L V6 are even nicer. It's a unibody car, not frame on body like a 4Runner or the Armada, and because of thise drives more like a car and has tons of room inside. A guy at work has a dark silver '03 2WD w/ a black interior and it's sweeeeet.

The FX is a very cool car, but honestly is pretty tiny inside for such a big car anyway. The Odyssey is the best minivan hands down, but I could never own a minivan. The current XTerra is based on the truck and (IMHO) is exactly as you say. Another guy at work has one and hates it. The next model is posta be better.

A guy I worked with at a datacenter had an '01 Acura 3.2TL Type-S, and after being without the car for about 60 days, 5 transmission replacements, retaining a lawyer specializing in LemonLaw cases - he won and got all his money back - every payment, and they came and picked up the car. It took at least 18 months from start to finish (according to him) with this process and cost thousands to get there. I believe him, as I knew him through this whole ordeal. Good luck with yours, but after my experience with Carlsen and my friend's experience with Acura, I gotta say, you're gonna need it!

-Jacob

 

sienna awd.

 

there is no room for a spare tire. run flats is no substitution for a spare.

 

:P I don't like Toyota's, and you do, and you were being snide about it.

This proves nothing, other than you and your family have an extremely high tolerance for cramped-*** quarters. No six footer (i'm 6'2") can comfortably sit in the backs of either of those cars. If you can, more power to you.

Yes I liked the previous gen Pathfinders, but there aren't any available new now.

The FX is too expensive for hte size. You pay a big premium for that infiniti badge.

Well I spoke with a prominent LA lemon law atty for about 30 minutes yesterday, and he claims that Nissan is pretty good about paying up quickly when the problem is well documented. He claimed to have settled ~12 Armada cases in the last year for warping brakes (brakes too small = too much heat = warpcity), with nothing more than a demand letter. And his fee is $600 not paid until we settle. We'll see, we're not at that point yet...they might fix it right this time!

anyway, thanks for the input...

 

Ohhhhhh... Kay... My comments don't prove that a smaller vehicle would work for your needs - that's for sure - but I wasn't trying to say that. We have talked about this before, and back then I said that I could see your point of view. Now having seen my brother (6'3" 280) go through about the same thing, but come across with a more economical-minded compromise that works for him 90% of the time, I can see that you just want a big comfy nice new car. There's nothing wrong with that.

I will agree that moving large objects in and out of a larger door is certainly easier than moving them in and out of a smaller door. It seems that your argument is that an Outback or "other" simply will not work AT ALL, when in actuality - it would work fine but you prefer it to be easier, and can afford to make it so. Because of this, it leaves people scratching their heads over what part of a baby it is that won't fit in a Legacy.

We, my family, are not pain junkies, nor do we have a "high tolerance for cramped-*** quarters." But, if we need to, we can deal with a tighter seating position for a period of time. I have never sat in my back seat, nor in the back seat of a Forrester (neither did any of the other 6+ footers in our sledding group) so I can't comment. Suuuure it woulda been nicer if my brother had an Escalade and I had an Armada, so we could spread out American style in our huuuuge vehicles, but then - I am the kind of person who would feel downright stupid and be seriously embarrassed to drive around a humongous SUV designed to carry 7+ passengers and their cargo every day on the off chance someone over 6 feet might want to use my back seat. You, it seems, are not. No worries!!

Nice! Sounds like it could work out nicely then. I wasn't trying to scare by the way, just relaying a friend's experience. His turned out very nicely, but it did require a ton of waiting, persistence, and work.

Good luck - not sure whether to say "hope it gets fixed" or not cuz I'm not sure what would be better for you in this case.. Haha..

-Jacob

 

I studied up on the lemon law so i knew what i was talking about that's why
i won my suit , you see i did'nt need a lawyer..they came and took the truck away and put a check in my hand. my case was so strong that i did'nt need a lawyer it only went to the ligatation(spell?) process, the company also changed the new car warranty coverage because of me (i was told this after the case was settled). and the girl was'nt my girlfriend ( my friends girl ) and she had a lawyer so there, she spent the money but vw spent more. she ended up selling her car. Also for your info the whole lemon process took about 10 months so who knows there might be bigger,better,bad-r ride out there for you to get.
just so you know since i've been through the process and not talking out of my ***. not hate-n, just help-n.

 

Eric,

I sure you're not asking BAIC to give you advice in any way. You could easily ask this in the SCIC forum and be treated 'warmly'.

1. My choice would be the Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey in that order. I currently have two Siennas.

2. In 1992 I won a lemon law decision over Nissan for a new Maxima. I consulted a lawyer, but decided to go to the Better Business Bureau. After about 6 months and an arbitration meeting I won.

3. Why do you need an SUV? Aren't there too many already? Yes, yes a mini van isn't far from an SUV, but I can haul 8 people, some packages and a folding wheel chair at the same time.

 

I was talking about the new v8 xterra thats redesigned not the older model. you should checkem out. Other than that I vote odyssey.

 

I say trail blazer i6, those look sick and are ballzy too.
Or the Highlander/4runner.

 

please dont lump the 4runner with that car (unibody) highlander. it's nothing but a camry with a SUV type body style...

the 4runner is still body on frame design...

 

"bla bla bla" i'm not the one who suggested the h2

 

highlander is a suv looking minivan. and small. and ugly.