To go along with the suv picking. Me and the wife have an 2013 Explorer, and would highly recommend it.
Just because I like to link to good reading material, here is a great article about GMOs and the activism against them being bullshit. "Seeds of Doubt: An activist’s controversial crusade against genetically modified crops" by Michael Specter for The New Yorker.
6 weeks ago I was looking for some furniture for my new place and ran across a dining room table and chair set for reasonable cash. I emailed them offering to drop by and pick them up, but never heard back from them. I just received a reply to that original email, saying I can drop by today any time to pick them up. Looking at the email chain, it's apparent that the email got to them when I sent it, so it wasn't just a mail server delay issue. What the fuck is wrong with people?
Yeah... I admit I'm setting myself up for shit just by looking at CL for stuff... but every now and then, it really pays off. Tons of firewood, a healthy chunk of a retiring woodworker's shop, etc. It's those diamonds in the rough that make dealing with the idiots worth it.
SUV conversation - I had a Q7 and loved it for a variety of reasons. All the amenities of an SUV, third row seat that people could actually sit in, lots of power, drove like a sports care, extremely comfortable. One problem that I didn't like so much - extremely expensive to drive. 15 mpg - high performance engine requires high octane fuel, new brakes every 25,000 miles - $2,000 a pop, new tires at similar intervals - similar price. Great vehicle if you don't mind spending lots of money to drive. I downsized to a Q5 - not as big as the Q7, no back seat but much more affordable from a drive cost/maintenance standpoint. It is very similar in size to the Murano but in my opinion a much better vehicle. This is the sixth Audi that I have had and I keep going back. Just my $.02
I tend to not push the cult of Audi unless asked, but count me in as another Audi devotee. I've got an A4 and while I don't drive it as much as I would like, I love that thing like a child. Snow, ice, sleet or rain? No problem. Where would you like to go today? The quattro paired with a six speed manual is like no other. I don't know what your price threshold is, but if you're in the market for an SUV, Audi has a nice line of diesels including the SQ5. http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-a ... -info-news Its weird sitting in a high profile SUV (compared to the sedan of course) and getting up to 60mph in less than 6 seconds. Nissan Murano - I knew a guy who drove the Infiniti version and he was a dick. Don't be a dick. Subaru Outback - These things are awesome even if they look like Volvo's retarded brother. Jeep Grand Cherokee - It will look amazing for the first 30k miles and since its made by Chrysler, start to fall apart just as your warranty is set to expire. Its going to take more than a fancy panaromic roof to come back to you Chrysler, although the SRT version might be worth the depreciation and tire expense.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... nline.html Don't get too excited boys, given the demographic, 75% of it is child porn, I'm sure.
This is nice to hear; I've been saving up for a new car and have pretty much narrowed it down to either an A5 or an S5, depending how much longer I feel like driving my current car. I think I'll probably go with an A5, since I don't really feel like I need a V8 and the higher price tag and worse fuel economy, even though I like the S5 better and everyone around here has an A4.
Good news! The new S5s have the same 3.0 V6 TFSI as the A6, so you night save some cash on gas. I will say though, the larger the engine, the more maintenance fees you should expect. That sounds painfully obvious until you get into RS territory where I've heard horror stories about having to remove the entire engine due to space constraints within the engine bay.
My dad has an '04 A6 with the 3.0 and it has run very well for them. Less issues than the S4 ('94, turbo 2.2 5-cylinder), but less fun too. That being said it handles Minnesota weather like a boss, especially with snow tires. There was a gunmetal gray S5 in a neighborhood I used to live in and I always thought it looked great too. Some day, oh some day I'll have the cash for one.
So Audi, Mercedes or BMW, its kind of a German civil war. If you guys had 70K and were looking for a sedan, what would you get? My family has always been a BMW family so I'd grab a nice M3.
The only reason I went with Audi was that I couldn't afford the 4-matic Mercedes and they didn't have one with a stick anyway. That said, I've stuck with Audi because they're nice when I come in for service. On the weekends, I typically rock the shorts, t-shirt and unshaved look. Upon first sight, they have no reason to believe I can afford jack, but are as pleasant as they can be every single time, regardless of where the dealer is at - I can speak personally for Alexandria, Oklahoma City and Phoenix. I also don't like the depreciation rate for new cars, so anything I recommend is going to be used. I also don't prefer BMWs. They're wonderful cars though and the M3 is an excellent choice. 70k gets you quite a bit though. I would prefer the A7/S7/RS7, but they haven't hit the secondary market just yet. Based on that, it would come down to the overall size I feel like I could handle on a daily basis - city parking, traffic and street size. Performance: 2013 RS5 http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/def ... lts%20page Comfort: 2013 A8L http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/def ... lts%20page All around: 2014 S6 http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/def ... lts%20page I'm sure I could find a manual option with that kind of scratch.