OH OH!

[regfootball]

panicked and bought a new vehicle today!

anyone care to guess what it is?

I'll check back in a couple hours and post a pic or two. I can't pick it up till tomorrow though! UGH!!!!!!

[!!!TED!!!]

Some sort of Ford?

[Satty]

xB?

Element?

Ridgeline?

'87 Cavalier convertible? A good enough mid-life crisis car

[Drew Dowdell]

Uplander?

[Oracle of Delphi]

You took advantage of the GM Employee discount and replaced the Aztek with a Torrent.

Edited August 21, 2008 by Pontiac Custom-S

[michaelv13]

HHR SS.

[Northstar]

HHR or Outlook/Lambda

[regfootball]

Uplander?

yes i flew to toronto and picked up a stripped uplander from carbiz......it was a tough choice between the uplander and the pontiac wave.........

LOL

I liked satty's guesses......har har

ok, my gm card had 2,000 bucks available to me.....not sure if that sways anyone's guess......

the dealers are desperate right now! time to buy I am telling you!!!!!!!

Edited August 21, 2008 by regfootball

[regfootball]

by the way, my dad told me i should have popped for the used 06 R class mercedes! but at least i will tell you i did not get the mercedes........

i will throw this nugget out there. the trade offer on the aztek was pathetic so i will have 3 vehicles for a short period of time......keeping the aztek, at least unless one of you wants to buy it and be seen driving it.......

Edited August 21, 2008 by regfootball

[trinacriabob]

yes i flew to toronto and picked up a stripped uplander from carbiz......

LOL

I liked satty's guesses......har har

ok, my gm card had 2,000 bucks available to me.....not sure if that sways anyone's guess......

LaCrosse, Grand Prix (since you once wrote about one) or Impala. Those are all $ 2,000 + cars on the redemption allowance.

[!!!TED!!!]

by the way, my dad told me i should have popped for the used 06 R class mercedes! but at least i will tell you i did not get the mercedes........

i will throw this nugget out there. the trade offer on the aztek was pathetic so i will have 3 vehicles for a short period of time......keeping the aztek, at least unless one of you wants to buy it and be seen driving it.......

I wouldn't be ashamed of driving an Aztek. But Im wierd....

[regfootball]

let me add, 'new' may be slightly misleading........by new, i meant new to me.........

[Satty]

Express with no windows, so you can hand candy out to children at the park?

[Oracle of Delphi]

by the way, my dad told me i should have popped for the used 06 R class mercedes! but at least i will tell you i did not get the mercedes........

i will throw this nugget out there. the trade offer on the aztek was pathetic so i will have 3 vehicles for a short period of time......keeping the aztek, at least unless one of you wants to buy it and be seen driving it.......

What color is the Aztek? I bid a dollar, and I will keep it within my gated community to keep it safe!

[Satty]

$2.38 and I'll park it in the garage next to the Prius.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Ok, 2.39 now and I will buy a Slavic CD to play so it feels at home, plus the gated community.

[regfootball]

Express with no windows, so you can hand candy out to children at the park?

you are on your game today!

they have you booked for the whole week? is gratuity included in the food bill?

[regfootball]

What color is the Aztek? I bid a dollar, and I will keep it within my gated community to keep it safe!

i am selling it back to GM...they have developed a third world grade BAS system for it, will retrofit that into the vehicle as a running prototype to test and potentially revive the aztek hybrid and sell it in developing countries.

AT LEAST IT'S NOT A REBADGED GME CARL PETER WAGON!

Edited August 21, 2008 by regfootball

[Oracle of Delphi]

i am selling it back to GM...they have developed a third world grade BAS system for it, will retrofit that into the vehicle as a running prototype to test and potentially revive the aztek hybrid and sell it in developing countries.

AT LEAST IT'S NOT A REBADGED GME CARL PETER WAGON!

That's Carl-Peter to you Mister! Get it right. :AH-HA_wink:

[Camino LS6]

You dropped your obsession with AWD and bought a base G8 demo?

[Robert Hall]

An '08 Suburban for 50% off sticker?

[Satty]

On a more serious note:

I assume that if you're replacing th Aztek, you're going to replace it another space-mobile, so I'd rule out anything thats not an SUV or wagon. I also assume you didn't buck the trend, so you didn't pick up something massive like a Tahoe. That leaves wagons and small SUVs/crossovers, and minivans, since you said new to you, which doesn't require it being new. The Vibe seems a bit compact, the HHR a little tight on space compared to the Aztek. I'm thinking maybe VUE, or an off-lease Terraza/SV6. Or a Hummer H3.

[daves87rs]

A Nox'

[trinacriabob]

What color is the Aztek? I bid a dollar, and I will keep it within my gated community to keep it safe!

I think an Aztek would be safe even in East Saint Louis, making your gate superfluous...

[A Horse With No Name]

I can not wait.

Reg has driven more cars than Consumer Reports looking for his next ride....

But I am guessing HHR.

Chris

[BigPontiac]

Saturn Outlook demo.

[regfootball]

On a more serious note:

I assume that if you're replacing th Aztek, you're going to replace it another space-mobile, so I'd rule out anything thats not an SUV or wagon. I also assume you didn't buck the trend, so you didn't pick up something massive like a Tahoe. That leaves wagons and small SUVs/crossovers, and minivans, since you said new to you, which doesn't require it being new. The Vibe seems a bit compact, the HHR a little tight on space compared to the Aztek. I'm thinking maybe VUE, or an off-lease Terraza/SV6. Or a Hummer H3.

Ted (fighting off danger as usual) was most accurate and I like Satty's powers of deduction.

used Taurus X, about 12k miles. all wheel drive. SYNC (you cannot believe how impossible this is to find on the Taurus X). EDDIE BAUER (matches my wife's fashion sense).

I spent 3-4 thou more than i wanted to or should have, but in the end there was two other choices.....Ford had upped the rebates on the Edge to 5,000 bucks. Plus, there is a literal glut of used Mitsubishi Endeavors (which I like a lot) to pick from at great prices.

But even with the great Edge offers (i was quoted 20,800 for a new SE with sync and some other goodies) and the supercheap prices on the Endeavor, I sprung for the Taurus X. The offers from Ford on new Taurus and Taurus X were not near as good as the Edge and the selection was almost non existent. On the Edge, there are a lot of 08's left, but not in the best color combos. Last night I told my wife I would get the new Edge but then this morning I flip flopped, reasoning that the extra cargo space, moonroof (a must for me), all wheel drive, and tri-zone climate control would be desired in the long run. Also, I preferred the driving position of the Taurus X...lower than the Edge, just about perfect actually.

What helped with this choice was since i drive a 500 already i was totally trusting what i expect to be complete reliability from this X. Even the Pirelli tires are the same so i know what to expect even from that regard.

I checked on getting video put in but its too spendy.

Mainly I put off the Endeavor for now because even though its cheaper, the resale over time would be less, plus premium gas, slightly low mpg (only a 4 speed), and a really hard and expensive bluetooth / usb install. Endeavors have factory faceplates on the radio that preclude easy radio installs, even though they do make factory Ipod adapters. The cheaper LS models don't have power seats either, even. To add remote start and heated seats on the LS seemed to be too much hassle, and the SE version with power seat and all of that is much more rare. One bonus to the Endeavor, the 5/60 BTB is a major draw....assuming Mits stays in business.

The third row played a factor.....my kid will love it....although the TRex only seats 6. i was upset that the Trex has very few made with the 2nd row bench. But my wife says my kid will love being able to get from the 2nd row to the third row. The Edge nor the Endeavor have 3 row, although they do have plenty of room to seat 5 comfortably which is important. If we have another kid then we can fully use all 6 places when the inlaws come along for the ride. Wife and kid can sit in the back 2 rows with their own climate control and all of that. Sweet.

I may add remote start to the TRex, although that price is spendy....GM has it standard on their cheapest models....Ford needs to get with that program.

I considered the Outlook, but even with GMS and discounts, it greatly exceeded the cost of this used Rex. Plus, it feels like a whole class larger vehicle.

The Flex is what i really want (it was my first choice), but its too pricey right now, and with all the lenders tightening or eliminating leasing I was afraid that option would not be available to me when I turn my car in. This Rex was about 10-12 grand less......

I made the mistake of telling my wife she would be driving the new car. She was expecting I would drive it, but its so nice if I don't give it to her to drive, I am being selfish. She suffered through the Aztek enough. This vehicle is so underrated.....its smooth like glass and handles great for a crossover.....i can't wait for the first trip!!!!!!!!!!!

Now i have to figure if there is any money left to ditch the Aztek or see if I am forever doomed to drive it.......ugh........

Overspending on this may steer me to a cheap lease on an Astra or Aura to replace my 500 when i turn it in in a few weeks........

funny story....i got back to work after my long expensive lunch and the sales guy i did not buy from had emailed me and told me ford came out with 0/60 and 0/72 on the edge......i had to break the bad news to him.......

i figure i paid about 2/3 or less of the list price for a vehicle with a few miles on it and in service about 8 months or so......maybe more like 60%

Edited August 22, 2008 by regfootball

[Paolino]

What's the big deal? I live in a gated community. You going to start hatin' me too? :AH-HA_wink:

[Satty]

Nice, the Taurus X is overlooked, which is a shame, cause it seems like a fabulous vehicle.

Oh, and your GM card comment took me off the Ford track, I was thinking Edge for a minute.

Edited August 22, 2008 by Satty

[daves87rs]

How much?

[daves87rs]

Looks good by the way!

[Camino LS6]

Congrats Reg.

Don't stop shopping though, you've gotten pretty good at writing reviews! :AH-HA_wink:

[regfootball]

How much?

21 and change. i figure the sticker would be around 34-35k, if my pricing exercise is correct....so maybe 2/3 list. MSRP means nothing these days when you make a habit of buying rental queens!

of course, if i tried to trade it next week, would they offer me 13 grand?

Edited August 22, 2008 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Congrats Reg.

Don't stop shopping though, you've gotten pretty good at writing reviews! :AH-HA_wink:

i figure i would do a much better job of it than all the morons who write for the press, the Jobs, Dan Neil, most of motor trend's staff, schmucks like that.

[capriceman]

IF i had the space for another car i would pay you $5500 for your Aztek. I loved those things the only reason why we got the vibe over the Aztec was gas mileage. Very easy to drive and functional suvish car. Its not that ugly either i mean i would take it over the CR-V, or flex anyday. The Freestyle is a very nice station wagon though. Our Shop bought one as a parts getter and with the seats flat you can pack a $h! load of stuff in it. Good choice though!

[gm4life]

Congrats on the new Ford. As long as it is American I am happy. Does it move pretty good? I was hoping you got a Torrent so we each could have one.

[mustang84]

Congrats on the new car Reg! I got to this thread too late, but I remembered you talking about looking at Tauruses and Edges a while back. You'll have to test out the acceleration and see how the Duratec 35 compares to the old 3.0.

Looking forward to your driving impressions!

[regfootball]

Congrats on the new Ford. As long as it is American I am happy. Does it move pretty good? I was hoping you got a Torrent so we each could have one.

well once i get to drive it tomorrow i will let you know!

as far as large crossovers go, it does well. the advantage of the 3.5 over the sprite 3.0 is very evident.

[ocnblu]

Congratulations, mr. ball. I always liked the Freestyle/Taurus X. Let us know all about it.

[Intrepidation]

Congrats Reg, although now we can't make fun of you for driving an ugly car now.

[Robert Hall]

Congrats...the Taurus X is a good looking wagon, IMHO..I like the Taurus sedan also, but thought the Five Hundred had a nicer front end design.

[Lamar]

Good choice, Reg. I agree... the T-X blows away the Freestyle with the new engine. I test-drove both last year.

[regfootball]

Congratulations, mr. ball. I always liked the Freestyle/Taurus X. Let us know all about it.

putting some mp3's on a flash drive as we speak...going to pick it up shortly

play artist michael bolton

[A Horse With No Name]

Congrats...GREAT Choice...I know you will be happy with this.

Also, sooo glad to see that you got the moonroof. So nice for a ride with the Mrs. in the evening...

Good luck and keep us posted, I think you did great!

Chris

[regfootball]

wow, the Trex is defintely a mommy wagon.

i can feel the added weight of the AWD and larger size. Definitely some added drag vs. my 500.

nice though. perhaps the best outward visibility of any crossover out there.

[GMTruckGuy74]

My neighbors, the Ford Fanatics, own two 2005 Fords - he owns a 500 Limited and she owns a Freestyle Limited. Both are up in mileage (highway driving to work), I'd say around 50-60k and both have been reliable cars for them. Her biggest complaint with teh Freestyle is that it goes through brakes. He's had it back to the dealer three times now (her car is closer to 60k). We've travelled in the Freestyle to HersheyPark (a 2-hour ride) - the wife & I in the middle row, our son & theirs in the back row (the little guy was with the grandparents for the day) - and it was a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Best of luck to you & the wife with the new car and many happy motoring miles!!

[regfootball]

thanks!

they should have gotten the TSB / free brake fix done from ford. ford gave me new rear brakes on my 500. all you have to do it point it out and let the service tech fetch it. corrected the wear and rust and brake dust and squeaking issues. cheap pad material i believe.

of course, their mileage may have exceeded their ability to do that now.

[bobo]

The X is one of the most underrated, underappreciated vehicles. I like the functionality of the interior. Nice choice.

[pow]

Great choice. The Taurus X is packaged very well, and while the Edge may be better looking, the X seats more people more comfortably, which is surely the whole point of getting a big V6 crossover.

I like the slight contrast on the seats!

Edited August 23, 2008 by empowah

[ocnblu]

Cobra Jet package?