My DH "needs" a $20,000+ car... help! Wisdom appreciated... - Page 3

[heymama1plus1]

Eek, my mind is spinning! Thanks everyone for your wisdom. I asked him about some of the cars mentioned yesterday; the Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban were "too big". I forget what he said about the Element, but that was a no-go. The older models BMW didn't have the super-duper Inspector Gadget seats. And the hybrids are just too much $$, even though that would be nice. He did sit in a Forester again yesterday (and some other kind of Subaru, maybe a Legacy?) and he's bouncing those around in his head.

I keep urging him to see a doctor but he's stubborn And he doesn't like chiropractors for some reason.

I'll give him the list of cars suggested today; I'm sure he'll have a reason why they won't work

The thing he keeps coming back to is the BMW-- I know there was at least 1 person on this thread who has one. He just keeps going on and on about how adjustable it is-- the head rest, lumbar, the "wings" on the side. I think he really wants that one, but his hang-up is the maintenance cost.

BMW owners-- how crazy expensive is it? I know there's free maintenance for the 1st 3-4 years (or 50,000m or something like that) but we'd probably be buying one past that freebie period. I've found a reputable private BMW-only repair shop about 45" away (no biggie for him, he drives in that area a lot) so we won't have to get hosed by the dealership. Would we need to put $100 away a month in the maintenance envelope? He'd love any particulars if you have them easily accessable.

I'll need a Dave Ramsey bumper sticker if we do get the BMW: "Prefer a paid off home mortgage to take the place of my BMW as the status symbol of choice!".

Today's our 10 year wedding anniversary and I didn't think I'd be spending it home sick with the flu researching cars on the internet He's happy I've taken an interest, though!

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by heymama1+1

Today's our 10 year wedding anniversary and I didn't think I'd be spending it home sick with the flu researching cars on the internet He's happy I've taken an interest, though!

[heymama1plus1]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Thanks! Puts me in the mood for bubbly! Maybe I'll suggest he pick some up on the way back from car shopping; he probably needs a drink after dealing with car salesman all evening

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by heymama1+1

....I know there was at least 1 person on this thread who has one. He just keeps going on and on about how adjustable it is-- the head rest, lumbar, the "wings" on the side. I think he really wants that one, but his hang-up is the maintenance cost.

BMW owners-- how crazy expensive is it? ....

Wow, he is certainly opinionated!

I have a BMW X5 - which if he gets one sounds like the model he is looking at. It is a great car, I love it. But they are insanely expensive to buy. And the gas is a bit on the ridiculous side.

My husband is on his 3rd 5-series so clearly we like the brand.

However, we haven't had one not under warranty in about 5 years. And with that one, as soon as something major went wrong (can't remember what it was) it made better sense to get a new one when we looked at the age of the car and the cost. I do know they are expensive to fix but I can't give you dollar amounts, sorry!

I will say that my Tahoe (and Suburban) were awesomely awesome vehicles that handled well and are much cheaper to fix than an import. Especially for routine stuff like oil changes. And, because you can buy regular gas, you end up spending much less than the BMW even though their mpg are about equal. I'm not grasping the "too big" argument from someone your husband's size. They do have comfortable seats and a lumbar support option built in (if I'm remembering correctly).

HTH and a very happy anniversary to you!

[heymama1plus1]

His issue is that the BMW is the only car (out of probably close to 100 now that he's sat in) that adjusted the lumbar up enough to hit him in the right spot. All the rest sit too low and make his back sway out worse.

Would you say in general BMWs are reliable? Do you have friends that have one? We don't personally know anyone who drives them. He was thinking a 2008 535XI or a 2007 530XI (I think I got all the numbers and letters right!).

I've found some BMW enthusiasts message boards but most of what they're saying's Greek to me. Maybe he'll be able to follow.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[2cutiekitties]

I have a friend who has a beamer and he loves it.

Have you checked out Infiniti? That is what we have. They also have the lumbar thing. I dont really find it helpful on long drives though, it is really is all about the way you sit.

DO NOT just ask them what the car takes gas wise. The sales guy said oh yeah regular. Then after we bought the car and went to fill it up of course the sticker on the lid says premium only So check the lid!

[heymama1plus1]

Originally Posted by 2cutiekitties

I have a friend who has a beamer and he loves it.

Have you checked out Infiniti? That is what we have. They also have the lumbar thing. I dont really find it helpful on long drives though, it is really is all about the way you sit.

DO NOT just ask them what the car takes gas wise. The sales guy said oh yeah regular. Then after we bought the car and went to fill it up of course the sticker on the lid says premium only So check the lid!

Infinity is on his short list; couldn't tell you which one. They all blend together

[karne]

If he loves the BMW, there's probably not another option that will satisfy him. Lots of guys love BMW's at a certain age/stage of life and can think of all sorts of reasons why they are the best car!

FWIW, my 6' dh currently has a suburu forester, and it is really too small for his body while sitting in the car. We have always had big volvo wagons, so that's his comparison. He has back issues and drives a lot-comfort is very, very important, and unfortunately the suburu isn't comfortable.

I drive a Honda Pilot, and I can't think of a better SUV-gas mg is decent, I have had 0 issues with repairs, takes regular gas, is great on unpaved rural roads, holds tons and tons of gear/kids/etc. I will never get another SUV. We do need SUV's where I live, so I have driven a lot of them. The only think it really can't do is tow a horse trailer, but that's what the old suburban is for!

[beanma]

Wonder what he doesn't like about the Honda Element? It made Click and Clack's "Top Ten List of Cars We Hate The Most" because it's so reliable. Not comfy enough?

[ChristyMarie]

Our BMW's have been very very reliable. Additionally, when something is wrong it tells you what's wrong. Very cool and no wondering "what was that noise?"

And mine is the most comfortable seat ever.

The 530, 535 and 535i all correlate to sedans in the "5 series". The X3 and X5 are the SUV models with the X5 being the larger.

[Kiernan]

I have a 2005 X3 that went off warranty last summer. I didn't do the extended warranty and so far, have only paid for an oil change. The car runs beautifully and has never given me any trouble. Now, I do live in an urban area and it only has 50K miles on it so that might have something to do with it. But overall I've been really happy with it and plan to drive it into the ground for another five years or so

[CarrieMF]

I can't believe nobody suggested the Toyota Highlander! It's the exact same thing as the Lexus RX300/400 but way cheaper. Seriously, the same thing: same chassis, etc. In fact, get the Limited and you get the luxury, 4WD, etc. Excellent reliability, decent fuel efficiency for the class (they do have the hybrid but all the calculators I see still say it's not worth the up-front upcharge).

Lexus is the luxury model of Toyota.

I'd get some sort of a crossover, not a big suburban, the gas mileage on those is horrid even if it's being reimbursed and he doesn't need the room in one of those. A crossover is big enough for what he is carrying and for winters.

I'd also suggest very very very strongly that you push him into going to a dr. If his back is that bad no vehicle lumbar support is going to fix that & it is just going to get worse.

[avendesora]

Originally Posted by heymama1+1

And thanks for the tip on the hybrid-- looked at that on KBB-- ouch! A lot of $$$. I'm sure his millions of car review magazines have an opinion on those, too... must be some reason why he's ruled them out.

Please don't use KBB! It's prices are way higher than they should be. Edmunds.com has numbers that you should use when negotiating a price.

[Ygle]

We had to get rid of our Subaru Legacy when we had child number two and my dh is only 6'1"... loved that car, btw, but it was just way too small.

What about a Mercury Mountaineer, or a Chrysler Pacifica/Journey?

I didn't realize BMWs were roomy.... I did just see a very tall man stepping into a minicooper yesterday, but it didn't look like he'd be able to fit a car seat in back.

[iowaorganic]

Uh why are pickups out? The back seat of our silverado would undoubtedly hold everything he could need. And I did get a chuckle out of a Tahoe being too big. I complain constantly that it is too small and I 'need' a suburban. Both of our seats adjust everywhich way possible.

[heymama1plus1]

I suggested a pickup too... that was a no. He has very definite opinions about what car he wants; for some reason it can't be too big. If the seat was comfortable enough and there was legroom I bet he'd want a smartcar or some little European thing Couldn't haul kids in that, though...

[KayTeeJay]

I'll put in another vote for a Yukon. We have a 2000 Yukon XT I think it's an XT, anyway. It's the one without the third row seating, but still has leather, heated seats, adjustable lumbar, etc... We've had it for four years and it runs great. It has about 110k miles on it, I believe. We are in the midwest as well, and it has done wonderfully through the winters. I have to agree with the pp who chuckled at your DH thinking it was too big--just have him let me drive it for about a week and I promise I'll fill it up with enough stuff that he won't think it's too big anymore. With one child, it was perfect--one carseat in the back bench, the stroller in the "trunk" area and plenty of room for groceries or whatever else I could stuff back there. Now that we're expecting #2, we recently bought a minivan.

I'll also chip in another good word for Infiniti. Since we now have a minivan, we sold my '99 Infiniti to my little sister. It was an awesome car, never had any problems with it whatsoever. I'd imagine it will run for several more years. My dad drives a lot for work, so when he goes on those trips he has an Infiniti QX4 SUV that has over 200k miles on it and is still going strong.

[Altair]

We have a BMW X3. We bought it used with about 45,000 miles on it. It is a GREAT car, it doesn't have the super seats but they are so damn comfortable anyway.

The gas is crazy and the maintenance is crazy though, I do admit. Right after it went past warranty a bunch of things went wrong and it cost us quite a lot to fix it. The things that went wrong right away we argued that the dealer we bought it from had to pay, and we have an extended warranty through a 3rd party to cover big big things, but everyday things REALLY add up on that car.

The only way we've been able to afford it is that my partner's job pays a big chunk of money every month for car use.

It is a great car, it doesn't break down often, but when it does, even little things can end up costing much more than you are used to paying, esp if you have to go to the dealer.

[JudiAU]

Honestly, it does sound like he needs a specific kind of car to fit his body and job needs. And you can write off the mileage....

THe "luxury" version tend to fit bigger people better than a subaru.