mrken30

$35k including lane assist, collision prevention, navigation, camera, eco stop/start. ect. It will also tow 5000lbs standard and get 23mpg. I was wrong, this is a 8 seater van. This van fits in a garage unlike a Pilot.

Service is every 15,000 miles unlike those Hondas and US cars.

civilservant

But what about leather seats, free floor mats and a tank of gas?

I'm just being factious at this point - that isn't bad TBH.

mrken30

Mercedes floor mats will set you back another $1k

Pulaski

Since when does a Pilot not fit in a garage?

It started out as a true "van", I goods vehicle, so don't expect the ride and interior noise to match what people expect from a Mercedes, because it is not a luxury vehicle, .... unless perhaps you're trading up from a Dodge Nitro.

petitefrancaise

Something we inadvertently did which actually made a lot of sense financially...

After 11 years of driving a Ford Galaxy (perfect for kids/dogs etc and long trips) I decided that we had outgrown that life stage when we moved to the USA.
So, from IAS we got a Focus saloon and we bought a 2 yr old Honda Fit for cash when we moved.

We had originally wanted a Focus hatchback but according to IAS that was going to take longer so we got talked into the saloon. I wish we had stuck to our guns, the hatchback would have been better. The Fit was my car and whilst it was great for nipping about, it was a bit too small for Texas drivers and roads. During that first year, we did a family ski-trip to New Mexico and for 5 of us with all our own skis/poles and boots we hired a minivan ( Grand caravan) with loads of space for everyone and all our stuff, dvd player etc it was perfect. It cost us about $1k for the 8 days.

The point I am trying to make here is that although you may want/desire an SUV, that is going to cost you loads more money in 4 different areas - initial deposit, ongoing lease payments, petrol and possibly insurance. That last one is debatable.

How many times will you actually have 5 people in the car for more than an hour or 2 at a time? If you anything like most families I know that won't happen much. We bought smaller cars and hired a big one when we needed it.

An SUV will be double the cost in petrol compared to a slightly smaller saloon. I know petrol here is much cheaper than the UK but you will be doing many more miles. My mileage is 350- a week. I work from home, the kids take the bus to school. My son rows 12 miles away and so do I, the supermarket is a 6 mile round trip. It adds up really quickly. My Toyota 4Runner did an average of 20mpg so I'm saving about $80+ a month in petrol costs only by having my prius. A focus does about 35 mpg.

Please don't anyone start on about "needing" an SUV in suburban USA. Put winter tyres on your car like all the locals do in the french mountains if you live in an area that gets snow.

madrigal

That's a very compelling argument, and something that has played on my mind before tbh. Methinks I should just ask IAS for quotes on some smaller cars/hatchbacks too. Another alternative would be to buy 2 second-hand cars with the money we get from selling ours here in the UK. However, the complimentary AIG TravelGuard throw-in that IAS provides is a nice addition.