I have been wanting to ditch the Mommy Van for some time now. Trust me, it has served me well, but with 2 teens and a tween (one that will be driving this summer), time to move on. And bonus, when I cared for my Dad, I could toss his wheelchair in and not worry about scratching the crap out of the back as it was already scratched – LOL! Plus…who looks cool in a Mommy Van? NOBODY!

I was a little nervous about writing this post because I do not want in any way to appear uppity, by saying “Luxury.” Now, if you know me in real life or on-line (been here since 2004), you will realize that is a far cry from me. So now that I think I justified my stance…not that I needed to, I’ll give you my car ownership history. My first car was a Chevy Malibu Classic (my brother totaled it), next a Bronco II, then an Explorer Sport, Honda Odyssey van and I currently drive a Toyota Sienna van. Hubby has been on me for some time to go shopping and pick out what I want. I honestly would rather poke my eyes out or put bamboo shoots under my nails than car shop. But he has done his homework and driven me crazy enough that I am somewhat motivated to get this over with. I have quite a few Facebook friends (you better be one) and put out a post up the other day asking what everyone recommended for a 7 seater Luxury SUV (which I thought I wanted). The input was extremely helpful and helped me narrow my pickings even more. And I already told my hubby – gently used cars work perfect for me! No need to invest all that money with a used one that depreciates before the first shopping cart bashes into it!

I happened to be in Metairie yesterday, so tasked myself with checking out 3 vehicles to get some of this over with.

1.
Porsche Cayenne This dealer was on the way, so thought I’d give this a whirl first. I have always dreamed of being in a Porsche and actually getting behind the wheel…so what the hell. No – I do not need a V8 super turbo charged vehicle! Anyhoo, they only come in a 5 seater, but it was love at first sight and drive. They only make 12,000 a year so resale is good (or so the sales guy told me). I loved everything about it and they even had some used models on the lot that were still way pricey, but I wanted to check it out anyhow. And bonus…I could tow our boat or trailer with this bad boy – no problema (visions of getting rid of the eyesore truck were in my head). Luxury to the max, navigation in front of the steering wheel was awesome, very high tech geeky inside (warmed my heart) and could fit 3 adults in back comfortably. I had a great experience with my sales dude…no pressure, did not even ask for my info and gave me his card…that was all. He basically educated me and answered all my questions. Ugh – needed to keep shopping…

2. ACURA MDX: I figured this was the car for me since I loved my Honda so much. It pretty much reminded me of my Honda (maybe too much) with the cheesy wood grain paneling (I know – some of you may like that) inside and the look on the outside. Very luxurious interior and some bells and whistles if you liked the tech pack (me likey). As for the way back seats I thought I wanted, well…I am very tiny and I would be pissed off sitting back there. The only one who may find comfort in riding there in my house is my cat! I quickly crossed the need to have the 7 seater off my list (unless I find a used one with it) and looked at the same car with the 5 seat option. Also had a look at the RDX . I was running short on time, so did not drive it. The saleswoman was very sweet, knowledgeable and no pressure – loved that too. If I am to go this route, would buy a used one through the Honda dealer near my house as this dealership is quite a distance.

3. BMW X5 and X3. Looked at the 7 seat option, again, maybe my cat would like it – nobody else. Ya – if I had small kids it would be a bonus but not for me. Now here is what really ruled this car out for me…and I never even drove it! Having always been small, I was always forced to sit in the middle seat or the “bump” as we called it. Now, there is no bump in the BMW, but the center console from the front seat is so big, the person sitting in the back middle (thinking my daughter), is going to have to straddle and/or kick the console. Seriously? Now I may revisit this car with all 3 kids and make them sit in there to see if I was just imagining, but this poor feature really stuck out like a sore thumb. As for the sales approach, nice guy, but more high pressure, which made me want to walk away and never buy a BMW. Not really high pressure, just asked for all my info and I told him only my address. He really wanted my email and telephone number – sorry – no dice. I’ll call you when I am ready.

I am sure I have many painful shopping days ahead of me, in between work . But I know darn well I can accomplish this faster without the family. When I am down to the final choices, I’ll drag all their butts in there to terrorize some poor car sales place to see how they all fit in it.