So as my signature states, we've got 4 Hondas - 2 Pilots, 1 Accord, and 1 Civic. Happy ownership, no issues.

Summer 2007 - Lease on the '04 Pilot is up. What to get to replace it? Well, it's not as simple as you might think. Now that we're "older", issues like arthritis and entry ease come into play. Plus, when you put the following criteria together, the list gets REAL short:

Low entry height, but not low seat height
Leather seats with seat heaters
AWD
Luxury features like dvd, cd changer, memory/power seats, comfortable to drive long trips

And the kicker - under 30 grand out the door after discounts. Gulp - figure THAT one out....

So - after driving and sitting in more than 15 different vehicles, it looks like tomorrow evening the '04 Pilot will be replaced by a - hold on to your hats - an '07 Ford Freestyle Limited AWD. Now, before you call the men in white coats to take me to the funny farm for getting a Ford. :lmao: This is a very impressive vehicle for the price. For those who don't know, it's based on the Volvo XC90 underpinnings - decent (although not fast) V6, CVT tranny, Volvo auto AWD system, and a very nice interior with great features. And perhaps the biggest reason - very easy entry - not too high, not too low - just right! Comfy seats, nice bells and whistles - and I got a deal at over $4k under sticker ($2300 under invoice) plus 1.9 financing for 60 months. The wife slept on it for 3 nights, fearing the loss of a Honda product and going into a Ford, but the reviews and user forums are overall positive - so she's taking the plunge!!!

So, the sig will change in a couple of days, and I'll report back as to how she likes it over time. But my Pilot will be around for another 2 years, and the Accord is staying in the family for a looonng time (civic will be sold this summer as 1 kid goes to college without a car).

andy

ps - cars driven include Infinity G35x, Honda CR-V, Honda Pilot, Ford Edge, Lincoln MKZ, Mazda CX7, Pontiac Torrent, Mercury Montego.....

No Toyota Rav 4? Those are really nice!

I drove the new superduty F-250 w/ the new 6.4 diesel. The truck is a really nice truck, but I've heard too many horror stories.


Good luck w/ the Ford and keep us updated! Also, is there a specific reason why the Civic is being sold and 1 of your kids won't have a car in college?

Good for ya'll!

I'm thoroughly impressed with almsot all current Ford Products. The Fusion has been a hit, as well as the revamped exploder (I mean exporlorer...), expedition, etc. I wait to hear how that works out for ya. My Dad is thinking of getting the XC90 (huge incentives around here), but his commute makes the S40 much more fuel efficient (52500miles a year at the moment). So he might opt to keep the S40 for work, and the XC90 for our 'recreational' purposes, and jobs around the house. We'll see. I'm not a huge fan of the freestyles looks, I perfer the XC90 much more over it, but whatever floats your boat, and the price difference alone...O_O

Well congrats!

No Toyota Rav 4? Those are really nice!

I drove the new superduty F-250 w/ the new 6.4 diesel. The truck is a really nice truck, but I've heard too many horror stories.


Good luck w/ the Ford and keep us updated! Also, is there a specific reason why the Civic is being sold and 1 of your kids won't have a car in college?
So oldest son is junior at college (Univ of NH) at an apartment, and currently has the Civic. Middle son is heading off to Northeastern Univ in the fall, and givent hat it's in the middle of Boston, having a car is impossible. So, to save insurance and some expenses, we'll downsize to 1 kid car and the one in Boston can borrow one of ours when he's occasionally home.

The swap is that the older son is a big guy and is getting tired of shoehorning himself into the Civic - and likes the Accord - so he's moving to that car and we sell the Civic.

So - if you know anyone who'd be interested in an '04 Civic EX Coupe - Rallye Red - probably about 50k miles at that point - great shape and all up to snuff with maintenance - let me know! :thmsup:

andy

Good for ya'll!

I'm thoroughly impressed with almsot all current Ford Products. The Fusion has been a hit, as well as the revamped exploder (I mean exporlorer...), expedition, etc. I wait to hear how that works out for ya. My Dad is thinking of getting the XC90 (huge incentives around here), but his commute makes the S40 much more fuel efficient (52500miles a year at the moment). So he might opt to keep the S40 for work, and the XC90 for our 'recreational' purposes, and jobs around the house. We'll see. I'm not a huge fan of the freestyles looks, I perfer the XC90 much more over it, but whatever floats your boat, and the price difference alone...O_O

Well congrats!
Main issue with us was entry height. The XC90 is a good 4 inches taller on threshold entry than the Freestyle. It's funny going to car dealers and having the wife get in with her arthritis - and that what would be fine for you and me is tough for her. Pilot too tall, even CX7 too tall. Sedans are another issue, since she can get in easy, but climbing back out can be an issue. Freestyle was easy in, easy out for her - and that was the bottom line. :thmsup:

andy

I woulda gone with a Sienna LE AWD w/ aftermarket leather myself...but whatever floats your boat.

or Oddysey? i love that van haha

lol when i was reading your requirements for a car, i was thinking..hmm he should get a volvo...

ironically enough i kept reading to find you got a car with a volvo inside lol

Go off all sugar & the arthrits will fade away in 2 weeks or less & buy wahtever you want!!! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

Congrats, the Freestyle (now Taurus X for 08) is an excellent car. Everyone I know that has one loves it.

Go off all sugar & the arthrits will fade away in 2 weeks or less & buy wahtever you want!!! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

Potato and tomato could be worth a try as well :thmsup:

whats taurus x

omg did they seriously rename it the taurus x? :paranoid:

omg did they seriously rename it the taurus x? :paranoid:

Today, it's the ford 500 and ford freestyle. In '08, it's the ford taurus and the ford taurus X respectively. Platform rename. :dunno:

andy

So, as my updated signature states, the deed is done! Picked up the Freestyle last night, followed the wife home while she drove it. And I do admit that it looks pretty nice. I really like the 18" alloys with the Pirelli tires - they fill out the wheel wells nicely. Once we got home, she finally let ME drive it (with her riding shotgun), and I do say it drives nice, too. More comfortable than the Pilot, and easier to get into. A bit less sporty than the Pilot to drive, but not an old-fogey car by any stretch. But she's happy, and that's all that counts!! :thmsup:

andy

:worthless

congrats. You knew this was coming. :lmao:

Very nice! I like the body style of the Freestyle.

Did you try the Outback by any chance?

So I promised a while ago to put some pics of my wife's new ride, and here and below are a few. It's got 1500 miles on it, getting smoother every day, and the fit/finish/drivability of the Pilot - perhaps better. Time will tell whether it lasts, but so far, so good!!! :thmsup:

andy

i would have gotten a Toyota Highlander.

i would have gotten a Toyota Highlander.
Step-in height was too high...... Plus, IMHO, driving the two isn't a contest. I prefer the Pilot to the Highlander, and the Freestyle falls somewhere in between...

Nice car!

Congrats!

I don't know about you, but it felt strange to buy a new car and it not be a Honda after all these years.

I don't know about you, but it felt strange to buy a new car and it not be a Honda after all these years.
I know what you mean. We had to sleep on it a couple of nights before deciding to pull the trigger. And especially since it was a Ford - been a long time since we bought domestic!!! But so far, so good! :thmsup:

andy

:paranoid:

Good for you! I think you made a great decision and the vehicle looks darned nice. I like my Honda but that doesn't mean I'm glued to the brand.

Good for you! I think you made a great decision and the vehicle looks darned nice. I like my Honda but that doesn't mean I'm glued to the brand.

So we're now at the 3 month point, and just clicked over 4400 miles this week. So far it's been a great vehicle! Drove it up north through the mountains - about a 350 mile round trip - and it got a tick over 23 mpg with the a/c blasting and it loaded with people/luggage. The CVT tranny is very nice overall, and so far has always done what I'd have expected a normal auto tranny to do - but smoother! :thmsup: Did the first oil change at 3500 miles - didn't use a drop and was the easiest car to change the oil on I've done for a long time!

I still like driving my Pilot around, but this Ford is growing on me - sounds odd, I know, but this Chicago-built wagon has been great!

andy

something about the exterior makes me feel like it's chunks of a few vehicles welded together. not mimicking other vehicles as in the case of hyundai (one of the worst offenders for that as i have ever noticed-or atleast hyundai picks the most noticeable chunks of other cars and sticks em together to make their cars, but anyway...) on the freestyle it's more of it doesn't "flow". does that make sense? like few cars were grabbed at a junkyard and the viable pieces of each stuck together or something..... :dunno:

not my cup of tea lookswise at all in other words. not many suv's and especially not many crossover's (aka station wagons) do much of anything for me looks wise. MAYBE the mdx, but that's about it. so i'm a tough one to please looks wise in that department anyway.

glad to hear it's holding it's own so far..... out of the domestic options, it's probably one of the better choices..... (not that i think it's the best option out there by far, but if you must go domestic, well.... but still :puke: :lmao: )

(ps~minivans seem to be overall perfect for those who have trouble getting in and out of vehicles. :yes: problem is getting a decent one at a good price. :lmao: )

something about the exterior makes me feel like it's chunks of a few vehicles welded together. not mimicking other vehicles as in the case of hyundai (one of the worst offenders for that as i have ever noticed-or atleast hyundai picks the most noticeable chunks of other cars and sticks em together to make their cars, but anyway...) on the freestyle it's more of it doesn't "flow". does that make sense? like few cars were grabbed at a junkyard and the viable pieces of each stuck together or something..... :dunno:

not my cup of tea lookswise at all in other words. not many suv's and especially not many crossover's (aka station wagons) do much of anything for me looks wise. MAYBE the mdx, but that's about it. so i'm a tough one to please looks wise in that department anyway.

glad to hear it's holding it's own so far..... out of the domestic options, it's probably one of the better choices..... (not that i think it's the best option out there by far, but if you must go domestic, well.... but still :puke: :lmao: )

(ps~minivans seem to be overall perfect for those who have trouble getting in and out of vehicles. :yes: problem is getting a decent one at a good price. :lmao: )
After owning cars for over 30 years, the top priority is function, and "style" shows up down the list several notches. Problem with minivans is that they're BIG, and even though entry/egress is relatively easy, the sheer size of a minivan is just not necessary, especially with only 1 kid getting hauled around. We actually were in the market for a sedan, but finding a decent sedan with AWD in our price range wasn't easy to find - and that's why the Freestyle came up on the radar screen. It's pretty much the only one that could meet all of our criteria - and wasn't on our list till near the end.

Anyhow, I left domestic cars several years ago, and this is the first foray back into them, and I'm pretty impressed so far. That's not the same for some of the other domestics we drove - the GM's were nasty, the chryslers were the same old "buzz when the auto tranny downshifts to 1st", and even some of the Fords were just not great. This, with its Volvo underpinnings, was much different than I'd expected - in a good way.

Guess hitting the century mark for age put me back into a station wagon :paranoid: :biggrin:

andy

You know what brother? No matter what anyone else says or thinks.....who cares? It's YOUR money and YOUR decision. "I would have bought this" or "I would have bought that"........yeah right. Then why didn't you buy it then? Horsepuckey!

Treading back into domestic auto territory is scary indeed and only time will tell the story. You shopped, you drove, & you googled to find the right vehicle. You like it and more importantly MAMA likes it so all is well. Now all you need is several coats of Wet Paint for the mild NH winter :lmao::lmao:

Treading back into domestic auto territory is scary indeed >>>

Oh c'mon, It's not that bad! :lmao:

Perhaps not but it depends on the domestics you have owned in the past and what went wrong with them that was inexcusable. I've been fortunate with domestics but the last one I owned was a 1984 Buick.

and more importantly MAMA likes it so all is well.
And that, birthday bud, is the final word. :thmsup:

Yep - gotta hit all the vehicles with some wet paint - been really behind on the cosmetic items with 'em!

andy

I've been fortunate with domestics but the last one I owned was a 1984 Buick.>>>

My first car was an 88 Oldsmobile, but it was a pretty decent car for the time that I had it. Very modern inside and out. Everything was digital. Had low mileage for the year (bought in 1997 with 80k miles) but I soon took care of that! :D Where DIDN'T I go in that car... but it did get me everywhere I wanted/needed to be.

In any case, I was just messing with you earlier.

And that, birthday bud, is the final word. :thmsup:

Yep - gotta hit all the vehicles with some wet paint - been really behind on the cosmetic items with 'em!

andy

Get Cracking there son! You've got tons of road salt to protect those vehicles from and it won't be long until it arrives. I admire you and others that live in that portion of the US where it gets brutally cold. Last year I think 40 degrees was our coldest temp.....folks were still out on the beach. That was only for one day by the way.

During my stint with Uncle Sam's Navy my boat was stationed at Quonset Point, RI. I was 18 at the time and didn't know the ocean could freeze like fresh water did. Yes, I was naive and stupid beyond belief. I was, and never have been, so cold in my life. In Navy terms I was a "Non-Hacker" as far as the cold since I had never been exposed to it. To all you tough Northern "True Hackers" I bow to you.

On the other hand if you came to my part of the world in July or August I might have to scrape you up off of the sidewalk......and you haven't even mowed the yard yet!
When I lived in San Antonio I used to watch Yankee recruits for the Air Force get off of the plane and pass out from the heat and humidity. But could I deal with your winter temps? No way, I bow to the Masters.

We are both used to our environments.

I haven't done this for a while, but I figured I'd put the list of each and every car that my wife and I have owned/leased over the years. Sit back and enjoy the list and watch the dollars go down the perverbial dumper.... :banana: Having two incomes and not paying attention for quite a few years wasn't the smartest thing.... But I digress - here's the list:

68 Mustang Coupe - mine
70 Impala Coupe - mine
72 Nova Coupe - wife's
----------------college done --------
* 79 Olds Cutlass Supreme - mine
78 Chevy Camaro coupe - wife's
----------------marriage ------------
81 Mercury Lynx wagon - wife's
* 82 Chevy Camaro Z28 Cross-fire inj - wife's - totalled
85 Olds Cierra Sedan - mine
---------------kids -----------------
86 Volvo 740 Wagon - mine - DOA at 1 year
86 Chevy Cavalier wagon - wife
87 Pontiac Bonneville SE sedan - mine (then wife's)
88 Chevy Astro van - mine
90 Acura Integra LS sedan - wife's
* 91 Acura Integra GS coupe - wife's (arthritic ankle nuked stick)
91 Mazda MPV 4WD minivan - mine
93 Acura Legend LS sedan - wife's (consulting writeoff)
93 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE - mine (yuck)
95 GMC Jimmy 4-dr 4WD - mine
* 96 Isuzu Oasis L minivan - mine (3rd kid)
* 96 Acura RL - wife's (Acura buyout from Legend)
98 Chevy full-sized conversion van - mine (after Isuzu lease done in 99)
99 Chevy Tahoe 2-dr 4WD - wife (????? macho phase :naughty: )
* 01 Chevy Tahoe LS (new design) - mine
* 01 Buick Regal GS sedan - wife (fastest of all cars owned)
03 Pontiac Aztek - mine (downsize from Tahoe - BAD MOVE)
-------------current gen---------------------------------
04 Honda Civic EX coupe - oldest son's (college) - CURRENT
04 Honda Pilot EX-L/RES - wife's
05 Honda Accord LX sedan - mine, then middle son's - CURRENT
06 Honda Pilot LX 4WD - mine - CURRENT
07 Ford Freestyle LTD AWD - wife's - CURRENT

* - these are cars that we were totally happy with that could have been kept longer - others were dumped for various reasons....

That's quite an extensive list of vehicles! :thmsup:

-1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme SL
-1994 Pontiac Firebird
-1997 Mercury Cougar <---My favorite among the domestics. Totaled in 2002.
-1996 Honda Accord EX
-1981 Honda Civic Wagon
-1983 Honda Accord SE
-2006 Honda Accord EXL
-2000 Buick Park Avenue
-2007 Honda Accord EXL
-2005 Chevrolet Blazer LS

In that order.

My list is teeny!

1986 VW Cabrio - Sold!
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/Accordlover_2006/P1010001.jpg

1987 Accord - 100 bucks, was a project that I didn't get to complete due to relocating. - Sold
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/Accordlover_2006/P6170001.jpg

1996 Accord - Still have it!
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/Accordlover_2006/P2180818.jpg

1999 Sable (aka the egg) - Drove for awhile, now she's a garage queen.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/Accordlover_2006/P1010598.jpg

2003 C240 - Still have it!
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r74/Accordlover_2006/P7220001-1.jpg