WA 2 FST
07-23-2006, 12:38 AM
First of all, this was not my fault. It was our 16th anniversary and Melissa wanted to go look at vehicles. The caveat was she had seen a few of the sedans I had shown her, and just _has_ to have something that sits up higher. The second thing is that we both have gotten so frustrated with the 10mpg gas hog called an Expedition, that whatever we got had to do better than that.
My input is that there is no way we _need_ a 3rd row. It is a waste of space, we're just towing an extra 1000lbs of air 95% of the time. My kids' friends can get their own ride, for crying out loud. My kids have good friends, but they obviously have parents that couldn't care less about the inside of their vehicles. I clean it up, someone else leaves gum wrappers, etc in there, and at 10mpg we don't need to be the neighborhood shuttle bus for 4 kids who don't carry my last name.
The coolest SUV on the planet is the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 which is very popular among many of us L-fanatics here. Nothing short of bad-ass, with full-time AWD it will smoke just about anything 0-40 and runs low, mid-13s in the 1/4. The problem is its advertised at 11/15mpg, and most of the forums are saying expect 8-9 city/12hwy if you're doing more than 65. No thanks. So, we didn't even go look at that one.
We did go look at the Trailblazer SS. Huffines in Plano had one in a color we liked, so we headed over there to check it out. The guy brings it up from the rear lot and Melissa likes the way it looks (who wouldn't... the aggressive stance looks great to even those who care very little about cars...read: my wife). We get the front seats adjusted for us short people, and then I hop in the backseat to see how much legroom there is. Plenty for someone 5'10"+. We're all midgets in my family, so it doesn't matter. I'm wondering how she thinks it "feels" from the driver's seat. She says the view (just sitting there) is great. It's definitely "high enough". The room behind the 2nd row is plenty for any grocery/store shopping we'll ever do. It's too small to transport the kids' bikes, but for crying out loud, I have two trucks that can do that already.
The sticker says 15/19 EPA estimated gas mileage. Even using 30c/gal higher gas will still net a nice savings vs. the Expy.
So we go for a ride. The salesman warns that the throttle may be significantly more than what we're used to. Melissa is driving, but he quickly learns my vehicle history...both past and present. I offer to race his brand new Z06 on the showroom floor, if he'll give me the title if I beat it. LOL. But my wife, being very cautious must not be giving it any gas b/c we're just barely moving as we turn onto the street in front of the dealership. She immediately comments on how much better the brakes are, how tight the steering is, and how the vehicle seems to corner very well. Uh, hello? Is this my wife? Has she privately been taking lessons out at MS Ranch? So we drive a couple of miles, and I have her make a few U-turns out on Coit road. "Will it make that u-turn?" Yes, this is not the Expedition. She is pleased that it has a tight turning radius and we head back to the lot. Not to let the opportunity slip by, I ask if I can drive it. This had to be one of the best salesmen I've encountered (no BS lines that I heard), but I think he was a bit nervous that I'd hammer on it. I jump in, powerbraked it in the parking lot.... no, not really. ;) I took it out and blipped the throttle about 1/4 way and the revs immediately climb to 3k and the acceleration is effortless and brisk. The trans does not shift too early. The 4.10 rear gears pull the engine into the rev band nicely...they need to given it's heft compared to the Vette. Turn in and braking are very good. I like it.
$3500 factory rebate on the '06 + they were ready to deal. We got Kelly Blue Book for the Expy in the trade and got the SS for $6.5k off sticker (including the rebate... they told me the "invoice" was only $2400 below the sticker... I called BS, and we came to an agreement that worked for everyone). The nice savings is allowing us to have them install a twin DVD setup w/ game ports in headrests for the backseat entertainment. That will get done next week.
We weren't out of the dealership coming back on Plano Pkwy 5 miles before a guy in a Nissan Titan pickup wanted to race. Melissa wasn't real thrilled, but I promptly whipped his ass from a 0-55 stoplight run, and I just rolled into the throttle. I haven't jumped on it from a standing start yet. I guess it will spin the tires. It doesn't on the upshifts, but it shifts nicely. There's a slight pause in there, and that's fine for her. She doesn't need to go any faster.
On the highway the thing tracks great and its smooth. I was surprised. I didn't even look to see if this thing has IRS, but it must b/c its substantially smoother than the Expy, even with low-profile 20" tires. The seats are supportive and comfortable, a lot like the Lightning's. When I first went and looked at one of these a couple of months ago, I felt like the fit/finish might not be as good as the Expy, but I was wrong. This thing feels very tight, albeit its a vehicle that now has ~75 miles on it.
Even with a little romping, the gas mileage indicator says 15mpg, so that's a nice improvement. Mama's happy, and she was out in it today and when she got home exclaimed, "that thing is a lot of fun to drive." Welcome to 395hp, sweetie. :)
I just uploaded some pics in the Gallery.
My input is that there is no way we _need_ a 3rd row. It is a waste of space, we're just towing an extra 1000lbs of air 95% of the time. My kids' friends can get their own ride, for crying out loud. My kids have good friends, but they obviously have parents that couldn't care less about the inside of their vehicles. I clean it up, someone else leaves gum wrappers, etc in there, and at 10mpg we don't need to be the neighborhood shuttle bus for 4 kids who don't carry my last name.
The coolest SUV on the planet is the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 which is very popular among many of us L-fanatics here. Nothing short of bad-ass, with full-time AWD it will smoke just about anything 0-40 and runs low, mid-13s in the 1/4. The problem is its advertised at 11/15mpg, and most of the forums are saying expect 8-9 city/12hwy if you're doing more than 65. No thanks. So, we didn't even go look at that one.
We did go look at the Trailblazer SS. Huffines in Plano had one in a color we liked, so we headed over there to check it out. The guy brings it up from the rear lot and Melissa likes the way it looks (who wouldn't... the aggressive stance looks great to even those who care very little about cars...read: my wife). We get the front seats adjusted for us short people, and then I hop in the backseat to see how much legroom there is. Plenty for someone 5'10"+. We're all midgets in my family, so it doesn't matter. I'm wondering how she thinks it "feels" from the driver's seat. She says the view (just sitting there) is great. It's definitely "high enough". The room behind the 2nd row is plenty for any grocery/store shopping we'll ever do. It's too small to transport the kids' bikes, but for crying out loud, I have two trucks that can do that already.
The sticker says 15/19 EPA estimated gas mileage. Even using 30c/gal higher gas will still net a nice savings vs. the Expy.
So we go for a ride. The salesman warns that the throttle may be significantly more than what we're used to. Melissa is driving, but he quickly learns my vehicle history...both past and present. I offer to race his brand new Z06 on the showroom floor, if he'll give me the title if I beat it. LOL. But my wife, being very cautious must not be giving it any gas b/c we're just barely moving as we turn onto the street in front of the dealership. She immediately comments on how much better the brakes are, how tight the steering is, and how the vehicle seems to corner very well. Uh, hello? Is this my wife? Has she privately been taking lessons out at MS Ranch? So we drive a couple of miles, and I have her make a few U-turns out on Coit road. "Will it make that u-turn?" Yes, this is not the Expedition. She is pleased that it has a tight turning radius and we head back to the lot. Not to let the opportunity slip by, I ask if I can drive it. This had to be one of the best salesmen I've encountered (no BS lines that I heard), but I think he was a bit nervous that I'd hammer on it. I jump in, powerbraked it in the parking lot.... no, not really. ;) I took it out and blipped the throttle about 1/4 way and the revs immediately climb to 3k and the acceleration is effortless and brisk. The trans does not shift too early. The 4.10 rear gears pull the engine into the rev band nicely...they need to given it's heft compared to the Vette. Turn in and braking are very good. I like it.
$3500 factory rebate on the '06 + they were ready to deal. We got Kelly Blue Book for the Expy in the trade and got the SS for $6.5k off sticker (including the rebate... they told me the "invoice" was only $2400 below the sticker... I called BS, and we came to an agreement that worked for everyone). The nice savings is allowing us to have them install a twin DVD setup w/ game ports in headrests for the backseat entertainment. That will get done next week.
We weren't out of the dealership coming back on Plano Pkwy 5 miles before a guy in a Nissan Titan pickup wanted to race. Melissa wasn't real thrilled, but I promptly whipped his ass from a 0-55 stoplight run, and I just rolled into the throttle. I haven't jumped on it from a standing start yet. I guess it will spin the tires. It doesn't on the upshifts, but it shifts nicely. There's a slight pause in there, and that's fine for her. She doesn't need to go any faster.
On the highway the thing tracks great and its smooth. I was surprised. I didn't even look to see if this thing has IRS, but it must b/c its substantially smoother than the Expy, even with low-profile 20" tires. The seats are supportive and comfortable, a lot like the Lightning's. When I first went and looked at one of these a couple of months ago, I felt like the fit/finish might not be as good as the Expy, but I was wrong. This thing feels very tight, albeit its a vehicle that now has ~75 miles on it.
Even with a little romping, the gas mileage indicator says 15mpg, so that's a nice improvement. Mama's happy, and she was out in it today and when she got home exclaimed, "that thing is a lot of fun to drive." Welcome to 395hp, sweetie. :)
I just uploaded some pics in the Gallery.