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taxman100

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  1. We bought a Volkswagen. With the Grand Marquis gone, there is literally nothing else like it being sold anymore. Combine that with the fact Ford doesn't sell a minivan, and we never even looked at a Ford. If I wanted another sedan, we probably would have gotten a Chrysler 300, and even then may not have even looked at the Taurus. With Mercury gone, I have zero brand loyalty, so I considered every minivan on the market. I know the Routan is basically a nicer looking Town & Country with tighter steering and handling, but when you can buy one for $4,000 less than a comparably equipped T&C, it was not a difficult decision. You just have to shop around and find a dealer who is really motivated to unload one. It was also about $6,500 less than a comparably equipped Odyssey or Sienna. It is funny how much peer pressure influences people. I live in the upper middle class suburbs, and the default minivan purchase is by far the Odyssey, followed by the Sienna. I would say 90 percent of consumers don't even consider any other minivan brands. It is almost Pavlovian how people buy what they think their neighbors want them to buy. With globalization, brand loyalty is kind of out of date. Is a Ford with basic engineering done by Mazda, and assembled in Mexico, truly a Ford? Or, a Ford designed in Europe and built in Mexico really a Ford in the traditional sense? Most brand have been so diluted to try to appeal to as many consumers as possible that many have little cachet anymore.
  2. Next door neighbor has a Kia - it seems to get one with the RSE and noncloth interior runs almost $34,000, and it is still a Kia. I admit that includes a sunroof and memory seats the competition won't have at that price. However, even if you get $4,000 off, you can get about the same on a Chrysler Town & Country if you shop around. I was turned off by the poor fit of the sliding doors to the body on the Sedona I looked at when I visited the auto show - maybe it was a fluke. The Volkswagen dealer from which I'm buying a Routan SE with RSE, with no trade and paying cash, gave my over $7,600 off of list price on my choice of 13 Routans. I had to travel about 100 miles to get that as the local dealers could not come close to that, and I think if I could have waited until the end of the model year, there might be higher discounts then.
  3. The big issue with the Flex is no sliding doors - I don't my kids bouncing the back doors off of the side of my 67 Galaxie that will share the garage with our van. Sliding doors allows my wife to load into car seats, etc. without backing out of the garage. Plus it seems harder to access the 3rd row.
  4. Of the ones we test drove (Odyssey, Town & Country, Sienna, and Routan), the Routan drove the best by far. To be fair, the Chrysler we drove was a leftover 2010, and I could not stomach the cheap feeling interior. Supposidely the 2011's improved both, but we wanted full sized captains' chairs in the 2nd row. Of the 2011's we drove, the Odyssey is by far the most expensive and the largest, the Sienna felt the cheapest, and the options are pricey. On the Routan we liked the low maintenance Leatherette vinyl interior and full size 2nd row captains chairs over a similar Town & Country. Eight passenger seating is not a priority for us, nor is the stow n' go seating. The bonus is oil changes are a snap on the new Chrysler 3.6 liter engine, as I turn my own wrenches on weekends. To make a long story short, with the Town & Country and the Routan being mostly identical, it came down to Volkswagen is selling them at hugh discounts - thousands less than the T&C if you shop around and are patient to find a motivated dealer when buying. Without the discounts, we probably would be buying a used minivan instead. With Mercury closed, I have no brand loyalty - the only minivan we didn't consider was the Kia. With options, it is really not that much cheaper than the Chrysler platform mates, and a Kia is fine as a commuter car, but not my family truckster.
  5. My wife and I are shopping for a minivan, and we test drove an Odyssey. To us, it felt absolutely hugh, and the dealers do not seem interested in dealing much on them. You have to get an EX-L to get any kind of rear entertainment system, which lists for $36,830. It seems overpriced to me. So, does it feel smaller after you drive it a few days?
  6. Yep - when it comes time to replace my Grand Marquis, I'll look hard at the new 2011 Chrysler 300, (the v-6 is enough for me)
  7. Our Corolla has been a very good car - very inexpensive to own, and dependible. at 11 years old, I'd still drive it across the country if I had to. I'm not saying I'd necessary replace it with another, but at the same time, for a commuter car, I'm not interested in something where i have to read a long owner's manual to use the radio, or other features. If it has the basic power options, air conditioning, and is easy to operate, that is all most people really want. I don't really care about styling, etc. That is an issue with the minivans my wife and I are shopping - too many gadgets/etc. on one with the rear seat entertainment package. We want something that shows movies - we don't care about playing video games, or watching two shows at once. Most of them try to overwhelm you with options that I don't want to really pay to own.
  8. I took my family to the auto show - I saw the blue Chevy, but figured it was an updated Aveo. I didn't even look at Buick, as we were shopping minivans. I did pass through the Lincoln display to see if they had a Town Car, but they did not, so I just kept truckin'.
  9. The new Lincolns have confusing, ridiculous names, and the market pretty much views them as rebadged cheaper cars. With the shut down of Mercury, I've gotten mail from Lincoln. If I'm dropping that kind of money on a car, it won't be on a rebadged Ford. The only real Lincoln is the Town Car, and Ford gave up on that over a decade ago.
  10. What's the difference between my 94 Grand Marquis, or my current 2002 Grand Marquis, and a 2011? It's was Ford's choice to give buyers no reason to purchase a new one that is actually worse than one that is 10 years old. Granted, a 2011 Grand Marquis, while not what it used to be, is still far better than all the rebadged Mazda's and Ford of Europe products they sell as domestic Fords.
  11. Smaller with steel rims is my preference. Dirt cheap to maintain, though on some cars, they do look pretty bad.
  12. Sweet - you know how resale drops like a stone - might some some low/no mile Grand Marquis out there.
  13. Manufacturers are getting ready for the draconian fuel economy requirements coming in a few years that will prevent you from buying anything you really want to own, yet can still afford. My wife and I are getting a minivan later this year. She looked at the Mazda5 and said there is no way she is driving something that small when we can get a bigger vehicle for only a few thousand more.
  14. Don't forget too small for the amount of money they are asking. Right now you should be buying the types of vehicles that will not be available in a few years - like anything you really want to own. Little crackerbox cars will be available forever, and since that is all Big Brother wants you to drive, you may as well put it off as long as possible.
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