Mrs trb's new ride

[trb]

With the new ride threads on here, I thought I'd share my wife's pending new car. She's been wanting a more car like SUV, and she nixed my idea of another (third) Vibe, so she picked out a 2013 Equinox. I was wanting a Toyota Venza, as it is even more car like, but she did not like any colors they have available. But it is a nice car.





This is the stock cloth interior on this model - factory leather requires the next level up package ($1,870 for things we don't need) plus the leather option ($895)



We are getting the seats redone in leather by an aftermarket supplier, probably like the factory two tone black/brownstone combination for $1,000:



Haven't signed the deal yet, but I have to by Jan 31 to get the $1,500 in rebates I have.

[Rayven01]

Wow, that thing looks deceptively large but it's actually even lighter than a Captiva. Good luck to the lady!

[trb]

Well, she is coming from an Explorer, and had a Yukon XL prior to that, so this will be smaller for her to drive. It actually has right under 100 cu ft so it is a compact SUV. The Venza has more room actually.

[vibolista]

Nice, soon to be future ride, but surprised that Mrs. trb didn't go for the new Escape. Ford's version of the compact SUV. Both are great, would be a tough choice if I had to make one between the two.

[tpollauf]

Nice addition to your fleet Any other incentives? GM card earnings ? Bonus points? Employee or supplier discount?

[vit]

Those are nice - I had one as a loaner while my '10 GT was in the shop. Very well done for a Chevy - but the gas mileage sucked out of the 4 banger. Perhaps it's just too big for the engine and it's working too hard - I didn't even average 20 MPG.
My parents own a Venza - I would recommend.

[Chiadog]

I like the clean, simple design! Should look sharp for a long time. I'm also a fan of Silver over Chrome wheels.
Chiadog

[star_deceiver]

Did she get the 4cyl or the V6?

[trask]

Nice Vehicle,
I almost bought an Equinox, loved the interior (except for the rear seats not folding flat) and quite ride. The 4cyl I thought did well in the Equinox, the 4 cyl has very good acceleration and seemed to work well for a slightly heavy small SUV. I was more interested in the Buick Encore to see what it had to offer, but it was not going to be available for awhile so I purchased a Prius.

[star_deceiver]

I test drove both engines. The 3.6 was great... but something didn't feel "right" while driving the 2.4, something was off. Acceleration, cruising, shifting... the vehicle just wasn't happy with what I was trying to do. But the cargo area is the red flag... too small, oddly shaped and I couldn't lie down in the back with the seats folded "flat"... (I'm 6'4) I could in the Vibe...

[trb]

Slight change of plans, we are ending up getting the 2LT that comes with the leather, because she decided she wanted the power liftgate. Regular liftgates are a bit of a pain for her since she's 4' 10-3/4" tall, but the power liftgate has a "3/4 open" option so she can easily close it without jumping up! But it did mean giving up my chrome 18" wheels as none within 350 miles had all the options she wanted, and cost less than $30K sticker. One had a sunroof ($995) and they threw all the "mop & glow" as my salesman called it - paint & fabric/leather & carpet protections and window tint for a cool $1K more. So my $1K chrome wheels would have cost in actuality, about $3K more! I might as well get a LTZ model for that price. He found a couple of others, but they had the V6 and we didn't really want that.

I got the prefered credit union pricing, plus a $500 auto show rebate and a $1000 private offer for about $2600 off sticker of exactly $30K. I checked with 3 dealers and they all had the same prices on the same vehicles, and none would budge. They are transferring it in from Waxahachie TX, about 220 miles away.

She could care less about acceleration or cargo capacity. She wanted a car like SUV, so this is what she decided on. I'll just keep driving my Vibe! And if she gets 20mpg, or close to it, that would be great compared to the 12 she gets on the Explorer.

[vibolista]

Sounds like a good buy! With the 2.4L you should be able to approach 30 mpg in the warmer seasons (that you usually get plenty of down there), if Mrs. trb is gentle with the speed actuator. Keep us posted... and throw a picture into this thread of the new SUV when you get the chance.

[trb]

Thanks. I was hoping to get about $2K off the sticker plus my $1K rebate, but that didn't happen.

This is the actual one we are getting:



The only thing it is missing is my wheels, but I found some new take offs in Dallas that I might consider after I get my bonus from work in April if they still have them.

And for one last hurrah, here is the Exploder that is being replaced:



I think we got our money's worth out of it. I paid $17,900 for it 4-1/2 years ago, 1yr old with 21K miles. Getting $12,000 on trade with 58K miles. That's about $1,300 a year we "spent "for it, with $400 for tires the only non warranty expense.

[trb]

Ok, I know I'm going crazy, but hopefully the third time is the charm. The Waxahachie dealer was playing hardball on the trade, so I decided to just get one that is more local, it is a LTZ model with everything we wanted, plus some. Wouldn't you know the owner's wife is driving it as a demo! AARGGH! Since I already discussed the LTZ with my wife, we found one with the same options in Austin, and they are working on getting that one for us. It will end up being more, but at least we get everything we want. It's only money, right? I'm saving about $2,800 on this one, and I got great deals on the last two autos, so I can splurge for the wifey on this one, right?




Hopefully this one will come through!

[vibenvy]

It's definitely too bad the Mrs. wouldn't go for a Vibe, but the Equinox is a nice looking vehicle. I see a lot of the new ones around here, so it certainly seems they are pretty popular. I agree with you about the Venza though. I love the Venza. I hope this third Equinox finally works out for you guys.

[KITT222]

Oooh, this third one had projector headlamps! It's interesting seeing manufacturers "retrofitting" their cars with projectors. I think you'll end up liking it. It's a very decent car, and my dad likes renting them. Hid only complaint is space, but considering he is 6' 2" that probably puts him out of the range of the "average" person

[trb]

Yes, this one has a lot if bells and whistles that we didn't need like the headlights, collision avoidance/ lane departure /backup warning system, power pass seat, memory seats, sunroof, etc.

But at least it is a done deal, as long as it arrives here ok later today. We will pick it up tomorrow.

[trb]

Well, it is done.... almost! Went to pick it up today, and even though I already have financing through my credit union, they really wanted to try and get me a better rate through their sources (and add more $$$ to their pocket). So they let me sign the sales paperwork, and I'll go back on Monday or Tuesday to sign the financing if they can get me a better rate. Luckily they are like 5 min from my office right by downtown.

Her is a pic of my wife and my youngest with the Nox at my office, with the Houston skyline in the background. Boy, she really is enjoying it. I doubt she will ever learn everything it has to offer though! Good thing we have kids that are tech savvy to figure things out. LOL!

[vibenvy]

Cute picture ! Glad to hear everything is pretty much all done.

[journeyforce]

I would stick with your credit union whom you can truly trust. That dealer is going to try to get you to get a loan from Ally Bank (formerly known as GMAC) Ally Bank is nothing but a true bunch of crooks. The local GM dealer tried to hook me with "financing" through Ally a while back and I simply walked.

Good luck with your new vehicle, i admit the late 1990's- early 2000's model Exploder were nothing but a true P 0 S

Cheers

[trb]

Yes, I know about Ally. We had GMAC on my son's car before I refinanced with the credit union. My CU dropped my rate by 3% vs GMAC. So the dealer is getting drafting instructions from my credit union tomorrow. I knew they could not get me a better rate as my credit is not quite up to their requirements for the 2.99% rate for 72 months. Otherwise my credit union would have beat it. Hopefully I've avoided the formal run in with the F&I person at the dealer trying to sell me everything, so I can just sign the title/license application tomorrow and be done with it.

Oh, did I say my wife really likes her new vehicle? The dash display is like an ipad, with icons & touch screen and everything. It even has the local weather, movie listings, and the locations and gas prices for all the gas stations in the area!

We had practically zero problems with the Explorer. They replaced a few items under warranty - peeling chrome grille, and the broken vanity mirrors, twice, on each side! Now that flip open mirror cover was a defective part for sure. Other than that, no issues. But I do know people with older ones that did have a considerable amount of problems.

[Kincaid]

Awesome Equinox! Supposed to get pretty good mpg on the Hwy.

[trb]

Thanks! Yes it does pretty well on gas. Our first fill up at just under 1/2 tank gave me 19.9 mpg vs 20.5 on the computer. The computer also shows that the high averaged mpg on the trip back from the Austin dealer was 30.2. My wife just took a 200 mile trip and i need to fill it up again to check the hwy mpg. I hope it is about 30. That's better than my Vibe GT.