Suburbans are not nearly as big (comparatively) as they used to be.
Suburbans are not nearly as big (comparatively) as they used to be.
I'd get a new explorer.. That ecoboost six is AWESOME!
I just went through this exact process, and to my surprise we wound up with a durango. 7200 lb tow rating, muchuch nicer ride than a burb
Sounds like she wants a Sequoia.
If I had a nearby dealership with a blacked out Suburban or diesel Excursion, I'd have to convince them to let me borrow it for a few hours and bring it home, just to see the reaction.
I'll add Durango to the list - coincidently I passed one going home and thought - that looks like it might be an option.
On the full sized van, growing up we always had a conversion van and my dad still has one. Great trip vehicle, take a ball team to a tournament vehicle, camping vehicle, etc. Not so much for day to day driving, or winter. Dad's current van probably makes 2 longer trips a year, a few local tows, and that's about it. But he hasn't sold it because it's not worth it and it's too useful for those occasional trips.
Get a Hummer. 
There are two sides to every story. But based on your side of it, your wife is either 1) acting like a child or 2) doesn't actually want a new vehicle yet.
In both of those circumstances, I would say don't buy a replacement vehicle at all at this point.
"I don't care" is either because she really does not care, or the much more likely "I will complain about whatever you get because I wasn't interested helping choose".
The solution to either case is just to get whatever YOU want.
I hate my 2012 company Exploder. I much prefer our 2008. But, we use them as field vehicles, not so much for just driving people around.
If feasible, swing by carmax and get a quote for the exploder. It makes life much easier when you have a baseline for trade-in value. Plus you can drive all sorts of vehicles to find the sweet spot.
On the wife front, ask what color she wants. She will more than likely care most about that.
In this case she actually doesn't care. She'll drive whatever. She also won't complain about it later - she knows that's not right or fair. But I know that if she doesn't at least look at the options, there will be things she hates and although she'll just deal with it - why not shop better before you buy and be happier? If we hadn't already decided on a 7 passenger 4x4/AWD SUV category of vehicle, I'd expect her to want some input. We aren't getting a 2015 Mustang, Miata or F150 Quad Cab, so she seemingly doesn't see the need to consider the details. I'm fine with and prefer doing the thinking/research/negotiations on the details - I'd just like her input on the final choice.
FYI her past cars: 70's Duster, Chevette, Topaz, 1st gen neon, 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee and now the 07 Explorer. She liked them all.
Just a thought. My ex was 5'3" and had a real hard time being comfortable in most cars because by the time she cranked the seat far enough forward to reach the pedals her elbows were too far forward to rest on center console or door rest. (mostly center consol problem)
The solution was that whatever we shopped for had to have armrests that were built into the seat and moved with it. We bought her a Sequoia that she loved. It took a head on crash at 55 and everyone walked away unhurt so she bought another one. It's an '06 with probably 250K miles on it now.
IIRC, the Ford Flex has a surprisingly high tow rating if properly equipped. That should also be much nicer for day to day use than most SUVs and CUVs. My wife wants one.
KyAllroad wrote: Just a thought. My ex was 5'3" and had a real hard time being comfortable in most cars because by the time she cranked the seat far enough forward to reach the pedals her elbows were too far forward to rest on center console or door rest. (mostly center consol problem) The solution was that whatever we shopped for had to have armrests that were built into the seat and moved with it. We bought her a Sequoia that she loved. It took a head on crash at 55 and everyone walked away unhurt so she bought another one. It's an '06 with probably 250K miles on it now.
There is also a thing called power adjustable pedals that is THE solution for this problem.
Really happy with our Lexus GX470. It's a RoW Toyota Prado. Real truck with a transfer case, full time 4wd, locking diff, hill descent, 7 seats, tows 9000lbs. Air suspension and adjustable shocks.
Needs nothing but oil and gas.
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