Rendevous or Equinox

Poorboy

Poorboy

Founder Poorboy's World
Well we went car hunting again today and with the price of gas we looked at some smaller vehicles than we were planning on.
We first went and test drove a 2005 Escape...not bad but nothing great either and the gas milage was ok but again not great for a small vehicle...next we went and looked at a 2005 Caravan..since we are getting rid of our old Caravan it seemed like a logical choice..we saw a beautiful dark blue SXT version and the price wasn't too bad and neither was the gas mileage, but they want 7% to finance it:nono ..it was stll in consideration until we got to the Chevy/Buick dealer...we got out of the van and lo and behold was an old friend to greet us..he's now running the dealership for his friend...he handed us the keys to a 2005 AWD Equinox and off we went..drove pretty good and was very comfortable and peppy too..back seat was also very roomy so the kids can't kick me:lmfao ...the cargo area was also pretty interesting with an adjustable table that starts as the spare cover..perfect for picnics or tailgating too...price on a smartbuy lease was good too ...he also showed us a Rendevous (tiger Woods choice..:lol ) and it is a roomy cushy vehicle witha more luxury feel and look..price was also pretty good for a smartbuy 47 month lease...
So what do you guys/gals think?
 
We looked at them all and went with the Acura MDX, at the time they had 2.9% financing. Seems like they do it on Holiday weekends so one for July4th may be in the works.

The MDX has lots of room, fold-down rear seat, NAVI, lots of power (265hp V-6) and ours gets us 21-22mpg highway. Ours is Bronze and it looks awesome with some SSR1 and a few coats of EX on it.

We soured on GM when our '01 Tahoe needed a tranny and differential at 70k
 
Are you wanting to lease instead of buy...what is the difference between the two?
I would go with the 2005 Chevy Equinox...I think they are a sharp ride and has alot of nice features.
I am a Chevy person myself...but I don't think you can go wrong with the Equinox.
 
I've detailed two Rendezvous's. They are not your grandparents buick. Though still Buick cushy, it has a suprisingly contemporary upscale feel. Not what I expected for sure and was really impressed with it. I haven't driven one, but if I was in the market, I'd put it in the mix for sure. I even think the exterior is sweet, not the a-typical Buick mold, but not so far as to make it look like another brand.

I also took a good look at the Equinox at the car show. Nice, but gave me the same feeling of cheapo plastic that, I feel, plagues GM vehicles. I know, the Rendezvous is GM. It just didn't give me that same impression. The AWD option sounds nice on the 05, but if its the same AWD system used by the Astro van, I'd be sceptical. Chevy has had real problems with that system. I would assume there is a new AWD drivetrain in the Equinox though, not sure.

Tough choice, personally, if I had to decide between those two, I'd let my gut decide for me.

Then, in reality, my wife would say "That one!" and the choice would be made.
 
the MDX/Pilot is not for my kids...way too messy at this stage:lmfao wife too:rofl there also aren't any real good deals... we still have a 98 Tahoe and no real problems at 75k...

smartbuys are great deals as vehicles seem to devalue pretty quick and the option of walking away at the end is attractive...the depreciation of buying is more than the smartbuy payments...

Equinox is the front runner right now, but I want to do more test driving...
 
denverdetail said:
Then, in reality, my wife would say "That one!" and the choice would be made.
Click to expand...

:lmfao ....my wife said, " you pick" ....:rolleyes:

she did say she was not thrilled with the Escape though and was really wanting the Caravan until they came at us with payments:nono

also my friend at the Chevy/Buick dealer showed me invoices and was figuring pricing at $500 over invoice....so any choice there seems a good one...he also said he'd give me 3 years of oil changes and tire rotations too...not a great incentive but it was something:dunno
 
I'm really disappointed with the Escape. For it's size, it gets horrible gas mileage. A RAV4 gets 34 mpg and the Escape gets 20. Even with a 4 cyl/5 speed it gets 20. My brother has one and other than the bad mileage, it's had hardly any problems in 70k. Now you can get decent mileage with the hybrid but you're paying $30k so any savings in gas will take years. GM while I feel they are cheaply built, are cheaply priced. So if you just want something for the kids, it's perfect.
 
we noticed the same thing..it was only 2 mpg better than an Explorer which have great deals too, but they really screwed up putting a third row in...no cargo room with the third seat and when you fold it down there is a steep grade toward the back hatch and everything would be falling out everytime you open it:nono

yes my kids and wife are pretty messy and I'll wait until they grow up to get something nice:)
 
They do make the new Explorer's without the third row seat option, gives alot more cargo room and an under floor storage bin. I know what you mean about the back slanting down towards the rear. I think it is a silly design flaw they should have fixed before they put it out. The prices now on the Explorer's make them an attractive option. I'd just get one with out the 3rd row.
 
Wow, you have two very different price categories! What are you looking for in a vehicle? Are you particular about foreign v.s domestic?
My 2 pennies: For cleanability with kids- you can't go wrong with leather!
 
Im partial to fords so my vote would be for the escape. And even further would be for a Escape limited!

My brother works for ford (hense the reason im partial) and he just bought the Escape limited my sister-in-law had a 01 prior to the new 05 and LOVES the new one. The seats are more comfortable the ride was much better and the list goes on.


But on the same note... prior to me getting into the ford family I owned 2 GM products (2 chevy cavilier's) and they were both great cars having a brother who works for ford though out weights most of the other incentives... Having a car that I bought new and only letting him (he's a tech) be the one to work on it.. is worth the peace of mind.
 
Hey Poorboy,
Do you want to sell your Tahoe straight out...to me?;)
If so, how much do you want for it?
 
I'm partial to chevy myself, but my folks have almost exclusively always owned buick. Make a pro/con list between the two. If that doesn't help, go with other things like which one excites you the most visually, which feels better to you when you drive it, which sits you better in the seat, which lays out the controls more to your liking (although admittedly these should show up on your pro/con list). If that doesn't work...

buy both of them!! :)
 
GM and Ford have to offer good deals becuase that is how they will sell their vehicles. Be wary of someone giving you thousands back in rebates to take the car/truck off their hands.

Manufacturer warranties are a decent indication of longevity. 3yr 36k is peanuts
 
02 LTZ said:
Hey Poorboy,
Do you want to sell your Tahoe straight out...to me?;)
If so, how much do you want for it?
Click to expand...

We were debating which vehicle to get rid of the Caravan or the Tahoe, but my mechanic made that decision easy....in his words,
"I'm not working on that stinking Dodge anymore" :lmfao ..since he's related and doesn't charge me for labor....it was pretty easy to decide...

....but make me an offer I can't refuse;)


Focusedonsound..yes the Escape Limited is a great deal up here $695 down and $269 a month, it drove good and was comfortable, but there was very limited back seat room and the gas mileage just basicaly sucks compared to other vehicles of the size:dunno ....liked the new design though and if gas and kids weren't a factor...:lol I'd probably choose it...

I'm going to do some more test driving on Monday and see how it goes..thanks and keep the opinions coming:bigups
 
Steve, there are good deals on the 2004 sub outback because of the new design for 05. Dealers around here are giving a 4500 discount plus fin. and the gas mil. is about 22 around town. That's what my wife gets in hers.
 
looked at the Subaru's and there are some very good deals but they were not comfortable to get in and out of and the seats were rather hard for my big butt:lmfao ...they even have an awesome deal for the Forester Turbo but everytime I got in and out I banged my knee on the steering column...my neighbor who has an Outback said the same thing...it's his only complaint but he says his right knee is always sore:dunno
 
Well we picked the Equinox:D we went with the front wheel drive vs the awd since I also am a bit skeptical that the American awd system will last.
I think it's cool to get a 2005 in 2004 so we are modern and up to date:) ...even next year:lmfao

thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions:bigups
 
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