New Car Shopping - Small/mid Size SUV

I have a Pilot and LOVE it! It is not small to midsize though, it's big. Maintenance is a breeze! The car is so smart and tells you exactly when and what you need to do to it! I only get the oil changed about once every 8-9 months, per dealer/car recommendations.

I like the third row option but I will say that it's not very convenient for daily or even often use b/c the occupants have to climb over the second row or in the back. If it's messy kids, the whole car will get messy or muddy, but i like it for occasional usage.

I'm an insurance agent in AZ. You can't compare your insurance to anyone elses, its based on WAY too many factors, including driving record, so there is no fair comparision. That being said, just get the VIN off one you may be interested in, call your agent or insurance company to get a quote. It may be a big enough difference to help you decide between a couple. Good luck.

LOVE my Buick Enclave. Love it!!

I LOVED my Acura MDX, before we had to make the move to a dreaded minivan :)

My sister and BIL had a Honda Pilot, which, given the choice, I would have chosen over the Acura MDX, because the Acura requires premium gas, but the Pilot could take regular.

Maintenance and insurance was pretty normal.

Just a word of caution, the MDX's 3rd row is pretty tight. I don't know how old/tall your kids are, but once they reach their teen years it'll probably be uncomfortable for anyone who has to ride back there. I have heard that the newer Pilots have more 3rd row room. I'd test drive both of them, with the 3rd row in use.

We just got a Dodge Jouney with the 3rd row seating and LOVE it! Way more room then my caliber! Our insurance hasnt gone up a d dodges are good cars.

I had 2 Acura MDX's and loved them!!!! My friend had the X5 and I felt like it was in the shop a lot... My friend has the Pilot and it's really roomy inside..
I leased both of mine, so maintenance was included in my deal... Never had any unnecessary issues with it...

Future:

I don't have an SUV - I have a minivan. I have two boys (my daughter is grown and on her own) so we needed space.

I looked at:

Ford Expedition
Honda Pilot
Toyota Highlander

Just to see if I could "get away" from the minivan. No. I couldn't. When the rear/3rd row seat is up in them - the space in the back MIGHT fit 5 grocery bags.

In my Honda Odyssey (I had a Dodge Grand Caravan) I have space. I can fit a La Crosse bag and a Baseball bag....in those mentioned above? I could not.

Also the 3rd row seat is HORRIBLY uncomfortable. Get in and sit in it yourself. That's what I did. If you have something like a stroller you keep in the back of the car - take it with you - put it in the back of what you are looking at. If it doesn't fit - you know it's not the car for you.

My insurance is not going to be the same as yours. I live in Fairfax County, VA. I have no speeding tickets nor accidents on my record (knock on wood) so I have 5 points on my driving record (In VA - that's a good thing).

I loved EVERYTHING about 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan EXCEPT the maintenance issues. That's why we traded it in. If it hadn't been for the maintenance costs? I would still own that car.

If you are going to be a FUTURE HOCKEY MOM???? I would go for the minivan. You'll have the space you need !!!! Minivans are NOT bad!!!

I'm a domestic car girl and love the GMC Acadia and Chevy Traverse, which are more crossover, but usually have all-wheel drive. The new Ford Explorers have more of a crossover look, too.

We have a 2005 Toyota Rav4, which we bought new - this was the model before the 3rd row seating, though the 2006 and newer have that. We really love this car, it gets good milage, has never had any major issues mechanically or electronically. It has over 180,000 miles now, and still runs great - and we may buy a newer model of the same car to replace this one in the next few years. It has AWD, and in the older models like ours, the second row of seats can fold flat, tumble forward, or come all the way out, which is nice for hauling things, too.

Our other car is a Dodge Grand Caravan with the Stow and Go seating, we usually keep the rear seat folded into the floor, and use the 2 middle captain's seats for the kids car seats. It is a 2008 and has the roll down windows in the sliding side doors and the roll up sun shades built in. The van is the primary kid-car, but we use the Rav 4 too - it has 2 carseats in the back seat.

We have the slightly smaller version, the Acura RDX, and LOVE it! Super car, fun to drive. Low maintenance vehicle, although I'm not sure what we pay when it needs maintenance checks because DH handles it. Insurance wasn't a big change from our old lemon of a Subaru.

I recently traded in my MDX for a Buick Enclave. I really liked my MDX, but it had 80K miles on it, so I wanted to trade it in while I could still get decent money for it and before it started having major issues. The Enclave is bigger, so the 3rd row is actually functional for people over 4 feet tall. Also, I have captains chairs in the 2nd row, so it is easy for my son to get into the 3rd row by himself. I prefer the navigation in the MDX over my Enclave though. I can't compare maintenance costs since I've only had the Enclave a few months. I had an Audi A6 before the MDX though and I swear I never spent less than $4K whenever that car had to be fixed.

I have a Buick Rendevous and it has a 3rd seat taht fold down so you don't even know it's there. It is big and not the greatest gas milage but because Buick is an 'old person's car' the insurance is lower.