<p>Has anyone checked out the Saab SUV/crossover car?</p>
<p>^^ If you mean the Saab 9-7x - it’s basically a GM trailblazer and is built by GM in the USA.</p>
<p>Well … I drove the Infiniti FX35 and I’m sold. There’s a really nice 2007 demo available and the discount off the sticker is pretty decent. Unfortunately, my H did not come with me and drive the car, and says it’s still too much $$$$. </p>
<p>So … I stopped by the Jeep dealer and drove a “preowned” Grand Cherokee circa 2005 with low miles for LOTS (like $10K) less. It would do … but I am not thrilled.</p>
<p>And since I drove the Durango for 9 years and 150K miles until it developed serious issues … I wanted a little more than OK. </p>
<p>Renting a car for next week while we figure this out … since we have other things to do tomorrow …
So we’ll see.</p>
<p>cnp55;</p>
<p>One thing to consider when buying a vehicle is its resale value. The real cost of ownership is the difference between the purchase price and the sale price some years down the road (I’m not including fuel/insurance/etc. costs). Sometimes you can find that purchasing a more expensive vehicle might have a lower COO than a less expensive vehicle because of how the resale value is. I haven’t checked but I think the resale value on the FX would be much better than the Jeep.</p>
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<p>Another angle - you’ve already kept the Durango long past when most people (except me) keep their vehicles and therefore have already saved money as a result. Now as a result of those savings you should be able to justify a bit more expense on the new vehicle.</p>
<p>I bet you are right regarding the resale values on FX vs Jeep. </p>
<p>I can think of lots of ways to <em>justify</em> the FX over the Jeep … but at this point I’m going to keep my mouth shut and let H figure it out. He’s told me not to look at anything else (after I said I’d run the errand to the Jeep dealer and look at used GrandCherokees at the same time and came home with a report) … and he wants to see the FX early next week.</p>
<p>And now … I went to rent a car this morning from the local RentAWreck type place … and drove a BMW X3. Oh darn. It just gets more and more complicated. </p>
<p>Have an appointment to see if we can make a deal on the FX in the morning. If not, we can go see the BMW again, and while we are driving past the Nissan dealer we can check that out too. Jeep is 4th on the list – have a deposit on one there TOO, but appointment there is on Wednesday.</p>
<p>In the meantime, the Durango has developed an oil gauge light (oil pump??) issue and it’s going nowhere. The BMW guy indicated that he’d send a tow truck if I want to trade it!</p>
<p>cnp55:</p>
<p>I know this sounds too obvious but - have you checked the oil level on your Durango? Mine’s using a quart every 1K miles now and it’s easy for it to get too low if it’s not checked frequently. If that’s not it your next shots are the oil filter (I’ve never had one fail) or the oil pressure switch (I have had those fail but not on the Durango). Last but in no way least - the oil pump. I’ve heard of issues with the oil pump screen getting gunked up - especially on the 5.2L engines. Regardless of what it is, don’t drive it or let it run for more than a few seconds with the light on (and a few seconds is pushing it).</p>
<p>But the bright side - it’s pushed you into getting an FX35 or BMW X3. If those are too steep for you check out t he Mazda CX-7 and CX-9. I’ve heard they handle wekll for an SUV.</p>
<p>I had an oil change a week ago today … and checked the oil on Friday when the problem started. Plenty of good clean oil. And the mechanic looked at it on Friday … couldn’t find anything at the time. The light had gone off at that point.</p>
<p>The dealer service writers like to blame it on the “sensors”. There’s 100K on the “new” engine in this car. Which was fixed under warranty. (I think they might have taken it out of the pay of the service writer who didn’t listen to the “girl” who was saying “oil pump”.)</p>
<p>I think this time it could be anything in the oil pump area … the switch, the screen, or the pump itself.</p>
<p>The oil pressure switch is usually an inexpensive ($32 at Autozone) and quick and easy change. Also, if this happened one week after an oil change I’d go ahead and do another one right now and change the oil filter just in case there’s a problem with the one that was installed. The timing of it all sounds like it might not be coincidental.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the dealer will really give you nothing or next to nothing for your Durango regardless of what they say.</p>
<p>Just to confuse you some more but I love my X3. I have never loved one of my cars before. I have had it 2 yrs with no problems. It is fun to drive. You get some height but you get the fun and speed of driving a sporty car. Plus it fits in any parking place. (I did trade up from 18 yrs with a minivan)</p>
<p>So what was the verdict?</p>
<p>I bought the X3. (They came and towed the Durango away – and I think allowed a reasonable amount given its condition.)</p>
<p>The X3 has one of the coolest (hottest?) features I have ever experienced – not just heated seats (oooh nice said S1 from Cornell where it was 20 degrees and snowing yesterday) but it also has a heated <em>steering wheel</em> (no WAY, said S1, that is <em>so</em> sick)!</p>
<p>So – it’s a 2006 BMW X3 with 10K miles on it. Feels, looks, and rides new. I agree with mom60 that it is very fun to drive. I’d really wanted the FX so it took me a few days to be happy with the X3. The other thing I noticed right away – after driving the Durango with towing mirrors for 9 years – is that the driver’s visibility is wonderful!</p>
<p>(The FX is a really nice car and was my first choice. There just wasn’t something available that met our pricing specs, and since I was in a rental, there wasn’t time to wait for an early lease turn in or short lease turn in.)</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your advice and opinions.</p>
<p>I loved my X5 - the power and handling. Well, I just tested Volvo XC90 8 cylinders yesterday. It drives and feels better than the X5. The X5 (and most of BMW) gives you everything upfront, so when you step on the gas, it gives you a bit of jolt. I got to be quite after 3 years to make it a lot smoother, but I still couldn’t completely eliminate it. The Volvo is a lot smoother, and the ride is quieter. It is cruiser and the dashboard is idiot proof - without a lot of flashing lights, and letters are very big (good when you are over 40) . It also has 7 seats (standard). Seats are very comfortable. I got it fully loaded, with rear view parking assistance, etc, and it is still 5-7000 less than X5. Getting it delivered on Tue.</p>
<p>cnp55- I didn’t realize you were the OP. I was just so excited about my new car. BMW makes great cars. You can’t go wrong with X3, and heated steering wheel is awsome. My D goes to Cornell also, yes it is freezing up there now. I will be driving up next Sun to pick her up in my new car.</p>
<p>oldfort – my son won’t be home until a week from next Friday, and he’s driving home himself (with a friend) in his jeep wrangler. I don’t envy his drive … but I think I’d enjoy driving up and back in my new car … or yours!</p>
<p>Just for fun, because the OP has made his choice and this has nothing to do with his requirements:</p>
<p>I just bought a gently used Audi A3 and I LOVE IT. After years of drivng a mini van, this empty nester with a new 40-minute commute wanted a vehicle that
- is fuel efficient
- is fun to drive
- has some creature comforts (yay, heated seats!)
- has room to occasionally transport our big dog behind the passenger compartment</p>
<p>The A3 met these needs and exceeded number 2.</p>
<p>for the record … this OP is a she!</p>
<p>Another Yeah for heated seats
The X5 is a big price jump from the X3.
I love my X3</p>
<p>Congrats on the purchase of your X3–yes, the heated steering wheel is “so sick!” I still love my Volvo XC70 (heated seats, but no heated steering wheel!). Will encourage hubby to consider the X3 when time for new car for him–it will be his turn. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Great choice. However, I will admit I was looking forward to having you as a regular on the FX forums ( I noticed that you had posted there). Enjoy your new wheels.</p>