My wife wants something bigger than her Highlander. She has to park in the absolute worst parking garage in town 3 times a week so the lifted Expedition is a no go.
The Atlas is quite a bit bigger than Highlander and would fit the bill as our main vehicle replacing the role of the Expedition as the main vehicle when all 5 of us are rolling.
If we got an Atlas I could purchase an older Land Cruiser since it would be driven much less and focus it a little more on the off-roading aspirations I have.
What Spurns all of this really is coming across this E38
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/...88#listing=239825992
The E38 would be driven less than 5k miles a year I would guess so maintenance would not be too ridiculous I keep telling myself.

Silly thoughts in my head but Mama would be happy with a newer bigger ride, cash wise we would be pretty close to a wash.
I’d have arguably the most reliable SUV ever made with tons of aftermarket support and the greatest 7 series ever made. Granted I’d prefer a 2000 or 2001 for a few of the refinements they added but would not take issue with the 97 vintage.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Black92LX,

Try and focus on yard work or a small project you've avoided recently, and don't think about cars for a day. Then these silly thoughts should subside and not return for a good while.

I have had several BMW's, a 535i, 550i, and 750iL, loved every one of them and I thought my wife was going to cry when I traded the 750 for the Lexus 460L we have now.

While the BMW's are great fun to drive, the 750 went out the door needing all the fuel injectors replaced. Even though it was still under warranty, I said, hell no!

Given the high cost of maintenance on BMW's I would never own one that was out of warranty. Now if you are a great mechanic, you may feel differently.

The Lexus has won us over, hand over fist, and is by far the better car compared to the 750iL.

My opinion of course but I think that is why you are posting!!

I'm not a fan of Volkswagen, but the Atlas does make some sense, at least until the warranty runs out. An old Land Cruiser and especially a 7-series BMW, not so much. The former, if you even find one in your probable price range, will have 14 gazillion miles on it. And BMW's electrical "fiddly bits" problems are legendary. The low mileage on it you plan to put on it makes no difference. But far be it from me or anybody else to tell you what you need.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

Swap the lifted Expedition for a 18/19 model You have too many balls in the air. Quality of the new Expeditions is top notch. Remember, less is more. Keep it simple at least for a while.

Do what ever it takes to get the Land Cruiser

Oh Hell YES! Go for it! (Why not, it's not my money?)

What kind of wheels will you be putting on the BMW? Which coilovers? KW Variant 3?

How about the Land Cruiser? Wheels, tires, better shocks?

I live vicariously through your threads, driving my mundane vehicles I bought new and paid cash for.

That's, like, twelve new wheels you'd have to consider. Have you factored that into your budget?

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
Swap the lifted Expedition for a 18/19 model You have too many balls in the air. Quality of the new Expeditions is top notch. Remember, less is more. Keep it simple at least for a while.

Even a nonlifted Expedition would be way too much of a pain for the parking garage for her or else I would just pull the lift off and have her in the current Expedition.
She drove the Expedition for awhile before it was lifted and it was just too much of a hassle. The garage is an absolute nightmare.

As for the 750 that is pretty much a pipe dream I know.

But an Atlas or possibly a Pilot (supposed to be bigger than the Highlander have not been in one to be sure). Mainly room behind the 3rd row when up. Currently with the Highlander the oldest has to climb in the 3rd row from the hatch as there are 2 car seats in the middle row.

That and get a 100 series Land Cruiser well maintained with under 200k miles is not an unreal able feat I don’t think.

When we first started on this 3 car seat venture I found a absolutely pristine 2007 100 Series Lexus with one owner 85k miles in unreal condition. I made an offer fella said no.
We needed a bigger vehicle as 3 car seats would in now way fit my Explorer at the time. I rushed and got a minivan. About a month after buying the van the fella called wanting to sell me the Lexus.
I kick myself for rushing the van purchase for many different reasons.

I like the Expedition probably the 2nd best overall vehicle I have owned.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Oh Hell YES! Go for it! (Why not, it's not my money?)

What kind of wheels will you be putting on the BMW? Which coilovers? KW Variant 3?

How about the Land Cruiser? Wheels, tires, better shocks?

I live vicariously through your threads, driving my mundane vehicles I bought new and paid cash for.

Doubt I would do much to the 7 series. Looks like it needs a new tint job but I love those split spoke M wheels.

As for the Land Cruiser it will likely already have the suspension done.
If not probably an Old Man Emu kit factory 5 spoke wheels with a touch larger Falken Wildpeak tire.

As for being paid off the Highlander has been paid off for many years now and the Expedition almost paid off. So the Land Cruiser would be paid for in cash with a small note for the wife’s mobile and interest rates are super low.

Having a V12 would be pretty rad.

My previous car was a 2015 750i. Would never own one out of warranty. I now drive an m550 and while it’s a much better car, it still goes in for small things every 90 days. Would never consider keeping it past warranty.

We had a VW Touareg. Terrible reliability.

My wife drives a Lexus GX460 and it’s awesome.

With its low range 4wd and locking diff, it’s quite capable off road. And it never goes in for service.

Personally, I'd have an Ascent over the Atlas. Telluride over both.

No, and I am not any kind of a car expert. Wrapping them all together will get you a big ball of wax. Sort it out and prioritize and not just your wants and desire's

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
Swap the lifted Expedition for a 18/19 model You have too many balls in the air. Quality of the new Expeditions is top notch. Remember, less is more. Keep it simple at least for a while.

This, especially with a family. Otherwise it sounds like you're trading two newish, reliable vehicle, for one new reliable vehicle and 2 other vehicles that are only good to drive locally and money pits.

Get your wife a small car. She's the one with the parking lot restriction. A Civic Sport or WRX are each reliable, cheap to operate, and fun to drive. This is the commuter.

Get yourself a 100 Series Land Cruiser. Use this as the low miles vehicle. It gets terrible mileage and the wear and tear on all of your off-road overlanding bits makes it an expensive car to operate. This is the fun car.

Keep your Expedition as the family hauler.

I prefer having 3 vehicles for a two driver family. But, I'm biased towards always having a car in reserve that always has a mostly full tank, is presentably clean inside and outside, and doesn't need to have a bunch of shit taken out of it when I need it for something.

Back to the Mini-Van?

My Dad is retired autobody. Back when he was working he got a discount on parts, but he threatened to disown me if I ever bought one of those VWs or Audis that price gouge on parts.

Telluride looks promising but it's first model year so that is a no go for me. The 2020 Ford Exploder looks good, but it's also a first model year. If it were me, I'd try to get a good deal on a '19 Ford Explorer. Another option is the '19 CX-9 since it has more 2nd row legroom and hiproom than your Highlander and more legroom in 3rd row ('19 Explorer beats both though). The CX-9 should be sportier than your Highlander too. Honda beats all 3 in roominess, but Honda isn't known for room to negotiate on price.

Here's a silly thought, why does a large SUV like the Atlas only have an 18 gallon fuel tank? Car and Driver only averaged 19mpg with their long term tester leaving it with a range of about 350 miles.

100 series Land Cruiser is not a real Land Cruiser because it has IFS