Trading My Lexus GS for a Third Row?
11-18-08, 02:05 PM
#31
Lexus Test Driver
First of all, congrats on the 2 bundles of joy
2nd of all, kiss your sleepy nights good bye
I really don't see the need for a 3 row vehicle if you don't have more than 3 adults + twins in the car.
I had the GX and with the 3rd down, it's a joke. LX wasn't any bigger.
As a matter of fact, almost all suv have worthless trunk space with the 3rd down (except the extended suvs)
Tell you whhhat, depending what you 2 want for the double strollers (side by side)
(front and back), it'll get heavy and tiring, especially for your wife.
I suggest you borrow a double stroller and have your wife try loading/unloading this thing in an SUV vs. a minivan WITH 2 babies and see which is easier
Not only that, Grandma would appreciate getting in and out of the minivan 10000x easier.
By the way, I wouldn't trade any suv for a minivan-maaaaybe a Q7. Reality has sunken in when convenience is the important factor
So on test-driving days, bring a double stroller and Grandma and see what's easier.
Or do what a friend of ours is doing. LEase a minivan and get rid of it in 3 years when the kids are much easier to handle.
2nd of all, kiss your sleepy nights good bye
I really don't see the need for a 3 row vehicle if you don't have more than 3 adults + twins in the car.
I had the GX and with the 3rd down, it's a joke. LX wasn't any bigger.
As a matter of fact, almost all suv have worthless trunk space with the 3rd down (except the extended suvs)
Tell you whhhat, depending what you 2 want for the double strollers (side by side)
(front and back), it'll get heavy and tiring, especially for your wife.
I suggest you borrow a double stroller and have your wife try loading/unloading this thing in an SUV vs. a minivan WITH 2 babies and see which is easier
Not only that, Grandma would appreciate getting in and out of the minivan 10000x easier.
By the way, I wouldn't trade any suv for a minivan-maaaaybe a Q7
. Reality has sunken in when convenience is the important factorSo on test-driving days, bring a double stroller and Grandma and see what's easier.
Or do what a friend of ours is doing. LEase a minivan and get rid of it in 3 years when the kids are much easier to handle.
I bought the Pilot, in part b/c of the 3rd row. Did I need it then? No--we didn't use the 3rd row for a few years. But now that my oldest is in kindergarten, if we have to car pool, with car seats/booster seat requirements, yes, I DO NEED a third row--there's not enough room to have a chlild seat and 2 boosters in one row.
11-18-08, 03:33 PM
#32
I don't think the GX, LX or the Escalade have fold flat third rows. Most of the time, you will be traveling with cargo, not rear passengers. Personally, I like the MDX for what you have described.
If you are traveling with rear passengers a lot, you really want to re-consider the minivan, or look at SUVs and crossovers that come with mid-row captain's chairs. You won't be able to flip the middle seats forward with the baby seats there, and do you really want grandma climbing up through the tail gate??
If you are traveling with rear passengers a lot, you really want to re-consider the minivan, or look at SUVs and crossovers that come with mid-row captain's chairs. You won't be able to flip the middle seats forward with the baby seats there, and do you really want grandma climbing up through the tail gate??
However, it is eeasily removable.
MDX has a great fold flat design
No way is Grandma going into any 3rd row. She's calling shotgun.
Powerlatch is only in the RX, sienna (xle?) limited, and ______________.
11-18-08, 04:35 PM
#33
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First off congrats! I just made similar decisions earlier this year, and I side with the folks who say reconsider the mini-van. I too had apprehension about getting one, but they really are the most convenient and practical vehicle out there for carting little ones, all the gear, g-parents, etc. around. I only considered the top of the line Sienna and Odyssey models and went with the top of the line Odyssey Touring model. These things are loaded to the hilt as is - B/U camera, parking sensors, Nav, bluetooth, electric hatch, Rear Seat Entertainment, heated seats, etc.. heck, almost as many bells and whistles as our LS460L 
fwiw, I also owned a 100-series Landcruiser (2006), so its similar to the LX470 you are considering. Love that truck, but def consider the height of those rigs, as you and your wife will have get two infant carriers up and in. Try that in tight parking spaces (since those trucks are WIDE) with the doors swung out and its a chore. Automatic sliding doors are a godsend. The 60/40 split 3rd rows in the Odyssey/Sienna fold flat, and in the LandCruiser/LX/GX they either folded up or you had to take them out.
If a mini-van is still out though, out of your list, id go with the Highlander.
fwiw, I also owned a 100-series Landcruiser (2006), so its similar to the LX470 you are considering. Love that truck, but def consider the height of those rigs, as you and your wife will have get two infant carriers up and in. Try that in tight parking spaces (since those trucks are WIDE) with the doors swung out and its a chore. Automatic sliding doors are a godsend. The 60/40 split 3rd rows in the Odyssey/Sienna fold flat, and in the LandCruiser/LX/GX they either folded up or you had to take them out.
If a mini-van is still out though, out of your list, id go with the Highlander.
Last edited by dc935; 11-18-08 at 04:40 PM.
11-18-08, 06:03 PM
#34
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I looked at the GX and the seats fold p and give a decent amount of cargo space, but not nearly as much as I though. (In the pictures on the Lexus website anyway.) As far as the LX, I am almost sure that is out, because we saw one parked in our garage and she says that is way to big.
I proposed the Veracruz, but she feels that it is a step back and cannot go from the pretty L to the crooked H and honestly, I feel the same way. Call me spoiled, but we are car snobs, even when it is not justified.
The Minivan thing is something I am working on, as I have looked at the features.
She does like the Highlander hybrid. That is currently the front runner, followed by the Benz GL. She likes that the rear hatch is powered and the seats fold flat with switches.
I know grand parents are not happy climbing into third rows, which is why I like the captains chair idea. Allows a pass through, but both of our moms are really young (late 40's) and any Nanny will be younger than that by at least 10 years...maybe even a young brazillian...okay that last part was wishful thinking.
Dare I say it, but we are looking for style and function and while many agree that a minivan is the best choice, IMO, minivans have all function and no style. I want more of a split. I cannot go from a gorgeous Lexus that stirs my soul to something that makes me dread driving. It is one of the joys in my life!
I proposed the Veracruz, but she feels that it is a step back and cannot go from the pretty L to the crooked H and honestly, I feel the same way. Call me spoiled, but we are car snobs, even when it is not justified.
The Minivan thing is something I am working on, as I have looked at the features.
She does like the Highlander hybrid. That is currently the front runner, followed by the Benz GL. She likes that the rear hatch is powered and the seats fold flat with switches.
I know grand parents are not happy climbing into third rows, which is why I like the captains chair idea. Allows a pass through, but both of our moms are really young (late 40's) and any Nanny will be younger than that by at least 10 years...maybe even a young brazillian...okay that last part was wishful thinking.
Dare I say it, but we are looking for style and function and while many agree that a minivan is the best choice, IMO, minivans have all function and no style. I want more of a split. I cannot go from a gorgeous Lexus that stirs my soul to something that makes me dread driving. It is one of the joys in my life!
Last edited by Mbenz528i; 11-18-08 at 06:07 PM.
11-18-08, 07:52 PM
#35
Lexus Champion
It is not that I think I NEED an SUV or a larger vehicle, but it certainly helps and ofcourse a minivan has to be included in that. My parents had a mazda Van when I was growing up and my sister and I are 4 years apart, but it made life easier. My friend and his wife have one child and have an S2000 and a RSX. Tell you this, the RSX makes for a lousy family car. People can get by without larger cars, infact people get by without cars period and use public transportation. Which is why we want something bigger. We love the GS, but the trunk sucks, as we tried a few strollers in and out of it and it takes up the whole room. Honestly, minivans sound the best, but We wanted to avoid that. 
For the record, if all my friends, myself included, felt the way you do about minivans, the world would be a better place, less vain. Problem is, I still want the coupe life, and going straight to a minivan existance just seems so dreary.
I understand you get looks in your minivan. The Mugen Odessy is a sweet looking car, but it is a minivan and whenever I saw a hooked up minivan, I just assumed, no offense, that it was some young guy holding on to what he could since his wife forced him to get a minivan. Ofcourse, I am worse than that, because if we do get a minivan, my wife would never let me put rims on it and she definetly would not let me drop it.
After listening to the rational minds of people who now the most about cars from Supras, NSX's, Buggati, Ferrari, you all still echo minivan.
Well, I will try the minivan idea, I have not ruled it out and it seems with the ridiculous size constraints my wife has with the Extended or massive SUVs, plus the back seat/third row ingress/egress, it may be best.
By the way, To you all, Thanks on congrats, I appreciate it. I am Excited!!! (2X)
For the record, if all my friends, myself included, felt the way you do about minivans, the world would be a better place, less vain. Problem is, I still want the coupe life, and going straight to a minivan existance just seems so dreary.
I understand you get looks in your minivan. The Mugen Odessy is a sweet looking car, but it is a minivan and whenever I saw a hooked up minivan, I just assumed, no offense, that it was some young guy holding on to what he could since his wife forced him to get a minivan. Ofcourse, I am worse than that, because if we do get a minivan, my wife would never let me put rims on it and she definetly would not let me drop it.
After listening to the rational minds of people who now the most about cars from Supras, NSX's, Buggati, Ferrari, you all still echo minivan.
Well, I will try the minivan idea, I have not ruled it out and it seems with the ridiculous size constraints my wife has with the Extended or massive SUVs, plus the back seat/third row ingress/egress, it may be best.
By the way, To you all, Thanks on congrats, I appreciate it. I am Excited!!!
(2X)Can't say enough about how much I like this thing. Good power and torque, 25 mpg on highway trips, heated leather seats... swallows a crapload of stuff, too.
And there are times it's nice to "fly below the radar" with a van. Taking my GS out is always an event as I get tons of questions, thumbs-ups, etc.
Respect the van!
Anyway, good luck with the search - car shopping can be fun!
11-18-08, 08:08 PM
#36
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I cannot go from a gorgeous Lexus that stirs my soul to something that makes me dread driving. It is one of the joys in my life!
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11-19-08, 04:39 AM
#37
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I ....but she feels that it is a step back and cannot go from the pretty L to the crooked H and honestly, I feel the same way. Call me spoiled, but we are car snobs, even when it is not justified.
The Minivan thing is something I am working on, as I have looked at the features.
She does like the Highlander hybrid. That is currently the front runner, followed by the Benz GL. She likes that the rear hatch is powered and the seats fold flat with switches.
I know grand parents are not happy climbing into third rows, which is why I like the captains chair idea. Allows a pass through, but both of our moms are really young (late 40's) and any Nanny will be younger than that by at least 10 years...maybe even a young brazillian...okay that last part was wishful thinking.
Dare I say it, but we are looking for style and function and while many agree that a minivan is the best choice, IMO, minivans have all function and no style. I want more of a split. I cannot go from a gorgeous Lexus that stirs my soul to something that makes me dread driving. It is one of the joys in my life!
The Minivan thing is something I am working on, as I have looked at the features.
She does like the Highlander hybrid. That is currently the front runner, followed by the Benz GL. She likes that the rear hatch is powered and the seats fold flat with switches.
I know grand parents are not happy climbing into third rows, which is why I like the captains chair idea. Allows a pass through, but both of our moms are really young (late 40's) and any Nanny will be younger than that by at least 10 years...maybe even a young brazillian...okay that last part was wishful thinking.
Dare I say it, but we are looking for style and function and while many agree that a minivan is the best choice, IMO, minivans have all function and no style. I want more of a split. I cannot go from a gorgeous Lexus that stirs my soul to something that makes me dread driving. It is one of the joys in my life!
With either, you can't go wrong... again, I'm in the same boat, and this thread now has me thinking of upgrading to a new Sienna (our 05 is still worth $13K with 47K miles) and getting all the bells and whistles...
Again, GOOD LUCK!!!
11-19-08, 04:40 AM
#38
Lexus Test Driver
I forgot to mention the Sequoia. Fully loaded must be on par with a Lexus.
11-19-08, 04:45 AM
#39
Lexus Test Driver
First off congrats! I just made similar decisions earlier this year, and I side with the folks who say reconsider the mini-van. I too had apprehension about getting one, but they really are the most convenient and practical vehicle out there for carting little ones, all the gear, g-parents, etc. around. I only considered the top of the line Sienna and Odyssey models and went with the top of the line Odyssey Touring model. These things are loaded to the hilt as is - B/U camera, parking sensors, Nav, bluetooth, electric hatch, Rear Seat Entertainment, heated seats, etc.. heck, almost as many bells and whistles as our LS460L
fwiw, I also owned a 100-series Landcruiser (2006), so its similar to the LX470 you are considering. Love that truck, but def consider the height of those rigs, as you and your wife will have get two infant carriers up and in. Try that in tight parking spaces (since those trucks are WIDE) with the doors swung out and its a chore. Automatic sliding doors are a godsend. The 60/40 split 3rd rows in the Odyssey/Sienna fold flat, and in the LandCruiser/LX/GX they either folded up or you had to take them out.
If a mini-van is still out though, out of your list, id go with the Highlander.
fwiw, I also owned a 100-series Landcruiser (2006), so its similar to the LX470 you are considering. Love that truck, but def consider the height of those rigs, as you and your wife will have get two infant carriers up and in. Try that in tight parking spaces (since those trucks are WIDE) with the doors swung out and its a chore. Automatic sliding doors are a godsend. The 60/40 split 3rd rows in the Odyssey/Sienna fold flat, and in the LandCruiser/LX/GX they either folded up or you had to take them out.
If a mini-van is still out though, out of your list, id go with the Highlander.
11-19-08, 08:28 AM
#40
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I just bought the highlander sport last month and love the car. I every feature that I could except Navi cause I already have a Garmin. You wont be disspointed, my dealership was also doing 5 years intrested free. GL!
11-19-08, 09:54 AM
#41
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Some moron at Toyota decided NOT to have the Highlander 3rd row be split folding. Sound petty, BUT, for those first few years with a stroller, if you need the 3rd row for 1 person, and you need the (double) stroller, you won't have very much room behind the 3rd row for the stroller (and any other cargo). If you really use the 3rd row, split folding is key.
That is not a good thing, as we are already looking at Nannys and right now it seems that the third row will be a must and the double stroller as well, so I need that split fold.
She also does not want to keep the GS and get a minivan, she is very minimalist and although I like that idea, she doesn't believe in the wasted money, particularly with double college looming. (Yes, this is how far in advance she thinks. Hopefully they both get scolarships and I can finally buy an exotic, even if it is a 2008 in 2028.)
11-19-08, 10:10 AM
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11-19-08, 11:05 AM
#43
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Congratulations. Unless you normally cart around other people I would think your GS would still be fine with just two small kids and unfortunately you will probably take a huge loss trying to sell it right now. If you absolutely need a third row I would still at least check out two minivans, the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna as they can be equipted with tons of features like rear entertainment and I believe rearview cameras and get decent gas mileage and are not too expensive and are well made, the Honda has a pretty sporty drive.
I would not waste your money on a pointless truck based gas guzzling SUV, you may need more room but you don't need a giant top heavy expensive wasteful off road vehicle just to run errands and cart kids around. I don't know what your financial situation is like but having 2 kids right away is going to hit your finances pretty hard and buying a really expensive pointless truck based gas guzzling SUV like a Escalade, GX, or LX does not make much financial sense when you are going to need to be saving much more now with young kids. They will be worth very little and you will take a huge loss when it comes time to sell them not to mention they can be very dangerous and have rollover issues which you don't want on the vehicle transporting your kids, just about every rollover accident I see involves some giant SUV that the owner thinks is a safe vehicle and it is much worse off the vehicle it was involved with.
The European SUVs are overpriced and generally pretty unrealiable, the X5 has very little utility or room over a 5 series and is more a image SUV. The Merc ML are known for horrible reliability and poor quality.
If you want a good more efficient carbased SUV I would go with a Honda Pilot, Hyundai Veracruz, Toyota Highlander, or Acura MDX. They are all going to be reliable, well made, get better mileage then truck based SUVs, much safter, hold more value, and offer alot of features. The MDX is my favorite and is an excellent SUV, it is loaded with luxury features and can outhandle most sedans and is very safe. I am sure you can get a decent deal on it and it is pretty much the perfect package of utility, function, luxury, and sportiness. I am not much of a SUV guy but I really like the MDX and all Acuras and Honda are very safe and get the highest/best crash ratings.
I would not waste your money on a pointless truck based gas guzzling SUV, you may need more room but you don't need a giant top heavy expensive wasteful off road vehicle just to run errands and cart kids around. I don't know what your financial situation is like but having 2 kids right away is going to hit your finances pretty hard and buying a really expensive pointless truck based gas guzzling SUV like a Escalade, GX, or LX does not make much financial sense when you are going to need to be saving much more now with young kids. They will be worth very little and you will take a huge loss when it comes time to sell them not to mention they can be very dangerous and have rollover issues which you don't want on the vehicle transporting your kids, just about every rollover accident I see involves some giant SUV that the owner thinks is a safe vehicle and it is much worse off the vehicle it was involved with.
The European SUVs are overpriced and generally pretty unrealiable, the X5 has very little utility or room over a 5 series and is more a image SUV. The Merc ML are known for horrible reliability and poor quality.
If you want a good more efficient carbased SUV I would go with a Honda Pilot, Hyundai Veracruz, Toyota Highlander, or Acura MDX. They are all going to be reliable, well made, get better mileage then truck based SUVs, much safter, hold more value, and offer alot of features. The MDX is my favorite and is an excellent SUV, it is loaded with luxury features and can outhandle most sedans and is very safe. I am sure you can get a decent deal on it and it is pretty much the perfect package of utility, function, luxury, and sportiness. I am not much of a SUV guy but I really like the MDX and all Acuras and Honda are very safe and get the highest/best crash ratings.
11-19-08, 11:06 AM
#44
GX 2nd row is cramped and not adjustable
But a huge storage space if you don't use the 3rd row
Good luck and update us on your decisions.
11-19-08, 11:23 AM
#45
Lexus Fanatic
I appreciate all the info on the minivans and for a second there, you had me, but my wife, she is DEAD set against them.
She also does not want to keep the GS and get a minivan, she is very minimalist and although I like that idea, she doesn't believe in the wasted money, particularly with double college looming. (Yes, this is how far in advance she thinks. Hopefully they both get scolarships and I can finally buy an exotic, even if it is a 2008 in 2028.)This news of the Highlander third row not folding is terrible, but it seems like the Highlander hybrid is where my wife is leaning after last nights conversation. We are heading to the Toyota dealer and back to our Lexus dealer to check out the GX, LX, Sienna, and Highlander this weekend. But I honestly am more confused now that I ever was. Not with you guys, but with my wife. She wants here cake and to eat it too. Maybe I really don't understand because it won't be me driving most of the time.