After looking on and off for three years, my wife and I finally made the plunge and purchased a new car. We have been needing and wanting a 4WD or AWD SUV ever since we moved to rural Nevada, as our 2002 and 2008 Toyota Camry's just weren't cutting it in the last two major snow storms we had in the last year, and the most recent storm almost two weeks ago was the sign that we needed to find a car ASAP.
My wife has had major neck and back surgeries, most recently a 4-level fusion in the neck followed 6 weeks later with a 2-level fusion in the lower back. Prior to that, she had a 2-level fusion in 2002 (the middle discs where her neck surgery was last year), so she required as smooth a ride as possible. Our last four vehicles were Toyotas, so we looked at the 2022 and 2023 Highlanders, and even a 2019 certified pre-owned model, and they were all just too rough for her. The Ford Explorer was even worse, and pretty much every other mid-sized SUV. At least, until we test drove a used 2017 Nissan Pathfinder. It was the smoothest ride for her, but the vehicle itself was not well taken care of and reeked of cigarette smoke.
This weekend, we stopped at the Nissan dealership to test drive the newly redesigned Pathfinder. She really wanted to love that vehicle, but ultimately, it was still too much like a truck in how it drove, and she could feel every pothole in the road. The salesman then introduced us to the Sales Manager and asked him what he thought might be a good fit for us. He recommended the Murano. We had not thought of that model, since it looked too much like a car, but they pointed out to us the higher clearance than a typical sedan and that it was an AWD. They also had a demo they were trying to clear out before the end of the month that had 2200 miles on it. We decided to give it a try, and she really liked how it handled, but didn't like the black leather interior, as it tends to get hot in the Nevada heat. The manager offered to knock $10k off the price, and told him we would need to think about it and wanted to test drive one or two other cars. Both salesmen said that they were there until 6:00pm, and we told them that we would likely have an answer by then.
We then test drove a 2023 Hyundai Tucson, but found the ride rough and the seats hard as a rock, and as soon as she sat in the Santa Fe, it was a no-go based on the driver's seat alone. Back to the Nissan dealer and another look at that demo Murano. We discussed it between us further, and decided to take the plunge. The manager knocked another $1500 off the price since we were paying cash (we have been putting away for a new vehicle ever since we paid off my 2008 Camry), and we drove it home that night. We may end up getting seat covers for the summer months due to the black interior. I am not sure why, but the auto makers don't seem to make many vehicles with lighter colored interiors anymore.
My wife has had major neck and back surgeries, most recently a 4-level fusion in the neck followed 6 weeks later with a 2-level fusion in the lower back. Prior to that, she had a 2-level fusion in 2002 (the middle discs where her neck surgery was last year), so she required as smooth a ride as possible. Our last four vehicles were Toyotas, so we looked at the 2022 and 2023 Highlanders, and even a 2019 certified pre-owned model, and they were all just too rough for her. The Ford Explorer was even worse, and pretty much every other mid-sized SUV. At least, until we test drove a used 2017 Nissan Pathfinder. It was the smoothest ride for her, but the vehicle itself was not well taken care of and reeked of cigarette smoke.
This weekend, we stopped at the Nissan dealership to test drive the newly redesigned Pathfinder. She really wanted to love that vehicle, but ultimately, it was still too much like a truck in how it drove, and she could feel every pothole in the road. The salesman then introduced us to the Sales Manager and asked him what he thought might be a good fit for us. He recommended the Murano. We had not thought of that model, since it looked too much like a car, but they pointed out to us the higher clearance than a typical sedan and that it was an AWD. They also had a demo they were trying to clear out before the end of the month that had 2200 miles on it. We decided to give it a try, and she really liked how it handled, but didn't like the black leather interior, as it tends to get hot in the Nevada heat. The manager offered to knock $10k off the price, and told him we would need to think about it and wanted to test drive one or two other cars. Both salesmen said that they were there until 6:00pm, and we told them that we would likely have an answer by then.
We then test drove a 2023 Hyundai Tucson, but found the ride rough and the seats hard as a rock, and as soon as she sat in the Santa Fe, it was a no-go based on the driver's seat alone. Back to the Nissan dealer and another look at that demo Murano. We discussed it between us further, and decided to take the plunge. The manager knocked another $1500 off the price since we were paying cash (we have been putting away for a new vehicle ever since we paid off my 2008 Camry), and we drove it home that night. We may end up getting seat covers for the summer months due to the black interior. I am not sure why, but the auto makers don't seem to make many vehicles with lighter colored interiors anymore.
