If you read my last post, then you know that I am unfortunately on the hunt for another car and during the height of car buying demand too. If you haven’t read the post, I hit a deer last week and my poor Sonata was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. I was hurt and I was saddened. She was a good car.

This time around I decided I wanted to go with an SUV. I got tired of sitting low. That was the only sacrifice I made in the Sonata. Now if you know me, you know the SUV I always wanted was a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is the background on both my personal and work computers and there are printouts all-around the house serving as my motivation for passing the CPA Exam. So it was at the top of the list for next cars. I also like the Volvo SUVs as well. the XC60 and the XC90 are both beautiful cars and you can never go wrong with a Volvo. They are one of the safest cars on the road after all. I was also looking at Acura MDX, the Hyundai Tucson (Why mess with it if it ain’t broken), and the Kia Sorento. Did I mention the Ford Edge? I mean I did own one at one time. This left me with a lot of cars to review. Thankfully with the power of the internet, I can do it from the comfort of my own home in my PJs. This saves me time, money, and calls from sales people that I would have to keep ducking pressuring me to buy a car.

Let me explain what I am looking for in a vehicle because I am going to want all these items in the next car I pick. I am going to want (stress want) Heated seats and heated steering wheel. I used to snub my nose at the heated steering wheel and now I cannot live without it especially on the cold days heading into the office. Heated seated in the back is not a requirement but it would be nice to have, just in case people ride in the back. Ventilated seats are also necessary especially in these hot NC summers. 99 degree weather is unbearable and its nice to have a little air on the tushy. Sunroof is not mandatory but it is nice to have, especially on warm/cool sunny days. I must have adaptive cruise control and lane departure assist. If you don’t know what adaptive cruise control is, its where you set your cruise control speed and then set the number of car lengths between you and the car in front of you. Whatever they do, you do. They brake, you automatically brake; they speed up and you will speed up, as long as its up to your speed.

So without further ado, let’s whittle down this list of cars to about 3-4. This allows me to test drive the remaining ones to whittle down the list even further.

Let’s start with the Acura MDX. I couldn’t find a 2021 brand new one anywhere. Crazy right. I was shocked. Even more shocking is the 2022 pricing. It starts at $47,200. To get the technology packaging, base pricing is $51,900. Cue my shocked face. Based on the pricing alone, this car is scratched off the list.

And then there were 6.

For those who don’t know me, I used to own a Ford Edge. I purchased it brand new from a dealership. It was dark blue with black interior. It was a 2012 and had 35 miles on it when I purchased it. I loved that car. I put many an accessory on that car, illegally tinted windows, rain guards, remote start. I had it for 4.5 years before it was wrecked in January 2016. I was devastated to see it go. It had quite a bit of mileage on it. About 80,000 miles when she was deemed a total loss. To think that I could get a new one is fantastic. Starting price is $32,750 for the SE trim which is the base model. Thats peanuts compared to other SUVs. However and that’s a big however, heated seats don’t even start until you get to ST-Line trim, even then its not standard, its an extra $350. The starting price is $40,830. I decided to build my dream version using the titanium trim level and go from there. The grand total of the dream Ford Edge is $47,840, which is fine, however there are no rebates given for the vehicle. Is Ford that cocky? I mean give me something to make me want to purchase this even more over the other vehicles on the list. Also after building it, I did a search and there are no vehicles locally with all my additions. There is one close to the one I built, however there are no heated anything in it. So sorry Ford, you are off the list.

And we’re down to 5.

I have always liked the Volvo XC90. It’s beautiful, it’s Swedish, and has always been one of the safest manufacturers out there. Why not get a Volvo? I’ll tell you why. The 2021 Volvo XC90 STARTS at $49,000. WHAT?! And that’s base model, no add-ons. That’s insane. My mouth dropped to sea level when I saw that. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Sad to say, scratch another one off the list for the pricing alone.

And then there were 4.

Since we are on the subject of Volvo, the XC60 is more reasonably priced, starting at $41,700. Still quite a bit of money but its better than $49,000. After adding all my options and packages, my “built” car comes to a total of $47,420. That’s very reasonable and still less than the XC90’s starting price. Based on this information, the car stays on the list.

The Kia Sorento. I know a couple of people with these and they love them. One of them has two of them. I put them on the list because of their warranty and their following. They start at $29,390, which isn’t bad but its now only available in 6/7 seating. I don’t need that nor want that sad mileage, so unfortunately the Sorento is out. I’m not even sure why they made it 3 rows when they have the Telluride. Don’t fix what ain’t broken Kia. The closest thing they have to the Sorento is the Kia Niro Hybrid, which isn’t bad (I priced on at $33,165) but its not what I want.

Are we down to 3? Hmm I believe we are. That was easy

One reason the Hyundai Tucson is on the list is the fact that I used to have a Hyundai, so I know the company and its warranty, and my mother has one and I enjoy driving it. Also they company has been sending me mailers about the car and I really want the Hybrid or all electric version of the car. The Tucson is reasonably priced starting at $24,950 for the standard model and $29,050 for the Tucson Hybrid, which is what model I want. And these prices are for the 2022 models. I was ecstatic at the pricing. I built a 2022 Hyundai Tucson and with everything I wanted the price came to $39,139. A dream hybrid SUV for less than $40,000. That’s impressive. Definitely a keeper to the car list. Side note this and the Acura were the only two on the list that had 2022s for sale.

Ah just saying the word Jeep puts a smile to my face and a twinkle to my eye. I have wanted one since high school. That’s over 15 years people. many a body style has come and come since then, all for the better. Anyways lets get down to it. There are 12 (Yes 12!) body styles to chose from. The first three trim levels (Laredo E, Freedom, Laredo X) are out. They don’t offer what I want. The Limited edition is also out because I am not a chrome fan. Never have been, never will be. I like the sleek design of everything being one color. Also out is the last five trim levels (Overland, High Altitude, Summit, SRT, and Trailhawk) because they are too damn expensive. I’m not paying more than $50,000 sticker for a SUV. That leaves 3 trim levels to pick from, the 80th anniversary, Limited X, and Trailhawk. They range in price from $45,500 to 46,400 so not much of a difference. I don’t really care about 4×2 or 4×4. If a jeep offers one over the other, it doesn’t matter. I ended up pricing the 80th anniversary because the Limited X offers “limited” colors and I wasn’t a fan of the looks of the trailhawk. Pricing with everything I wanted comes to $45,970, keeping it on the list.

I’m going to test drive the remaining three and give you guys an update. Stay tuned.