new car for the wife

Nissan Murano is a good choice, I sell those all the time too, and they are a pleasure to drive!

 

that would be easy then - the pilot. honda's are solid. honda and toyota are pretty much the only two current brands i'll buy.

 

x2 on the RX brand. My Mom had her 2001 Lexus RX300 till about 2006 when she wanted another car. Quite frankly, the Merc within about the first year or so of owning it started having problems. hah oh well, gotta keep the mother happy

There was nothing wrong with the Lexus, quite a reliable little thing, just like you'd expect from toyota and lexus. A family friend also has a 2000 RX300 and it's still kicking today.

But for the price of an RX350/450h, you could get a 4x4 SR5 Sequoia with the 4.6L V8. Only downside is it gets 18MPG on the Highway and 13MPG in the city, it's like getting another truck.

OR, How about the Sienna? I love how they look now on the inside and on the outside. You can get a fully loaded Sienna AWD Limited for a little less than the Lexus 450h. The MPGs are decent too. 23MPG on the highway and 17 in the city. Our 04 Sienna never has had any problems and we've driven it from Houston to California, and Houston to Canada.

 

I personally, I love 4runners. Not a big Lexus fan.

We currently own 3 Toyotas (2 Tacos and a Camry) but I will say that my wife's new 2011 Kia Sorento SX is incredible. Every feature you could possibly want, comfortable and fast--damn fast.