I am in the market for a new SUV. I am a Army contractor based in Iraq and planned to order a Nitro through AAFES where I could save about $2500 over what I could get through a dealer. Plus I can order exactly what I want through AAFES and not take what they have on the lot. I had never sat in a Nitro and wanted to do so while I am home on an R&R. There are two other vehicles that are in the mix for my money. They are the Saturn Vue and Chevy Equinox. I am really looking to order a 2009 version of whatever vehicle that I decided on. I had a chance to look at each of the vehicles and figured that I would share my research with you all. Let me first say that I am looking for the top of the line of each of my three chioces. That is the Nitro R/T, Vue Redline and Equinox Sport. I am looking for EVERY option minus the DVD entertainment system in the back seat. We have no kids so it would be a waste of money.
Saturn Vue: We stopped at the Saturn dealership first. They did not have any Redline's on the lot. They did have the next version and were offering some great rebates that would total about $3500 right now since we own two GM vehicles. I have rented a new 2008 Vue and liked what I saw except for the engine. This rental came with the 4 cylinder which is junk to me. My wife likes the Vue out of the three choices. The think that I don't like is that the Redline did not come with a sunroof option. I am sure that I could get an aftermarket sunroof but I would rather have a factory option. The Vue had the least mount of cargo room in it. The sales person was not that knowledable of the three choices that I am looking at and did not really know that much about the Redline either.
Dodge Nitro R/T: This was my clear favorite. I like the body style a lot. I like the myGig system and everything else about the Nitro. The Dodge web site was the best web site of the three to do research on. I was able to print off a stat sheet on my three choices and go over the numbers. All three are pretty close to each other. The Nitro had ample room for my golf clubs and hockey equipment. The sales people that I was dealing with were extremely helpful and WANTED my business. I told them of my plans to build EXACTLY the vehicle that I wanted through AAFES to get the exact color and options that I wanted and this guy said that he could do the same thing. I liked that. I have done a TON of research for the Nitro and knew more about some of the options then the dealer did. He liked this. They had a black 07 R/T on the lot that they were trying to sell to me. I am not buying a black vehicle period. They had about $1000 in rebates for 2008's. This guy was not pushy at all and out of the three dealerships, the best guy that we dealt with.
Chevy Equinox Sport: This was the last stop for the evening with the wife. Chevy has about the same as the Saturn for Equinox rebates. Since we have two GM vehicles, we get the loyalty money ($1000). This is a very nice vehicle. I like GM vehicles so the quality was great. The warrantee on the Equinox is a tad bit better then the Nirto. The rear seat was the coolest of all three. You can move the entire bench up or back to give you better leg room and more cargo room. That was a really cool option. I wont be sitting in the back though so this was not a big issue for me. With this sliding seat this gave the Equinox the largest cargo capacity. The sales person was not the greatest. He was not really willing to get me EXACTLY what I wanted. I will say this. If they had a 2008 Sport in silver with every option on it, we would have pulled the trigger on it that night. This guy kept saying that he might not be able to get the right color or right options. Maybe he was the most honest of the three and telling me the truth but I kept telling him that I would not spend $34,000+ on a vehicle and not get exactly what I want. Especially when I can order it exactly the way I want through AAFES.
Based on our trip our to the dealerships, I am going with the Nitro. I am planning to send the Dodge dealership an e-mail with the AAFES 2009 quote when they come out around June. Right now I was quoted just over $30K for a 2008 with every option minus the rear DVD player through AAFES. That is about $2500 cheaper than the web site. If the dealer can match or come close, I will go with them. If not, I will go with AAFES. Either way, I am getting the vehicle from the same dealership here in Fayetteville, NC. When I order the vehicle it will come to the Fayetteville store.
I am not sure why I am telling you all this but maybe I am looking for some feedback to tell me that I am making the right choice here.
Any thoughts?
Saturn Vue: We stopped at the Saturn dealership first. They did not have any Redline's on the lot. They did have the next version and were offering some great rebates that would total about $3500 right now since we own two GM vehicles. I have rented a new 2008 Vue and liked what I saw except for the engine. This rental came with the 4 cylinder which is junk to me. My wife likes the Vue out of the three choices. The think that I don't like is that the Redline did not come with a sunroof option. I am sure that I could get an aftermarket sunroof but I would rather have a factory option. The Vue had the least mount of cargo room in it. The sales person was not that knowledable of the three choices that I am looking at and did not really know that much about the Redline either.
Dodge Nitro R/T: This was my clear favorite. I like the body style a lot. I like the myGig system and everything else about the Nitro. The Dodge web site was the best web site of the three to do research on. I was able to print off a stat sheet on my three choices and go over the numbers. All three are pretty close to each other. The Nitro had ample room for my golf clubs and hockey equipment. The sales people that I was dealing with were extremely helpful and WANTED my business. I told them of my plans to build EXACTLY the vehicle that I wanted through AAFES to get the exact color and options that I wanted and this guy said that he could do the same thing. I liked that. I have done a TON of research for the Nitro and knew more about some of the options then the dealer did. He liked this. They had a black 07 R/T on the lot that they were trying to sell to me. I am not buying a black vehicle period. They had about $1000 in rebates for 2008's. This guy was not pushy at all and out of the three dealerships, the best guy that we dealt with.
Chevy Equinox Sport: This was the last stop for the evening with the wife. Chevy has about the same as the Saturn for Equinox rebates. Since we have two GM vehicles, we get the loyalty money ($1000). This is a very nice vehicle. I like GM vehicles so the quality was great. The warrantee on the Equinox is a tad bit better then the Nirto. The rear seat was the coolest of all three. You can move the entire bench up or back to give you better leg room and more cargo room. That was a really cool option. I wont be sitting in the back though so this was not a big issue for me. With this sliding seat this gave the Equinox the largest cargo capacity. The sales person was not the greatest. He was not really willing to get me EXACTLY what I wanted. I will say this. If they had a 2008 Sport in silver with every option on it, we would have pulled the trigger on it that night. This guy kept saying that he might not be able to get the right color or right options. Maybe he was the most honest of the three and telling me the truth but I kept telling him that I would not spend $34,000+ on a vehicle and not get exactly what I want. Especially when I can order it exactly the way I want through AAFES.
Based on our trip our to the dealerships, I am going with the Nitro. I am planning to send the Dodge dealership an e-mail with the AAFES 2009 quote when they come out around June. Right now I was quoted just over $30K for a 2008 with every option minus the rear DVD player through AAFES. That is about $2500 cheaper than the web site. If the dealer can match or come close, I will go with them. If not, I will go with AAFES. Either way, I am getting the vehicle from the same dealership here in Fayetteville, NC. When I order the vehicle it will come to the Fayetteville store.
I am not sure why I am telling you all this but maybe I am looking for some feedback to tell me that I am making the right choice here.
Any thoughts?
