New or Used: The Mobile Living Room Edition

My wife and I are expecting our 4th child soon. We currently own (outright) a 2012 Odyssey in Touring Limited trim and we lease a 2010 Ford Flex Limited. Both cars are pretty great for carrying around our growing family. But the Flex is coming off lease in March next year and I'm wondering if I should keep it. The Flex has been a good car; aside from a squeak in the dash that was fixed by the dealership, and a weird throttle control sensor problem that caused surging and power loss (again fixed by the dealership), it's been fine. The Ecoboost V6 has tons of giddy up and its driving manners are excellent. Since my wife and I can afford another lease in the premium/luxury segment, I've been trying to see what other 7 passenger cars we should consider. There are lots of SUVs with 5 seats in this space, but only a few 7 passenger models. Let's assume that we don't want another minivan in addition to our Odyssey. Our biggest requirements are A) Good for getting kids into the third row B) Quiet and composed on the highway C) Reliable enough for a 3 year lease period D) Interior and power appointments that are worth the price over the Flex. In that order, I guess. Ideas? Thanks! Steve Says: You have already solved your problems. At least as it applies to cars. The Flex is a great vehicle. Does the market offer a better one? Yes. But given your needs and the stiff five figure premium  you will likely pay by leasing (again)  over the long run, I would encourage you to make this car your keeper. Then again, you can always ignore my advice and go for the gusto of another leased super-sized SUV that will swallow up your money like a drunken politician in a sea of blank checks. If that's the case, my sister-in-law drives a GMC Yukon. Either that or a Tahoe should hold six and a disgruntled relative perfectly well. I would keep the Flex but if shopping around for mobile living room sets is your thing, look at a Yukon. Sajeev Says: I doubt there's a vehicle in this class that can't handle points A, B and C. They are all good enough while leasing. But point D?  Oh boy. Get another Flex, because you already like it.  How many premium branded CUVs have that much stuff?  Perhaps the cousin Lincoln MKT, but it's rather hideous and has a dumb name.  The Flex is funky and cool, especially now with that "circuit board" looking fascia. Now it finally looks a bit more expensive…and worthy of abandoning that "Fairlane" name originally associated with this design. You can "upsell" the new Flex to anyone.  So consider it done. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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