I know the suspense has been killing you, but we finally purchased a new SUV for the wife. She purchased a 2007 Honda Pilot EX AWD. We have been doing lots of research on reliabilty, resale value, safety, etc etc... and the Pilot came out on top.
Personally, I've always been a believer in buying from one of the big three American automakers, but this was her choice. Her Isuzu Rodeo is 11 years old and still going strong. I will most likely drive it to work to save miles on my Silverado.
I'm also very proud of her on the deal she received. I usually do all the talking to get the best deals in the past. We heard from many people that with Honda/Toyota/etc.., it is very hard to get them to negotiate much off of sticker. I rarely spend much over invoice, or I walk. Many people get screwed as they don't do any research on True Market Values, Invoice, Dealer Hold Back, etc... They just go in and say, "This is the payments I need" and get screwed and sometimes pay MSRP+.
Anyway, my wife did her homework, and when we walked out of the dealership, she was about $200 over Invoice, which was about $3,000 off MSRP for a new 2007.
Looking forward to taking it up to see her folks for the Holidays.
Sounds like a fair deal to me.
