The quandary - a new car

I spent a good deal of time on Saturday visiting car dealers seeking out my next vehicle. I am in quite the quandary now. I currently drive an '07 Chrysler Aspen - I've enjoyed it, but it is time to turn it in. The interior leaves a bit to be desired. Not a lot of room for such a large SUV. Plus, it has no AUX input - so - no way to hook up my iPod. I've spent two years without being able to listen to my iPod in the car and it has been less than perfect. It does have a great stereo and I burn MP3 discs so I'm fortunate (can't really complain).

I need a vehicle that has three rows as I take large groups of folks out and need the seating for 7 - 8 people. So, I visited a number of dealerships and now I am stuck. The first stop was to the Chrysler dealer. I asked some questions and found the new Aspen is identical in terms of the inside space. The Dodge Durango is similar enough to not consider. I visited a Toyota dealer - checked out the Sequoia. A very nice SUV, but HUGE - I think it is bigger than my Aspen - also very expensive. Next up was Volvo - just to torture myself - and the XC90. Very nicely appointed, but the third row is WAY too small for an adult. Price tag is also an issue. From there I visited Nissan to check out the Armada. They didn't have any on the lot, but from what I had heard (from some friends) it is as large as a Sequoia so it was pretty much counted out. Next door was Honda and the Pilot. I liked what I saw, but in retrospect I felt that the car was a little plastic laden on the inside and seemed a little cheap. It is nice - right price - plenty of room inside as well. It probably has the best resale value as well. My final stop was to check out the GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. Both are affordable. I think everyone in my family preferred the Buick (except my wife who liked the Volvo). A very comfortable vehicle. I've read reviews on all of the cars. My boss and bosses boss both have Acadias and they love 'em. I've heard that Buicks are old man cars (but I like the way it looks) and I don't really care what other people think. I've also heard a lot of comments (from a number of folks) about buying American (so that would rule out Honda). My wife drives a Honda (said she likes that one second best) and they really keep their value. So, like I said...quandary.

I'm going to go check out the three cars again with a buddy on mine who is a real car aficionado. Maybe he'll help convince me...who knows?

Any thoughts? Comments are appreciated.

Buick (here)

GMC (here)

Honda (here)

Thank you,

Mark Harvey