Time for new wheels...

[GrayHare]

To get zoom and get into it easily there are several upscale sedans with 300+ hp for $30-something.

[W2R]

I think a lot of cars these days are really zippy, even ones that don't have that reputation or look zippy, because of technological improvements in the past 50 years.

For example I got the V-6 engine in my 2009 Toyota Venza.... big mistake! Even though it is a big SUV, it is WAY too zippy for me. I have never pushed the accelerator down more than half way even when getting on the interstate (and I like to come up to speed completely before merging).

If I floored it, I swear it would put me into lower earth orbit.

[Texas Proud]

You can get a sport sedan that has plenty of zip...

I had a 2004 Acura TL with 6 speed.... very quick acceleration and has summer sport tires so it handled really well... top speed was 155 mph...

It was quicker and faster than my 87 Firebird Formula with a 5.7 liter engine... I think it topped out at 140 ish.... I think the Acura was also quicker in the 1/4 mile....


And it was a luxury car when I was not thrashing it around, which BTW is close to 99% of the time (that is not thrashing)....

[Closet_Gamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn My college senior daughter's jalopy is old and has 115k miles on it. Oh it is still reliable but I just don't trust it for the 4 hour drive to campus or the upcoming internship in another state. Her brother the high school senior (this fall) could easily use the jalopy to get to work (2 miles) or go to school (2 miles) so I was thinking of giving my shiny red (30k miles) RAV4 to her. I am happy to give her the car She has worked her butt off and it has paid off. Secretly I thought this would be a great opportunity to buy me something cool. You know -zoom zoom but there's a problem I am well past the zoom zoom stage. No Harley, vett, or stang I'd just look like a fool. Then I was thinking truck but, my god trucks are pricey. $45k for an f150? Really? The truth is there isn't car/truck that stirs my blood- hey they don't make those old man land yacht Cadillacs anymore do they? Any thoughts? Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Whatever you buy, I would seriously look into certified preowned. A few years ago I got an 18 months old Acura TL with 7k miles on it for 25% below msrp. About 2 months ago we got DW a 15 month old Lincoln MKT with 9500 miles on it for 30% off MSRP. In both cases I plowed a bit of the savings back into extended bumper-to-bumper warranties. One was for 7 years, the other for 8 years.

Let someone else take that early depreciation in the teeth.

[RobbieB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn The truth is there isn't car/truck that stirs my blood- hey they don't make those old man land yacht Cadillacs anymore do they? Any thoughts?

How about a Chrysler 300?

[zinger1457]

You can get a decent pickup for around $30K, I picked up a 2016 Tacoma for that price. Very happy with it, with the new V6 I average around 23mpg. Also saw some F150's deeply discounted for around the same price.

[eytonxav]

I can't believe the stickers on some of these trucks (eg f150 platinum, high end Silverado), high $50s to mid $60s. It seems these trucks today are gentlemen's trucks, more like luxury car than truck.

[braumeister]

Not to derail the thread, but may I ask a sincere question at this point?

I've owned nothing but small and medium size SUVs for the last 30 years, and only once or twice had a situation where I couldn't stuff whatever into it (or tie it on the roof rack). For those rare occasions, I went to the nearby Home Depot and rented a pickup for very little money.

Modern pickups look great and can be extremely useful to many, but isn't it the case that a large percentage of owners don't really need them, and would be well served by a less expensive SUV?

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister .......... Modern pickups look great and can be extremely useful to many, but isn't it the case that a large percentage of owners don't really need them, and would be well served by a less expensive SUV?

Oh, they "need" them, just not for hauling stuff.

[powerplay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Not to derail the thread, but may I ask a sincere question at this point? I've owned nothing but small and medium size SUVs for the last 30 years, and only once or twice had a situation where I couldn't stuff whatever into it (or tie it on the roof rack). For those rare occasions, I went to the nearby Home Depot and rented a pickup for very little money. Modern pickups look great and can be extremely useful to many, but isn't it the case that a large percentage of owners don't really need them, and would be well served by a less expensive SUV?

Right now I have soil in the bed of my PU. It would be very difficult to have a yard of soil dropped into (on top of?) a SUV. I also carry around a lot of garden equipment, supplies, and plants for a number of months of the year. My PU is aging (21 years old this year) and I plan to replace it soon. Will be looking at the new Honda Ridgeline due to come out in the next few months.

[zinger1457]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister I've owned nothing but small and medium size SUVs for the last 30 years, and only once or twice had a situation where I couldn't stuff whatever into it (or tie it on the roof rack). For those rare occasions, I went to the nearby Home Depot and rented a pickup for very little money.

It's not only what you can put in it but where you can go with it. Most of the smaller SUV's aren't suitable for off-roading.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Modern pickups look great and can be extremely useful to many, but isn't it the case that a large percentage of owners don't really need them, and would be well served by a less expensive SUV?

Perhaps. I managed to scrape by without a pickup until I was 35. What changed my mind was a former neighbor who was generous about loaning out his beater Toyota ("Just bring it back with a full tank") for various and sundry homeowner projects. After that I decided I'd never be without a pickup again, the thing is just so dang useful and convenient to have.

With a fiberglass cap over the bed my first one served well hauling R/C model airplanes. If you've seen those, fitting one into a passenger vehicle can be a trial if it is possible at all. For the larger ones you need a truck. But a 1/2 ton will serve the purpose fine since the models rarely exceed 50 pounds, most are in the 4 to 10 pound range. But they're really bulky to deal with. I bought the 4WD option because it is fun to play in the snow with (I never went bouncing through the woods with it) and 4WD is one of the few options you can buy that you get most of the money back when you sell the truck. Or at least that was the case at the time, I haven't checked recently.

We still keep one, in part because DW wants the 4WD availability and while admittedly we don't really need a truck that often, when we do it is very nice to have it readily available. And since it's long since paid for, runs fine, everything works, etc. I just don't see any reason to sell it until something expensive breaks.

[Hermit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski You are right... trucks are outrageously priced.... but you can get a new truck for much less than $45k depending on what you want and need. What I have found is that the trucks (and cars) that are on the lot generally have trim levels that are more expensive than I want/need and options and accessories that I don't necessarily want to pay their exorbitant prices for so I prefer to order a vehicle equipped the way I want it. I just bought a 2016 GMC Canyon SLE crew cab with 4WD, tow package and spray in bedliner for about $34k before trade, taxes, title and registration. I traded in my 2005 Colorado with 122k miles that has been a great vehicle for us. I like the versatility of a truck. It's about as cool as it gets for us old guys. I prefer the midsize trucks because they get better mileage, are easier to handle in close quarters and a full-size truck would probably barely fit in my garage. A RWD extended cab would be about $29k according to TrueCar but for an extra $5k the added versatility of a crew cab and 4WD is worth it to us and I'll get some of that back when I trade or sell. If I didn't need a truck and wanted a cool but practical car, I've always liked the styling of the Audi A4.... or if you can go less practical the new Audi TT is attractive as well.

I have a 2004 Audi TT and just love it. Before I got it, I said the same thing about getting in and out of a sports car. Not only do I not have a problem getting in and out, but it is super comfortable to drive for an extended trip. The nice thing is they are not very expensive if you buy one used. Watch for one with low mileage, etc. Mine was literally owned by a doctor's wife. Its mileage averaged 6,000 miles per year when I bought it and still does. BTW, its not my daily driver. I have a Jeep for that. It was my daily driver for about two years before I got the Jeep.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Not to derail the thread, but may I ask a sincere question at this point? I've owned nothing but small and medium size SUVs for the last 30 years, and only once or twice had a situation where I couldn't stuff whatever into it (or tie it on the roof rack). For those rare occasions, I went to the nearby Home Depot and rented a pickup for very little money. Modern pickups look great and can be extremely useful to many, but isn't it the case that a large percentage of owners don't really need them, and would be well served by a less expensive SUV?

I got a larger SUV because I wanted a lot of cargo space for hurricane evacuations. You're right, I probably don't really need it but when tropical weather kicks up it is comforting to just throw everything but the kitchen sink inside and take off.

Of course, since 2009 when I bought my Venza, there haven't been that many hurricanes here to evacuate for. Maybe buying the Venza worked on hurricanes as a sort of reverse Wheee!!!

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Not to derail the thread, but may I ask a sincere question at this point? I've owned nothing but small and medium size SUVs for the last 30 years, and only once or twice had a situation where I couldn't stuff whatever into it (or tie it on the roof rack). For those rare occasions, I went to the nearby Home Depot and rented a pickup for very little money. Modern pickups look great and can be extremely useful to many, but isn't it the case that a large percentage of owners don't really need them, and would be well served by a less expensive SUV?

I had 3 Jeep Grand Cherokees (and one Wrangler) from 1995 through 2009. Like you, I had very few times that I couldn't use the Grand Cherokee to carry whatever I needed to haul. Sheets of plywood, loads of lumber, etc. But it seemed like I could have always used something bigger.

I bought my F-150 in 2009 and ended my streak of Jeeps. My truck holds more cargo, the same number of people, and gets better gas mileage than my Grand Cherokees. And I bought the truck for less $ than a comparable Grand Cherokee. I don't foresee any situation where I would get rid of my truck and go back to an SUV. It seems like i'm frequently hauling things now that wouldn't fit in an SUV. (partially because my friends and relatives know I have a truck).

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Of course, since 2009 when I bought my Venza, there haven't been that many hurricanes here to evacuate for. Maybe buying the Venza worked on hurricanes as a sort of reverse Wheee!!!

It can work that way. When I broke down and bought a snow thrower we didn't see a single snowflake for four years. But the law of averages (reversion to mean?) finally caught up.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 It can work that way. When I broke down and bought a snow thrower we didn't see a single snowflake for four years.

See? I *knew* it! Just that one act of buying a snow thrower made all the difference. Your neighbors should thank you enthusiastically.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 But the law of averages (reversion to mean?) finally caught up.

I was mentioning that to F this morning. We haven't even evacuated since Hurricane Isaac, in 2012. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we had another bad hurricane season here in New Orleans sometime soon.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by powerplay Right now I have soil in the bed of my PU. It would be very difficult to have a yard of soil dropped into (on top of?) a SUV. I also carry around a lot of garden equipment, supplies, and plants for a number of months of the year. My PU is aging (21 years old this year) and I plan to replace it soon. Will be looking at the new Honda Ridgeline due to come out in the next few months.

That is the principal reason why we bought the truck. We had an SUV but DW was using it like a truck for her gardening projects and even though she was allegedly trying to be careful the back of the SUV was always a mess. With the truck if it is a mess I just park on an incline and sweep out or hose out the bed.

I have found the truck much more useful than a SUV for moving furniture, appliances, you name it. Much easier to put big things in and out of but you need to either key a keen eye out for the weather or use tarps and bungees. When I trim the trees around the yard I can throw all the trimmings in the bed of the truck, drop it off at the stump dump and then sweep or hose it out. Try that with an SUV.

We considered a utility trailer on our SUV instead of a truck but DW is not so great at backing up trailers.

I was holding out for the new Ridgeline but my current truck has some issues that will likely not pass inspection so I decided to give it a dose of the swaps. Also, I called one of our local Honda dealers and they indicated that production will be limited initially (they expect to get only 5 for 2016) and I suspect between high demand and limited supply that the prices will be high for a while.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski That is the principal reason why we bought the truck. We had an SUV but DW was using it like a truck for her gardening projects and even though she was allegedly trying to be careful the back of the SUV was always a mess. With the truck if it is a mess I just park on an incline and sweep out or hose out the bed. I have found the truck much more useful than a SUV for moving furniture, appliances, you name it. Much easier to put big things in and out of but you need to either key a keen eye out for the weather or use tarps and bungees. When I trim the trees around the yard I can throw all the trimmings in the bed of the truck, drop it off at the stump dump and then sweep or hose it out. Try that with an SUV. We considered a utility trailer on our SUV instead of a truck but DW is not so great at backing up trailers. I was holding out for the new Ridgeline but my current truck has some issues that will likely not pass inspection so I decided to give it a dose of the swaps. Also, I called one of our local Honda dealers and they indicated that production will be limited initially (they expect to get only 5 for 2016) and I suspect between high demand and limited supply that the prices will be high for a while.

The problem with a truck is that you cannot carry 8 people at the same time (well, legally).....

We have a plastic cover in the back of our SUV that can be taken out and hosed down... but we have not really needed a pickup for... oh, 25 years....

If I needed something I would rent a truck or a trailer.

[Senator]

I am going to buy a 2017 F350, diesel, lariat. Aluminum body. An F350 is not a lot more money than a F150, and is MUCH more truck.

And I can write it off, so it's even better.

The Toyota's are OK, if you just need a going to the grocery store truck.