New Car Jones

[Sheryl]

I am really itching to buy a new car....* I know it makes little practical sense, and it will loose thousands in value the minute I drive it off the lot, etc. etc.* *But I still don't know if I can restrain myself.* My parents have always been convinced that its better to buy new, since you don't inherit someone else's problems... I don't think that's my concern so much as just wanting to start fresh every decade or so.

My first car was a new 1976 Vega which my parents bought me when I turned 16.* I drove it until 1987 when I moved to Washington and my dad refused to let me attempt to cross the continent with it (he was probably right) so I had a loaner from him for a couple years.

In 1988 I bought a new Toyota Tercel station wagon which I drove for 9 years - sold it to a friend who is still driving it now...

In 1997 I replaced it with a new RAV4 which I have been driving ever since.*

The point of my chronology is that I don't by fancy cars and I don't buy them often.* Yesterday I looked at the new "40% larger" RAV and it seems to be exactly what I want.* I will at least wait until they are done trying to create a feeding frenzy over the new model...but I feel my resolve weakening.* There is nothing mechanically wrong with my old RAV - it has 110,000 mi, and a few dings but it's probably good for another 100,000.* It is purple, however!* I am a big fan of purple, but even I am sick of driving a purple car!

Compared to the Tribeca or the Tourreg which I was lusting after, it's a bargain....*

So will anyone talk me out of this?

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheryl So will anyone talk me out of this?

Unfortunately the only known cure to "new car fever" is still under patent by the auto industry. Good luck on finding any home remedy to help treat the symptoms and thus delay the progress of the disease to it's inevitable conclusion.

[grumpy]

Sheryl,

Nobody should try to talk you out or it. Life is about choices (what a cliche!). If you really want to ER, then self discipline is part of the package. If you have a plan to get to ER which includes purchase of a new car every x years then go ahead. If your plan to get to ER is based on driving used cars for minimum cost then you have that choice to make. If you don't have a plan to get to ER then maybe you should be asking your question on another board.

Grumpy

[SteveR]

Wait until the new models come out to get a better deal. *
Buy the middle equiped model; not too fancy not too striped down.

Pay cash and keep the car for 8-10 years. *

Buy the Toyota since their frequency of repairs is very low and resales tend to be better than the other cars you could get in the same class.

Enjoy your new car. *

Some things in life just need to be done to enjoy the hardships endured through day to day living. *

[Outtahere]

As long as you're keeping the car for 8 to 10 years or more then there's nothing wrong with buying a new car. Get the best deal you can and then pay cash.

[Lusitan]

I think it's all about just valuing where you are going to spend your money.

If you're going to buy a new car because you would truly get enjoyment out of driving the newest model, or if you would truly experience great peace of mind in thinking that you'll have less hassle to deal with - go for it, as long as you have the money for it.

But if your instinct to buy a new car is based on true expectations of having a lot less hassle/cost, I'd say that's just not true and now might be a great opportunity to "give used a chance" and see how it works out for you.

Maybe you can pick up a RAV4 model that's a year or two old (and stick shift, since they tend to be cheaper on resale) ... maybe a 2006 model in a year or two? If it works out, you'll have opened your eyes to the fact that, on average, a wise used car purchase often makes more financial sense.

And if it doesn't work out, you'll never doubt your instinct about buying new again!

(I drive a 1996 Toyota Corolla, bought used 3 years ago for $3,500 with 110K miles on it and the only thing I've replaced has been the battery and the starter - total costs were probably around $300. It was the first car I bought since my 1968 Mustang in high school, and so far so good with the used car purchases ... )

[Jay_Gatsby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outtahere As long as you're keeping the car for 8 to 10 years or more then there's nothing wrong with buying a new car.* Get the best deal you can and then pay cash.

This may be true, but it might be an even better idea to buy a 1-2 year old model and an extended warranty. You avoid the 20% depreciation just from driving off the lot, get more car for your money, etc... The only difficulty may be in finding a 1-2 year old model of a car that's known for high quality and reliability. For example, a 1-2 year old Honda Accord or Toyota Camry is often priced at $2k less than a brand new one, making the idea of buying used less appealing from an economic standpoint.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Sit down and write the checks for the sales tax, the licensing fees, all the monthly payments, and all the annual registration/insurance bills. Then sit and imagine your new baby just got whacked by a shopping cart while you were in the store. Then imagine your shopping cart whacked car being backed into by some guy driving while eating a burger, drinking a cup of coffee and talking on the phone.

After that, you can burn all those checks and get behind the wheel of your old car with a sigh of relief.

We've got 2 ravs in the family. They're good for 200k miles, maybe a little more. Certainly a pretty good buy for what you get if you cant stand the Unseen Mystical Force driving you to buy a new something...

[Andre1969]

One thing I've found that helps kill the new car urge is to just go out and clean the hell out of my current ride. Give it a good wash and wax, shine the tires, vacuum out the interior real good and wipe down the dash and other areas that get dusty and dirty.

I've found that doing this helps me "bond" with the car again, for lack of a better word. And after it's all nice and cleaned up, i feel a lot better about keeping it than I did before.

Also, depending on how old your current ones are, a new set of tires will often improve the ride/handling.

[ladelfina]

You could get it detailed, get a can of "new car smell" spray, and give it a new paint job so it's not purple anymore.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheryl So will anyone talk me out of this?

Geez, Sheryl, I like semi-sweet chocolate & beer, too, but I can't live with the resulting havoc on my digestive system or the bathroom scale!

Is a new car worth the delay to your achieving FI? If so, kindly turn in your ER membership card & decoder ring at the first cubicle by the office door. And avert your eyes because we're gonna have to change the #$%^ secret handshake again...

Quote:

Originally Posted by () Sit down and write the checks for the sales tax, the licensing fees, all the monthly payments, and all the annual registration/insurance bills. Then sit and imagine your new baby just got whacked by a shopping cart while you were in the store. Then imagine your shopping cart whacked car being backed into by some guy driving while eating a burger, drinking a cup of coffee and talking on the phone.

Yeah, what he said. A good cleaning or even repainting may satisfy the urge to splurge.

As you've hinted, I guess it comes down to rational vs emotional. If you're willing to take the hit to your portfolio and your ER date then go forth and spend. Your donation is gratefully acknowledged for its economic boost, and it will enable many auto-industry employees to contribute more toward my SS benefits.

And if it'll help you sleep better at night, then you should buy the new car. Perhaps you may even end up sleeping in it!

But you're talking to a car owner who, when he last asked a detailer for a quote, had to leave the tent before they died of laughter.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I like semi-sweet chocolate & beer

[homer]Mmmm...chocolate beer... [/homer]

[Andre1969]

Unless the paint really looks horrible, I would advise against having the RAV-4 repainted, especially another color. To switch to another color and do a really good job, you'd probably be looking at several thousand bucks. I've repainted two cars in my time, and both came out pretty well, but that's because my neighbor restored old cars and helped me out. Both of them were Dodge Darts...a light beige colored 1969 GT and a white 1968 270 hardtop. I'd say total cost for paints, primers, and various junk that went along with them probably came to around $150 per car (this was awhile ago though, the '69 was repainted in 1990 and the '68 in 1993), but I spent countless hours on those cars removing chrome and trim and other parts, and taping windows and such up.

Plus, those were non-metallic paints, and this was before clearcoats and all that sophisticated stuff, so it really wasn't THAT hard to paint them and make them look good. But metallic paints can really be a bear, and a metallic repaint will rarely hold up as well as the original paint, unless you spend A LOT of money on it.

I don't know how much value that RAV-4 would have at this point, but a repaint will usually kill its value, because people will assume it's been wrecked.

[F M All]

Quote:

Originally Posted by () [homer]Mmmm...chocolate beer... [/homer]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1834232.stm

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andre1969 To switch to another color and do a really good job, you'd probably be looking at several thousand bucks.

I had no idea that automotive paintbrushes were so expensive!

[HFWR]

Get a Wagner...

They work great, as long as you're spraying water... :P

[Jay_Gatsby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I had no idea that automotive paintbrushes were so expensive!

Personally, I prefer the Bondo, primer and spray paint look. That way, people don't think you have car insurance and stay far away from you on the roads...

[laurence]

I don't know if you saw my thread on car purchase, but I'm very pleased at my conclusion: I bought the curtesy car from the dealer with 7k miles on it and ~10 grand off the price. It was missing some popular options for that vehicle so it wasn't generating a lot of interest. Still smells like a new car, has 80% of it's new warranty left. If you can wait until November/December of this year, I bet you could find you 40% more RAV 4 for a similar deal...

....obviously the practical thing to do is keep driving the "beater" until the engine block cracks, but we can't always be practical.

[uncledrz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy Sheryl, Nobody should try to talk you out or it.* Life is about choices (what a cliche!).* If you really want to ER, then self discipline is part of the package.* If you have a plan to get to ER which includes purchase of a new car every x years then go ahead.* If your plan to get to ER is based on driving used cars for minimum cost then you have that choice to make.* If you don't have a plan to get to ER then maybe you should be asking your question on another board.* * *Grumpy

Grumpy is, well, Grumpy! But he is right about the new car/used car decision. As long as you have a plan and include the purchase of the vehicle in the plan, no reason not to buy new if that's what you want.

[SteveR]

OTOH,
You could die tomorrow and never have lived long enough to enjoy the feeling of driving this new car. *

Some times you have to just "Do It". *