Practical / dependable transportation $25k or a car you’d love to drive for $45K ?

[CardsFan]

96 Cadillac SLS, and a 98 Lincoln Signature. A few problems, and jeanie said she thought we could afford a new car... Her choice a BMW... Yeah... well I guess given our semi-safe financial condition @ age 83, we could afford a used 2017 @ $35K.

So then, I figured the cost... (We now total a little less than 1,000 miles a year.) Over the next three years, exclusive taxes, insurance, gas and maintenance, that comes to about $117.00 per mile.

to be continued....

I vote to get Jeanie the car she wants!!

Of, course, DW has decided she wants a new car, and this time will spurge (Lexus SUV?) so I am biased.

Seriously, I am not a CAR person (witnessed by my 2012 Altima with 55,000 miles on it).

But, at some point, if it is not a financial issue, get what you want!!!

PS... About 23 years ago I was looking at a "mid life crisis" car. DW talked me into buying (well, really encouraged me to buy) a 1985 MB 350SL (for $15k). We enjoyed the heck out of that car, so now is her turn. (Though she REALLY would like a 1955 T-Bird).

 

[freedomatlast]

...... So in the end, get what you want, as the price is soon forgotten.

This is a great point. Get exactly what you want since you'll be driving it every day for the next 5 or 10 years. But soon you won't remember if you saved a few thousand dollars, and in the grand scheme of things, a few thousand dollars is nothing more than a daily swing in the markets.

 

[Car-Guy]

Just for the fun of it, I'll debate that. I have owned a number of street cars with too much power. First was a Shelby 289 Cobra roadster. Another was a Shelby Mustang GT500KR convert that I bought and flipped to make a few $K. Really, my old Porsche 911 also had more power than necessary. A Jensen Interceptor, also flipped, was ridiculous on many levels including for its Chrysler 440 engine.

The problem is you can't use the power on the street except for silly stoplight drag races and a few illicit bursts of speed on an open highway. Boring.

My power criterion for a street car is this: I want to see acceleration from 55 to 85mph in about 3 seconds. This amount of power gives me 2-3 seconds of passing exposure on two-lane roads, which we routinely drive on the way to our lake home.

My Soob WRX actually has more power than necessary. Kind of fun once in a while I guess, but I would be happier with fewer ponies and a more predictable and linear throttle response. Six is too many gears, too, but that meets a marketing department requirement and is not anything that the engine needs.

Love to debate this. You are probably one of those guys that "thinks" a 9mm is better than a 45 acp too. I figured you could appreciate that with a forum name like "OldShooter"!

I will agree that without the proper configuration, technology and/or skills, more HP is usually wasted. And I'd also agree that more HP isn't good for much, if you can't or aren't going to use it.

On the road (or track I should say), if you can't put it down/use it, it's wasted. However, with the right techniques and technology you can take advantage of more (and a lot more) HP. The car examples/comparisons are endless (like the 9mm VS 45 gun debates) but I'll use this personal real world case. I switched from Corvettes to Jeeps ~5 years ago because, I wanted more from a daily driver which I won't go into here since we are talking about horsepower/performance. And I needed a lot more HP to get what I wanted out of a much bigger vehicle and easily beat my Vette's performance numbers.

I will say my Vettes had a theoretical higher top speed by 10 to 15 mph than the Jeep, but it's exceeding rare to drive anywhere near speeds of 180+, in the US. In my experaince, almost all performance driving is done well below top speeds in factory production vehicles.

The Jeep weighs about a ton more (literally) than the Vette and it is about two feet taller so it's isn't what you'd call aerodynamic. But it's phenomenal performance comes from it's 707 HP engine and the technology to use it. (More HP) With AWD, launch control and an electronic 8 speed automatic transmission it can effectively use that power.

As you might expect, the after market folks have developed some performance packages for this thing that take it up to 1000 hp. (In other words "more HP" for even more performance)

And if you like passing power, as in your example above, while I've never timed my 55 to 85 passing numbers, my best 1/4 times are 11.2 @ 122 so it should have highway passing numbers that would make you smile.

 

[freedomatlast]

I vote to get Jeanie the car she wants!!

I agree. When you look at cost per mile, and you only drive 1000 miles/yr, anything is going to look expensive. Think of the safety and how much you will enjoy driving the new-to-you BMW. These cars have a feel of precision that the other manufacturers try to emulate, but rarely succeed in achieving.

 

[freedomatlast]

Love to debate this. You are probably one of those guys that "thinks" a 9mm is better than a 45 acp too. I figured you could appreciate that with a forum name like "OldShooter"!

I will agree that without the proper configuration, technology and/or skills, more HP is usually wasted. And I'd also agree that more HP isn't good for much, if you can't or aren't going to use it.

On the road (or track I should say), if you can't put it down/use it, it's wasted. However, with the right techniques and technology you can take advantage of more (and a lot more) HP. The car examples/comparisons are endless (like the 9mm VS 45 gun debates) but I'll use this personal real world case. I switched from Corvettes to Jeeps ~5 years ago because, I wanted more from a daily driver which I won't go into here since we are talking about horsepower/performance. And I needed a lot more HP to get want I wanted out of a much bigger vehicle and easily beat my Vette's performance numbers.

I will say my Vettes had a theoretical higher top speed by 10 to 15 mph than the Jeep, but it's exceeding rare to drive anywhere near speeds of 180+, in the US. In my experaince, almost all street performance driving is done well below top speeds.

The Jeep weighs about a ton more (literally) than the Vette and it is about two feet taller so it's isn't what you'd call aerodynamic. But it's phenomenal performance comes from it's 707 HP engine and the technology to use it. (More HP) With AWD, launch control and an electronic 8 speed automatic transmission it can effectively use that power.

As you might expect, the after market folks have developed some performance packages for this thing that take it up to 1000 hp. (In other words "more HP" for even more performance)

And if you like passing power, as in your example above, while I've never timed my 55 to 85 passing numbers, my best 1/4 times are 11.2 @ 122 so it should have highway passing numbers that would make you smile.

Car-Guy....How's the reliability been in that Trackhawk? Any warranty work needed? I ask becasue I considered getting a Hellcat last year but couldn't pull the trigger due to so many reports of Chrysler's (FCA's) seemingly lack of consistent quality.

 

[38Chevy454]

I spend much more on vehicles than most people, mainly my older vehicles. But recently last 6 months ago I blew some dough on a newer daily driver. Few years old Jeep Wrangler Rubicon unlimited, with all the offroad aftermarket parts. Do I need all of that? No, but it makes me smile every time I drive it.

So buy the more expensive vehicle that makes you happy. Life's short and you can afford it. Don't have regrets.

 

[Car-Guy]

Car-Guy....How's the reliability been in that Trackhawk? Any warranty work needed? I ask becasue I considered getting a Hellcat last year but couldn't pull the trigger due to so many reports of Chrysler's (FCA's) seemingly lack of consistent quality.

"So far" zero issues at 37,000 miles. I had two Grand Cherokee SRT's (a 2016 and a 2107) before the 2018 Trackhawk (Hellcat engine) and I never had any of them in the shop for anything. Of course I can say the same for my all my Corvettes before I switched to Jeep.

Only two real complaints with the Jeeps. They all generate a lot of brake dust and the tires are only good for about 15k miles per set.

 

[freedomatlast]

"So far" zero issues at 37,000 miles. I had two Grand Cherokee SRT's (a 2016 and a 2107) before the 2018 Trackhawk (Hellcat engine) and I never had any of them in the shop for anything. Of course I can say the same for my all my Corvettes before I switched to Jeep.

Only two real complaints with the Jeeps. They all generate a lot of brake dust and the tires are only good for about 15k miles per set.

Glad to hear that. Enjoy it!

 

[Bestwifeever]

“If you don’t [-]fly first class[/-] buy that more expensive car, your heirs will.” Buy the one you really want.

 

[pb4uski]

.... How did you handle this? I’d love to order exactly what I want but I’m not sure how to handle incentives / make a deal a couple of months before delivery.

I had a pretty good idea what I wanted. I built what I wanted on the manufacturer's website and then also on Trucar. I emailed to dealers what I wanted and asked for out-the-door prices... since the cars/specs were identical, I didn't have to consider making any apples to oranges adjustments. I actually had a dealer a few hours away that was $200 lower than what I was able to squeeze my local dealer down to but it was worth $200 for me and DW to avoid 6 hours of driving each.

I don't recall the lead time but it wasn't two months. They ordered my truck on Apr 28 and I picked it up on Jun 14.... so about 6 weeks. IIRC it was only about a month on the car. Also, depending on what your specs are, sometimes they can find a car in transit to another dealer and arrange a trade with that dealer.

There were not any incentives on the car, though we did chose to take the manufacturer's 1.9% financing after negotiating a cash deal. On the truck, we had a deal based on the incentives when we ordered and that it would not be any worse but we would get the benefit of any better incentives and as it turned out we got an additional benefit of $500.

 

[canuck5]

I am a car guy and always have been, but never really splurged. My wife and I are both 62 and do keep our vehicles well maintained and for a "while".

We are ready to buy my wife her next vehicle and she is hemming and hawing about the price and the only question I ask her, is ..... "How many more vehicles do you plan to buy in your life?"

Enjoy life ...... if you can afford it ..... you only get one practice lap, around the track.

 

[DrRoy]

I was quite happy with my last Chevy Malibu. We currently have a Honda CRV and like it too.

 

[LRDave]

I don't want to hijack the OP's thread, but my current thinking is "neither". Another thread here got me thinking about leasing the next vehicle - which will be our "nice, touring" car.

I want to emphasize the extra safety features available and I think that technology is changing rapidly. We will be able to precisely control our mileage, so we are thinking save the upfront capital and update to later technology without buying & selling every 3 years.

Of course the devil will be in the details (of the deal).

 

[karen1972]

For me value comes from convenience and comfort in the things I use most often. So when I had a horrible commute every day I could justify spending more money on comforts for my vehicle. Now I barely use it so bare bones is just fine and money is better spent elsewhere.

I had my mother spend more on her last vehicle to include the safety features as the alerts will make her feel safer driving longer distances and hopefully give her a few more years of driving.

I did however spend a good amount of money on 1 vehicle in my life just because I wanted it... It was a lot of fun, got my only speeding ticket, and when the fun wore off, I sold it and bought something practical. It was the only vehicle I didn't run into the ground before I sold.

 

[mrfeh]

This has always been a simple equation for me. I can spend $X, or I can spend $X + $20K.

I choose $X.

 

[Cut-Throat]

This has always been a simple equation for me. I can spend $X, or I can spend $X + $20K.

I choose $X.

And if you've got plenty of $X .........your heirs will get to spend $X + $20K.

 

[Music Lover]

For my last car purchase I wanted something a little nicer but wasn't willing to pay the premium. So I bought a gently used 3 year old car with low mileage at a 40% discount.

 

[mrfeh]

And if you've got plenty of $X .........your heirs will get to spend $X + $20K.

I'd rather have my heirs spend it. Or have a charity I choose do some good work with it.

 

[enjoyinglife102]

Lots of good input here reflecting different values about cars. As a car guy who has always enjoyed driving, I consider cars more of an experience than a material thing. Can't imagine not driving a well handling, manual transmission sporty car - puts a smile on my face every time. So buy the car you'll enjoy driving or if that doesn't matter much, simply buy the cost efficient transportation you need.

 

[johnhkc]

Hard to beat a new Camry or Accord for around $23K in their lowest trim levels. I jumped for the 2018 Hybrid Camry, and am now getting 49.5 mpg after I put new tires on it.

For a truck, the new Ranger is hard to beat--especially since they all have a turbocharged 270 hp stock and a 10 speed automatic as an option.

SUVs are another favorite of mine. There's not really a dog in the whole retail market. And it's a very competitive field.

What kind of tires did you put on? My Goodyear Integrity tires added 3 mpg.

 

[Montecfo]

96 Cadillac SLS, and a 98 Lincoln Signature. A few problems, and jeanie said she thought we could afford a new car... Her choice a BMW... Yeah... well I guess given our semi-safe financial condition @ age 83, we could afford a used 2017 @ $35K.

So then, I figured the cost... (We now total a little less than 1,000 miles a year.) Over the next three years, exclusive taxes, insurance, gas and maintenance, that comes to about $117.00 per mile.

to be continued....

This is an interesting part if being retired, at least for me. Driving mileage is down so cost per mile elevated.

I love my 2003 BMW 530i which I have owned for 4 years. Previously I owned a 97 528 for about 18 yrs.

I look for used vehicles that I see as good values, but also like a fun ride. As another poster said, I also enjoy the hunt.

Can't really do the high prices for new for me personally but DW loves her 2018 Sonata, an upgrade from her 2007 Camry, at less than $20k OTD new.

 

[GravitySucks]

96 Cadillac SLS, and a 98 Lincoln Signature. A few problems, and jeanie said she thought we could afford a new car... Her choice a BMW... Yeah... well I guess given our semi-safe financial condition @ age 83, we could afford a used 2017 @ $35K.

So then, I figured the cost... (We now total a little less than 1,000 miles a year.) Over the next three years, exclusive taxes, insurance, gas and maintenance, that comes to about $117.00 per mile.

to be continued....

You won't be using up all $35k worth of the car. It will have some residual value at the time you are done with it.

 

[scottmn4]

I have never owned a new car and probably won't. I always buy 2-3 year old cars that have low mileage and are in great shape. At 2-3 years most cars can be bought for 50-60% of what they originally sold for and I have never had an issue with this type of used car which I typically keep for 3-4 years. You should be able to get a high-option 2-3 year old vehicle for less than what a base model new one would cost. I for one get more enjoyment from the extra options than the fact that it is new.

 

[OldShooter]

Love to debate this. You are probably one of those guys that "thinks" a 9mm is better than a 45 acp too. I figured you could appreciate that with a forum name like "OldShooter"!

Actually, I hand load .45ACP in 1,000 round batches. I do have a mouse gun, Kahr PM9, but don't shoot it enough to justify loading for it.

I will agree that without the proper configuration, technology and/or skills, more HP is usually wasted. And I'd also agree that more HP isn't good for much, if you can't or aren't going to use it.

On the road (or track I should say), if you can't put it down/use it, it's wasted. However, with the right techniques and technology you can take advantage of more (and a lot more) HP. The car examples/comparisons are endless (like the 9mm VS 45 gun debates) but I'll use this personal real world case. I switched from Corvettes to Jeeps ~5 years ago because, I wanted more from a daily driver which I won't go into here since we are talking about horsepower/performance. And I needed a lot more HP to get what I wanted out of a much bigger vehicle and easily beat my Vette's performance numbers.

I will say my Vettes had a theoretical higher top speed by 10 to 15 mph than the Jeep, but it's exceeding rare to drive anywhere near speeds of 180+, in the US. In my experaince, almost all performance driving is done well below top speeds in factory production vehicles.

The Jeep weighs about a ton more (literally) than the Vette and it is about two feet taller so it's isn't what you'd call aerodynamic. But it's phenomenal performance comes from it's 707 HP engine and the technology to use it. (More HP) With AWD, launch control and an electronic 8 speed automatic transmission it can effectively use that power.

As you might expect, the after market folks have developed some performance packages for this thing that take it up to 1000 hp. (In other words "more HP" for even more performance)

And if you like passing power, as in your example above, while I've never timed my 55 to 85 passing numbers, my best 1/4 times are 11.2 @ 122 so it should have highway passing numbers that would make you smile.

My point is slightly different:

"Performance" street cars are IMO silly because it is impossible to actually use their performance potential. (We all do silly things and buy silly things for fun, of course, so I am not criticizing buyers.) Most performance cars, and certainly the exotics, are really "ego cars." Again, if that floats your boat ...

From 10,000+ miles of wheel-to-wheel (SCCA) racing I can tell you that performance street cars are like kissing your sister. About all you can do is sneak in a few bursts of speed while running alone on a highway. Speed by yourself is boring; I looked forward to relaxing on straightaways when I wasn't in a drafting pack or in other traffic. At-the-limit cornering, even alone, is fun but on the street doing this is beyond silly, with curbs and other things to hit and with untrained drivers around.

"Track days" are not much better but that's really OT. OTOH, autocrossing can be a lot of fun even even driving a grocery-getter like my WRX. Big horsepower is not required.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

This is an interesting part if being retired, at least for me. Driving mileage is down so cost per mile elevated.

I love my 2003 BMW 530i which I have owned for 4 years. Previously I owned a 97 528 for about 18 yrs.

I look for used vehicles that I see as good values, but also like a fun ride. As another poster said, I also enjoy the hunt.

Can't really do the high prices for new for me personally but DW loves her 2018 Sonata, an upgrade from her 2007 Camry, at less than $20k OTD new.

This it also where I'm at. For the past 20-some years I've bought well-treated BMWs and Benzes, 10 years old or more. The quality of their metal seems to hold up better in the rust belt than Asian cars. They gave me a great ride for my 40-mile commute, and now that I'm retired, my road warrior '95 540i with almost 290,000 miles is still a reliable performer. I'd get rid of it for asthetics sake, but kids driving beater imports often give me a thumbs-up when they see it on the street -- that makes me feel like I'm still just a little bit cool.