mountainsoft
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
My VW Jetta is 25 years old now, so I've been debating whether to get a newer car or just keep fixing it. I would never buy a NEW car as they lose value too quickly and I don't have a spare 40-60K laying around anyway. So I have been checking out the used car market. Of course, in most cases a used car is being sold because there is something wrong with it. Too many miles, mechanical issues, etc. Sure, some folks sell a car when the warranty runs out, or they just want something newer, but those are probably rare cases.
We have always bought used cars that were 10-15 years old and rarely paid more than 2-4K for each of them. I only paid $1900 for my 2000 Jetta seven years ago, though admittedly it was 17 years old with 180K miles on it already. My wife paid $3500 for her 2004 Jetta (120K miles) about 6 years ago. Both vehicles show minimal signs of wear and have been relatively inexpensive to own. Doing our own car repairs has certainly helped with that.
So I'm shopping the used car market and it's immediately apparent there are NO decent cars under the 8-10K price point. Even in the 10-15K range (about 2012-2016 model years), most cars look really beat up. Seats are ripped, accessories don't work, tires are bald, brakes are worn out, etc. I expect some repairs will be needed with a used car, but it's shocking how poorly people maintain their cars. We test drove a 2021 Tiguan a couple days ago and the thing smoked like crazy and already showed a lot of wear and 133K miles on it for a 4 year old car. To top it off, the thing ran out of gas just as we were pulling back into the lot. Nice impression... Oh, and for those familiar with my thread on AC frustrations, the AC didn't work on that 2021 Tiguan either...
It's also annoying how dealers still have ads up for cars they have already sold, then try to sell you some other car when you come in for a specific model.
We have been really happy with our Jetta's, so I've been looking at newer models and am equally surprised how much they have cheapened up over the years. The leather seats in my 2000 Jetta still look new, but all of the new vehicles only have "simulated" leather that is already wearing out. Also the color they call "black" now looks more grey or brown depending on the car. VW did away with the hydraulic strut to support the hood and went back to the old prop rod. Rear disc brakes on many models have gone back to the old drum brakes. Also no 12V power port in the trunk anymore, disappointing as I plug our portable fridge in back there when we go on trips. While the newer vehicles come with a lot of tech I don't want anyway, it's a shame they cheaped out on the foundational parts of the vehicles.
I always like to check out the CarFax or Autocheck for vehicles before buying them, but CarFax charges something like $40 for a report, and Autocheck is something like $30 (they do have volume options, but those are spendy too). While reading some forums on various topics, I discovered there were several vendors on Etsy selling CarFax reports. I went with this one (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AutoCheckShop) that provides both CarFax and Autocheck for $4 each. Takes about 5-10 minutes to receive the reports by email. Very happy I stumbled across the Etsy option.
I've looked at several vehicle makes, but keep coming back to VW. That's what we have always driven, and I'm just comfortable with them. I also reduce my options by wanting a black car with a black interior. I've seen or ruled out just about every matching car in a 100 mile radius and haven't seen anything that feels like an "upgrade" from what I have already. So for now I'm just taking a wait and watch stance. I don't "need" another car right now, so there's no urgency. It's disappointing though.
We have always bought used cars that were 10-15 years old and rarely paid more than 2-4K for each of them. I only paid $1900 for my 2000 Jetta seven years ago, though admittedly it was 17 years old with 180K miles on it already. My wife paid $3500 for her 2004 Jetta (120K miles) about 6 years ago. Both vehicles show minimal signs of wear and have been relatively inexpensive to own. Doing our own car repairs has certainly helped with that.
So I'm shopping the used car market and it's immediately apparent there are NO decent cars under the 8-10K price point. Even in the 10-15K range (about 2012-2016 model years), most cars look really beat up. Seats are ripped, accessories don't work, tires are bald, brakes are worn out, etc. I expect some repairs will be needed with a used car, but it's shocking how poorly people maintain their cars. We test drove a 2021 Tiguan a couple days ago and the thing smoked like crazy and already showed a lot of wear and 133K miles on it for a 4 year old car. To top it off, the thing ran out of gas just as we were pulling back into the lot. Nice impression... Oh, and for those familiar with my thread on AC frustrations, the AC didn't work on that 2021 Tiguan either...
It's also annoying how dealers still have ads up for cars they have already sold, then try to sell you some other car when you come in for a specific model.
We have been really happy with our Jetta's, so I've been looking at newer models and am equally surprised how much they have cheapened up over the years. The leather seats in my 2000 Jetta still look new, but all of the new vehicles only have "simulated" leather that is already wearing out. Also the color they call "black" now looks more grey or brown depending on the car. VW did away with the hydraulic strut to support the hood and went back to the old prop rod. Rear disc brakes on many models have gone back to the old drum brakes. Also no 12V power port in the trunk anymore, disappointing as I plug our portable fridge in back there when we go on trips. While the newer vehicles come with a lot of tech I don't want anyway, it's a shame they cheaped out on the foundational parts of the vehicles.
I always like to check out the CarFax or Autocheck for vehicles before buying them, but CarFax charges something like $40 for a report, and Autocheck is something like $30 (they do have volume options, but those are spendy too). While reading some forums on various topics, I discovered there were several vendors on Etsy selling CarFax reports. I went with this one (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AutoCheckShop) that provides both CarFax and Autocheck for $4 each. Takes about 5-10 minutes to receive the reports by email. Very happy I stumbled across the Etsy option.
I've looked at several vehicle makes, but keep coming back to VW. That's what we have always driven, and I'm just comfortable with them. I also reduce my options by wanting a black car with a black interior. I've seen or ruled out just about every matching car in a 100 mile radius and haven't seen anything that feels like an "upgrade" from what I have already. So for now I'm just taking a wait and watch stance. I don't "need" another car right now, so there's no urgency. It's disappointing though.
Well I'll probably get a new one as soon as they come out, late this year or early next.
