OT: Trade-in or Keep and Service

[JMick]

Especially standard AWD in our climate. Not sure how people can live in CT and not have an AWD vehicle in their fleet.

I make it around just fine in a honda civic. snow tires + manual transmission + limited slip differential is better than a medicore awd system with all seasons.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We did too, but the damn things hold their value so well that when we were buying in 2016 it ended up being a better deal to buy a brand new one (lower interest rate, more years to pay, service and warranty) than any of the decent used ones. The new one is more similar to a minivan with AWD, which suits my wife just fine.

Apparently they are still holding their values quite well because the dealer pesters us every month with some crazy deals to trade it in for a new one, but we tend to drive these things into the ground so we will probably do the same with this one.

Yes, certain generation of vehicles hit the home run and owners just hold on to them.

Same thing with 4Runners. Good luck finding a 3-4 year old one with 35k-50k miles. There just aren't many out there. And you pay a premium for them.

 

[jojipoji]

What most people don’t realize is the service advisers get paid on commission. You don’t spend, they don’t eat. It’s in their best interest to make you spend as much as possible even if it’s not needed.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I also don't have kids but a lot of us are from big families and nobody grew up with SUV's, I guess some had wagons and vans but most had sedans...

I think 8893 is right that people just have more stuff now but I also think a lot of people just like the feeling of having these giant cars. I know people who have no kids or just one kid and they drive these enormous SUV's. I would never drive one again and find it kind of annoying that you have to see around them on all the roads. If I needed the extra space I would get a wagon, some of the new wagons are pretty great.

Sure. I remember being packed in the back of a 1980 Accord. A modern Civic dwarfs that car. Before that we did have a Ford Torino wagon with the wood grain on the sides.

For me there are a few factors. One is ease of getting in and out. My 3 series was a bit of a challenge. Another is visibility, it was always a struggle to see in a sedan. A few years ago when we had epic snow for 6 weeks with no thaw I was car shopping at the Ford dealer. Guy said he sold 4 F150s to women in the last week, and had sold maybe that many to women over the last few years. Snow banks on the corners of streets were so high that even in a Pilot or Highlander type car you were completely blind. Well I can tell you even a moderate amount of snow piled up rendered me blind in that 3 series. Lastly, windows. I hate gun-slit windows. I want tall windows. Few sedans have decent windows.

All that said, I bought another one last year, and had to trade it three months later. My balky hip simply couldn’t tolerate the seats and seating position. So I drive a car that I find too big, especially since it’s mostly just me. I tried. Looked at mini coopers Mazda Cx-3, I like the go cart feel of smaller cars.

 

[Northbound]

Brakes are not cheap. I did my own calipers, rotors, pads axle seals for three vehicles this summer. We actually had to bring one to my indy for the rears because they were so frozen that I couldn’t get those.

If i remember the rears alone were 800 parts and labor and im sure It wasn’t OEM parts.

When I DIY I only use OEM.

hell i just replaced a solenoid and a shift pringle replaced in an 05 Land Cruiser and it was 500 for OEM parts.

Learn to do some basic stuff yourself and pair that with a good indy and you’ll be happy.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Brakes are not cheap. I did my own calipers, rotors, pads axle seals for three vehicles this summer. We actually had to bring one to my indy for the rears because they were so frozen that I couldn’t get those.

If i remember the rears alone were 800 parts and labor and im sure It wasn’t OEM parts.

When I DIY I only use OEM.

hell i just replaced a solenoid and a shift pringle replaced in an 05 Land Cruiser and it was 500 for OEM parts.

Learn to do some basic stuff yourself and pair that with a good indy and you’ll be happy.

A Land Cruiser is basically a Lexus right? Makes sense parts are that steep. On my legacy that was $25k off the lot?

 

[auror]

The best deal is on sedans/sport sedans coming off of 3 year leases because for some reason Americans are obsessed with trucks, SUV's, and crossovers. You can get some pretty badass sport sedans at a steal but if you care about resale it's not so good because again, Americans are obsessed with unnecessarily big cars.

A lot of this is business leases coming up (perk cars or part of a fleet). The businesses have to go new for liability reasons and so the demand is all for new cars and then they automatically come available as used, and as you said there's less demand from consumers for these models so the used supply is overwhelming. Definitely makes for some great deals.

 

[Improviser]

I know next to nothing about repair costs.

I will say this. I have a 2017 Legacy, V6, and I love it. The new Subarus if you choose to get one, have the Turbo 4 cylinder and car buffs that I know say the 6 cylinder has more kick than the current turbos. The tell me that the Turbo 4's have an initial quick kick and then flat out after a short while meaning if you put your foot to the pedal, you don't get that quick acceleration that you got from a stop. My sister has a Mercedes SUV, turbo 4 and I experience the quick start from a stop, and then while driving and accelerating, it flat lined and did not give that kick anymore.

I delay my point. You have a car with a capacity for maybe 250,000 miles and you are worrying about the repair costs? Of course, get second opinions, but the dealers do have computer diagnostics and are factory trained.

You buy a new car of any sort, you have higher insurance costs, higher car property taxes, and of course, the sales tax on the new car. Never mind the depreciation after it leaves the lot.

It is your choice. I plan on keeping mine for a while. I love its ride. I have owned a Camry before, and I loved it, but the ride on the Subaru and its all wheel drive sold me and continues to sell me.

Pay to fix the car and keep it for years to come , would be my recommendation.

 

[auror]

There's a reason the compact SUV's are killing it right now- RAV-4, CR-V, Rogue, Tucson, Forrester, CX-5..…....

Even the higher market Audi's, Lexus, Acura and BMW's have very good choices if you want some extra cache with you good/grille ornament.

They check off so many boxes for different drivers.

Older?? As at least one person mentioned, they're easy for ingress and egress.

A bit short? They elevate you just enough and shorter good length gives you nice view or road and traffic.

Teens? Small enough to learn defensive driving yet gives them a good view of road.

Errands throughout the week? Just enough cargo room to get everything home dry and secure

Weekend trips? Most are great cruisers through 75-80 mph and get close to 30 mpg.

They all basically have a 2.0 4-cyl which makes for easier, and usually cheaper maintenance.
Finish up with integrated entertainment and you have a winner for large groups of drivers.

Love my Kona. My wife is a timid driver (and short) so needs the ease of ingress and height. Cargo for the infant. We get over 30mpg highway. Has been a breeze through 50k miles. Standard with apple and android carplays. AWD. Short length fits in our insanely tiny suburban garage and parks well parallel when we go into the city. Was only 20k new out the door with 10 year/100k powertrain warranty.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I know next to nothing about repair costs.

I will say this. I have a 2017 Legacy, V6, and I love it. The new Subarus if you choose to get one, have the Turbo 4 cylinder and car buffs that I know say the 6 cylinder has more kick than the current turbos. The tell me that the Turbo 4's have an initial quick kick and then flat out after a short while meaning if you put your foot to the pedal, you don't get that quick acceleration that you got from a stop. My sister has a Mercedes SUV, turbo 4 and I experience the quick start from a stop, and then while driving and accelerating, it flat lined and did not give that kick anymore.

I delay my point. You have a car with a capacity for maybe 250,000 miles and you are worrying about the repair costs? Of course, get second opinions, but the dealers do have computer diagnostics and are factory trained.

You buy a new car of any sort, you have higher insurance costs, higher car property taxes, and of course, the sales tax on the new car. Never mind the depreciation after it leaves the lot.

It is your choice. I plan on keeping mine for a while. I love its ride. I have owned a Camry before, and I loved it, but the ride on the Subaru and its all wheel drive sold me and continues to sell me.

Pay to fix the car and keep it for years to come , would be my recommendation.

Plenty of auto stores- AutoZone, Pep Boys, etc will run a free diagnostics on your car and get you the same codes. Evn ones that charge are way cheaper than a dealer. Where I live it's a minimum of $75 at a dealer to hook up and read codes. You can then google those codes to find out what is causing them so you have a better understanding what the repair shop is telling you.

 

[JMick]

Plenty of auto stores- AutoZone, Pep Boys, etc will run a free diagnostics on your car and get you the same codes. Evn ones that charge are way cheaper than a dealer. Where I live it's a minimum of $75 at a dealer to hook up and read codes. You can then google those codes to find out what is causing them so you have a better understanding what the repair shop is telling you.

you can also buy an OBDII scanner for $35

 

[uconnfan68]

I make it around just fine in a honda civic. snow tires + manual transmission + limited slip differential is better than a medicore awd system with all seasons.

The key to to be able to stop, not go. ;^)

 

[JMick]

The key to to be able to stop, not go. ;^)

yup. AWD is great, but 90% of the AWD vehicles around here are on crappy all season tires. tires are the most important factor in gaining traction and stopping in snowy/icy weather.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The key to to be able to stop, not go. ;^)

There's a reason why they promote card as all wheel drive,not all wheel stop.

Rubber and brakes.

 

[uconnfan68]

yup. AWD is great, but 90% of the AWD vehicles around here are on crappy all season tires. tires are the most important factor in gaining traction and stopping in snowy/icy weather.

Used to run winter tires with awd on my Suzuki Aerio. That car could go anywhere, and always behaved. Running all season on the Rav4, but look for all season with the winter seal of approval.

 

[NJHusky]

Going through this right now with Mrs. Diesel. We are going to be empty nesters within next 18-20 months. We are close to wanting to trade in her GMC Acadia and she wants a UConn. We have absolutely zero need for a vehicle that size, so it's a slow process talking her out of it.

Have u considered the Genesis Gv80. I was waiting for it to be avail but couldn’t wait any more. It’s supposed to be a mid size Lux suv for 10-20k less than competition and almost certainly less than the new Uconn. I had the genesis sedan a few cars ago and loved it. Best value (cost/features) I’ve ever had in a vehicle.

Maybe she’ll prefer a smaller suv if it’s more lux?

 

[Northbound]

A Land Cruiser is basically a Lexus right? Makes sense parts are that steep. On my legacy that was $25k off the lot?

My Land Cruiser with 40k in the clock cost me $28k when i bought it. Much of parts price on. Subaru or Toyota is more driven by OEM vs aftermarket parts than the brand. Its one of the reasons why my friends salvage yard is incredibly busy - OEM parts for cheap. Different conversation when you go to BMW, MB, Rover, etc



I’ll get 250-300k out of the Land Cruiser. I will spend to keep a car that has the functionality I need and I like it. I am 100% not a new car every 5 years guy in fact i avoid any new car purchase at all costs. I think the last new car i bought was a rover and it was great for 125k - only one problem a drivers side window regulator.

i’ve got 5 daily drivers and 4 in various stages of restoration. One thing i guarantee you - It costs money to drive a car - cars have limited life parts - tires, brakes, filters, pumps - it’s unavoidable that those will need to be replaced.

 

[NYC_HUSKY22]

If you are mechanically inclined as well, those are pretty cheap fixes (like $80 for the Front Rotors, $15-60 for the pads, whether you go cheap or nice low brake dust ceramic pads (EBC Red Stuff are my favorites). And some DOT 4 at Autozone is like 3.99.

Diff / trans fluid are a bit of pain to get to but not tough. I really like the fully synthetic amazon basics motor oil, it's super cheap - I run it on both my VW's and my wife's CR-V. Then you could either go to an independent mechanic ( I think $100 for the brakes is reasonable, the rears are much more difficult) or go to Harbor Freight / Amazon and get the tools you need for $50-100

 

[Chin Diesel]

Have u considered the Genesis Gv80. I was waiting for it to be avail but couldn’t wait any more. It’s supposed to be a mid size Lux suv for 10-20k less than competition and almost certainly less than the new Uconn. I had the genesis sedan a few cars ago and loved it. Best value (cost/features) I’ve ever had in a vehicle.

Maybe she’ll prefer a smaller suv if it’s more lux?

Yes, I would consider a Genesis SUV. Currently have a 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedan which our son mostly drives. I would actually like to get her in a Telluride and see what she thinks. As all of us know, male or female, car buying is still highly emotional, and Mrs. Diesel likes Yukons.

 

[Dean Wormer]

Also on my 2nd CX-9, bought a '20 GT just before covid hit. Looked at the Pilot and Telluride, but they couldn't come close to the car-like driving experience, and the slightly smaller cargo room was not a factor. Zoom-zoom.

Wasn’t a Mazda fan until i got a used 2011 CX-9, & now can’t get enough of them. The ride and kick on these vehicles is like no other.
I don’t really like the newer design but I’m all-in on Mazda. Zoom-zoom

 

[uconnfan68]

Wasn’t a Mazda fan until i got a used 2011 CX-9, & now can’t get enough of them. The ride and kick on these vehicles is like no other.
I don’t really like the newer design but I’m all-in on Mazda. Zoom-zoom

My niece had a cx-7, and had lots of issues. Bought new a few years ago. Think she traded it after it was paid off.

 

[JMick]

My niece had a cx-7, and had lots of issues. Bought new a few years ago. Think she traded it after it was paid off.

until very recently Mazda's were basically just nicer Fords. The CX9 was a Ford Edge and the CX7 was on the focus platform.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

until very recently Mazda's were basically just nicer Fords. The CX9 was a Ford Edge and the CX7 was on the focus platform.

Now they are using Volvo tech and engineering

 

[JMick]

Now they are using Volvo tech and engineering

I don't think that's current. They did things with Volvo when Ford owned Volvo and Mazda. Volvo is owned by China now. Toyota has a 5% stake in Mazda now.

 

[NJHusky]

Yes, I would consider a Genesis SUV. Currently have a 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedan which our son mostly drives. I would actually like to get her in a Telluride and see what she thinks. As all of us know, male or female, car buying is still highly emotional, and Mrs. Diesel likes Yukons.

Just got the telluride last month. So Far its great. Now is not the time to buy one if u can avoid it. Inventory is low so full sticker. Palisade is almost the same vehicle.