Thank you to everyone who responded to my car question yesterday. It looks like, thanks to tariffs and other issues, repairs may cost north of $3K, and given that the value of the car is probably not much greater than that, the calculus is leaning in the direction of replacement.
Online research shows that there's virtually nothing worth having under $10K in the used car market. Either the mileage is as great or greater than our present vehicle, or there are persistent reliability issues, or availability is haphazard. Moving up to $15K doesn't improve things very much, although there is a greater selection. At $20K upward, there's plenty of availability, but low-mileage vehicles remain hard to find in good condition: most are in the 80-140K mile range, with some notable exceptions. That means, if we want a reliable replacement to use for the medium to long term, we have to look at new vehicles as well.
The cheapest new vehicle I can find is the Kia Soul (which I've driven before, and is OK as an urban runabout), or the Ford Maverick mini-pickup. The Maverick's ride quality isn't great, but it's a truck, not a car, and can't be expected to be as soft-riding and comfortable as the Soul. It does have the advantage of reasonably good utility, with a small loadbed and a back seat that can accommodate a fair amount of baggage or household debris. Both the Soul and the Maverick (in base model configuration) are in the mid-$20K base price range, plus tax, title, license, etc. If we move up to the $30-$35K range, there are a lot more options, but then, that's a lot more money.
There's also the big disadvantage that some manufacturers are now demanding monthly subscription payments to use even the most basic in-car services (Toyota, I'm looking at you!). I'm simply not prepared to do this. There are also dealers who advertise "no-haggle" prices (that always seem higher than those who will negotiate), and others who low-ball trade-in offers. There are also too many dealers who add gimmicks pre-sale (e.g. windows engraved with an "anti-theft" serial number, nitrogen tire fills, etc.), and want to charge hundreds of dollars for them, and won't sell you a vehicle without them. There are an awful lot of shysters out there, it seems to me . . . Any advice on tell-tale signs that a particular dealer may be more trouble than he's worth? Obvious red flags?
Therefore, I turn to knowledgeable readers again, to ask for your input. The need is for local transport of one or two older people, with occasional longer-distance excursions (e.g. 300-400 mile round trip in a day). Economy is important, as is reliability, and the vehicle should not cost an arm and a leg to insure.
- If you were looking for a lower-cost vehicle for that mission, what would you recommend? New or used?
- Has anyone had experience with the Ford Maverick mini-pickup models? I'd be very interested to hear what they're like to own, particularly reliability, ride quality, etc. Their overall utility is appealing.
- Is there any vehicle that you absolutely would not recommend, due to issues, problems, or whatever?
Thanks in advance for your input. I'm grateful for your help.
Peter
13 comments:
My wife and I fit your demographic description to a T and have been driving a Mazda CX5 for a number of years. We're quite happy with it. We bought it used for $22K 4 years ago. There seem to be quite a few used ones available in the local market for $20-$25K with mileage below 50K. New seems to be around $35-40K. My mechanic (my son's brother in law) says they're great cars and very reliable.
Take a moment to look at Dave Smith in Kellogg, Idaho. He has a solid reputation for good, used vehicles. The reputation and pricing for both new and used vehicles is such that buyers from all over the country find it economical to go there.
Dave
You can't go wrong with a toyota corrola.
The only thing I would say is that Nissan seems to have reliability/longevity issues around their CVT Transmissions. Avoid these. (and I like Nissans just not the CVT)
Have had 3 SOULs and wife and I joke about KIA building tough trucks. Wife ran through a coupole years of craft shows and we used the SOUL to haul all of her craft "schtuff" around this end of Ohio and loved it.
I would suggest jumping through a few hoops and getting posting membership at "Timebomb2000" so you can use the expertise of a guy who posts as "Alfaman", who inspects cars for a living, for various embassies and agencies.
But even so, you will have to actually try HARD to beat a SOUL.
I'm a van guy, I have a 2010 Chrysler T&C, the seats fold into the floor so it's easy to carry sheets good when i have to, plenty of room for stuff (groceries for example) that will stay dry if I go through a car wash or a rainstorm (unlike the bed of a pickup). Past that it drives like a car.
But, like I said, I am a van guy.
I would consider subscribing to Consumers Union. They have recommendations for used cars in all the price brackets. Their recommendations are based on input from many thousands of members.
Not sure about your exact area but check out Govdeals.com, that's were many States and municipalities off load vehicles on auction. I'm sure there is more competition down there but I was able to pick up a 2014 PIU (Police Interceptor version of the Explorer). One advantage to former government vehicles is they tend to get all their maintenance done, generally on time, and well documented. Mine came with an inch thick binder of maintenance records and according to my mechanic it should be good for another 100,000 miles.
So, $30K across a 5-year auto loan instead of $3K for repairs. Sounds to me like you're talking yourself into trying to pay $6,300/yr to avoid paying $3,000/yr.
I'm afraid the "trade the vehicle in when the cost of repair is half the value of the trade-in" died an ugly death when Cash For Clunkers gutted the used-car market. In the days of $1,000 clunkers that would run along fine for 3-4 years before dying permanently, or needing to become a mechanic's project, it made perfect sense to sell the car for $200 and pick up another car for $1,000 rather than try to tackle the transmission.
When we bought the Subie for $7,000, I held onto it until the repair bill was going to be over $10K... not because I was basing it on some theoretical blue book, but on what it'd cost me to replace it. Three years later, I'm still paying more on auto loans and increased insurance bill *every single year* than it cost me to buy the Subie.
I vote for paying the repair bill, and counting it as saving half the annual cost of a new vehicle.
Toyota 4-Runner, used, with v6, preferably under 150k miles, maybe a range of 2006-2016, with a careful pre-purchase inspection. You may have to look for a couple months, but they're out there. Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, same. I don't trust Nissans and Subarus.
Nissan versa, reliable and not expensive new. Also, look at subaru.
Dealers are too much like politicians, say one thing and bury a lot of scheiss in the boilerplate. Always negotiate out the door price. Period. This forces the sales team figure out how they can back out sales tax, registration fees, transportation charges, holding fees, etc out of the deal and they can allocate the remainder any way they see fit. Don’t care. Avoids arguing over the hidden fee or dealer added but I don’t want BS.
I like the way they look. Are they comfortable for long drives? Like two or three thousand miles one way? what kind of gas mileage did you get? I know it depends on many things. Did you have any mechanical issues? I like KIA cars. Thank you
Post a Comment