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My husband said if I get the wagon my kids won't want it because it'll be uncool lol. The Mazda is the nicest trim level, fully loaded, but in 8 years I'm sure all the technology will be super outdated, so maybe we can give it to Quinn haha. The only thing I would be missing on the Volvo is a heads up display (which I can get for an extra $2k, plus a few other extras that I don't necessarily care about), but then I read a review that said you can't see it if you are wearing polarized sunglasses haha. So not spending the money on that. May be the same issue in the Mazda but its included in the trim level.

 

Honestly, I like Hyundais but the depreciation on them is terrible, especially past 100k miles. I tend to make cars last for 8-10 years, both have gone downhill rather suddenly just past 100k miles but I think it's more the time than the mileage. I don't replace a car until I hit a fix that I don't want to deal with. At least this time I was prepared with what I wanted. When my 2000 Dodge Avenger went out, I had to scramble, but we also didn't have kids. That's how we got the Highlander, which wasn't on my radar because I thought the redesign was super ugly. I was set on a Honda Pilot until I drove it and couldn't handle the terrible visibility. When the 1999 Mercedes Benz SLK 230 developed electrical problems, we had to drag toddler Quinn all over with us to test drive and it sucked. We had to take a day off work to really settle on the Volvo (but almost got a lease return Lexus).

 

Volvos are stupid expensive to fix but not as bad as BMW, and I think they hold up better. The BMW X1 would probably actually be the ideal fit, but I know that thing will break and road noise sounds terrible. Any issue that we've had with the Volvo S60 has been covered by warranty.

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I think the BMW is made here in the US. So that automatically makes me disqualify it. I have NEVER had good cars made anywhere in this part of the world. I think Quinn might like the CX-5 when college comes around. My dream car is currently something fun and really old like a 69 corvette. HA.

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You shouldn't really buy BMWs or Mercedes IMO. Unless you have the money They are not worth it once the warranty expires. Most luxury dealers here cover even the smallest of things including oil changes for the first year or two. If you lease then you're usually switching out the car before anything happens.

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Mazda is promising me lifetime oil changes and car washes (and they're actually convenient enough to do the car washes). Volvo will cover 3 years. Less frequent maintenance but definitely not cheap. Once we are out of warranty I will probably call the local Volvo shop (also more conveniently located).

 

Honestly I kind of considered leasing the Volvo, but in 8 years I pay for the cost of the car, and it should last that long (and I will have some value towards trade-in). We did enjoy our Mercedes for 8 or 9 years but also bought it used (5 years old). And honestly, the previous owner ruined the interior (no idea what the hell he did to cause it, either). I would definitely lease one of those versus buy new. Volvo is kind of the less cool luxury vehicle lol. I assume everyone who drives one is kind of a nerd instead of cultured and cool.

 

Right now I'm leaning towards the Volvo and then if we really need the bigger car, we can rent or trade in my husband's. He wants a Ford F150 Raptor, which is just stupid because we don't own a boat or anything to tow or haul, nor do I want to.

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I have a 2 and a 3 year old and can fit both car seats in comfortably and pack a double stroller and all of the baggage necessary in a smallish 4 door (Audi A4). We bought a Rav4 for the space, but honestly, we rarely need the space. The only time I have to use the Rav4 is to go skiing and only bc I am too cheap to buy a rack for my car.

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The thing about leasing is you have to be okay with constantly having a car payment. You kinda get used to not having a car payment once you've payed off you loan. Though you wonder where the extra money went because it doesn't feel like that 3-4 hundred is in your checking account lol.

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Plus insurance is more when leasing than buying outright with a loan. It's funny, any lease I ever had I opted to buy the car at the end so I had a loan technically of 8 years. It's crazy to pay on a car that long but they're doing terms for 7 years now for cars to make the payments smaller. I adore a paid off car.

 

I actually am pulling for the Volvo too. I love them. They're kind of unique among all the car designs out there.

 

As a Toyota snob I really don't like the redesign of the new RAV4s. They look like Jeep's newer SUVs. But I would buy a RAV4 as my next car if I needed room.

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Do you feel like the quality has dropped lately? I loved my Toyota until about the last year or so. When I was checking out new car rankings it seems like Toyota has fallen behind. My husband, who spent several years in supply chain before recently going back to project management, thinks they may have leaned out their supply chain too much to bring down costs and are suffering in reliability because of it. I just wasn't excited about anything I saw, and I never get to rent them like I've gotten to do with Mazda and Hyundai.

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Yeah, I think that is some of it. I want my cars to honk in Japanese because even though the quality is going down a bit for outsourced parts I feel like Japanese workers have a sense of pride and don't want a bad car out there with their workmanship.

 

I have rented Hyundai and not been very impressed with it. Mazda is actually doing stuff with Toyota now (the new Yaris is a rip off of their tiny entry car). Also the interiors are okay. I honestly looked at Nissan's when I was shopping a few years ago. I really like the Rogue's design now.

 

Buick has come a LONG way. But they're way out of my teachers salary much like Volvo's. :(

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I've never carried a car payment for more than a few years. We paid cash for the Volvo and took 2 years to pay off the Highlander. My poor dad needed 5 years to pay off my cheapo Dodge Avenger. I paid off my student loans in return. Him buying that car for me was seriously such a stupid financial decision, and it didn't even last 8 years before the engine seals all failed and I had to sell it.

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I'm paying off my used Prius this year. I cried when I saw my credit pull. It took so long to get it there for me and it was glorious to name my terms. I could have bought a brand new Prius with no interest but I wanted a paid off car again. It's so deliciously nice. I carry full insurance though even on paid off vehicles because I have seen dumb in San Antonio when people drive in a little bit of rain.

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Do you feel like the quality has dropped lately? I loved my Toyota until about the last year or so. When I was checking out new car rankings it seems like Toyota has fallen behind. My husband, who spent several years in supply chain before recently going back to project management, thinks they may have leaned out their supply chain too much to bring down costs and are suffering in reliability because of it. I just wasn't excited about anything I saw, and I never get to rent them like I've gotten to do with Mazda and Hyundai.

Something is messed up with the transmission in our Rav4 and Toyota can't figure out what the problem is (it slips out of or gets stuck in a lower gear, specifically in cooler temperatures. Our warranty expired and even though it has been an ongoing issue since mile 0 they won't honor the warranty. fuck em.

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I finally got the damn Volvo. Took 5 hours despite me trying to grease the skids by telling them which cars I wanted, get there at opening and every single car is at the storage lot. It took like 2 hours just to sit in the car and confirm I liked it and wanted that one. Then they had to give us shit about the trade in. Finally my husband was like, look, if you want us to fix it, then I don't need this car. I'll keep driving my old car. They finally capitulated after that. Then we gotta go haggle with the finance guy on warranty crap and then I wait around for another 20 minutes for my car to be detailed.

 

I love the cars but not sure if I'm buying another one from them because they have been a pain in the ass both times. But I got a blue one and it is pretty.

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YAY! You have created new car itch in me and I'm really struggling not to trade my poor Prius in (the interior is cream and as spotless as the day it rolled off the lot because I'm very careful with it) but the outside has a ding on EVERY thing because people are ***holes in parking lots and streets.

 

I was like that too when I got the PT Cruiser. I cried signing the paperwork but more so because I didn't really want the car. This dealership was just the only one that would lend me money without a cosigner. Buying cars is not my favorite activity.

 

Enjoy it!

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I hate buying a car more than buying a house. Its seriously my least favorite shopping to do.

 

My car is lovely, though. Dark blue exterior and blond/black interior. She's pretty. I pick up my ski rack tomorrow.

 

The warranty guy was trying to sell us on all these protection packages and my husband asked which one covered door dings because it's never rocks that get us. The guy waffled and then basically admitted that none of them would really cover the whole thing. Sales guy told me one last time to consider the rock one and it took all my strength not to give him the finger.

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It took less than 24 hours for the older kid to spill chocolate protein shake on the seatbelts. Imma kill her.

I had a buddy that saved up for years and and got his dream car. That night he went out drinking to celebrate. He passed out laying in the door with the window down and ended up puking into the side of the door. He had the door detailed multiple times and the smell never went away.

 

That was about 15 years ago and it still doesn't get old.

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  • 2 years later...

Hey remember when I needed a new car 2 months before a worldwide pandemic that meant I didn't drive anywhere for 3 months?

Some minor regrets. I love my V60 but we need a bigger vehicle. I absolutely love love love it for skiing. It is so easy to handle and the ski racks are so easy to load. But now we have a giant dog and she hates riding in a car (well, my car). Not sure if it would be better in a bigger car but she is pretty crowded back there, despite the roof box being full up. The car is like an inch too skinny to fit her kennel so we have to put it in the roof box, which is also not fun.

We put a very small deposit on a Ford F-150 Lightning last May, with very little progress on actually picking out anything but trim level and battery type. Lately I've been souring on it because it sounds like the range is really impacted by towing, which was going to be a major use for it. Today we found out that realistically the range when towing is 80-120 miles. NOPE. My husband's Volvo S60 is also eating oil like crazy lately. It only has 75k miles on it but it is 9 years old. For the last month I've been pretty nervous that it's going to die on us and started thinking about emergency plans to replace it (used SUV or something). No matter what, we need something bigger. I poked into hybrid trucks and it sounds like our only options are F-150 or Toyota Tundra. Of course all the dealers are being ***holes about charging $10k over MSRP because they think they can, but I think I can get around that with a custom order straight from the car company? Or maybe we go through CarMax and buy slightly used. Anyone try this?

My husband really wants an EV but I think it's best designated as a commuter car around town, not the family road trip vehicle. We've been talking about getting a towable RV, and my husband is trying to talk me into a boat for the 5,000th time (and I am adamantly opposed to a boat when we live in a state where we can only use it 3 months out of the year, and I want to do more than go out on the boat every weekend all summer. He can have a boat if we ever move back to Florida.) He also doesn't want to commit to any vehicle until we "know what we want", but I think that really just means we buy a trailer or boat that is underneath the towing capability.

Also on a side note, my Boomer dad just bought a minivan and it is cracking me up. He has been talking about this for YEARS. What is up with Boomers and minivans? He is a single dude living in a rural area and seriously just wants it to haul his telescope around without having to take it apart. My stepfather-in-law also owns a minivan and uses it to haul stuff around. Then again I drive a wagon so I probably shouldn't talk shit.

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Minivans, though not stylish, have a crazy about of storage. Especially if the second row folds down as well. 

The thing about the F-150 Lighting is that it starts around $85,000 now doesn't it? They made the EV rebates available to more models, but the price has gone up almost $5000 over the past year. 

One of my neighbors, who traded in his Mercedes for a Tesla Model Y, has been trying to put big in my ear about Teslas. He should work for them. I need a new car, but i have a hard time going almost 8 years without a cat payment to buying a $45-50,000 vehicle. My wife bought a new car last year that was $38,000. It's loaded, but i think she settled. I'm driving a car that was $22,000. I have a hard time spending twice that if I'm not totally sure I'm sold on a model.

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Nothing wrong with having no car payments! I paid off my 2006 f150 years ago and sold it to my brother last year after I inherited my Dad's F150 xlt which only has 55k miles on it.  While I would love to buy a new RAM truck (I can pay cash thanks to inheritance), it's hard to justify that right now because there is nothing wrong with my current truck. So, right now I am saving the cash towards a new vehicle while I have no car payments.  In a few years, I will buy a new truck, once my current truck's mileage and repairs justify it. 

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I am thinking used is going to be more than new. I recommend the Tundra because DOG will love that a certain trim level the back window comes COMPLETELY down. Get EV for the commuter and chose a reliable long lasting truck for the long haul because a truck lasts forever. My Dad still uses the GMC Sierra he bought off my brother Rob for 10K with less than 1800 miles on it in 1999. That truck gets offers on it over 40 thousand from used car dealerships. I don't think I'd trust an electric truck right now because the technology is so new that some kinks need to worked out of it. Toyota has a new EV SUV that they recalled because they can't figure out why the wheels fall of it. The Chevy electric Volt or Bolt catches fire and was just now allowed to park in parking garages again.

In other news I am planning my midlife crisis car. I want a Madza M-5 in that fabulous red they make in convertible form so I can own a convertible and I will drive it for a year and trade it in for something else. HA!

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I had a Prius Prime for two years that I liked. I traded down for a lower payment. I think the mix of plug-in and gas was pretty good. I could go for a long time without using any actual gas, but I would try to go through a tank each month to prevent the gas from going bad. I had a short commute and could do almost 2 days worth of driving without switching to gas. 

 

If I were really in the market for a used (or new) vehicle, I would try to wait 6 months or more. It seems like Europe is front-running the USA in terms of a recession/depression. An entire continent where heating costs go up 15x in a year will absolutely have a global effect. We just haven't really felt it yet. I think used car prices are starting to peak, too. If you do some quick googling online, the repo rates of new vehicles are wayyy up. Tons of people used their covid money foolishly and are behind on payments. A combination of less buyers and more supply should depress used car prices. 

 

That being said, I think if I wanted something and the price were no object, I'm still a sucker for Toyota (even though I drive a Subaru). There is a Rav4 Prime now that has an all electric range stated at 42 miles. I don't know what your electric rates are, but driving electric only every day for a month in the Prius Prime only cost me an extra 30-40 a month. This makes sense as it has a 8.8kWh battery. At .12/kWh it's 1.06/day for electricity. The Rav4 Prime has an 18.1kWh battery, so it's around $2.20 for a full charge. Sure cheaper than $30 a week. You'd also get a refundable $7,500 at tax time (if you buy new). That's just my 2 cents. As Spam said, avoid the Chevy Volt. My brother had one and the dealer couldn't fix all of the electrical problems fast enough. 

 

 

Edit: I'm not sure about whether the $7500 rebate is still applicable. Apparently it ran out but was maybe reinstated in the "inflation reduction act?" Not totally sure. 

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Tesla is the latest bro car in Seattle. Seriously, I'm so sick of them.

Yes, the F-150 Lightning was going to cost probably $80k or more, and the cost increases were also souring us on it. Initial impression was that it would be closer to standard pricing and then it blew up since our deposit.

I think long term an EV commuter makes more sense than an EV large vehicle, but I'm also not ready to give up my 2-year old, paid for car. (Although paying for premium gas is not fun right now.)

I think we are going to have to go do some test drives. There are also a couple of SUVs that are capable of hauling high loads. Not sure if those would be easier to come by. There have definitely been a few times lately we've wished we had a truck, though. I'm not driving the thing. My Highlander was almost too big for me, whatever we get will have to be bigger.

I don't think we are in a hurry unless the car craps out, but realistically we want the truck and RV by next summer. I am seeing some cheaper 2021s at CarMax online that would make it worth buying used. I know used car prices are up but saving $10k sounds good. Especially since I saw some dealerships are still marking up $10k over MSRP. I really hope this microchip shortage is over soon because I'm relatively sure that's the reason for the delays and price markups.

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