Car shopping....what a zoo

[The Watchman]

That is a good looking car. Very Porsche like front end. But yeah the Korea-China thing would put me off. A few years ago, I was looking at Mustangs, and saw the motors & transmissions were made in Mexico and China. So the "big three" are just pretending to be US manufacturers. Its a global market whether we like it or not.

I've owned Hondas or Toyotas for many years now, but I will be avoiding Hondas from now on if they only come with turbos.

[ozzman]

Get em now folks! In ten years you wont be able to afford to drive an ICE vehicle.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by ozzman

Get em now folks! In ten years you wont be able to afford to drive an ICE vehicle.

That is hard to understand if speculation is limited to the auto makers. The ongoing or repeat poll and articles Bloomberg has done and their own plans only show up to a 30% mix of EVs farther out than 10 years, and they are still developing new vehicles that are not electric if only go accommodate how the world and economies are.

The way a friend and his wife have documented 5 or maybe more now years and got a loaded Honda and one a Model 3 for sure shows the lower cost of the EV but what makes her Honda more expensive is conventional and well understood stuff - repairs and maintenance in addition to the operating cost.

@Fittness, I know you like Hondas and leases. The Acura/VW near us in same region has lease and finance specials on Integra and Taos models. Our son says the reborn Integra is really nice, and the VW and Acura loaners plus associates' have been nice to drive or be in.

The Chinese Buick would not scare me to the extent they've become such competitive auto makers and the world's biggest market. Again, a neighbor really likes and liked the two she's had. She gets new every few years too.

I'm leaving when done typing here for a repair on 8 year old car I hope lets me wait and watch the market for more time but confess we are in a dealer's queue for the next gen Land Cruiser. I don't think we'll be obligated for at least 6 months on that.

[Slothead56]

I love cars but I hate paying for cars. In 45 years of car ownership I’ve only purchased 2 or 3 new vehicles. Everything else has been preowned. I’m a big believer in finding a brand that works for you. (I’ve owned 8 Volvos, all pre-owned.)

My current fleet:

• 2011 Volvo, 122,000 miles (My convertible-year ‘round use)
• 2013 Mercedes SUV, 167,000
• 2013 Mini Cooper, 67,000 miles (Mom’s convertible-Summer ride)

Drive them hard, maintain diligently, keep ‘em clean. Pretty simple, really.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

I love cars but I hate paying for cars. In 45 years of car ownership I’ve only purchased 2 or 3 new vehicles. Everything else has been preowned. I’m a big believer in finding a brand that works for you. (I’ve owned 8 Volvos, all pre-owned.)

My current fleet:

• 2011 Volvo, 122,000 miles (My convertible-year ‘round use)
• 2013 Mercedes SUV, 167,000
• 2013 Mini Cooper, 67,000 miles (Mom’s convertible-Summer ride)

Drive them hard, maintain diligently, keep ‘em clean. Pretty simple, really.

That's like me, except that your current cars are nicer and newer.
My current vehicles:
- 2000 GMC Sierra Pickup, 207,000 miles
- 2010 Toyota Tacoma, 188,000 miles
- 2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe, 82,000 miles.

I'll have to replace at least one of them pretty soon, likely the Sierra. My ideal find would be a used Toyota Tundra. But they are hard to find.
I don't have anything against EVs, but I wouldn't get one unless I could charge it at home. And that would be an expense and PIA to install.

Bottom line: I hate shopping for cars. I drive them as long as I can.

[fitness1]

One of the big reasons this new "wild west" thing is bothering me is that getting a new car every 3 years or so has been one of my only vices - don't drink, smoke, go out to eat, and I'm very frugal in almost every area you can think of.

Sliding into retirement in a few months, I guess I'm going to have to change that, but was thinking it would be nice to start my retirement with one last new car that I could start putting minimal miles on and make last for a long time.

My Accord only has 22k on it, but the bumper to bumper ends in 6 weeks and the drive train in two years.

The good news is this car has been BABIED, and it should be just fine.

[Mr. Jelly]

We bought our last new car in 2019. That was when I fully retired. We usually have our vehicles for a very long time. It has less than 30,000 miles on it. The thinking is we won't need to buy another car, ever.
Our old car a 2009 Honda Element has less than 80,000 miles on it.

[RP]

Originally Posted by David Eastwood

In contrast, my Subaru service tech told me that my cabin air filter would be up for replacement at the next service. He told me to buy one from Amazon, and look for the YouTube video for how to replace it.

Saved me about $40 - that’s three sets of strings

I'm no mechanical wiz by anyone's definition, but I've changed my cabin and engine filters for several years now. I leave oil changes to others...

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by RP

I'm no mechanical wiz by anyone's definition, but I've changed my cabin and engine filters for several years now. I leave oil changes to others...

I must admit to feeling a little foolish for not figuring this out years ago myself.

[Acousticado]

- Year-round daily driver: 2014 Nissan Murano Platinum, 66k miles (bought used in 2017)
- Fun summer car: 2003 Toyota Solara SLE Convertible, 43k miles (bought used in 2014)
- Fun vintage summer car: All original 1968 Dodge Polara 500, 83k miles (bought used in 2008, runs like a top, this car is an exact duplicate of the car my wife’s father had owned at the time of his passing in 1968...a gift from me to my wife)

These cars are all paid for, run great and will continue to last us for a good long while. No interest in a new vehicle. When the Murano has too much mileage, we’ll buy a 3 year old SUV of some sort, maybe a hybrid.

[Gromitspapa]

I think there's more deals to be had with EVs than gas vehicles. Check out the Chevy Bolt EV or EUV. There's a Blazer EV coming soon, too. If you can charge it at home, it'll cost you maybe 20% of what it takes to run a gas car. If you get solar, even better.

I think with Chevys right now you only get the $7,500 Federal tax credit if you purchase it vs buy it. On a lot of cars, you only get the $7,500 if you lease vs purchase. I think after the first of the year you might be able to apply the tax credit as a down payment on the purchase of an EV. There can be state EV credits as well.

[jp2558]

We bought our last two vehicles through Costco. Both below MSRP. Our last purchase was in 2019.

[Mbroady]

I hate shopping for cars.
I have a 2011 Subaru Outback and my wife has a 2001 Subaru Forester.
Both are getting up there in miles but take good care of them.
I dread the day the Forester dies.

[rllink]

I'm a Ford man. I had a Chevy and a Dodge pickup truck at one time but the last twenty years it has been Fords and I've bought them from the local dealership. One stop shopping for me when it comes to cars.

[K20C]

We had 4 cars, then downsized to 3. We sold the Corvette (miss it every day) and a Lexus RX350, sort of combined the two and got a MB SUV AMG. Keeping the SC430 and GS350 for now. All are low mileage and we don’t drive more than a few thousand miles a year. Just turned 70 and hope to never have to buy a car again. I read the stories and it sounds like a very unpleasant experience.