By "about to buy" I of course mean "thinking about buying"
It's also almost 2 model years old and electric
The back story, in case context is helpful:
DW and I live in NE Indiana and are fairly mustachian. We live in a 80s Airstream 310 we bought for 30k, which included a 2000 jeep to tow behind it, package deal. Our current location costs us $200/mo including water and electric.
This jeep (4cyl manual) is currently my wifes daily driver, and also the only car we have that even runs right now. I already rebuilt the breaks, but it needs a total front end rebuild and some other fairly involved stuff.
My DD is supposed to be my 1986 Toyota 4runner, but after driving it on 3 cylinders for awhile I have the engine out and am in the middle of rebuilding it in my dads garage. Total will be about $500 to rebuild everything and replace the clutch and get it back in. So yea, I'm a gear head that does all his own work, this truck is worth more than what I have in it
How about that insane commute though?
Well, i work in one city and currently have a 20 minutes drive each way. Would love to be closer, but can't find anything in biking distance
Wife, lost her job 3 months ago, and has just now found something in a better career field doing exactly what she wants to do for double the money, in the neighboring city with a 50minute drive in the opposite direction of me. It's a 6 month contract opportunity, but it gets her foot in the door and has TONS of potential.
I can't find employment in that city, because we hope to move cross country out of NE indiana soon, (maybe wjen this 6 month contract ends) and if I'm somewhere new for less than 2 years I'll look like a job hopper. (We've both been looking our asses off for remote work, but nothing yet. Both working remotely and traveling the country is the dream. I'm a test engineer, bachelors in Electrical Engineering, halfway through a masters in Materials science, in case you have ideas)
tl:dr
Finally to the new car!!
With one truck with no engine in it, and one jeep with a front end about to shake apart, and now a $140k household income living in an RV, with no immediate way out of at least one of us driving an insane commute, literally everyone in our lives is telling us to just get a new car. I do all my own car work, but if we get another used car and it needs work, i flat out am out of time and energy.
There is a 2017 bolt for sale nearby, almost 2 model years old, and it's still sitting on the lot as new, so the tax credit still applies, and I'm sure the dealer is itching to get it off the lot. This would give DW something reliable to commute with gas free.
After selling the jeep, we would still need a loan on said new bolt. Total net worth would be positive, but I've been maxing out the 401K so it's all locked up there. We would probably pay off the loan before her 6 month contract is up (at which point she'll be hired on for real, or get another similar real job making similar money, will be much easier this time with relevant experience)
What do you think, mustachians? Am I in a significantly OK place to buy a new 2 year old chevy bolt, or am I being brainwashed by my consumer sucka car clown family?