We are thinking about buying a new (to us) car, *GASP*!, and need some Mustachian advice.
Money is not the issue. We are FI and I am RE. We can pay cash for any reasonable purchase.
I am asking for help because I do not want to get sucked into car shopping. I generally ignore all auto advertising and would like to keep it that way. Paying attention to advertising (even reading Consumer Reports) creates a false sense of need, which I do not want to invite into my life.
What we "need" (ahem) is a comfortable car to use for long trips. We travel to So Cal to visit family and to maintain a rental house that we own there. It's an eight-hour drive each way and we go every six to eight weeks. Gas mileage is important, but not the end-all. Comfortable cruising for up to four adults with some cargo space for tools and luggage is key, as it's a long, boring drive. We've tried renting, which is somewhat cost-effective, but would like to own something. My parents are in failing health and spur-of-the-moment, mom-or-dad-is-in-the-hospital trips are not uncommon.
Before you throw any facepunches, here are a few details:
We have four older paid-for vehicles all in good-to-excellent condition and want to consolidate.
Two vehicles are "fixed":
DH owns a truck, but walks to work. We use the truck for DIY projects 2-3x per week.
DSS drives an SUV that he inherited when his mom died. It is driven only by him and still smells like his mom. Huge sentimental value. It's untouchable, we're NOT selling it. He uses it to drive to college while he lives at home to save dough. He's also great with his Grandma, which is priceless.
These two are up for grabs:
ME - I have a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan with 104K miles, left over from my Sales Rep days. It is more than I need and doesn't get great gas mileage, but came in handy while we emptied and sold three houses and moved into a new one this past year. (Happy to report I've driven the van less than 4K since I retired a year ago and we only have one more house to empty & sell.)
MIL- This is the tough one. 2005 Cadillac STS with only 33k. It's a beautiful car and worth far more than book value to us. It even gets decent gas mileage, so we hate to sell it. However, MIL lives with us because she has Alzheimer's. She doesn't mind if we use the car, but goes ballistic if anyone takes it without her in it. DH feels this will only get worse and that we should sell it, which is why I'm here asking for advice.
I think we will sell cars #3 (gladly) & #4 (reluctantly), but what would be a good replacement vehicle?
Note - We are NOT looking for an econobox. We are old (LOL) and would appreciate a certain amount of comfort.
Your mustachian help and advice is most appreciated.