Author Topic: Trade in two cars for one car?  (Read 8588 times)

Lundi

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Trade in two cars for one car?
« on: November 14, 2014, 11:36:37 AM »
Hi, I have a conundrum. 

We currently have 2 cars...one is a 2009 Prius that is paid off.  The other is a 2010 Mazda5 that we owe about $6k on.  Long story short, I think I finally have my husband convinced that we don't need a second car, although we may well need one in a couple of years. The problem is that the Prius is a little too cramped,especially for my husband but the 5 gets dreadful gas mileage (maybe 20 mpg in town, which is where 90% of our driving is) and has higher running costs generally.

We are considering trading both cars in on a used PriusV.

We have 2 kids in car seats and my husband is quite big/tall. We have grandparents who fly in to visit every 6 months or so (the extra seats in the 5 are needed then) and other family we visit also about every 6 months in a bigger city 6 hours away so we bring back stuff from Ikea etc. then (we are slowly redoing our kitchen).  Otherwise we are just running short trips in town that I can't use a bike for (usually means kids and stuff combined, or going to and from work when we have 2 adults and a kid). We haven't actually used the Mazda in a couple months.
 
How terrible is this idea? Should we just sell the prius or 5 (this is a bit tricky, the PriusV option is because we can't agree on which car to keep) I'd love to hear any other suggestions...

nereo

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17499
  • Location: Just south of Canada
    • Here's how you can support science today:
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2014, 01:23:54 PM »
We went from 2 cars to 1 and were shocked at how easy the transition wound up being.  Once two cars was no longer an option the alternative possibilites just opened up.  And if you haven't used the Mazda5 in months it sounds like a no-brianer.

You said nothing about your personal budget, but it sounds like you could certainly trade in both cars for a different car.  I hope you are sticking with a used car, in which case you probably could get a PriusV paying nothing out-of-pocket.
Any reason you are focusing on the PriusV?  There are lots of other 35mpg+ vehicles out there, like a Focus wagon or TDI Jetta or...

Quote
As for the prius V - how tall is your husband?  I'm 6'4 and have driven a Prius.  Not my favorite car to drive (visibility) but I in no way have any issues fitting.  Maybe he just doesn't like the car that much (which is fine) and has thus convinced himself he's too big for it.
I suspect this as well.  I'm 6'5" and I've driven my priuses (priusi?) on long road-trips before. 

pzxc

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 196
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2014, 03:30:39 PM »
Never ever ever "trade in" a car, let alone two of them!

Sell via private party, otherwise you're just giving free money to the dealer.

TheThirstyStag

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 303
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2014, 03:44:14 PM »
Never ever ever "trade in" a car, let alone two of them!

Sell via private party, otherwise you're just giving free money to the dealer.

Agreed.  A casual craigslist listing will save you over $1k

Lundi

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2014, 06:03:57 PM »
Thanks for the replies everyone! I think we'll take a look at some options over the next couple months. The size issue with our current prius is more of a shoulder width problem, it's much better with the current generation of priuses, but we'll consider the ford or volkswagen also. It will be nice to have space in the garage for our bikes...

madmax

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 159
  • Location: Bay Area
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2014, 07:01:44 PM »
Isn't the Prius V also a five seater? How many miles do you drive per year? Like the other said, do a cost benefit analysis and see how long it will take for the gas savings from the new car to pay for itself.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7124
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2014, 07:55:55 PM »
Just want to throw in that I know a family with your exact configuration--very tall dad, two car seats--and they love their Prius V. But obviously it would be more cost-effective to shift along with your existing Prius.

FarmerPete

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 346
Re: Trade in two cars for one car?
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2014, 07:37:43 AM »
Never ever ever "trade in" a car, let alone two of them!

Sell via private party, otherwise you're just giving free money to the dealer.

At the very least, sell it to a private party for what the dealer will give you.  At least then you're helping someone out with an affordable car.  Around here, if the dealer doesn't think they can sell the car quick, they'll probably sell the car to a wholesaler.  That wholesaler then sells it to another dealer.  That dealer sells it to some random person.  As you can imagine, profit is made at every step.  If you had just sold the car yourself, you pocket all that overhead.  It sounds like you're not in a big hurry, so go for it already!!!