Author Topic: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?  (Read 5031 times)

jscott2135

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We have a 2008 Ford Focus (love that car) but will be giving it to the Step Daughter upon her graduation from high school.  In our household we will have 2 boys who will be 7 and 6 at that time and a pitbull that travels with us.  I want to get another vehicle that is obviously safe and good on gas, but maybe a size up slightly from the Focus, which has horrendous leg room in the back seat. ( And since we will own this next vehicle until it dies I want it to accommodate longer legs of teenagers ;)  would love to hear suggestions.

Our other vehicle is a 2008 Toyota Tundra which is our vehicle for hauling and heavy duty stuff so the car I'm looking for will ideally be the one we do most of our running around town in, doesn't need a ton of trunk space etc.

marielle

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2017, 10:21:01 AM »
Prius? Nissan Leaf?

I don't have experience with either but have only heard good things. If you already have a larger second car an electric might be easily doable! Plus used Leafs are crazy cheap. Maybe you could get the 2017 model in 2 years time when it has depreciated a good bit.

saijoe

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2017, 10:27:57 AM »
The wife got a Prius V.  That's the bigger one.  Plenty of room and 40-50 MPG.  Would certainly recommend. 

neo von retorch

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2017, 10:37:39 AM »
Without knowing your progress towards your overall goals, and income, it's hard to say. If you've got $800k in the bank and $100k / year income, get a 2013/2014 Mazda CX-5 and enjoy all the room in the world while still getting 28-32 mpg.

If you've got $50k in debt, no stash and $25k / year income, shop around for a ~2008 budget car like your Focus, but with leg room. The VW GTI is actually supposed to be pretty good for that.

researcher1

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2017, 11:15:11 AM »
Much of the advice you get today won't be helpful TWO YEARS from now.

A lot could happen in those 2 years...
- entirely new models are introduced
- existing models are redesigned
- existing models are eliminated
- new features/technologies become available
- models are exposed for poor reliability or safety
- manufacturers go bankrupt

You need to wait a few years before soliciting feedback. 

jscott2135

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2017, 09:21:01 AM »
I understand what you're saying but in 2 years we will probably be looking at buying something that's already released (a 2017 model whatever) by the time 2019 rolls around I want it narrowed down to a few options, take a test drive and pull the trigger (I'm a pre planner).  To the other poster regarding finances, We have only mortgage debt, make 200k yr and have been paying ourselves $400/mo into an investment account to be able to purchase a car in cash when we are ready to buy.  I'm sure we could afford more but I'd like to stay around $25k for a car 1-2 yrs old, less if we can. Its just a daily driver so I don't need anything too fancy :)  We are going to offer step daughter the car or 5k cash to buy her own starter vehicle (I kinda hope she takes the money and I can get a few more years out of this incredibly reliable car)

Much of the advice you get today won't be helpful TWO YEARS from now.

A lot could happen in those 2 years...
- entirely new models are introduced
- existing models are redesigned
- existing models are eliminated
- new features/technologies become available
- models are exposed for poor reliability or safety
- manufacturers go bankrupt

You need to wait a few years before soliciting feedback.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2017, 09:35:07 AM »
Virtually any "entry-level" model with good fuel economy and reliability. I use quotes because even the cheapest models sold in 2017 are ridiculously good.

I would aim for something around 15k.



Mgmny

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2017, 12:20:40 PM »
2 years puts you dangerously close to the self-driving car revolution, so i would try to invest as little money as possible in a car from now until 2022.

After 2022-ish, car ownership will be a thing of the past and used cars will be more or less worthless.

SuperSecretName

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2017, 12:29:58 PM »
After 2022-ish, car ownership will be a thing of the past and used cars will be more or less worthless.
lol.  suuuuuuuuuuure.

OP - used Priuses (Prii?) are a really good value.

marielle

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2017, 12:37:45 PM »
2 years puts you dangerously close to the self-driving car revolution, so i would try to invest as little money as possible in a car from now until 2022.

After 2022-ish, car ownership will be a thing of the past and used cars will be more or less worthless.

Can I borrow your crystal ball so I can invest in some self-driving car companies?

Also, no one "invests" in a car. At least, very few people, and if they do they're very old classic cars.

Mr.GrowingMustache

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2017, 02:10:07 PM »
jscott2135  what is your budget? Are you looking at a sedan, CUV, wagon, hatchback?

VW SportsWagen!
- It's got a ton of cargo room, pretty nice interior, depending on trim and should have some nice back seats.
- In about 2 years the 2015 Golf Sportswagen version will come down in price close to $10k for 50k mile, currently they sit around $15k used. The previous version called the Jetta (it is still based on the Golf) Sporstwagen ran from 2009-2014, and had two redesigns, I would look in 2012 or later.


Also your run of the mill: Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav 4, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5. Those are CUVs but get decent gas milage and good cargo room. You also get to join the SUV/CUV craze frey. Plenty of those being sold on craigslist.

Mgmny

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2017, 02:16:22 PM »
2 years puts you dangerously close to the self-driving car revolution, so i would try to invest as little money as possible in a car from now until 2022.

After 2022-ish, car ownership will be a thing of the past and used cars will be more or less worthless.

Can I borrow your crystal ball so I can invest in some self-driving car companies?

Also, no one "invests" in a car. At least, very few people, and if they do they're very old classic cars.

You can absolutely invest in some self-driving car companies - but market analysts may have already beat you to it, so they may be over-valued already, who knows.

Just because i can predict the future of the autonomous car revolution doesn't no one else is and you can capitalize on it. Tesla's stock has grown HUGELY, and many of the other self driving car companies (mobile eye has gone from $25 per share in 2016 to $63 today, Tesla traded at $17 in 2010 and hit nearly $400 this year).

If you do any research at all, you will realize that the '20s are going to bring HUGE disruptive change to driving. It's very exciting, and i would not spend (there, i said spend, not invest, happy?) any more money on our current selection of automobiles that i have to.


Mgmny

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Rcc

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2017, 06:51:39 AM »
We have a 2008 Ford Focus (love that car) but will be giving it to the Step Daughter upon her graduation from high school.  In our household we will have 2 boys who will be 7 and 6 at that time and a pitbull that travels with us.  I want to get another vehicle that is obviously safe and good on gas, but maybe a size up slightly from the Focus, which has horrendous leg room in the back seat. ( And since we will own this next vehicle until it dies I want it to accommodate longer legs of teenagers ;)  would love to hear suggestions.

Our other vehicle is a 2008 Toyota Tundra which is our vehicle for hauling and heavy duty stuff so the car I'm looking for will ideally be the one we do most of our running around town in, doesn't need a ton of trunk space etc.

My two cents. Thinking about your use case, as my teenager has graduated from riding with parents to driving himself. The long legs comment echoed for my wife and I:

1. Off lease Toyota Avalon (hybrid or not)
 

Mgmny

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2017, 10:49:56 AM »

If you do any research at all, you will realize that the '20s are going to bring HUGE disruptive change to driving. It's very exciting, and i would not spend (there, i said spend, not invest, happy?) any more money on our current selection of automobiles that i have to.



You're not wrong, I'm just guessing you're too young to understand the pace of change here. Self driving cars will likely become LEGAL in early 2020's (may still have to sit in the front seat), at least 10 years early 2030's until all new cars are required to be equipped as self driving. Then by 2050's+ it may be required to operate your car in self driving mode (even then it might just be during rush hour).

Like most technology it will be too expensive for mass adoption initially and then will come down in price over time. I wouldn't worry about the price of existing cars plummeting, but its worth considering if you're buying a car in the next couple years and having a self-driving car is important to you. The major societal benefits of self driving cars won't be felt until they're all self driving, which is half a lifetime away

I completely disagree, but that's ok. Technology grows exponentially, and will sneak up on you faster than you realize. Smart phones were disruptive, and that took far less than a decade. Uber and Lyft disrupted cabs (5 years tops?), and removing a human driving is too important to them.

The internet was adopted in less than a decade, also incredibly disruptive. Who in 1994 would have guessed where we were in 2000 with the internet? Keep guessing 2030s-50s, but I'll be in my self driving personal aircraft by then with the Jetsons.

« Last Edit: July 22, 2017, 10:54:19 AM by Mgmny »

Dicey

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #15 on: July 22, 2017, 01:52:27 PM »
If you do any research at all, you will realize that the '20s are going to bring HUGE disruptive change to driving. It's very exciting, and i would not spend (there, i said spend, not invest, happy?) any more money on our current selection of automobiles that i have to.
You're not wrong, I'm just guessing you're too young to understand the pace of change here. Self driving cars will likely become LEGAL in early 2020's (may still have to sit in the front seat), at least 10 years early 2030's until all new cars are required to be equipped as self driving. Then by 2050's+ it may be required to operate your car in self driving mode (even then it might just be during rush hour).

Like most technology it will be too expensive for mass adoption initially and then will come down in price over time. I wouldn't worry about the price of existing cars plummeting, but its worth considering if you're buying a car in the next couple years and having a self-driving car is important to you. The major societal benefits of self driving cars won't be felt until they're all self driving, which is half a lifetime away
I completely disagree, but that's ok. Technology grows exponentially, and will sneak up on you faster than you realize. Smart phones were disruptive, and that took far less than a decade. Uber and Lyft disrupted cabs (5 years tops?), and removing a human driving is too important to them.

The internet was adopted in less than a decade, also incredibly disruptive. Who in 1994 would have guessed where we were in 2000 with the internet? Keep guessing 2030s-50s, but I'll be in my self driving personal aircraft by then with the Jetsons.
Hmmm, The Jetsons launched during Prime Time in September, 1962. Good luck with that!

Mgmny

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #16 on: July 22, 2017, 02:42:37 PM »
Technology does in fact grow exponentially and self driving technology is already here. The only thing your off on is the demise of non self driving cars (they will be here and have value for a long time). Not everyone will adopt self driving technology immediately (cost and giving up control will be deterrents).

When you can buy a <$5000 used fully autonomous car then you'll be close.

That's just it though - with ultra inexpensive, electric, driverless car services, NO ONE will be purchasing their own cars. Why on Earth would I want to purchase one??  Why own a car when you can pay $2 to have a car drive you to work? Why drive to the grocery store when a driverless car will deliver your grocery order in 10 minutes for free? Need a prescription? A driverless car will deliver it within an hour.

Cost will be the biggest reason TO go driverless. Why purchase (or use an already purchased @$0.55 /mile) an autonomous car when the service itself will only cost $0.20 /mile?

neo von retorch

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Re: Will be purchasing a new to us car in 2 years. Suggestions?
« Reply #17 on: July 23, 2017, 05:00:26 PM »
How much does Uber/Lyft cost to go 12 miles during rush hour with human drivers and driver-owned cars?