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We've had many Jeeps over the years. To me they are a bit truck-like, but it's been awhile, so we'll probably look at them. We have no weather issues here, and our days of going, "mudding" are long gone.
We bought a Jeep once. In 1985. For a multi-month trip out west in the winter. It was the worst car we ever owned. And got rid of it in about 18 months (very unusual for us - we usually hold onto cars for a long time). Perhaps Jeep makes better vehicles now. Robyn
I would suggest looking at Certified Pre-Owned versions of the Hondas and Toyotas. These are usually 3 year old off-lease units that are inspected by the Dealer and Warranteed up to 100K miles. My last couple of cars have been CPO Lexus and Acura vehicles. They each gave me years of service with the only expense being regular oil changes and new tires as needed.
I would recommend not looking at any German cars New, Used or otherwise. My daughter had a Jetta and even the most basic of regular maintenance items cost 3x what a "normal" car would cost.
I bought a Dodge Caravan, brand new, with everything except the fancy phone stuff for $18K + some change. I also have Arthuritis. Absolutely unquestionably the handiest vehicle I've ever owned. Side doors open fully - I don't have to go bending over and wrenching my shoulders or back grabbing for stuff stored in the back. I drive it across the country twice a year. Comfy ride, endless storage, good mileage and runs on corn squeezins where available.
Thanks, all. We'll be out kicking tires this week, about 9 different dealers, and I talked to the financial planner about the cost, so we've got some wiggle room on the money part.
I'll let you know what we find out.
End of the month is a good time to buy. Salesmen and managers are under pressure to meet targets and goals.
I never thought about that for my future vehicle. Is there a way to find out if a car is a lease return when purchasing my next one?
That's where dealers get a lot of the CPO cars; if you are leasing one in high demand they will sometimes even offer an enticement to turn it in early. That happened to us recently; we had a leased Odyssey we probably would have opted to purchase but the dealer called and offered a great deal on a new one because they needed CPO stock. Not all lease returns become CPO cars, but the high demand vehicles in good shape often do.
I never thought about that for my future vehicle. Is there a way to find out if a car is a lease return when purchasing my next one?
Generally if you find a 1 year old used car with between 10 and 20k on the odometer it is generally a lease. You can look at the Carfax as well. It might not outright say lease on it but it is pretty evident when you look at it.
Check out the front leg room. The cheapest used large sedan is an Impala. The 2014 and up are actually well ranked and can be had with about 20K miles for about 15 to 17K.
Go to autotrader.com Type in 20K on maximum price and I would go under 30K miles that way life is still left on the bumper to bumper warranty. It is financially savvy to buy gently used.
Toyota's do have a slight quality advantage but it is priced into the vehicles, in fact I would argue more than priced in when buying used.
The Ford Fusion is quite roomy and economical. Used models are a steal in some places. My son bought one for a lot less than 20K.
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