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Do you WANT something small? You can easily get a slightly used Camry or Sonata for $20k. Mazda 6 is a nice car as well, and has high praise from automotive journalists and buyers.
Right now is a good time to buy a car anyways. Subaru is great because of its AWD, and especially great in your climate. I'd throw in a Corolla or Civic into the mix as well, and toss on a set of winter tires.
I think the biggest reason to update your car is for the dramatic improvements in safety features since 2004. Things like crash protection, ESC, collision avoidance systems, better braking, AWD, etc. are becoming standard in more and more cars.
Sure, you can patch up any old car and keep it running indefinitely. But there comes a point where it just doesn't make sense anymore. If you have the money to spend, it would be short sighted to not take advantage of modern technology.
Well, I have considered repairs, though the car is 14 years old with 140,000 miles. Other than a dented hood and basic wear and tear, it's in decent condition. If I spend money ($3,000 or more) to get the transmission fixed/replaced, that certainly would be better than $20,000+, but the car at this point is only worth maybe $500, and I imagine there will only be more repair issues down the road. Additionally, I was sort of planning to replace the car at 150,000 miles (15 years) anyway because I'd like something sturdier with newer features (my current car doesn't even have cruise control).
So yeah, I feel that I'm at a crossroads with this car. I could repair and hope it goes for another couple of years, repair and maybe keep it for longer without newer features, donate it and acquire something a little safer and solid, etc.
I feel that eventually (in the next 5 years or so) I'm going to have to spend some money ($20,000 for new, less for used) on a car anyhow, and am not sure that keeping this going for 1-5 more years (with delayed expenditure of money) will enhance my life significantly.
But that's part of the quandary, I guess.
If you own a car, you will generally have to spend atleast $500 a year in upkeep for stuff like oil changes, alignments, tire rotations, and after that, its all out whats needs to be replaced due to wear and tear. Typically around the 10yr 150K is when alot of annoying things start to fail, but at the same time might not give any problems until 175-200k mark as well.
Is this car worth atleast $3500 if you replaced the transmission? If so, you might consider doing that, as if the car is ever totaled, you get your money back.
For under $20K, get a 1yr old Chevy Cruze or 1yr old Elantra, as they can be found for $13-15K and last you 5-10 yrs easily.
You will find a fanboy club for almost every kind of car. They will tell you it is a great car, the best car, better than all other cars. The fact is, today, cars are cars. Pick the features and price you like. If you need AWD do some research into AWD systems. Yes, Subaru has a good system, so does Volvo, and now Ford purportedly has a better AWD system, but that better system is only on select cars.
If you want a fast, fun to drive car look at specs, bt more importantly do test drives.
IME GPS in a car is worthless. Your phone GPS works better. Some car GPS systems have to be updated at the dealer - that is stupid. the ideal system IMO would just put your phone screen on the monitor and let you control your phone through the bigger screen.
Things like XM radio make no sense o me when you can get the same thing free through your phone. It used to be phones had limited range'areas, now it is difficult for ind someplace they will not work (other than downtown Chicago).
A resounding NO in the built in GPS. Use your smartphone and follow Google with up to the minute traffic maps and weather. You can buy a great phone (e.g., Samsung G8+) for less than one update of the on board GPS map.
I'm a repair and motor on type guy. My 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser just passed 120,000 miles and has a new engine and transmission over the last 7 years. I spend maybe $3,000 for those repairs. Your new car won't be any better and will cost much more in interest and lost capital opportunity.
As someone who has driven in the same kind of winter conditions for 50 years, I remember how terrible some old smaller RWD cars were on snowy roads. Then we got a FWD 1981 Buick Skylark. It was a world of difference. We commuted on far suburban Chicago highways for 20+ winters with FRD cars. Unless your in some rural setting with the need to go out before the roads are plowed, I don't think 4WD/AWD is needed.
My 2004 Hyundai Accent doesn't work too well anymore (it doesn't go into reverse), so I'm faced with the task of getting a new car. The problem is, I just don't know what to get. My maximum for a new car is around $20,000, and it should be a subcompact or compact (or comparatively smallish) car (so it will fit into my garage space). But I really don't know much about cars, and feel overwhelmed by the various options. Nissan? Mazda? Toyota? Honda? Subaru? VW? Go back to Hyundai?
I know people who have Subarus and VWs, so have been looking at certain models: the Subaru Impreza primarily, but also the VW Golf and maybe the VW Jetta. Thing is, other people I know tell me that VWs are a repair nightmare, and I just don't know much (yet) about the Subaru.
I have to make a decision pretty quickly--in the next two weeks. Aside from size (smallish) and price (around $20,000 or less), my hope is to get something that does cruise control and a built-in GPS. I don't want a hatchback, just a regular trunk.
It kind of seems that most of the cars at this price point and size are basically the same, but that may be just my uninformed impression. I feel overwhelmed and rushed. What to do?
Get a CPO car for under 10k and pocket the extra 10k. I'm assuming the accent you're currently driving has no AWD, so you may not need AWD.
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