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I think the OP said he only is interested in an American car. The Jeep Grand Cherokee (in base form without a power seat) is the cheapest SUV unless you go small and opt for a base Equinox or Escape. A base Edge with AWD might be a few bucks cheaper. I wouldn't want a Dodge Journey.
GM doesn't have a SUV that competes with the Grand Cherokee or Edge. The only have smaller or bigger and the bigger ones (Traverse, Acadia, etc.) are pricey.
The Pilot is an American car, too, built in Lincoln, AL. For an American branded vehicle, the Equinox is a good consideration, as are some of the Fords. Given that the OP has a 2001 Camry that he is looking to replace, that's why I'd recommend looking at other vehicles, as the Jeep is likely not to be anywhere near as trouble-free to own over the same period.
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Jeep-knowing your wife won't be stuck on the side of the road is worth the monthly payment and to save yourself the aggravation of getting chewed out over it
OK, without explicitly quoting and replying individually to all the recent messages (which I appreciate) here are my general thoughts:
*Safety is more important than saving $ in my book, hence leaning towards newer over older/current car.
*We have fairly good incomes and savings, a new car would not be a huge burden even with our mortgage.
*Jeeps can be expensive but I believe regular maintenance can be worth their functionality (my parents' one has over 240K miles, original engine).
*My wife grew up driving an SUV and actually prefers them. The Camry was purchased for her by her parents (as a certified used) during college. We then had a long distance relationship (3000 miles) where I was not always around to make sure she was following the maintenance schedule, thus the string of problems arising now.
*Now that we are together and married, I can better monitor regular maintenance and keep a new car on the right track from the start. When you're buying your own car rather than someone giving you one, you tend to take better care of it, like I've done with my own Charger.
If you have deduced this much from asking a question on a forum and reading answers you wasted yours and other's time. If you have the disposable income it should be a no brainer.
I had two other thoughts...
You don't own a competent set of tools and have never turned many wrenches in your life.
You are a democrat.
The Pilot is an American car, too, built in Lincoln, AL. For an American branded vehicle, the Equinox is a good consideration, as are some of the Fords. Given that the OP has a 2001 Camry that he is looking to replace, that's why I'd recommend looking at other vehicles, as the Jeep is likely not to be anywhere near as trouble-free to own over the same period.
The only jeep I would own is the two door, 4 cyl, manual trans soft top variety that has stood the test of time. I have seen many GCs broken down and junked. There is one across the street at present and the guy hates it.
If you have deduced this much from asking a question on a forum and reading answers you wasted yours and other's time. If you have the disposable income it should be a no brainer.
I had two other thoughts...
You don't own a competent set of tools and have never turned many wrenches in your life.
You are a democrat.
OK I'm sorry if I wasted yours and others time! Regarding income, I don't like to think of any as "disposable," I want my money to be well spent whether it's a car, house, etc. so just because I can doesn't mean I always should.
Like I've said, I TRULY appreciate everyone's comments as they have helped point out pros and cons of fixing vs. buying new/used that I may not have considered originally.
And let's just say you're batting 0.500 in regards to your other thoughts...
Your cheapest route is to still drive the Camry. You've invested this much money into it already. I would look into finding a new mechanic $3000 seems a little steep for what he's doing. The new car is tempting but realistically you're going to spend a lot more on the Jeep than the amount maintenance costs you with the Camry.
Wife took in her 2001 Camry (~140,000 miles) for an oil change and our mechanic pointed out that all 4 tires are basically done with tread life so they'll need to be replaced plus alignment etc. (I don't dispute this). There is also a power steering leak (acknowledged), additional rack and pinion maintenance, both front struts need replacing, and a few other items that may or may not need attention now but will need to be addressed to pass safety inspection next June. All this, including labor, is a bit over $3K, probably around what the car is worth.
The last two years we've spent $1.5K to $2K per year fixing other things (engine mounts, brakes, leaks, etc.) thinking that we'd be somewhat "in the clear" in terms of heavy maintenance but it just seems to come more frequently now. Granted, a lot of this work has to do with my wife not addressing some of these items while she was away in Oregon for 5 years (basically just oil changes all that time).
Anyways, as much of a "drive it till the wheels fall off" mentality I have, it is painful to have maintenance costs exceed the car's value with no guarantee that new problems won't arise year after year.
We are contemplating a new vehicle instead, and really like the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee as we do a fair amount of outdoor activities and will have kids soon and want a safe and reliable vehicle with room.
I know I'l spend 1.5 to 2 times the maintenance costs (at least) on a new car down payment plus the monthly payments after that so that is something I'll have to consider. We would hope to buy towards the end of the year for better deals as dealers clear inventory for the 2014 models arriving.
So am I being a quitter by giving up on this 12 year old car and "wasting" my money on a new one? What would you do?
As far as your "drive it till the wheels fall off mentality", by my thinking, you've just about done that already. Spending $1.5K to $2K to $3K a year keeping a Camry going would depress the He*ll out of me. And do you want to be dealing with the (it sounds like) endless repairs after you have kids, & all that that entails?
I knew a guy who did that with his '97 Accord. Spent $1.5K to $2K to $3K a year on repairs the last few years he owned it. (The thing was awful by then, the A/C didn't work, etc.). Now this guy was a lawyer who lived in a Mansion, by some people's standards, in a very expensive suburb. But claimed he couldn't afford even a new CR-V. (??)
It took the '97 Accord breaking down late at night with his wife & daughter about 60 miles from home to resolve the situation......
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