Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My son and DIL have a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and 2017 Chevy Equinox, and I have had occasion to drive both once or twice. I guess those would be considered small-to-midsize SUVs?
I found both to be less easy to get in and out of because of the added height. I definitely wouldn't want to be doing that on a daily basis. I need to swing sideways out of the car's seat and have at least one foot immediately on the ground and I couldn't do that in their cars.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tek_Freek
I'm the opposite. Getting in and out of our Sorento is easy. Getting up-and-out of the Clarity is difficult. It's also difficult to get down-and-in the Clarity.
I added side step bars to the Sorento so shorter people have a step to use. Still difficult for some.
I've had my Sonata for almost five years now and it's not as easy to get in and out as it used to be. Certainly not as easy as my Jeep Wrangler or my Chevy Silverado or my wife's Subaru Outback. More than likely, it's the last sedan I'll ever own.
I've had my Sonata for almost five years now and it's not as easy to get in and out as it used to be. Certainly not as easy as my Jeep Wrangler or my Chevy Silverado or my wife's Subaru Outback. More than likely, it's the last sedan I'll ever own.
My mom died last week and she had a 2002 Chrysler Concord Limited with only 69K miles. My lease is up the end of August. I plan on taking it to a trusted mechanic because it needs two tires and new brakes and drive it for awhile so I can put that $300 a month payment into savings. My only issue is the Chrysler is a big car and I'm used to driving smaller cars but to save $300 a month I'll learn. Living with no debt is great and OP you can always lease if you don't want to buy something. If you have good credit you can get something with a lower payment than buying and you get a new car every 2-4 years. It's something to think about. I've leased for the last 6 years and think it's a great option for some people.
There is value in peace-of-mind. As we age, if our finances won't suffer, it is reasonable to consider replacing an aging vehicle with a newer one just for some peace of mind.
Still, it doesn't always work that way.
Over the life of my 2005 Durango, I've replaced the alternator and ball joints in the front end. That's it, aside from consumables (wipers, oil/filter, battery, tune-ups). Oh - it had the recall for Takata air bags. I bought it new and it now has about 140,000 miles on it.
My daughter's 2012 VW Eos has 48,000 miles on it. It has had a recall on the air bags, of course. It's had a clock spring in the steering replaced, fuel pump replaced, water pump replaced, a few other things... and then it threw the timing chain a week ago. It will need either a new head or an entire new engine - we won't know until it is disassembled.
There is value in peace-of-mind. As we age, if our finances won't suffer, it is reasonable to consider replacing an aging vehicle with a newer one just for some peace of mind.
.
We bought a new car last week for just that reason---peace of mind. We spend a good amount of time on the road and felt that the newer safety features would be a good thing to have at our age.
...I found both to be less easy to get in and out of because of the added height. I definitely wouldn't want to be doing that on a daily basis. I need to swing sideways out of the car's seat and have at least one foot immediately on the ground and I couldn't do that in their cars.
Likewise. This whole business of "easier egress and ingress" with taller vehicles baffles me. Do most people suddenly have a 36" inseam? Speaking personally, I find it to be easier to sit down onto the floor, and to jump back up again, than to scamper into some massive elevated vehicle (truck, van, SUV). Sometimes I'll miss my footing and end up face-planting into the seat, upon trying to get in. And when exiting, I swing my legs outwards, expecting to find solid ground... meeting only air.
Returning to the OP's concern... if finances are strained, then they'll continue to be strained, whether one buys a new car or retains an older one. If finances have adequate elasticity, then there won't be a strain, whether one buys a new car or retains an older one. The only awkwardly strained situation is if one insists on retaining an unreliable money-pit car. That is evidently not the case with the OP.
People rush out to spend $35,000 for a new car to avoid having to spend $500 once in awhile on a old car.
This, exactly! My aunt just traded in her 5 yr old car that had maybe 30K miles, because the paint or finish on the front grille was peeling and some other minor cosmetic things. So she walked out with a brand new car instead of getting her perfectly good low mileage car fixed. But hey, it keeps the economy chugging along when there are enough people who do this, and it feeds the secondary car market. Someone got a good deal on that vehicle.
I prefer to buy brand new, pay cash, unless there's a ridiculously low loan like 0% or thereabouts, and then keep my car well-maintained and keep it as long as reasonable, definitely more than 10 years, optimal would be 14 or 15 yrs.
I am posting in the retirement forum because I think people here would understand some of the things I am contemplating. DH (76) and I (72) own two cars. The newest is a 10 year old Lexus and the oldest is a 17 year old Accord. The Accord has a little over 100,000 miles on it. The Lexus has more. Both cars have been conscientiously maintained by DH, who really does take care of our cars. I drive the Accord around town, and DH drives the Lexus wherever we go together, including some travel.
I am a little concerned about taking two older cars into our elderly years. I am concerned that at some point we will need to buy a newer car, even though our oldest car has relatively few miles on it. I also would like to have some of the newer safety features, but that is not a huge want for me.
I don't want advice so much, as a way to think about this. I don't feel confident in my thinking. If there is no need to buy a car--probably a late model used car--then I don't want to spend the money. I wonder if we should replace the Lexus, instead of the Accord, but I suspect we should replace, if we replace, the older car. I know that mileage is usually the measure of the age of the car. So, should I simply not worry about this?
I guess what I worry about is learning a new car at an advanced age. New cars have safety systems and alarms. I think I could be OK now, but in 5 years? Who knows?
You can see that I am all over the place on this. Can you help me think this through?
I suspect that DH would buy a new car if I was enthusiastic. But I hate spending the money if we don't have to.
The Accord drives fine. It has been recently serviced, and it has good tires. It has minor body damage and some damage on the wheels.
I wouldn't buy a new one. We have two cars 2004 Camry and 2005 Accord. The 2004 has less than 100K on it, we had it painted when we moved to Florida because the original paint was crap. The Honda has more mileage on it paint is perfect. My husband also maintains them. We drive the Camry mostly on long trips because it is indestructible. If you are just going to turn around and buy another used car why when the vehicles you have run well? I would wait and then make a decision if buying new or nearly new or leasing is right. I would, however, keep tabs on that air bag situation with the Honda.
My son and DIL have a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and 2017 Chevy Equinox, and I have had occasion to drive both once or twice. I guess those would be considered small-to-midsize SUVs?
I found both to be less easy to get in and out of because of the added height. I definitely wouldn't want to be doing that on a daily basis. I need to swing sideways out of the car's seat and have at least one foot immediately on the ground and I couldn't do that in their cars.
Yeah. I want height! I hate sitting low in a car, although I do that in my Accord.
I wouldn't buy a new one. We have two cars 2004 Camry and 2005 Accord. The 2004 has less than 100K on it, we had it painted when we moved to Florida because the original paint was crap. The Honda has more mileage on it paint is perfect. My husband also maintains them. We drive the Camry mostly on long trips because it is indestructible. If you are just going to turn around and buy another used car why when the vehicles you have run well? I would wait and then make a decision if buying new or nearly new or leasing is right. I would, however, keep tabs on that air bag situation with the Honda.
My airbags have been replaced. But, good point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But hey, it keeps the economy chugging along when there are enough people who do this, and it feeds the secondary car market. Someone got a good deal on that vehicle.
