I find myself once again in the market for a new car. I’m
currently leasing a Kia Optima. This is the first time I’ve ever gone down the
lease road. I may not have considered it but at the time it seemed like the
most viable option given the situation. It hasn’t been bad so far, but I may
feel differently when the lease is up and it’s time to turn in the car.
Speaking of the car, I have been really pleasantly surprised by the Kia. It’s
well put together, sporty (for a midsize sedan), and not bad to drive. I might
even consider keeping it, except that I went for a less equipped model because
of the situation at the time. There are a few things it’s missing that I’d
really like to have.
This puts me in an interesting situation. I like cars and
driving but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an enthusiast or an expert. My wife
calls me a car snob, but she has to listen to me talk about cars. I live in an
area with a prolific variety of car dealers. I don’t really hold any brand
loyalty. I do have a fondness for Jeeps, and admittedly, I’ve owned as many
Chrysler products as other brands combined. That said, I’d like to explore all
the options.
But this leaves me with a lot of choice. The auto industry
is probably the best it has been in my lifetime. No matter what your
requirements are there is a good car to meet them, and probably two or three. If
I randomly wandered on to dealer’s lots I would probably waste a lot of salespeoples’
time getting lost in all the options.
So I’ve decided to put together a list of requirements in
order to narrow things down. Oh yah, I’ve also decided to write about my
experiences and the cars I look at in order to give you a layman’s view of the
car buying process. Maybe we’ll all learn something. Maybe (likely) you’ll all
laugh at how stupid I am. Anyway, here are my requirements:
NEW (or possibly CPO) – In the past I have purchased used
cars almost exclusively. The depreciation hit a new car takes alone is worth
it. I would still consider a used car if the right one came along. The problem is
(1) the used car market, at least in my part of New England is really ugly. It’s
almost as if cars don’t take anywhere near the depreciation hit they used to. (2)
there are A LOT of used cars out there. At least for the purpose of trying to
decide what I really want, it’s better to focus on the new ones. Maybe after I
narrow things down to a specific model or two I’ll take a look and see If I can
get a deal on a gently used example.
AFFORDABLE – I’m going to avoid talking actual numbers here
because I think it’s crass. If you pay attention you’ll be able to figure out
what the range is anyway. I will let you know if I come across a great deal.
Something like $10K below MSRP for example. Anyway, the goal here is to keep
both my payments and my insurance from making me want to drink when I get the
bill every month. I should also note here that I’m open to leasing again if the
terms are favorable.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION – I know; hardcore car guys shun
autos. This is part of the reason I don’t claim the enthusiast title. My wife
and I can both drive a stick. The problem is the area of the Midwest where we
both learned to drive is MUCH flatter with much straighter roads than Southern New
England. My wife doesn’t want to worry about making a mistake in bad weather or
heavy traffic and causing an accident. She will occasionally drive the car. I
can’t blame her. Auto it is.
AWD/4WD – I understand the arguments. I know without a doubt
that a good set of snow tires will do more in winter weather than AWD. I have
driven front wheel drive cars and even a rear wheel drive pickup in northern
winters without major problems. Still, the weather is unpredictable here with intense
rain and snow blowing up out of nowhere from time to time. It would be nice to
have an extra bit of traction when things get interesting. It also limits the
pool of contenders a bit.
SEATS 4+ - I honestly don’t have passengers, other than
maybe my wife. Still, it’s nice to be able to cart visitors around when we have
them without having to rent a bus. I may need to take the dogs somewhere at
some point too. I can’t see fitting all three of them in a two seat coupe.
WIFE’S APPROVAL – She will have to drive it occasionally.
She will have to be seen with me driving it. I’m spending our money. She gets a
say.
Other things that would be good to have, but aren’t deal
breakers if they aren’t possible:
SEAT 4 COMFORTABLY – Like I said, sometimes we haul visitors
around southern New England all day. Ever ridden in the back seat of a Mustang?
25 MPG COMBINED – Gas is fairly cheap now, but I’m not
holding my breath that it will stay that way. 25 MPG combined isn’t too much of
a stretch given current engine technology. Also: environment and stuff.
HEATED/COOLED SEATS – the better to be comfortable with.
HEATED STEERING WHEEL – Every winter I want one more and
more.
REMOTE START – I never knew I needed this until I had it. I’m
not sure I can live without it anymore. I love going out to a pre-warmed car on
a cold morning. I know, it’s not so environmentally friendly.
USABLE CARGO SPACE – we like to go places. It’s nice to take
stuff with us, especially if we’re also bringing the dogs. I also have a
decently sized garden and lots of home and yard projects. The more cargo space,
the better.
FUN TO DRIVE – This should probably be required rather than
nice to have. The practical side of me says this shouldn’t matter. I’m stuck in
slow traffic for part of my average commute anyway. Even so, there is a great
deal of value to me in having something that is enjoyable to spend time in
since I spend at least of an hour of my day there. I’ll probably end up putting
a great deal of weight on this quality.
So that’s it. My plan is to throw up my longlist of options
in the next post with some preliminary thoughts. I would love to get
suggestions and thoughts as I’m going through this process. You can even tell
me I’m making mistakes. I’m open to constructive criticism. Please don’t tell
me “FORDSUCKSCHEVYRULEZ!!!!” though. I already know.
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