car buying: last year's model?

Yeah and often there's still a transferrable warranty ...I have some wealthy friends who sell their meticulously maintained high end Audis and BMWs every 4 yrs regardless the mileage...

 

Those are the ones I scoop up. If I have, say, a 25K budget for a car. In my mind I can buy a meticulously maintained 2011 BMW 5 series or a new Honda Civic. No offense to the Civic drivers, but c'mon, what do you want to be screaming down the highway in?

 

I own, and have owned, several Jeeps. They have quirks with the electrical systems, and issues with electric door windows, but are incredibly reliable otherwise.

225k miles, and never a breakdown on the Liberty I drive, with a driver who is hard on cars and minimal maintenance.

Fuel efficiency sucks.

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Unlimited is where you can take a Jeep.

 

Don't by a Jeep........just don't. There are significantly better alternatives out there than the travesty that is Daimler-Chrysler.

 

service costs are a consideration, as one Bemmer owner with no warranty tells me "every service interval ends up costing me a couple grand", which is why my other Bemmer friends unload them when their warranties expire...Bemmers are great cars but you gotta have plenty of cash...

 

Agreed, I had Jeep rental a while back while my toyota was being repaired for an insurance claim, I was appalled at the ergonomics and quality...

it wasn't the traditional jeep but a newer suv version, a patriot or liberty...after a century of car building how is it still possible for engineers to get it so wrong...

 

"Bimmer," my man. "Beamer" is the bikes.

A lot of what you say is true. Repairs and maintenance can get pricey. But think about it like this;

I buy a 25K, 4 year old BMW and sell it 5 years later for 10K.
15K over 5 years is about 250/mo
$1500 budget for repairs/maintenace per year is $125/mo (I doubt it will be this much)
Thats a total ownership cost of $375/mo which is on par with a Honda sedan, a strip down jeep, or a hyundai of your liking. Wouldn't you rather drive the 5 series?

Now, if the person is young, or just doesn't have cash on hand to pay $1000 for a repair, they are better off with the $375/mo lease for some piece of crap and no maintenance charges.

I could swing the new lux car price. But I gotta tell ya, sitting the 60K new bimmer, and then sitting in the meticulously maintained 25K bimmer, I can't justify it. I'll put the 35K in my kids bank account.

 

Got it. now it makes sense.

 

They are tough, and other than the electrical issues, are not prone to breaking down. Plus, they're one of the vehicles that has one of the highest American made content.

My next vehicle will probably be a Wrangler. They're a lot of fun to run off road with, and I've driven mine in blizzards with no problems.

 

With under 100K, I've had:

A/C compressor failed.
Water Pump failed.
Radiator leaked.
Alternator failed.
ABS caused rear wheels to lock up -- required firmware upgrade.
Transmission recall for firmware upgrade to prevent seizure of drive wheels.
Key-switch failed. Required replacement of plastic contact assembly in steering column -- $2000.00 repair.

So yeah... Not exactly Toyota level reliability.

 

Well, I'd never own a Toyota, because of my belief in buying vehicles that keep Americans working. But as I've said, electrical problems and windows have been the problems. One area I've kept up on maintenance is the transmission.

Overall, after owning ford, GM and Chrysler vehicles over the years, often 4X4 trucks, I've impressed with how versatile Jeeps are, with the ability to get through any weather, and some tough off road conditions.

To each his own, though.

 

Agreed. A reliable car is a necessity for both business and pleasure, but 30 Grand some something that will only depreciate in value? I'd rather buy a good used car for $8-10K and put the other $20K into my 401k.

 

I'm actually looking at Toyota's fj cruiser because jeep dealers weren't giving me a great shake. I've already gotten them 4000 below msrp, and they have a national 750 cash incentive for military (including IRR, which I am). That's on a 35.8k vehicle, which brings it to 31,083. That's with 4x4 automatic, the upgrade package, convenience package, roof rack, all weather mats. I'm actually psyked. I told them I couldn't buy until Tuesday (my cousin is high up at a dealership and is coming up Monday to help me get a good deal), so maybe I can even get it lower.

Jeep dealers just haven't been competitive. Sad face.

 

Toyota builds cars in the US. They have the best engineering, IMHO.

 

I have heard somewhere or the other that the true dealer cost is about 81% of sticker--they mostly unload the trade-ins for pocket change at auctions if they sit on the lot for a few months.

I would be more asking "Would I get $30K worth of enjoyment out of this vehicle?". Personally, I always buy used vehicles. If you are patient, you can find low milage older cars. Just as a matter of perspective, for less than $10K more than what you want to offer for the car, I recently bought a house assessed at 2 1/2 times as much at an REO auction which will give me a stream of income for so long as I wish to own it and a tax deduction for decades. IMHO, people spend way to much on new cars which are seldom worth it unless you are driving hours a day.

 

my tundra in 100k was had a water pump drip, no issues with overheating it was just something they noticed on my "free oil changes for life of my truck"...it was covered by warranty. ..

 

my tundra is 80% usa made more than the domestics ford comes 2nd at 75%...dodge, jeep, gm, chev are all lower than that...

 

yup, in quality and reliability toyotas only come second to ....Lexus...

It's funny to see some truck magazines have their Detroit Iron shoot outs between "all american" pickups leaving out the most american pickup the toyota tundra out of the competition. ..the tundra is only made in the USA...Its realy silly as the auto builders are all multinationals, they may have headquarters in another country but they're internationally owned...im quite sure that very american dodge/jeep is owned by fiat, an italian based multinational...

 

"Unlimited" means cheaper parts and repairs

 

toyota fj is by far the better vehicle, visibilty out the back is poor, don't know if that's an issue off roading, it's short so probably not an issue for parking..


It seems everytime I see a news program from some remote roadless hell hole in disaster zones of the world the 4x4 of choice isnt a Landrover, Mercedes or Jeep it's a Toyota 4x4, Landcruiser, hilux, tacoma, fj...

 

Not really... But Tundra isn't bad.
http://wallstcheatsheet.com/automobiles/the-15-most-american-automobiles-of-2014.html/?a=viewall

 

FJ's production run is finished this year.

 

My favorite Jeep I owned was a 1978 CJ5 that I lifted 2" on the body, and I built a tubular roll cage that I fitted to the frame. 31" tires, 304ci V8, 3 speed on the floor. I had banged it up a few times out in the woods and welded in stainless diamond plate on the back body and fiberglass fenders. I was saving up to fit a winch and some other goodies when I split with my ex. I also had a 1979 Bronco that I had just bought, with a 400ci V8, automatic transmission. I lived in an area of old logging trails, game lands and state parks, and used those, and other vehicles off road.

 

Find a decent used car, you are paying for the "new", you are not paying for the car.

 

I wanted a new Jeep wrangler, my only concern was the price, color and package that I wanted. I joined the Wrangler forum and read the threads for about a year and learned before the purchase.

That was in 2012 and have enjoyed the Wrangler 4 door hardtop in the rocky mountains ever since. With the new power plant I get 22 mpg on the freeway and 18 mpg in the city and that is in a altitude from 6500 to 10000 feet above sea level. Fun vehicle with the top and doors off.

The resale value of the Wrangler is good here in Colorado and in most places so that is something to consider on the back end.

So far my only complaint is the retraction spring for the front seat belts. They are weak and sometimes get caught in the door while closing.

Wrangler has a lot of after market stuff that is helpful as the years go by. Good luck.