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Considerations...... also long winded.... Posted by Mark in Marine [Email]  (#1837) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Mark in Marine) on Sat, 20 Feb 2016 10:59:18
In Reply to: Need a replacement car ideas...... long winded...., mdj, Sat, 20 Feb 2016 09:30:10 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I sympathize - our kids are just recently out of the college, and we worked around all your compromises most of the last two decades. My wife had a Honda Accord wagon, and then a succession of minivans (on 3rd Odyssey now). It wasn't about the passion for driving, but function and reliability. Our first SAAB was a used '88 9000S stick - my wife drove it once. The second was a '99 9-5 SE 2.3lpt w auto - got my daughters safely through HS and college. We gave each of them a used 9-5 as a grad gift to get to their jobs - a compromise between safety, cost, utility, and reliability. I have been doing the the maintenance - and 5 cars is a little more than I want. Our daughters have taken over responsibility for most everything else in their lives, and they will be looking for good SAAB-capable mechanics when they move for more school (on their own nickel).
I'd do a decision tree:
1 - Do you DIY most maintenance? (all vehicles or some, you suggest not enough time)
2 - Do you have a competent and honest local mechanic ? (handles brand you buy?)
3 - Inlaws will not be an issue if your wife chooses the car and is happy. A friend at work's motto is "a happy wife is a happy life" - make suggestions, but let your wife choose, since she'll be driving
4 - If (only If) your wife agrees, go for mechanical quality and accept a few dents, dings, or chips. This can be a big money saver if the mechanical and electric items are sound (one 9-5 I bought was like this - purchase included $150 for a touch up 'artist' to retouch all chips and scratches).
Sounds like you have already shopped a lot, and you already suggested an Outback. Review your own list, discuss with your wife what you haven't yet checked about choices - check the folding bike fit, etc. Consumer Reports usually reviews reliability data - not perfect, but may help reassure. Also search Edmund's or Kelly for cargo space specs - they do get them wrong sometimes, but . . .
Would you consider domestic, sport utility, crossover ?
Sorry for the rambling, but as Click and Clack used to say, this is not as much about cars as about relationships. =)
Mark in Marine
Current garage:
2012 Odyssey
2005 BMW 325xi
1999 SAAB SE 2.3lpt
and maintaining two '06 SAAB 9-5's
, Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:38:52
, Tue, 23 Feb 2016 11:50:23, Sat, 20 Feb 2016 10:59:18 <-- Viewing This Message
, Sat, 20 Feb 2016 16:06:27, Sun, 21 Feb 2016 05:58:04
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