Car advice. New long commute

[scaredyclassic]

In Temecula, today, on the cheapest leaf, 30k, they want 8000 over sticker for add ons. Jeeeeez.

Mazda in Temecula is asking MSRP on everything

[gzz]

I purchased at Westcott Mazda in National City for msrp. The cx30s were mostly selling the day they arrived.

Mine was 32k+tax because I got the leather and all the interior upgrades. Both my loaded version and the base version for ~25k I think are great values.

My son is 99th percentile size (10 months old and wearing 3T clothing) and #2 is probably coming soon, and my parents now live with me. So we are starting to look now at big SUVs.

The big Mazda, the CX-9, is on our list. The CX-30 with car seat + stroller really just has room for 3 adults and minimal cargo.

But more likely than the CX-9 will be a large two-row SUV, one with an optional third row we won’t get. CX-9 a small third row is standard.

The Mazda heads-up display includes: directions, speed, and current speed limit, and if a stop sign is coming. It is really handy, no need to keep glancing down to check your speed. The nav heads up display even shows you what lane you should be in.

[Coronita]

[quote=gzz]I purchased at Westcott Mazda in National City for msrp. The cx30s were mostly selling the day they arrived.

Mine was 32k+tax because I got the leather and all the interior upgrades. Both my loaded version and the base version for ~25k I think are great values.

My son is 99th percentile size (10 months old and wearing 3T clothing) and #2 is probably coming soon, and my parents now live with me. So we are starting to look now at big SUVs.

The big Mazda, the CX-9, is on our list. The CX-30 with car seat + stroller really just has room for 3 adults and minimal cargo.

But more likely than the CX-9 will be a large two-row SUV, one with an optional third row we won’t get. CX-9 a small third row is standard.

The Mazda heads-up display includes: directions, speed, and current speed limit, and if a stop sign is coming. It is really handy, no need to keep glancing down to check your speed. The nav heads up display even shows you what lane you should be in.[/quote]

Ok, imho you’re wasting your time on an SUV… You should get a Toyota Sienna. Those things are totally awesome. They’re big, they are roomy, and now that they are hybrid, have pretty good gas mileage.

36mpg in a minivan…. That’s pretty darn good.

https://www.toyota.com/sienna/

Once you have to move around people like kids and inlaws or relatives, you’ll regret just getting an SUV.

A CX9 at most gets 28mpg and the third row is just there for decorative purposes.

Or if you really want to take gamble, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s a plugin hybrid.

https://www.chrysler.com/pacifica/hybrid.html

[svelte]

[quote=Coronita]

Or if you really want to take gamble, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s a plugin hybrid.

https://www.chrysler.com/pacifica/hybrid.html%5B/quote%5D

My son has a Pacifica hybrid. He loves it! I’ve been spending a lot of time in it – great leather!

His is about 2 years old now, no issues with it.

He picked ceramic gray with black wheels because he got a fantastic deal on it…I’d probably pick another color. 🙂 Or actually, just switching to polished rims works too.

We had a Dodge Grand Caravan we kept over 100K miles, did just fine. And a Dodge Dakota to over 250K miles before we sold it and it was doing great also…still original alternator and water pump!

[Coronita]

[quote=svelte][quote=Coronita]

Or if you really want to take gamble, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s a plugin hybrid.

https://www.chrysler.com/pacifica/hybrid.html%5B/quote%5D

My son has a Pacifica hybrid. He loves it! I’ve been spending a lot of time in it – great leather!

His is about 2 years old now, no issues with it.

He picked ceramic gray with black wheels because he got a fantastic deal on it…I’d probably pick another color. 🙂 Or actually, just switching to polished rims works too.

We had a Dodge Grand Caravan we kept over 100K miles, did just fine. And a Dodge Dakota to over 250K miles before we sold it and it was doing great also…still original alternator and water pump![/quote]

I rented dodge caravans every time I went skiing. Can’t say anything bad about them. Some people wonder if they are reliable. I think in general yes, but not enough data on hybrid yet.

[sdrealtor]

I have to agree with FLU here for many reasons! As a former parent of young children I speak from experience with them and elderly parents in the area we spent considerable time with.

A minivan offers an elevated clear view of the surroundings for the rear passengers unlike an SUV. Looking around my kids became naturally inquisitive about their surroundings and asked many questions. That natural inquisitiveness has remained into adulthood

Put two kids in the backseat of an SUV and you might as well ring the bell for the first round of the battle royale. In the separate captain seats in a minivan they are close enough to interact playfully without ending up in a wrestling match. It helped my kids bond and develop a sense of kindness for each other that remains to this day.

Kids are generators of filth! They spill, drop and throw things they eat and drink. It is impossible to clean the back of a car or SUV of the amount of debris that kids generate. With a minivan you can quickly and easily remove the seats for proper sanitizing of both them and the floor beneath them.

While you have the seats out you have a vehicle for hauling that exceeds that of a pick up truck because it is sheltered from the outside. Need to move furniture? pick up a new bike? get an extensive science project to school? The minivan is your answer!

Good luck having grandparents climb in and out of an SUV. Inevitably there will be accidents and visits to the hospital, the doctors office and the ER with them. Climbing into a vehicle with an elevated wheelbase is more trouble for them than you could imagine. In the rear, the captains seats also offer better support and closeness to their grandkids while maintaining a comfortable boundary for all.

These are just a few reason while a minivan is the one and only right answer for a parent of infants with grandparents in the home. As someone as pragmatic as you it would be almost irresponsible to get anything but a minivan.

[Hobie]

So true SDR re grandparents and high entry vehicles. Minivans are perfect for that age plus the little kiddos. Good post. He is exactly on point as this is a real issue when (grand) parents get older.

[an]

100% agree with sdr. We have an Odyssey for all of those reasons and loved our decision.

[Coronita]

The other thing about minivans, particularly Siennas is that they don’t really depreciate that quickly.

I believe a Toyota Sienna depreciates about 23% after about 5 years of ownership.

Compare that with a BMW X5 that will depreciate 46% after 5 years of ownership.

Chrysler’s Pacifica depreciation is about 37% (non-hybrid version), not enough data on the hybrid version

And the Honda Odyssey is roughly 27% in 5 years.

If I could without adding a lot of money, I would trade in my X5 for a Toyota Sienna. Unfortunately, that 46%+ depreciation really hurts, lol. What I really want is an updated Toyota 4Runner or a Ford Raptor, but not the most econ friendly. Disappointed how the F150 electric turned out… that was interesting.

[Coronita]

[quote=Hobie]So true SDR re grandparents and high entry vehicles. Minivans are perfect for that age plus the little kiddos. Good post. He is exactly on point as this is a real issue when (grand) parents get older.[/quote]

yeah my parents hate getting into my x5… But they hate getting into and out of miatas even more…

[Coronita]

Gzz, you know this is calling for you….

[scaredyclassic]

I was thinking maybe it’s just status. Why am I driving this beat up old Honda given who I am. Discussed with my son. He said look, you’ve been driving an old silver Honda your entire life, maybe that’s who you are. My old civic was silver, and so is the accord.

He has a point. How much of wanting a new car is about a car, and how much about wanting to be or be perceived as someone else. Or imagining life will be different.

So I replaced the wiper blades. One was really thrashed. I think I can make it through the winter with this car. In the spring, I will rethink things.

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I was thinking maybe it’s just status. Why am I driving this beat up old Honda given who I am. Discussed with my son. He said look, you’ve been driving an old silver Honda your entire life, maybe that’s who you are. My old civic was silver, and so is the accord.

He has a point. How much of wanting a new car is about a car, and how much about wanting to be or be perceived as someone else. Or imagining life will be different.

So I replaced the wiper blades. One was really thrashed. I think I can make it through the winter with this car. In the spring, I will rethink things.[/quote]

The joke my friends your “Asian-ness” of a family depends how many Toyota Camry’s or Honda Accords your family has. I had a friend that had 7 total Camrys. My best friend’s family had 6 Accords before he got rebellious and bought an Acura TL……His parents were like “why did did you waste money on a fancy label and leather”?

You have a great car. If it’s looking a little old, taking it to the body shop and getting it repainted. Or if you’re nice to me, I can experiment on your car after I’m done with my kids… Man I’m cheap…[img_assist|nid=27772|title=crackmobile|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=500|height=400]

[img_assist|nid=27774|title=crackmobile2|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=500|height=400]

[gzz]

[quote=Coronita]Gzz, you know this is calling for you….

[/quote]

I am not against a minivan, I learned to drive in one. But the Japanese ones are expensive now, and as you mention, there are minimal savings going used. Selection of used ones is very limited too.

The Odyssey starts at 39k after “fees” and before tax.

Sienna has zero in-stock inventory at my closest two dealers, and they appear to be marking them up 11k over MSRP, so they practically start at $54 before tax.

[sdrealtor]

[quote=gzz][quote=Coronita]Gzz, you know this is calling for you….

[/quote]

I am not against a minivan, I learned to drive in one. But the Japanese ones are expensive now, and as you mention, there are minimal savings going used. Selection of used ones is very limited too.

The Odyssey starts at 39k after “fees” and before tax.

Sienna has zero in-stock inventory at my closest two dealers, and they appear to be marking them up 11k over MSRP, so they practically start at $54 before tax.[/quote]

Taking proper care of kids and parents is expensive. You love them. It’s just money

[Author]

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