OT: Buying a new car – are ‘they’ for real?

[paramount]

I wanted to bounce this off some car enthusiasts and consumers; it could be me after all.

I was looking at buying a new/2015 Chevy Tahoe.

I was specifically look at a mid grade (LT) Tahoe and truly had sticker shock – easily 55k.

And that’s not loaded – that’s for a mid grade 2wd Tahoe.

I’m sure I could buy a decent condo somewhere for not much more.

In 10 years a 2015 Tahoe will be on it’s way out.

Seems like a really poor way for just about anyone to drop 50k+.

And yet I see plenty on the road.

Would you spend 50k+ on a 2015 Tahoe or any new car for that matter?

[spdrun]

A tha’ho? If I wanted to drive a UPS truck, I’d apply for a job at UPS. I want to sit nice and low, in the car, not in a raised bathtub.

Nah. Plenty of used cars out there that you can get for 10 grand or under and will run a long time.

[svelte]

Yes I’ve spent over 50K on a new car a few times. But I don’t do it often – we keep our cars at least a decade in most cases and I still own every car I’ve bought over the 50K mark.

I rented a Tahoe on a trip once…black with black leather. Very nice vehicle and I can see why someone would buy it if they regularly need to tow something or regularly haul a bunch of folks and their luggage around. But that’s not what I do so I would never buy one…especially new. And I had to herd it down the road – not exactly precise steering. That didn’t really bother me until I had done it several hundred miles. Then it became tiresome.

I think you have a large fam paramount so I can see why you’d be drawn to it. But since they use standard Chevy powerplants, you could probably buy a nice condition used one and throw a new motor in it down the line fairly cheaply.

As I said, nice cars and I can see the draw. Just not for me.

[paramount]

[quote=spdrun] I want to sit nice and low, in the car, not in a raised bathtub.

[/quote]

You made a ‘bathtub’ comment sometime ago (as I recall) about crossovers and it stuck with me. And I agree Crossovers for the most part do look like bathtubs, but not a Tahoe.

[img_assist|nid=25401|title=Tahoe|desc=|link=node|align=center|width=100|height=57]

[equalizer]

1963 Chicken tax introduced 25% tax on light duty trucks. Still in effect today. May be one reason light duty trucks are profit machines for auto companies, whereas small cars barely break even.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

[Coronita]

I have before on the X5 and more on the 550, but I drive my cars to the ground, and I’m pretty handy. My biggest regret? Wish I just combinded both purchases and just bought an M5, though one ended up being a gift for my dad. Financially, does it make sense? Nope. Oh well.

[paramount]

[quote=flu]I have before on the X5 and more on the 550, but I drive my cars to the ground, and I’m pretty handy. My biggest regret? Wish I just combinded both purchases and just bought an M5, though one ended up being a gift for my dad. Financially, does it make sense? Nope. Oh well.[/quote]

Flu, would you drop 55k or more on a Tahoe/Yukon? As mentioned, definitely a nice ride.

[flyer]

We’ve dropped some serious cash on items of the auto and aviation variety that may not have made any sense to others, but, since we could afford them, they made sense to us.

Even though buying the Tahoe may or may not make sense to others, it sounds like you and your family would really enjoy it, and, as long as it’s not a stretch financially, why not?

[scaredyclassic]

No way in hell.

[Coronita]

[quote=paramount][quote=flu]I have before on the X5 and more on the 550, but I drive my cars to the ground, and I’m pretty handy. My biggest regret? Wish I just combinded both purchases and just bought an M5, though one ended up being a gift for my dad. Financially, does it make sense? Nope. Oh well.[/quote]

Flu, would you drop 55k or more on a Tahoe/Yukon? As mentioned, definitely a nice ride.[/quote]

No. Because in hindsight, I realized how little enjoyment I have in driving an SUV.
I do like having a bigger car for transporting the kid. But that’s just me. If folks like an SUV and you have the funds, why not? You only live once.

If I had to get something big right now, I probably would get the upcoming Ford F150 Raptor in the new aluminum bod panels over any SUV, along with a trailer hitch. Those things are bitchin. And pretty reliable. Those are around $50k after tax license etc.

I always wanted a bad ass truck since I was a little kid.

[The-Shoveler]

My current Limits are 20k for a new car and about 10k for used.

Figure the minute you drive it off the lot, it loses about 25% and just keeps going down from there.

Any more than that is just a waste IMO (at current dollar value levels).

Maybe as inflation goes up so will my limits.

But I may buy a used high end Tesla for about 20K in the next few years.

[FlyerInHi]

If you can afford it then, why not?

But since you asked a financial question, then no way is a better answer.
For $50+ you can buy an investment condo in many places.

Rather than buying my 16yo niece a car, im giving her the income of a small condo and teaching her how to do property management for income she can use to buy a car. I think it’s a good life lesson. The better she manages the property, the more potential future income.

[FlyerInHi]

I’m a big fan of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
Very competent affordable family cars. The Camry is just above $20k.

I’m a big fan of the Google self-driving car. Self-driving and car sharing seem like the future of the automobile.

For most people not owning a car (and the associated expenses) sounds like a better option.

[spdrun]

Camry and Accord are boring crap. At least you can still get the Accord with a real transmission, but that’s about it.

And no thanks to the idea of car-sharing. I don’t want to have to use my credit card and have my GPS coordinates recorded for eternity whenever I decide to go somewhere by car.

Scroogle’s model of car-sharing will be the death of public transit and the start of the total panopticon in the US. Screw that idea with a turbocharged jackhammer. Hope there’s total economic and societal collapse before it comes to pass.

Owning a car isn’t that expensive so long as you actually own it. Not rent it from the bank.

[moneymaker]

spdrun if you have your phone on while you are driving,particularly an android phone then THEY KNOW WHERE YOU ARE ALL THE TIME! I love the elevator music touch that google maps does when you sit in the car in one spot too long.

[Author]

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