Well, it’s that time again…every 4-6 years our cars come due for relatively annoying issues, and high mileage, and it comes time to think about replacing them.
Christy had a 2007 Saturn Vue, little over 4 years old and starting to show wear. It was at around 80K, too. The AC went out, and was going to cost ~$1000 to fix, due to where the part that was broken physically was required removal of the engine, and a ton of labor. We were in the market for tires, at a little under $1000 (she had the redline package, and the low-profile 18 inch wheels- which jacks up the price of tires, of course.) We were also right side up by a considerable margin, which made trading it in look very attractive. We had funds to buy her next car outright, and no need for financing- something we’d never been able to do before. We (quickly) settled on a Jetta, and I kinda insisted it be a diesel- the TDI’s get about 45 MPG.
Well, we found her a TDI Jetta with the cool touchscreen radio, BT, and a few other bells and whistles for less than $22K, and I was sold. Christy took a whole day to think about it, and jumped in too. Now she has a sporty red Jetta, that I must admit is much more fun to drive than I ever expected. The TDI has less HP than the gasoline brethren, but has a good 15% more torque. Torquey me likey.
Well, my ’09 Outlook was also starting to have fits and issues. The power steering was going out altogether…another $grand to fix, annoying electrical problems had plagued me since I bought it, and it was a gas hog. The sticker says 18-25MPG. I’d be stunned if I ever averaged better than 15 in any given month. With Christy’s Jetta getting such good mileage, I was seriously contemplating a move. I looked at the Jetta Sportwagen, and thought about the Toyota Highlander Hybrids. While we looked at the Highlanders, Christy looked at a Prius, and was fairly impressed with the interior and layout, but we didn’t get to drive it- I had an appointment to drive a Lexus CT200h.
We got to the Lexus dealer, and the pictures on the web make the car look much sleeker than it is in real life. It looks like a Prius, without the Pontiac-Aztek-looking rear end. Inside it doesn’t just look like a Prius, it *is* a Prius. We test drove it…and my dear GOD is that thing a dog. I mean 0-60 in….eventually. And the CVT whined the whole time- that would drive me insane. I just wanted it to *SHIFT*, dammit! I know the variable conical gears are more efficient. I totally get that, however, Lexus and Toyota need to do something with the noise. When we went to the dealer, I was fully expecting that CT to be the car I wanted. On paper, it looked great, the specs were great, the reviews were….well , horrible, but I hoped they were wrong, and just a bunch of speed freaks complaining the car wasn’t fast enough for them. No…my grandma would have complained how slow it was, and how the opposite of “peppy” it really was.
Cars.com has suggested I look at the Audi A3 as an alternative- since I was comparing VW Sportwagens and the CT200h’s. I really didn’t give it much thought, but we were by a dealership, and Christy pointed it out, and I said what the hell, let’s check it out. Surprise, surprise, surprise. It was quick. Sporty. Sexy. And… diesel? ROCK! Turns out it’s the same engine as in her Jetta, but in a sexy black dress. Hot damn. We test drove it and I was immediately sold.
Cue the next day…Christy hits a Lincoln in my Outlook. Tore up the front end a bit, but nothing major. But, it gave me an excuse to trade it in, so we did. Took a slight hit on the trade due to the damage, but still not enough to fork over cash into a new loan or payoff on the old one. In reality it was about breakeven, even if I paid sticker. Sold. The savings in gas will pay a good portion of my car payment, anyway. In the Outlook I was spending literally $100 a week just getting back and forth to work. At the current rate, I’ll only be filling up every three weeks or so- the Outlook was every single week, occasionally twice. At $75 a fillup. The Audi and the Jetta both cost less than $50 to fill….and go way farther per tank.
Pics to follow…