The Other Car

NealRomeoGolf

NealRomeoGolf

Final Approach
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So we are back from our 3 year overseas work assignment and trying to get back into life. This means buying stuff that you sold before you left. One of the first orders of business is getting 2 cars. We succeeded on car #1 yesterday by buying my wife her minivan that she wants. Next up is the car for me.

I'm a bit torn on what I want. I know I don't want to go new. Would prefer to do something used. I have had two trains of thought: buy an older car that is still reliable but could be something out of my normal element - like an F150 or a sportier car - and maybe one with a manual transmission. I don't have a ton of experience with manuals and would like to see if it would be my thing. Second train of thought is something used yet only a few years old so that it has bluetooth and other modern things that make life comfortable - and this one would be an automatic.

Mission:
Small daily commute (generally 15 minutes or less depending on which building I am going to)
Must be able to carry a cello and make it to rehearsals 50 minutes away a few times a month
Reliable enough that I don't have to be too handy. I can change my own oil and change out my filters and things. I have changed spark plugs and done brake pads. But I have never done more advanced stuff.
Cannot be a Chevy
I live in the Midwest so snow handling can be important at times
Would like to stay under $20k

My thoughts have run the spectrum from an older Porsche (not easy to fit a cello in) to an F150 to just getting a Subaru Legacy like I had before we moved.

Anyone want to help me spend my money?
 
Subaru Crosstrek XV?
Honda CRV?
Ford Edge or used, more modern Ford Explorer?
Toyota Highlander or Rav4?

BTW, welcome back to the States!
 
Tesla Model 3.... no oil changes required and practically zero maintenance in other areas,

with rear seats folded down, will carry cello in its case with ease.
 
Manuals are SO fun. You should totally go for one. Once you get used to them, it is hard to drive a "regular" car because they feel so much less responsive and so boring. ;) They are becoming harder to find, though, even in the used category. The other advantage is the anti-theft part - not many people know how to drive manual anymore...

Finding an older reliable car seems mostly dependent on previous owners or mechanics - a lot like a plane, I suppose. If you have a reputable shop or mechanic in town, sometimes they have used cars on the lot for sale, and often the cars have been serviced at that shop for their entire life, and they know all the quirks or problems.

From a fellow Midwesterner, most cars have fine snow handling if they've got good tires. At least the snow handling that I usually need. I don't go offroad, but I've driven through 8-10" of snow on the roads with no problem, and the tires really should have been replaced before winter...

One of the advantages of an older car is they usually have a larger cargo area. I've got a manual '98 Ford Escort ZX2, and the amount of stuff I can fit in that thing with the back seat down is amazing. A full-size snow shovel with a big scoop fits sideways(!) in my truck, with all sorts of other junk. A cello fits easily in the back seat; I've put my sister's two 6.5' long art easels in my car with no problems, too. So far, it's been awesome on terms of reliability, even though I am sure learning to drive stick on it gave it a beating - it has had one minor repair, and an oil change and that's it so far. However, I got it from a conscientious older couple who I am sure did regular maintenance and all that, so YMMV. It's my daily commuter - 25 miles each way during the week, 75 miles each way to the airport on Saturday, and 30 miles each way to my Sunday morning gig plus other unscheduled trips. It gets a lot of miles - since January, I've put on over 5500 miles without any problems at all.

It is probably easier to find a reliable, used car that will last and fits a cello under $20k than a new car - those are expensive nowadays! :) Good luck and have fun picking a new or new-to-you car!
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
So we are back from our 3 year overseas work assignment and trying to get back into life. This means buying stuff that you sold before you left. One of the first orders of business is getting 2 cars. We succeeded on car #1 yesterday by buying my wife her minivan that she wants. Next up is the car for me.

I'm a bit torn on what I want. I know I don't want to go new. Would prefer to do something used. I have had two trains of thought: buy an older car that is still reliable but could be something out of my normal element - like an F150 or a sportier car - and maybe one with a manual transmission. I don't have a ton of experience with manuals and would like to see if it would be my thing. Second train of thought is something used yet only a few years old so that it has bluetooth and other modern things that make life comfortable - and this one would be an automatic.

Mission:
Small daily commute (generally 15 minutes or less depending on which building I am going to)
Must be able to carry a cello and make it to rehearsals 50 minutes away a few times a month
Reliable enough that I don't have to be too handy. I can change my own oil and change out my filters and things. I have changed spark plugs and done brake pads. But I have never done more advanced stuff.
Cannot be a Chevy
I live in the Midwest so snow handling can be important at times
Would like to stay under $20k

My thoughts have run the spectrum from an older Porsche (not easy to fit a cello in) to an F150 to just getting a Subaru Legacy like I had before we moved.

Anyone want to help me spend my money?
Click to expand...

Get a motorcycle

https://images.app.goo.gl/VVdHd9koUiG3KHVu5
 
Are motorcycles still fun when it's below zero outside for weeks?
 
Not sure on the Cello, but the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 are fun sports sedans that can be easily be had for under $20K just a few years old. 365HP Twin turbo V6 that gets up and scoots pretty well, handles great, too. They have a Red Sport 400 model that outruns the SRT Scat Pack Chargers (mostly cause the Charger is a heavy pig). They have models in RWD and AWD, so snow shouldn't pose a major threat. The VQ engine is shared between Infiniti and Nissan and is pretty bulletproof.

It may be my next car after the wife finishes her RN.
 
Chevy SS came to mind... technically a Holden. They hold their value too well for a $20k budget though
 
Something old and rugged - original Range Rover or Willy Jeep?
 
Cello to me means hatchback at the minimum. In your shoes? I'd look for a good used late model VW GTI w/stick shift. Fun to drive, fastish, sporty, and with winter wheels/tires, will go well in the snow.

Option two, but REALLY hard to find, is Subaru makes the Crosstrek in a stick shift, in fact you can still order them new.
 
If you want a manual transmission in a non sporty car, speak now or forever hold your peace, the rake rate for manual transmission cars has plummeted over the last three years, to under two percent. Most of those would be Mustangs, Camaros, Mazda MX5s and Fiat Spyders, FRS and BRZs, sporty Civics and VW GTIs, and Corvettes.

How big is a cello in its case? Would it fit in a GTI? You could certainly find a GTI with a manual transmission. Also in that size range you'll find the Focus ST and Fiesta ST, though the Fiesta is smaller.

If the hatches don't work, VW has made a number of wagons over the last few years, some of which can be had with a manual. The All wheel drive VW Alltrac came with VWs excellent dual clutch transmission which may be more fun than a three pedal manual.

Another option is the Mini Clubman.
 
To me, your mission is suggesting two cars for you, not one. My suggestion:

F-150 - This will move your cello, and pretty much everything else that you want/need to move. Comfortable and enjoyable daily driver. I've been really impressed with the newer ones. They only come in an automatic as I recall. Reliable. Buy a new/newer one with good financing and a warranty.
Porsche Boxster - Fun to drive, can be had used pretty reasonably. Not super easy to maintain, but they have a manual transmission and overall are reliable so you mostly will just need to get the oil changed (or do it yourself). I test drove one of these some years ago and it was a bit slower than what I wanted at the time, but still very enjoyable.

Manual transmissions, to me, make every vehicle better. I've never found a vehicle that I said "I wish this had an automatic." But I'm an anomaly.
 
This is silly. Any car can carry a cello in the passenger seat. One doesn't need a giant truck to do it.
 
Honda Element.....not made anymore but still supported....see a lot of them still on the road....can find some with AWD....bulletproof....utilitarian in that rear seats can be folded up to sides or easily removed and rear doors open rearward for easy loading....have a bit of a hippyish cult following. Do a YouTube search. 79EB24A1-3B76-4CB4-8D32-6F5CDE2EA2AE.jpeg
I bought ours as an airport car but find I use it a lot as primary transportation.
 
I second the ideas of a VW GTI or Honda Accord with manual. Add in a Mazda3.
 
I found a VW Golf TDi up in Rochelle. I could go test drive it and then go skydiving afterwards. :cool:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
To me, your mission is suggesting two cars for you, not one. My suggestion:

F-150 - This will move your cello, and pretty much everything else that you want/need to move. Comfortable and enjoyable daily driver. I've been really impressed with the newer ones. They only come in an automatic as I recall. Reliable. Buy a new/newer one with good financing and a warranty.
Porsche Boxster - Fun to drive, can be had used pretty reasonably. Not super easy to maintain, but they have a manual transmission and overall are reliable so you mostly will just need to get the oil changed (or do it yourself). I test drove one of these some years ago and it was a bit slower than what I wanted at the time, but still very enjoyable.

Manual transmissions, to me, make every vehicle better. I've never found a vehicle that I said "I wish this had an automatic." But I'm an anomaly.
Click to expand...
I have had this exact line of thinking going on. My other challenge is I am considering keeping a beater car in Iowa at an airport I could be frequenting in the future. Then I would need 3 cars. Pretty soon I will have my own fleet.
 
steingar said:
This is silly. Any car can carry a cello in the passenger seat. One doesn't need a giant truck to do it.
Click to expand...
I have considered this as well. I am just used to laying it down across the backseats. I could very well adapt instead. The downside of having it in the passenger seat is, depending on how the seat sets up, the cello could block some peripheral vision from the right. Admittedly I have never tried it to see the effects.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
I have had this exact line of thinking going on. My other challenge is I am considering keeping a beater car in Iowa at an airport I could be frequenting in the future. Then I would need 3 cars. Pretty soon I will have my own fleet.
Click to expand...

That's always another question, how many vehicles do you want to maintain. I've found for a 2-driver household that 3 vehicles seems to be the sweet spot. For us Laurie has her Mercedes SUV, I have the Ram, and then her "airport car" is the XKR, which she mostly uses to drive back and forth to the airport for work and then she and I drive whenever we get the chance. It's nice because we have three vehicles that all do their respective jobs very well and that we enjoy. I know a lot of people like to get vehicles that are good at a lot of things. Like anything in life there's compromises so if you get a vehicle that's good at a lot of things, it's probably not great at any of them. As car people we don't like the compromises as much.

I also don't know what the rest of your vehicle wants and needs look like, but since you mentioned both an F-150 and a Porsche, I figure why not both? :)

Regarding the Iowa car - we don't have any one location we travel to regularly enough to justify owning a car there. My question is how often you'd plan on going there and for how long. I've come to the conclusion that unless you have a known good vehicle and you're going really often and/or for extended periods, it's more logical to just rent a car when you go. When you're going to those places you want something that you can just get in and go, and not go "Crap, the battery is dead" or "Crap, this is broken." That makes your vacation less fun and more work. Not sure what your situation is for those visits up there or the availability of rental cars, but just a thought.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Tesla Model 3.... no oil changes required and practically zero maintenance in other areas,

with rear seats folded down, will carry cello in its case with ease.
Click to expand...
Not many under $20K yet, however.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Regarding the Iowa car - we don't have any one location we travel to regularly enough to justify owning a car there. My question is how often you'd plan on going there and for how long. I've come to the conclusion that unless you have a known good vehicle and you're going really often and/or for extended periods, it's more logical to just rent a car when you go. When you're going to those places you want something that you can just get in and go, and not go "Crap, the battery is dead" or "Crap, this is broken." That makes your vacation less fun and more work. Not sure what your situation is for those visits up there or the availability of rental cars, but just a thought.
Click to expand...

This is a good point. The Iowa thing is an airport in the middle of nowhere and only visiting once a month for the day. No services that I know of. The drive to this area isnt bad but I would have more fun flying. This may stay more of an impractical fantasy than reality.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
This is a good point. The Iowa thing is an airport in the middle of nowhere and only visiting once a month for the day. No services that I know of. The drive to this area isnt bad but I would have more fun flying. This may stay more of an impractical fantasy than reality.
Click to expand...

That definitely strikes me as a situation where having a car out there you own is going to add to the frustration or be pretty expensive to have something you can depend on. Or you do like I suggested with an F-150 and a Porsche, keep the F-150 at the airport in Iowa and swap cars from time to time. For me that'd add to the frustration because I use my truck for truck purposes regularly, but for you it may be different.

I'd look into other options - on the whole if you're looking at day trips then flying sounds good, but you have to look at the total package.
 
VW GTI (or Golf R)
Ford Focus ST (sporty, cheap, decent tech, manual, make sure you get Recaros)
BMW 3-series wagon

The best option: up your budget and get a Cadillac CTS-V wagon, which you can even get in a manual. It'll haul your cello just fine.
 
Subaru Impreza still comes in a 5-speed as well and in the Sport trim includes the STI short shifter. Last time I was shopping it was a pretty good value for a new car. Lots of fun to drive even though its only 150 hp. AWD is nice too.

Only problem with that car is a rev hang that comes when shifting. The computer kills the throttle but maintains the revs to reduce the amount of unburned fluorocarbons and gets it a PZEV rating, but makes driving the stick unusual. It can be flashed out, but not sure I would want to do that on a new car.

A 6th gear wouldnt kill it either, the CVT does much better on efficiency.
 
Seanaldinho said:
Subaru Impreza still comes in a 5-speed as well and in the Sport trim includes the STI short shifter..
Click to expand...

What I've heard is the 5sp in the Impreza is pretty crude while the 6sp offered in the Crosstrek is smoother and more fun to shift.
 
Submit your question to Everyday Driver. 2 guys on a podcast that will give you lots of good suggestions. But they love to suggest Porsche for almost anything, but they do throw out a lot of other cars you may not think of.

Trucks and full size SUV's hold their value extremely well. You will have to go pretty old or high miles to stay under $20k.
Jeep Wrangler fits the bill- as my random suggestion.
 
If the Legacy worked for you, our local dealer is awash in three year 2017 lease returns on them right now. All right around 30,000 miles.

Sedans are out of fashion, meaning they’re a steal on the used market right now.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
I have had this exact line of thinking going on. My other challenge is I am considering keeping a beater car in Iowa at an airport I could be frequenting in the future. Then I would need 3 cars. Pretty soon I will have my own fleet.
Click to expand...

It’s ok, you’re back in the states now. Go ahead and have the cars to fit you missions


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
This is a good point. The Iowa thing is an airport in the middle of nowhere and only visiting once a month for the day. No services that I know of. The drive to this area isnt bad but I would have more fun flying. This may stay more of an impractical fantasy than reality.
Click to expand...
How much do you drive when you go up there? If it’s less than 50 miles a day and you have a place you can plug it in, older electric cars like the Leaf can be purchased for less than $7k, and other than charging them and changing tires they have almost no maintenance until it’s time for a battery change. If you aren’t in a really hot place and you aren’t running it dead daily, the battery can last a while.

The only downside is you would have to ship it in.
 
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