Vehicle Related Opinios Wanted

[HD333]

Looking for some input as this group seems to be a good resource and we need something to discuss since there is no SNOW.

The wife's vehicle, 2006 Volvo XC-90, is getting long in the tooth and we are throwing around what to do with it. 85k miles needs new rubber which I put at approximately $1k but other than that it is in great shape mechanically.

The $60,000 question ( literally due to the vehicles she shows interest in). Do we put new rubber on it and keep our fingers crossed as it is out of warranty or do we bite the bullet and trade it in for a new or newer vehicle before it hits the 100k mark to get the most out of it?
No payment has been nice but getting hit with a big repair will sting and most likely make us sell it after it is fixed anyways.

Thoughts?

 

[hammer]

Guess it depends on your perspective, but to me 5-6 years old and 85K miles is just getting broken in...

What kind of engine does it have? Asking because the T6 has the reputation for having bad transmissions.

 

[HD333]

It had the T5.

 

[Glenn]

We tend to drive our vehicles for a long time. My Jeep is around 112k and I'll drive it until the floors Fred Flintstone out.

85k doesn't sound all that bad. If you've kept up with it, it'll probably last you a good long while.

 

[snoseek]

If you're worried about your volvo crapping out ant time in the next couple years then I would seriously consider buying a different brand. I know nothing about volovos BTW. I can't even contemplate trading in at 85k...


Edit-they make a fairly reliable vehicle right? If so drive it for years to come

 

[ctenidae]

Can't speak to the Volvo's longevity. In that price range, though, I can sing the Cayenne's praises. They price gets ratched up pretty quickly depending on the doodads (colored insignias on the wheel hubs for $150 ftw) and add-ons, but we found ours to be reliable, fun to drive, practical, and fun to drive.

 

[bigbog]

Tend to agree with hammer, and imho 80k for 5-6yrs is unbelievable stuff! I've yet to see a stuck Volvo in winter.. If it looks like it's getting old...you might want to keep it for a winter-skiing/spring-summer-fall getaway to the outdoors car. Priorities change once you drift further from the main highways or urban America. Those dings in the body you notice, when driving up around the mountains, don't affect the psychic as much when you're having a good time....However, if there's something that really catches the eye...who am I to tell you what to do... It's a free country(for the most part..)...

$.01

*EDIT: Do ctenidae and I get a free lift ticket somewhere for synching out posts..? LOL.

 

[Geoff]

If you're worried about your volvo crapping out ant time in the next couple years then I would seriously consider buying a different brand. I know nothing about volovos BTW. I can't even contemplate trading in at 85k...


Edit-they make a fairly reliable vehicle right? If so drive it for years to come

This.

Your car has depreciated down to $12 to $15K. These are your prime, low-cost driving years on a car you know was treated properly since it was new. A new $60K car is going to depreciate $10K per year over the next three years. You have to pay sales tax on it. Insurance is likely much more. If you're in a state that has it, property tax will be much more.

You could have your car eat a turbo, blow up the ECU, and destroy a transmission in the next 3 years and still be way ahead financially compared to buying a new car.

I don't buy expensive cars. I paid $24K for my 2007 VW GTI and put a 100K extended warranty on it. Edmunds says it's still worth $15K as a private sale and $12K+ as a trade.

If I were shopping for a suburban grocery getter that also had to haul children and serve as my primary ski car, I'd be looking at things like Outbacks and Pilots. I don't need to spend the extra $30K as a status symbol.

 

[jaja111]

Its currently a seller's market and you won't get a deal on the new car or the value you want on the Volvo. Wait until the economic slump / post tsunami effects subside in a few years.

 

[HD333]

Good feedback. My gut says hang onto it. We used to get new vehicles every 3-4 years so this is uncharted water for us. Financially all signs point to hold onto it, love having only 1 car payment.

Definitely not looking for a status symbol vehicle, Toyota Sequia or Land Cruiser and another XC are high on her list of wants, no Lexus,Porsche,Hummer,Land Rover etc are on the radar.

Bigbob and ctenidae win lift tickets to Tenney see Nick for your vouchers...

 

[ctenidae]

I'd go with the XC, then- either keep or new. The Cayenne isn't (well, doesn't have to be) a status symbol car- it is truly a great car to drive. driving back and forth from Boston to Connecticut through all kinds of really shitty weather, my wife never had a problem or felt unsafe. I ran it through some terrain it probably shouldn't have been in, and had no problems- even got over a 3-foot plow berm, down an unplowed steep driveway, and back up it the next day.

Buying a car because of what the neighbors will say is dumb. Buying a car because it does what you want it to is great. I get angry at most of the Cayenne Turbo or S drivers I see who drive 6 miles an hour and slow to 2 for every curve. Which is most of them.

 

[Geoff]

I'd go with the XC, then- either keep or new. The Cayenne isn't (well, doesn't have to be) a status symbol car- it is truly a great car to drive. driving back and forth from Boston to Connecticut through all kinds of really shitty weather, my wife never had a problem or felt unsafe. I ran it through some terrain it probably shouldn't have been in, and had no problems- even got over a 3-foot plow berm, down an unplowed steep driveway, and back up it the next day.

Buying a car because of what the neighbors will say is dumb. Buying a car because it does what you want it to is great. I get angry at most of the Cayenne Turbo or S drivers I see who drive 6 miles an hour and slow to 2 for every curve. Which is most of them.

Since when is the Cayenne not a status symbol? A stripped one with a Volkswagen engine is $50K.

 

[ctenidae]

Since when is the Cayenne not a status symbol? A stripped one with a Volkswagen engine is $50K.

Drive one.

 

[Morwax]

You cant decide between 60K and 1K for tires?

 

[Nick]

Guess it depends on your perspective, but to me 5-6 years old and 85K miles is just getting broken in...

What kind of engine does it have? Asking because the T6 has the reputation for having bad transmissions.

Yeah my perspective on this has changed drastically in the last 5 years. My Saab 9-3 (2003) has now 170k miles on it, and drives like it's new. I put about ~1500 a year into repairs into it. Right now it's in the shop for some new strut mounts ($300).

All in all though, that works out to about $150 a month, so I put that aside each month and then pay for the repairs whent hey come. I've had the car for a lot longer than I expected and I'm so glad I don't have a payment right now.

That said; pushing the 200k marker is making me nervous, so probably next summer or MAYBE the summer after that will be a new car time. Well, I usually buy cars 1 - 2 yrs used.

 

[Nick]

You cant decide between 60K and 1K for tires?

Everyone has their own financial position, right?

I wouldn't dream of spending over $25k on a car right now. Especially since my wife's car also has 120k and will be due soon as well. So that's 2 car payments we will be piling on. I'd like to keep it < $600 - $650 a month when we add them in.

Our cars have trade in values of probably about 4 - 6k each, which helps.

When I bought my saab, I paid 26k for it. It was 1 yr old and had 3000 miles on it, and a CPO warranty to 100k. Had I bought the same car new, would have cost closer to $38k.

 

[HD333]

You cant decide between 60K and 1K for tires?

Not exactly. I view it as 1k towards tires or an additional 1k added to the cash we put down on new vehicle.

 

[Geoff]

Our cars have trade in values of probably about 4 - 6k each, which helps.

You are in dreamland. A 2003 Saab with 170,000 miles on it will go straight to auction. I'll bet that when you compensate for all those miles looking it up in Galves, it's more like $1,500 to $2,000. With lemon laws, no dealer would dream of putting a car like that on their used car lot. You might get $2,500 in a private sale but you'll have every CraigsList wierdo in the world emailing you trying to steal it for $1,000.

 

[Geoff]

Not exactly. I view it as 1k towards tires or an additional 1k added to the cash we put down on new vehicle.

If the car needs tires, the dealer is going back that out of the value of your trade.

 

[mlctvt]

If the car needs tires, the dealer is going back that out of the value of your trade.

IMO trading in any car never makes any sense. The last few cars I sold myself for an average of $3000-4000 over the best trade in I was offered. Selling is easy today with online listing sites, carfax etc.
When negoitating a new car purchase never mention a trade until AFTER final negoitations.

I also think you should keep your Volvo , until it has at least 150,000 miles on it.