SUV / Car Question.

[FairWeather]

Originally Posted by FASTFJR

Or they might be thinking this guy is really cool, he's driving a car which gets 50 mpg, he must really care about the environment and the future of his children......Nah

I know it tough in your position....

PS, You can easily fit 4 into a Prius

smart USA - open your mind to the car that challenges the status quo
I think you would be the ONLY guy on OBX with one of these
or
RX Hybrid | Overview

I saw one of those SmartCars down here on the Outer Banks the other day, it was from Canada..

I don't think you would be able to get me into one of those & if I got in, I probably wouldn't be able to get out..

Matt

[bluewater]

Matt even if you wanted to get rid of your Tahoe it will be real difficult at this time. You will not get anything for a trade in value(dealers do not want them because they cannot get rid of their own inventory of gas hogs on their lots). Even if you trying to sell it outright you probably will not get what you want for it. Remember I have the same exact Tahoe that you have and mine has been for sale for about four weeks. I have had it in Auto trader the entire time and I have not gotten one single call about it. The price I have it listed for is quite a bit cheaper than any of the other listings. I had it parked in Kitty Hawk by 7-11 for over a week and did not get a single call. It looks like we will be keeping it. We never really wanted to sell it to start with. We love everything about it other than the payments and the gas mileage. If we did sell it we were probably going to purchase a Honda Accord. They make a nice car,enough room for the family, and the keep their value.

[Kern O]

I know the market really likes the hybrids, but they all have one thing in common: A large and expensive battery pack with a finite life. I have a suspicion that in several years, the resale value may be less than you'd like because any buyer will be facing the cost of replacing the battery pack in the near future.

When you look at the added cost of the hybrid over the equivalent gasoline engine, the recovery time for the increased mileage becomes a real problem unless the premium in cost up front is recovered on resale. You cannot outguess the market on that problem. Diesel pickups cost about $6,000 more than the gas powered versions but generally resold for about that same $6,000 higher than a gas truck. But now that diesel is 20 percent higher than gas, a lot of that premium has faded.

With the requirements that you've noted, like hauling clients around, a Lexus RX330 is always socially acceptable and usually has strong resale. They are also easy to get in and out of. They are not a Yaris in the economy run, but they are better than a Tahoe. Another decent, but less classy alternative is the Honda Odyssey. Some people can't get into the idea of driving a minivan, but I drove mine about 100 miles today and find it very handy for hauling stuff around.

We're about to get a whole new crop of high efficiency diesels from folks like BMW and Audi. I personally drive an S55 Benz which is a superb vehicle, but the reliability of everything with a three pointed star has slipped so badly that I would only recommend leasing one for the warranty period. Their sales are way off and even MBNA knows the resale is not good, so it may be tough to get a cost effective deal on a Benz.

What are your real criteria? What do you really want in the trade offs between horsepower, space, towing, fuel numbers, comfort, driving experience, luxury and size?

If you can define it, I'll bet we can pick it.

[welder]

Save money ?




Make your own BEER.

[Domino Effect]

Originally Posted by Kern O

Some people can't get into the idea of driving a minivan, but I drove mine about 100 miles today and find it very handy for hauling stuff around.

What did you do, drive around in circles all day on the island.

[FASTFJR]

If your set on a SUV take a look at the Toyota Highlander. My neighbor has one and its very nice with plenty of room

2008 Toyota Highlander SUV trim and prices

[broncobirdy]

Heres my take. I have my name on a 98 Ford Escort. Price is 2K, miles is 54,000. I'll drive it for a year or two, if it blows up its a wash. Rules for buying older used cars. It HAS to be a one owner. It HAS to have maintenance receipts. I can't see buying something for 20K, or 300-340$ a month to save 150-250$, That is depending on gas prices, the higher they go the more $ saved...

[SteveKran]

Birdy, if it falls through, let me know! That's exactly what I'm looking for. These diesel prices are killing me right now

[Bigdaddy98]

Cadillac CTS