Help non-car people pick a second family car

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are ever going to want to carpool I’d get a car with a 3rd row. Do your kids do sports? Activities? You might say no now if they’re young but once they’re upper elementary it’s nice to have carpool options.

OP here -one of my kids is 3rd grade and while we don’t do carpools yet we have friends we drive around etc. but if we have two cars we can manage while he picks up the youngest.

I’ve gone back and forth on this myself. We have 2 kids, so a 5-seater compact SUV fits us, but there are times when a 3rd row SUV would be nice. When I’ve priced it out, the 3rd row SUVs are $10K more than 2-row SUVs. I’ve decided $10K isn’t worth having something that would be useful on occasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved from DC to somewhere upper NY. We have a Subaru Forester that we bought new in 2019. We checked for 4wheel drive and the safety report and said this and we bought it.

We have two kids and it’s getting harder to coordinate schedules. We need a second car.

Husband wants a “low luxury” car because he likes the look and feel of a Volvo like a XC60. I don’t care - I get the Forester. I was recommending an ascent Subaru because it has a third row but he cares more about the feel and look than I care about a third seat.

Which brings us to money. We only last year started making 320K and don’t know how much car we could afford. Any recommendations for minimalist sleek vehicles? What should we consider?

I bought a 3 year old certified Volvo xc60 with 22k miles, for 30K and then added the 100k extended warranty. They depreciate so much right away that if you buy one that is two years old you can get a great deal. Just make sure it’s certified!

What trim level?

[Anonymous]

I’m not a car person either, but my BIL recommended a CPO Audi SUV to us, and we love it! (We are at a similar income level to OP).

[Anonymous]

I love my audi a4, but get an extended warranty.

[Anonymous]

If you have access to a dealership or a good mechanic then Volvo. Otherwise, top trim level Pilot or Highlander.

[Anonymous]

In upstate NY it depends a lot where nearest dealership is too. For instance nearest dealership to my house is Cadillac, being so close thry drive you back home, pick you up if more than an oil change, nice lounge, loaner cars, will drop and pick up metro,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with CPO.

Buying luxury new is stupid. Most of those cars are leased to the first owner and are treated pretty well.

Depreciation is fierce.

Keeping luxury past warranty is dumb. Don’t buy a luxury car if you can’t afford it. If you want third row, what about Kia telluride? The new one looks like a Range Rover.

[Anonymous]

How much longer will you keep the 2019 Forester? You may not need a third row now, but may in a few years. At that time, you can trade in the Forester for something bigger.

And yes, in upstate NY you need a second vehicle with two working parents and kids going in different directions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved from DC to somewhere upper NY. We have a Subaru Forester that we bought new in 2019. We checked for 4wheel drive and the safety report and said this and we bought it.

Worth noting that 4 Wheel Drive doesn’t necessarily mean a vehicle will do well in the snow and slush of upstate New York. More important than that is the tires.

The Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires are a good all-weather tire for a climate like upstate New York. Or you can go all out and get full snow tires, but that’s more expensive because you have to buy a winter and summer set and get them switched out twice a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved from DC to somewhere upper NY. We have a Subaru Forester that we bought new in 2019. We checked for 4wheel drive and the safety report and said this and we bought it.

Worth noting that 4 Wheel Drive doesn’t necessarily mean a vehicle will do well in the snow and slush of upstate New York. More important than that is the tires.

The Michelin Crossclimate 2 tires are a good all-weather tire for a climate like upstate New York. Or you can go all out and get full snow tires, but that’s more expensive because you have to buy a winter and summer set and get them switched out twice a year.

OP here I’m a lawyer and read contracts for a living and I have NO idea what you just said lol!! Subaru has the …all or four wheel drive ? Who knows and it’s been handy in winters (I think?). Cars are just not my forte haha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much longer will you keep the 2019 Forester? You may not need a third row now, but may in a few years. At that time, you can trade in the Forester for something bigger.

And yes, in upstate NY you need a second vehicle with two working parents and kids going in different directions.

OP here ….forester was brand new in 2019 and is paid for so my plan was to keep it …forever…?…

[Anonymous]

Volvo is a Chinese company these days and has questionable reliability. If you don't care about cars that much, I'd get a new Toyota hybrid Rav4. Useful. Reliable. Good mileage. Can drive it until the end of time with basic maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet you can actually go without a second car for awhile. Why would you want such a big car in the city.

OP - we’re in a rural area in upstate NY…our forester had some tire issues and we had to ask neighbors for rides and now my oldest has school events that interfere with daycare pickup. Do you have one car? And two kids? And work full time? Haha. I hear this advice often from other parents who don’t seem to live in reality.

NP
At one point we had one car w two kids. Its rough. I absolutely get it

Good luck w whatever yoy go w