I don’t love any of the cars in my budget. How to choose?

[Anonymous]

We are buying a 3-row SUV. No need to debate it. Budget is mid-40’s. I’ve looked at pretty much everything in my price range. I like some more than others but don’t love any of them. 45k seems a lot to spend on something I don’t love, especially since we tend to keep cars 7-8 years.
What should I do DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Accept that 45k is getting you what you want and either spend 15k+ more for what you want or just drive something you don't love- I’d personally choose the latter

[Anonymous]

Go for a used model and get something closer to what you want? You can probably still get 7-8 years out of something that is 2-3 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Accept that 45k is getting you what you want and either spend 15k+ more for what you want or just drive something you don't love- I’d personally choose the latter

OP here. Yeah, I’m not sure if I could stomach $60k and even if I could DH never would. I don’t really blame him.

I’m just trying to decide whether to sacrifice brand, exterior looks, interior features, or what.

[Anonymous]

Wow $45k is a LOT of cash!

[Anonymous]

I had this problem but for a smaller suv, to fit car seats. I normally pay cash and drive forever, but I did a lease this time. I’m happy because I’m a few years I might be able to go electric and find something I like better. For now, I have a practical family car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go for a used model and get something closer to what you want? You can probably still get 7-8 years out of something that is 2-3 years old.

used cars aren't depreciating like they used to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow $45k is a LOT of cash!

OP here. I agree! Which is why it’s so frustrating that it doesn’t even get you the top trim in a non-luxury brand. Part of me feels like if I’m going to be disappointed anyway maybe I should spend less money!

[Anonymous]

2021 Mazda CX-9, captains chairs, turbo engine.

[Anonymous]

Felt exactly the same way two summers ago and wanted to stay in your same price range. I reminded myself that I’ll have plenty of years later where I can choose a car I really love, once I’m done paying school tuitions and my kids are out of the house. Most everything seemed rather boring so it was just a matter of picking the one that checked the most boxes, which meant I tended to focus on the interior because I felt like all the exteriors were blah. I ended up with an Ascent. I did get the top trim level. It’s perfectly fine, but I don’t love it. Really don’t think I would’ve loved anything else I was considering either. If I really bought what I wanted, I’d have gotten the Volvo XC90, but didn’t want to spend that much or deal with reliability issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Felt exactly the same way two summers ago and wanted to stay in your same price range. I reminded myself that I’ll have plenty of years later where I can choose a car I really love, once I’m done paying school tuitions and my kids are out of the house. Most everything seemed rather boring so it was just a matter of picking the one that checked the most boxes, which meant I tended to focus on the interior because I felt like all the exteriors were blah. I ended up with an Ascent. I did get the top trim level. It’s perfectly fine, but I don’t love it. Really don’t think I would’ve loved anything else I was considering either. If I really bought what I wanted, I’d have gotten the Volvo XC90, but didn’t want to spend that much or deal with reliability issues.

My sister loves her Ascent. Worth a look.

[Anonymous]

I would sacrifice exterior in favor of interior comforts. I don't ride outside of the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would sacrifice exterior in favor of interior comforts. I don't ride outside of the car.

+1. I'd definitely focus on the interior amenities and comfort insofar as things like seats, visibility, etc. go over the exterior. Who cares what it looks like. Or what brand it is, except insofar as general quality goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go for a used model and get something closer to what you want? You can probably still get 7-8 years out of something that is 2-3 years old.

This is what we are doing and I've been impressed with the used inventory we've come across. I am holding out a bit to see if we can grab a model with all the bells and whistles, but so far we're finding that 3 years plus 10-20k of mileage is getting us about a 10k discount, which feels very worth it to us.

[Anonymous]

We bought used Ford Flex a couple months ago. We love it.