Going against my better judgement - there are a number of things I'm looking for a new vehicle.
1. I'm looking for a truck. And by those who drive SUVs, those are not trucks. Those are SUVs. I'm looking for a Pickup Truck. A Nissan Frontier in fact. Now I know i'm not getting a "truck" in terms of 900hp with 1 millions lbs of torque and can haul a house. I'm not a SUV guy, but Wendy and I are tired of having 2 passenger vehicles when trying to pick up or move anything. Every once in a while, you just need a bigger vehicle. It seems to happen a lot more for us.
2. I'm potentially looking at new instead of buying used. The price difference between new and used in terms of the year range and model i'm looking at honestly aren't really that different. We're talking about $3,000 difference - trading for about 40,000 and 3 years (and loss of factory warranty) on the vehicle as well as a few features.
This truck is pretty close to what I want - except the color possibly.
What are the downsides of all of this?
Well obviously the payment, but what i'm sure any sane person would bring up the issue of gas prices these days. My only thought to that is that my commute to work is pretty short - and this is at least a mid-sized truck instead of a gigantic one. It is rated at 14mpg/19mpg highway, which I know isn't awesome, but based on my current driving habits, I drive much less than 10,000 miles a year. If gas prices do go up, I'm obviously going to be somewhat screwed or just have to drive as little as possible. Yes, I've considered leasing and i'm still thinking about it, just in case gas prices to shoot way up.
If I could get the same vehicle in diesel, I'd be all over it. Unfortunately, there are no midsized trucks or compact trucks that come in diesel in the US.
Does anyone have any serious thoughts about this? :)
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8 comments:
I am with you on the new vs. used. Our Rav4 brand new only cost a few thousand more but have no miles and a full warranty seems more than worth it.
Do not tell too many people you own a truck. You will get hit up to move stuff all the time.
I would have you question one thing... honestly how many times will you haul something tall enough that you would need a truck for instead of a SUV? I just see alot of people "waste" $$ on a bed they use maybe twice a year since its not covered... you would be suprised how much more often you would get by just fine with a SUV that is fully enclosed with all the seats folded down\removed.... just a thought...
Jen - I'm with you on not telling too many people. The good news is the majority of people that read this blog live too far away to abuse the truck. :)
Scott - I know what you are saying, but are you telling me a SUV is going to be cheaper than a truck? Plus, I don't feel like an SUV guy. No offense to anyone that has one - I just don't know one that I like. Plus we don't have kids and don't want to drive tons of people around.
nope im not saying they are cheaper... and I understadnt he whole no kid thing, its just been my experience that alot of folks who have trucks dont actually need them, they just at one time thought they did....
We love our truck! We went in looking for a Nissan 3 years ago but ended up with an F150. The deal was too good to pass up. Is had only 18,000 miles on it with an extended cab and what I guess you would call a trunk cover. It isn't the kind that sticks up in the air and it isn't the kind that snaps down. It is a hydraulic trunk that covers the bed and you open it just like a trunk on a car. Because of this we use it all year round. It is easily removable whenever we need to move something really big. It gets about 18mpg. I drove from IL to Atlanta and only filled up once in TN. It is very comfortable. While the back seat lacks leg room, so does the back seat of my car. And you can fit a few people back there when you need to. While we may get a new car or SUV some day we always say that we will never get rid of our truck. We hear the average F150 lasts over 250,000 miles so hopefully the extra gas cost is made up in the longevity of the vehicle. We have had it 3 years and besides oil changes we have NEVER has a single issue with it. My brother in law bought a Nissan around the same time we bought the F150 and he really likes his truck as well. Good Luck!
I'd have to agree with Julie and disagree with Scott (and if scott is my ex, then it doesn't surprise me that I disagree lol). I had a truck (a very small one) but we traded it for a family friendly vehicle (which I crashed but that's irrelevant). I bought an SUV but I am an SUV person. However I seriously considered getting a truck for all the reasons you are thinking of. Yes, gas is insanely expensive at times - definitely a downside. But I have needed/used a truck more times than I could've imagined. Jay has a truck and I have an SUV and for us it's perfect. We have a "closed" car when we need it and we have an open truck bed when we need it. The only bad thing for me is if we're just going somewhere with no need for the truck, we take the car so the miles are going up, up, up b/c we live farther away from shopping, friends, etc. than we used to. I guess that means I get a new car sooner :)
I'm not sure if my comment makes any sense... we'll blame my preggie brain. But bottom line: I think a truck is a good idea.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think going to go ahead and get a truck, its just a matter of when and how at this point.
Coming in a little late on this one..
You may have purchased that vehicle.. If so, take the comments below lightly.
Few people here in Germany have trucks, but instead they use wagons. Space and extra seating when you need it. Check out the offerings from Subaru in the Legacy, Outback, or Forester line. Good gas mileage, quick, AWD, designed to last a LONG time, and they're sharp looking. Wagons are a lot cooler these days..
It's very common around here to see people touring in their Benz, BMW, Audi, you name it wagons. I saw a guy hauling tree trunks with his Benz.. Classic. Of course, what you need to move is a critical factor. Plus, most things around here are IKEA-riffic, ie collapsible and easy to move with the common auto.
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