Monday, April 12, 2021

Car Talk: New? Used? Calm Down?

Something new, something shiny, something thrilling. After spending a year saving money — nowhere to go and nothing to do, what with the fear of COVID-19 looming large — I am in the mood to shop for something. Something big.

“I’m buying new clothes,” a friend said. I’m not. 

My closet is full of clothes that will seem new when (if) I move on from sweatpants and sweatshirts. While looking for an errant sock in the laundry basket last week, I caught a glimpse of a favorite red ikat print shirt hanging in the closet. I whispered, “I miss you! Soon!” 

I need no clothes, I need no earrings (hope the holes are still open) and I certainly need no furniture here in my junior one-bedroom apartment. 

What I want is a car. Specifically, a Subaru Crosstrek. Whether I need one is debatable. Because I enjoy researching tempting ideas before making any decision, I’ve sought information from several people. Some of it has been useful. 

Free Advice Is Plentiful

My mechanic said (in the nicest possible way) that I’m crazy to abandon the car I have. My Cousin the Car Salesman presented pros and cons. My son offered slightly different pros and cons. My insurance agent refused to weigh in, but provided some numbers. My financial adviser provided more numbers. Several friends — some own old cars and some brand new — heard me out and voiced support for whatever I decide. 

Stay close to the phone, as I may be calling for your thoughts soon. 

My Subaru Legacy Wagon is 15 years old, with 70,066 miles on it. It’s in fine shape, mechanically speaking. (Thanks, Dirk.) Yes, there are some scrapes and peeling spots on the exterior. 

Why ponder something new? 

My car has no safety features. It does have me, and I have a superlative driving record. However, I’ve read that people my age are subject to slower response times while driving. Plus, in spite of spending time in the same dense fog that helps the coastal redwoods grow so very tall, I am shorter than I used to be. I would like a car that allows me to sit up higher. 

(Once, I convinced a doctor to alter my sad, short height on my Official Chart to allow me some dignity. Because he’s shorter now too, he did.)

So Many Decisions!

If I decide to pursue something new and shiny, that’s only the beginning. Then I have to decide whether I want a new car or a used car. If I buy, should I use some of my savings to pay cash for the full amount to avoid interest or put down a wad of money to lower the monthly payment? 

I haven’t forgotten that I already have a car, so I investigated what it might be worth. One online source said I could expect between $700 and $6.500. That’s quite a range! Once I filled out the calculator, I got an estimate of about $4,800. I got no phone number for anyone ready to pay that.  

Regarding used cars, I’ve also read that because car manufacturers shut down early in the pandemic, the demand is huge right now for good used cars. One writer recommended waiting until fall to shop, when dealers will have more new cars available and presumably the price of used cars will drop. Right now, he reported, people are paying “silly” prices for used vehicles. 

Maybe I should lease a car. For a long time, conventional wisdom held that leasing a car was a waste of money. It’s like renting, people said. You pay and pay and pay, and at the end you have nothing. As a homeowner, I heard that repeatedly. For over a decade, I’ve been a renter — and I love it. I pay and pay and pay — and I get to live in San Francisco! Owning a home here is not possible for me. Heck, I probably couldn’t afford a one-car garage, much less a car to put in it.  

One article I read said leasing a car is not a bad idea for older adults on a fixed income. Yes, you pay and pay and pay, but you pay less than a typical car payment for a vehicle you bought, and you don’t have to touch your savings. That said, leasing a car comes with lots of fees and rules, and I get the feeling the house (the dealership) always wins.  

Whether I choose to buy or lease, my cousin says I must visit three dealerships to compare deals. My one concern about that is that I may be susceptible to a hard sell if I fall in love with a car on the lot. My son has another concern. He asked, “Have you driven a Crosstrek?” 

An Alternate to Test Drives

Ummm — no. I have been a passenger in one, but I realize that doesn’t count. To remedy that — and to hold off on my forays to dealerships — I opened an account with Zipcar (https://www.zipcar.com/san-francisco), a short-term car-sharing rental service. People here who don’t own cars use Zipcars all the time, as do people who need pickup trucks or vans just for an afternoon. 

Zipcars provides newer models of all kinds of cars, so I can test drive several models, giving them an opportunity to prove themselves more worthy than the car I want. Or think I want. One friend suggested that if I go for drives in new Zipcars now and then, maybe that will get wanting a new car out of my system. 

Last time I was besieged by fantasies of a new car, I thought I wanted one of those little Fiat 500e models. Adorable! Apparently, the car flunked safety tests and now Fiat doesn’t make them anymore. Over the years, I have owned a splendid 1966 candy apple red Mustang, a series of boring family cars, a horrid Ford Escort, a feisty Sidekick, an assortment of Hondas, an immense Oldsmobile and my current Subaru Legacy Wagon. 

Two weeks ago, when I saw the property manager at my building in the garage, he called out, “I like your car – I learned to drive on one of those!” He’s a grown man, with a son.

Isn’t that an indication it’s time for me to get a different car?