What about the previous gen TSX with the 6-manual? Clean lines, peppy motor, fully loaded with leather. I saw one in my area, an '05 with 145k highway miles for $5k. It was an Auto, white, very clean. The owner was getting a company car and clearly didn't know what used cars are going for these days, or didn't care. Someone got lucky, I'm sure.
Buy a used car that owner kept for only 5 months?
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Originally Posted By: k24a4
What about the previous gen TSX with the 6-manual? Clean lines, peppy motor, fully loaded with leather. I saw one in my area, an '05 with 145k highway miles for $5k. It was an Auto, white, very clean. The owner was getting a company car and clearly didn't know what used cars are going for these days, or didn't care. Someone got lucky, I'm sure.
I love the TSX, that could certainly be a fantastic daddy-mobile. If I could find one with a stick it could be all the more fun. The longer I can hold out in the xB the more I can justify spending on one.
What about the previous gen TSX with the 6-manual? Clean lines, peppy motor, fully loaded with leather. I saw one in my area, an '05 with 145k highway miles for $5k. It was an Auto, white, very clean. The owner was getting a company car and clearly didn't know what used cars are going for these days, or didn't care. Someone got lucky, I'm sure.
I love the TSX, that could certainly be a fantastic daddy-mobile. If I could find one with a stick it could be all the more fun. The longer I can hold out in the xB the more I can justify spending on one.
Don't know why but every time I see one it is in perfect condition, body-wise, no dings or rust. Really. It's weird.
I find the lines of the car and its compact size attractive. It has aged well. Good luck with your search. Look forward to seeing what you get.
I find the lines of the car and its compact size attractive. It has aged well. Good luck with your search. Look forward to seeing what you get.
We got the GTI cleaned up nice for its photo-shoot, and while my wife and I were driving to the parking lot I had chosen she says... "you should keep it." So the story is clear, it wasn't her idea to sell it in the first place, it was mine.
For her, she likes it for sentimental reasons; I had it while we were dating, and she thinks the tartan seats are cool. That and she knows that it brings some joy to my day and wants me to be happy. She also pointed out that the unexpectedly good raise I received this year essentially covered the payment on the Camry, so we're at the same financial point we were three months ago.
Practical reasons to keep it: we have enough cash to pay off the Camry right now (without selling the GTI), I've had it since brand new and I know that it's a solid car without any lingering issues, the Scion has 208k miles with a very sketchy maintenance history (engine/transmission both feel strong, but the car is closer to the end of its life than not).
Practical reasons to sell it: potentially expensive maintenance concerns, I'm inclined to drive it aggressively so I go through tires faster than most, we won't get the house paid off as fast.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and selling the xB instead.
For her, she likes it for sentimental reasons; I had it while we were dating, and she thinks the tartan seats are cool. That and she knows that it brings some joy to my day and wants me to be happy. She also pointed out that the unexpectedly good raise I received this year essentially covered the payment on the Camry, so we're at the same financial point we were three months ago.
Practical reasons to keep it: we have enough cash to pay off the Camry right now (without selling the GTI), I've had it since brand new and I know that it's a solid car without any lingering issues, the Scion has 208k miles with a very sketchy maintenance history (engine/transmission both feel strong, but the car is closer to the end of its life than not).
Practical reasons to sell it: potentially expensive maintenance concerns, I'm inclined to drive it aggressively so I go through tires faster than most, we won't get the house paid off as fast.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and selling the xB instead.
That makes more sense than selling a perfectly good lower mileage car that's 5 years newer.
The Scion is at the end of its depreciation cycle, with the GTI you just paid for the worst of the depreciation, keeping it for at least another 5 years will get you some mileage out of the money you already lost.
The Scion is at the end of its depreciation cycle, with the GTI you just paid for the worst of the depreciation, keeping it for at least another 5 years will get you some mileage out of the money you already lost.
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Practical reasons to keep it: we have enough cash to pay off the Camry right now (without selling the GTI), I've had it since brand new and I know that it's a solid car without any lingering issues, the Scion has 208k miles with a very sketchy maintenance history (engine/transmission both feel strong, but the car is closer to the end of its life than not).
Practical reasons to sell it: potentially expensive maintenance concerns, I'm inclined to drive it aggressively so I go through tires faster than most, we won't get the house paid off as fast.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and selling the xB instead.
Is there something with the GTI that is problematic? I had the impression that you might have had some issues already in the first couple of years and it was not all that reliable, but that doesn't sound to be the case (I could just be remembering a different post/poster).
I have to say I have the same opinion over 200K as you, not really for any good other than I see the miles rack up on our cars quickly from commutes to work as well. Sounds like you know what you want to do with the GTI already - I wouldn't let closing out a home loan earlier weigh too much. I know there is a lot of emphasis on paying off debt but don't sell your need for a daily driver short, as you may find yourself back out searching for something again. Just my
.
Practical reasons to keep it: we have enough cash to pay off the Camry right now (without selling the GTI), I've had it since brand new and I know that it's a solid car without any lingering issues, the Scion has 208k miles with a very sketchy maintenance history (engine/transmission both feel strong, but the car is closer to the end of its life than not).
Practical reasons to sell it: potentially expensive maintenance concerns, I'm inclined to drive it aggressively so I go through tires faster than most, we won't get the house paid off as fast.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and selling the xB instead.
Is there something with the GTI that is problematic? I had the impression that you might have had some issues already in the first couple of years and it was not all that reliable, but that doesn't sound to be the case (I could just be remembering a different post/poster).
I have to say I have the same opinion over 200K as you, not really for any good other than I see the miles rack up on our cars quickly from commutes to work as well. Sounds like you know what you want to do with the GTI already - I wouldn't let closing out a home loan earlier weigh too much. I know there is a lot of emphasis on paying off debt but don't sell your need for a daily driver short, as you may find yourself back out searching for something again. Just my
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
That makes more sense than selling a perfectly good lower mileage car that's 5 years newer.
The Scion is at the end of its depreciation cycle, with the GTI you just paid for the worst of the depreciation, keeping it for at least another 5 years will get you some mileage out of the money you already lost.
Yeah, that was the main thing that stung about the idea of selling the VW, I took the worst of the depreciation and got the least amount of value out of the car. Keeping it makes sense from that standpoint. When I purchased the car I had fully intended to drive it to at least 150k miles, if not 200k.
After doing more research and seeing just how much many of the decent options cost, what I foresee happening is that the Scion ultimately breaks in a way that makes it not worth repairing (clearly I'm speculating, it could certainly go another 200k miles), and then I go looking for something to replace it. In that scenario the Scion is nearly worthless to sell, and I'm out another $5000ish for its replacement. I believe I could get as much as $14k for my GTI, so in long run it isn't costing us too much more to keep.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Given that Scion has any substantial resale value left, why not keep both? That way you will always have alternate transport available if one car needs to be worked on.
It could be useful to have a third car, but I think from day to day it being in the driveway and blocking either of the other two cars in the garage would probably be annoying frequently enough to diminish the value it brings.
Not only that, but factoring in just basic insurance over the long term would mean that it would probably just cost less to rent a car for the short periods of time either of the other two would be down for repairs.
That makes more sense than selling a perfectly good lower mileage car that's 5 years newer.
The Scion is at the end of its depreciation cycle, with the GTI you just paid for the worst of the depreciation, keeping it for at least another 5 years will get you some mileage out of the money you already lost.
Yeah, that was the main thing that stung about the idea of selling the VW, I took the worst of the depreciation and got the least amount of value out of the car. Keeping it makes sense from that standpoint. When I purchased the car I had fully intended to drive it to at least 150k miles, if not 200k.
After doing more research and seeing just how much many of the decent options cost, what I foresee happening is that the Scion ultimately breaks in a way that makes it not worth repairing (clearly I'm speculating, it could certainly go another 200k miles), and then I go looking for something to replace it. In that scenario the Scion is nearly worthless to sell, and I'm out another $5000ish for its replacement. I believe I could get as much as $14k for my GTI, so in long run it isn't costing us too much more to keep.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Given that Scion has any substantial resale value left, why not keep both? That way you will always have alternate transport available if one car needs to be worked on.
It could be useful to have a third car, but I think from day to day it being in the driveway and blocking either of the other two cars in the garage would probably be annoying frequently enough to diminish the value it brings.
Not only that, but factoring in just basic insurance over the long term would mean that it would probably just cost less to rent a car for the short periods of time either of the other two would be down for repairs.
Originally Posted By: 99Saturn
Is there something with the GTI that is problematic? I had the impression that you might have had some issues already in the first couple of years and it was not all that reliable, but that doesn't sound to be the case (I could just be remembering a different post/poster).
I have to say I have the same opinion over 200K as you, not really for any good other than I see the miles rack up on our cars quickly from commutes to work as well. Sounds like you know what you want to do with the GTI already - I wouldn't let closing out a home loan earlier weigh too much. I know there is a lot of emphasis on paying off debt but don't sell your need for a daily driver short, as you may find yourself back out searching for something again. Just my
.
My GTI has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. At about 8k miles it had a pretty nasty electrical issue that was sorted out under warranty, but since then it's been smooth sailing (knocking on wood). I know of a few issues that are likely to spring up, but VW actually extended the warranty coverage on those to 10 years or 120k miles (fuel injectors, intake manifold). Then there's the direct injection intake valve issue (carbon buildup), but my technique for keeping that at bay seems to have been effective so far (run the car hard for about 30 minutes straight every 10k miles or so). That idea came from a technical paper published by somebody (I think it was VW) that showed that high heat will both prevent carbon from sticking to valves and help remove already built up carbon.
Most cars have issues that you need to keep an eye on, so maybe I should just be happy that I know what they are with this one.
Is there something with the GTI that is problematic? I had the impression that you might have had some issues already in the first couple of years and it was not all that reliable, but that doesn't sound to be the case (I could just be remembering a different post/poster).
I have to say I have the same opinion over 200K as you, not really for any good other than I see the miles rack up on our cars quickly from commutes to work as well. Sounds like you know what you want to do with the GTI already - I wouldn't let closing out a home loan earlier weigh too much. I know there is a lot of emphasis on paying off debt but don't sell your need for a daily driver short, as you may find yourself back out searching for something again. Just my
My GTI has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. At about 8k miles it had a pretty nasty electrical issue that was sorted out under warranty, but since then it's been smooth sailing (knocking on wood). I know of a few issues that are likely to spring up, but VW actually extended the warranty coverage on those to 10 years or 120k miles (fuel injectors, intake manifold). Then there's the direct injection intake valve issue (carbon buildup), but my technique for keeping that at bay seems to have been effective so far (run the car hard for about 30 minutes straight every 10k miles or so). That idea came from a technical paper published by somebody (I think it was VW) that showed that high heat will both prevent carbon from sticking to valves and help remove already built up carbon.
Most cars have issues that you need to keep an eye on, so maybe I should just be happy that I know what they are with this one.
I wouldn't keep one as a third car. I'm not a big fan of investing in unused vehicles unless its a toy car.
Rentals are cheap.
Rentals are cheap.
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Originally Posted By: Mykl
Yeah, and today I was having a look at my insurance policy..... I'm already paying $2 a month ($1 for the VW and $1 for the Toyota) for rental car reimbursement.
That is when your car is getting fixed under the collision coverage.
Yeah, and today I was having a look at my insurance policy..... I'm already paying $2 a month ($1 for the VW and $1 for the Toyota) for rental car reimbursement.
That is when your car is getting fixed under the collision coverage.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Yeah, and today I was having a look at my insurance policy..... I'm already paying $2 a month ($1 for the VW and $1 for the Toyota) for rental car reimbursement.
That is when your car is getting fixed under the collision coverage.
I think mine also specifically states mechanical repair as well, I'll have another look at it.
*edit* you're right, I have no idea how that idea got stuck in my head
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Yeah, and today I was having a look at my insurance policy..... I'm already paying $2 a month ($1 for the VW and $1 for the Toyota) for rental car reimbursement.
That is when your car is getting fixed under the collision coverage.
I think mine also specifically states mechanical repair as well, I'll have another look at it.
*edit* you're right, I have no idea how that idea got stuck in my head
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