New car or stick with Subaru?

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: PimTac
That new car itch hits all of us....


Nope.


Yeah, it hit me once, many decades ago. But the hate for car payments lasted much longer than the new car smell ...

That Subie is just starting to reach my interest point (>100K) where I could buy it cheap and drive it like I stole it, like most of my stuff

The Subie is great. It's distinctive and does what it's supposed to very well

Most new cars under $150K, not so much...

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

It'd be a cold day in Hades before I traded ANY Subaru in on a Camry... especially in PA. There's a reason you see so many Subarus in Pennsylvania- they work!, and 90k is nothing. Plan on about $1000 for timing belt, idlers, water pump, thermostat, coolant, fluids, etc, and it will be ready to go for another 100k. Repaint the hood for $300-500, and you're still ahead $28,000 (and you don't own a Camry!

).

 

[THORROMIG]

Side note,

I started using Super Tech conventional 5W30 right away. At around 30k miles it was using about a quart inbetween oil changes at 4000 miles/intervals. I switched over to Rotella 5W40 for two oil changes & consumption was cut in half. Then I went to Pennzoil High Mileage conventional 5W30 right after the Rotella & have no consumption at all between oil changes.

 

[KrisZ]

Trade a Subie for a Camry? Expect to be disappointed in the driving dynamic aspect, especially if the sporty looking exterior got you any ideas

But, if you are ready to move into a smooth and quiet riding category, a Camry is probably one of the best midsizers in the regard, especially with a V6.

 

[Driz]

You say the hood paint is rough? If it’s the clearcoat peeled worn and paint under exposed then it’s just faded. There’s a neat trick on YouTube to sand down , buff and reshoot with a quick shot of clearcoat. Not pure showroom quality but it’s perfect for your situation. Just pull off the hood and do it on Sawhorses or get a cheap body shop to do it. No taping quick and cheap

 

[spasm3]

I'd keep the baja, and get something else newer. Unless you get a manual subaru they are cvt transmissions. I started to look at subaru but no cvt transmissions for me.

 

[gofast182]

Conventional wisdom here is to keep it; however, if a new car is what you want and will make you happy without undue financial burden, then go for it. With that said, I don't think there's much value in getting rid of the Baja even if you do get something new. And if you're thinking of a sedan the new Accord is batting 1.000 against Camry in reviews and comparison tests (not to mention Toyota's 8AT is highly suspect right now).

 

[supton]

Baja is a niche vehicle. I'd keep it and buy something else to commute in. Like a $5k vehicle that you don't care about door dings in. That you can use for all your shopping, leave parked out on the curb, loan out to friends, etc.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: ecotourist
There's a big difference between having $30,000 in cash, and being able to afford the payments on a $30,000 loan.

If you have $30,000 in cash, your Subaru is getting a little unreliable or not quite meeting your needs and you just feel like buying a new car, I say go for it. On the other hand if the Subaru is still going strong and you can only "afford" the payments, there's a pretty strong argument for sticking with what you have.

My secretary ran her Subaru Legacy for hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Nothing ever went wrong and it just kept going.

I strongly believe that getting out from under payments is one key to financial success. And you don't get rich buying a depreciating asset.

Meanwhile, just think what would happen if you continued to put away your monthly payment as savings or better yet as an investment for a few years. As one of my friends said, "I've been happy and poor, and happy and rich, and rich is better."



On one hand i agree. People buy cars they can't afford, on payments.

But on the other hand, with loan rates what they are in this economy, i'd invest the 30k and take the loan for %1.9. No use not letting the 30k earn some.

 

[jimbrewer]

Whatever you do, keep the Baja. At least in the family.

One of the main, but overlooked advantages of a small truck is it's ability to go from #1 to #2, to #3 vehicle over a very long service life. That saves you the transaction-cost friction of constantly buying retail and selling wholesale over and over again. A beater 12 year old truck can make itself useful in a way few beater cars can.

There are social dynamics at work in buying a new vehicle that I can't address, that can be perfectly legitimate. Usually it's cheaper to keep a basically sound vehicle running.