New Car, Who Dis?

I’m a fan of new cars. You pay for the privilege, no doubt, but there’s a comfort in knowing exactly where it’s been. Plenty of 40k mile vehicles out there with a hard-driving warranty period. There are extended warranties and stuff, but a breakdown is still time when often I don’t have any to spare. So, knowing the history, the weak points, what kind of oil’s been used since day one is worth the extra for me. Plus, new car smell. I don’t have to sell you on a new car, they sell themselves.

Or do they?

Our fleet is aging and reliability issues have had me looking for something new (or else). I just need at least one car to be the rock in case everything else goes down when im out of town. So, the wife and I spent some time deciding which car should replace our oldest – a 2010 sedan with 230k miles. We wanted a similar car for commuting. Quickly found out that the field has narrowed. If it isn’t an SUV, then it’s a rare breed. The sedans that do exist in my meager price range have all gone hybrid.

Wait, hybrid?

No judgement on the EV market, but nothing specifically excites me about it. The hybrids are … great? All the same issues with a smaller engine and a big weird battery that acts like a turbo and gets great gasmilage – until it breaks. And none of the salesmen could or would give me specifics on how often batteries and their hardware come in for repairs. My regular car batteries that used to last 5 years now last 2 years due to all the increased electronic demands put on them. So … it’s fine, just not something that’s grabbing the wallet out of my pocket.

We drove the lineup, decided the hybrid Camry was the way to go. Am I excited about buying a Camry for 35-40K? No. For that money I should be getting a little more fun and definitely some power. And there may be such a vehicle out there, but per the wife’s long list of criteria, Camry’s the only option.

We went to a dealer, found the model we liked and I was ready to go. Salesman didn’t have to say a thing and I woulda bought it. But he did. Started trying to sell me on the battery. The warranty on the inverter being shorter than the battery. No idea how often a cell goes out on a battery. And he looked like he’d just eaten lunch, even after 2 hours of talking to him, it was like he’d still just eaten.

So, I went into the used market. Holy hell. Yes, there are a thousand articles talking about the inflation of used car prices, but I wasn’t ready. Those Camrys are looking at 10% depreciation per year. Great for owners, but that kinda sux. Where are the good old days of losing 20% driving it off the lot?

Long story short, we lucked out. My FIL decided to sell his 15 year old Camry. Well-maintained, and only 70k on the clock. Grabbed it and it’s got a good feel. Old school tech, no alarms going off or lane assist wrestling with the wheel. The lack of backup camera is showing the rust on my backup skills, but overall happy with the purchase.