Car Shopping
Nov. 26th, 2024 05:42 pmI am not currently in the market for a new car. Let's start by saying that.
(Yes, I know that I said the other day that I was not buying a new computer and I am waiting for one last part to show up to be able to assemble my new computer. A car is not a computer. The criteria for buying one are completely different. Shush.)
Anyway, I like to know what car I would go out and buy if I needed to replace my car today. I have only had that happen once in my life (so far) and that was over 30 years ago, but it is good to keep up on my research so that I'm ready just in case.
I have a 2016 Ford Edge with about 42K miles on it, because I don't drive nearly as much now that I work from home. I can drive this car for a long time if nothing catastrophic happens. Or if one of the kids needs a car (*needs*, not *wants*), I could give the Edge to them and buy a new car for Dad.
I like my Edge a lot. I wish it were a hybrid, but that wasn't an option. I could replace it with another new Edge, except Ford has discontinued the Edge, except in China. Since I am not in China, that is not extremely helpful. The Lincoln twin of the Edge, the Lincoln Nautilus, is still available, but is decked out in 42 frufru ways and priced to match. The "choice of smell" dispenser is particularly choice.
There is no other Ford that suits me, which means that it is time to investigate other manufacturers.
Now, part of the problem in buying a car is that -- aside from being fat -- most of my height is in my torso, which means that I do not generally fit in cars that have a moon roof, because my head is now meeting the roof in an unpleasant way. In most models of car, there is no space to give for a moon roof. Heck, in a lot of models of car, there's just no space for my head. I remember trying to get in and out of a Chevy Impala a few years back. That was an experience. A Tesla would be cool, but getting in under that roof line on a regular basis is simply not going to happen, as I discovered once when I had a chance to test drive one.
One of the leading candidates has been the Toyota Highlander. I'd probably fit pretty well in that and although the third row would spend most of its life folded down, there are occasions when it would be useful. And there's a hybrid model.
Highlanders, however, are in ludicrously short supply. You pretty much have to buy one sight unseen to get it. The pricing is right in line with the supply. I have stock in Toyota, so I suppose I should congratulate management on their supply chain management, but it's sort of annoying when you're looking at buying one. And if I needed one *today*, getting one would be a crap shoot.
Also, I would have to check if I can drive one with a moon roof. I can't manage it in a Sienna, which is a bad sign. And no moon roof means that you are buying at the bottom of the line, which is better for price, but not as good for features. As I get older, I discover that there are upgraded features that I like to have in a car that don't show up in the base models.
I went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch over the weekend and as I was pulling out of the lot, I noticed an unusual looking car, which meant it was time to find out what it was. It turns out that it is a new Hyundai Santa Fe, which they redesigned last year, copying pretty much everything they could from a Range Rover. I got to ride in my brother's Range Rover when I was visiting down in Texas this year. It is a nice car. It is also an *expensive* car.
(I enjoy visiting Mitch, but it is *amazing* how I head home with an urge to spend money because of the various cool things I've seen. :) )
Anyway, I checked the specs last night on line and found that the headroom with a moon roof was supposed to be the same as the headroom in my Edge. That looked promising. And the Santa Fe is a hybrid, gets good mileage, and is a good bit cheaper than either a Range Rover or a Nautilus. Or even the hard-to-get Highlander.
I saw that our local Hyundai dealer had a good supply of Santa Fes in stock and was about five minutes away from where I had lunch, so I drove over today and got a chance to sit in one of them.
I fit.
And the cabin is pretty well outfitted. I'd have to see how it drives.
But it's a good target car.
I am, however, only shopping, because I like my Ford Edge.
Stop snickering.
(Yes, I know that I said the other day that I was not buying a new computer and I am waiting for one last part to show up to be able to assemble my new computer. A car is not a computer. The criteria for buying one are completely different. Shush.)
Anyway, I like to know what car I would go out and buy if I needed to replace my car today. I have only had that happen once in my life (so far) and that was over 30 years ago, but it is good to keep up on my research so that I'm ready just in case.
I have a 2016 Ford Edge with about 42K miles on it, because I don't drive nearly as much now that I work from home. I can drive this car for a long time if nothing catastrophic happens. Or if one of the kids needs a car (*needs*, not *wants*), I could give the Edge to them and buy a new car for Dad.
I like my Edge a lot. I wish it were a hybrid, but that wasn't an option. I could replace it with another new Edge, except Ford has discontinued the Edge, except in China. Since I am not in China, that is not extremely helpful. The Lincoln twin of the Edge, the Lincoln Nautilus, is still available, but is decked out in 42 frufru ways and priced to match. The "choice of smell" dispenser is particularly choice.
There is no other Ford that suits me, which means that it is time to investigate other manufacturers.
Now, part of the problem in buying a car is that -- aside from being fat -- most of my height is in my torso, which means that I do not generally fit in cars that have a moon roof, because my head is now meeting the roof in an unpleasant way. In most models of car, there is no space to give for a moon roof. Heck, in a lot of models of car, there's just no space for my head. I remember trying to get in and out of a Chevy Impala a few years back. That was an experience. A Tesla would be cool, but getting in under that roof line on a regular basis is simply not going to happen, as I discovered once when I had a chance to test drive one.
One of the leading candidates has been the Toyota Highlander. I'd probably fit pretty well in that and although the third row would spend most of its life folded down, there are occasions when it would be useful. And there's a hybrid model.
Highlanders, however, are in ludicrously short supply. You pretty much have to buy one sight unseen to get it. The pricing is right in line with the supply. I have stock in Toyota, so I suppose I should congratulate management on their supply chain management, but it's sort of annoying when you're looking at buying one. And if I needed one *today*, getting one would be a crap shoot.
Also, I would have to check if I can drive one with a moon roof. I can't manage it in a Sienna, which is a bad sign. And no moon roof means that you are buying at the bottom of the line, which is better for price, but not as good for features. As I get older, I discover that there are upgraded features that I like to have in a car that don't show up in the base models.
I went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch over the weekend and as I was pulling out of the lot, I noticed an unusual looking car, which meant it was time to find out what it was. It turns out that it is a new Hyundai Santa Fe, which they redesigned last year, copying pretty much everything they could from a Range Rover. I got to ride in my brother's Range Rover when I was visiting down in Texas this year. It is a nice car. It is also an *expensive* car.
(I enjoy visiting Mitch, but it is *amazing* how I head home with an urge to spend money because of the various cool things I've seen. :) )
Anyway, I checked the specs last night on line and found that the headroom with a moon roof was supposed to be the same as the headroom in my Edge. That looked promising. And the Santa Fe is a hybrid, gets good mileage, and is a good bit cheaper than either a Range Rover or a Nautilus. Or even the hard-to-get Highlander.
I saw that our local Hyundai dealer had a good supply of Santa Fes in stock and was about five minutes away from where I had lunch, so I drove over today and got a chance to sit in one of them.
I fit.
And the cabin is pretty well outfitted. I'd have to see how it drives.
But it's a good target car.
I am, however, only shopping, because I like my Ford Edge.
Stop snickering.