I’m getting the new car buying bug (hoping you can talk me out of it lol).
I currently have a 2018 Cruze with 31,337 miles on it which I would trade in, at KBB it has a trade in value of 11,065.00.
I don’t drive much, maybe 4,000 miles a year and was thinking of maybe retiring in 12-18 months, figuring if the Cruze goes on me in 5 years or so it would be harder to buy a new car on a fixed income.
At the dealer web site the HRV has a MSRP of 29,450.00, haven’t bought a car in a while so was wondering if the price is negotiable like it used to be or have the dealers steered away from that ?
If I bought I presume it could last me 15 plus years ?
I have done all the maintenance by the book on the Cruze.
Would you keep the Cruze or buy the HRV if you were me ?
If I were in your exact situation – removing the ‘car buying bug’ from the equation – I would keep the current vehicle. I could go on and on about the pros and cons but I’ll sum it up by stating:
You’re desiring a new vehicle when you have a perfectly good one right now – low miles, reliable, well maintained, fully paid (I presume).
You state that when you retire, it will be harder to afford a new one on a fixed income. When you say ‘new’, are you referring to the current year model or ‘used but new to you’? You don’t have to buy a brand new vehicle; used is often better financially in many cases.
Rather than buy a new vehicle now, why don’t you figure out what your monthly payments would be and put (at least half of) that money in a high yield interest account so when you do have to buy another vehicle, you’ll have a nest egg to put towards it.
Seriously, vehicles are the.worst.investment.ever! Do all you can to drive yours for as long as possible. That’s my suggestion.
As Dede suggested keep your 2018 car with low mileage that has had regular maintenace. There are online calculators that you can look at to compare the estimated future cost of ownership for your Cruze compared to a new HRV.
