It’s the Tuesday This-or-That, the Vehicle Edition.
(What, everyone’s suddenly asking car questions, just because I’m going to be replacing my Saturn in the spring? Sheesh!)
1. Front or rear wheel drive?
Well, I grew up with rear wheel drive, but I think both of ours are currently front, which is supposedly better in inclement weather.
2. Car or truck or van?
Well, we already have a van. We have a friend with a truck. So the other vehicle will be a car.
3. Fancy or utilitarian?
I do like a little bit of fashionability with my vehicle. I’m not into leather seats and chrome plated lunch dispensers, but a bit of sportiness to the exterior is nice, and a modicum of conveniences (like, for example, a frickin’ CD player) is on my list of desired options next spring.
4. Power or manual windows/locks?
I’ve grown to like power systems like that, though it’s hard to limit it to just the things you wants (usually it’s an option package).
5. Small econobox or giant luxo cruiser?
Given a choice, an econobox (especially if I’m away on business and need to rent a car). I don’t like having to maneuver boats, particularly in parking.
6. Factory or aftermarket radio?
Factory, if at all possible. Slightly more costly for the same features, but a hell of a lot more convenient. And there aren’t any fancy sound system things that I need, anyway.
7. Lease or buy?
Given the mileage and the lifetime of the vehicle, buying makes more sense.
8. Perform own maintenance or farm it out?
Heh. It’s pretty tough to do your own maintenance these day, but even when I owned a VW Bug and did my own valve jobs, etc., it was still more of a pain than it was worth.
9. Hi-test brand name or cheap-o fuel?
Name brand, minimum recommended octane.
10. Run-it-till-the-wheels-fall-off or a new one every two years?
Current model for us seems to be that we have two vehicles, one of them new which we finance for three years, then, when it’s ours, we start shopping for a replacement for the other. That gives a lifetime of around 6-7 years, which is probably about right. Then, since no dealer will give you more than salvage cost for a 7-year-old car, we donate it and take a tax write-off.
We had an indepth discussion about this on a list I am on. Word to the wise, when you have rugrats or dogs or whatever, leather is actually a better choice. Juice wipes off leather better than it does cloth.
1. Front
2. SUV? – Had a truck, their nice, but need more room, I have a car already, need something to haul the dog. Want a Station Wagon…compromising on a small SUV.
3. Someplace in between. I don’t need a Caddy, but some extras are nice.
4. Power for sure. Next vehicle will have power seats with memory.
5. Given those choices ecnobox. However midsize is more my style. Though, I did own a Ford LTD once.
6. If I can get a CD player factory.
7. Doing the lease thing now. It sucks. Will be buying this time.
8. While I can do basic maintaince it’s easier, and not that much more expenisve to have someone else do it.
9. Name brand, recommended octane.
10. Seems to be every two years.
I expect that if I let Katherine drink juice in an open cup while sitting on seats, the seats will get stained, sooner or later. I’m not going to sweat it that much.
(My father, several hundred miles away, is shuddering, even though he’s not exactly sure why.)