more than you want to know about the car we don't have yet
We drove 2 more Matrixes today: the one with the silly wheels (and ick, some door dents that must be fixed), and then a super-basic version. The super basic version was ruled out, partly on the toddler-plus-non-locking windows = bad news for things stayin in car, partly on the transmission feeling uneven.
I think now we're considering a Subie Outback (for too much than we want to spend) and the silly-size wheel Matrix (good price, and might negotiate down). Subie is at a dealer (being sold by a not-quite relative) and the Matrix is a private seller (med student going away to residency). Private seller reminds me of my college roomie *grins*.
I think we'd be good in both cases. The Matrix is FWD, not AWD, but significantly cheaper to both buy and fuel. The Subie has 71,000 and the Toyota 59,000 miles.
In true geekery, I built myself a spreadsheet by which to compare purchase price, mileage, estimate cost to fuel from now to 200,000 miles, estimate length I'd own the car (assuming 200,000 again), and average cost (based on purchase and fuel) for that length of time. Super simple model (gas at $3.50/gal, for example, no doubt too low), with iffy assumptions (yes, the Legacy Outbacks will go to 200K, but will the others?). But useful for comparisions. Couldn't factor in later-life maintenance/repair, unfortunately, because I just don't know.
The Versa was the cheapest per year, but already ruled out. Both of today's Matrixes (I want to write Matrices!) are int eh lowest cost tier. Hm....
I really appreciate your comments from the other day:
R-- VW wasn't in the running based on driving my dad's; hadn't really thought about/don't know jack about Saturn. Maybe I should be looking into that. I'm just about ready to quit looking and pick, though. Hm.
J-- The Fit was too small, and the Scion might also be. Can't recall; maybe's it's the "we want to drive it to 200,000 miles" aspect that ruled it out? I think that was part of our hesitation over the Pontiac Vibe (has AWD also, same size essentially as Matix; in fact, is about half a Toyota -- body isn't, engine is, maybe drivetrain is Toyota's also? ). We ruled out the Dodge Caliber based on a swath of "not as good as..." reviews at ePinions and Consumer Reports and CarTalk. (A great relief to me as well, because I hated the name of the car.)
M-- Having maintained 2 Subie Legacies now (this is the second), I agree that the post-150,000 miles maintenance is ... tedious to deal with, at best. How can a car that feels so solid even when it's broken need so much work? But it does... In our case, the Legacy Outbacks are the much-more-money upfront as well, as compared to the Matrixes (we've mostly been shopping around Burlington; I called over to Montpelier and we checked out a car in Swanton). Financially, this puts the Toyotas up (i.e. better choice), though switching to a lighter-weight FWD after ...um... 10 years in the wonderfully solid AWD might be a bit iffy for me at first (at least I'm doing it in the summer). I borrowed a Tercel AWD wagon after losing my Nissan truck to black ice, and it was fabulous that winter/spring, yes. But a long time ago. A friend of mine had a Nissan wagon about then as well; if I'd found one of those, I might never have moved into the Legacy.
I think now we're considering a Subie Outback (for too much than we want to spend) and the silly-size wheel Matrix (good price, and might negotiate down). Subie is at a dealer (being sold by a not-quite relative) and the Matrix is a private seller (med student going away to residency). Private seller reminds me of my college roomie *grins*.
I think we'd be good in both cases. The Matrix is FWD, not AWD, but significantly cheaper to both buy and fuel. The Subie has 71,000 and the Toyota 59,000 miles.
In true geekery, I built myself a spreadsheet by which to compare purchase price, mileage, estimate cost to fuel from now to 200,000 miles, estimate length I'd own the car (assuming 200,000 again), and average cost (based on purchase and fuel) for that length of time. Super simple model (gas at $3.50/gal, for example, no doubt too low), with iffy assumptions (yes, the Legacy Outbacks will go to 200K, but will the others?). But useful for comparisions. Couldn't factor in later-life maintenance/repair, unfortunately, because I just don't know.
The Versa was the cheapest per year, but already ruled out. Both of today's Matrixes (I want to write Matrices!) are int eh lowest cost tier. Hm....
I really appreciate your comments from the other day:
R-- VW wasn't in the running based on driving my dad's; hadn't really thought about/don't know jack about Saturn. Maybe I should be looking into that. I'm just about ready to quit looking and pick, though. Hm.
J-- The Fit was too small, and the Scion might also be. Can't recall; maybe's it's the "we want to drive it to 200,000 miles" aspect that ruled it out? I think that was part of our hesitation over the Pontiac Vibe (has AWD also, same size essentially as Matix; in fact, is about half a Toyota -- body isn't, engine is, maybe drivetrain is Toyota's also? ). We ruled out the Dodge Caliber based on a swath of "not as good as..." reviews at ePinions and Consumer Reports and CarTalk. (A great relief to me as well, because I hated the name of the car.)
M-- Having maintained 2 Subie Legacies now (this is the second), I agree that the post-150,000 miles maintenance is ... tedious to deal with, at best. How can a car that feels so solid even when it's broken need so much work? But it does... In our case, the Legacy Outbacks are the much-more-money upfront as well, as compared to the Matrixes (we've mostly been shopping around Burlington; I called over to Montpelier and we checked out a car in Swanton). Financially, this puts the Toyotas up (i.e. better choice), though switching to a lighter-weight FWD after ...um... 10 years in the wonderfully solid AWD might be a bit iffy for me at first (at least I'm doing it in the summer). I borrowed a Tercel AWD wagon after losing my Nissan truck to black ice, and it was fabulous that winter/spring, yes. But a long time ago. A friend of mine had a Nissan wagon about then as well; if I'd found one of those, I might never have moved into the Legacy.