New Car

If adulthood were simply a series of things that you need to check off, then Kevin and I would be one step closer. We just purchased our first new car!

This has been on the radar for a while. At the beginning of the year, when I was trying to figure out our expected 5-year expenses, I knew that it wouldn't be long before we had to replace both of our cars. At the time we were expecting to get two newer used cars. Or maybe one new and one more used, depending on our needs and when things ended up happening. Then Kevin's car started struggling more and more. As his annual safety inspection approached, we knew we should get serious about looking for a new car. There was a chance his car wouldn't pass, and it's just too old to pour a significant amount of money into.

A bit of internet research led me to the conclusion that buying a new car would definitely be worth it. The prices of used cars simply aren't dropping the way they used to. A certified pre-owned car isn't that much cheaper than a new car, and they're much harder to find. I believe this has something to do with all the computers and electronics in cars these days. Those don't lose value quickly; they just lose it all at once after several years.

The next step was to start narrowing down types of cars. I definitely wanted a lot of cargo space, more than we have now. And I had my heart set on a Subaru Outback, because I still miss my first car. But we looked at some other models with hatchbacks.

Then it was time to go for some test drives. All the dealerships are lined up along one road just a few miles from our house. It made it easy to go after work during the week. We started at Subaru, where I was surprised to learn that the Forester is actually smaller than the Outback. But it does have you sitting higher, which neither of us liked. Then it was over to Hyundai. Kevin has driven several Hyundais as rental cars over the years, and he likes the way they handle. We drove a couple, and I quickly fell in love with the Elantra GT.

Our new Elantra GT!

We did go out one more day to try out a Prius. But honestly, a new car is a new car on some level. Kevin wasn't really interested in a Kia or a Mazda, and the Elantra fit our needs pretty well. Plus it was nearly half the cost of the Outback, thanks to a variety of specials the dealership was advertising. They also do free oil changes, tires, and loaner cars for life, and we got a really good deal on extending the warranty from 5 years/50,000 miles to 10 years/100,000 miles, which will hopefully cover that gap when all the electronics fail.

At the end of the day, I didn't get my Subaru. The truth is that it just doesn't make sense for us. All-Wheel Drive was necessary in Colorado, but we'd never need it in Virginia, where we just stay home if the roads get that bad. It was bigger than what we need now and significantly more expensive.

We do probably want a bigger car eventually. Once we have kids. But the reality is that the Camry probably only has 2-3 years left in it (if that). We'll be doing this again before long, and by that time we should have a better idea of what we actually need in a bigger vehicle. Hopefully it doesn't happen until after the Elantra is paid off.