by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 12/18/2017 at 12:36
by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 12/18/2017 at 12:36
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STARS: 0
When I visited my parents over the summer, my dad mentioned he was thinking of replacing his 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero 2.8T convertible that he bought brand new, with some kind of boring crossover like a Mazda CX-5. But he hasn’t yet. This weekend he sent me this pic of his 9-3 hiding among the SUVs. He should keep it.
Being a couple of empty-nest, well-off DC Baby Boomers, my parents have two houses: the one in the DC suburbs where I grew up, and a bigass vacation house on the eastern shore of Maryland. They bought this vacation house over the summer to replace their previous, reasonably-sized vacation house. Because...reasons.
My mom drives an ’05 Acura MDX, also bought new, that she wants to downsize from. My dad was talking about wanting to get something that runs on regular gas (unlike the Saab) and can haul around the assorted crap that comes along with having a big house on a couple wooded waterfront acres and a couple boats. He was leaning toward the CX-5 because it’s sorta kinda sporty, runs on regular gas, and apparently has the highest tow rating among 4-cylinder compact crossovers.
The Saab was making some kind of clunking noise that I didn’t get an opportunity to diagnose while I was visiting because we were busy doing vacation-y things, but my dad said if the clunk was some big repair, he’d sell the car to my friend’s shop/dealership that works on the Saab.
I at one point suggested he should keep a fun car and snag an old pickup or proper trucky SUV and leave it at the vacation house, but he was all like, “I’m old, I’ve had my fun with cars, I just want something fuel efficient and rational that I don’t have to put damn premium gas in.”
Fortunately, the problem with the Saab turned out to be a sway bar end link and was fixed for less than a hundred bucks. So when my dad emailed me this picture of the Saab, naturally I replied:
See, this is why you should keep it and get some cheap old SUV or pickup for hauling/towing duties.
UPDATE with reply from Dad:
Well, I plan to keep it a while. Mileage is almost at 139k so I’m wary about how long it’ll last.
Mom’s been talking about getting rid of her MDX but she just had it serviced fully and it’s doing pretty well despite having about 135k. They fixed the backup camera and the broken front passenger door lock, both of which were the most overt annoyances. So, as long as that car is around, I don’t need something to tow/haul with.
"TheRevanchist" (therevanchist)
12/18/2017 at 12:45, STARS: 3
CX-5 is boring? I will need more time to reflect on this.
"If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent" (essextee)
12/18/2017 at 12:48, STARS: 0
My mom is looking to replace her Discovery with a Rav-4. Her other car is a Sienna. My sister has a Prius. I’m soon to be the only non-Toyota in the family.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
12/18/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 0
Boring is relative.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/18/2017 at 12:55, STARS: 1
Among compact crossovers without step-up engine options, it is less boring than the others. It’s still a compact crossover without a step-up engine option.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
12/18/2017 at 12:56, STARS: 0
This sounds a lot like discussions I’ve had with my dad regarding future vehicles. He’s driven German luxury cars for the last 35+ years, and still drives an E-Class, but wouldn’t look at buying another one. Needs change over time, and the idea of getting away from premium fuel and Mobil 1 has distinct advantages. In his case, however, he’d just add a few more solar panels to the roof and get something electric, with mom’s wagon as the chosen long-distance vehicle.
I’ve gone through a similar metamorphosis, and after decades of things expensive and German I’m perfectly content with a Mazda minivan (albeit with a 6MT). Like my dad, I may move to practical but I’m not willing to go to boring.
"E92M3" (E46M3)
12/18/2017 at 12:57, STARS: 2
Tell your dad the $30 a month extra he spends on premium gas is nothing compared to the monthly depreciation of a newer car. Even a wise choice, 3 yr old car is going to drop $250-300 a month in value. And that’s something like a Rav4. Pick an oddball, and that loss goes up even more.
"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
12/18/2017 at 12:58, STARS: 0
I would try to get him to test drive something just *a little* quicker than the Saab with a nicer interior. So it doesn’t seem like a dramatic step, but makes something boring look really bad. Subtle enthusiast brainwashing.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/18/2017 at 13:23, STARS: 1
He never wants something
too
fancy and he keeps cars a long time. Like when he was shopping for the Saab he didn’t want to mess with looking at BMW or Mercedes and was looking instead at Saab and maaaybe Audi. The last time he kept a car for less than 7 years was the 80s.
Before buying the Saab, he had:
1997 Mercedes E420 (DD) + 2001 Audi TT Roadster (2nd car)
1990 Acura Legend LS coupe
1988 Sterling 827 SLI
1984 Toyota Supra P-Type
1980 Datsun 200SX
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/18/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 1
He doesn’t care about depreciation with how long he keeps stuff and he can more than afford the gas. It’s a psychological nuisance to him that’s not based on any real financial impact.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/18/2017 at 13:29, STARS: 1
I have thoughts of replacing my 335xi with an old WJ Grand Cherokee (unreliable but cheap to fix) and an NC Miata flippy hardtop (impractical but reliable and cheap to fix).
"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
12/18/2017 at 13:37, STARS: 0
Supra P type! A man after my own heart!
Given that ownership history maybe some kind of quick Japanese vert? Not my thing, but a Z car could work? 350s are super reasonable
"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
12/18/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 0
The joys of giving car advice to family members. My parents replaced both of their cars a couple weeks ago. As they see me as the car guy, there were long phone calls which usually ended in “can you just send me a few links?”. Of course I can, but not before you tell me your budget. In the end they just bought what they thought was a good deal and not what I recommended. They never listen. They usually just want their choice confirmed.